Crystal Symphony: Better Than Ever

Crystal Symphony: Better Than Ever

Many luxury travelers are skeptical about taking cruise vacations. They associate cruises with mediocre, calorific buffet food; cramped, ill-designed cabins; hoards of people with lines at every turn; not being able to get off the beaten path; and being nickeled and dimed for extras. If you are cruise avoidant, a voyage on the Crystal Symphony will dispel any such misgivings.

Le Boreal: A French small cruise ship experience

Le Boreal: A French small cruise ship experience

A passenger boarding Le Boreal is instantly immersed in French language, culture and cuisine, beginning with the welcome from the ship’s captain and his officers, all of whom hail from France. Shipboard announcements and lectures are routinely delivered in both French and English. Even the mandatory muster drill on the first day offers non-French-speaking passengers…

Nobis Hotel: Captivating Luxury in Stockholm

The 201-room Nobis Hotel, which opened in 2010, is centrally located on Norrmalmstorg Square in downtown Stockholm. Its address has assumed an infamous role in history and culture: The term Stockholm syndrome, coined in 1973, is used to describe a psychological phenomenon that occurred within these walls. The ground floor of the existing structure once…

An ice cream cone worth the trip: A ferry ride away at Vieux-Levis, Quebec

It’s not surprising that many tourists’ memories of Quebec are gastronomical. I added another one after visiting Vieux-Levis (Old Levis), a city on the southern shore of the St. Lawrence. A friend at home insisted that my husband and I visit Glacerie a L’Europeenne, an ice cream shop with seductive soft-serve. So we took a mid-morning…