Recently Published Articles
in Writing on 02. Feb, 2012
Most visitors to France couldn’t place Deux-Sèvres on the map. But this department in Poitou-Charentes is home to one of Europe’s best-kept secrets.
Just 34 miles from La Rochelle on the popular Atlantic coast, the Marais Poitevin– known as the “Green Venice”– is a wetland wonder that sprawls across 375 square miles. Starting in the 9th [...]
in Writing on 01. Feb, 2012
Wine and dine in Beaune for “three glorious days” in November.
A Renault pulls to a stop on a country road south of Dijon. The engine idles. Both driver and passenger crane their necks out the windows to peer at the vine-covered hillside. Sure, the landscape is pretty– the hamlet of Vosne-Romanée is full of storybook [...]
in Writing on 01. Jan, 2012
If you haven’t been to Madrid lately, now’s the time to go. After eight years of citywide renovations—pedestrianizing the entire urban zone and transforming the derelict wasteland along the Manzanares river into a leafy park—the Spanish capital has morphed into one of Europe’s most exciting destinations. Beyond the Big Three museums (the Prado, the Reina [...]
in Writing on 12. Dec, 2011
The Travel Agent team is on the road much of the year, traveling an average 70,000 miles each, so that we can bring you an insider’s perspective that you can share with your clients. For our final issue of 2011, we decided to give you our best picks so you can add them to your [...]
in Writing on 01. Nov, 2011
Jazz festivals, glitzy yacht parties, and celebrity-mobbed nightclubs… The French Riviera lives up to its reputation for decadence and revelry, but it is also a divine spot to kick back and relax. Between Nice and Monaco, a stretch of the coastline presents a different side of the Cote d’Azur: a quiet, peaceful, but no less [...]
in Writing on 01. Nov, 2011
From Victor Horta’s Art Nouveau architecture to impressive art collections, Europe’s political capital has a lot more than suit-clad technocrats talking shop. It’s a city with a sense of humor, as evidenced by the famous statue, Manneken Pis (“Little Man Pee”). Another reason to hightail it to Brussels? The food. Belgium invented moules frites, and [...]
in Writing on 01. Nov, 2011
From the terrace of the Prinsenhof Suite in the Kempinski Hotel Dukes’ Palace, all of Bruges is at your feet. Towering church spires and the 13th-century belfry rise above the city’s canals, guarded by regal white swans. Like an open-air museum, the entire medieval center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This was the fairytale [...]
in Writing on 17. Oct, 2011
If you have clients wishing to get a taste of the French countryside not far from Paris, Normandy is an easy sell. From cow-dotted pastures and wide sandy beaches to historic sites and local libations, William the Conqueror’s native land quickly conquers visitors’ hearts….
One of our favorite discoveries is perched on a hilltop above Normandy’s [...]
in Writing on 19. Sep, 2011
These days, travelers are searching for unspoiled places with the ring of authenticity. In the always-hot market of Europe, what places are emerging as the “it” spots of the moment?
Georgia on My Mind
No, not the Peach State. After a trip to the Republic of Georgia, we say that Tbilisi—the country’s atmospheric capital—is the “next Prague.” [...]
in Writing on 23. Jul, 2011
You can’t open a hotel on rue Saint-Honoré—in the galactic center of the fashion world in Paris—without recruiting star talent to orchestrate it. Such is the case with the brand new Mandarin Oriental, Paris —from the dream team behind the haute couture interiors to the kitchen where avant-garde chef Thierry Marx reigns supreme. Smack dab [...]
