the ultimate road trip

Florence to Milan to Cap Ferrat by vintage car... choices include a 1961 Guilietta Spider, a Mercedes-Benz 190 SL Cabrio, and a Porsche 356 Speedster. This exclusive driving package is offered by FS Florence, FS Milan, and Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat, a Four Seasons Hotel.

Driving between Cap Ferrat and Milan (or between Florence and Milan) is quite do-able. I'd definitely forgo the highways. Let the top down, and enjoy the sights from the slower country roads that wind through Tuscany and along the Cote d'Azur. The hotel concierges will assist in personalizing your itinerary, guiding you to all the best vistas, local sightseeing, and activities. You might stop for lunch in Portofino, visit the medieval village of Finalborgo, or taste the ham in Parma along the way.

You'll receive support every kilometer of the way with a second car following to provide any assistance needed and transport your luggage. Want to stop at a museum, visit an old church, or explore a small village? Your support car will provide the valet parking. Simply hand them the keys and wander off!

We can handle all the details for you, as well as providing Four Seasons Preferred Partner amenities at all three of these hotels. While we are not contractually permitted to disclose the exact amenities on a public website, rest assured you'll receive the richest amenity program available for Four Seasons hotels including daily breakfast for two and a hotel credit. Please email for a complete list of Preferred Partner amenities at any FS hotel in the world.

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.

luxury hotel reviews on the French Riviera

sea view in Nice (c) 2016 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

I've written reviews of fifteen hotels on the French Riviera (also known as the Cote d'Azur) and posted them on FlyerTalk. If you followed my live blog during my trip, you'll remember that we had a fabulous time. Early October is a great time to visit southern France. The crowds are thinned out, meaning an easier time finding parking and better experiences both in cities like Nice, Cannes, and Monte Carlo but also cute villages like Eze and Saint-Paul du Vence.

We were hosted during our trip by two hotels — four nights at the Grand Hotel du Cap Ferrat, a Four Seasons Resort ... and Le Saint Paul, a quaint hotel with lots of character right on the main pedestrian path through the middle of town.

But the best part? Just like the four visitors to Nice in the picture above, nothing beats spending some time sitting on a bench, soaking in the sun, and taking in uninterrupted views of the sparkling Mediterranean Sea.

copyright (c) 2016 by Ourisman Travel 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.

a request on behalf of the presbyopic

Hermés amenities at Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, a Four Seasons Hotel

Four Seasons has been an innovator in the hotel industry, and founder Isadore Sharp implemented many new ideas — including those small bottles of bathroom amenities that are now ubiquitous. Part of the allure of a luxury hotel stay is the chance to use Bulgari, L'Occitane, Guerlain, or other luxury bath products. Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, a Four Seasons Hotel, provides amenities from Hermés!

But here's a request on behalf of the presbyopic (a fancy word essentially meaning ... those who need to wear reading glasses): Who wears reading glasses in the shower? Housekeeping always puts small bottles of shower gel, shampoo, lotion, and conditioner in the shower, but it's impossible (for me) to read the small print on the bottles. The solution is simple, really, to use large enough print so that the presbyopic can actually tell which bottle is which! Or maybe add a single large letter — G for gel, S for shampoo, C for conditioner, and L for lotion — on each bottle.

A simple request that should be quite simple to implement!

copyright  (c)  2016 by Ourisman Travel 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.

Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat | Four Seasons ...

Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, soon to be a Four Seasons Hotel

... as of May 8, 2015. The posh Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat will become part of the family of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in just eight days. Located a dozen miles east of the international airport in Nice, France, the resort is located on a private 17 acre estate facing the Mediterranean Sea.

Four Seasons will bring its own brand of service to Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat. In her article in yesterday's Telegraph, travel writer Claire Wrathall noted "there was historically a certain froideur about the way [the resort] was run" but anticipates the change in management will bring Four Season's style of warmth and friendliness to the guest experience.

The change should parallel my personal experience with the Four Seasons's flagship Parisian property, the George V. During my first stay in 1978, hotel employees indeed exuded a sense of cool indifference, but Four Seasons completely turned that around since acquiring the hotel in 1997. I was the hotel's guest thirty years later in 2008, and the service could not have been warmer or more personal.

Exclusive Preferred Partner amenities will be announced soon. While I cannot post them on a public website, just email me and I will be happy to provide you with my one-page guide to Four Seasons Preferred Partner amenities at each of its properties around the world.

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.