Most Expensive Restaurants in the World

Dining is an experience that one enjoys for more than just the benefits of sustaining your body. Visiting one of the most expensive restaurants in the world gives one a true culinary encounter. Costly delicacies at an expensive restaurant can inflate a meal’s total price to proportions larger the weekly salary of some people.

If the hunger in your belly and the cash in your wallet are both the appropriate size, you could dine in one of the 10 of the most expensive restaurants in the world. Forbes has recently published their 2006 list of expensive dining spots and they are listed including the average cost (in USD) for dinner for one below.:

1. Aragawa, Tokyo Japan $368
2. Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, Paris France $231
3. Gordon Ramsay, London England $183
4. Acquarello, Munich Germany $125
5. Alberto Ciarla, Rome Italy $113
6. Sushi Kaji, Toronto Canada $109
7. Queue de Cheval Steak House, Montreal Canada $85
8. El Amparo, Madrid Spain $70
9. Whampoa Club, Shanghai China $63
10. Boeucc, Milan Italy $62

While there may be no definitive way to give one restaurant the attribute of most expensive restaurant in the world, this list is a good start for the world travel who must dine at the best and most expensive restaurants this planet has to offer.

Budget Hotels becoming more popular

Not surprisingly, given the state of the economy, so-called budget hotels are becoming more and more popular in the US. The biggest budget hotel and motel chains – Microtel, Motel 6, Super 8 and Econolodge – all report an increase in bookings and all of them are trying to offer more amenities and better customer service.

The largest budget hotel chain in the US is Super 8, with around 2,100 properties. The company promises such amenities as free high speed internet, a “super start” continental breakfast (which sounds better than a bowl of pastries), cable TV and an upgraded bath with a curved shower rod (?). They also have new room prototypes at certain locations designed to attract a younger clientele. Their average room rate is around $60 a night – certainly more appealing to budget minded travelers than some of these pricey properties!

Many more American travelers are also choosing to stay in hostels – apparently, around 20% more in 2008. The last time I stayed in a youth hostel was about 25 years ago and I still associate hostels with being full of noisy backpackers, uncomfortable bunk beds and having to do a chore in the morning before I left. But many now have suites and family rooms, free internet, fine dining and even swimming pools. This site lets you browse hostels all over the world. I see there are hostels in London (one of the world’s most expensive cities) with prices that start at around $40 per night – and that’s for a private room, not a dormitory type room. The site also lists hostels in such exotic countries as Latvia, Kazakhstan and Sierra Leone. Does anyone have any good hostel experiences to share?

And this site lists some of the more unusual hostels that can be found around the world, including those in tree-houses, caves, prisons and lighthouses.

The poor economy is also hurting timeshares, too, according to this article.Perhaps the cheapest option for lodging these days is the home share option?

And on a completely unrelated note (but I cant resist one of my favorite topics) if somebody from the Travel Channel is reading this, please stop showing “Bizarre Foods” and “No Reservations” all of which have now been shown several times. Thanks! How about a new series in which Samantha Brown goes to Asia or the South Pacific? Just a suggestion!