by Editor | May 20, 2011 | Africa, Simon and Baker Travel Review, Tanzania
The name Tanzania derives from two states, Tanganyika and Zanzibar that united in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which later that year was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania. The largest country in East Africa, it is just over twice the size of California, with a population of 42 million people, 99 percent of them Africans, with the remaining one percent Asians, Europeans and Arabs. Tanzania is one of the world’s poorest economies in term of per capita income (2010 estimates are around at $1,500 per year), with agriculture as its main source of employment and revenue, followed by tourism and gold mining. Unemployment and poverty are commonplace; crime and petty theft said to be rampant, especially in urban areas.
by Editor | May 20, 2011 | Africa, Johannesburg, Simon and Baker Travel Review, South Africa
This small hotel had many features we liked. Some of the characteristics that stand out are its residential neighborhood location, friendly staff, pretty rooms with a garden view and internet connectivity, intimate ambiance, in house bistro and a lovingly tended one acre garden.
by Editor | May 20, 2011 | Europe, France, Paris, Simon and Baker Travel Review
During a stay at the Hotel Le Meurice we had lunch at its eponymous lobby level gourmet restaurant. I had dined there with a friend years earlier and remembered the striking dining room and formal ambiance. In the intervening years the hotel had renovated the common areas and I was unsure what to expect. As soon as we entered the restaurant we took a liking to the opulent yet cozy dining room.
by Editor | May 1, 2011 | Barcelona, Europe, Simon and Baker Travel Review, Spain
As a lover of fine foods and wines including bubbly, one of my favorite libations, I was excited to visit Wines and Cavas Eudald Massana Noya, a Spanish wine and cava estate within easy driving distance from Barcelona during a weeklong visit to that northern city. We arrived in the middle of the afternoon on a sunny spring day. After welcoming our group warmly Eudald Massana Noya, the owner, and Ester Tous Font, his wife, walked us out to the vineyards where, with the help of an English language interpreter, he told us, in Catalan (the language of the region) about the vineyards, winery and the property’s organic and biodynamic farming practices.
by Editor | May 1, 2011 | Barcelona, Europe, Simon and Baker Travel Review, Spain
We drove to Figueras from Barcelona with the express purpose of visiting the famous museum, home of the largest Dali collection in the world. It was time well spent. After parking on a nearby street we walked a couple of blocks bypassing the main entrance straight to the Jewels Gallery which had a dedicated ingress.
by Editor | May 1, 2011 | Barcelona, Europe, Simon and Baker Travel Review, Spain
This trendy hotel, part of the large Sol Meliá chain, was located in a 37 story tower building. Its target audience were luxury oriented travelers, especially celebrities and those with a penchant for music, design and gourmet meals. It had a penthouse VIP lounge (a favorite) for Level upper floor guests, meeting space, two restaurants, nightclub, pool area, fitness center and spa. The name Me was designed to convey that Me equals you “because Me becomes you.”
