Travel Advice

'Tis the season for jolly jaunts in picturesque New England with the Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
New England is beautiful in any season, but Christmas is especially lovely.

Ridgefield, in southern Connecticut, especially evokes Norman Rockwell scenes. Its historic Main Street is full of small boutiques and shops with unique trendy clothing, gifts and antiques. Try T L Bennett at 448 Main Street for unbelievably gorgeous French jacquard tablecloths, linens and accessories. She also sells Kai products and French soaps. Wonderful gift ideas and top quality stuff. Deborah Ann's Homemade Chocolates makes chocolates on the premises, and they also sell a variety of imported Belgian ones, in addition to gift sets. It's so much fun to go in there at any season and see the goodies designed for each holiday.

There are 3 fabulous jewelry stores: Adessi, Craig's (huge selection of Honora pearls - every so often they do trunk shows), and Capiello Brothers (get your bargains here - they have estate jewelry and consignment stuff ranging from Cartier watches to funky 60's pendants to traditional wedding/engagement rings. They also do repairs and appraisals).

These are only a few examples of locally-owned businesses. Further down the road going north on Main Street there's a shopping center with a Stop N Shop grocery store. But the big draw is Genoa Deli, where each day they have a variety of home-cooked specials, fresh bread delivered from Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, and salads and sandwiches. Rocco and co. treat you like family. Then there's Venice Restaurant, owned by Stefano from Sicily, who married a local girl, and serves up the best Veal Cutlet Siciliana ever (that's veal parm with eggplant). Double yummmmm. Personally, this is the best place in town - great value for money, friendly, low-key, delicious food.

Now that we've covered how you can spend your money, let's look at another side of Christmas in this lovely town. Take a walk down Main Street south, past the shops, and see the Victorian mansions all lit up, especially after a snowfall. You can smell the wood burning in the fireplaces. Or drive off the beaten path and see homes in a more rustic setting, everything from McMansions, almost obscene in their opulance, to small Cape Cod houses, painted in bright blues or deep reds. You feel like you're in a painting.

This town is not snooty like some of its neighbors (New Canaan and Greenwich come to mind), and more sophisticated than some of the towns more in country, so whether you're from a small town or a big city, you can appreciate the charm, history (they've got a marker where Benedict Arnold fell off his horse during the Revolutionary War - this is when he was still on our side!) and friendliness of this Connecticut jewel.

How to get there: Fly into White Plains Airport (20 minute drive), Hartford (90 minutes), La Guardia (1 hr.) Ridgefield is directly south of Danbury, and about 15 miles north of Long Island Sound.

At the beginning of December they have a Holiday Walk in town, and a Christmas Holiday Homes event, where you travel by horse and buggy looking at the decorated houses.

Fifi will be taking a break to be with family and friends until the New Year. Merry Christmas, dear readers, and thanks for reading my columns.

>> Read all of Fifi LaMode's past articles.

The Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode tells us how to navigate this "rich coast" nation for less than you might think. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
By popular demand, I have been asked to review Costa Rica as a holiday destination.

Here's the bad news - there is none. Don't be put off by the "What to do in case of an earthquake" sheet in your room (Costa Rica lies on a fault, like California). This is a win-win place to visit: They have healthy rain forests, people are friendly, food is good, and it's affordable for every budget.

In one week you can do the following: Start off in San Jose, the capital. You don't want to stay in the city because there's nothing there to see - the tours usually stay at resorts outside town, your best bet, because they are located on acres and acres of lush property with gorgeous flowers and colorful birds all around. Ours even had a resident toucan! You can book day trips at your hotel or get a package deal where it's all included, which is what we did.

We went down a river where there were loads of monkeys in a tree; strange flowers that looked green and yellow till you looked closely, then they opened up into shades of purple, red and orange all in one; and various furry things with long tails crossed our path. I mention these creatures because there were more than one and I really have no idea what they are to this day - some look like cats, some look like anteaters, and some look like lemurs. They are all indigenous to the area and are very nonchalant about having people around.

Another day trip was to the Arenal Volcano, where we actually got close up to the caldera. Neat. We were then taken to a coffee plantation in the mountains, where the temperature was cooler and the air was very fresh, as opposed to the more tropical lowlands. Then we descended back into more tropical surroundings and saw a typical village and had a typical meal called a 'casada', meaning 'married', because when women marry they're expected to cook this for their husbands: Steak topped with fried egg, a variation of spanish rice, fried plantains, and some other veggies...yummmmm. We had this at the coffee plantation too. Twice in one day. They keep feeding you here.

Another day we visited the Monteverde Cloud Forest, a couple hours' drive from the city. Once there, you travel in these cabins about 3 feet over the forest canopy. This is so you don't actually step on the ground and upset the balance of nature. While waiting to go on this 'ride' we looked at the hanging flower pots and saw loads of tiny colorful hummingbirds flying around. They're about the size of a thumbnail and at first we thought they were bugs but they were lovely little things in bright greens. Dumb us made the mistake of travelling in August when it's sunny in the morning and rains the rest of the day. I mean RAIN. We're talking monsoon. We got stuck on this cloud forest tram and got soaked. The bus got us out in time before the roads to the forest closed. When it rains here, it rains.

The Cloud Forest had a resident furry thing as well with a strange name. It was friendly. After a few days in the San Jose area, we took a short plane ride (the pilot had the window open - this was a first) to the Guanacaste beach area and stayed at some golf resort. We don't play golf but the accommodations were self-standing little houses. Outside our door was a tree filled with parrots. There was also a cat, or what we thought was a cat, resting at the bottom of the stairs. It wasn't a cat, but I don't know what it was. I'm sure you can find out in a book of Fauna of Central America, but we were content knowing it wasn't attacking us and it was kind of cool that these wild animals were all over the place. This resort also had iguanas. Big iguanas that just basked in the sun on the sidewalks and didn't move when they saw people. Cool.

The Budget Babe's International Travel Advisor Fifi LaMode advises us to head south in order to stretch our dollars. —TBB


by Fifi LaMode
I'm depressed. I love Europe. But I hate the prices. It was bad enough when the euro was 1.40 to the dollar. But at 1.50 - Mama mia, what can one buy? Don't get me started on the pound sterling at 2.07 either! In my previous articles I mentioned ways to stretch your euros, but at this point it's time to send a message to the commodity traders and/or EU bankers who think this is a good idea. Guys, it's not. Of course we're delighted to see all the Euros buying up all our techno-goodies and made-in-China clothes and shoes at 1/2 of what they'd pay back home - heck, I'd do the same. Welcome. But anyone who reads The Budget Babe knows the meaning of 'value for money,' so we'll give Europe a rest for now and check out new spots where our dollar is not used as wallpaper, ok?

A hot destination, especially in winter, is South America. You want fjords? Go to Chile. Great shoes and handbags? Buenos Aires is the place for you - and they have those tango shows which nobody else does better. Tropics, jungles, rainforests, samba? Hello, Brazil. Then there's Macchu Picchu and Cuzco in Peru, indescribable in their eerie beauty. If you speak some Spanish, it's good for nearly the entire continent, except for Brazil (Portuguese) and the 3 little Guyanas on top. (English in Guyana, Dutch in Suriname, and French in French Guiana). What's more, word is your dollar goes a long way there.

Another advantage: No jet lag! The flights are at night so you wake up in the morning and you don't have a major time difference to contend with (maybe 1 or 2 hrs depending on your time zone).

Another great destination, even closer, is Central America. Costa Rica has it all - volcanoes, beaches, rainforests, strange little critters running around, coffee plantations, great food, and it's still cheap. I love this place - it has soooo many natural wonders in such a small area. You can do it in a week, or chill out for longer. Then there's Guatemala with the colorful market at Chichicastenango (see? I got the shopping in) and the huge Mayan city of Tikal; Honduras with Mayan Copan, and Belize with the 2nd largest coral reef in the world.

Need I mention our neighbor Mexico? From Acapulco to Cancun to Oaxaca to Zihuatanejo, there's an abundance of culture, history and great scenery.

So readers, how about checking out this hemisphere in 2008? What do you think?

xox,
Fifi