I recently stayed at the Viceroy Miami and found the best shampoo and conditioner combo I’ve ever used at any hotel.

These Neil George hair products (from LA celebrity hair salon Neil George) were amazing. Not only do they smell good enough to eat, they left my hair silky, shiny and without a tangle to be found. It was so nice not to have to tug my hairbrush through a mass of knots and break my hair in the process. Even better, the room had full-size bottles of all the products. This was great for me because those little hotel-sized bottles of conditioner are nowhere near enough product for my long hair. But don’t think you can stuff these freebies in your bag when you leave – the shampoo and conditioner will cost you $45 each.

Thanks, Viceroy for the great hair products!

I was invited to attend the grand opening party of the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel. A renaissance, indeed! This 138-year-old property, originally designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott and opened by Queen Victoria in 1873, has just risen out of a massive restoration project that has breathed new life into this historic hotel.

The opening night party drew crowds of people, from London’s who’s who to international media, to celebrities like Adrian Brody and Ed Westwick.

Left: Me and Adrian Brody. Right: Ed Westwick also makes an appearance. {photo at right via socialitelife}

These enormously talented acrobats get the evening off to a fun start. Their gravity-defying stunts leave everyone in awe.

I don’t even know how this happened. One minute we were talking and I believe I was saying, ‘No, I can’t help you with your next trick’ and the next moment, this. These guys were amazing!

What’s a party without some beautiful people? Models graced the stage, bringing a modern Victorian mood to the atmosphere.

Stay tuned for more about the hotel and my trip to Paris!

The Radisson Blu Royal Hotel is one of the city’s premiere design hotels (they call it the world’s first designer hotel), designed by the famed architect Arne Jacbosen. It’s a Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) hotel; they built it in the ’60s after deciding it only made sense that the airline offer premium accommodations to travelers, particularly those who had just completed a transatlantic flight from North America to Europe.

Today, the hotel looks much the same as it did back then, making it a historic look at iconic 60s design. Everywhere throughout the hotel you’ll find the ‘Egg’ chairs and ‘Swan’ chairs, made famous the world over by Fritz Hansen and Arne Jacobsen.

The hotel has a real retro feel; design aficionados are sure to love it. Its a throwback to an era gone by and is rich with history and an emerging sense of creative genius that came to shape the future of design. Take a closer look at the hotel’s design below:

For more information:
Radisson Blu Royal Hotel
Hammerichsgade 1 – DK-1611
Copenhagen, Denmark
Phone: +45 33 426000

A two-hour train ride from Zurich Main Station deposited us off in the picturesque town of Lausanne. Instant love. It might have had something to do with the fact that Lausanne greeted us with clear, sunny skies and warm air, while Zurich had been a bit grumpy in the weather department, but still … there was something instantly different and charming about Lausanne. We met our friendly tour guide who took us on a tour of the town. We traveled on the brand new underground metro (Lausanne is the smallest city in the world to have a full metro system) then continued our above-ground walk to drink in the sights, like the Cathedral Notre-Dame of Lausanne and the winding, traffic-free cobblestone streets of Rue de Bourg.

Everywhere I turned, the streets were quaint, beautiful, poetic even. There’s such an obvious respect for history and beauty here. Like so many things here in Europe, the streets look like they’ve been taken straight out of a fairy tale book. It’s breathtaking. As in … it literally took my breath away. And then I turned a corner and this (below) came into view and I felt the tears spring instantly to my eyes.

That’s Lake Geneva with the majestic French Alps standing guard in the background. The feeling is hard to describe. But it was exquisite in a way that only nature’s work can be exquisite. I felt humbled. Grateful. Peaceful. And I had an overwhelming desire to share this moment with the people I love. For me, this is what travel is all about. To see the world in all its natural, defiant grandeur. Thank you, Lausanne, for handing me this moment and a memory I will never forget.

I checked into the Angleterre & Residence (Place du Port 11, 1006 Lausanne, Switzerland, Tel: 021 613 34 34). It’s pure luxury. Not only are the rooms lovely (and my hair dryer is even better than the one I left at home!), but the hotel’s location is ideal. Situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, with views of the Alps, and just a short walk from the centre of Lausanne, the hotel is an ideal place for visitors to stay. Walk across the street to stroll the boardwalk along the lake — and get an ice cream while you’re at it! And be sure to take the five-minute walk to the nearby Olympic Museum. It’s got lots you’ll find interesting, as it provides a retrospective of the games over the decades. But apparently it will soon be closed for two years while it undergoes a renovation, hopefully to make room for even more Olympic treasures. My favourite display was that of the various Olympic torches that have carried the flame for each of the games. There was one space left on the display for the torch from the Vancouver 2010 games. I wish I’d seen it there, the torch that brought the flame from around the world to my home country.

It’s been a short stay so far but already Lausanne has captured my heart. I look forward to seeing more.

More information
Spa Chakra at the Ritz-Carlton, Marina del Rey
4375 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292 USA
Phone: (310) 823-1700

For more information: Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills

We flew British Airways from Athens to London in Club Europe (domestic business class) and the flight was just over three hours, a breeze! Club Europe is nothing like British Airways’ Club World (for international flights, which I had the pleasure of flying from Toronto to Istanbul). But Club Europe offers passengers extra legroom and attentive service, though no private pods; man, I love those! (See here for a picture and review of British Airways’ Club World.)

Leaving Athens was tough. Our stay was too short and I had a pretty good feeling we were leaving the glorious weather behind us as we made our way to London. I was right. I adore London and could see myself living there. But that darned weather is off-putting (says the girl who lives in Toronto!) As expected, the clouds hung thick and ominously in the sky as we made our descent into the city. But even still, nothing could really dampen my spirits. I was in London and I couldn’t have been more excited to be there!

Getting from Heathrow to Central London was so much easier than I’d expected. Instead of paying outrageous cab fares, we took the Heathrow Express.  Instead of battling London’s notoriously disastrous traffic, we relaxed on the quick 20-minute train ride to the city and were conveniently dropped off at Paddington Station. The trains depart every fifteen minutes and the spacious first-class seats are clean and comfortable. There’s lots of room to stow your luggage, so you needn’t worry about that either.

From Paddington station, we hopped on the tube and made our way to Piccadilly, where our hotel was located. We had a bit of a walk (if we’d known exactly where we were headed, we would have taken the tube to the Green Park station) but having successfully maneuvered ourselves and our luggage through the busy, pedestrian-filled streets, we finally arrived at our hotel.

The Athenaeum is a small but absolutely delightful hotel. Situated directly across the street from Green Park, it provides easy access to tube stations and buses, making getting around super-easy. Our room was small (though the hotel does offer more spacious suites) but beautiful and full of creature comforts. The bed was one of the most inviting I’d ever seen, all decked out in robin’s egg blue, the view overlooking the park was lovely and I am a big fan of the heated towel racks in the bathroom.

The small, intimate restaurant is a real treat. Not only is the food delish, but the decorative details are mesmerizing. There’s an entire shimmery wall covered in buttons (beautiful!) and the tables have dried leaves forming a collage beneath the glass surface. The result is a truly extraordinary space that feels welcoming and whimsical. The Athenaeum, 116 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 7BJ, Tel: 44 (0) 207 499 3464.

We checked into the Athenaeum Intercontinental. The lobby is vast and situated front and centre is an interesting piece of art (pictured above, top). During my short stay, I wasn’t able to learn more about the piece but it’s certainly eye-catching and memorable. But the real highlight at this hotel was our room, which had a view of the Acropolis. I’ve had some pretty incredible views during my travels (the Opera House from Sydney’s Four Seasons, the Bosphorus from Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace Kempinski, the Bund from Shanghai’s Park Hyatt) and the view from the Athenaeum Intercontinental is another to add to the list. It was nothing short of surreal to look out the window and see the Parthenon.

The nine-story hotel was renovated in 2008 and has 543 guest rooms and 60 suites. There’s a spa with an extensive menu (though they don’t offer manicures and pedicures, which I was disappointed to learn since my nails needed refreshing!) and a business centre with all the services you’re likely to need, including small meeting rooms that are available for rent. The rooms feature all the standard hotel features you’d expect (cable / satellite TV, CD player, flatscreen television), a working desk and ours had a full-length mirror – a nice touch that not all hotels have. The bathroom wasn’t too exciting – it was rather basic with a tub that was very narrow. But the robes were plush and I loved the Korres amenities (shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion). Korres is a Greek manufacturer of hair, body and face products with highly concentrated natural active ingredients. They smelled good enough to eat. Check out their products online at korres.com; you can also order online. Hotel contact information: Athenaeum Athens, 89-93 Syngrou Avenue, Athens, 11745, Greece, Tel: +30-210-920-6000