In my growing book of hotel knowledge, I’ve learned that you just can’t hide a second-rate hotel. Even a so-called themed hotel, which looks great from the outside, can leave you wondering about the interior of the room and its contents. In the immortal words of Carrie Bradshaw – a squirrel is just a rat with a cuter outfit. Well for me, a cheaply themed hotel is just a motel with cuter decorations – it’s still a motel underneath.

There are several other little things that generally distinguish a classy hotel from cheap hotel – and I’m not just talking about chocolates on the pillow, although that is a nice touch too. When staying at your temporary home-away-from-home, little things – simple things – can make all the difference in the world. Even European hotels, which typically have smaller rooms by American standards, can be elegantly decorated and include many added luxuries that make up for the loss of space.

When staying at a hotel for the first time, there are a few things that I look for beyond the expected cleanliness and size of the room. These little things may, ultimately, help me decide whether or not I want to stay in that hotel again or even recommend it to a friend.

6 Little Things Every Quality Hotel Should Have

1. Marble or Granite Sink and Tile – Ok, this one is more than just a little thing. Having nice marble or granite tile in every hotel bathroom can get quite expensive. But when I see it, I give a sigh of relief knowing that I picked a good one.
2. Quality Towels - Hotels that offer thin, frayed, or small bath towels are just asking for a bad review. Towels must be big, they must be thick and fluffy, they must be soft, and they must be clean!
3. Full-size Hair Dryer – I really dislike packing my own hair dryer. It is big, bulky, and takes up suitcase space that could be used for more cute clothes. So, when I travel, I have to rely on hotel hair dryers to dry my very thick, naturally curly hair. Most hotels provide some type of hair dryer these days. However, many cheap hotels will only provide a wall-attached hair dryer that can take up to 30 minutes to dry my hair. By that time, my arm is about ready to fall off and I want to throw the dryer across the room (but I can’t because it’s attached to the wall!) A top-notch hotel will actually provide a full-size, free-standing hair dryer in the room – usually wrapped up in a neat little silk bag.
4. Gourmet Tea and Coffee – Many cheap hotels will not offer in-room coffee/tea at all. Then, there are nice hotels that offer in-room coffee/tea service but skimp on the quality of the tea/coffee. If I see gourmet tea such as Tazo, Harney and Sons, or even Twinings, I know the hotel is paying attention to detail. Also important – glassware – who wants to drink coffee, tea, or wine from a paper cup? Glass says class.
5. Luxurious Bedding – A bed doesn’t require a pillow-top mattress to be good. Give me a soft but sturdy bed with luxurious bedding (look for a third sheet that covers the blanket) and I’m sleeping like a baby.
6. Fancy Soaps – No-name bath products? Why bother? Cheap soaps scream cheap hotel. If I don’t see brand names like Aveda, H2O, Crabtree and Evelyn, L’Occitane, or something similar, I begin to wonder about the hotel in general and pray that I remembered to bring my own shower gel.

Little things – that’s all I’m asking for. But, I wouldn’t mind a chocolate on my nightstand every now and then either

What are the little things you look for in a quality hotel?

Why, Disney World of course! If you can’t get to England or France – or many other European countries for that matter –  a trip to Disney’s EPCOT can satisfy the urge to take a journey across the pond.

But after spending a week here, I think I’ve had my fill of Disney-fied Europe – but I will miss those pastries!

Ciao!

Clue #1: I am living it up Victorian England style – although I’m not in England!

Clue #2: I’m enjoying some divine pastries, including tarts and chocolate mousse. However, I’m not in France!

Clue #3: Finally, I’m knocking back a few Lava Flows – a Hawaiian favorite – although I’m not in Hawaii!

So, where in the World is Bistro Chic? Check back on Thursday to find out

Recent reports show that the British consume the most cereal out of any European country. In fact, 87% of Brits actually eat cold cereal every day – with at least 6% of those reporting they don’t just each cereal for breakfast!

Move Over, Porridge

Although porridge is still popular in all of the United Kingdom, new research reveals that the popularity of this warm breakfast staple is dwindling. Overall, people in the UK spend £134 million in hot cereals, like porridge and oatmeal, yet they spend £1.2 billion in ready-to-eat (RTE) cereals, and most of those are of the sugar-filled “kid” variety. 

Researchers suggest that sales of RTE cereal sales will continue to rise due to several factors including the ease of preparation – cold cereals take less time to prepare than hot cereals – as well as increased marketing surrounding cold cereals (particularly to children) combined with little to no marketing for hot cereals.

Favorite British Breakfast Cereals

So, if you want to eat a modern British breakfast, skip the porridge, kippers, and scones, and try one of these popular British cereals:

• Wheetabix
• Coco Pops
• Sugar Puffs
• Crunchy Nut Cornflakes

Be warned, many British breakfast cereals contain more sugar than a jelly doughnut – although, you won’t hear Goldilocks complain about that.

Fete du Citron in Menton France (Photo Courtesy of Fete du Citron Web site)

The Parade of the Golden Fruit - A multicolored parade where elaborate floats are made from Menton lemons and oranges

A Moonlit Parade – The evening parade of citrus-inspired floats is complemented by music and fanfare from orchestras, folk groups, and dancers who entertain and party well into the wee hours of the morning.

Citrus Exhibition – The city offers educational tours about citrus that lead onlookers to the four corners of the world

Gardens of Light – Bizarre sounds and strange creatures basking in light await festival-goers who enter the fairytale-like garden.

If you are a lover of lemons – and partying for that matter, attending the Fête du Citron is an ideal way to get your fix of both. Can’t make it to Menton for the Fête du Citron? Celebrate by making a sweet lemon treat at home. Here are a few ideas to get you started…

• Lemon Yogurt Cake
• Iced Lemon Cookies
• Lemon Cream Scones
• Lemon Cupcakes
• Frothy Lemonade

Ciao!

While staying in London a few years back, I would get up each morning and go for a run. I ran through Kensington Park, Hyde Park, etc, admiring all of wonders of the neighborhoods. Although I saw many people out and about during my runs – walking their dogs, chatting with friends – I would rarely see another runner. I had similar experiences in major cities in Ireland, Scotland, and Spain, where my early morning runs were among crowds of people, but none of them running. I wondered, where were all the British and European runners?

Digging a little deeper into this issue, I found that Londoners, or the British in general do run, as well do many, many Europeans. In fact, more than 1/3 of Europeans lace up their running shoes and pound the pavement each year. And, according to a recent study by ASICS footwear, runners from each country have their own distinct running personalities, running styles, and reasons for running:

The European Runner:

1. The Ambitious Italian Runner – Italian runners are highly competitive, rarely skipping a routine, running through injuries. They are also very social runners, with 81% most likely to run with someone.
2. The Sunny French Runner – As is the joie de vivre manner in France, the French runner runs when the mood and the weather is right. For this reason, it is easy to see why they indicted running the least out of the surveyed countries. 
3. The Hard-working German Runner - The German runner is highly dedicated and will rarely skip a scheduled run. He/she uses running to lose or to main weight and rarely give much thought to injury prevention.
4. The Persistent British Runner – British runners run the most out of all other European runners. They are known to persevere through many rainy day runs by running indoors. Of the runners surveyed, British runners are the most likely to run inside (34% while France was lowest at 4%). Although they feel a sense of duty when it comes to running, they are quick to make excuses for skipping a run, including because it’s too dark outside (31% or because they’re favorite television show is on (16%)
5. The Passionate Spanish Runner - Spaniards are spirited runners who believe running is an important part of their lives. However, they are very emotional when it comes to taking to the road and are easily irritated by external factors, including other people.
6. The European Belgian Runner – Runners in Belgian could be considered the all-around European runner – with a musical a twist. They find running an important part of a healthy lifestyle but also feel that listening to music is an essential part of running.
7. The Down-to-earth Dutch Runner – Compared with other European runners surveyed, Dutch runners are the youngest of all – more than 1/3 of Dutch runners started running less than a year ago. Although they have an idealist attitude about running – not needing music or company while running – they are also the least likely to report that running is an important part of their lives.

So, where do I fit in? I would love to say that I am like a French runner, just because I love all things French. However, I definitely do not have a Holly Golightly attitude when it comes to running. If I had to choose, I think I am most like the German runner. I rarely skip my runs and have run through injury, illness, and very little sleep. But, I also like to think that I have a little Belgian influence in my running personality, for I see running as an important part of my healthy lifestyle.

When it’s all said and done – I think that runners – no matter what country they are from – are truly happiest when they are running. I know that this is true for me, although I’m pretty sure I would be happier running in Paris.

Happy Paczki Day!

And, it didn’t stop at school. We would all rush home to find more paczkis waiting for us as an afternoon snack or our after-dinner dessert. My brothers and I would eat so many of them that our stomachs would ache. I would then swear off paczkis, vowing never to have one again. But each year, I would forget these temporary paczki side-effects and come back for more.

After many years of eating these indulgent donuts, I gave up eating paczkis around the time I started college. With at least 300-400 calories in each paczki, I realized that even indulging in these pastries once a year was not a good idea for my waistline. I’ve only recently started to eat them again. It’s rather hard to avoid them when my work has more than 5 dozen delivered to the office around this time each year. Oh well, it’s Fat Tuesday after all - the day where calories don’t matter. Besides, after one day of indulgence, I will have 40 days of fasting to burn off all of those calories.

Denmark: In Denmark, Valentine’s Day is celebrated as Fjortende Februar. On this day, lovers send snowdrops, white flowers, to each other. They are also accustomed to sending love poems called gaekkebrev, or a joking card, to their sweethearts. In this tradition, the sender writes an amusing poem to his/her love and signs the letter with dots instead of a name. If the one receiving the poem can guess who has sent it, then this person will get a chocolate egg on Easter day. Jeg Elsker Dig means I Love You in Danish.

England: In Victorian England, lovers, family members, and friends, expressed their affections with elaborate paper valentines which often included a poem penned by the sender.

Germany: For Germans, Valentine’s Day is all about flowers. A man will often send his sweetie a bouquet of his lover’s favorite flowers to show that he is paying attention to her specific affections. Ich liebe dich means I Love You in German.

Romania: The Romanian version of Valentine’s Day, known as the Dragobete festival, takes place on February 24th. On this day, sweethearts pick flowers (snowdrops) for each other. Some may even keep with the tradition of stepping over their partner’s feet, which is said to give the stepper the upper hand in the relationship. Te ubesc means I Love You in Romanian. 

Scotland: For the Scots, Valentine’s Day is celebrated with a festival for young singles. An equal amount of young single men and single women writes his/her name (or a made up name) on a piece of paper, then it is rolled up. The names are placed in two hats, one for the men and one for the women. Each single then draws a name out of the opposite gender’s hat, which, in turn, becomes their valentine. Although some men and women may end up with two valentines, the men are suppose to stick with the valentine who has chosen him. Gifts are then given to the young ladies, who wear the name of their valentine over their heart or on their sleeve. Ta gra agam ort means I Love You in Gaelic.

Wales: In Wales, Dydd Santes Dwynwen is celebrated on January 25th. On this version of Valentine’s day, Welsh men carve elaborate wooden spoons as tokens of affection. ‘Rwy’n dy garu means I Love You in Welsh.

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!

Travel Goddess Samantha Brown Celebrates 10 Years with the Travel Channel. (Photo from Travel Channel)

In just 10 years, Brown has done what most of us can’t do in a lifetime – traveled around the globe and back again. From Great Hotels to Great Weekends, and Girl Meets Hawaii to Passport to Europe, Brown has visited dozens of countries and hundreds of cities and has shared her experiences and opinions with the rest of the world, all with a perky pixie and a smile. And, with her quirky personality, girl-next-door charm, and top-notch travel journalism skills, it’s easy to see why Brown is America’s travel sweetheart. 

Getting Hooked on Samantha Brown

Samantha Brown and her shows hold a particularly special place in my heart. On maternity leave a few years back, I was confined to the house with a preemie. The doctors advised that I avoid going to the mall, church, or anywhere where I would come in contact with people, other than my family – which was, of course, everywhere but my house. It was a happy but rather difficult time for me…caring for a new baby on a very little sleep and having very little contact with the outside world.

It was then that I became hooked on the Travel Channel, and more specifically, the travels of Samantha Brown. Prior to my pregnancy, I rarely watched television – we didn’t even have cable. But after having my son, my husband decided getting cable might be a good thing for me – not to mention he could watch the College Basketball’s final four.

For three months, I was glued to the television twice a day – both times that Samantha Brown’s shows were on. Babe in arms, I watched and listened to Brown’s tales, engrossed by the scenery and, admittedly, a little jealous of her jet-setting life and awesome wardrobe. When I returned to work, my husband and I contemplated getting rid of cable. Hmm…that would mean saying goodbye to the Travel Channel and Samantha – not a chance. Over the years, I learned so many fun things about US cities, European destinations, and the do’s and don’ts of cruising. I still love to watch reruns of Brown’s travels and am looking forward to many more years of following her global escapes.

Samantha Brown Anniversary Specials

If you are not familiar with Samantha Brown, check out her four 1- hour anniversary specials (all times are Eastern):

1. Samantha Brown’s Vancouver (February 8 at 8PM) where Samantha discovers the natural beauty, winter activities, food and culture of the 2010 Winter Olympics host city.
2. Samantha Brown: Inside the Suitcase (February 9 at 8PM) Samantha shares her travel secrets, packing tips and her favorite moments from the road.
3. Samantha Brown Fan-a-thon (February 10 at 8PM) Samantha celebrates ten years of travel at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida with some VIPs — her fans.  Fans share some of their favorite show moments. 
4. Samantha Brown’s World of Sports (February 11 at 8PM) Samantha takes viewers through a personal compendium of her best and worst sports-related moments throughout her time on the Travel Channel.

Kate Moss goes grey for Paris Fashion Week 2010

According to the Times online: 

Moss hadn’t taken the unpretentious route — she’d just forgotten to wash her hair. Grey is a dry-shampoo addict’s curse, so essentially, the supermodel had got out of bed too late — and started a new trend.

The thought of turning grey makes most young women cringe. But seeing Kate embrace this new color – even making it sexy – gives hope to many women who are heading down the grey path. Kate’s temporary ‘do, however, was short-lived, for I hear she is now back to her old blonde self. It’s too bad really, because unlike most women her age, Kate’s doe-eyed, dewey-faced look was only enhanced by the new grey strands.

But then again, whether it’s grey hair or a paper bag, what doesn’t look good on a supermodel?