When In Bruges: Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce Hotel
March 4, 2026
Surely you’ve seen In Bruges?! Well we have, and we saw it again before the big birthday trip just for good measure. This is the very hotel featured in the movie.
In person, Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce Hotel is much more sedate and refined. No guns. No child murderers. No rooms full of crazy parties with cocaine and hookers. Darn.
We are actually on a scouting expedition for our return in July. Here’s what we learned.
Room 25 is the one we want. This time we were in 20, which is a very nice room that overlooks the canal but is a smidge small and has extremely limited closet space. So we looked at all the other rooms and 15 and 25 are the new targets.
Room 20 is the one on the right on the second floor where we stayed this time.
And what is that? Real klimt on the wall?? Yup. Lots of real pictures.
No wait really is that a Matisse?
Yes and in fact there is another on the wall in room 20.
We arrived so early that we simply dropped our bags and walked over to hop on a boat. We lulled Madou into a false sense of security by visting 5 previous times and never doing anything touristy. Bwahahaha!
This time he rode the boat.
We even made him climb the tower! But then he ran away, leaving us to explore on our own before returning with reinforcements for dinner.
What a view.
Euro-bathroom might kill you if you are a lawyer.
The breakfast room is very nice, but our quick hit did not include time for that. We were up way too early to take the direct train to Brussels airport (about 90 minutes and very easy) and fly home. The logistics of being in Bruge are excellent on that front.
Dinner at Republiek was great, especially with the entire gang. There was also mandatory ice cream.
All in all Bruges is very much a tourist town, smelling faintly of sugar and clogged up with lost people walking in circles. But it is worth a visit, if not just to drag Madou up the tower.
Four showerheads for Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce Hotel, a romantic little gem hidden among the droves.
Ciel Bleu is Exceptional
March 3, 2026
(cross-posted on apothecaryshed)
Executive Chef Arjan Speelman at Ciel Bleu is a great guy. Not only is he running one of the best of 417 two star restaurants (in 26 countries), but his kitchen exhibits a relaxed intensity that only comes from years of practice and absolute top notch management skille. The restaurant is a machine. Not the kind of machine that grinds you up…the kind that nurtures you and teaches you and sets you up to make something out there like it. You can feel this when you are present. And, damn can you taste it.
Mastery of the highest order. Watch out waterside, here they come.
Anyway, we were just damn lucky enough to have my 60th birthday dinner of note with Chef Speelman. Not in the gorgeous dining room, but in the kitchen itself at the chef’s table. And not just drive by chef, but engaged and fun chef who plays along, talks to us about things, and even allows us to interject some Florence and the Machine into the soundtrack. An experience of a lifetime to be sure.
Every minute was a delight. Every bite was worth talking about. Even the butter was better. The people creating this experience were so genuine and so psyched that we were having so much fun.
Thank you chef.
Madou is hitting on my wife. He’s single you know.
The chef’s table is IN the kitchen at the cold station side.
Presentation in a tuna bone.
A wall of stars. We think three is in order.
Did someone forget to serve Madou his wine?
Butter delivery by our German hostess. This young woman was outstanding in all respects. Her repartee was unmatched and hilarious.
The uni mouse is exquisite. For a long time this was best in our book.
Red mullet with skin so delicious
OMG pidgeon has no picture but so amazing.
Roe buck.
Pre dessert
Cocoa nut husk delivery with dry ice. This was as delicious as it was ridiculous.
Sadly the women had to retreat, but we finished up without them.
Once again, thank you chef.
Hey wait, who is that??!
A fitting birthday celebration.
The Wilmina in Berlin: A Design Gem
January 16, 2026
Our train across Germany to Berlin was easy and fast, and we arrived at sunset. Our Berlin welcome involved drizzle. The Wilmina glowed with welcome.
Room 107 is a garden view room, spacious and clean, but configured for handicap access.
Each room in the hotel was adapted from some aspect of a historical women’s prison.
Though the shower was not plastic, it was not glass either. It was mostly too big.
What a property.
The bar is something to write home about. Absolute world class excellence with house made infusions and highly creative cocktails. Best hotel bar in Germany for sure.
Time for some reading by the fire.
The associated bakery.
We were only in Berlin for a short while, but we crammed in some great food, some excellent company, and some art. Seri Melayu was a nice reprive from brown food. The House of Small Wonder lives up to its reputation. Itarei was good but needs a service and wine overhaul.
Four showerheads leaning hard into five for the Wilmina. If we find the right room, the rating will improve.
The Proper in Austin Texas Thinks Big About Itself
December 25, 2025
We flew in to see Billy Strings play some old school blue grass at Austin City Limits. There was almost enough time to relax before dinner at the Peacock (which is very good indeed). The Proper is a nice hotel, and likely the best one in Austin, but it’s not quite as nice as they seem to think it is. Oh those Texans.
We were assigned a king balcony room 714 overlooking the unused pool. The day we arrived in Texas it was 37 degrees (which in Texas is way below freezing).
Not one speck of plastic in the shower. The bathroom is a little too small.
View of the pool on a cold winter day. It was even too cold to use the balcony.
And then it was time for Billy Strings to pick a few. (Lots of pictures and videos from the show here.)
Late night at Goldies. So secret the front desk even thinks it’s closed.
While in Austin we had an excellent breakfast at the well and then walked to Imogene + Willie and maufrais.
And then, it was time to fly home.
Four showerheads and a smaller hat for the proper. It’s awful hard to get five.
The Rosewood São Paulo: Excellence and the Disney Effect
September 23, 2025
First of all, the Rosewood is a gorgeous facility, centrally located in São Paulo and yet somehow an oasis of sorts. Two blocks from the main drag (Av. Paulista), as soon as you enter the driveway you enter a different world, lush and green like the jungle. Having an oasis to retreat to from the chaotic third world aspects of São Paulo is a necessity when you are old and spoiled.
344 is a luxury king category that is almost sufficient for several days. The best aspect is a balcony that overlooks the real street. In case you wonder whether you are actually in a big city, a look out the window banks makes that clear. Fortunately the room is seriously soundproofed.
The bathroom is awesome with nary a plastic shower in sight. In fact, the shower controls are complex enough to require a manual.
The bar and coffee center went unused.
We spent some time at the pool, meeting people sadly from Florida (or as from Florida as you can get when you are a french boat designer with a Russian designer wife
The only issue that needs attention at the Rosewood may, ironically, be that the staff is a bit too well trained. Lots of them are Disney alums, and it shows in the way they execute the script. Less script and more human would fit the vibe of Brazil better.
We experienced our first Brazilian live music at Cabo de Galo, a supposedly “secret” mixology speakeasy directly in the middle of the breakfast restaurant. Part of the Disneyesque script is to insert an unnecessary delay in all productions in order to give the illusion of exclusivity; like waiting for an open table to be open; or waiting to be seated at breakfast when open tables are all over the place. That stitch can be dropped.
Hell? Maybe.
We enjoyed some cashaça. (Throughout Brazil, the argument WRT whose cashaça is best continues apace even 20 years after my first visit.)
And a Brazilian cocktail involving not enough Fernet called macunaÃma.
Greater São Paulo outside the Rosewood oasis has plenty to offer. Some things we saw before our arrival at the Rosewood, like the Jardim Botânico and Esperanza Spalding.
Our post-business side quests included some time in Liberdade at the open market (pretty down scale to be honest).
Av. Paulista. is close by and on Sunday the road is closed to traffic. The MASP (day one) (and MASP (day two)) are very close by indeed. Pinacoteca de São Paulo is a quick car ride away in the rain, and it is open on Monday.
We experienced an incredible dinner (among the best in the world) at DOM.
All in all, five showerheads for the Rosewood. An excellent, though slightly too Disney, experience. We will return.
NPS at Sheraton? São Paulo Business
September 18, 2025
So what is NPS to do when the official conference hotel is a Sheraton? Why, try things on for size again and realize that the hamster cage persists. The São Paulo Sheraton WTC is a standard issue mid-level business hotel straight out of Marriott central casting. Not our thing here at this blog. Luxury it is not.
What does that really mean? Well, imagine a mall. Then imagine a set of beige rectangular boxes stacked up over the mall. That’s pretty much it. The elevators do a weird jerky thing on arrival at a floor. The lobby is brown leather with little middle management desks set around featuring monitors you can’t see through or around. Breakfast is pretty not bad. The staff is friendly and sticks to the script. Getting out past the mall is a challenge and you have to set out to do it.
We are in 605. There’s sadly not much interesting to say. We have two comfortable double beds. The broken blow dryer was quickly replaced with an ancient stone age hairdryer of yore that worked. The analog phone is attached to the wall with wires and apparently does not actually work. The TV plays a central role.
And that’s good because we had to watch Sneakers on the first night to reminisce about Robert Redford. FWIW, we are still not sure why Dan Ackroyd’s handle was “mother.”
There’s excellent net (with a unify hotspot in the room).
But mostly things are just short of actually comfortable here in Sheraton-land. And they mostly work. Unless you would like a hot shower at 8am, then forget it. The early birds got the hot water. Staying overnight is like having McDonalds fries. You know what you’re getting and you also know that trans fat is bad for you.
Does the fluorescent lighting bring to mind Blade Runner and that famous Harrison Ford’s flick of the fingers? It should.
The shower is not plastic. And the fake marble veneer is so beige.
Look how comfortable the sitting area is. No, nevermind. Don’t.
But the room is free since we are keynoting the conference. Kinda. And the hotel is in São Paulo. So here we are in a great city! Woo hoo.
Late lunch at biO2 LAB Brooklin is quirky and just what the doctor ordered. Pato Rei Berrini serves a great coffee and the people are nice.
If you are stuck in the mall, try Nagairô Sushi D&D which is passable. The sushi does look great though.
Excellent amazonian food can be found at both Mamute and Banzeiro, but watch out for ants in your food and be forewarned that the fish is huge.
The Jardim Botânico is worth a visit.
Anyway, we are here for the show. First the little show at the University (USP).
And then the big trade show keynote.
Three showerheads and a yawn for the Sheraton. We already knew this.
Marriott Does Corporate: Alida Hotel Savannah
February 15, 2025
We’re in town for a TAB meeting attended by nobody even remotely from Georgia. So we all arrived from everywhere and convened at the Alida. The tribute portfolio properties by Marriott are designed to attract middle management and they execute their mission to a T. They try so hard to be hip that they miss by a mile—like coming to a chess game with a bag of checkers.
NPS was assigned a long skinny room on the ground floor (102) with a window bank overlooking the pool. You might thing that sounds fun, but in their quest to “be young,” the Alida pipes crappy music of no discernible genre into the pool area 24/7. At 4am, that sucks. Hazy bass thomp and ever repeating generic rhythms are so much worse than NY city noise or even, say, silence deep in the night.
As you can see by the pictures, what we have here is standard hamster cage. Who even uses two king beds in one room?!
The bathroom shower situation seems to be becoming common now. The shower features a glass door (nice) but the shower stall is hollow plastic simulated tile. Cheap. We’re trying to decide whether that constitutes the new “plastic shower” of which we want none.
But we are in Savannah and we’re not here to sleep. Perhaps a Negroni will help?
I mean there is one of those fireplace things that runs on gas (also near the pool). We wonder if it burns all night as the music thomps to itself.
The meeting was excellent, though the room down by the restaurant in the basement is cold. The A/V system down there is ungovernable by usual algorithms it seems.
We had some time in the morning to see the trees and walk up to Forsyth after breakfast at the ’80s themed Traylor Park. The newish southern chain is fun, but the trees are magical. And the trees in the morning fog are otherworldly.
Tea at Gryphon (worth a visit).
Lunch at Wright Square Bistro was excellent. Coffee at the Coffee Fox. Later, dinner at Husk was really fun but not really up to Savannah standards it turns out.
Late night cocktails and planning at Congress Street Up were outstanding. (We did not attempt the museum nonsense.) As we discussed how AI is taking over software development, Regan Cannon made us a Good Advice:
1 oz Hayman’s Old Tom
.5 oz Plymouth Navy Strength
.5 oz CioCiaro
.75 oz Ciocci Bianco
2 dashes orange bitters (unspecified)
2 dashes cardamom bitters (Boizers)
absynthe spray
Orange and lemon peel expressed and dropped in.
All told we were here for work, and work was excellent.
Three showerheads and an off switch for the all night music for the Alida. Too corporate for Savannah. But we were not done with Savannah…it was off to the Brice!
Back to the Pittsburgh Monaco
January 25, 2025
It is very fitting that our first trip of 2025 is to Pittsburgh and the Hotel Monaco. We’ve been here a bunch as we are planning our 5/25/25 bash here. (NPS first came to the hotel when it just opened in 2015.). Because we were spoiled rotten during our first visit, we always try to stay in 835.
One of the best things about the Pittsburgh Monaco is that it is doing all it can to hang on to the old Kimpton goodness from before the IHG takeover. We miss those days, and visiting the Monaco reminds us why. That’s bittersweet of course. Much of the goodness comes from the top. Rob Mallinger is a very good GM.
We arrived after a chilly drive just in time to meet with Sydney from catering and do a tasting. We did have a minute to deposit our stuff upstairs. Thanks for the flowers and the welcome note.
The bathroom involves very little plastic.
We spent some time in the grand ballrooms agonizing over how to transform the space into something less sparse. Word to the wise, the hotel does not have a stash of furniture or lighting that you can use to do this. That would be up to you.
For the record, here is what the spaces look like empty.
We also looked at the rooftop terrace again (which we are likely to fold into our event). It was covered in snow.
We provided some feedback to the hotel directly WRT space recombobulation and our tasting experience. As always, the Kimpton staff was all over it and was very responsive. This is a sign of good management. Thanks to Sydney and Erin for being good eggs.
While in Pittsburgh, we decided to attend the Pittsburgh Symphony. That was a very good plan—what a talented orchestra.
Before the show, we had dinner at Gaucho Parrilla Argentina. The experience was ok. Delightful staff but food that was honestly pretty generic. Not much like, say, Argentina. The best thing was that it was right across the street from the Heinz Symphony Hall.
The next morning, before our meeting with the Warhol (also a 5/25/25 destination), we had some donuts at Peace, Love, and Little Donuts followed by a better espresso at De Fer.
And then it was off to the Warhol in the snow. It snowed maybe 2 inches while we were in town.
One our way out of town, we swung by a very swank Aveda Spa (Lapamponee) in Mt Lebanon, which led us through sheer luck to Piyola. Holy cow is Piyola excellent.
And then it was back home over the mountains in the snow. The trip was very cold and a bit slippery.
Five showerheads for the Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh. We can’t wait to be back.
The Peninsula Chicago: High End for the Win
November 30, 2024
Fancy some art in Chicago? Stay at the Peninsula in high luxury while you’re there! Our visit to the city was excellent in most of the ways.
Of course our room was not ready when we arrived before noon on Sunday, and then the powers that be switched our assigned room out from under us while we visited the MCA. The switch was very much likely for the better as we moved from an executive suite on 12 to a grand deluxe suite on 9.
The room was, in fact, amazing. Comfortable, well-designed, modern, and spacious. We were in 910 overlooking the Water Tower and Michigan avenue. Christmas was upon us (and winter too).
910 has banks of windows.
The shower is not plastic. In fact, there might not be any plastic at all in the entire room.
One of the best aspects of the peninsula is breakfast. No really. Just exquisite and interesting: fresh juice, great coffee, myriad international offerings. Possibly the best breakfast in Chicago. We had two.
The MCA is terrific, including the Maripol restaurant inside.
Tiffany is a good place to visit after some art.
The Art Institute of Chicago is absolutely world class.
Duck Duck Goat is very good mid-level Chinese. Sadly, we couldn’t get the Peking duck.
About the only thing not up to snuff during our visit was pizza at Pequod (an old school Chicago deep dish institution). The pizza is great, but the decor is dirty even for an old Denny’s. And the ordering app? Don’t get us started. Just skip it.
Cocktails at the Peninsula bar, Z bar, are solid, but the experience is not worth writing home about or paying extra for.
Oh, and the Spa at the Peninsula…your mileage may very, but your bill will not.
But those wrinkles aside, the trip was excellent. Here are some more pictures.
Rebranding Chicago, one building at a time.
The view from 910.
The windows are really clean. Really really clean.
Five showerheads for the Peninsula and for Chicago art. Yes please. We would do it all over again.
Lake Eden Retreat: Vantage Point for American Idiocy
November 20, 2024
Our clan convened in Black Mountain in a GOTV effort just before election day. We came from Virginia, DC, and LA. Sadly, in spite of our work, the country has chosen bigotry and blustering ignorance over progress. Lets hope democracy survives four more years of selfish “leadership.”
Lake Eden Retreat is a beautiful though desperately suburban place. If you’re looking for the countryside, this is not really it. We stayed in the studio. It’s a peculiar structure with the bedroom up some spiral stairs, the massively distributed bathroom downstairs, and a sink in the corner of the living room.
And yes, the shower is plastic. Horrors.
But we were here to work. And work we did under the leadership of walt.
While in the Asheville area (still recovering from the massive floods), we had some great meals.
Itto ramen is a top notch place for lunch.
Sunny point cafe is excellent with fun service and down home cooking.
The mixology at Chemist Spirits is top notch.
Also worth a visit is Firestorm books.
And if you are in Black mountain, Pure and Proper is very good indeed. They can even accommodate an entire state’s worth of McGraws…kinda.
Two showerheads for Lake Eden Retreat. Maybe we’ll try a different building next iteration. Anyway, here’s how we all feel about the election results.
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