Alex Robertson Textor

Some Updates

It's been a quiet few months but not so quiet that I can't make some claims. 

• I'm still writing for Gadling.

• I've written a few posts for Sunvil, on the Faroe Islands and Flores.

• I joined Instagram.

• I've fleshed out my Pinterest boards. Places I want to visit is the best of these. (But of course I'd say that.)

• I am writing a book. (And burying the lede.)

• I just created my first Vine post.

• I'm thinking a lot about destination branding.

• I'm traveling to Milan, Turin, Aosta, Valais, Copenhagen, Malmö/Lund, the Isles of Scilly, and Baku over the next eight weeks. For the second half of 2013 I'll be focused on family travel (Japan, Thailand, US), a road trip (South Dakota), and book research (Kazakhstan, Russia, Northern Cyprus, Spain).

• I've got some big ideas about co-branded collaborations. I'm hoping to get some of these off the ground by the end of the year.

• I remain in love with London.

Los Almendros, Suchitoto, El Salvador

The week before last, I made a quick trip to Antigua, Guatemala and Suchitoto, El Salvador with Stephen Greenwood for Gadling. Once I made it out of the snowed-in East Coast, it was a lovely trip. You'll be able to check out the fruits of our labor on the ground over at Gadling in early spring. 

One afternoon in Suchitoto, we followed the advice of Robert Broz, our gregarious host at the dirt-cheap and wonderfully homey El Gringo Hostel, to stop by Los Almendros, the town's top hotel, for a coffee. The courtyard at Los Almendros is really something, he told us, and the proprietor, a French man named Pascal Lebailly, is very friendly. The courtyard is indeed quite enchanting, an ideal place to drop by for an espresso or a richly flavorful fresh fruit juice.

Los Almendros is an hacienda, meticulously renovated by a local Salvadorean architect. The patio is leafy and welcoming, surrounded on four sides by an open hallway. There are just eight rooms and two apartment suites on hand. The décor is colonial with inventive modern pieces—an old door used as a table top here; contemporary paintings there. Rooms are tasteful and understated. They've got flat-panel televisions and air conditioning, though it is their low-tech simplicity that stands out.

The best part is the nightly rates, which are a steal. Doubles begin at $85 per night, while suites start at $110 and top out at $135. Rates for these beautiful rooms are among the most affordable I've come across anywhere for a boutique hotel at this aesthetic level. I told the proprietor, the delightful Pascal, that his hotel's room would go for $500 in many other destinations. His simple answer: "I know." 

Also of note is the hotel's salon, a beautiful high-ceilinged room filled with photographs of various European royals and coffee table books. I fantasized about reading a book here late at night, or possibly playing a few card games over a grappa nightcap.

Though the hotel is cozily nestled among residential properties, the apartment suites at the back of the property feature nice views of Lake Suchitlan below.

All photographs by Stephen Greenwood.

Update: London moving dates & (budget) travel

Well hello there, old friends. It's been a while. 

The main bit of news is that our departure for London has been delayed. We'd been working with the assumption that we'd be taking off in early December. Now it appears that we will in fact be departing in late January. Fingers crossed.

Over the last few weeks we've begun the moving process, with uneven progress. On the home front, we had Thanksgiving visitors and our dear renter moved all her things into our apartment. On the travel front, I made a super exciting West Coast run to visit family and friends, spending time in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Napa. The only really vacationy component of the jaunt was the time in Napa, where highlights included meals at Ad Hoc and Bistro Jeanty and a blissful overnight at Harbin Hot Springs.

I also made a trip this past week, first to Panama City, where I got thoroughly drenched, and then on to Bogotá. The buzzy stories circulating about Bogotá are all on the money. I'll write about both destinations in upcoming Gadling posts.

On the subject of Gadling, I've been publishing more budget travel-themed posts there. So, right, what are you waiting for? Go on and check out Gadlng's beefed up budget travel section.

Gadling, Summer Jaunts, & a Round-the-World Journey

Those following my posts for Gadling might surmise correctly that most of my blogging is happening over there these days. I've been loving the association with Gadling, the friendliness of my fellow contributors, and the general spirit of the experience. I'm working on developing a few new series for Gadling, one of which, a Q&A series with travel industry insiders as well as travel writers and publishers, has already launched. Anyone who has developed an expertise within a particular travel industry or has honed a following as a travel writer, editor, or publisher should contact me.

I've got a few summer trips upcoming: a family visit to Portland, a Calgary-Winnipeg road trip with the inestimable Melissa Fondakowski followed by four nights in glorious Winnipeg, which I'll write up as a series for Gadling; a family trip to Chincoteague, Virginia; and a week with friends on Pelee Island, Ontario. 

And then in September and October, I'll be embarking with Matt on what may end up as the most exciting journey ever, a round-the-world jaunt focused on the Southern Hemisphere, with stops in seven territories. This is a trip that we've been planning for four or five years. I'll be blogging about my experiences along the way for Gadling and will detail my itinerary in a post there when the time is right.

There are many more exciting things coming down the pike later this year, but I'll leave it at that for now.

Gadling

Today I wrote my first blog post for Gadling, an excellent travel blog authored by a team of great travel writers. I hope everyone will check out my contributions there.