Boomer Travel Patrol Blog

The “Violino d'Oro”, which translates to “The Golden Violin”, is that gem in Venice that you just wish someone would share with you. That's how I found out about it. Friends of mine who own a time share in Venice and travel there every year told me to be sure and check it out for my clients.

“Kiawah should have been a poem,” someone wrote years ago, and how true those words are. Our first trip to Kiawah, May 1980, came about because of a friend’s recommendation. “What a funny name,” I said. He explained, “It’s named for the Indian tribe that lived there during the 1600s. In 1699, a so-called pirate named George Raynor was granted the land and after that, the island was handed down through two different families for the next 250 years. It was purchased again in 1951 then, sold to a real estate developer. You won’t believe how beautiful it is,” he promised.

Mauricio, Joseph and Chef Jason have combined their talents and passions into this contemporary bistro that offers fresh and fabulous food! They love locally grown ingredients and also use an international influence.

So much has been written about Paris, one can never do justice in describing this magnificent city! No matter if you pre-plan your itinerary or just show up, you will not be disappointed!

When we are way up in the mountains, in high altitude and thin air, our GPS decides to set itself on Sherpa Mode. It carefully maps a route that is Longest, Obscure, and Steep Terrain - L.O.S.T.

Such as the day we travelled from Asheville, NC to Renfro Valley, KY. When we left camp in NC, a simple turn to the right would have led to the highway in a couple of easy miles, but instead the GPS sent us to the left. So we traversed the Appalachian Mountains on the back roads for two hours: though hill and holler, over dale and dell, around switchbacks and hairpin turns. All in the motorhome.

Taffy Morgan organized a field trip for campers who wanted to visit a local maple syrup farm, both to see how the syrup is produced as well as to purchase really high quality maple syrup to take home. Susie and I joined the group going to Dave Matt’s sugar shack on Thursday evening after dinner at camp.

If you are interested in a combination of Revolutionary and Civil War history, and are passing through rural Virginia, then Tappahannock, on the Rappahannock River is one of your destinations.  Being central to so many stories of America’s past, any road you take getting there will deepen your understanding of the ancestors we owe gratitude to for our modern way of life.  Throughout its history, the Rappahannock River has nurtured all of America’s inhabitants from Native Americans to native wildlife.

It often feels like holidays are becoming more jam-packed with things to do than the average workweek. If you’re tired of traipsing between monuments and mountains and feel in dire need of a long swig of rum punch - head to Jamaica.  Aside from being a stunning island with lush jungles and beaches, Jamaica is a state of mind.  People are happy, appreciative of life and quite literally ever-smiling.  Things on the island operate at a pace that would drive any true-blue New Yorker half insane, but that's the charm.

I feel like I need to whisper about this property, because it's a secret that I'm about to reveal. Assuming you have traveled to Rome in the past and have stayed in the center of it all, here’s a real jewel about 30 minutes away from the action. The Villa Urbani is nestled on a residential street about 15 minutes from the Trastevere area. It is a Villa that dates from the 1900's and is still a family residence that has been partially converted into a Bed and Breakfast.

This fabulous, outrageous, sexy restaurant is located in The Hazelton Hotel, in the heart of Yorkville, in downtown Toronto.

One was created by Mark McEwan, a chef who is busy every second. It is part of his empire, The McEwan Group. It has that wow factor the moment you step in which boomers love! The design of it all is outrageous and there are art collections placed everywhere, mosaic everywhere. When you go on the website, just listening to the music makes you want to be there in a second! There are true red suede walls and huge panels of window in the Neil Young room.