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IUC Travel: Norweigan Wood, L.A. Dining and Vermont’s Best Bets

HisHighness — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:11:48 +0000

- Norway is the hidden gem of Europe. After appearing on the mega hit show Skavlan (I’m on near the end of the show) I spent a couple of days sightseeing and hanging out with the locals. These people make North Americans look like nuns when it comes to partying. And the city embraces nudity everywhere, especially in Vigeland Park, where there are almost 200 naked bronze and granite statues by legendary artist Gustav Vigeland. If I didn’t watch myself I would have ended up in a wheelchair going to the airport today. “Tak” to all the great people I met in Oslo!!!!!!
- Best restaurant I dined at recently was Simon’s in the Sofitel Luxury hotel. The food was out of this world. Every dish I tried was world class. Best of all may have been the most unique desert platter I ever experienced. It included all the favorite treats kids from my generation grew up with – cotton candy, snickers, milkshake, cracker jax, ice cream and the best tasting chocolate cake I can remember tasting. Not to be missed!
- On a recent trip to Vermont I stayed at the Green Mountain Suites Hotel on Dorset Street. This unique gem combines country inn environment with a twist of NYC class right in the heart of beautiful Burlington. Best way to get there is to travel JetBlue, my all time favorite airline. Every seat on JetBlue is first class. When you visit Burlington check out the pedestrian street in the middle of the city – very artsy, great restaurants and boutiques.

IUC Travel: IUC’s Top Three Places To Stay This Fall In North America

HisHighness — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:43:36 +0000

Each weekend we’ll focus more and more on travel related stories, often with a celebrity hook. Today, IUC presents its top three hotel destinations in North America to stay at this autumn. These places are a must to check out.

1) Sofitel LA – You may accuse me of being obsessed with luxury hotels but Sofitel LA is in a class of its own. The hotel is a refuge from LA’s hectic pace, and a vacation setting unmatched in the city. Every detail here is impeccable, from the extremely comfortable and well furnished rooms to the opulent bathrooms to the ever vigilant friendly staff. This one of a kind hotel has become a favorite for celebrities, athletes and people from all around the world. Chef Kerry Simon’s Simon LA restaurant dishes out world class cuisine while nightlife guru Rande Gerber’s Stone Rose Lounge attracts the who’s who of L.A. Best part of it all here is that hotel rates are extremely budget friendly for the services being offered. Sofitel is an oasis of tranquil luxury. Inspring and impressive!
IUC Rating – 5/5 *****

2) Opus Montreal – Another luxury hotel, Opus Montreal offers an intimate, artistic decor that has quickly turned it into Montreal’s leading luxury hotel. All rooms are super stylish, featuring different color patterns and incredible ambience. Not to be missed here is a meal at Koko Restaurant, the culinary gem that has the best chicken cashew nut stir fry on the planet. In it’s relatively short history, this jet set crowd hotel has attracted worldwide attention and awe.
IUC Rating – 5/5 ******

3) The Green Mountain Suites Hotel – Has the intimate feel of a Vermont country Inn minutes from the heart of Burlington. I was amazed by the quality of its rooms which were completely renovated with huge bathrooms and flat screen tvs. Picture yourself at a top country Inn with all the trimmings of a top boutique hotel. Perfect time to check in is right now if you’d like the ultimate autumn vacation or romantic getaway. Vermont’s fall foliage is stunning this time of year. Free wine and snacks are dished out each weekday in the restaurant area off the lobby area. With its true New England charm, Green Mountain is in a class of its own.
IUC Rating – 5/5 *****

Let IUC know your choices of top hotel in North America. Post them here.

IUC Travel: JetBlue Is Best Bet In The Air

HisHighness — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:05:12 +0000

In our continuing quest to let you know about best travel options it’s important to suggest an airline that remains first class during tough economic times. Ever since JetBlue launched its inaugural flight back in February 2000 it has been my favorite airline. As a frequent flyer I am extremely sensitive to the current state of the airline industry. While most airlines in recent years have cut back on customer service and needs, JetBlue has never stopped to raise the bar for customer satisfaction and comfort, even in the heart of a worldwide recession. JetBlue continues to tear up the airline rule book, presenting customers with service that often defies current airline standards. I have never met a more friendly and amenable airline staff and have never felt more safe in the air.
Best part of the JetBlue is that every seat is first class without the VIP price tag. All seats are in leather and have a portable tv with amazing inflight entertainment. JetBlue travels mainly in the U.S. and Bahamas but has recently added some exotic locations, including Barbados, Saint Lucia and Kington, Jamaica. Make sure you try its signature snack on board – Terra Blue Potata Chips, a much better choice than than ordinary potato chips.
Having flown JetBlue since its first year I have seen several celebrities in its terminal, including Katie Holmes, Magic Johnson and Tony Danza. Let us know your thoughts on flying today – what’s your favorite airline and why?
IUC Rating: 5/5 *****

IUC TRAVEL: Discover A Top Notch Resort Hotel Minutes From Center of Paris

HisHighness — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:08:10 +0000

Some hotels are much more than simply a place to rest your head – they are havens for the glamorous, the successful and inspiration for anyone in midst of travel. The Pullman Hotel and Resort in Paris district 15 is a large, opulent hotel that is an ideal getaway from the hustle and bustle of central Paris and is within minutes from the city. In other words, it’s like visiting club med but having a big metropolis like Paris within walking distance. The hotel is equipped with a swimming pool and health club, wifi throughout, amazing restaurants with incredible views of the entire city and a reputation for first class service. If it’s authentic French joie de vivre you’re after on your vacation then this is an ideal spot. A particular stand out here is the rooftop patio with its lush lounge chairs – a suitably romantic and relaxing escape against the backdrop of stunning Paris. And the best of all is that Pullman is highly affordable. In fact it’s cheaper than most less appealing hotels in middle of the city. This hotel is not to be missed!

IUC Rating: *****

IUC Travel: World Class Environment at Opus Montreal; Roberto Benigni outside My Door

HisHighness — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:41:58 +0000

From the get go, my stay this week at Opus Montreal was a journey into a stairway of heaven, as the sweet song goes. The way this neo architectural gem is decorated is almost beyond belief. Not a detail is spared. I stayed in the purple room, equipped with a glass walled rain shower, king bed and ergonomic chair. The entire building is charmingly decorated, combining its futuristic funky feel with a bit of retro when one views its original stone stairway encased in a glass partition. A stunning portrait. Beyond the hotel’s columns and elegant decor, concealed beside a soaring, chic atrium is Koko – an incredible, upscale joint that jumps, with everyone from suits, to hot babes to famous actors. Those who dine at Koko are guaranteed gourmet reward. The food is next to none, especially the to die for calamari, which had the most amazing texture and flavour of any calamari I’ve tasted. Before I checked out of Opus I heard a gentleman speaking animatedly in Italian outside my fifth floor room. Wondering what all the commotion was about when I opened my door it was none other than Oscar winning actor Roberto Benigni, in town promoting his upcoming Just For Laughs show “Tutto Dante”. Benigni was talking to his publicist a million miles a minute. “Roberto,” I said. “Welcome to Montreal.” He shook my hand and I closed my door. Meeting one of my all time favorite actors was the icing on the cake. The next time I’m in Montreal I won’t consider any other place to stay. You never know what can happen at Opus.

IUC Rating: ***** out of *****

IUC Travel: Toronto Making Huge Comeback; Best Way To Get There is By VIA Rail

HisHighness — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:05:03 +0000

Toronto's Kensington Market is a Bohemian Rhapsody

If you visit Toronto during autumn you might bump into the likes of Brad Pitt, George Clooney or Jennifer Aniston. They’re all regulars at the Toronto International Film Festival, which has evolved into one of the world’s finest fests to spot A-Listers. The rest of the year there is a lot of other things to do in Canada’s largest city that has made a name for itself on the international map.

Restaurants and nightlife is Toronto’s way of displaying its magical powers and creating its own reality. Everywhere you go in Canada’s largest city there is world class cuisine. My favorite area to dine, however, was not in trendy Yorkville. I preferred the St. Lawrence Market area and The Distillery District, where I dined at The Mill Street Brew Pub which serves up the best homemade brew I’ve had in a long time. The culinary highlight of my trip was a visit with my girlfriend to Jumbo Empanadas, the hole in the wall Chilean restaurant in Toronto’s bohemian Kensington Market. The homemade corn pie was to die for. Life in Toronto is more cheerful and less dismal than it was a decade ago. It has become the highest multi culture mecca in North America.

Perhaps the best part of my trip was travelling to Toronto by Via Rail. As a frequent flyer and person who usually spends six months a year on the road, Via Rail has given me an entire new outlook on how to travel safely, efficiently and most comfortably. Its staff is A-1, most refreshing compared to the usually unreceptive and unenthusiastic staff I have experienced that work for most of the airlines today. No delays combined with a staff that does everything to make your journey pleasant, I recommend Via Rail over any other means of transport in Canada. Your trip will be filled with comfort and joy – I guarantee it!

What’s your favorite city to visit in Canada? What about the rest of North America? let us know.

IUC Travel Exclusive: Via-1 is best First Class Mode of Transport in North America

HisHighness — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:49:29 +0000

After sending a mother and daughter to ride the Via train comfort class week I could not believe how overwhelmingly positive their review was. Therefore, I decided to find out for myself first hand – and the results were incredible. Being a Platinum frequent flyer cause I spend almost six months a year on the road, I was curious to explore another mode of transport – rail.

I have been fortunate enough to travel first class all over the world, but nothing I experienced anywhere in North America compares to Via-1. I recently did the Montreal-Toronto route for a business trip and was stunned by the incredible service, food, beverage and hospitality on Via-1. Air Canada, U.S. Air and Delta executives should be forced to ride Via-1 to take notes.

First off, from the get go the service was incredible. Friendly and concerned staff were there from the person at the ticket booth to the people helping you get your luggage on the train to the amazing staff serving you on board. The food was to die for – gourmet style! The salad, scallops, chocolat caramel mousse for dessert were world class. And it’s pretty much all the fine wine and beverages you can drink. I have to admit, by the time I hit Toronto I was quite tipsy cause of the amazing red wine.

Two weeks ago I flew first class from Montreal-New York. I wasn’t even offered a sandwich on the plane. Via Rail has done their homework and realizes how important customer satisfaction is.

IUC recommends you take the train in Canada over plane any day of the week. It’s safer, less headache with the often tedious security checks and flight delays at airports and a much friendlier environment all round. And there is not a detail they have overlooked!

IUC Rating: ***** out of 5 (top rating)