For the Stockholm Files

My friend Stephanie is going to Stockholm this weekend, and asked for my greatest hits...so here goes:
Dinner at PA&Co.   It's probably my favorite restaurant ever.  Get the cookbook, even though its not in English--its so beautifully laid out, and thoroughly inspiring.  Since you aren't there with your child, I won't send you to Skansen, which is worth a trip to Sweden in itself, if you are there in the warmer months, and with your child...but I will send you to Tuss, to buy her a present.  It's one of the nicest kids clothing shops, and it's on a very nice street to walk up.  Right near there is Svenskt Tenn,  the Josef Frank shop, also a necessary stop.  I think the nicest things to buy there are the little trays--I like the red one with white elephants on it--and I like the Josef Frank print shoulder bags.  I also love Lisa Elmquist, in the Ostermalm Market Hall, for lunch.  

Need a Toothbrush in Amsterdam?

I have never seen a store like De Witte Tandenwinkel anywhere--which  specializes in dental care and oral hygiene products. They're in the middle of the charming shopping area, The Nine Streets, so if you find yourself in Amsterdam, go have a look.  I like how they describe themselves: 


In 1980, when we founded our store, the common belief was that it was inevitable that at middle age most of one's teeth are to be lost. Gradually it became known that, with proper care, one's teeth often can last a lifetime. In our store we taught our customers how to clean their teeth effectively and offered them the right utensils to do the job, which were scarce then. Much has improved since: Nowadays even the local supermarket carries a reasonable assortment of dental care products. But for the consumer there is still not much choice, as the market is ruled by a couple of big brands. We do sell those brands, but also offer a well figured out selection of products, not easily to be found elsewhere.
People who enter our place, and see what it is stacked with, might think we are fanatics, but we’re not. Our environment is far from clinical. We like to convey the idea that dental maintenance need not be an annoying plight, but a way of caring that can even be pleasant. We offer solid and practical advice and are not obtrusive with that. We are there for the customer who needs a package of simple tooth-picks, a safe toothpaste that really whitens, wire brushes of 6,3 millimeters wide or the best electric toothbrush there is. We are also well known for our wide collection of gift articles like funny shaped toothbrushes. 
Opening Hours: Monday 13.00-18.00; Tuesday -Friday 10.00-18.00; Saturday 10.00- 17.00
De Witte Tandenwinkel Runstraat 5, 1016 GJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands tel: +31 (0)20 6233443

Cuixmala, Mexico

One of our favorite places ever is Cuixmala. We went there to do a story for Cookie Magazine--it was a piece about Cuixmala and their sister property, the Hacienda de San Antonio.  Both are magical, and worth a trip, but since they are a three hour drive away from each other, it's not necessary to do them on the same trip.  Cuixmala isn't for a family that wants a kids club, or a resort kind of vibe. It's also not for the family with twin toddlers--lots of stairs, a drive to get to the beach, and no baby-proofing--unless they are super patient, mavericks, or Swedish. It's such a large property (2000 acres is Cuixmala, but it's within a 25,000 acre federally protected preserve), it feels like you got invited to some very wealthy friend's estate (it actually was billionaire Sir James Goldsmith's private estate--but now the family has opened it up to guests). You have several options for accommodations: There are villas for rent, which are good if you go with a large family, and want to have full staff and your own pool.

We were given that for a night, and it felt too big and uncomfortable--there were more staff than we were in our family of three.  So we moved to a casita, which was so much cheaper (depending on the room configuration they start at $400, including breakfast), and we loved it so much more.  There's a pool for all the casita guests, and a restaurant, and while there isn't really room service, there is a little kitchen, and the walk to the restaurant is easy. (well, not if you have a double stroller--there are stairs to get down the hill to the restaurant and pool).

The food is really simple, homemade Mexican--which is such a relief since so many high-end properties always want to make the food more complicated than it needs to be.  More than 80% of the food comes from their own organic farms--they have farms at Cuixmala, and at the Hacienda (a coffee plantation as well), so even your coffee is super local.

The staff is so warm, and the manager, Maria Campos, is so lovely, she becomes your friend by the end of the first day.  By the end of the week, you're exchanging email addresses.
Clara loved riding horses there, and going on lagoon boat rides at the end of the day, when all the birds are out.  We even got to watch the sea turtles hatch--and they let Clara hold an egg and one hatched in her hand!

The best beach we went to was a 10 minute drive up the road, and it was probably the most special beach I have ever been on in Mexico.  It was completely private, and at the end of a long dirt road. But when we pulled up, there was a lunch being prepared for us, there were hammocks slung, and beach chaises put out.  And because it was developed by and for Sir Goldsmith, of course, there is a full bathroom at this very special and remote spot.

To get here you fly into Manzanillo, and it's a one hour drive north from there.  Or you can fly into Puerto Vallarta, and its a 2 1/2 hour drive south.

Around SFO Airport

I grew up in Burlingame, and have family in the Bay Area still.  Whenever we are headed back to New York, before we return the rental car at the airport, we like to eat lunch, or pick up snacks, at a couple of our favorite places.  They couldn't be more different from each other.

Earthbeam: it's the health food store I grew up going to--perfect for healthy snacks (1399 Broadway in Burlingame)

In-N-Out: So insanely good...11 Rollins Rd. in Millbrae

A Mall Worth Seeking Out: Westfield

I was out in San Francisco a while back, and met up with a friend for a quick lunch in the food court of the mall downtown, called the Westfield  San Francisco.  Now a mall in San Francisco isn't your typical horizontal sprawl, surrounded by parking, with food options like Cinnabon--it's very vertical, and right on Market Street (I think there's a valet for parking if you don't self-park a block or two away), and the food selection reads like--organic local sustainable ice cream, an outlet of The Slanted Door (my favorite Vietnamese in SF)...it's not as great as the Ferry Building, but it's pretty great, and it's a perfect place to spend a rainy half day.  Now, when we went into the bathroom, I fell in love with this company that manages these 55 malls around the country.  They have a family lounge in almost every shopping center, which includes private nursing areas, bottle warmers, microwaves, play areas, kid-friendly bathrooms (shorter sinks and toilets), baby changing stations...it's pretty amazing.  I just looked up the one at the Garden State Plaza in NJ, which is probably the closest one to me, and they even have priority parking for expecting moms.

Ritz Carlton Club Lounges

When we stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, CA,  I think one of my favorite parts of the whole trip out west was the Club Lounge. What is the Club Lounge? It is an area, somewhat like a VIP lounge at an airport, and they have one in every Ritz Carlton. You have to pay something like $150 extra per night for it, but if you use it (like if you are there with kids), it is so worthwhile. It is open from early morning until 10pm, and at this one, we had breakfast, lunch,dessert and after dinner drinks there (we would have tried to eat dinner there too but we had to be elsewhere!)... And I am not talking about a buffet of mediocrity--I am talking about local organic yogurts, wild smoked salmon, amazing pastries and fruits, oatmeal, and even a candy bar with glass jars filled with French lollipops and other beautiful sweets...Mighty Leaf teas...endless champagne, and perfect lunches of sandwiches and soups all made with locally sourced food. If you think about it, for a family of four, it is truly a deal.

Bora Bora, Not Just For Honeymooners

Last Thanksgiving we went on a scouting trip to Bora Bora, and got to live large at the St. Regis.  I know, we were ridiculously lucky.  Now most people think Bora Bora is so so far, and they can't imagine ever making the trek, except for once in a lifetime, but really, if you live in L.A., where you can get nonstop flights daily to Tahiti (about 8 hours), it really isn't so bad.  So we broke up the trip by spending two days and a night in Disneyland on the outbound, and a couple of days in L.A. on the return.  The flights leave late at night from LAX, so we had a full day at Disneyland, even a dinner at Napa Rose, the fantastic restaurant in the Grand Californian hotel there, and then got the to airport and went to sleep.  Air Tahiti Nui was a really nice airline--good food, nice airplane, sweet staff. We landed in the early morning, and had to wait a long time for customs, but everyone in line was really nice (we even met a couple and their four year old daughter who come every single year, from New York, to different islands in French Polynesia), and it passed quickly.  We were starving once we got through, and had the most delicious ham and cheese baguette sandwich in the airport.

It was an easy 40 minute flight to Bora Bora, on a very nice new airplane (I'm trying to demystify the whole getting there experience), and as soon as we landed, we spotted the St. Regis boat.  Ten minutes across some of the most perfect turquoise water, and we arrived at the St. Regis.
It's pretty much as perfect as you might imagine it to be--insanely sweet staff, elegant decor, a lovely spa, bungalows perched over the water, excellent food.  For the first couple of nights, we stayed in a beachfront villa, that had its own pool.  Matt wanted to be in the over-water bungalow, but I loved the beachfront, because Clara was able to run down the beach, jump into the little pool, and not feel constricted, like you end up feeling in the bungalows.  Not that I wouldn't want to stay in those if I was there without a child, but I would definitely  go beachfront villa if travelling with a family.


In our room when we checked in was one the most perfect welcome baskets ever--made of palm leaves, it had arm bands, sunblock, pool toys, and a whole lot of bath products and rubber duckies.

Food choices are Te Pahu, which is where breakfast and lunch are served daily. One of the first questions they asked was what Clara would like for lunch, assuming she wouldn't want the adult menu, and she asked for ravioli.  Not only did they whip it up right then, they asked her every day from then on if she wanted ravioli for lunch.  And they asked us what she would like for dinner, and no matter what restaurant we were going to eat at (there are three), they would have the order put in there.  It was probably the most thoughtful food ordering moment I have ever had with Clara. I almost cried.  Not that I want her to be a princess that gets whatever she wants, off menu, but I loved that the management was so thoughtful, and keen to make the experience way beyond expectations.

I could go on and on about the food, and how great the staff are--everything was so not resort-y.  It felt like the best of Tahitian and French, yet with a complete understanding that people will want their egg white omelettes too. There were the best juices I have had in my life at breakfast, and they also did a killer raw fish with lime and coconut, called Poisson Cru.  We loved the Jean Georges restaurant there, and the sushi restaurant too.  The only issue with food there is that it gets very expensive, because almost everything has to be imported.  So if you go, get the meal plan.

We swam in the Lagoonarium, and snorkeled, and saw the most beautiful fish ever.  And the kids club had very sweet programs, like cooking with the chef, in the kitchen, and making leis.

Here's my list from my journal about my favorite things from the resort:

*Food:  fantastic chefs that use the local product whenever they can--they don't cook in a complicated way--they source well and are given the means to get the best product.  So much variety in the restaurants that we never got bored.

*Excellent wine list:  mostly from France, and when we were there, the sommelier was Florent Bzik, and he was super knowledgable.

*Everyone knew Clara by name, and remembered what she liked.  I don't know if this was memory or computer, and I don't care.  It was sweet.

*Superb therapists in the spa--excellent Thai massage.

*No overly gratuitous luxury--staff was just so well trained--attentive and thoughtful and kind.

*Amazing snorkeling.

*Best views ever of paradise.