Turkey is anything but new. Peppered with Biblical ruins and Roman cities, home to some of the world’s finest beaches and the only metropolis to span two continents, Turkey has been ‘on the map’ practically since maps were invented. And yet, this vast and diverse country offers no end of surprises. Aida Tours is one great way to find them. (more…)
Lessons in Turkish Delights
Monday, July 30th, 2012Lessons in Relaxing Responsibly
Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
A fine finger dipped into the Atlantic and Caribbean, Punta Cana has been a storied vacation spot since the 1970s, and is today among the most exclusive resort destinations in the northern Caribbean. Of all the many resorts and hotels dotting the coast, the Puntacana Resort & Club, one of the first developed here, remains the standard-bearer. (more…)
Heard on the Plane: Sikkim with Shakti Himalaya
Monday, March 5th, 2012
The United States may have been founded as an anti-royalist state, but that has never much diminished our national infatuation with royalty. We wake early for royal weddings in England, and refer to the families of great politicians and industrialists as “American Royalty.” Kennedy and Carnegie, Dupont and Rockefeller – these are our benighted American aristocracy, our substitutes for the romance and glamor of the real thing. But every so often an American lives the dream that so many of us harbor (if a bit guiltily), stepping beyond the limits of New World egalitarianism and into the bejeweled life of royalty. Hope Cooke, the former Queen of the Kingdom of Sikkim, did just that. (more…)
Lessons in Luxury, Dominican Style
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Hispaniola, in the present day Dominican Republic. It’s no wonder he came back the New World two more times: he had found paradise. This island nation – the second largest in the Caribbean by area, population and economy – boasts the region’s highest mountain, its largest lake – and one of its most exclusive resort communities: Tortuga Bay. (more…)
Lessons in Superlative Foods and Landscapes
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
High in the foothills of the Himalayas, guests at Shakti 360 Leti are sheltered from the chill mountain air by high windows and stacked stone walls. The smells of pine and a wood-burning fire mingle with turmeric, ginger and coriander – the scents of a world-class Indian kitchen tucked away in the Himalayan wilderness. (more…)
Voices from our travels: Putre, Chile
Tuesday, August 16th, 2011
While looking out over a massive mineral deposit – a scarred gorge that looks like it has been eaten out of the arid Andean altiplano by acid or a particularly virile species of termite – you will notice one thing above all else: silence. You were brought here by Justino Jiron who found this place some years ago while exploring new tracks through the virtually inaccessible back country of Vicuña National Reserve, one of three marvelous parks contained in the UNESCO (more…)
Lessons in a Land Frozen in Time
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
As things heat up across the Indo-Gangetic plain, and the monsoon sweeps across the subcontinent, bathing the great, thirsty metropolises of India, the high plains and impossible peaks of the world’s highest mountain range finally open to the world. Shakti Himalaya’s Tours guides visitors through the high altitude desert of Ladakh, home to breathtaking scenery and a perfectly preserved outpost of Indo-Tibetan culture. (more…)
Lessons in Adventuring in Style
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
All-inclusive resorts are made for unwinding in luxury. Spas, restaurants, beaches, beautifully appointed facilities, attentive staff, and privacy are the calling cards of such resorts world over. The Grand Velas Riviera Maya offers all of these features in spades as well as easy access to some of Mexico’s most magnificent archaeological and ecological attractions for those who want a little adventure along with their relaxation. (more…)
Lessons in Hawaii on the Go
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
Sullivan Estate on Oahu’s famous North Shore offers all the privacy and amenities of a personal estate, with the added benefits of a state-of-the-art spa facility, gyms, yoga rooms, acres of manicured gardens, a movie theater, and a full staff to see to your every need. Bookable exclusively for private parties and for as little as one day, the Sullivan Estate and Spa can be yours and only yours for as much or little time as you require. (more…)
Lessons in Old World Cures
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010
For centuries the lakes of Europe have served as therapeutic retreats for artists and aristocrats of all stripes. Today is no different. Lefay Resort and Spa on the shores of Lake Garda, and Gut Klostermühle on Lake Madlitz not far from Berlin, provide salutary pastoral retreats from their nearby cities of Milan and Berlin in the same swaths of countryside that have long inspired poetry, music and awe in visitors from around the world. (more…)