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Romance and travel collide…

By MICHELLE STRASHOON

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I would make a few suggestions on where to go for a romantic retreat…one is near…one is far…both exude love…

LUXURY TRAVEL: Long ago an aspiring artist, Paul Roux, was the innkeeper of a quaint inn and restaurant called La Colombe d’Or (the golden dove), in the South of France. An aspiring artist himself, he found it hard to turn away starving artists that could not afford a meal or a nights stay…so he would have his guests trade art for food. The starving artists eventually blossomed into well known figures like…Picasso, Chagall, Miró, and Calder to name a few. Word got out about his generosity and his collection of art grew…as the collection grew, the notoriety grew…eventually making the restaurant a popular enclave for the who’s who in art.

Set in the picturesque medieval town of Saint Paul de Vence, a short drive from the Côte d’Azur…this Inn spews romance and as does the town. Perched on a hill and filled with storybook cobblestone passageways, it is easy to see how this town inspired some of the worlds most famous artists.

The Inn itself was once a 16th century house. The accommodations are rustic, not grandiose…but the art collection is what gives this place the luxury touch.  Where else can you lounge by a pool with a Calder mobile flying above your head?

As for the restaurant, rumor has it that the menu has never changed.  The focus is traditional Provencal food, so those looking for gourmet-experimentalism should look elsewhere…but something has to be said for sitting at Renoir’s favorite table and eating Picasso’s favorite dish!

The average room price is around $350 per night, and dinner starts at $50 per person.  For more info visit www.la-colombe-dor.com

BUDGET TRAVEL: First I must warn you that my budget find this week is not technically a budget hotel, but if you don’t have the means to fly your loved one to the South of France for V-Day, this little secret will get you as close as possible without dropping a large chunk of change on airfare...

    Also on a hill, but not in France, is a gorgeous chateau…the Chateau Marmont. Located in the land of make believe, Hollywood, this hotel was built in 1927 and modeled after the Chateau d’Amboise in France’s Loire Valley. The hotel is a testament to Hollywood’s ability to make you feel that you are in another land, when in reality you are in your own backyard.  

As with La Colombe, this hotel and restaurant has had its many encounters with the artistic world…from Jim Morrison swinging from a drainpipe…to Jean Harlow and Clark Gable making it their secret affair rendezvous point…Hollywood legends have soaked their way into it’s walls.

The hotel’s rooms are decorated with period antiques and the lobby looks more like the grand salon of a chateau than a standard hotel. The most romantic part of this chateau is the garden restaurant; filled with imported French wicker chairs and lit at night by torches and candlelight…this is THE place for the ultimate non-passport romantic getaway.

As I warned earlier, the prices are not cheap (a standard room is $300), but considering you could pretend you went to France and did not need a ticket or jetlag…it is a great place for an extravagant getaway on budget. www.chateaumarmont.com

TECH ON THE GO: Whether you choose to go the route of real France or faux France, you definitely want to take your camera along for the ride to capture each romantic moment.  

    Although the advent of the digital camera has made it more compact to travel, as there are no pesky rolls of film to contend with…we now have to battle the world of fragility, as itty-bitty memory cards are not as tough as their film counterpart. Usually it is as easy as popping the card into your camera and on you go…but for those that are snap-happy, it is necessary to take along more than one card.  

    That is where the Jimi Multi Media Case comes in handy.  This nifty little case attaches to a key ring and holds 2 cards of the 13 most popular formats used.  The case is water resistant and shockproof, so you can rest assured that your photos will be kept safe.

    Costing $8.95, it will be the cheapest insurance policy you ever bought…find one at www.thejimi.com

TRAVEL WEB: Most travelers know about TripAdvisor.com.  But just in case some of you don’t, I decided to make it the Travel Website of the Week.

Ever book a hotel and wonder...I wish I could find out what the rooms really look like and not rely on the hotels photo-shopped, fresh flower filled version of what a room is? Well Trip Advisor is the answer…the website is filled with tons of frank reviews of hotels including candid pictures that tourist take of the property.  With this website you can make an educated guess on where to stay. And the fun does not end at hotels...there are reviews of restaurants, tourist attractions and much more.

Keep in mind though that anyone can write a review…including the owners themselves.  So take the good and bad reviews with a grain of salt…but remember candid photos don’t lie…

Next time you book a trip check out tripadvisor.com

TIP OF THE WEEK: Rather than giving a traditional travel tip…I thought I would share with you one of the wackadoodle bizarre travel tips I came across on the internet:

“Pack a plastic rain coat, it can double as a bathrobe,” Hmmm, don’t think I want to wear a raincoat as a bathrobe…

Michelle Strashoon’s column appears every Thursday in the Daily Sound.  E-mail your travel tips and feedback to comments@hipcompass.com

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product placement : 2/12/2009

in articles? Between the clichés?

incredulous

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