David Lebovitz is a good American living in Paris, an old-school patissier and a first-class food writer.
Since the arrival of practised hoteliers Gareth and Helen Pugh in 2006, and the subsequent refurbishment of the restaurant and six bedrooms, this 17th-century inn now offers first-class food and accommodation.
Check in Efficiently managed and central is the very comfortable Sankara (3) on Woodvale Grove in Westlands (00 254 20 420 8000; sankara.com), which has the amenities of a large establishment – rooftop pool, Thai spa, first-class food – with the feel of a boutique hotel.
In some cases, enlisting the services of a first-class food sherpa can cost the same as dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant: from $75 or $100 a person to as much as $1,000 for a small group, for what is often a three- or four-hour excursion.
Finally, all her work expresses a credo about cooking that, with equal justice, might apply to English prose at its finest and most natural: "Good cooking is honest, sincere and simple, and by this I do not mean to imply that you will find in this, or indeed in any other book, the secret of turning out first-class food in a few minutes with no trouble.
We, too, are forced to eat second-class food, frozen vegetables and wilted grocery store lettuce.
Like a charming English country inn, with gracious service and first-class food.
Blend in the first-class food and the otherworldly views the Penthouse Suite offers, and you have a near-ideal setting for a visit of any length.
Super Suppers These extraordinary amenities have earned Gulf and Cathay the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively, on Skytrax's annual survey of the best first-class food.
And then there's the understated luxury of the villas and the first-class food served in the waterside restaurant -- most of which comes from the island's own farm.
