Good Hotel Guide, $23.38
All hotels in this updated guide to hotels, country houses and bed-and-breakfasts in Britain and Ireland are not only independent but also family owned and family run. In this 34th edition of the guide, the editors have made "radical changes" (their term), by introducing color photos. They also launched a website and an iPhone application, both of whose revenues subsidize the print edition.
What has not changed are the criteria. They prefer "unstuffy" lodgings, and though they have no particular checklists of what to look for, they do seek what they call the "less tangible signs of excellence": character, a warm welcome and a flexible attitude to requests. What they do not like are intrusive background music and hidden service charges.
Each year they give awards to the 10 best hotels. Categories range from restaurant-with-rooms of the year to farm guest house of the year, Welsh country hotel of the year and Irish heritage house of the year. Some 150 of the hotels in the 2011 guide are new listings. Others are environmentally aware accommodations (such as a Gothic castle in England, which has modern energy-saving equipment). Still others grant a 10 percent discount to guests who arrive by public transportation. The editors also highlight lodgings that have private access to rivers and lakes, plus lodgings that cater to hikers, golfers and dog lovers.
"Zagat: America's Top Restaurants 2011"
Zagat, $15.95
The latest Zagat national restaurant surveys are in, and the results are hardly surprising. After surveying more than 1,500 eateries in 45 major markets, the editors have come up with some interesting statistics: People are eating out less (3.1 times per week compared with 3.3 during pre-recession times) and cutting back on appetizers, dessert and alcohol.
On a more positive note, 55 percent of customers believe they are getting a better deal in today's market because of fixed-price meals and various other discounts that restaurants are offering to lure patrons. As far as the national average price of a meal, Las Vegas earns the dubious distinction of being the priciest culinary city: an average meal there will set you back $44.44, while New Orleans has the lowest average meal cost at $28.36.
At a time when virtually everyone seems to be digitally connected, 13 percent of patrons take smart phone pictures of their meals, and 11 percent consider such behavior rude. Favorite cuisines among Zagat customers are Italian (26 percent), American (17 percent), Japanese and French (11 percent each) and Mexican (10 percent).
"Stern's Guide to the Cruise Vacation"
Pelican, $26.95
Consider this: In 2011, more than 12 million North Americans are expected to take a cruise vacation. Today's cruise travelers come in all demographics. Some 70 percent of them are ages 25 to 59; they are singles, couples, families with children and honeymooners.
According to luxury travel expert Steven B. Stern, cruising is the fastest-growing segment of the travel industry.
Since 2000, nearly 100 new ships have entered the cruise market, and, what's more, from late 2010 to the end of 2012, the major cruise lines have announced that additional vessels are scheduled to be built as the companies expand fleets.
Stern offers detailed descriptions of each major cruise line and its vessels. Included are overall ratings for each ship as well as descriptions of the various ports of call, such as attractions, restaurants, beaches and sports facilities.
No comments:
Post a Comment