Over the years, I have enjoyed many happy times in California's Napa and Sonoma wine regions, with their lengthy rosters of sophisticated hotels and restaurants.
I never tire of this blissful resort terraced into a hillside overlooking the Rutherford vineyards. The 55 villa-style lodgings feature terra-cotta floors, fireplaces, oversize baths and picturesque verandas.
In addition to fine meals in the places we stayed, we also enjoyed a number of restaurants along the way.
My preference is to taste wines where they are made, but in the case of smaller producers, this may not always be possible.
About 20 years ago, at a wine tasting, I met Ben Pon, the owner of a new winery in the Carmel Valley, who offered me a glass of his flagship bottling, a Bordeaux-style red called Marinus.
Perched on a hillside overlooking Santa Barbara and the Pacific, El Encanto opened in 1918 and became a favorite hideaway for Hollywood's elite.
For wine lovers who wish to have privileged access to notable boutique wineries in Napa and Sonoma, the Andrew Harper wine concierge, Porthos, can arrange tours and tastings that are unavailable to the public.
Undiminished by wars or hurricanes, Charleston continues to radiate gentility. Its hospitable residents still tend to dress up, maintaining the streets' air of elegance, even in the face of increasing tourist crowds.
After owner Brad Norton had collected some 4,000 cookbooks, he opened this light-filled store to deal with the overflow.
Numerous companies offer tours of Charleston. on this visit, however, we spent most of a day with the inimitable laura Wichmann Hipp, a lifelong resident and founder of Charleston Tea Party Private Tours.
Although we confined ourselves chiefly to restaurants not on my existing recommended list, we dined exceedingly well. Our worst meal in the city was merely good -- the rest ranged from excellent to sublime.
I have been fortunate enough to spend a great deal of time in Scotland. My ancestors came from Moray in the northeast, so the country has always seemed like my second home.
Andrew Harper members have access to full travel-planning services through Andrew Harper Travel.
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