­Is there any point coming to Gleneagles if you don’t play golf? The answer is absolutely yes. Although this Scottish resort is synonymous with golf- it will host the Ryder Cup in 2014-- there is plenty to do for non golfers.  Think of Gleneagles as a grand, family resort in the tradition of The Greenbrier or Sea Island, where the vibe is unfussy and relaxed, and there’s something for everyone in the family.

And the emphasis really is on “family,” even though this is the same location which famously hosted the G8 summit in 2005.  Children are definitely welcome and well looked after. During my stay, there were a large number of parents pushing strollers around the resort, but there weren’t so many kids that it felt overrun with them. And where else in the world can kids...

­­London in late November isn’t usually considered a romantic destination. Nevertheless, that’s where we decided to spend our belated honeymoon. While my husband (for whom this was a first visit) was interested in the city’s history and tradition, I love London for its cutting edge modernism. So we decided to experience both by way of The Dorchester and One Aldwych hotels.

Upon arrival at the Dorchester, overlooking Mayfair’s Hyde Park, we were welcomed into the plush lobby with it 15-foot-tall Christmas tree heavy with red decorations. Of the property’s 250 guest rooms and suites, 196 are individually designed, but all are done in classic English style with floral...

­It figures that as soon as I leave London, many of my favorite American stores open up there. Now Londoners can enjoy Abercrombie & Fitch, Banana Republic and the latest, Anthropologie, which is the grown up sister to Urban Outfitters. The new store, located on Regent Street, is housed in the former Wedgwood shop and the window displays features lots of tea bags in a nod to the store’s heritage. Like its States-side branches, the London Anthropologie (UK website here) sells quirky clothing, housewares and jewellery. A second branch is due to open on the King’s Road in Chelsea in 2010.

Anthropologie, 158 Regent Street, London W1B 5SW; 44-20-7529-9800. Open Monday to Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.;...

You know how some occasions call for a five-course meal with caviar, truffles and champagne, and other times you just want a really good, homemade macaroni and cheese for dinner? I see base2Stay’s budget-boutique style as the comforting mac ‘n’ cheese of the hotel world – not the fanciest thing around, perhaps, but it sure does the job, maybe even better than its upscale counterpart.

It was a cold, pouring-rain November evening the night I stayed at the “aparthotel” in London, so I may have been biased, but the comfy-factor seemed high from the moment I arrived.

Swift and friendly went the check-in in the quiet, taupe-toned reception room, then it was off up a carpeted staircase to my room. Tucked into a small square just a few minutes walk from the Earl’s Court tube station,...