Hailed as the “house of dreams” by New York interior designer Billy Baldwin, the former home of “Silver” Maria Cortez is now open to house guests, thanks to the Alex Killen, who is the third generation owner of the mansion-turned-boutique Rivera del Rio hotel in Puerto Vallarta. Here, eclectic meets lavish meets indoor plunge poolContinue reading “Getting Dreamy at Rivera del Rio in Puerto Vallarta”
Category Archives: Americas
Quirk and Comfort: Garlands del Rio Boutique Hotel
There’s a big, black gate that marks the entrance to Garlands del Rio in the heart of Puerto Vallarta’s Zona Romantica. That’s it. To the left of the massive gate is a door bell. Buzz that and within seconds, a latch clicks and then the tiny door can be opened. On the other side ofContinue reading “Quirk and Comfort: Garlands del Rio Boutique Hotel”
On Gratitude
“I’m moving home,” I announce to my parents when I touch down in Philadelphia, fresh off a few days in Las Vegas. “What?” they both ask, confused. And, I get it. I really do. Only few weeks ago I had told them I was meeting with immigration lawyers in Madrid to see how I could getContinue reading “On Gratitude”
Street Art in Downtown Las Vegas
Las Vegas isn’t a city known for street art. In fact, I’m confident that most people would never even put the two together. That’s changing. Thanks to Life is Beautiful, a three-day festival that takes over Downtown Las Vegas, the city is upping its street art cred. This year’s LIB runs from Sept. 23 – 25 andContinue reading “Street Art in Downtown Las Vegas”
Why I Canceled My Trip to Spain
Way back in December, when I was rushing through the process of returning to American life and giving up my Spanish student visa … and life as an expat … I purchased roundtrip tickets for my mom and I from Madrid to Vegas. “When would you like to return to Madrid?” The agent had askedContinue reading “Why I Canceled My Trip to Spain”
A Weekend at Laguna Beach’s Pacific Edge Hotel
“I had to close the door a little more,” Kyla explains to me our first morning waking up at the Laguna oceanfront hotel, the Pacific Edge Hotel. “It was too loud.” In this case, being too loud is a blissful problem to have since she’s referring to the sound of the Pacific Ocean crashing feetContinue reading “A Weekend at Laguna Beach’s Pacific Edge Hotel”
It’s a Beautiful Life
It’s a mild evening in Las Vegas. Hot, by winter standards if you don’t have desert (or jungle) blood. The sun has already begun its descent behind the rugged, snow-covered peak of Mt. Charleston to the west of the city. The mountains on the east, the ones covered in trees, are a deep purple. SunriseContinue reading “It’s a Beautiful Life”
This Roller Coaster
I stand over my sheet cake from the grocery store. Clad in an oversized sweatshirt with puffy paint splattered on it in pastel colors, I move my gel-soaked (à la 80s one-hit-wonder Samantha Fox), crunchy spiral-permed hair out of my face and readjust my roller skate clad feet to maintain my balance. Next year, IContinue reading “This Roller Coaster”
Home: Las Vegas
Home: Las Vegas. It hits me when the sky gives way from black to a sea of glittering, golden lights. Some 20,000 feet below me is the Mojave Desert, which is slowly giving way to the Las Vegas Valley. Tears well up in my eyes, and there is no containing them. I’ve left my worldContinue reading “Home: Las Vegas”
When Your Travel Plans Turn into Murphy’s Law
“If anything can go wrong — it will.” The best laid plans. Today, we’re time traveling to late January of this year. I’m in Madrid and I decide that it shall be my new home. “It’s really easy to get a student visa here,” my friend explains to me. Seeing as Spain was always topsContinue reading “When Your Travel Plans Turn into Murphy’s Law”
D Travels 'Round 