Bom Dia (good morning) was my sunny greeting as I arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz in Lisbon, Portugal. Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon, long considered the city’s premier hotel, reflects the nobility and charm of historic Portugal. It was there that I spent three days prior to embarking on Silversea’s Silver Whisper for [ Read More...]

By Janet Steinberg Contributing Columnist My recent Silversea’s Silver Whisper cruise, from Lisbon, Portugal to Southampton, England, afforded me and 291 passengers from 14 countries a chance to experience one of Europe’s most captivating and diverse itineraries often overlooked by many cruise lines. Returning, once again, to cruise on the all-suite Silver Whisper did not [ Read More...]

By Janet Steinberg Contributing Columnist The keys to my heart are not made of silver or gold. The Keys to my heart are a 125-mile chain of laid-back islands in Florida that extend from Mile Marker 0 in Key West, to Mile Marker 126 in Key Largo. The 43 bridges that connect The Keys span [ Read More...]

By Janet Steinberg Contributing Columnist This is not an April Fool’s joke. It may be tongue-in-cheek, but it’s true. On April 23,1982, Key West, Fla. seceded from the United States of America and formed The Conch Republic. Their motto, and the Conch Republic flag, reads: “We Seceded Where Others Failed.” The trouble began when the [ Read More...]

“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” Susan Sontag said it first, but I have to agree with Susan, I haven’t been everywhere, but everywhere is certainly on my list. As a young widow some 39 years ago, I learned that a single journey could change the course of a life. I have [ Read More...]

A DUO OF MOUNTAIN RETREATS Part four of a Series By Janet Steinberg Lodge at Buckberry Creek: a Smoky Mountain high Gatlinburg’s “Great Camp of the Smokies,” The Lodge at Buckberry Creek is a handsome hideaway that opened in 2005.  It is also the jewel in the crown of Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains. More than [ Read More...]

Pinehurst: North Carolina’s Grande Dame Part 3 of a Series “Strange that so few ever come to the woods to see how the pine lives and grows and spires, lifting its evergreen arms to the light.” – Henry David Thoreau Well into her 12th decade, the Grande Dame of North Carolina has undergone many facelifts.   [ Read More...]

By Janet Steinberg Part 2 of a Series The Grove Park Inn is an Asheville, N.C. resort tucked into the breathtaking landscape between the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountain range. It represents a return to the elegance of a bygone era; it is yesterday, today and tomorrow. Listed in the National [ Read More...]

Going Topless in North Carolina Part 1 Hopping into a shiny black convertible, top down, sun on my face and wind in my hair, my husband and I set out for a 1458-mile drive through North Carolina. For 3-plus decades I have been sea-ing the world at sea level. It was now time for me [ Read More...]

By Janet Steinberg Venice, Italy is one of the world’s premiere travel destinations, drawing some 18 million visitors annually to this unique city. Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and should certainly be at the top of everyone’s bucket list. On a post-cruise extension of our Crystal Serenity Aegean Dreams cruise, [ Read More...]