Best of the Best

updated: March 11, 2009 @12:53pm

Below is a list of the very best of the best Hotels, Resorts, Restaurants, etc. We have traveled the world looking for suppliers, places, products, and experiences. This list represents the very best of what life has to offer. We will be updating this list on an ongoing basis… so check it out often.

Best Tropical Island Resort

• The Ritz-Carlton Resort & Spa – Bali, Indonesia

Best Tropical Island Family Resort

• The Westin Resort – Maui, Hawaii

Best Tropical Beach

• 7 Mile Beach, Grand Cayman

Best Romantic Tropical Island

• Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Best Computer

• Apple MacbookPro 17″ (if you want a portable with a big screen)
• Apple Macbook Air (if you want light, fun and portable)

Best Video Conference Over the Internet

• Apple iChat AV (for quality)
• Skype (if you want accessibility, with lower quality)

Best Computer Based Music Player

• Apple iTunes

Best All-Weather Sandals

• Teva Water Proof Leather

Best GSM Mobile Phone

• Apple iPhone 3G ( I now use my Vertu Accent as a paperweight)

Best Portable Music Player

• Apple iPod 160 GB (so you can use it for extra storage too)

Best Portable Printer

• Canon

Best Airline Frequent Flyer Program

• OneWorld

Best Digital Camera

• Canon EOS Mark III

Best Hotel Frequent Guest Program

• Starwood

Best Luxury Hotel Chain

• Four Seasons

Best All Round Hotel Chain

• Starwood – Westin, Sheraton, St. Regus, Luxury Collection, W Hotels

Best Bank

• HSBC Premier if you travel a lot or do a lot of International Transfers

Best Internet Banking

• HSBCnet by a country mile

Best London Hotel

• The Lanesborough

Best Athens Hotel

• The Grande Bretagne

Best Resort in Southern California

• St. Regis Monarch, Dana Point

Best Tropical Island

• Maui – Hawaii, USA

Best Rental Car Company

• Hertz – especially Presidents Circle

Best Mens Shoes

• Ermenegildo Zegna custom made

Best Flight Luggage

• Victorinox

Best Attaché

• Henk – totally customized

Best Airline Lounges

• Qantas

Best Mineral Water

• San Pelligrino or Chåteldon

Best Pre-Paid USA GSM Service

• AT&T GOPHONE

Best Men’s Casual Watch

• Bell & Ross – in Rose Gold

Best Men’s Dress Watch

• Breguet – in White Gold

Best Hotel in Singapore

• St. Regis (say “hi” to the Manager)

Best Hotel in Rome

• St. Regis Grand – the dining room in the Presidential Suite is an OMG

Best Indian Restaurant in Singapore

• Rang Mahal, in the Pan Pacific Hotel

Best Resort in Maui

• The Four Seasons

Best Highspeed Wireless Network (we travel with ours)

• Apple Airport Extreme

Best Dairy Products

• From New Zealand of course! Followed by Isigny Sainte-Mère, France…

Best Scuba Diving

• Red Sea

Best Tax Free Jurisdiction

• Samoa

Best Tax Free Island

• Grand Cayman

Best Tax Free Jurisdiction Bank

• HSBC Hong Kong

Best Free Agent Financial Service

• PayPal with a Mastercard Debit Card

Best International Health Care Insurance

• William-Russell from the UK

Best Banking System in the World

• They say Canada

Best Pro-Business Economy

• USA

Best Tax Regime

• Hong Kong – Tax Free for International Business, and 16% on all other

Best Restaurant in Grand Cayman

• The Lighthouse – wish I was there now

Best Place in the World for Banana Bread

• Double Bay, Australia

Best Australian Resort Town

• Noosa, Queensland

Best Rental Car Fun

• BMW Z4 Roadster with the top down

Best Pizza

• Boston North End Pizza, Hawaii

Best American Meal

• Turkey Dinner

Best Swimming Water

• 7 Mile Beach, Grand Cayman

Best View From an Airplane Window

• Flying Into the Bahamas

Best Place to Buy World Music

• London, UK

Best Taxi Driver Conversation

• London Cabby

Best Business Class Seats

• British Airways

Best First Class Seat

• Any you can get! (especially Singapore Airlines)

Best InFlight Food

• Singapore Airlines First Class

Best Concierge When You Need Help

• Any Four Seasons (you can even call from a different country)

Best Cappuccino in the World

• Any coffee shop in Australia!

Best Coffee

• Lion Coffee from Hawaii

Best Macadamia Nuts

• Mauna Loa from Hawaii

Best Spa Environment

• Banyan Tree – Phuket, Thailand

Best Spa Variety

• The Grand Wailea Resort – Maui, Hawaii

Best Spa Overall

• The Ritz-Carlton Resort & Spa – Bali, Indonesia

Best Hotel Bed

• The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong

Best Hotel Bathroom

• The Burj Al Arab in Dubai – especially their Royal Suite, OMG!

Best Hotel Shower

• The Grande Bretagne (it has a private steamer built in)

Best Resort Walking Trail

• Noosa – Queensland, Australia

Best Mega Shopping Center

• Ala Moana Shopping Center – Honolulu, Hawaii

Best Coffee on the Road

• Starbucks – it is predictable

Best Café to be Seen in Sydney

• Cosmo Double Bay

Best Contrasting Scenery

• Santorini – Greek Islands, Greece

Best Limo Driver

• Sahli – one of our personal chauffeurs in Singapore (had to put him in or he will forget to pick me up!! ha ha)
• Dimitrious in Athens (has also driven Sharon Stone, Martin Scorsese, Jackie O and many others…)

Best International Airport

• Singapore

Best Sunglasses

• Gucci

Best Bed

• Hästens Vividus – this bed is an OMG!

Best Hotel Reservation System

• Starwood, www.spg.com

Best Men’s Shirts

• Charvet – Place Vendôme, Paris

Best Men’s Suits

• Brioni – Roma

Best Hotel in Paris

• Hôtel Ritz

Best Macaroons

• Ladurée, Paris

Best Croissant in Paris

• Ladurée, Paris

Best Limousine

• Maybach 62S

Best Presidential Suite

• Burj Al Arab Royal Suite (take the Helicopter)

Best Drive

• Day trip through Tuscany in a convertible

Best OMG Food and View and Service

• Chateau de la Chevre d’or – Ez, between Nice and Monaco

Best Croquette Monsieur

• Café Imperial – Rue de Rivoli, Paris

Best City in Switzerland

• Lausanne, on Lake Geneva (Lac Léman)

Best Computer Speakers

• Bose Companion 5

Best Champagne

• Dom Pérignon – the older the better

Best Video Game Console

• PlayStation 3