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The lobby can be described in one word: grand. The Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai: timeless.  It's hard to find a flaw, especially because it so graciously melds its history from when Shanghai was known as the Paris of the East with its modern status as a gathering spot in the city. Across the street are the bright lights of Pudong, a view that didn't exist 20 years...

Everyone works up such a frenzy about the Olde Bell Inn (me included) and it’s certainly not without merit, I assure you. All rush matting, peeling paint and bartenders wearing suspenders without irony, it’s the single best inn experience I’ve ever had, period. But its sister inn, The Crown–just 20 minutes away by car–is pretty spectacular, too. Owned by Tej and Sarina Dhillon and design...

I just had the most relaxing, wonderful, much-needed New York weekend. We hung out with friends, brunched, walked for miles, saw a great off-Broadway show, read all the New York papers, and sat in Washington Square Park. Inspired by New York, I wanted to share these photos I recently took on a visit to The Surrey on the Upper East Side.  It was announced last week that The Surrey is now ...

Before traveling to the East Fork Farm, we stayed in a sweet, light-filled studio in downtown Asheville with 15-foot tin ceilings, a grand piano, a wall of mirrors, dozens of beautiful green plants and the best sunlight. The studio is one of many on an old market alley that used to be full of merchants, farmers, butchers, crafters and wholesalers. Today, the street is occupied by artists, dance st...

This particularly gorgeous, wanderlust-inducing trip to coastal Uruguay will have you climbing rocks, riding horses across the rugged landscape and eating seafood with your hands–in your imagination–in no time. A guiding report from Gemma Hart Ingalls and Andrew Ingalls, the team behind The Epicures, about the experience:Once you head east beyond the high rise hotels and yacht culture of Punta...

 "Annie, where is the best hotel bathroom you've ever seen?" Answer: HERE, at The Inn of the Five Graces.  As soon as I saw the bathrooms at this truly spectacular hotel, I had my answer. Not because of how big it was or how many shower heads there were.  But the hand-laid, bright, colorful tiles covering almost every inch of the bathroom was nothing like I have seen anywhere e...

There are so many things to say about Paris. I’m not sure I can add much that hasn’t already been rhapsodized to death. It both embodies and defies its stereotypes (yes, those stylish French ladies do wear a lot of stripes! yes, those baguettes are a little bit like heaven! no, French people aren’t all elitist snobs!)–visually, emotionally… gastronomically–and can completely take you i...

The Marais House is as quintessentially Parisian and eclectic as they get. Situated on one of the oldest street in the Marais, the 16th-century, five-story b&b also doubles as a highly coveted location for film productions and photo shoots (including a glamorous spread with Laura Dern in W magazine a few years ago). The owner completely transformed the upscale city chateau, formerly a gold-lea...

Everything is turned up a notch in India.  I mean way up.  Before I left, I found this quote of Mark Twain's:"India, the land of dreams and romance, of fabulous poverty, of splendor and rages, of palaces and hovels, of famine and pestilence, of genii and giants and Aladdin lamps...the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimps...

Day 4: 24 Hours in Madrid With only a quick 24 hours to spend in Madrid, I was determined to make the most of my time there.On day four, that meant an early rise to bike through the city with Kaspar Winteler, the founder and owner of Bravo Bikes... READ MORE   Day 5: Horseback Riding in Spain I just finished the first day of riding, an "easy introductory" day ride from Navarrendon...