Supporting the "world's-coolest" claim, the writer noted each guest room comes with a custom-made guitar. Why, she didn't explain, but if that sort of amenity plucks your strings, you'll be delighted to know lessons are available.
A big spread a few weeks earlier carried the headline "Eat like royalty in London's elegant hotels."
At one of the four famous hostelries profiled, the author described a nine-course meal that took four hours. In another, he observed that guests are treated to a "never-ending parade of dapper tuxedo-sporting gentlemen and beautiful women in couture gowns."
No prices were mentioned, but, as we all know, if you have to ask you can't afford it.
All this was just too, too precious for someone who took decades to upgrade from B&Bs with a bathroom down the hall, and who still winces at paying more than $125 for a place to sleep.
Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't say no to a swank suite. Or a nibble of a famous chef's wild rabbit terrine.
But articles like those reflect a trend I've noticed in travel writing -- too much geared to a tiny minority at the top of the economic heap, too little to the vast majority of leisure travellers.
So I've vowed to try to make more mention of places to eat and sleep that offer good value -- and whose tab doesn't require taking out a second mortgage.
They'll be ones I've checked out myself or have come recommended by other travellers or by insiders in the tourism and hospitality industry.
You're welcome to chip in. Just e-mail me -- my address is at the bottom of the column -- with the name of the lodgings or eating place, its location and why you liked it.
In the meantime, here's the latest batch:
LODGING
* Rideau Rendezvous, a B&B on the Rideau Canal, 20 minutes' drive north of downtown Kingston; phone (613) 387-3927; bbcanada.com/9607.html."The best B&B we ever had," says a honeymooner from Toronto who loved the waterfront setting and being able to use their canoes and kayaks.
* Manoir Victoria ( manoir-victoria.com/index/php/en)and Auberge de la Place d'Armes ( aubergeplacedarmes.com),in the old part of Quebec City, recommended by two Quebec City tour operators. If the rooms seem pricey, remember you're paying for a prime location in one of Canada's most popular destinations.
RESTAURANTS
* My wife and I had a devil of a time several years back finding a decent restaurant in Sault Ste. Marie. So when I was up there in June I asked people involved in local tourism for their picks. All are Italian, reflecting one of the Soo's main ethnic groups: Arturo Ristorante, 515 Queen St.; Cesira's, 133 Spring St.; Giovanni's, 516 Great Northern Rd.; and Muio's, 685 Queen, for breakfast.
* ChezPiggy, 68PrincessSt., indowntown Kingston. Cited by two couples who mentioned how much they'd enjoyed the courtyard.
* TheBuccaneer, 128WilliamSt., Port Stanley, satisfied my craving for Lake Erie yellow perch.
Doug English can be reached at denglishtravel@gmail.com.
