Lists of Hotel and
Food-Related Things...
These lists refer to some of my favorite food and hotel moments along the way...
Best Outdoor Place to Have a Drink
- Sydney
- Noosa (Australia)
- Rovinj (Croatia)
- Buenos Aires
- Rio de Janeiro
- Buzios (Brazil)
- Hoi An
- Dahab
- Cape Town
- Cairns (Australia)
- Ljubljana
- Ortakoy area in Istanbul
- Downtown Beirut
- Lake Bled
- Prague
- Queenstown (New Zealand)
- Melbourne (Australia)
- Quito (in the main square in Mariscal)
- Listvyanka (Russia) - at Lake Baikal
Favorite Hotels
- Hilton Resort, Rangali Island (Maldives)
- JW Marriott (Mumbai)
- InterContinental (Jo'Burg airport)
- Fateh Bagh (Ranakpur, India)
- BoBo Hotel (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- La Otra Orilla (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Sheraton Iguazu Falls (Argentina)
- Baan Orapin (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
- Ajit Bhawan (Jodhpur, India)
- Park Hyatt (Johannesburg)
- Hotel Longchamps (Cairo)
- Tibet Hotel (Chengdu, China)
- De Waterkant Village (Cape Town)
- Argentino Hotel (Mendoza, Argentina)
- Central Hotel Shanghai (China)
- Port View Hotel (Beirut)
- Penguin Village (Dahab)
- Melrose Allgau (Pamukkale)
Favorite Restaurants
- Jemima's (Oudtshoorn, South Africa)
- Sucre (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Ummo (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Capella (Cape Town, South Africa)
- The Wine Bar (Hilton Maldives)
- Celadon (Bangkok)
- Mahanaga (Bangkok)
- Como Agua Para Chocolate (Santiago)
- Allure (Mendoza, Argentina)
- Cluny (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Isola (Hong Kong)
- M on the Bund (Shanghai)
- La Boca del Lobo (Quito, Ecuador)
- Red Sushi (Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands)
- Bazzar (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- Omm (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Va Bene (Hong Kong)
- A Future Perfect (Shanghai)
- The Blue Pumpkin (Siem Reap)
- On The Rocks (Phuket, Thailand)
- Green Tangerine (Hanoi, Vietnam)
- Nam Kha (Saigon, Vietnam)
- Bacchus (Blenheim, New Zealand)
- La Cabrera (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Outdoor restaurant at the Oriental (Bangkok)
- Bakery at the JW Marriott (Mumbai)
- Pampa Picante (Buenos Aires)
- M Yogo (Cairns, Australia)
- Mott (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Cafe Fresco (Phnom Penh)
- Mokka (Budapest, Hungary)
- La Bodega (Cairo, Egypt)
- Tifani (Split, Croatia)
- Parratta's (Cairns, Australia)
- Element Fresh (Shanghai, China)
- Basilico (Mumbai)
- Quills at the Inter-Continental (Jo'Burg, South Africa)
- Toto (Tel Aviv, Israel)
- Surreal (Queenstown, New Zealand)
- Cafe de la Paix (Siem Reap)
- Ploof (New Delhi, India)
- Vudu Cafe (Queenstown, New Zealand)
- Mix (Hong Kong)
- Jack's (Cusco, Peru)
- Dasaprakash (India)
- Miod Malina (Krakow, Poland)
- Patagonia Chocolate (Queenstown, New Zealand)
- Cafe Eucalyptus (Cuenca, Ecuador)
Best Restaurants (in general)
- Buenos Aires
- Hong Kong
- Vietnam
- Sydney
- Thailand
- Rio de Janeiro
- Cape Town
- Shanghai
- Budapest
- Beirut
- Santiago
- Adelaide (Australia)
- Noosa (Australia)
- Tel Aviv
- Beijing
- Krakow
- Siem Reap
Best Food Items That I Have Consumed
- The 'Chocolate Louver' at the Cargo Club restaurant in Hoi An
- The mudfish I had at Nam Kha in Saigon
- Banana Blossom and prawn salad (at Paris Deli in Hanoi, Vietnam)
- Shrimp paste wrapped around sugar cane and then assembled into 'make-your-own' rolls
(Vietnam)
- Sushi at Platypus (Santiago, Chile) - the Platypus Roll: creamy queso and steak in the
middle, then seaweed, then rice, then cooked salmon with panko crumbs. Delish!!!
- Papaya Salad (Thailand)
- Fresh yogurt in different flavors such as cappuccino, passionfruit, mango, caramel crunch
and apples & cinnamon (Australia)
- Smoked salmon sandwich at Mott (Buenos Aires) - on homemade beyond-fresh bread
with caramelized lemons
- Provoleta (Buenos Aires) - my favorites were at Mama Racha and at Sucre.
- Black pepper crab (Singapore)
- Alfajor (Puerto Varas, Chile) - Dark chocolate with raspberries and ganache in the middle.
- Mango Juice (Egypt) - it literally had chunks of mango in it; 100% freshly made.
Mmmmmm!
- Lamb with berry sauce and crispy sweet potatoes at Divina Patagonia (Buenos Aires)
- Dosa - Southern Indian dish that is like a stuffed oversized crepe. Different varieties with
a selection of sauces.
- Salmon with ricotta cheese and spinach baked with a thin dough around it served with
sauteed mushrooms (Santiago, Chile)
- Filet mignon with an apricot sauce and rice mixed with creamy brie cheese (Rio)
- 'Bife de Lomo' cooked 'medio crudo' (Buenos Aires)
- Murgh Irani (Jodhpur, India) - I had this at the Garden Restaurant and could have
almost licked the plate.
- The tomato and mozzarella 'entree' at Sucre (in Buenos Aires)
- Hummus (Middle East) - It is to-die-for when they heat up whole chickpeas and olive oil
and put it in the center of the hummus.
- Pumpkin and chicken ravioli at Juana M (in Buenos Aires)
- Pieroshkies (Poland and Russia) - There's a variety of things to stuff these with.
- Ostrich Steak (South Africa) - Sooo good!
- Best grilled veggie sandwich I have ever tasted (in Phnom Penh)
- Patagonian chocolate (I loved every variety that I tried)
- 'Bombon Sello' at Tikal Chocolates in Buenos Aires
- The creme de cacao alfajor from Havanna (in Argentina)
- South African chutneys
- Chocolate from Haigh's (Australia)
- Baklava - Delicious in small doses as it is very sweet.
- Rusks (South Africa) - I consider this a breakfast biscotti.
- Cadberry 'Lunch' bar - One of the greatest candy bars on the market. Also Cadbury's
'Night Picnic' bar.
- Grilled calamari on the Croatian coast.
- Ceviche (with trout, onions, mushrooms, lemon juice and sweet potatoes)
- Suspiro de Limeña (hard to describe but a great dessert I had in Santiago at a Peruvian
restaurant)
- A chocolate/marshmallow candy at the bakery at the JW Marriott in Mumbai.
- The different cheeses (about eight in total) that I had at the cheese and wine bar at the
Hilton Maldives.
- 'White roses' - shrimp dumplings (Hoi An, Vietnam)
- Empanadas at La Cupertina (Buenos Aires)
- Banh (Hue, Vietnam)
- Mango with Sticky Rice (Thailand)
- A fruit called the 'mangosteen'. Also the rambutan.
- Momos (Tibetan dumplings).
- Blinis with smoked salmon.
- Sweet and sour seafood (Phuket, Thailand)
- Peking duck with all the trimmings
- Sauteed taro and pumpkin (in Beijing)
- Steamed dumplings filled with spinach and shrimp
- Stir-fried pumpkin
- Crunchy 'rice krispie treat-like sweets in China.
- Steamed buns stuffed with spinach.
- Tilapia with chilies and garlic with sticky black rice (in Shanghai).
- Great fresh baked bread at A Future Perfect (I don't know the last time I had 'real' bread)
- Penne with lobster (in Hong Kong)
- Eggplant ravioli (in Hong Kong)
- Amok fish ravioli with coconut sauce (in Siem Reap)
- Fish in palm sugar (in Phnom Penh)
- Seafood empanadas (in Easter Island)
- 'Ginger zinger' - pineapple, apple and ginger frappe (in Phnom Penh)
- Curried pumpkin and scallops (in Bangkok)
- Salteñas - a cross between an empanada and a mini chicken pot pie (in Bolivia)
- Seafood pizza (in Australia and New Zealand)
- 'Fruit shakes' - fresh fruit blended with ice (in South-East Asia)
- Antipasto platters with cheeses, breads, dips, seafood, marinated veggies and smoked
meats (in Queenstown, New Zealand)
- Salmon panini toasted to perfection with cream cheese, onions and tomatoes (in Reefton,
New Zealand)
- Apple empanadas (Chile)
- Uncut sushi rolls (in Australia)
- Mince fruit pies during Christmas (in Australia)
- McDonald's Dulce-de-leche soft-serve ice cream
- A very simple yet oh-so-tasty sandwich - great toasty bread with chopped tomatoes,
onions and cucumber mixed with guacamole (Baños, Ecuador)
- A traditional ecuadorian black bean soup - (Hotel Posada del Arte in Baños, Ecuador)
- Blackberry juice (Baños, Ecuador)
Best Cuisine
- Vietnam
- Thailand
- Beirut
- India
- South Africa
- Tel Aviv
- Shanghai
- Istanbul
- Beijing
- Cambodia
- Argentina
McDonald's Soft-Serve Sundae Toppings That I've Had
- Hot Fudge
- Caramel
- Strawberry
- Strawberry/Hot Fudge combo
- Raspberry (Krakow)
- Cherry (Slovenia and Croatia)
- Pineapple (China)
- Sundaes on top of a layer of jello (Thailand)
- Sundae with triple-berry sauce and waffle cone chips (Australia)
- Manjar (i.e. dulce de leche) soft-serve (Chile) and Dulce de leche in
Argentina
- Passionfruit (Lima, Peru)
- Meringue sundae in a wafflecone cup
* I still want to put in a request for an apple topping!
Favorite Hotel Rooms
- Hilton Resort, Rangali Island (Maldives)
- Amet Haveli (Udaipur, India)
- Inter-Continental (Jo'Burg airport)
- Apartment at the Aurum Suites
(Queenstown, New Zealand)
- Fateh Bagh (Ranakpur, India)
- BoBo Hotel (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- De Waterkant Village (Cape Town)
- Park Hyatt (Johannesburg)
- JW Marriott (Mumbai)
- Quadrant (Auckland, New Zealand)
- Tibet Hotel (Chengdu, China)
- Ajit Bhawan (Jodhpur, India)
- Hotel Longchamps (Cairo)
- Wolong Hotel (Wolong, China)
- Mirador Hotel (Copacabana, Bolivia)
- Argentino Hotel (Mendoza, Argentina)
- Hostal Milan (Cuenca, Ecuador)
- Nam Hai 2 Hotel (Hanoi, Vietnam)
New Fruits That I Have Tried
- Mangosteen - Asia
- Custard apple - Asia (this is called
'guanabana' in South America)
- Rambutan - Asia
- Dragonfruit - Asia
- Tuna (fruit from a prickly pear cactus) - in
South America
- Golden-yellow berries (that look like
boysenberries) - in Turkey
- Jackfruit - Asia (not the hugest fan)
- Apricot-looking fruit (but it is smooth and
not fuzzy) that you peel - Istanbul
- Langons - Asia
- Fresh lychees - Asia
- Pomelo - Asia
- Rose apple - Asia (didn't care for this)
- Starfruit - Asia (didn't care for this either)
- Tree tomato - Galapagos Islands
- Gooseberries
Favorite Hostels
- La Casa Roja in Santiago, Chile
- YHA in Noosa, Australia
- Ipanema Beach House in Rio de Janeiro
- Compass del Sur in Puerto Varas, Chile
- Nuevo Mundo in Ancud, Chile
- Patagonia Adventure in Puerto Natales, Chile
- Hostal Milan in Cuenca, Ecuador
- Hostelling International in Hangzhou, China
- Captain's Hostel in Shanghai, China
- YHA in Adelaide, Australia
- YHA in Melbourne, Australia
Places I Had Afternoon Tea
- Hilton - Maldives
- Hotel de la Paix - Siam Reap
- The Peninsula - Bangkok
- Sofitel Metropole - Hanoi
- Park Hyatt - Saigon
- InterContinental - Singapore
- Hyatt Regency - Santiago
- Park Hyatt - Mendoza
- JW Marriott - Lima
- Park Hyatt - Buenos Aires