travel souvenirs — part 8

This lamb came home with me from London where I was a guest at The Goring, an outstanding boutique hotel in London. Right around the corner from Buckingham Palace, The Goring has served the Palace as a royal guest house from time-to-time, hosting the Middleton family before Princess Kate's marriage to Prince William.

Stay at The Goring to experience authentic local character. If you're looking for sleek contemporary interiors with the latest 21st century innovations, look elsewhere... but for the epitome of traditional British ambiance, you can do no better than the Goring, owned and operated by the Goring family for generations. 

Book a Deluxe Garden View (or higher) for a view overlooking one of the largest private gardens in London. The photo below, shot from the back of the gardens, shows the back of the hotel. Check out this post for a photo of the hotel's entrance.

Click here to sign up for the Ourisman Travel Newsletter

copyright (c) 2020 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

hotel ratings | on whom do you rely?

Conde Nast, a respected travel journal to which I subscribe, publishes an annual list of "the best" hotels, resorts, cruise lines, airlines, and destinations in the world. Their methodology relies on a survey of hundreds of thousands of respondents. Their list of "the best," always interesting at best but laughable at worst, raises a significant question. On whom do you rely when choosing a hotel for your stay in a destination?

The limitation of their methodology is, of course, the subjective judgement of Conde Nast's respondents. I make the following assumptions:

1. Readers can only validly rate hotels at which they have actually stayed.
2. Travelers tend to validate their own decisions, giving good grades to hotels at which they've chosen to stay.
3. Hotel guests virtually never conduct site inspections at other hotels in the destination, so they have a limited body of impressions on which to make comparative judgments.

Here are some of the stranger results of the 2018 Readers Choice Awards.

New York City. The Chatwal is rated the #1 hotel in New York City. While The Chatwal may be a good choice if you want to stay right on Times Square, I wouldn't call it the best. Viceroy Central Park, rated the #6 hotel in New York City, might be a good choice if you're looking for "affordable 4-star comfort," but its room are quite compact. Inexplicably, these hotels are rated above some of the very best luxury choices in the world (much less NYC): the two Four Seasons hotels, Ritz-Carlton Central Park, Mandarin Oriental, and the Park Hyatt.

Los Angeles. I have no argument with the Readers Choice here, the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, a gorgeous new hotel that has won a lot of praise. What's inexplicable is the lowly rating of the two Dorchester Collection properties in LA — Hotel Bel-Air at #20 and Beverly Hills Hotel at #28. So many lesser properties are ranked higher than these absolute jewels.

Northern California. Some good choices at the top of the charts (Auberge du Soleil at #3), but how is it possible that there are twenty-three (23) hotels ranked superior to Post Ranch Inn, a romantic, picturesque resort high above the Pacific Ocean.

Southern California. Kimpton hotels (not known as a luxury brand) get #1, #2, and #3 on the list. At the same time, Santa Barbara's absolutely idyllic Belmond El Encanto, slips to #30.

London. While the top hotels on CN's list do have their fans, it's inexplicable that the JW Marriott Grosvenor House (at #8) can outrank top hotels like The Goring (#36) and The Dorchester (#39), two of my favorite hotels in the world.

Rome. Hotel Eden is arguably the best property in Rome, but it doesn't even make it into the list of top hotels in Rome.

Florence. The WOW hotel in Florence, the Four Seasons Firenze, is ranked #9 in the city.

Budapest. There are seven (7) hotels listed in Budapest (among the Central Europe Top 15). The majestic Four Seasons Gresham Palace, whose Danube View rooms are coveted for their views of the Chain Bridge, is ranked 6th of those 7. Nonsense!

Hawaii - resorts. FS Maui (#2) and FS Hualalai (#4) make sense (although I'd personally flip those rankings). But how can FS Lana'i at Manele Bay, on a gorgeous beach with perhaps the most luxurious Four Seasons rooms in the world, be ranked #24? And even more puzzling ... how can Four Seasons at Koele be ranked at #13. While I love the Lodge, it has been undergoing renovations and isn't even open. Sheer craziness!


The value of a luxury travel advisor is clarified by all of this. Like many of my professional colleagues, I have done site inspections at hundreds of hotels and have made side-by-side comparisons of the best luxury hotels in the world, those that have been vetted by Virtuoso and accepted for membership. There is no one "best" hotel for each traveler, but the job of your travel advisor is to help you determine your best choice, given your preferences and your budget.

copyright (c) 2018 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

top five London restaurants near the Goring

Guard leaving the Wellington Barracks (c) 2017 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Rebecca Recommends, one of our valued travel partners, has shared some of her favorite London restaurants. Each is in the vicinity of The Goring, one of my favorite boutique hotels anywhere. In this case, "anywhere" happens to be around the block from Buckingham Palace. The hotel has a Royal warrant, hosted the Middleton family the night before The Wedding, and possesses one of the most delightful managing directors you'll ever find anywhere.

1. Thomas Cubitt Gastro Pub — a British menu focusing on seasonal produce. Her favorite: Trecorras Farm kid goat with hickory smoked belly and white asparagus, followed by orange almond cake.

2. Daylesford Organic — an all-day cafe/deli for seasonal organic plates and salads

3. The Wolseley — Rebecca's favorite is the veal Holstein and chicken soup with dumplings.

4. Park Chinois — dim sum lunches and dinner in the Club Chinois with cabaret entertainment

5. The Goring — at the hotel's own Michelin-starred restaurant, you can order a perfectly roasted rib of beef, carved and served at your table from a silver trolly

If you should be interested in Indian cuisine, here are Rebecca's recommended restaurants near the Goring — Gymkhana, Amaya, Quilon, Tamarind, Benares, Saloos, Cinnamon Club, Chutney Mary, and Rasoi.

... and a word about the Changing of the Guard (pictured above). Most visitors to London make their way to Buckingham Palace and stand in the midst of thousands of other tourists to catch a glimpse of the pomp and ceremony. Ask me how you can watch from within the Wellington Barracks (where the Guard lives), hear the entire concert before their short march down to the Palace with literally no one between you and the Guard. 

copyright (c) 2017 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

still lovin' London

Churchill facing Big Ben (c) 2016 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Only eight days ago, I was in London, enjoying a final breakfast at The Goring Hotel before heading off to Heathrow for my Virgin Atlantic flight back to San Francisco. I'm pretty much over my jet lag, but memories of the trip are still strong.

What a fabulous destination, my enjoyment made better by the fact that Noteworthy Events (one of our Virtuoso tour companies in England) planned so many extraordinary experiences for us. But I did have a few free hours to myself one afternoon during which I did what I enjoy most about traveling — just wandering about the city.

I started at Westminster Abbey, still a Benedictine monastery and the scene of so many historical events including the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. England's monarchs are coronated in the Abbey, and many historical figures in British history are buried and memorialized here. Photography is not permitted inside the church, which policy I respected. I rather appreciate the fact that priests assertively enforce the photography ban, helping keep an atmosphere of prayer despite the fact that the church is filled with tourists having paid the 20£ admission fee.

the south facade of Westminster Abbey (c) 2016 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

I then wandered through Westminster back to my hotel, The Corinthia, going by the Houses of Parliament along the way. The perimeter of the park is filled with statues of historic figures such as Gandhi and Nelson Mandela ... but what most caught my eye was the statue of above of an elderly Winston Churchill, supporting himself with his cane, and gazing perpetually towards Big Ben. (One thing I learned: Big Ben refers to the tower, not to the clock).

A trip to London is surely in your future! Contact us if you want to plan an extraordinary travel experience you'll treasure for a lifetime.

copyright (c) 2016 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.

... and I'll be in Scotland afore ye

O ye'll take the high road, and I'll take the low road,

And I'll be in Scotland afore ye

Just fifteen days until my next trip, so it's time to start getting excited! I'm headed to Scotland, still part of the United Kingdom, and I'm looking forward to the beautiful, rugged scenery and the opportunities for landscape photography. Photography has been my avocation since childhood, and travel photography is my primary reason to see the world's beauty and capture it on film on my digital camera. I'll be sharing my best shots on Travel Horizons and on Facebook, so ask to friend me if you'd like to see what I see.

My trip to Scotland is also an opportunity to inspect hotels and gain familiarity with the destination so that I can help clients plan their trips. Here are some of the anticipated highlights:

Flying on an Airbus 380. Never before flown on one of these double-decker behemoths, and I'll be on Air France's version, flying business class from SFO-CDG (and connecting on a smaller plane to EDI). I've heard the 380 is eerily quiet — and that AF's 380 business class seat product is flat but not completely horizontal — but I was able to use DL miles for a complete roundtrip in business.

Our itinerary in Scotland starts in Edinburgh where we'll be staying at The Caledonian, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel. From there, we'll take the longer coastal drive to St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf. Due to a tournament going on during our stay, we are not able to stay at the Old Course Hotel. We then we take the high road into the Scottish Highlands, spending two nights near Inverness and another two nights in Wester Ross.

Going south, we head to Oban in the Argyle and Bute region of Scotland. Why Oban? It's the home of Susannah — leisure travel sales manager for Four Seasons London. Her husband owns a B&B on the coast (and they've offered to do our laundry). Our penultimate stop will be the Gleneagles Resort which, I'm told, is the nicest resort in the U.K. Looking forward to being pampered at Gleneagles before our final two nights in Glasgow.

One final day in London where we'll spend the night at The Goring (home to the Middletons the night before the Royal Wedding) and have site inspections of the Rosewood London and newly reopened Lanesborough.

Flying back on Virgin Atlantic from Heathrow to San Francisco, it will be my first experience of Upper Class. If anyone has any tips on how to ensure your limo driver can access Virgin's Upper Class Wing (or anything else I've discussed), please let drop me a note.

copyright (c) 2015 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.

the luxury hotels of London

The picture above was taken from the lobby of the Ritz London where I recently spent two nights en route to Prague and Budapest. During the course of several days, I made site inspections of 17 luxury hotels in London. While this is too much material to put into one blog article, I do want to highlight some top choices when it comes to London five star luxury hotels.

The Ritz London often offers the best values in a luxury hotel in London. A great central location on Picadilly, adjacent to Green Park, means an easy walk to Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park, two popular tourist attractions. As a Virtuoso travel consultant, I can secure great amenities at the best available rate you can find at the Ritz — including a guaranteed upgrade at booking and a daily Full English Breakfast for two guests. I had mine by room service! The best rooms to book are on high floors overlooking Green Park — lots of natural light and beautiful views.

The Dorchester is a very impressive hotel located on the east side of Hyde Park, halfway between Marble Arch and Speakers Corner. This hotel has it all: an impressive marble lobby, spacious rooms decorated with beautiful English fabrics, and three celebrated restaurants including Alain Ducasse. Book an Executive Deluxe room (see picture above) or higher to enjoy the complimentary Virtuoso amenities - daily breakfast for two and one three-course set dinner in The Grill.

The Lanesborough is located at the southeast corner of Hyde Park, right by Marble Arch. The extensive use of dark mahagony, leather, silk wallpaper, and lovely fabrics creates a very traditional British feel. Lots of complimentary services (free internet, free in-room movies, free landline phone calls worldwide for Virtuso guests) make the Lanesborough a great value, and the Virtuoso rate (which gets you complimentary English breakfast for two) is always equal to the Best Available Rate.

The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has the distinction of being directly on the park without a street between the hotel and the beautiful, open green space of Hyde Park. While the lead-in rooms face the hotel's courtyard or have a Knightsbridge view, the most desirable rooms and suites in the hotel have a perfect view directly into the park. With an impressive marble lobby and a great restaurant, Foliage, Virtuoso guests receive a complimentary daily continental breakfast and have the chance to experience a complimentary lunch for two from the Menu du Jour in Foliage.

The Berkeley is the perfect choice if you're looking for a great boutique hotel with a fresh, contemporary ambiance. Located in Knightsbridge, the hotel is right across the street from Hyde Park. Rooms are very attractive with one of three color schemes (olive, pale champagne, and aqua), and the rooftop indoor/outdoor pool makes the Berkeley a hotel to consider if swimming is part of your regular exercise. For a special treat, book the Chef's Table at the Berkeley's two-star Michelin restaurant. The Berkeley offers free internet for guests, and Virtuoso guests always receive complimentary English breakfast for two.

The Goring, located near Buckingham Palace, offers the ambiance of a London gentleman's club. There is a large comfortable lounge and bar just off the lobby. You will enjoy your complimentary Full English Breakfast (as a Virtuoso guest) in the attractive conservatory that overlooks the Goring's large garden - said to be the largest private garden in London (pictured above). Use your guaranteed Virtuoso upgrade to book a Garden Deluxe room overlooking the gorgeous garden. This is an attractively priced small hotel with an old British feel. Though the rooms and baths are smaller, the Goring is a great choice if you want to be in a beautifully maintained traditional London hotel.

Egerton House is the final hotel on the list of my highest recommendations in London. Like the Goring, this is also a good choice if you're looking for something with a traditional London feel. Located in a fashionable residential neighborhood in Knightsbridge, this 28-room hotel was fashioned from two side-by-side townhouses. While some of the rooms in this protected building are quite small, the rooms to book are #12 and #23. As a Virtuoso guest, you'll receive complimentary daily Full English breakfasts and enjoy a martini making lesson with the King of Martinis.

Want feedback or information on rates and exclusive amenities at these or any of the 15 Virtuoso hotels in London? Please drop me an email.


luxury hotels in London (search here on Google)


copyright (c) 2009 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
.