7 of the best gourmet dining spots in Switzerland’s biggest city: Eating out at Zurich’s (casual) fine-dining restaurants is not a new thing for me, quite the opposite. I have been doing this on a regular basis for years – see my posts about it. Yet there are still lots of great (casual) gourmet (Michelin) restaurants in Zurich that are either new in town or I have not dined at so far. So it is time for an update as to Zurich’s flourishing culinary scene. I have visited all the places I am going to write about in the years of 2023 and 2024, and this usually for the first time. In addition, it ..read more

One of the best luxury hotels & 3 (Michelin) fine-dining restaurants in Argentina’s capital Oh, I fell so in love with Buenos Aires, the beautiful “Paris of South America”! It convinces with a unique blend of European elegance and South American charm. You find here stunning architecture, wide boulevards and charming neighborhoods yet always with a South American flair. And to think that my husband and I only came to Buenos Aires as a stopover destination to Chile (see itinerary). Yet we planned three nights to explore it properly – here is my suggestion for a city tour in keywords (under ..read more

Probably the best luxury hotel & 3 recommended fine-dining restaurants in Chile’s beautiful coastal city: Nothing against Santiago de Chile, but Valparaiso warmed my heart more. So, if you have two or three days to spare in your Chile itinerary – here is mine – in addition to Patagonia, the Atacama Desert and Santiago, you should go there. Valparaiso is known for its colorful architecture, its steep hills with views of the Pacific Ocean and streets filled with street art. It is much smaller than Santiago plus it is very walkable, despite being hilly. That is because of its picturesque old ..read more

One of the best luxury hotels & 3 restaurants featured on 50 Best Discovery in Chile’s capital: The Chile trip my husband and I did – here is the itinerary – took us also to its capital of Santiago. Of course it did, you cannot fly directly from the Atacama Desert to Patagonia, for example. So, we happened to stay here three times, twice in the city center, once at the airport. Never mind, although it was not love at first sight, we grew to like this city. It is laid out like a chessboard in a Spanish colonial style. However, only a few remains of the historical building structure remain ..read more

Super-luxe wilderness lodge Awasi Atacama in the heart of San Pedro de Atacama: Chile is full of natural wonders, and the Atacama Desert, the driest on Earth, is one of them. In contrast to the country’s most popular natural highlight, South Patagonia with Torres del Paine National Park (my post), it is not so overflown by travelers. If you explore the area in an “anticyclical” way, you can avoid most daytrippers. This allows you to have the sights – think of bizarre rock formations, lagoons with flamingos or geysers, and this all against the backdrop of the Andes  – to yourself. And if l ..read more

Luxury hotels The Singular Patagonia & Tierra Patagonia in Chile’s glacier country: Patagonia, shared between Chile and Argentina, at the southernmost point of South America, is a very special place. This windswept glacier country at the end of the world attracts more and more well-heeled travelers. So, you find here – in the Chilean part around the Torres del Paine National Park – high-end lodging too. It is not plentiful, often full, and the prices reflect the demand. While touring the area – see my itinerary post – , my husband and I stayed at two luxury hotels in Patagonia, at The Sing ..read more

A luxury trip to Patagonia, Atacama Desert, Santiago, Valparaiso & Argentina’s capital: As a significant stage in the life of my husband and mine is about to come to an end – more info to follow later this year – , we  treated us to a special journey. It is about a once in a lifetime trip to Chile. We had thought hard about where to go in South America. After visiting Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands a few years ago, we had been a bit unsure where to head next. Brazil seemed too dangerous for us, Peru rather over-run by tourists. So, we opted for Chile. And this mainly because of its ..read more

Guides about my home country – itinerary, premium destinations, luxury hotels & fine dining 2024: I just wanted to let you know that I have updated my Switzerland directories for traveling and dining in style for 2024! There are the four of them. The first two are about where to go in my lovely home country. You find not only a grand tour of Switzerland but also an overview of premium destinations for the discerning traveler. Furthermore, I inform on where to stay and where to dine in style while traveling along the grand tour through this Alpine nation. Here are the details: Guide to vis ..read more

From 2 dining-spots in Montreux, Maison Décotterd & Pont de Brent, only one remained: On our Montreux stay, my husband and I had dinner at both Michelin starred restaurants in town. This is about Restaurant Maison Décotterd and Restaurant Pont de Brent. We did so on our 14-day trip through north Italy and west Switzerland. Montreux was our last stop and we had to celebrate not only the end of a great journey but also a special birthday. So we splurged a last time before heading home. Yet we did so all along the trip – we “accumulated “eight Michelin stars in total! In the meantime, th ..read more

Where to go for some of the best fine dining on Lake Garda’s southwest shore near Salò: I can say about myself that I have dined at all the Michelin (starred) restaurants in Gardone Riviera on Lake Garda. There are four of them in total, and one of them is very popular. It is so sought-after that it is difficult to secure a table here. Before coming to this well-liked place, first to the “hotel restaurant” at Grand Hotel Fasano. This is the luxury lodging where my husband and I stayed recently on our 14-day trip through north Italy and west Switzerland (hotel post/itinerary post). The end will ..read more