The Hemingway Bar

I grew up in New Orleans, so obviously I have been to many, many bars in my (short?) 32 years on this earth. However, the coolest bar I have ever been to is hands-down the Hemingway Bar in the Ritz Hotel in Paris.

The Hemingway Bar is not big, in fact, it is quite small. It is tucked in the back of the Ritz in a place where only if you knew about it could you find it. But, once you find it and hopefully find yourself a seat, you will realize it is quite magical.

Obviously, it is named after Ernest Hemingway, who as many know, was a world-class drunk. So, already the fact that one of the most famous drinkers of all time christened the place gives you a hint at the coolness of the place.

Now this is not a bar to pick up girls or dance on the bar. This is a classy joint where you and your date or you and your friends can drink heavily and have a civilized conversation.

The decor is very old-fashioned, but also very classy. It looks like it has not changed since Hemingway drank there -- which is possible. There are lots of little nooks throughout the bar, so your choices are to either sit at the bar or in one of the little nooks. It is not really a place where people stand or walk around and mingle. 

Once you take your seat, they bring you a large menu with tons of old-fashioned drinks. The Hemingway Bar is actually credited with inventing the Bloody Mary. Now whether that is true or not is up for debate, but my husband, who is a Bloody Mary connisseur, contends that it is the best Bloody Mary he has ever tasted. I had a champagne cocktail, of which there were plenty to choose from.

While you are nursing your cocktail, you are brought bar snacks. Not ordinary bar snacks, mind you, but homemade bar snacks. Not super-fancy gastro-snacks, but good old-fashioned bar snacks like perfectly prepared potato chips. The service is, of course, impeccable. They make everyone feel like a VIP.

TIP: This place is expensive. Like $40 a cocktail expensive. So keep this in mind if you are ballin' on a budget.

So, if you are in Paris, and you are interested in a swanky night on the town, I would highly recommend making a stop at the Hemingway Bar.

Bar Hemingway

Ritz Paris

15, place Vendome 75001 Paris

(33) 01 43 16 33 65

http://www.ritzparis.com/

Mosquito Bay in Vieques

This week is my birthday (yay...Happy Birthday to me!), so I was reminiscing about a birthday trip I took a few years ago to Puerto Rico. My husband and I had a fabulous time on this trip, but our favorite part was an excursion to Mosquito Bay in the Island of Vieques.

Vieques is an island which is officially a part of Puerto Rico, but is right off of the main island. Vieques is much less commercialized than Puerto Rico proper, though I think that is starting to change. It is a nature lover's paradise, with lots of animal and plant life and almost deserted beaches. Many people spend their entire vacation here just enjoying the peace and quiet.

But the reason we left the main island was to enjoy an excursion to Mosquito Bay. What makes Mosquito Bay such a treat is that it is a bio-luminescent bay.  Bio-luminescence occurs when certain organisms (dinoflagellates) emit a chemical which glows in the dark. So when you swim through the bay the water and you sparkle like you were dipped in glitter. It is really amazing! This type of biological phenomenon occurs in numerous places in Puerto Rico, but Mosquito Bay is supposed to be the best and brightest example of this phenomenon.

We took the East Island Excursions Catamaran Tour and I would highly recommend this tour group. These trips depart almost nightly from the Puerto del Rey Marina in Fajardo. You begin the trip on a clean, spacious catamaran that takes you from Fajardo to Vieques in about 45 min. You can start your trip with a rum-based drink or if you get sea-sick (like my poor hubby), maybe water or soda. Once you get to Vieques, you take a taxi to the restaurant, which is run by the company that runs the tours. The food was pretty good, but really just a means to an end. There is no way to get to Vieques, go to the bay and get back to Puerto Rico without stopping to eat.  You then take a very bouncy old school bus ride to the actual bay. You definitely feel like the bus will topple over at any second, but that is part of the adventure. Right?!?

At that point, the real trip starts. Everyone climbs on board this flat, quiet pontoon for a ride into the middle of the bay. Once the guide finds a nice, dark spot, he stops the boat and allows you to go swimming. And that is SO. COOL. The water itself shimmers and when you move through the water there is a glowing path left behind you. When you lift your arms and hands from the water, they shimmer. Sort of like the vampires in Twilight ;) After about a half an hour, it is time to go home. Back on the bus, the taxis and the catamaran back to Puerto Rico.

TIP: Getting to the bio bay in Vieques is a little bit like Planes, Trains and Automobiles. I thought it was worth it as this bio bay has the reputation of being by far the brightest bio bay. However, if these types of excursions are not really your cup of tea, there are bio bays in the main island of Puerto Rico in Fajardo and La Parguera.

Mosquito Bay is like nothing else I have ever seen before. Many of the amazing sites I discuss on this blog are man-made, but this site is 100% nature-made and ridiculously amazing.

Mosquito Bay -- Vieques Island

East Island Excursions
787-860-3434
www.EastWindCats.com

St. Regis Princeville Resort

For some reason, many of my Facebook friends have been making trips to Hawaii in the last month or so. Seeing all the updates and pictures has me reminiscing about my trip to Hawaii, which sadly, was many years ago. However, whenever I think about that time in Hawaii, I always think about a fantastic hotel we stayed in while there -- the St. Regis Princeville Resort.

Now, everybody knows Hawaii is beautiful so to say that the Princeville is beautiful is sort of redundant. But, it really truly is that beautiful. It is situated at the tip of the island of Kauai looking onto across Hanalei Bay to the tip of Makana, the mountain immortalized as Bali Hai in the 1958 film "South Pacific." So, from the lobby, the pool and most (if not all) of the hotel rooms, you have an absolutely beautiful view of the ocean and the surrounding mountains. It really takes your breath away.

The hotel itself is also quite beautiful. There are plenty of Hawaiian touches, but they are done in a classy rather than tacky way. The lobby is all open so you can appreciate the views and the lovely breeze even while checking in.

The pool area is equally chic. There is a large infinity pool with cabanas and umbrellas all around it. As I stated earlier, the view from the pool is really spectacular. Remember you are up above the beach, so you are looking down on the Bay. Awesome... And if you are more of a beach person, the hotel's private Pu'u Po'a Beach is available as well. You can also rent snorkeling gear and other such items from the hotel.

Since this hotel is under the St. Regis brand, you know the service will be top-notch. As a guest here, you will be treated like a VIP at all times.

For you golf nuts, there are two golf courses that I can only imagine are top notch. There is also the Halele'a Spa for those looking to be pampered.

As in most resorts, there are a few different restaurants and bars to choose from. In the lobby, there is the St. Regis Bar which is a popular spot for watching the sunset. The Napali Cafe provides coffee and other quick breakfast options. The Kaua'I Grill is a steak and seafood restaurant created by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, so you know it will be good! Nalu Kai is the casual poolside restaurant and the Makana Terrace is a standard hotel restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

TIP: As this is a St. Regis hotel, it is a bit pricey. What I like to do is spend one or two nights in a pricey hotel and really take advantage of the amenities and then move to a less expensive hotel for the days you will be sight-seeing and not really in the hotel all that much.

All in all the Princeville is a magical resort. The atmosphere is so relaxing you will feel like you are a million miles from your real life (which you likely are)!

The St. Regis Princeville Resort

5520 Ka Haku Road, Princeville

Kauai, HI 96722 

Phone: (808) 826-9644

http://www.stregisprinceville.com/

Villa Rosa di Boscorotondo

When my husband and I went to Italy last year, we spent a few days tooling around Tuscany drinking lots of wine and enjoying the gorgeous countryside. Our home base during these adventures was Villa Rosa di Boscorotondo, a delightful villa halfway between Florence and Siena.

Villa Rosa is truly delightful. It is a pretty pink villa smack dab in the middle of vineyards and woods. The front of it truly looks like it was out of a movie. I felt like I was living my very own "Under the Tuscan Sun."

And the rooms themselves were quite pretty. They were very large by European standards, so for once we had plenty of room to spread out. There were also plenty of common spaces to relax in as well. We were spoiled as we had a balcony that was almost the size of our hotel room in Rome!

The grounds were also lovely. There was even a swimming pool to cool off during the summer months.

Villa Rosa also has a fabulous location. It was located close to the towns of Radda, Panzano and Castellina, so you did not have to worry about being too far away from any amenities you may need (for example, more wine). And since there is parking across the street, you do not have to worry about any transportation issues.

TIP: When travelling through Tuscany, you have to rent a car. There is no other way to truly see all of the amazing sights.

Finally, Villa Rosa served fabulous meals. Upon request, you can be included in their dinner feast and what a feast it is! We had bruschetta with numerous toppings, including lardo (which sounds gross but is actually delicious), Tuscan grilled meats, and phenomenal white beans with Rosemary. And of course wine!

Villa Rosa is run by a family who also owns hotels in Florence. It really feels like a family spot with the family dog roaming through the grounds. We found all of the staff nice and very helpful.

If you are looking for a place to stay in Tuscany, I highly recommend Villa Rosa. One big perk which I have not yet mentioned is the price, which is fantastic. It was one of the only reasonable places we found on our hotel searches.

Villa Rosa di Boscorotondo
Via S. Leolino 59
Panzano Greve (Fi)

http://www.resortvillarosa.it/en/dove_en.htm

The Brennan's Empire

So again I am a little late with my posts. Still trying to catch up from my friend's wedding.

Speaking of the wedding, my girlfriend had her bridesmaid luncheon at a restaurant in New Orleans called Ralph's in the Park near City Park. Ralph's is a great restaurant -- fantastic food, wonderful service and a great location. That description can also be used for all of the restaurants in the Brennan family of restaurants.



Now if you have ever been to New Orleans, you have probably heard of "breakfast at Brennan's" -- a New Orleans tradition loved by both tourists and locals alike. But what you probably didn't realize is that many of the most loved New Orleans restaurants are owned by the Brennan family...10 in total with 7 of them residing in the French Quarter.

The granddaddy of all of these is, of course, Brennan's, which has been around since the 1940s. It is famous for its breakfast, which is really a decadent, boozy brunch. The restaurant started out serving French classics, but since then has created many New Orleans classics. The most famous dish created at Brennan's is of course bananas foster. If you have never had bananas foster, you are missing out! It starts with bananas sauteed in brown sugar and butter until the bananas are hot and soft and the brown sugar and bananas has created a sticky, bubbly sauce. Then, the bananas and sauce are poured on top of vanilla ice cream...to die for!!

The other Brennan's restaurant that you have surely heard of is Commander's Palace. Commander's is a classic -- it is located in the Garden District and it just screams old New Orleans, as it should since it has been around since the 1880s. It is a power lunch spot in New Orleans, mostly due to the 25 cent martinis! The food there is phenomenal from the turtle soup through to the Bread Pudding Souffle. You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Commander's is a traditional New Orleans spot for special occasions -- you will often see graduates, birthdays and anniversaries celebrated there.  

Another favorite is Mr. B's Bistro in the French Quarter. Mr. B's is more casual than Brennan's but it has similar food. It is famous for its gumbo yaya and its traditional New Orleans style BBQ shrimp. Also located in the Quarter is Palace Cafe which is also mid-range in terms of formality. It is housed in a famous building that used to house Werlein's Music -- many famous New Orleans musicians have entered this building. Palace Cafe is well known for its Sunday jazz brunch and for its view of the Mardi Gras parades. It is well-known in my family for its sensational white chocolate bread pudding.

Also in the French Quarter is the most casual Brennan's restaurant -- Red Fish Grill. It is a seafood restaurant located at the end of Bourbon Street. A main feature of Red Fish Grill is its oyster raw bar where it serves its signature BBQ oysters.

There are a few Brennan's restaurants I have not yet been to. Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse  is, obviously, a steakhouse and it is located in the Quarter. It is a higher-end restaurant than some of the other Quarter spots. Dickie Brennan's Bourbon House is known for its seafood, specifically its raw oyster bar. This restaurant is more of a bistro in line with some of the other Brennan's restaurants in the Quarter. Due to its location on Bourbon Street, it also sometimes offers a walk-up window serving crepes, gelato and, of course alcohol. In Downtown New Orleans, known as the Central Business District, is Cafe Adelaide, which is a fine dining restaurant.

Finally, as discussed above, is Ralph's in the Park, which is adjacent to City Park. There are huge windows throughout to take advantage of the views of the park. This is also a fine dining restaurant serving creative Creole food.

TIP: Many of these restaurants have specials like the 24 cent martinis at Commander's. Check the website before you go to see if there is a better time or restaurant to go to depending on the specials.

In my opinion, you cannot go wrong with any Brennan's restaurant, so take your pick and eat to your heart's delight!

Brennan's

417 Royal Street

New Orleans, LA 70130

(504) 525-9711

http://www.brennansneworleans.com/

 

Commander's Palace

1403 Washington Avenue

New Orleans, LA 70130

(504) 899-8221

http://www.commanderspalace.com/