L’Auberge Basque is famous gastronomic restaurant and hotel 7 kilometres north of the coastal town of Saint Jean de Luz and 22 kilometres from Biarritz in France. If you are looking for a place to stay in and around Saint Jean de Luz, this is it.

Five years ago, Cédric Béchade, chef and owner of Auberge Basque, bought what was a traditional bed and breakfast inn constructed in the late 1600s, renovated it and turned it into a temple of fine cuisine and relaxation in the French Basque country. The decor is a blend of traditional and contemporary with a neutral colour scheme.

Each bedroom has a unique décor designed by Flamant Home Interiors. All rooms feature large, comfortable showers with the ecological “rain dance” system, flat screen TVs, king-sized beds and free Wi-Fi. Some rooms have a private terrace that overlook the mountains and the valley below. There is a spa with massage and beauty treatments that use products from the luxury Parisian brand, Cinq Mondes. Breakfasts at the Auberge Basque are another culinary extravaganza with delicious Basque cakes, fresh fruit juices, brioches, sheep’s milk yogurt and more.

The reason people come to Auberge Basque is for the restaurant, a bright airy space that looks out onto the garden and the hills beyond. Cédric Béchade creates light, healthy dishes of unusual flavour combinations using local products from the Basque Country such as Banka trout, bonito from Saint Jean de Luz, and Ibaïona ham. The kitchen pays special attention to the aesthetics of food, presenting the dishes with flair and creativity. Auberge Basque offers several tasting menus as well as a la carte dishes. Here are examples from the spring 2013 a la carte menu: calamari in its ink with leek and sesame, stewed dover sole with pine bark and yuzu aïoli, veal with green cabbage and wasabi-sour/sweet fruit, and pineapple in tiramisu with apple and juniper berries. The wine list is extensive and features wines from different regions ranging in price from 26 EUR to 136 EUR.

The Auberge Basque restaurant’s decor is simple and elegant: tables in light oak designed by Isabelle Juy (Flamant Home Interior); glass chandeliers by Flamant; matching dishes specially created by Céramiques Cazaux in Biarritz; Onatiss towels; Bernardaud china; wine glasses and decanters by Jean-Pierre Lagneau.

If you are going to Auberge Basque to eat and stay for the night, ask for a room with balcony facing the hills. I opted for one of the smallest rooms and it was tiny and did not have a view, but it was comfortable. Make sure you take the time to sit out on the chairs on the lawn outside the restaurant with marvelous views of the valley and hills just at sundown. I had a wonderful stay at Auberge Basque and would stay and eat there again if I come back to the Saint Jean de Luz area. It is such a peaceful hideaway, perfect for getting away from the stresses of life.

Check the opening days and times of the restaurant before you decide to go and make reservations.

L’Auberge Basque
D 307 vieille route de St Jean de Luz
64310 Helbarron / Saint-Pée – France
+33 (0)5 59 51 70 00

L’Auberge Basque: great food, rustic hideaway near St. Jean de Luz is a post by Esme Vos on Mapplr - Hotel reviews, travel guides, shopping guides.

L’Artemise Suite: Sans Titre

L’Artemise Suite: Sadhu

L’Artemise has 3 rooms and five suites, all with air conditioning, king-sized beds (2 meters long, so perfect for tall people), a large bathtub and a separate shower, a sitting room with a sofa and/or an armchair, a desk and a table, free WiFi, large plasma TV screen with satellite channels in several languages, kitchen area (with a refrigerator, microwave, electric plates, Nespresso coffee machine and kettle) and a safe. Pascal Morabito bath products, bathrobes, towels for the pool and flip-flops are available to all guests. They do not allow pets or kids under 15.

If you feel like indulging in a massage or beauty treatment, head for the spa in the vaulted cellars of the basement. Down there you will even find a 10 metre heated pool, steambath, Jacuzzi, massage room and a gym. If you prefer swimming outdoors, the large pool (12×6 metres), isolated from the house to ensure guests are not disturbed by noise, is perfect for doing laps.

L’Artemise outdoor pool

What is striking about L’Artemise is the art work scattered across the rooms, suites and sitting areas. These include photography and videos from artists such as Georges Rousse, Olaf Breuning, David Lachapelle, Susan Derges, Gregory Crewdson, Erwin Olaf, Denis Rouvre, Shirin Neshat, and David Hockney.

Uzès is a perfect base for exploring Languedoc, Nîmes, Arles and the Pont du Gard. It was the seat of the Dukes of Uzès who are the most important aristocratic family, next in line to the princes of the blood (the former royal family of France). The castle of the Dukes of Uzès is a must-see for visitors. Wandering through the narrow ancient streets of this walled town is such a pleasure on a lovely day and you will find that its chic boutiques and restaurants will keep you busy.

Place aux Herbes in Uzes

L’Artémise
Chemin de la Fontaine aux boeufs
30700 Uzès
France
Tel +33 (04)66 63 94 14

L’Artemise: luxury boutique hotel and restaurant in Uzes (Languedoc) is a post by Esme Vos on Mapplr - Hotel reviews, travel guides, shopping guides.

Swimming pool at Planeta Winery Estate

The La Foresteria resort has an excellent kitchen and also offers cooking classes. Located on the southwestern coast of Sicily, in Menfi, a town between Selinunte and Agrigento, the estate stands on a hill over the surrounding vineyards and olive groves, and with views of the Mediterranean. With fourteen suites each with a private terrace and a view over the vineyards and the sea, the Planeta resort will provide you with everything you need or want: a spectacular swimming pool with a view of the sunset, a Turkish bath, a gymnasium, large gardens with medicinal plants, a kitchen where the chef prepares dishes with high-quality, typical products from the area, cosy corners where you can relax and spend your free time reading. The Planeta resort gives you a warm and attentive welcome and, of course, you will be able to enjoy the sublime wines produced by the Planeta family.

There are many attractions close by: the beach is only four km away, and you can take one of the bikes that they rent free of charge and head there through the vineyards and the dedicated bicycle trails. If you drive,  Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples is only one hour away. Another fascinating archeological site with Greek temples is Segesta, about a 45-minute drive to the north.

Planeta Estate La Foresteria
Contrada Passo di Gurra
ex S.S. 115 s.p. 79, Km 91 Menfi (Ag)
Tel +39 0925 1955460

Travel in Sicily: La Foresteria Winery Boutique Hotel is a post by Arnon Kohavi on Mapplr - Hotel reviews, travel guides, shopping guides.

View of lakes near Llao Llao

Llao Llao hotel lies 25km west of San Carlos de Bariloche in Southern Argentina. It was originally built in 1934 at the edge of a national park. It is on a spectacular setting on a ridge surrounded by lakes with the snow-capped Andes Mountain range in the background. It is an all season resort serving skiers in the winter and hikers and golfers in the summer. It is also situated right next to the starting point of the “Cruce del Lagos”, the boat journey which runs from Bariloche to the Chilean border, and from there to Osorno and Puerto Montt. If you arrive by boat from Chile it is best to stay in Llao Llao and avoid the town of Bariloche which feels run down and busy.

The lawns and views from Llao Llao hotel

Besides outdoor activities, the culinary scene is highly developed. Patagonian wines are a pleasant surprise: the comparatively cool climate in Neuquen region just north of Bariloche makes it stand out amongst Argentine wine regions, whose style generally reflects the warmer, drier climates of the north.  We drank an excellent Pinot Noir from Bodega del fin del Mundo, and overall we find Neuquen reds less harsh and alcoholic than the traditional Mendoza wines.

View of lakes near Llao Llao

One of the best restaurants in Bariloche and probably in Argentina is Cassis which is located 15 minutes away from the hotel. The food is an innovative blend of French and Argentine cuisine all based on fresh ingredients and exquisitely presented.

Another excellent restaurant located close to the Llao Llao is Il Gabbiano, an Italian restaurant set inside a bungalow that has a Mediterranean feel, with brick, iron, and stonework reminiscent of a countryside farmhouse. The menu is authentic Italian, and the wine cellar has more than 250 labels.

Llao Llao hotel and Cassis restaurant in Bariloche, Argentina is a post by Arnon Kohavi on Mapplr - Hotel reviews, travel guides, shopping guides.

Copenhagen’s restaurant scene continues to capture the world’s attention for its culinary prowess: the city’s eateries impress not only for their use of fresh produce and original menus, but also for their light, airy decor and informal atmosphere. From New Nordic Cuisine to Asian and Mediterranean kitchens, Copenhagen’s best restaurants focus on sustainable living and green dining, as trends in the newest restaurant openings illustrate.

Copenhagen’s dining scene has been in the world’s spotlight since Nordic restaurant noma, in Copenhagen’s canalside Christianshavn district took home the title, ‘world’s best restaurant’ at the 2010 S. Pellegrino awards. The award-winning restaurant is characterised by its exclusive focus on locally-harvested ingredients and seasonal menus.

A new trend of Scandinavian menus swept over the city, with menus of locally-raised lamb, wild game, fish and seafood caught in the nearby North Sea and fruits, grains and pulses indigenous to the region a familiar sight. Other restaurants have chosen to buy locally and organically, but continue to seek inspiration from a global kitchen.

In a surprising move, one of the Nordic food movement’s pioneers, Claus Meyer, opened an Asian eatery, namnam, on Copenhagen’s Vesterbrogade in May 2012. This lively, informal eatery specialises in Peranakan cuisine, ‘an Asian melting pot’, and is inspired by the street kitchens of Singapore. The extensive menu includes smaller as well as larger dishes and the opportunity to mix and match, making for colourful dishes that are fresh, healthy and exciting.

It doesn’t seem like that long ago Bornholm restaurant Kadeau opened a few hundred metres further down Vesterbrogade, but the popular regional restaurant, specialising in cuisine from Baltic island Bornholm, has already outgrown this small premises and relocated in autumn 2012 to Christanshavn. In its shoes is Pony, a more relaxed edition of Kadeau (and a little cheaper) with exciting, freshly made dishes characterised by seafood, lamb, grains and spices indigenous to Denmark’s ‘sunshine isle’.

Bo Bech, formerly of flamboyant restaurant Paustian on Copenhagen’s north-east docks, opened Geist in April 2011, a trendy, dinner-only eatery on Kongens Nytorv’s most exclusive dining block. In keeping with current trends, there is no set menu; instead, a long list of innovative smaller dishes both tempts and bewilders. Dine in the bustling main area or the smaller, more romantic back room.

Geist restaurant in Copenhagen

London has one – and now, so does Copenhagen. Denmark’s first Nose2Tail restaurant is the zenith of the sustainable kitchen, where the entire animal is used – ‘from nose to tail’. Aptly located in a white-tiled, former butcher’s cellar in the old meat packing district Kødbyen, the restaurant’s simple decor is surprisingly stylish and the food is deliciously politically correct. Nose2Tail opened in April 2011.

Staying in Kødbyen, the city’s hottest Italian right now is the small pizzeria Mother, a stylish, simple eatery where the freshest sourdough pizzas are prepared on a wood-fired oven to eat in or take away. Other Italian classics, including daily meat specials and tiramisu, are also on the menu.

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Weekend City Break in Copenhagen

Mapplr’s favorite hotels in Copenhagen

Hotel Fox in Copenhagen: 61 rooms designed by 21 artists

Hottest New Restaurants in Copenhagen is a post by Jane Graham on Mapplr - Hotel reviews, travel guides, shopping guides.

Dishoom on Upper St. Martin’s Lane

If you are going to London for a mid-week or weekend break, check out our favorite hotels, restaurants and cafes in the Covent Garden area.

(1) Neighbourhood to stay in: Covent Garden

Why? Central location, walking distance to excellent boutiques, cafes and restaurants; close to theatres and museums. If you are traveling on the Eurostar, the Leicester Square Tube stop is only a few stops from St. Pancras station.

(2) Favorite hotel: St. Martin’s Lane Hotel

Why? Cool, modern boutique hotel close to Covent Garden square and Leicester Square, surrounded by excellent restaurants, cafes, theatres and shops. The hotel has a chic bar and nightclub, and a decent Asian-fusion restaurant.

(3) Restaurants in Covent Garden area

Polpo: Calls itself a Venetian bàcaro (tavern) serving cichetti (small bites) and small plates inspired by Venetian cuisine. Try the mackarel tartare with horseradish, duck and green peppercorn ragu with pappardelle, spicy pork and fennel meatballs, anchovy and chickpea crostini. Serves food until 11:30 pm, which is perfect if you’re leaving the theatre or opera house late. Address: 6 Maiden Lane in Covent Garden or 41 Beak Street in Soho.

Dishoom: Modern Indian restaurant serving innovative Indian small plates for breakfast, lunch and dinner in a lively atmosphere up the street from St. Martin’s Lane Hotel. My favourites are bhel (puffed rice with spices, pomegranate seeds, onion, tomato, lime, tamarind, mint);  house black daal; chole-chawal (spicy chickpeas on rice); keema pau (spiced minced lamb on a bun; and to drink, bhang lassi (mint, ginger, grenadine, candied fennel sprinkles and coconut milk). Address: 12 Upper St. Martin’s Lane, Covent Garden.

(4) Cafes and wine bars in Covent Garden area

La Gelatiera: fantastic gelato place run by Italians who know what gelato is. Located on 27 New Row, just around the corner from St. Martin’s Lane hotel.

New Row Coffee: excellent espresso and cappuccino  on 24 New Row Street, a couple of doors down from La Gelatiera. They also serve cakes and sandwiches.

Notes: A quiet civilized place on St. Martin’s Lane to have coffee and cakes or wine (they hold wine-tasting sessions) and small plates with comfortable seating, classical music, and good coffee. You can actually have a conversation here and you won’t be surrounded by laptop zombies. No Wi-Fi. Addresses: 31 St. Martin’s Lane or 36 Wellington Street, Covent Garden.

Notes cafe and wine bar near Covent Garden

Canela cafe and wine bar: Portuguese/Brazilian cafe and wine bar tucked away on a side street in Covent Garden, serving delicious small plates and salads, reasonably priced Portuguese wines by the glass or bottle in a quiet civilized environment (no loud bar patrons here). Try the chorizo in wine, cheese bread, Portuguese cheese plate and if you’re really hungry, go for the feijoada (Brazilian national dish). Perfect for a pre-theatre meal. Address: 33 Earlham St.

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If you must venture outside Covent Garden, we have put together a list of Mapplr’s favorite restaurants in London.

City break London: hotels, restaurants and cafes in Covent Garden is a post by Esme Vos on Mapplr - Hotel reviews, travel guides, shopping guides.

La Mirande is a hotel and restaurant located in an restored mansion at the foot of the Palais des Papes in the heart of Avignon. It is a timeless refuge that provides a dreamy, relaxing and authentic experience. The hotel is named after the famous room in the Palais des Papes, La Mirande, where the Pope’s representatives once held receptions for the city’s notables and visiting high-ranking officials.  The 18th century interior that was in fashion during the Age of Enlightenment was recreated when La Mirande opened its doors as a hotel-restaurant in 1990.

Each of the hotel’s 26 rooms has a unique décor that harkens back to its history but at the same time integrates modern technology and conveniences. Recreations of 18th century wallpaper, chairs and tables provide guests with a sense of the historic significance of this mansion.

La Mirande’s restaurant offers an intimate atmosphere with a carefully developed menu filled with organic products. It features a fresh and creative cuisine, with a Provençal touch.  In winter, guests can warm themselves by the crackling fireplace while in warmer weather the terrace and garden provide an oasis of calm.

Every Tuesday and Wednesday nights (on request for private events), another table is laid in the basement of La Mirande, a chef ’s table that can host up to fourteen guests and provides modern cuisine in a medieval setting. Every afternoon, in the glass-covered patio or on the terrace, a buffet of home-made, 100% organic pastries are prepared along with organically grown tea and espresso coffee for tea time.

La Mirande also offers thematic packages around wine, gastronomy and culture. For offers and deals, visit their website.

La Mirande: historic boutique hotel and restaurant in Avignon is a post by Megha Patel on Mapplr - Hotel reviews, travel guides, shopping guides.

La Fleur Bleue is located in Le Crestet, a tiny village 40 kilometers northeast of Avignon, between Vaison la Romaine and Malaucène at the foot of Mont Ventoux. Owned by a Dutch couple who decorated the house in the Nordic style with Provençal influences, it offers both fine dining and accommodations (gîtes), to those seeking a quiet rural holiday in the Provence. The restaurant, located at the east side of the house, is open 6 days a week, for lunch and dinner. Guests enjoy the ambiance of a lovely terrace covered with wisteria. The cuisine is regional French made with local produce; the wine selection focuses on offerings from local vineyards.

The two gîtes are houses, each with its own entrance and terrace, large living room and two separate bedrooms. Guests share an  orchard where they can sunbathe, plus a “hot tub”, with stunning views of Mont Ventoux. Each gîte also comes with a fully furnished kitchen: a gas stove with oven, microwave, electric kettle and a coffeemaker.

If you enjoy outdoor activities, you can hike along the nearby Dentelles de Montmirail. Avid cyclists will want to take a shot at climbing the fearsome Mont Ventoux, which has featured in many a mountain stage of the Tour de France over the years. Swimmers can head to the Toulourenc, the Ouveze, or Lake Paty.

David Worm, the house chef, gives cooking classes (cours de cuisine) in January, February, March, April, May, October and November for 85 € per person. It includes four hours of teaching, with ingredients, recipe and a table d’hotes dinner.

The houses are available for rent on a weekly basis (Saturday to Saturday), except in the off season when you can rent them for weekends. 2012-2013 rates are as follows:

- From November to March 520€
- April, May, June, September, October 575€
- July and August 650€
- Weekends (three nights), only in the off season 300€

All prices include linen, cleaning and the ‘taxe de séjour’.

La Fleur Bleue
Chemin de Sublon
84110 Crestet, France
Phone: +33 (0)4 90 36 2345

La Fleur Bleue: restaurant and gîtes in the Provence is a post by Megha Patel on Mapplr - Hotel reviews, travel guides, shopping guides.

Photo: Molly DeCoudreaux

St. Vincent Tavern and Wine Merchant is one of the most recent restaurant openings in the Mission District of San Francisco. It is owned by David Lynch, the former sommelier at Quince and Cotogna. The chef is Bill Niles, who used to cook at Bar Tartine.

What impressed me about the food at St. Vincent Tavern is the chef’s boldness in adding ingredients such as sea urchin (which most people dislike) into a delicate crab chowder-like soup. I happen to love sea urchin so I savored bit of it. Side dishes, which are usually an afterthought in many restaurants, are given the same attention as the starters and the main dishes. For example, the side dish I ordered of collard greens had a smokey, earthy flavor which was balanced out by the saltiness of bacon. Main dishes include a savory rabbit sausage with baby green okra and white turnips, poached white sea bass with english peas and mint and succotash of butter beans, sweet corn, escarole, opal basil, and shishito peppers. For starters, try the bone marrow with charred onion, smoked chili, mustard greens and toast or yellow eyed peas, confit beef tongue, cauliflower, eggplant and cress.

The wine list is impressive with a huge selection from France and Italy. Best of all, you can order a half-bottle of any wine (excluding bubbly ones) at half price.

On the evening that I went to St. Vincent, it was crowded but people were not packed in like sardines, so the dining experience was civilized and comfortable. Service was excellent.

St. Vincent Tavern and Wine Merchant
1270 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Phone: +1 415 285 1200
Reservations are advisable.

St. Vincent Tavern: bold flavors, cool interiors in San Francisco is a post by Esme Vos on Mapplr - Hotel reviews, travel guides, shopping guides.

To celebrate Woody Allen’s latest film, To Rome with Love, here’s a romantic guide to the city with emphasis on atmospheric places to stay, untouristy places to eat and churches that most people don’t even bother to visit.

Romantic boutique hotels in Rome

If you want to stay in the old Jewish quarter, in a quiet apartment just a few steps from the Piazza Mattei, known for the Turtle Fountain, check out this lovely B&B called Kame Hall, just around the corner.

Kame Hall: modern boutique hotel in the heart of Rome

For chic luxurious boutique hotels, I recommend the Intown Luxury House: six elegant suites near Rome’s Spanish Steps and many of the hotels listed in Mapplr’s favorite hotels in Rome. One of the hotels on my list is the Kolbe Hotel located in a renovated 15th century convent.

Recommended restaurants in Rome

The trick to finding excellent (non-touristy) restaurants in Rome is to look for places with menus that are not translated into 3 languages. Best of all are those with Italian only menus. Here are my recommended restaurants, which I enjoyed during my stay in the city.

Hostaria Romana: excellent lunch near the Piazza Barberini in Rome

Ristorante Nino in Rome: the ideal lunch shopping break

Il Bacaro: delicious food in a tiny restaurant hidden in a corner of Rome

Dal Bolognese: chic crowd, delicious food in Rome

Al Granasso: lunch with the locals near the Piazza del Popolo

Il Buco: excellent Tuscan food near the Pantheon in Rome

Al Pompiere: traditional Roman cuisine in an old palazzo

Mapplr’s favorite restaurants and cafes in Rome

What about gelato? Well, there are so many gelaterias in Rome that it would be tedious to list the good ones as they are all quite good. Here’s what I say (based on my experience): The best gelateria is the one closest to your hotel.

What to do

Rome is where the sacred and the profane blend seamlessly, along streets lined with butcher shops, designer stores, and solemn churches. On a narrow street leading away from the Pantheon, you’ll find a large shop selling bishops’ mitres, priests and cardinals’ robes, and just a few doors down, a boutique hawking the tighest, sexiest jeans this side of the Tiber.

Churches

The Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere

Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore

The Pantheon

Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva

NOTE: I have not listed St. Peter’s Basilica above because I visited it once, together with the Sistine Chapel, and I won’t go again unless it’s in the dead of winter. There are simply too many people inside. As you walk around Rome, you will see that there are so many lovely little churches, some no larger than a chapel. Here and there, you spot a Caravaggio painting in one of these tiny, unknown churches, and surprisingly, there won’t be anyone else around.

Historical Monuments

The Forum

Palatine Hill

Colosseum

Shopping

The main shopping street is the via dei Condotti, home to well-known designer brands such as Gucci and Prada. The service in each of these boutiques is excellent. I discovered that the prices are one third of what you would pay in the US for the same item. Moreover, they have a much better selection of clothes, shoes, and accessories in Rome.

Max Mara, via dei Condotti 17: carries all the other Max Mara brands including Sportmax, ‘S Max Mara and Weekend.

Prada, via dei Condotti 92: awesome selection of shoes, bags and clothes.

Giorgio Armani, via dei Condotti 77: one stop shop for the man who refuses to waste time trying to find clothes and accessories that fit and look good.

Max & Co: via dei Condotti, 61: this is the “young sister” of Max Mara and the clothes are stylish and affordable.

On the side streets around via dei Condotti, you’ll find other designer boutiques such as:

Mada Shoes, via della Croce 57: tiny boutique that sells shoes and bags, more affordable than the designer brands but still very stylish and beautiful leather goods are sold here.

Boutiques in other areas:

Officina Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, Corso del Rinascimento 47: heavenly perfumes, soaps, colognes, potpourri and essences from Santa Maria Novella in Florence.

Online articles about eating in Rome

Tasting Rome: gelato, pasta and the market – this is food writer David Lebovitz’s exhaustive article about food in Rome, his favorite markets and gelaterias

Time Out Rome: find out the latest restaurant and bar openings, as well as concerts and other events in Rome.

To Rome With Love travel guide to the Eternal City is a post by Esme Vos on Mapplr - Hotel reviews, travel guides, shopping guides.