Having decided that the Condé Naste
Traveler's Gold List was so last year, we decided to dedicate our last blog to
the best and worst destinations, hotels, restaurants and anything else we could
think of that we really liked, or absolutely hated, while traveling around the
world.
So we managed to come up with four categories: "The Best & Worst Places", "The Best & Worst Hotels", "The Best & Worst of Food and Drinks" and "The Best & Worst of Travel". So here we go, the highlights of our sabbatical:
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| Jumping for joy (Aug. 2010, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia) |
THE BEST & WORST PLACES
1. Best Country: New Zealand
New Zealand just has it all. Green lakes,
huge snow-capped mountains, Norwegian-styled fjords, fantastic food and of
course all the adventure activities you can think of. Also a special mention
for our runner-up Bolivia. A completely different proposition, but what a
fantastic place this is. If you like to experience the real raw South America -
and don't mind striking miners too much - Bolivia is the place to go.
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| A typical NZ landscape (Nov. 2010, Milford Sound, New Zealand) |
If you really want to feel "Lost in
Translation" there is no better place to go than Japan and we mean this in
a good kind of way. We really enjoyed Japan, but wow what a culture shock. I
will never forget the taxi driver who picked us up at the train station, who
didn't read or speak English. And that was before we found out he wouldn't
accept credit cards and we didn't have any money on us. An experience to say
the least.
3. Best Big City: Havana (Cuba)
Hands down this one goes to Havana. The
mojitos, the cohibas, the sun, the chilled-out atmosphere and all those
colourful vintage American cars. A unique place. In case you are looking for
something slightly different, we can also recommend our runner-up Kyoto (Japan)
for a true temple bonanza and of course the all-time classic New York.
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| Cuba's heroes on a Havana wall (Feb. 2011, Havana, Cuba) |
This one goes to Petersburg with Flagstaff
(Arizona, USA) and Queenstown (NZ) being close contenders. After only a day we
already felt like locals. And that is despite Petersburg's weird fascination
with anything remotely Norwegian.
5. Best Hike: Grand Canyon (Arizona, USA)
We hiked the Grand Canyon for three days and
camped next to the Havasupai Falls. It was amazing. Our runner-up was the Lares
Trek on the Inca Trail in Peru.
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| Baby announcements at the local newsagent (May 2011, Petersburg, Alaska, USA) |
Maybe "worst" is a bit harsh, but
Dublin was definitely the most disappointing city we visited during our trip.
Admittedly we visited Dublin at the worst time possible with the country on the
brink of bankruptcy and protest taking place in the streets. There was this
gloomy atmosphere about the whole place, the pubs were empty and the protesters
were dragging puppets in pin stripes through the streets while screaming
"Hang the bankers". Sorry Basil, maybe it was just one of those
instances of being in the wrong place at the wrong time...
7. Worst Place to Get Sick: Uyuni
(Bolivia)
Not being helped by a 12-hour midnight
escape in a jeep, but if you really want to lose weight badly, Em can recommend
this place.
8. Least Falzon Friendly Place: Basically
anywhere in South America
"How do you mean we need to spend three
days in a jeep? Do they know who I am? Surely there is a helicopter service
somewhere? By the way I have to do a conference call, do they have
speakerphones here? What do you mean no coverage? I think I need a glass of
Chardonnay. Actually make that a bottle. And get that llama out of my
face."
9. Best Ride: Formula Rossa Rollercoaster
(Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi)
With 240km per hour, this hydraulically
launched rollercoaster is the fastest rollercoaster in the world. It was so
good we went on it 3x.
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| Skydiving with Nzone (Nov. 2010, Queenstown, New Zealand) |
10. Best Adventure Activity: Skydiving
(Queenstown, New Zealand)
We did it all, from bungee jumping, to
crashing sand buggies, to cycling down La Paz's Death Road, but that 60 seconds
freefall from 15,000 feet at speeds of 200km per hour is unbeatable.
11. Best Sports Event: LA Lakers vs
Phoenix Suns for NBA Western Conference Final Playoffs 2010 (LA, USA)
This is when the Lakers were still pretty
decent and actually went on to win the Playoff Finals in 2010. It ended 124-112
for the LA Lakers on this occasion with Kobe Bryant stealing the show.
Runner-up was the baseball game between Los Metropolitanos and Santiago de Cuba
in the Changa Mederos stadium in Havana, which ended in an incredible 15-14 in
the 10th inning.
12. Worst Sports Event: Anything
involving QPR
We travelled all the way to Cardiff to see
QPR win the Championship. Unfortunately they had forgot to tell Cardiff that.
Then we went to Loftus Road, to see QPR clinch the title against Hull two days
later. This time they forget to tell Hull. Then we just gave up and left for
Alaska. QPR won the league title as soon as we left the country. Typical.
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| Little girl catching a piece of Niagara Falls (Jul. 2010, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada) |
THE BEST & WORST HOTELS
1. Best Luxury Hotel: Post Ranch Inn (Big
Sur, California, USA)
Where else can you spend more money than in
Vegas just by sleeping in a tree house with a fireplace? It gets better, no
under 18s allowed (please disregard this last sentence in case you have
children).
2. Best Boutique Hotel: Hotel Montefiore
(Tel Aviv, Israel)
It was a close contest with our other
favourite, Hotel Mume in Kyoto, but Montefiore's killer breakfast just edged
it. Also honorary mentions for Hotel Lydmar in Stockholm (Sweden) and the
superchill Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara (USA).
3. Best Rooftop Pool: Hotel Gansevoort
Park Avenue (NY, USA)
A rooftop pool on top of a funky hotel in the
middle of NYC and all that in the middle of a heatwave. When they told me this
was a "sexy hotel", I hadn't realised it meant you could hear the
couple in the room next to you have a good go at it, but hey, that is what it
meant.
4. Coolest Hotel: Icehotel (Jukkasjärvi,
Lapland, Sweden)
Sleeping in an igloo at minus 5 degrees.
Chilly is the key word here.
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| Icehotel (Apr. 2011, Jukkasjarvi, Sweden) |
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| The Oberoi (Mar. 2010, Mauritius) |
5. Most Remote Resort: Bloomfield Lodge (Great Barrier Reef, Australia)
A 40-minute plane ride from Cairns, followed
by a 25 km bus ride through the outback and a 15-minute boat trip over the
croc-infested Bloomfield River is what it takes to get to Bloomfield Lodge.
Forbes Magazine labeled it “the most remote resort in the world” and I think we
agree.
6. Best Chill-Out Resort: The Oberoi
(Mauritius)
We did nothing for two weeks. And there is
no better place to do that than at The Oberoi in Mauritius. Did I mention that
they did fireworks?
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| Weddings in Norway (Jul. 2010, Utne, Norway) |
7. Best Casino: The Wynn (Las Vegas, USA)
Or as Drew Carey said: "Vegas is
everything that’s right with America. You can do whatever you want, 24 hours a
day. They’ve effectively legalized everything there."
8. Best B&B: The Inn at 410
(Flagstaff, Arizona, USA)
The smell of freshly baked cookies welcomed
us when we walked through the door. The perfect starting point for a 3-day
Grand Canyon hike. Our runner-up is Black Bear Lodgings B&B in Seward
(Alaska) because of Pat's legendary ice-creams and Dennis's amazing bear
stories.
9. Best Cottage: Maureen & Sheldon's
Cottage at Manitouwabing Lake (Parry Sound, Canada)
They certainly have figured out the
work-life balance in Canada. Work your ass off during the week and as soon as
Friday arrives get the hell over to the cottage for the weekend (while trying
to avoid crashing into any moose while driving up there). It was amazing. And
that is despite Sheldon dragging me around the lake for early morning jogs.
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| Street at sunset (Feb. 2011, Trinidad, Cuba) |
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| Em at Fanelli Cafe (Jul. 2011, NYC, USA) |
10. Best Country House Hotel to Just Get Away from it All: Skeabost Country House Hotel (Isle of Skye, Scotland)
It is not fancy, it needs a lick of paint,
the Tripadvisor reviews are pretty horrid, but if you happen to be a Boston
mobster on the run from the FBI, this is the place to go. It gets better, there
is no blackberry or mobile phone reception and we know a bloke who will take
you out fly-fishing.
11. Best Alternative Accommodation:
Camping in the Peruvian Andes (Lares Trek, Peru)
I can honestly say that my ass has never
been as cold as it was when we camped in the Peruvian Andes for two nights.
Nobody told me it was going to be minus 15 degrees Celsius at night and just
wearing a t-shirt and a pair of boxers proved to be slightly optimistic.
12. The Worst Hotel: Hotel Las Brisas (La
Paz, Bolivia)
We stayed in a lot of hotels over the last
year, but the worst one must have been Las Brisas in La Paz. The sewer smell
coming from the bathroom together with the lack of natural light clinched it
for us. The only window we had looked out on the hallway. Outside they were
selling dead baby llamas. A quality establishment.
THE BEST & WORST OF FOOD AND DRINKS
4. Best Hamburger Joint: Burger Queen (Ketchikan, Alaska, USA)
10. Most "Special" Thing Eaten: Cod Sperm (Japan)
10. Worst Disaster: Pike River Mine explosion (Greymouth, NZ)
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| Grand Canyon (Jun. 2010, Arizona, USA) |
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| Havasupai Falls (Jun. 2010, Arizona, USA) |
THE BEST & WORST OF FOOD AND DRINKS
1. Best Restaurant: La Mar (San Francisco,
USA / Lima, Peru)
Peruvian chef, Japanese cuisine. Completely
packed. It was so good we even went to the original restaurant in Lima two
months later.
2. Best Steakhouse: Cabana Las Lillas
(Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Steaks at their best in this legendary
Argentinian steakhouse. These guys even have their own farm to supply the meat.
Runner-up was the legendary Peter Luger in Brooklyn (NY, USA).
3. Best Sushi Place: Arigato (Santa
Barbara, California, USA)
One of the hidden gems of our Californian roadtrip.
Signature dishes include the Pretty in Pink Roll (salmon in pink soybean
paper), Yuppie Roll (lobster and caviar) and the Yellow Submarine Roll
(yellowtail and asparagus). Would have loved to mention the sushi place on
Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, but wouldn't be able to either find or remember
the name of the place if my life depended on it.
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| Stack of canoes (Dec. 2010, Wellington, NZ) |
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| Bungee jumping (Nov. 2010, Queenstown, NZ) |
4. Best Hamburger Joint: Burger Queen (Ketchikan, Alaska, USA)
The slogan alone would have been enough to
convince us ("Burger Bitch just didn't sound right"). Fortunately
these guys also did some killer burgers, undoubtedly the best ones we had this
year.
5. Best Roadside Restaurant: The 49th
State (Healy, Alaska, USA)
These guys do some killer beef tacos and
even managed to park the actual bus from Sean Penn's movie "Into the
Wild" in their backyard.
6. Best Lunch Place: La Esquina (New
York, USA)
A cabbie pit-stop turned taco stand, with a
hidden, celebrity packed restaurant downstairs, only accessible through the
kitchen backdoor. One word: fantastic.
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| La Esquina (Jul. 2011, NYC, USA) |
7. Worst Restaurant: The Fine Dining
Restaurant at Hotel Moevenpick (Petra, Jordan)
It gave me food poisoning and I puked all
the way back to Amman. And let me tell you one thing, those were the longest
five hours of my life.
8. Best Club: Mythology (Cusco, Peru)
Nothing beats drinking the night away in
Cusco, after having just spent 3 days on the Inca Trail. Also qualifies for the
"Worst Hangover" category.
9. Best Drink: Pisco Sour (Chili)
Peruvian brandy, lime juice, simple syrup,
dash of egg white and a drop of regional bitters. All consumed while watching
the sun set over Death Valley. Fantastic.
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| Me and my Cuban haircut (Feb. 2011, Trinidad, Cuba) |
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| Asahi billboard (Dec. 2010, Osaka, Japan) |
10. Most "Special" Thing Eaten: Cod Sperm (Japan)
It was bizarre, it was creamy and nobody
told us what it was until we finished it. Our runner-up was the llama burger,
an all-time Bolivian classic.
11. The One We Are Slightly Ashamed Off:
Whale Sushi (Bergen, Norway)
It was on the menu so I ordered it. I
shouldn't say this but it was quite nice. Em wants to go on the record to say
that she didn't touch the stuff.
12. Worst Country for Food: Cuba
Rice, potatoes, shrimp. No flavours, no
spice, no deviations, always the same. Great country, but a culinary disaster.
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| Sydney Opera House (Dec. 2010, Sydney, Australia) |
THE BEST & WORST OF TRAVEL
1. Best Airline: British Airways (UK)
And that is despite the fact that we had to
fly through two industrial strikes and one Heathrow snow shut-down.
2. Worst Airline: Iberia (Spain)
We flew Iberia to Cuba and can honestly say,
these guys are terrible and no good can come from their merger with our favourite
airline.
3. Best Airport: Porto Francisco Sá
Carneiro Airport (Porto, Portugal)
We like Terminal 5 at Heathrow, but any
airport that shows the semi-final of the Champions League live while you are
waiting for your luggage must win. The first time in my life I didn't mind
having to wait for my luggage.
4. Worst Jetlag: From London to Canada
By the time we got used to the time
difference, we went back home.
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| Sandboarding in the Death Valley (Aug. 2010, Chili) |
5. The Flight that Almost Was Our Last
Flight Ever: Bergen (Norway)
This seaplane flight from Bergen to Utne
didn't start off too well. As the plane started to make its way out of the
water, everything started to shake uncontrollably and all kind of items started
to fall off in the cockpit. Then alarmingly a red light started flashing while
the sound of warning beeps filled the cabin. Certain death seemed close. But
against all the odds, the plane made it out of the water and started its
journey to Utne, like a drunken sailor stumbling out of a bar.
6. Most Essential Travel Gadget: Bose
QuietComfort 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones
Beats any crying baby in any place.
Runner-up was our TomTom GO950 Live, that guided us through Australia, NZ,
Nevada, Arizona, California, Alaska, Canada, Italy, Scotland and Greece.
7. Best Travel Guide: Frank Campbell
(Inverness, Scotland)
Frank was the best-prepared guide you can
imagine. He had trained for weeks, he had notes, he toured us around in his
massive Mercedes and he got us into Inverness CT Football Club. Frank is a
legend.
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| The man, the legend: Frank (Oct. 2010, Inverness, Scotland) |
8. Best Rental Car: Red Mustang
Convertible (California, USA)
OK it had no power, but it had no roof
either. The essential gadget for a Californian roadtrip. Runner-up was the GMC
tank they gave us in Amman (Jordan).
9. Most Hairy Situation: Bolivian Miners
(Uyuni, Bolivia)
Those Bolivian miners, when they are upset,
well, they are really upset. And as action speaks louder than words, why not
throw some dynamite sticks under a bus full of tourists? Fortunately we avoided
that fate, but we did have to spend 12 hours in a jeep in complete darkness,
trying to avoid roadblocks and patrolling miners with baseball bats. We got out
and eventually the miners calmed down. Eventually.
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| Great Barrier Reef (Nov. 2010, Australia) |
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| The hidden city of Petra (Jan. 2011, Jordan) |
10. Worst Disaster: Pike River Mine explosion (Greymouth, NZ)
Disasters seemed to follow us wherever we
went, although mostly with a month delay. Days after visiting Chili, 33 miners
got trapped underground in the Copiapó Mine in the Atacama desert. A month
after we left NZ, an earthquake hit Christchurch and six weeks after leaving
Japan a massive tsunami hit the country. But the one we experienced most on the
ground was the Pike River Mine disaster in Greymouth (NZ), where 29 people got
trapped in a mine after an explosion. Our flight from Sydney to Christchurch
was full of TV crews who got on the first flight to cover the disaster. The
whole thing paralysed the entire country, initially still hoping for another
miracle before succumbing to defeat and the loss of 29 lifes.
11. Most Impressive Museum: Peace
Memorial Park and Museum in Hiroshima (Japan)
Hiroshima is sadly best known for the fact
that it was the first city to be targeted by an A-bomb on 6 August 1945. The
A-bomb leveled the city instantly and killed 145,000 people before the
year-end. Sadly but fittingly remembered by this impressive museum.
12. The Best Unesco World Heritage Site:
Machu Picchu (Peru)
Watching the sun come up at Machu Picchu
must have been one of the highlights of our year. An absolutely magical place.
It made me feel like Indiana Jones.
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| Em and Indiana Jones at Machu Picchu (Aug. 2010, Peru) |
