Two New Luxury Brands for the Secluded Turks & Caicos Islands
They are among the Caribbean’s best kept secrets. The forty islands and cays that make up the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) are favored by travelers in the know for their pristine waters, picture-perfect white sand beaches and conch and lobster fisheries that make local dining such a joy.TCI’s archipelago is strung out along the sea at the tail-end of The Bahamas and before you get to the Dominican Republic.Bookended by two popular and busy beach destinations, this British Overseas Territory stands out for its quiet seclusion. Only about 30,000 people live on TCI - mainly on Providenciales in the Caicos islands. In fact, fewer than a dozen of the islands are inhabited at all. But possibly because of its primary... more
Cruising From the US is Back!
It’s official. Cruising has returned to ports in the U.S. While many cruise lines have already started sailing with North American guests from offshore ports in the Caribbean and Europe, there’s been no cruising from ports we can drive to.Until now. Between the end of June and the holiday weekend, three ships have set sail from three different American homeports. And now the seal is broken, cruises from homeports from coast to coast to coast are scheduled to set sail in a flood that’s restarting a favorite style of travel at last. Celebrity Edge: Port Everglades, Fort LauderdaleFirst out of the gate: the Celebrity Edge, which, on the last weekend in June became the first large ship to sail with... more
Celebrating World Cocktail Day with a Travel-Inspired Cocktail... or Two
What’s not to love about May 13th? World Cocktail day has two of my favorite words: world, and cocktail.For those of us who love to travel… and love to get into the ‘spirit’ of the moment with a locally-sourced beverage, cocktail recipes can be some of our most cherished travel souvenirs.And drinks at a smart bar can be among our most cherished travel memories. Here are just a couple of mine:The Original Daiquiri at the House of Bacardi, Puerto Rico Rum, lime and sugar are timeless ingredients in the Caribbean. The origins of this classic cocktail go back to an engineer in early 20th-century Cuba who developed its refreshing taste, and the Bacardi family's business sense in creating the world’s most... more
Spring Gardens, Tropical-Style in Costa Rica
'Spring flowers’ takes on new meaning in the tropics.With Costa Rica’s epic biodiversity and commitment to conservation, lush, green landscapes are a given any time you visit. But some of the Central American country’s botanical gems are best discovered not in the wilderness, but in gardens crafted by human hands.Here are five gardens to add ‘color’ to your trip to Costa Rica. Botanical Orchid GardenNorth America has 200 varieties of orchids. Luscious Costa Rica? 1300.The “Guaria Morada” orchid is even the country’s national flower. Its name has a picturesque meaning: “purple country girl,” for its delicate petals with vivid hues. Unlike most greenhouse orchids we buy at home, it’s even scented. Local Tican tradition says the Guaria Morada brings good fortune. Only... more
A Twist on 'April Showers' at This Country's New Year Celebrations
Many modern holiday celebrations put an irreverent twist on their historic – and often more solemn -traditions.Thailand’s Songkran may be one of the most extreme examples of that phenomenon.Ancient Thai culture marked the New Year in what we now call April. The word is Sanskrit, meaning ‘astrological passage’, and it coincides with the rising of Aries and the New Year of the Hindu and Buddhist calendars. Songkran is a three-day ritual, from the 13th to the 15th of April. The final day, April 15th, is considered ‘New Year’s Day’ itself. To help usher in the Thai New Year, we were invited by the Tourism Authority of Thailand to a virtual Songkran celebration via a live feed to events in the country. You... more
Signs of Spring - Worth Traveling For
Spring may be the most hopeful season. There is nothing more uplifting than seeing Nature reborn every Spring. It’s like an assurance that life will get better again, no matter how tough the dark days of Winter – or life – have been.Between March’s Spring Equinox and the start of Summer on the Solstice in June, the days get progressively longer, dousing us in light, and sparking the renewal of life after a long, dull winter. So it’s no wonder that so many ancient cultures celebrate Spring’s light and new life.Or why we are still so enchanted by the signs of the new season. None are quite so colorful as spring flowers peeking through the snow or opening on trees... more
First, Fully Digital Hotel to Open in Northern Europe
It’s in the heart of one of the most historic neighborhoods in London. But this hotel has become a symbol of the future of travel.ibis Styles London Gloucester Road is in Kensington, within easy strolling distance of some of the English capital’s favorite landmarks, like the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum, shopping at Harrod’s and of course, its highest-profile residence, Kensington Palace, where Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge and their three children live, alongside other members of the Royal Family.Surrounded by British tradition, it’s making history of its own as the first, fully digital hotel in Northern Europe.A suite of digital technologies has reinvented making guests feel welcome, by connecting them to actual, human members... more
Cruise Ships: New, Improved, and Coming Soon
The latest designs, innovations, and features, in a sparkling white cruise ship gliding over the waves. If that’s not enough to get you excited about taking a cruise on a new ship, there’s always ‘new ship smell’. A new cruise ship may not have a distinctive scent like a new car, but knowing you’re among the first to experience a new entry to the world’s fleet of cruise ships is a not-to-miss sensation. Not every new ship comes ‘hot off the press’. Some ships are remade during their lifetimes, and their mystique begins afresh. Lynn Elmhirst, BestTrip TV’s cruise expert, lists the ships to keep your eye out for right now, whether new, improved, or coming soon. NEW Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the SeasThe latest... more
'Astro' Travel Will Have You 'Seeing Stars'
International Dark Sky Week, held during the week of the new moon each April, calls for people worldwide to turn out their lights and take in the beauty of the night sky without light pollution dimming its brilliance. It’s also an annual reminder that some of the very best travel experiences aren’t under the bright lights of a city. Some of the most awe-inspiring and life-changing travel moments involve absorbing Mother Nature’s greatest spectacles above us.Astrotourism is a growing trend that helps travelers capture more of those transformational moments in the darkness.Astro travel lets us tap into primal parts of ourselves, like our earliest ancestors who created myths and learned wisdom from celestial phenomena. And it reminds us how humans -... more
The 'Happiest Place on Earth' Becomes the 'Sweetest' with New M&M's Experiential Store
Everyone with a sweet tooth has a reason to celebrate the newest store opening at Disney Springs in the heart of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.The M&M’s store is not just a place to pick up a bag of colourful, candy-coated Mars chocolate. Parent brand Mars Wrigley says it’s a state-of-the-art immersion into the M&M experience, as it’s bringing the 80-year old brand’s famously cheeky attitude to life in the store.It’s 10-thousand square feet of Technicolor chocolate fun. As you might expect, visitors will find exclusive, co-branded Disney and M&M’s merchandise that go way beyond candy, like apparel, mugs and more.You’ll also find the signature M&M’s ‘Wall of Chocolate’ with giant clear tubes of the candies, larger-than-life M&M’s characters,... more
4 Top Reasons to Make a Vacation Rental Your Next Holiday - Plus Booking Tips
Vacation rentals were the fastest growing type of holiday accommodation even before the pandemic. With types of rental homes ranging from urban apartments to beach villas, farmhouses to ski chalets or even castles, the trend towards non-hotel stays is likely to keep growing as travel picks up again. Here are the top reasons why you might be thinking about a vacation rental soon. And we share a couple of tips to help you get the best rental experience in a travel space with increasing choices of listed properties and a newly-professional approach to villa rentals. Privacy and Space… All Together It used to be romance was the big motivation for privacy, but in today’s world, being secluded has health benefits, too. Physical... more
Kiss the 'Love Boat' Goodbye
If you remember Saturday night TV dominated by a double-header of feel-good, travel-inspired shows, with the ‘Love Boat’ followed by ‘Fantasy Island’, this is the end of an era. The ‘Love Boat’ is sailing off into the sunset. Princess Cruises’ most famous ship, the Pacific Princess, has left the fleet. Princess Cruises tells us that, in its years at sea, the Pacific Princess sailed, “more than 1.6 million nautical miles, including 11 unforgettable World Cruise voyages and countless cruises to exotic locales.”But its real legacy is pure fiction.The Pacific Princess popularized modern cruising to millions of TV viewers through its star role as the ‘Love Boat’. In the romantic comedy/ light drama by feel-good TV producer Aaron Spelling, the zany antics of... more
This State's 'For Lovers', and Even has a Seductive Local Cuisine - Recipe Included!
The catchy saying is known around the world and has even been inducted into the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame. ‘Virginia is for Lovers’ debuted over 50 years ago, explaining to readers of ‘Modern Bride’ why they should honeymoon in Virginia. Over the next half-century, ‘Virginia is for Lovers’ has come to mean a lot of different things to different people. It’s not just newlyweds who love Virginia, nestled between Chesapeake Bay on the Atlantic Ocean and the Appalachian Mountains. Ways to Fall in Love in VirginiaVirginia is the cradle, the battlefield, and the bedroom of American history. Jamestown, founded in 1607, was the first permanent English colony in the New World. (Thomas Jefferson's plantation, Monticello/ J Looney)Right next... more
3 Places For the Romantic, Overwater Escape of a Lifetime
Ever since the first overwater bungalow resort was built half a century ago, they have come to define the ultimate romantic tropical getaway. Overwater villas are the next best thing to a private tropical island of your own – a luxury, rustic-chic bungalow suspended right over top of jewel-toned seas. It brings out the primal human in us all, and activates every romantic instinct. The originals in French Polynesia were inspired by the makeshift, thatched-roof overwater huts made by local fishermen to work on their catch and boats in the shade. A trio of American entrepreneurs hoping to develop a resort on a property on Ra'iātea that had a rocky waterfront - but no beach - got sudden inspiration and voila!... more
3 Luxurious Ways to Experience the Travel Event of 2021 - the Antarctic Solar Eclipse
A year from now, one of the travel events of our lifetime will be over. Not only will 2021 see the return to travel we’ve all longed for; on December 4th, 2021, a total solar eclipse will take place. A total solar eclipse, where the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, completely blocking out the sun for a short period of time, is as mystical and as primal an experience for us modern humans as it has been for all of our ancestors before us through time immemorial.Antarctic waters are the only place in the world with 100% visibility of this awe-inspiring astronomical event. The remote site also means no ‘light pollution’ from surrounding human population centers will interfere... more
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