Since 1960 I have been traveling around the world, always searching for splendid, old or unique hotels.

The following are some of my favorites….

Ron Meyers told me that he feels that La Mamounia Hotel in Morocco is the best in the world!

By far our favorite hotel in Paris is the Napoleon. We love the corner suites with small balconies on two sides. Windows that open floor to almost the ceiling. Big bathroom with a bathtub that we can soak in and look at the Eifel Tower. The staff is wonderful. The hotel’s history is out of a romance novel. It began with a rich Russian entrepreneur, Alexander Pavlovich Kliaguine who immigrated to France in 1915. He fell in love with a French student and bought the hotel as a wedding gift for his young bride in order to launch her into the high-society of the day. The hotel attracted international actors, writers and artist who frequented Paris in the artistic renaissance between the World Wars. The hotel opened in 1928 and has remained in the Kliaguine family to this day, making it the only five star hotel out of the many deluxe hotels located in the 8th, still independently owned. Orson Wells once told me it was his favorite hotel in Paris.

In 1981 I began, a tour to discover the really great hotels of the world. My first stop was on the big island of Hawaii. I discovered the magnificent Mauna Kea Beach Hotel built by Laurance S. Rockefeller, 1965. I arrived late at night, and the hotel slowly revealed it’s self. Very discreet, the low-key effect was magical.The lighting, stairways, the sculptures, the subtlety of everything was profound.

Flâneur: Wander with no goals…that’s me. Random

Letting accident be our guide. Baudelaire described it as being a passionate spectator who “enters a crowd as though it were an immense reservoir of electrical energy” That’s how I felt when we were driving from our house in the Loire Valley in 2013 with Michelle’s brothers kids, Finn & Charlotte. We were headed to Barcelona. We had stopped in the little town of Bonneville to rest and get gas. Michelle looked across the lake and spotted an old building with many flags flying high in the afternoon breeze. It looked interesting…I suggested that we explore it. We discovered quite by accident the wonderful old hotel L'Impérial Palace in the town of Annecy, France. Driving up the drive to the hotel we were greeted by a vast amount of beautifully restored old Citroëns. All colors, all models, it felt like we had just driven into a time capsule. We knew we had to spend the night. After checking in, we stepped into the elevator and there we encountered a very friendly gentleman who introduced himself as Martin Boyer. When I asked him what was going on, he told me that it was an annual rally for Citroën collectors and they would be taking off in the morning. He offered to show us around. The first thing he showed us was his classic white 1938 Citroën convertible with a wicker luggage container. I had no idea Martin would become one of my favorite people in France. He is the perfect example of an elegant French gentleman. A descendant of a famous French family with a profound sense of history and a strong connection to his ancestors, who were connected to America. We have dined in his elegant town house in Paris and had tea with him in his family Chateau near Blois. His great uncle Jules Cameon, former governor general of Algeria, was the ambassador of France to the U.S.A. His ancestor, Royal Navy Captain Viscount de Turpin, was sent to UK’s American 13 colonies to fight the British navy and help General Washington win independence from UK.

At age 20, I hitch hiked in a single engine Cessna 150 (a 12 day trip) to Brazil in 1960 with rancher Garon Maia (nephew of the cattle baron frigorifico Tiao Maia). After working and living in Aracatuba and Sao Paulo, I settled in Rio where I worked for the Copacabana Palace hotel and The Brazil Herald writing about guests that were staying at the hotel. I also advised the jeweler H Stern, helping him refine his sales efforts by inviting potential customers to visit his lapidary workshops. I noticed an ad in the paper one day advertising lots in Cabo Frio, I bought one with no money down and had it until 2011.