Category: Travel

Louisville to France: an $88,000 Memorial Day Weekend in a sunny place for shady people

An occasional look at premium travel from Louisville.

Memorial Day Weekend is upon us, and we’ve decided to inaugurate the start of summer with a beach vacation — to Monte-Carlo! No, not that tacky hotel in Las Vegas. We mean the glittering jewel of the French Rivera, made famous by the late Princess Grace, and the occasional ne’er-do-wells who’ve made it a sunny place for shady people.

The weekend weather forecast is mostly sunny, with a high only touching 80 degrees. Here in Louisville, it’ll be closer to 90. Here’s our itinerary.

When: May 26-31. Airline: Delta. Route: Louisville to Atlanta to Amsterdam to Nice, then a 40-minute drive to Monte-Carlo. How much: $13,724 per person airfare for a mix of economy and business class. About 15 hours 30 minutes flight time with layovers. Delta reservations.

What better place to stay in Monte than the Diamond Suite Penthouse at the Hotel Hermitage? It promises three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a children’s playroom — and two terraces, with drop-dead views of the yacht-swollen harbor (photo, top). Best of all, Larvotto Beach is just a six-minute ride along seaside Avenue Princesse Grace.

Gustave teddy bearHow much for the suite? A steal at $18,523 a night. Of course, this doesn’t cover various optional enhancements that include a $51 Gustave teddy bear made exclusively for younger guests (photo, left). We do the math so you don’t have to: four nights would cost $74,092. Here’s one of the penthouse suite’s terraces:

Terrace

Crazy-crooked houses, picturesque canals — it’s Louisville to Amsterdam for a $51,000 week-long visit

An occasional look at premium travel from Louisville.

Boulevard loves Amsterdam: whimsical, cockeyed houses lining romantic canals; the recently reopened Rijksmuseum of Dutch Masters after an extensive renovation, and friendly, liberal-minded residents. And that’s not to mention all those coffee shops selling fine marijuana. Indeed, there’s even more to savor in a recent New York Times story about the city: Amsterdam, Revisited. (And don’t miss its fresh update on “36 Hours in” Holland’s capital.

Consider this itinerary:

When: Oct. 12-19. Airline: Delta. Route: Louisville to Detroit to Amsterdam, 10 hours and 17 minutes travel time, including a one-hour layover in Detroit. How much: $7,479, economy to Minneapolis and business class to Amsterdam. Delta reservations.

Related: TripAdvisor recommends the five-star Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam. The Brentano Suite is available during these travel dates for $4,721 per night; that’s the lovely sitting area, belowReservations. And of course, don’t forget Airbnb Amsterdam apartments.

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The bottom line

For two travelers: airfare, hotel, plus $400 a day for meals, museum tickets and other incidentals: $51,000.

With local Airbnb rentals this gorgeous, we should plan a Louisville staycation

Airbnb house
An amazing kitchen in a Cherokee Triangle home.

An occasional look at premium travel from Louisville.

How big is the home-sharing vacation rental business here in Louisville? Industry leader Airbnb alone offers more than 300 choices across the city.

Our favorite is smack in the middle of tony Cherokee Triangle: an entire four-bedroom, 3½-bath home, with a kitchen we’d die for: “Dacor six-burner stove and double-oven, built-in refrigerator, microwave drawer, dishwasher, farmhouse sink, prep sink, custom floor -to-10-foot-high cabinetry, white marble countertops and 10-foot long island.” Nightly rate: just $500.

That’s right near the city-wide Airbnb average of $493 a night; at that rate, most are in the city center:

Airbnb map

Related: Here’s The New York Times’s Louisville travel page, including this just published update to its “36 Hours in Louisville” guide. Don’t forget the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau, and TripAdvisor’s picks, too.

Let’s grab a $6,600 Louisville-to-London plane ticket to see Jennifer Lawrence

An occasional look at premium travel from Louisville.

With Louisville’s own Jennifer Lawrence tripping (hah!) the light fantastic last night in London, Boulevard thought it’d be fun to join the Oscar winner on the red carpet there.

Where: London. When: Friday to Sunday. Airline: Delta and Virgin Atlantic. Route: Louisville to Atlanta to Heathrow; Detroit connection on the return. How much: $6,648 for economy to Atlanta, then business class to London. Virgin Atlantic reservations.

Where to stay? Consider TripAdvisor’s No. 1 rated Hotel 41. It has an executive suite available for Friday and Saturday at $1,379 a night, including taxes and fees; reservations.

Related: Airbnb London properties. The New York Times’ London travel coverage, where you can read more about Westminster Hall and Big Ben; photo, top. Old Louisville’s Belgravia Court meets “Downton” creator Julian Fellows’ new London-based novel.

Your $7,075 ticket to ‘Hamilton’ makes the Louisville airfare to NYC look cheap

An occasional look at premium travel from Louisville.

Ticketmaster copyYou’ve just scored a ticket for this Saturday night at the hottest musical on Broadway — “Hamilton,” which today got nominated for a record 16 Tony awards. How much? $7,075 per ticket, not including a $1,203 service fee to reseller Ticketmaster (orchestra, row T, seat 28).

Alongside that, your last-minute airline ticket is a bargain, although you’ll need to fly economy, because business and first aren’t available on a non-stop flight.

Where: New York City. When: Friday to Sunday. Airline: United. Route: Louisville to Newark. How much: $740 for economy. United reservations.

Related: “Hamilton” official website. The luxurious Plaza Hotel has rooms available at $1,025 a night — a 19-minute walk to the Richard Rodgers Theatre; reservations. And here’s TripAdvisor’s New York City page.

The New York Times thinks Louisville only has two hotels

Scores of local hotel owners with more than 17,000 rooms available can be forgiven if they’re smarting about The New York Times‘ latest update to its popular “36 Hours in…” travel feature. The new version about Louisville highlights restaurants (Butchertown Grocery) and shops (Evan Williams Bourbon Experience) that weren’t in business the last time the paper visited, in 2011. But one thing remains the same, even if the rates have gone up: The editors are recommending the same two hotels.

Last week’s feature: “Near Main Street’s Whiskey Row, the 21c Museum Hotel houses 91 rooms as well as a contemporary museum and the restaurant Proof on Main. Rooms from $269. The landmark 1923-vintage Brown Hotel offers spacious rooms and an opulent lobby bar to return to after day’s end. Rooms from $199.”

vs. 2011’s: “Consistently ranked as one of the world’s top hotels, the 21C Museum Hotel is a destination in itself. Open since 2006, 21c features an innovative, locally sourced restaurant and over 9,000 square feet of exhibition space featuring such artists as Kara Walker and Chuck Close. 21C’s 90 rooms start at $200. Opened in 1923, the Brown Hotel provides a more traditional experience. The lobby bar has been a hangout for residents and stylish visitors for decades. The hotel’s 293 rooms, some of which fall on the smaller side, start at $180.”

Pictured, top: Conceptual artist Serkan Özkaya‘s 30-foot-tall version of Michelangelo’s David, which 21c’s owners commissioned and installed in front of the hotel in 2011.

Related: TripAdvisor has reviewed nearly 100 Louisville area hotels. The Convention & Visitors Bureau publishes a list of its own. Here’s the New York TimesLouisville travel page, and all the paper’s 36 Hours features.