Everyone seems to be obsessed with food these days. Either we’re talking about where to eat and marveling at a particular chef’s culinary skills or we’re talking about what not to eat and the latest fad diet. It’s just food…food…food… all the time. While chefs have become mega-celebrities, some celebrities have become demi-gods in the restaurant world by partnering with culinary titans. Here are my picks for the ten hottest celebrity restaurants.  Read More »

Watching Daniela Brooker for the first time on stage at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood recently, I was duly blown away. She has that thing. Backstage after the show, by which time I was already a fan…full stop, Daniela gave me the skinny on her new music, the big Arena tour where you can catch her doing her thing next month, and some of her favorite places in her native London.  Read More »

I said I would have not one drink on my first night in Barcelona. Fail. I said I would not go clubbing after dinner on my first night in Barcelona. Fail. I said I would get a good night’s sleep on my first night in Barcelona. Fail Again. All of the sanctimonious pledges I made the afternoon I touched down in Barcelona seemed a distant memory as the sun rose the following morning and there I sat at 7:30AM, flying through a roundabout on the back of a moped, clutching my friend’s waist, dreading my 8:30AM wake-up call…  Read More »

Nothing says ‘Living Wells’ better than three simple letters in the modern English alphabet – V.I.P! Likewise very few destinations in Spain do ‘V.I.P.’ like Marbella, the crown jewel of Costa del Sol. Hence the reason that Marbella and I get on like a house on fire. Seriously!  Read More »

I like to think that Madonna and I have quite a bit in common. We’re both Anglophiles with nearly authentic faux British accents, we both prefer younger men (preferably models), we’re both spiritual beings, we share a disdain for hydrangeas…the list goes on. Take away her millions, her #1 hits, her gender and her ethnicity and Madonna and I are practically the same person. So with that understood, it will come as little surprise then that Madonna and I also share affection for a town called Ronda in Malaga.  Read More »

The next stop on our “I Need Spain” tour is Malaga in sultry Costa del Sol (which literally means “Coast of the Sun”). I’ve got lots to tell you about Costa del Sol so be sure to follow me on Twitter for some great tips and some of my favorite hot spots in the region but for now, pour yourself a tall glass of Sangria, click off The Real Housewives of wherever and escape with me to Malaga, a sun-kissed new favorite of mine in the south of Spain.  Read More »

I have broken a limb & been hospitalized for 9 days in Madrid. I was once evacuated from the airport in Ibiza due to a bomb scare & nearly struck down by heat stroke. I even survived an open air tour of a bull farm in equally sweltering heat. But, all that aside, I can honestly say that I not only need Spain, I love Spain! And that says so very much, does it not? It’s all because Spain is an enigmatic destination with experiences tailor made for every personality from diva to homegrown crunchy granola girl…   Read More »

No matter why you travel, is there any reason not to travel in style? I think not. Scarves are, in my less than humble opinion, the penultimate fashion accessory for folks who travel. And if you’re flying, a blanket is a must. Lovers of all things luxe, let me introduce you to Denis Colomb…  Read More »

In every corner of Tel Aviv, from the most modern to the most historic, the height of fashion is always on full display. One homegrown hotbed of talent is Bait Banamal; a modern day interpretation of a town square. The forward thinking conglomeration of shops was the brainchild of the woman-centric team behind comme il faut, an extraordinary fashion resource that was created by women and uniquely devoted to the 21st century woman and her needs.  Read More »

For the first time ever, I recently pried myself away from the soul-satisfying cuisine and general decadence of New Orleans’ renowned French Quarter with the express intention of learning more about the architectural treasure Louisiana had to offer beyond the antebellum dwellings of St. Charles Avenue. Plantations and I have a complicated history for obvious reasons. But I decided my destination on this particular day would be the grand old Houmas House Plantation & Gardens.  Read More »

The Hotel California in Todos Santos, Mexico may or may not be the place The Eagles sang so lovingly about on their seminal hit song bearing the hotel’s name back in 1977. Nobody knows for sure really. The urban legend connecting the tiny boutique hotel to the song many consider a rock classic persists even to this day and the claim is not without some merit.  Read More »

So…leaving the comfortably lovely Costa Baja Resort in La Paz, Mexico at the ass crack of dawn for a four-hour drive to Magdalena Bay to float amongst the whales was not to my thinking an ideal beginning to a traditional Living Wells sort of experience. But that is exactly what I did, though as usual, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  Read More »

Before I discovered La Paz, my experience of Mexico had been limited to what I like to call ‘tourista Mexico’. Honestly, while I don’t knock any of those places, they really aren’t my thing. Too crowded, too rowdy and too popular among the college spring break crowd do not a Living Wells experience make. The calm, tranquil, non-scene La Paz, however, is a completely different story.  Read More »

As an ode to Julia Child, my entire group ordered the exact meal she enjoyed on her first visit to La Couronne (est. 1345). We all swooned appropriately as each course was delivered. Foodie or not, I’d dare anyone to walk through the doors of this venerable establishment, just as Julia did when she first fell in love with French cooking in 1948…  Read More »