About Us
Welcome! I’m Cos, and this is my wife, Robin!
Years of business trips and occasional one week vacations gave us a sample of destinations we vowed someday to return. Retirement opened the gates to leisurely in-depth exploration. This joy of uninterrupted discovery was too wonderful to keep to ourselves and our family and friends, which led to the birth of CosGuide4Travel.com.
Though the learning curve was steep, our backgrounds in IT and marketing laid a solid foundation. We developed our blogging skills, mastering the tools and trends of the industry. All this, while traveling about half the year. Each new adventure led to creating practical packing lists, how to book trips, as well as specific restaurant recommendations and more. CosGuide4Travel aims to share the joy of our travels and our lessons learned which may help you plan the unique vacation of your dreams. From how we book exclusive activities like local cooking classes or street art tours, to discovering hidden culinary gems, we share how we plan our own unforgettable journeys. We find ourselves at a point where revamping our website is crucial. Navigating our shared experiences is now easier, as is accessing planning tools and travel insights. We hope to inspire your own travel stories as we continue to grow this CosGuide4travel.com website.
Our Top Travel Destinations
Favorite Places
Banff, Alberta Canada is a favorite because of its out of this world beauty, the setting of the Fairmont Hotel and its history and exploring from Banff to Jasper and places in between. Plus you can take the Rocky Mountaineer to Vancouver to continue the experience!
Cinque Terre and Capri, Italy. Cinque Terre for the hiking, the vineyards clinging to the steep terraces and the magnificent seaside village on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline. Capri is a wonderful walking island filled with incredible views, great boats to explore its inlets and restaurants. Its only downside is when the ferry arrives, bringing hoards of tourists who mostly stay in the shopping area.
Rovinj, Croatia. A fishing port on the west coast of the Istrian peninsula, this old town with its cobblestone streets and picturesque harbor has the feel of Venice, not surprising as it was settled by Venetians.
Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, this city has stunning architecture with its Gothic cathedrals and Baroque palaces, but is also it is one of the classical music capitals of the world.
French Polynesia, the Society Islands, perhaps one of the most gorgeous collection of archipelagoes in the South-central Pacific Ocean. Not only the beauty of its almost completely encircling barrier reefs, but also its incredible history as ancestors were gifted explorers.
Favorite wine regions: Napa Valley, Sonoma, Bordeaux, Mendoza and Maipo Valley near Santiago, Chile and the Douro Valley in Portugal.
Finally, London, Paris, Buenos Aires and New York City, we visit these repeatedly and always find something new to discover.
Also make sure you check out our list of our 100+ Must Visit Destinations for Couples!
Hidden Gems You Won’t Expect
Favorite Sports Events
The 150th annual British Open, St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf with its Swilcan Bridge at the 18th hole. We watched Tiger Woods drive his ball here for likely his last time. Check out our Golf Post.
2024 Paris Olympics, a joyful experience, combining this incredible city with the summer Olympics. Lucky to attend beach volleyball in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, the golf match at Le Golf National, several soccer matches as well as a couple of tennis matches. View the post on our trip to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
NY Tennis Open, every year. Always a fabulous competition.
TPC, Sawgrass, every year. Captures the history of this place and shows its famous 17th hole to all who attend.
Dream Destinations Await
Bucket List
Galapagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago, considered one of the world’s foremost destinations for wildlife-viewing. Charles Darwin visited in 1835 which inspired his theory of evolution.
Antarctica cruise, a journey to the White Continent that involves exploring wildlife, icebergs and scenery. We expect this to be much more of the things we loved on Windstar in Alaska.
Egypt, for its millennia-old monuments including the Pyramids, Great Sphinx as well as Luxor’s hieroglyph-lined Karnak Temple and Valley of the Kings tombs.
Turkey, occupying a unique geographic position, partly in Asia and partly in Europe. It has acted as both a barrier and a bridge between the two continents. We will visit in 2026.
South Africa and Safari, for its incredible history, beauty, culture and its development. Safari, because we’ve never met anyone who wasn’t changed by going on a safari.
What We Learned from Our Travels
Least Favorite Places
Eden, Texas. Not on anyone’s bucket list, this tops our least favorite place. During the pandemic, we toured the National Parks; on the way, we discovered we had a flat tire, no spare (we had driven well beyond the 50 mile run-flat) and stuck in this town with a population of 2500, half of which were inmates. We stayed at the Slumber Inn, the closest to where we broke down. It was a sad, run-down motel but clean and next door to a Mexican restaurant that, thankfully, had terrific margaritas. Its only saving grace.
Great places that are overtouristed in season: Santorini, Venice, Dubrovnik. All are world class, but the mega-cruise ships bring tens of thousands of people who truly don’t experience the beauty and magic of these special places. This summer in two places, we heard of local residents taking more aggressive actions such as shooting water pistols on visitors in Barcelona and blocking access for cruise ships in Amsterdam. A good thing overdone. Somehow responsible travel needs to prevail.
Best Restaurants Across The World
Favorite Places To Eat
Exploring the culinary gems of the places we’ve visited has been a delicious journey, and we’re thrilled to share some of our favorites. From the rustic sophistication of The Painted Pony in St. George, Utah, to the breathtaking views at Mariposa in Sedona, Arizona, and the urban vibrancy of Otium in Los Angeles, these spots offer more than just incredible menus—they create unforgettable experiences.
From the Vault Uptown in Sedona to the historic charm of Angèle Restaurant & Bar in Napa and the artful elegance of Nobu Malibu, each of these restaurants stands out for their distinct ambiance and thoughtful design. These spots shine not just for their food but for the way they immerse you in something truly special.
Hungry for more? Check out our full post to discover why these dining destinations belong on your must-visit list.
