PJ Travel Savvy

1. If you’re in NYC, have your make up done by artist extraordinaire Carlo Geraci. For a $150 fee he will meet you at your choice of Saks, Bergdorfs or Barneys and help you with your make up for the season. He will also then send you any refills that you need if you give him your address and credit card number. cgeraci@nyc.rr.com or 917-750-8825 to schedule an appointment.

2. Fab clothing shop in London: Tomasz Starzewski. Just opened; carries interesting, well-designed women’s clothes. Ask for Antoine . . . 97 Pimlico Rd 020/7730 5559.

Sleeping:

Extremes: the boutique hotel La Bergere 043/328-2525, and the restored Chateau St Gerlach 043/608-8888.

Eating:

Have lunch at the beautiful and one-star Chateau Neercanne, a short distance out of town. 043/325-1359. Drinks at the Loungebar at the Hotel Derlon. 043/321-6770. And a posh dinner at Beluga. 043/321-3364.

Shopping:

Kiki Niesten stocks a host of designers. Stokstraat 28-32 043/321-6432.

You can make an appointment for a fitting at Christian Lagerwaard, or visit the atelier when it is open to the public on Saturdays. Wilhelminasingel64 043/326-4440. His ready-to-wear collection is carried at the Chateau Gronsveld. 043/408-5504.

Jules and Co carries accessories and watches. Plattielstraat 3 043/358-1797.

Find beautiful, and beautifully restored, antiques at Zenith Oriental Art. Lenculenstraat 29 and St Pieterstraat 2 043/321-4961.

Sleeping:

Rest your weary bones at either 717 Prinsengracht 717 020/427-0717, or at the Dylan Hotel Keizergracht 384 020/530-2010.

Eating:

For a good cafe, go for Cafe Luxembourg at Spuistraat 22-24 020/620-6264. Lunch-wise, try Pompadour Cafe at Kerkstraat 148 020/330-0981. For baked goods and afternoon tea, there’s De Bakkerswinkel. Multiple locations.

Jamie Oliver has a restaurant here, in which he employs disadvantaged students. Fifteen Jollemanhof 9 010/711-1567.

The Mansionis an eclectic restaurant that also features a great nightlife scene. Hobbemastraat 2 020/616-6664.

Cinema Paradisooffers, you guessed it, Italian cuisine. Westerstraat 184-186 020/623-7344.

De Kas is a pretty restaurant located inside a defunct greenhouse. Kameringh Onneslaan 3 020/462-4562. Bordewijk is a boisterous restaurant featurning hearty food. Noordermarkt 7 020/624-3899.

Beddington’sis one of the best restaurants in Amsterdam. Utrechtsedwarstraat 141 020/620-7393. Zuid Zeeland also serves very nice food. Herengracht 413 020/624-3154.

Enjoy Envy, a hot wine bar and deli. Prinsengracht 381 020/344-6407. Trendy, restaurant-wise, try Inez IPSC where you will not get in the door without a reservation. Amstel 2 020/639-2899. Panama for a late dinner and international cuisine. Oostelijke Handelskade 4 020/311-8686.

Finally (but not least), Amsterdam is known for its marvelous Indonesian restaurants. Two that stand out are Tempo Doeloe, for traditional fare, Ultrechtsestraat 75 020/625-6718, or for a more coreative twist, Blue Pepper. Nassaukade 366 020/489-7039.

Shopping:

First, a number of nifty design destinations, most of them contemporary:

Frozen Fountain. Prinsengracht 645 020/622-9375.

Droog Design. Staalstraat 7a-7b 020/523-5050.

Pols Potters (tableware). Knsmlaan 39 020/419-3541.

Keetin Huis(children). Knsmlaan 297 020/419-5958.

Royal Tichelaar(porcelain). Turfmarkt 65 0515-23-13-41.

Hema (Amsterdam’s answer to Target). Kalverstraat 212 020/626-8720.

Now, everything else:

Van Ravenstein (great clothing boutique, featuring Dutch designers). Keizergracht 359 020/639-0067.

Eva Damave (sweaters and other knitwear). Lauriersdwarsstraat 51c 020/627-7325.

Orson + Bodil (beautiful separates, by appointment only). Herengracht 280 020/707-6224.

Miauw (alternates between being a clothing store and a gallery space). Hartenstraat 36.

Hester Van Eeghen (purses and shoes that are carried in the Museum of Modern Art shop in NYC). Hartenstraat nr 1 and nr 37 020/626-9212.

Shoebaloo (guess what they sell). Multiple locations.

BLGK (lovely modern jewelry). Harentstraat 28 020/624-8154.

Goldstrasse (and more jewelry). Elandsgracht 89 020/420-2095.

Richard Walraven(yet more jewelry, with some silver thrown in). Hazenstraat 70 020/622-5221.

Oilily(childrens’ clothing). Multiple locations.

De Kaaskamer (you’re in Holland; you need to buy cheese). Runstraat 7 020/623-3483.

To eat:

In Fica, Selene is upmarket in a good location. 228/602-2249.

Worth visiting if only for the jaw-dropping Acropolis. While there,

Eat at:

Filippou (taverna). Xenokratous 19 210/721-6390.

Hytra (modern cuisine). Navarchou Apostoli 7 210/331-6767.

Milos (branch of NY restaurant). 46 Vassilissis Sofias Ave 210/724-4416.

Varoulko (great seafood and great view). 80 Piraeus St. 210/522-8400.

Orizontes (mediterranean food with French and Asian influences). Lycabettus Hill, entrance via funicular from Aristippou 1 210/722-7065.

Shop at:

Melissinos Art(THE place for hand-made sandals). Aghias Theklas 2 210/321-9247.

Kombologadiko (hand-made jewelry). 9 Amerikis St 210/700-0500.