ChiLuxe Travel – Travels, Tips & Reviews

Rediscovering Old Favorites At Francois Frankie: Chicago’s Carousel Bar & Brasserie

October 30, 2024 Aukse Comments 0 Comment

Did you know there is a French-American Brasserie with an actual working carousel bar in the middle of Chicago’s Loop Theater District? Well, now you do! I’ve enjoyed Francois Frankie a few times in the summer/fall of 2024, and I’m here to give it a resounding recommendation for drinks and dining in Chicago! Francois Frankie opened in Chicago in 2019, but has garnered more attention this year, when Matt Ayala became the Executive Chef. Bringing back his signature “Cochon Volant…

Read More Read More

An Evening At Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf: Chicago’s Premier Steakhouse

October 23, 2024 Aukse Comments 0 Comment

This is a review of Bavette’s Steakhouse in Chicago. If you are looking for Bavette’s in Las Vegas, you can check out that review here! It had been a while since we checked out Bavette’s in Chicago, probably before COVID, but I was really looking for a nice date night after weeks on end of constant school stuff: games, races, concerts, practices, you name it! Bavette’s is a tough reservation to get in Chicago – they only open up 21…

Read More Read More

Experience the Magic: Harry Potter Studio Tour Essentials

October 16, 2024 Aukse Comments 0 Comment

We’re a bunch of Harry Potter fans, and when I was planning our trip to London, I knew we had to not only binge all eight movies right before our trip, but we also had to go on the Harry Potter Studio Tour, more formally called the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, The Making of Harry Potter. The first thing that you need to know about the HP Studios is that they are not actually in London proper. There are some…

Read More Read More

Bellagio Resort, Las Vegas: Timeless Luxury On The Strip

October 9, 2024 Aukse Comments 0 Comment

Gosh, I rarely stay at The Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas, but when I do, it’s always a treat. I typically don’t care much about the room and where I’m staying in Las Vegas, and I tend towards the more mid-range resorts. Occasionally I will splurge, and stay somewhere a bit higher-end, like the Venetian, or the Bellagio, but I prefer saving my money for restaurants, shows and gambling, since most of the rooms around the strip are pretty similar….

Read More Read More

RH Indianapolis Dining Room: Estate Dining With a Design Flair

October 2, 2024 Aukse Comments 2 comments

Just, wow! Pulling up to the RH Gallery in Indianapolis, you get an absolute sense of awe, and you actually forget that you are right smack in the middle of America. As you drive into the Dehaan Estate, a 151 acre property containing a beautiful lake, stunning outdoor sculptures, and even a peep of an obliging pheasant poking around, you can’t help but think that you might actually be in Europe. The driveway is designed to take you all around…

Read More Read More

Luca Restaurant, London: Two Hours Of Delicious, Elevated Italian Cooking

September 25, 2024 Aukse Comments 0 Comment

Luca was our last meal in London, and one of the best! As I mentioned in my review of the Clerk & Well, where we stayed on our recent trip in July, 2024, the Clerkenwell neighborhood is chock full of delicious eateries, so we rarely had to go far to eat really well near our home base. We were delighted with Luca, a one-star Michelin restaurant, and apart from a bit of a communication snafu at the end of the…

Read More Read More

Historico Central Hotel: Affordable Luxury & Local Experiences in Mexico City

September 18, 2024 Aukse Comments 0 Comment

We stayed at Historico Central Hotel in Mexico City for three nights in February of 2024. I chose this hotel for the totally central location, as well as the very reasonable price for a large room. Once we arrived here, this stunning boutique hotel did not disappoint, and there were tons of extra nice touches that really added to the experience here. This hotel is in a restored, 300 year old building, and is really gorgeous when you step back…

Read More Read More

The Clerk & Well Pub and Rooms: A Cozy, Low-Cost Option To Stay In Central London

September 11, 2024 Aukse Comments 1 comment

After I booked the flights for our family vacation to London last winter, for July of 2024, I started looking for hotel rooms. Being four of us, all on the larger side either in length or width, we pretty much must have two rooms, since cramming into one room with two full-sized beds is simply not an option. Boy, did I get some massive sticker shock! I knew that London would be expensive, but staying in a normal, very basic…

Read More Read More

Unforgettable Dining at Asador Bastian: A Spanish Steakhouse Gem in Chicago

September 4, 2024 Aukse Comments 0 Comment

My husband scored a reservation (they book only 30 days out) for my birthday this August, 2024, to the very hyped, very hot, and very exclusive Asador Bastian, one of Chicago’s most highly-praised restaurants of the last year. We adore Spanish food, and we also love steak, and our recent experience at Bazaar Meat (another incredible Spanish Steakhouse in Chicago) made for some very high expectations. Truly, this was one of the best meals I’ve had this year. The place…

Read More Read More

St. John Restaurant, London: An Hommage To Protein

August 21, 2024 Aukse Comments 1 comment

We were lucky enough to stay in the Clerkenwell neighborhood of Central London, a bit off the beaten path for tourist attractions, though close enough that most were walkable, or at the very least, easy to get to via public transportation. Clerkenwell is also a growing foodie neighborhood of London, and we were able to check out some of the very best it had to offer while visiting in July of 2024. St. John restaurant has a few outposts, but…

Read More Read More