by Jennifer on February 14, 2013
Valentine’s Day or not, we love a trip or vacation that involves a little romance. We round up our top picks for the most romantic cities on earth – from Paris to Vienna to Buenos Aires.
Photography by Justin Harrington
Paris, France
It had to be number one, didn’t it? When thinking about planning a romantic rendevouz pour deux, the City of Lights typically is the first spot that comes to mind. And no wonder – oozing with sex appeal, fashion, amazing food, some of the best wine and cozy cafés you can easily fall in love not only with your travel companion, but also with the city itself. Even when it rains Paris has a romantic charm about it unlike any other city.
What to do: If it’s warm enough (think spring or summer), pack a light picnic of pastries and wine and nibble by the Seine. If not, hole up in a quaint café tucked away on a corner street and eat tarte au chocolat and café au lait all afternoon.
Images courtesy of Palacio Duhau, Park Hyatt Buenos Aires.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dubbed the Paris of South America, we say it’s the sexier version of the chic European city. Rougher around the edges, but loaded with character the city gets its romantic vibe from the people (anyone speaking Spanish gets our hearts aflutter), the cheap and good wine, the arts and culture, and of course, the tango.
What to do: Take a tango lesson and learn the sultry dance from the experts. Or book a romantic dinner for two at a restaurant that also puts on a tango show. Oh, and drink lots of wine. READ MORE
by Jennifer on January 13, 2013
It’s not like we need another excuse to go to Paris (especially in dreary January). But it is always nice to have one or two excuses tucked up our sleeves for a last minute jaunt.
Enter the new Paris Shopping Book 2013, a French-English guide to finding the chicest shops, stylish neighbourhoods and more. There are six bespoke shopping guides in the book tailoring to just about every style (boho-chic, the trendsetter and even the savvy shopper looking to save a bit while in the City of Lights).
An extra bonus? The Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau offers up some special gifts and extra little perks for using this book and coming to Paris for a shopping vacation (think upgrading, late departures, a bottle of champagne). We’ll take that any day.
Download the Paris Shopping Book 2013 at parisinfo.com.
by Pretty Chic Travel on January 8, 2013
Food and travel go hand-in-hand like a good book and the beach or shopping and New York City — it’s seriously hard to imagine one without the other. While we’d hardly call ourselves chefs, we do enjoy trying new recipes and we certainly enjoy food, especially when we’re discovering new flavours in worldly destinations. We’re up for trying new dishes out and love to eat locally whenever possible. But when we’re not travelling, sometimes we’re happy to replicate it ourselves in the kitchen (at least attempt t0). We’ve rounded up 6 unique and different cookbooks inspired by travel (and destinations themselves), which we think you’ll love as much as we do.
Jamie Oliver’s Food Escapes: Over 100 Recipes From the Great Food Regions of the World
By Jamie Oliver
Why We Love It: Reason number one: It’s Jamie Oliver. Number two: He covers so many of our favourite places and countries in Europe and North Africa. Number three: It’s Jamie Oliver (did we mention that?) and his recipes always turn out amazing. Oliver’s recipes cover Morocco, France, Greece, Sweden and Italy making it not only a delicious addition to your cookbook collection but a cultural experience as well. Oliver’s descriptions, tips, and anecdotes really transport you to each location (truffle hunting with pigs in France, the smells of street food in Marrakesh and fishing in Athens).
Buy: Amazon
The Wanderlust Cookbook: Food Inspired by Travel
By Stephanie McElhaney, Austin & Tiffanie
Why We Love It: Who better to mix travel and food than two travel-obsessed missionary bloggers with the help of a international loving chef? Austin and Tiffanie enlisted the help of chef Stephanie McElhaney to help them create a book filled with recipes from Rwanda, England, Indonesia and beyond. Since Austin and Tiffanie are missionaries, all proceeds from this book go to their latest mission — but you also get the bonus of a cultural food trek around the globe. READ MORE
by Pretty Chic Travel on November 6, 2012
Like travelling, movies are a great escape from the everyday. It’s literally the quickest way to be instantly transported to another world. As travel lovers it probably comes as no surprise that we enjoy films about, yes, travelling. But this goes beyond your standard road-trip storyline or finding yourself journey, although this doesn’t mean those don’t count, or that we don’t enjoy either because we’d be lying if we said otherwise.
A film inspires us to travel when it immerses us in another culture, or as it subtly captures the beauty of a destination or even reveals to us unexpected realities. The beauty of film is that it can tell us a story that we haven’t heard yet. Despite where we’ve been, there are still many amazing destinations we have yet to explore and others we’ve only scratched the surface.
If you’re getting the itch to travel and aren’t able to get away or maybe you just want to let a destination inspire you, whatever the case, here are 10 movies that never fail to get us thinking about our next trip. READ MORE
by Pretty Chic Travel on April 18, 2012
As the Strategic Manager of Finance and Operations for Trufflepig Travel, Diane Ring gets to dabble in a little bit of everything — from marketing to balancing the books — not to mention jetting to and from Paris on a regular basis (they have an office there). For those of you who aren’t familiar, Trufflepig Travel is a luxury trip planning company who specializes in designing custom trips for clients around the globe. Unlike other trip planning services, Trufflepig only services a select number of countries (currently it’s 31) of places they know — and know well. Plus they also rely on experts on the ground in various locations to keep them up-to-snuff on what’s new in that destination.
Diane (who’s also recently engaged to a pilot, none-the-less), may be saying “I do” close to home, but is currently planning two honeymoons. One right after the wedding and a second later in the year, either in South Africa or Brazil. We would too especially having the best information right at her fingertips! We recently chatted to Diane about her travel must-haves and latest adventures (she just hit the slopes in Whistler), so read on to get the scoop! READ MORE
by Stephanie on March 30, 2012
Paris in the spring has a romantic ring to it, non?
There’s nothing like a jolt of warm weather (or the anticipation of it) to bring on the travel itch. From late March to the end of May, you don’t have to worry about the spring break crowds, cold Canadians flocking to the hot sun of the Caribbean or boatloads of tourists taking over the streets in Europe — in fact, between the weather and prices, the spring may just be the best time of the year to travel. Not sure where to book a flight to? We pick 7 destinations that are perfect to visit in the spring.
1. Where: Paris
Why: While the weather might be fickle (you may see rain one day, sun the next), we bet you’ll quickly overlook any gloomy days upon seeing the gorgeous blooms and lush trees that decorate the already beautiful landscape. Not to mention the height of tourist season in Paris comes in the summer, so you’ll be in town when the locals are. For those who are tennis fans, consider planning around the French Open which occurs every May at Roland Garros.
Travel Tip: Beat any weather woes by dressing in layers and packing a chic umbrella. READ MORE
by Pretty Chic Travel on March 21, 2012
Exploring the world for your own pleasure is one thing and creating curated travel experiences for luxury-seekers is another — but for Jaclyn Sienna India, luxury hotel expert and critic, who also runs her own boutique travel agency — is an expert at both. Having been bitten by the travel bug at an early age, Jaclyn says she’s made it her life’s work and mission to travel every inch of the globe. A regular travel contributor to Dwell, Jaclyn has also been featured in Gotham Magazine as an A-list Travel Agent. We recently chatted to the luxury travel expert about some of her favourite hotels, beauty musts and what she likes to do when she’s on vacation. READ MORE
by Stephanie on March 20, 2012
It’s no secret that we’re big fans of the macaron. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of biting into this delicious cookie, today is the perfect opportunity to give it a try. Select cities across the globe are celebrating Macaron Day or Jour du Macaron as its called in Paris, in which select patisseries and bakeries offer free macarons to patrons with a portion of proceeds going to charity. Created in Paris by Maison Pierre Hermé Paris in association with Relais Desserts, this year’s Jour du Macaron in Paris will raise money towards Autism.
If you’re not going to be in Paris tomorrow, many other cities are participating including Vancouver, Toronto and New York City. Be sure to check ahead to find out if your favourite bakery is participating.
All you need to do is tell the shop you’re there for Macaron Day and you’ll receive your free treat! Plus you might as well buy a few to take home, since you’ll be helping raise funds towards a great cause too.
by Stephanie on March 12, 2012
One activity that tops our vacation to-do list is a trip to the museum. We love exploring new and old favourites like NYC’s MET, The Art Institute of Chicago or even the close-to-home AGO. But the ultimate city for museum hopping has to be Paris. From the world-renowned Louvre, to the Musée Rodin, beautifully housed in a mansion fit for a king, you’ll find 204 museums in this city clearly in love with art. With the Louis Vuitton Marc Jacobs exhibit now on at the museum of Les Arts Décoratifs, there’s even more of a reason to start planning a trip. Not sure what to wear during your gallery visits? We pick chic and wearable pieces to complete your ensemble. READ MORE
by Pretty Chic Travel on February 22, 2012
Today we’d like you to meet Tatiana Read, Director of KnotPR. More affectionately known as Tat, this social media maven (she’s @tatvictoria) and entrepreneur has been spotted in publications like The Globe and Mail, FLARE and FASHION Magazine, not only for her great style and business-savvy, but her dedication to local causes. Flying the skies for both business and pleasure, whether she’s enjoying a Mai Tai at her favourite hotel in Hawaii or navigating the restaurant scene in Paris solo, Tat brings along her stylish flair — and Marni shades. Read on to find out Tat’s latest travel adventures and must-haves. READ MORE
