Hmmm...I was just dreaming about Tuscany in the previous post.

Now I found this from The Washington Post: That's Italian . . . in Virginia?


© trentroche



K.C. Summers wrote, about Keswick Hall:

I do like a nice hotel. And while I'm not the kind of person who ordinarily spends $400 a night on a room - not even close - I managed to rationalize my stay at Keswick Hall thusly: Europe is not in the cards for me this summer. Just can't afford those $1,300 airfares, not to mention the crushing costs of food and lodging, thanks to the abysmal state of the dollar abroad.

But I could manage a tank of gas for the 220-mile round trip to Charlottesville, and Keswick was an appealing destination. The country-house hotel is set on 600 acres in Virginia's hunt country, in a 1912 Tuscan-style mansion that has been expanded and renovated over the years. Its 48 antiques-filled guest rooms overlook formal gardens or rolling fields; public spaces feature wood-burning fireplaces, overstuffed sofas, and tables piled with art books and first editions. I'd wanted to check the place out ever since Orient-Express Hotels bought the property in 1999 and liberated it from its Laura Ashley phase.

Even though it was just over two hours away, I'd hoped the hotel would offer some of the same pleasures I was looking for in a Tuscan getaway: great natural beauty, wine-soaked dinners, a sense of history and character. And so that's how I justified the $500 package deal for one night's lodging plus gourmet dinner and breakfast for two. Bonus: No passport, surly security agents or jet fuel surtax required.

Charlottesville, Virginia (USA)?! I'll definitely keep that in mind. ;-)

Read more of K.C. Summers account of the stay at Keswick Hall from The Washington Post.

This past weekend I have been watching Joan Cusak's Local Flavour featuring Italy at the Discovery Travel and Living Channel.

Even as a young girl I had to dream of everything Italian. I don't know where I got it exactly (maybe all that pasta i sooo love to eat?!) but I have a penchant for the Italian country, cuisine, culture, people and everything else.

You see I've never been to Europe, while other cities like Madrid, Paris, Vienna, etc. appeal to me , when i think of Italy, I want to see the whole country, all its nook and cranny - every wine, every vineyard, every cheese. Not just Rome and Venice and Milan, but also Florence and of course Tuscany.


© kevin_oneill



Under the Tuscan sun (not the movie with the same title!), in that particular episode I described about, Joan Cusack vistied varous family owned farms/resorts/restaurants. One place she visited is an all-organic farm called Paggio Altico.

[Please correct me if I am wrong byt the name and speeling of the said farm. I cannot find a link to the show and the said farm. Thanks if you know it.]

Well...since I still do have the buck to travel...I remain a fan of travels shows such as what the Discovery TLC have.

I really think that Tuscany for that matter a lot of hidden gems of travel destinations. At least for somebody like me who find farms and vineyards, the great food, the peace and quiet, not to mention the crisp fresh air, truly appealing.

Next to New York, the other place in the U.S. I am most interested in visiting is Washington DC.


© My Alternative Photos


Recently I have been reading two blogs about Washington DC: The DC Traveler and Starked DC.

There's nothing like reading bloggers living in the very city that they blog about. The personal accounts are fabulous, making you feel like you are being given a personal tour of their city.

Check them out, folks.

New York is definitely not a hidden gem. Though this blog's title is Hidden Travel Gems, I still would like to mention New York. Who wouldn't want to see the city that never sleeps? Even those that have been to New York definitely keep coming back or at least want to come back.


© Paraflyer



Can you see New York in a day? The Washington Post says yes!

"Gotta see the whole town, from Yonkers on down to the bay, in just one day."

So sing the sailors in "On the Town," Leonard Bernstein's 1944 musical fable about the exploits of three men with just 24 hours of shore leave in that helluva town where the Bronx is up and the Battery's down.

"The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round."

Click here to read about taking Manhattan by plane, train, automobile or bus.

If I make to the U.S. East Coast, New York is definitely one city that tops my list of places to visit for at least for a day or two.

Are you interested in exploring both the beat and offbeat spots in Oregon (USA)? Then you should check out Gerry Frank's Travel Column at The Oregonian.


© Paraflyer



There are many to do and check out in Oregon but Gerry Frank started at the seaport.

I am often asked, "Where can I get some really fresh seafood?" We are blessed with some of the tastiest catches found anywhere from Oregon's lakes, streams and coastal waters.

From seafood...

Take advantage with a meal at Local Ocean Seafoods (213 S.E. Bay Blvd., Newport; 541-574-7959; localocean.net). Owner Laura Anderson runs a spotless establishment without fancy appointments, just a fine selection of reasonably priced seafood, including oyster shooters, steamer clams, Thai-style mussels, Dungeness crab, coconut prawns (especially good) and fishwives' stew (in a garlic and herb broth).

...to gardens.

Gardeners, don't miss a visit this spring to the Adelman Peony Gardens (5690 Brooklake Road N.E., Brooks; 503-393-6185; peonyparadise.com). With more than 4,000 potted peony perennials to choose from and a multitude of displayed cut blooms, Adelman's 10 acres of flowers is something to behold. Jim and Carol Adelman welcome visitors to tour the grass walkways from now until June 15.

Check it out.

I am still on the topic of adventure travels. He he. I truly admire those who take such kinds of vacations. I've always been too scared I guess to venture in to the unknown, unfamiliar roads.

But of course, adventure travel is relative. One man's adventure may be another's form of relaxation. ;-)


© tillwe



Thank God for travel experts, writers and websites for making our travel planning easier, for making our preparation less of a hassle.

Africa Reuters have re-written askmen.com's Top Ten Exclusive Adventures.

From the Arctic Circle,Sweden to Uganda, East Africa. Sounds exciting, eh?

Read on and see what fits you.