Chateau de Villette is French manor home that costs $270,000 a week

Chateau de Villette is more than a French manor house — it’s a walk through history. Built in the late 17th century with the help of Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Andre Le Notre,  both of whom were instrumental in building the world-renowned Palace of Versailles, the chateau features seven suites in the main house, each extravagantly … Read more

See inside one of the world’s best hotels

Few hotels are as synonymous with old world grandeur and colonial architecture as the Raffles Hotel Singapore — the hotel of choice for the city-state’s visiting elite since it first opened in 1887. Guests from Rudyard Kipling to Catherine, Princess of Wales have graced its hallways, which like the rest of the hotel were revamped … Read more

The most expensive hotel rooms in the world: Paris’ Hotel de Crillon

There are 78 rooms at Paris’ Hôtel de Crillon, but only two “Les Grand Appartements.” The apartments can be combined, along with an adjoining room, to make a three-bedroom mega-suite that covers 335 square meters (3,606 square feet) of the hotel’s fourth floor. Famed fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld designed the interiors down to the smallest of … Read more

Who is the chef at Odette, one of Singapore’s best restaurants

Odette is named after a revered matriach in Chef Julien Royer’s life: his grandmother. “She is really someone very important to me, and the person that actually showed me how much passion, pleasure, happiness and emotion you can give to people through food,” he told CNBC. Originally from central France, Royer rose to the top … Read more

Gens Zs are traveling this summer and going into debt to pay for trips

Move over family travelers. Gen Zs are set to make the biggest splash this summer, with surveys showing they are upping their vacation plans and spending more than older travelers. No longer satisfied with road trips to their parents’ homes, Gens Z are planning international trips at higher rates than other generations, according to a … Read more

Best things to do in Africa beyond safaris: Cruises, wine tours, hikes

Africa is blessed with some of the rarest and most beautiful animals in the world — a fact that entices tourists to book safaris year-round. But safaris only scratch the surface of what the continent has to offer.   From wine tours to vibrant coastal cities, other experiences await those who are willing to go … Read more

Staying safe in the great outdoors with GME’s MT610G Personal Locator Beacon and XRS-660 Handheld UHF CB Radio

For every outdoor enthusiast, staying safe is a top priority. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service estimates about 130 bushwalkers end up lost or needing a rescue every year, so carrying a personal locator beacon (PLB) could be the difference between life and death. GME Australia provided this publisher with the device for testing … Read more

Bhutan introduces Gross National Happiness 2.0 to help economic crisis

Bhutan’s governing philosophy of “Gross National Happiness” has been heralded the world over for balancing economic growth with the well-being of its citizens. But recent discussions of “Gross National Happiness 2.0” by its newly elected Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay suggest that change on some level is underway as the country struggles with an economic crisis … Read more

Bhutan may revise its Sustainable Development Fee if travel picks up

Bhutan may reconsider its controversial $100 daily tourism fees if the country’s tourism industry recovers soon, Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay told CNBC on May 10. But the fees are likely to go higher, he said. Bhutan reopened its borders in September 2022 with an increased “Sustainable Development Fee” of $200 per person per day … Read more

What to know about touring world famous wine regions

Gone are the days when wine tasting was confined to local wineries or national borders. Today’s consumers crave authentic wine experiences in the land where it’s cultivated. In Europe, where the wine economy is predominantly export-driven, tasting rooms tend to be family-operated. That means there may be just one person serving visitors, and appointments are … Read more