leaving for France in eight days!

Chateau La Cheneviere

It's one of the best parts of my job as a travel consultant — traveling, exploring destinations, and inspecting hotels. While it  actually is work — and tiring work — it is immensely valuable to my clients for me to visit hotels and see them with my own eyes. Talented photographers can make virtually anything look nice on a website. A wide-angle lens can make a tiny, cramped room look spacious. Good lighting can lighten a dark, dowdy interior.

What are the rooms really like? What does it feel like to be in a property? Nothing can substitute for the experience of being in a place, especially spending the night — sleeping on the beds, taking a shower in (hopefully) a step-in shower. That's what I'll be doing next week, and it helps me make recommendations (and provide you with amenities) as your Virtuoso travel consultant.

Added benefit — meeting the management of the hotels. Those relationships can translate into recognition, room upgrades, and VIP treatment.

Here's my itinerary and a google map of my trip. I've listed the Virtuoso amenities where relevant.

1APR-2NT — PARIS. I'll be staying at the Shangri-La Paris, a recently opened Virtuoso hotel with a direct view of the Eiffel Tower from some of its rooms. I've heard great things about the hotel and will be experiencing two nights here on my own, before the FAM trip begins.

Other site inspections planned in Paris:  La Reserve Paris, Fouquet's Barriere, Prince de Galles, and Four Seasons George V. I'm also meeting with the sales manager of a few hotels under new construction or renovation: Ritz Paris, Plaza Athenée, and the Peninsula Paris. All of these are (or will be) members of Virtuoso.

3APR-1NT — La Ferme Saint Simeon. This Virtuoso property is near the picturesque village of Honfleur, one of my favorite places in France. The reflections on the harbor in the soft pre-dawn light is amazing.

4APR-1NT — Chateau La Cheneviere, the premiere property near Bayeux (home of the famous Bayeux tapestries), the Normandy battlefields, and Mont-St-Michel.

5APR-1NT — l'Agapa Hotel. A member of Virtuoso, this contemporary hotel is situated on the Brittany coast with amazing views of the sea.

6APR-1NT — Le Domaine des Hauts de Loire, a Relais & Châteaux property located in the Loire Valley. Want to explore the chateaux of the Loire? This hotel is centrally located.

7APR-1NT — Chateau de Bagnols. Located in the Beaujolais wine region of France, come here for wine tastings and the cuisine.

8APR-1NT — Alpaga Megeve is in the French Alps. Consider staying in the mountains to enjoy skiing in the winter, temperate sunny days in the summer, and the spa all year round.

I'll return from Geneva back to the US on April 9th, connecting through Frankfurt for my flight back to San Francisco (avoiding a CDG connection at all costs!)

copyright (c) 2014 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.