Luxury Travel Blog | Andrew Harper

Luxury Travel News: Peninsula Paris, Rittenhouse, Silversea

Andrew Harper Things You Should Know — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:07:48 +0000

Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen opening this fall. More details on Peninsula Paris. Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse revamps tea room, opens bar. Constantino Rocca’s favorite Italian golf courses. Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach owners take over, change hotel name. Joel Robuchon’s favorite restaurants. Silversea announces 115-day “World Cruise 2015.” Blackberry farm announces [...]

Joshua Tree National Park, California

Andrew Harper Things You Should Know — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:19:06 +0000

It takes only about an hour to reach the northwest entrance of the immense (1,234 square miles) Joshua Tree National Park from The Willows, and the trip is well worth the effort. The trees for which the park is named have a Seussian appearance, with thick, furry branches terminating in green puffs of spiky leaves. [...]

Your Favorite Hotels: 2013 Reader Survey

Andrew Harper Things You Should Know — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:49:17 +0000

This month, we are conducting our annual survey of subscribers’ favorite hotels, with the much-anticipated results to be published in the September Hideaway Report. Hoteliers from Antigua to Zambia await your verdicts with bated breath! As in previous years, the survey is conducted online; please click here to participate. Please note, this survey is for [...]

Gallery: Rancho Valencia, California

Andrew Harper Things You Should Know — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:06:38 +0000

The coast of Southern California offers a combination of scenic splendor and agreeable climate found in only a handful of places around the globe. It doesn’t take much to lure me back to this Riviera-like landscape, and the reopening of one of my favorite resorts provided a welcome excuse for a visit. In early 2012, Rancho [...]

Gallery: Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, South Africa

Andrew Harper Things You Should Know — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:03:42 +0000

In South Africa, the phrase “private nature reserve” usually implies big game. At Grootbos, however, the botanical world is the object of quest and curiosity. The southwestern part of South Africa encompasses the so-called “Cape Floral Region,” a global hot spot for plant diversity. Although the smallest of the world’s six recognized floral kingdoms, the [...]

A Gourmet Walk in Palm Springs: Desert Tasty Tours

Andrew Harper Things You Should Know — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:21:30 +0000

We ate most meals in Palm Springs during our recent visit, but Palm Desert to the south has its own collection of tempting restaurants, as well as an upscale shopping street called El Paseo, lined with top designer names. To get to know the Palm Desert dining scene, we booked two $48 tickets for the [...]

Luxury Travel News: Amanresorts, Trump, Flexjet

Andrew Harper Things You Should Know — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:12:12 +0000

Amanresorts coming to Cavtat, just outside Dubrovnik. Rana Kapoor eyes Four Seasons Bangalore. Luxury hotels embrace digital. Mainland Chinese luxury hotels shift focus to domestic travelers. Global interest for luxury hotels remains stable. Peninsula introduces new “academy” programs. Tracking mountain gorillas in Uganda. Ambitious Burma tourism plan revealed. Trump International Hotel Washington DC (in Old [...]

Gallery: Babylonstoren, South Africa

Andrew Harper Things You Should Know — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:24:17 +0000

The chief wine-producing area of the Cape, centered on the towns of Paarl, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, lies less than an hour by car east of Cape Town. These are among the most beautiful winelands in the world, backed by jagged mountains and, from November to March, reliably bathed in sunshine. I already recommend several properties [...]

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

Andrew Harper Things You Should Know — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:49:12 +0000

In 1935, an overheated electrical engineer named Francis F. Crocker dreamed of a way to reach the cool, snowy heights of San Jacinto Peak. Because of his vision, visitors to Palm Springs have been able to experience a touch of the alpine with ease since 1963, when the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway was completed. [...]

Vintage Photographs From the Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles

Andrew Harper Things You Should Know — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:27:09 +0000

Many thanks to the Hotel Bel-Air for exclusive access to these wonderful photographs. All photographs copyright Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles.