Capitol Chic, By George, A hotel report for travel agents

The winds of change are blowing through the smoke-filled, wood-paneled rooms of Washington’s power hotel scene. Enter the Hotel George, a chic new boutique hotel on Capitol Hill that is making a blatant play for the kind of hip, upscale clientele being attracted to post-modernist hostelries like Manhattan’s Paramount.

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Regal Airport Hotel Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s new airport boasts a cozy corporate refuge
(A site-inspection report for travel agents.)

Just steps away from Chek Lap Kok, the vast and glistening new air terminal on Lantau Island, Regal Hotels’ fifth Hong Kong property offers a convenient refuge for the harried Far Eastern business traveler. Whisper-quiet, with around-the-clock room service, and special “jet-lag menus,” the hotel makes an ideal choice — in fact, the only choice — for that layover between Bangkok and New York. Yet thanks to a high-speed rail link, the airport is just 23 minutes from the bustle of Hong Kong’s Central business district, making the Regal Airport a tempting alternative for a longer stay.
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Around Ireland By B&B Part 2

Driving Tips In Ireland

For most American visitors, the drive part of their fly/drive visit to Ireland will be the most exciting — and not necessarily in the best sense of the term.

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Staying in Disney’s Backyard

Perri House B&B

Note: Perrihouse has changed management since this article was written.

Why stay in a boring old hotel when you can stay in a wildlife habitat?

In Lake Buena Vista, behind Disney World’s vast expanse, past Mickey’s enormous support operations, down a street with the unromantic name of State Road 535, you’ll find Perri House, an intimate bed and breakfast establishment nestled on 16 acres that have been lovingly returned to their near natural state by owners Nick and Angi Perretti. In fact, they’ve done such a good job of coaxing dozens of species of birds to come calling that the National Wildlife Federation has certified the property as an official Backyard Wildlife Habitat.

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Portofino Bay Hotel


A smashing luxury hotel opens at
Universal Studios Escape

by Kelly Monaghan

Can’t afford that trip to Italy this year? Not to worry, you can head for Orlando, Florida, instead and stay in ducal splendor at Portofino Bay –
Portofino Bay Hotel, that is, the new super-luxury Loews hotel that is the first of five planned themed hotels to open at Universal Studios Escape.

The hotel is an astonishing near-photographic reproduction of the original Portofino, a small Ligurian fishing village that became a favored getaway for Europe’s rich and famous, so much so that a stay at the real Portofino’s Splendido Hotel (yes, that’s its name) will run you $600 to $700 a night. You don’t have to be famous to stay at Orlando’s Portofino Bay but it might help to be rich because the room rates start at $250 and rise to about $500 a night, still a lot less than the Splendido.

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Chateau Whistler Resort

Mark and I are going to Whistler this weekend so he can participate in a charity golf tournament. The whole brood is staying at my favourite place – the Chateau Whistler Resort – and the golfers are golfing at Nicklaus North. I am not one of the players. How would you like to accompany us on our trip? You and I could repose while the others whack their balls. You’ll come? Great! I knew I’d convince you if I put it that way.

Chateau Whistler has been the place to stay in Whistler since it opened in 1989. Despite the rapid expansion of this resort town, no other place has matched it yet in glory and comfort. In fact, I have happily spent a couple of days in the Chateau without ever venturing out its doors.

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Boogaard’s B&B, An Amsterdam Find

The first thing you notice about Boogaard’s B&B in Amsterdam are the stairs. Then there are the stairs. Oh yes, and did I mention the stairs? Suffice it to say there are a lot of them, steep and shallow, then narrow and winding.

Now that I’ve given fair warning to those who hate to (or can’t) climb stairs, let me hasten to add that the climb to the top is worth it. I did it with one of the heaviest bags I’ve ever taken on a trip (that’s a whole ‘nother story) and I’m glad I did.
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