Explora, How Many Ways do I Love Thee?

There are few places more pristine or beautiful than Torres del Paine national park in Chile. The first time I drove through the park, I passed a beautiful hotel perched next to a waterfall. Our guide said, "That is Explora. It is the best." I vowed that I would return to the park soon and that I would stay at Explora.

Explora is truly luxury personified. Don't get me wrong, you are here to convene with nature, and to take hikes and pursue vigorous (or not) physical activity. But it is done with the absolute highest consideration for the guest and his or her comfort.

The hikes are led by naturalists. I found their knowledge overall good, but some guides were definitely not as good as others. One actually got us lost in the wilderness for half an hour!

But the views are amazing!

And the food is delicious. There is simply nothing else like it in the Patagonian wild.


And the hotel itself is architecturally stunning! It is actually designed to look like a boat.

This was the view out of the window next to "our" table, which we claimed for all our meals.

Posada Los Juncos

Sunrise from the Lake Room at Posada Los Juncos in Bariloche, Argentina. Today we go fly-fishing. Should be interesting.

Hotel on Rivington Penthouse Suite

"This is your lucky day, Mr. HeWhoTravels. You've just gotten the upgrade of a lifetime!" said the clerk checking me into the Hotel on Rivington in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I love this hotel. It is not in the best neighborhood for theatre or opera or shopping on Fifth avenue. But Sugar Sweet Sunshine is just around the corner. And SOHO and Greenwich are not far away either.

I have no idea how I got the upgrade because The Hotel on Rivington (THOR) is not a member of FHR or virtuoso and I didn't book through either. My only guess is that my friend B. knows the rooms manager and may have put in a word for me. All I can say is holy S**T WOW! Apparently in the summer time they throw parties for rock stars in the space, but here in early October, I had it all to myself.

The living room on the lower level has a cool movie screen that drops from ceiling. You can watch tv or movies here at night. OMG. So much fun!

The bedroom is on the second level of the penthouse suite and it has floor to ceiling windows. Light streams in from everywhere!

And yes, this is the soaking tub where the poor trodden masses below can look at your naked self while you look back down at them.

This is the roof deck of the penthouse suite that has a hottub. I soaked in it every night. I didn't care who saw me naked getting in. I love THOR!

Afternoon Tea, Peninsula Hotel, Tokyo

Afternoon tea at the Peninsula Tokyo. Sigh. Life is good.

These are my two most reliable travel companions. I never leave home without them. I'm not an LV snob by any means, but they make great bags. The Damier Graphite is very masculine and not at all showy or conspicuous. I'll probably get a Pegase one of these days, the roller bags are just so handy!