Friday, March 22, 2013
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Saturday, January 26, 2013
#TravelQuoteTuesday
Leaping full force outside your comfort zone is easier said than done, but that's what travel is all about...losing sight of the shore. The more exotic and far-flung the trip, the easier it gets if for no other reason than you absolutely have to try new things.
Insider's Guide to Cartagena
Few Caribbean cities can match the history, vivaciousness, and cultural offerings of Colombia's Cartagena de las Indias, known simply as Cartagena. During Spanish rule, the port city was a wealthy and bustling epicenter and money was poured into building up and protecting the city. Today the Spaniards' constructions, particularly the fortresses and walled city, now functioning as the historic city center, constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city balances the old and the new, with its colonial downtown and, opposite the bay, flashy new constructions of the Bocagrande. With safety concerns within Colombia's metropolitan centers at a low, now's the time to discover the highlights of this beachy city. (Note: The US government warns strongly against traveling into rural areas of Colombia and to remain cautious in cities, as of October 2012, though they note no specific threats against US citizens in the country.)
Head to the Beach
While Cartagena has miles of coastline right within town, each morning a fleet of boats departs from the bay taking groups of sun seekers to nearby coastal islands. On the tranquil Playa Blanca on Barú island the water is warm, clear, and has bright hues of blue and green gemstones. It gets bonus points for having fewer vendors along the beach than those within Cartagena city limits. Looking to do more than just lie on a beach? Spend half your day at Islas de Rosario, for dolphin sightings and an aquarium visit, and the other half basking in the sun on Playa Blanca.
Don't Miss: All operators more or less offer the same day-long jaunt to the islands, as well as optional lunch. Pay the full price to take the lunch, not just because food options are limited on the islands, but also because it means a full plate of fresh, authentic Colombian food.
Sleep Within the Walls
Inside the city walls in the town's center sits one of the most impressive buildings in Cartagena. A convent built in 1621, it has been converted and renovated over the last few centuries and it now operates as the luxury hotel Charleston Santa Clara Cartagena. The structure, painted in Caribbean hues of burnt orange and yellows, has more than 100 rooms and suites and offers guest sweeping views of the city and sea beyond.
Don't Miss: Perched on the colonial wall steps away from the hotel and overlooking the water is Cafe del Mar, the picture-perfect setting to catch the sunset with a cocktail.
Scope Out Some Colonial History
Cartagena's colonial history is still very present, particularly downtown and in the Getsemaní neighborhood. Castillo San Felipe de Barajasatop San Lázaro hill is the crown jewel of the city's network of colonial walls. The fortress was erected in the 1600s for the Spanish shipping out gold to defend against pirates and today is open to tourists.
Don't Miss: For those looking to learn more about the darker side of Cartagena's history, the Palacio de la Inquisicion, or Spanish Inquisition Palace, is where many were tried as well as tortured during the Spanish Inquisition. It now operates as museum.
Find the Day's Fresh Catch
In coastal Cartagena, fresh fish dishes (like ceviche) figure prominently on most menus. The food is often light (to help combat sweltering temperatures) with bold Caribbean flavors. Porton de San Sebastian(Centro Calle 2 Santo Domingo #3-63), with its exposed brick, arched entryways, courtyard seating, and soft white walls is one of the most romantic spots in the city. Donde Socorro (Cl 25 8 B-34 Calle Larga) in Getsemaní is pricier than Cartagena's average eateries, but it's considered one of the best restaurants in the city, serving mouthwatering (and generous) seafood dishes in a relaxed atmosphere.
Don't Miss: If you want a quick bite to tide you over before the late dinner hour—most people start heading out to eat around 8 pm—stop at a local bakery or trustworthy-looking food cart to taste the Colombian coastal version of the arepa, which is palm-sized and made with yellow corn dough, then deep fried with an egg inside.
Salsa the Night Away
Salsa is the sound and dance of Colombia and in Cartagena it is how everyone whiles away the nighttime hours. Cafe Havanna is the hottest spot in town starting on Thursday nights and through the weekend. A live band on stage keeps the couples dancing, and though the place has a classic dance hall feel, people of all ages queue outside to enter and crowd the floor.
Don't Miss: For a somewhat less active night, Donde Fidel, situated off the main plaza within the walled city center, is a laid-back bar with rows of tables outside and a few inside. Sip a cold beer, people watch, and chat over salsa music that plays across the plaza.
Shop for Stones and Suits
Colombia is known for precious goods, and notably emeralds. Jewelry workshops and manufacturers run storefronts and showrooms throughout the city and sell both unpolished and polished emeralds.Lucy Jewelry in particular is a reputable, popular option for jewel buying. Wherever you buy, be sure to ask to see a certificate of authenticity.
Don't Miss: This is a beach city, so once you tire of perusing the cuts and colors of beautiful stone after beautiful stone but still want to shop, check out the many beach and swimwear boutiques in the city. Bettina Spitz is a go-to for bright, colorful bikinis that fill Colombia's beaches.
Photo credits: Baru Island via Shutterstock; Charleston Santa Clara Cartagena courtesy of Charleston Santa Clara Cartagena; Castillo San Felipe de Barajas via Shutterstock; Cartagena restaurant via iStockPhoto; Lucy Jewelry courtesy of Lucy Jewelry
Look Inside: Emirates Airlines' First Classes
As if chauffeured airport transfers, free-flowing Champagne, and Bvlgari amenity kits aren't enough, my flight attendant asks "Miss, may I bring you a mattress?" as I electronically recline my seat to a lie-flat position. Curious what it's like to fly up front in one of the world's most posh airlines, I took off on a 15-hour, nonstop journey from Seattle to Dubai in search of airline enlightenment. Flying over sunsets and across time zones I found it, arriving relaxed and rested (partly thanks to my digital, in-flight masseuse). Welcome to luxury—make that Emirates luxury—at 37,000ft.
We know, testing mattress-covered seat-beds and gourmet fare cruising above cloud nine is a tough job. But in the name of research, here's a look inside what one (us) might call the Benz of globe-trotting, the Maybach of jet-setting, or, perhaps, the Aston Martin of gallivanting.
Getting settled in seat 9D is anything but daunting. Seconds after sitting, a silver tray of Moet & Chandon flutes is before me. As coach passengers walk by, I feel sheepish sipping bubbly in my petite pod, but realize that Emirates 'back of the bus' seats are akin to most North American airlines' domestic upper class. (This justification helped me sleep.)
Once in the air, part one of a six-course meal service began. Before sipping more Champagne—when in Rome—I nibble on fresh greens topped with feta and cucumber, and savor roast tomato and thyme soup before my second course arrives; a hearty chicken korma. It pains me to dodge dessert, but the lure of sleep persuades me to skip the sugar. My attempts are valiant, but when a box of Godiva chocolate arrives on my tray, I stay awake for the indulgence. I find solace in my 17" screen for the next few hours—Tetris anyone?
In a head-bobbing haze, I finally recline my seat all the way—78 inches to be exact—at which point I'm given a spongy mattress to go between my fleecy duvet and my seat. By now, I should have known a mattress would magically appear, but other upper class experiences I've had in the past failed to pave the way for this kind of comfort. Nodding off, I look up and spot the Big Dipper. Huh? Yes, the ultra long-range Boeing 777 ceiling twinkles like a planetarium. Nighty night.
Thirteen hours into the 15-hour flight, I wake-up to the smell of warming croissants. One by one everyone around me attempts to open their eyes with a jolt of coffee (delivered by way of silver carafes, of course). At this moment, the concept of morning and night hovers in Middle Earth-territory, so I trust the luxury airliner employs some sort of timezone expert to program optimal awake-versus-asleep transition time for a smooth arrival.
Wooed by the smell of croissants in the early morning, I forego the mushroom omelet in favor of two flaky, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth pastries to which I add strawberry jam and an extra dose of butter. Calories fall off in the sky, right?
My hair in an awkward I've-just-been-sleeping bun, and my face not even close to people-ready, I scurry to the lavatory to try and emulate the look of my picture-perfect, Emirates flight attendant. After freshening up, I drop Visine into my eyes, and apply moisturizer, rose blush, and red lipstick, followed by an attempt to coif my hairdo into something presentable. Mission accomplished, kind of.
Traveling nearly 7,500 miles across the world, I concede that part of me would prefer to continue my sejour in the sky, an experience which could only be enhanced by an in-flight infinity pool or eucalyptus steam. Currently, I'm not aware of any airliner with these resort-like features, yet I wouldn't be surprised if Emirates—born in Dubai, a land that turns impossible upside down—is the first to introduce them.
Want to try your hand at sky-high luxury? Emirates nonstop flights to Dubai take off from the following North American gateways: Toronto, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, New York, and Washington, DC.
Photo credits: All photos courtesy of Trish Friesen
9 Most-Anticipated Hotel Openings in 2013
When January 1 rolled over so did the anticipation for a crop of new hotels opening this year, from the third location of a boutique hotel in Middle America and a micro hotel in Vegas to a funky Palm Springs property and the glam Four Seasons St. Petersburg inside a former palace.
Mukul Luxury Resort & Spa
Rivas, Nicaragua
Opening Date: February 2013
Details: Enough with the rustic eco-lodges. Soon travelers to Nicaragua will have a premium option: the country's first boutique hotel, with a dozen beachfront villas. Mukal Resort, along Nicaragua's Emerald Coast, will have all the bells and whistles of luxury lodging, including a spa (where all massage treatments use a locally grown blend of organic therapeutic herbs and plants) that includes a hammam, "healing hut," rainforest setting, and a two-story crystal casita (with crystal singing bowls and a gemstone bath). Lodging is in beach villas with chandeliers crafted from mussel shells, or private homes or the penultimate: a 20,000-square-foot oceanfront compound (Casona Don Carlos).
21C
Bentonville, Arkansas
Opening Date: February 2013
Details: Bentonville, Arkansas' namesake used to be as merely Wal-Mart's headquarters. Last fall, when Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opened (founded by Alice Walton, heiress to the Wal-Mart fortune as the daughter of Sam Walton), art lovers began traveling to this town of just 35,000 people. 21C—with hotels already in Cincinnati and Louisville—grabs a piece of the action with this 104-room hotel in downtown Bentonville that's got contemporary-art galleries, The Hive (for "refined country cooking") and rental bicycles.
Nobu Hotel at Caesar's Palace
Las Vegas
Opening Date: February 2013
Details: A rare example of a small hotel in Sin City, Nobu Hotel at Caesar's Palace is right in the thick of the action along Las Vegas Boulevard. Yep, the 181-room hotel (within Caesar's Palace's former Centurion Tower) is named for the well-liked Nobu restaurants in many cities, and is another of Academy Award winning actor Robert DeNiro's projects with the design by David Rockwell. In fact, the world's largest Nobu restaurant will be in the hotel: the 12,000-square-foot NobuStyle with ornate, colorful decorations, and food by Chef Nobu Matsuhisa. PURE Nightclub, also on property, means you don't have to leave the hotel to party. Qua Baths & Spa and Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis help you wind down from the fast-paced action.
Sparrows Hotel
Palm Springs, California
Opening: Spring/Summer 2013
Details: Where else but Palm Springs to open this high-design, minimalist hotel with a barn-chic vibe? As Josie Smith tells it, she and her husband—seasoned hotelier and architect Doug Smith, who opened Palm Springs' korakia pensione—missed the States so much while living in Europe that they packed their bags and returned to their former Palm Springs zip code. News about Sparrows Hotel is still being dished out, but we do know that it will have 19 rooms, is the former 1950s El Rancho Lodge, and tennis courts (with retro wooden rackets) will be on site to help you de-stress.
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort & Spa
Wailea, Maui, Hawaii
Opening: Summer 2013
Details: Imagine 15 acres of pure luxury at the 290-room Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort & Spa along Mokapu Beach. Guests get a private lanai in their rooms to watch the sunset, views of the ocean and gardens even from the bathroom, and on-property amenities like four infinity pools, a spa and a restaurant with celebrity chef Masaharu Morimoto at the helm. (Plus, there is a 24-hour market stocked with Hawaiian foods in case you have a craving for, say, local macadamia nuts.)
B Resort Lake Buena Vista
Orlando, Florida
Opening: Fall 2013
Details: Disney isn't just for adults, of course, and at last there will be a stylish, boutique hotel just for non-pint size travelers. B Resort Lake Buena Vista is a sibling of B hotels in Fort Lauderdale, downtown Miami, and South Beach. This pearl-white high-rise hotel is a very hooked-up property: guests not only have access to free WiFi but courtesy guest iPads too. Green initiatives that protect the environment and personalized spa treatments are two more aspects that bring a new feel to a Disney-area hotel.
The Sanchaya
Bintan, Indonesia
Opening: June 2013
Details: This luxury beachfront property on the island of Bintan (a 45-minute ferry ride from Singapore's Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal)—The Sanchaya—straddles old and new with check-ins via iPad and the gift of a diary to every guest to help document their spiritual journeys. On site is a spa with six treatment rooms and treatments using local healing plants, 19 villas, and nine suites (each with verandas, fridges stocked with wines and South Asian art/furnishings) and nearby, and artisan cheeses sliced at the Guest House daily.
Four Seasons St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Russia
Opening: Mid-2013
Details: Within a 19th Century royal palace, the 177-room (plus 26 suites) Four Seasons St. Petersburg in the city's Admiralteysky district will no doubt become its own attraction, although it is also convenient to the Hermitage Museum (two blocks away), Mariinsky Theatre, and Nevsky Prospekt. Many rooms offer views of Saint Isaac's Cathedral, Aleksandrovsky Garden and Admiralty; the glass-ceiling four-level spa (with a Russian steam room), tea lounge in a courtyard, and two glam restaurants (one touting contemporary Japanese cuisine) ensure this will be Russia's most lavish newcomer this year.
Edition London
London, England
Opening: Late spring/early summer 2013
Details: Ian Schrager's Edition hotels have made quite the splash in many cities—Istanbul and Waikiki Beach (now Modern Honolulu); with more planned for Miami Beach, Bangkok, and New York City—and at last one is coming to London. Hovering at around 200 rooms, it will be inside the former Berners Hotel just off Oxford Street near London's hip West End. More details will be revealed this year but one fact is for certain: this hotel is going to unleash high design from every nook and cranny.
Photo credits: Mukul Luxury Resort and Spa courtesy of Mukul Luxury Resort and Spa; Nobu Tower at Caesar's Palace courtesy of Caesar's Palace Las Vegas; Andaz Maui courtesy of Andaz; The Sanchaya courtesy of The Sanchaya; Edition Istanbul lobby courtesy of Edition Hotels
5 Reasons to Visit Asheville Now
The small city of Asheville, North Carolina, may never be the "next big thing," but right now it's that really cool city you haven't been to yet. It's one of America's top beer destinations (known for stellar microbreweries) with a buzzing culinary scene to boot. Also, it's cradled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, making any outdoor enthusiast happy to don their hiking boots. There's no denying Asheville has heaps of character and charm. Throw in 24 vortexes, weekly public festivals, rich history with the Vanderbilts, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and even (gasp!) ghosts, and you've got yourself a city worth returning to. This modest city packs a lot of punch, and visitors are putting Asheville on their radar. We highlighted five reasons to go to Asheville now.
Grove Park Inn Celebrates 100 Years
History can be found at Grove Park Inn, open since 1913 and the summer home for F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1935 and 1936. The inn sits on a hilltop that looks over downtown Asheville and the mountains (best view yet) and the history is preserved in the main building where original furnishings and antique pieces can be found. Check into the subterranean, award-winning spa, where you can get your aura photographed before and after a massage or body treatment.
Grove Park Inn is celebrating its 100th anniversary all year long, kicked off with a $25 million renovation. Noteworthy events and features include the Jazz Weekend in January with Pat Metheny, retro-inspired menus created from the inn's original 1913 courses in the restaurants, and anyone celebrating their 100th birthday in 2013 gets free accommodation and dining.
Insider's Tip: Ghost hunters will want to check into floor 3 and 5, allegedly haunted by the "Pink Lady."
Curate's Culinary Buzz
It's not all farm-to-table, Southern fare down in this mountain city (although that's a big part of the culinary scene). Curate, a new tapas restaurant opened in 2011 by executive chef Katie Button, a James Beard semi-finalist who trained at the former best restaurant in the world: elBuli. She also worked with renowned Spanish chef Jose Andresat The Bazaar in Los Angeles and Rene Redzepi at noma in Copenhagen (currently touted as the best restaurant in the world). Curate blends Spanish food and wine with local, fresh ingredients.
Insider's Tip: The jamon Iberico is shipped directly from Spain... it's the first thing you should order.
Oskar Blues Finally Opens
Asheville's already well-known microbrewery scene just got a notch cooler on December 31, 2012, when Oskar Blues Brewery opened its first East coast outpost in Brevard, just 45-minutes outside Asheville. Tucked away in the mountains near Pisgah National Forest, Oskar Blues is destined to be a top spot for local beer lovers. The brand is famous for inventing craft beer in a can, leads an outdoors, hip-factor "lifestyle" for devout followers, and the great tasting brew pretty much speaks for itself. There's free weekend trolley service between the brewery and Asheville.
Insider's Tip: Oskar Blues is one of three big national craft breweries making a "beer" splash. Sierra Nevada will open this year, and New Belgium will open in 2014.
More Budget-Friendly Hotels
Thankfully, Asheville won't blow a hole in your wallet and neither will the new crop of budget-friendly hotels. Opened in 2009, Intercontinental'sHotel Indigo Asheville offers 116 rooms (starting at $155) with complimentary parking, WiFi, and business center and all rooms carry Aveda amenities. The new Not All Business package brings the local Asheville flavor to all guests who don't have the time to explore the culinary scene. Opened in 2011, the Grand Bohemian Asheville is literally across the street from the Biltmore Estate. There are 104 well-appointed rooms, several with balconies, with hand-carved furniture, soaking baths, and rustic accents. Rooms start from $169. Starwood opened Aloft Asheville last fall, which brings contemporary flair to the downtown hotel scene with rooms starting at $107.
Insider's Tip: All hotels are pet-friendly, embracing Asheville's love for animals!
Biltmore is Free for Kids
The grandaddy of all tourist sites in Asheville, the Biltmore Estate is a must when visiting the city. Built by George Vanderbilt and opened in 1895, it sprawls a whopping 8,000 acres (it takes about fifteen minutes to drive from the entrance to the actual parking lot next to the Biltmore House). Expect lavish, over-the-top-designed bedrooms, lounges, and an extensive basement. And from now until March 20, 2013, children ages 16 and younger get in for free! Adults also receive a complimentary audio guide with their ticket during the off-peak months.
Insider's Tip: Tons of activities are offered at Biltmore (beyond the tour) including fly fishing, bike rentals, horseback riding, and more.
Jimmy Im is a freelance travel writer based in NYC. He's hosted programs on the Travel Channel and LOGO, and makes regular appearances on morning news shows as a "travel expert." He teaches travel writing courses and is also cofounder of OutEscapes.com. Follow him on Twitter: @dieselmad.
Photo Credits: Grove Park Inn: The Grove Park Inn; Curate: Heirloom Hospitality Group, LLC; Oskar Blues Brewery: Capturing WNC Photography/Oskar Blues Brewery; Aloft Asheville: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.; Biltmore Estate: Caroline Klapper/iStockphoto
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