Wanderlust – Riviera Maya, Mexico
In the recent winter weeks, the editorial team has been busy researching and writing our Mexico hotel content. With most of our days spent poring over hotel websites, studying the white sandy beaches, palm trees, and blue waters, it was time to treat ourselves to our own Riviera Maya Mexican vacation.
While our friends in New York experienced yet another blizzard, Erika and I headed down to Grand Velas All Suites Resort and Spa, ten minutes north of Playa del Carmen. In just three hours, we had traded our bulky coats and winter boots for bikinis and flip-flops. Every time I fly to the Cancun area, I think to myself, “This is so easy, why don’t I do this more often?”
When we landed, there was a shuttle waiting to take us to the resort, which was less than an hour from the airport. For those of you who have never been (especially if you are planning your own jaunt and are deciding on a resort) it’s worth noting that all the Riviera Maya hotels line the main road, which follows the coastline to Tulum. These resorts are set far back from the road on acres and acres of mangroves, so you really don’t have a sense of either the neighboring properties or the road’s traffic. This held true at Grand Velas.
Once we turned into the gates, it was nearly five minutes of driving through the lush greenery before we pulled up in front of the Grand Class section of the resort. To say this resort is massive is an understatement. Three separate accommodations (complete with separate pools and restaurants) comprise Grand Velas’ 205 acres. Erika and I stayed at Grand Class, the adults-only area, and arguably the most luxurious, but it was a quick and easy walk along the beachfront to Ambassador, the section geared to families that had our favorite breakfast spot (the selection of fresh squeezed juices was to die for!). It was also just a three-minute ride on one of the shuttle buses to Master Section, also called Zen Ambience, which houses the hotel’s enormous convention center. Although I like to have the beachfront and center at all times, this area’s jungle setting is a great alternative for families who want to experience the Yucatan’s cenotes and natural beauty. Plus, it makes it easier on business travelers when they aren’t continuously taunted by the lapping surf. The pièce de résistance at Master Section is the spa, but in my opinion, it really deserves its own dedicated post, so make sure to check back for more soon.
The delicious fresh-squeezed juices at the Ambassador
The Master Section pool
Breaking Deals To Riviera Maya
Mexico videos – Arriba!
Wanderlust – St. Maarten
Our VP of Marketing, Libbie Rice, recently took a trip to St. Maarten over the holidays. She shares with us her favorite rainy day activity and some memorable food finds.
A week in St. Maarten between Christmas and New Years was the perfect way to decompress after frantically trying to cram in holiday visits to both sides of the family (who happen to live on opposite coasts) with two preschoolers in tow. I was exhausted by the time we landed in St. Maarten.
The Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort & Spa was exactly as the pictures displayed, and had all the high-end amenities one expects of the Westin brand. The enormous pool was loved by all, and two huge children’s pools could be easily monitored from a lounge chair.
We did several day trips that were worthwhile. The first was spending a drizzly afternoon at the famous Airport Beach (where the incoming aircraft buzz right overhead before touching down on the runway across the road). The first couple of planes were small ones from neighboring islands, but then suddenly an American Airlines 757 was descending upon us. My son jumped up and waved it in, and after that the fun began. Most of the U.S. and European arrivals are between noon and 3 p.m.—the highlight is the Air France arrival, which, depending on the day, is a gigantic 747. But the even crazier thing is to witness a take off. The plane’s tail faces directly back towards the beach and people stand behind it waiting to be blown over into the water (and pelted by sand) from the engines. Conveniently there are bars on either side of the small beach to pass the time while watching the planes land and take off.
On a better weather day, we took a day trip to Anguilla to visit some friends. It’s a short 20-minute ferry ride from Margot (be sure to arrive with 15 minutes to spare to pay the local departure tax and clear through passport control). It’s also possible to visit St. Bart’s for the day, but we decided to save it for another trip.
We had some wonderful gastronomical adventures in St. Maarten—not surprisingly, they were on the French side of the island. Just down the street from the Westin Hotel is the “border,” and suddenly the food choices change. One of our favorites for a quick bite (especially with hungry children) was Mama’s Pizza on the main road in Oyster Pond.
But the hidden find was the town of Grand Case—about a 20-30 minute drive from the Westin. The town consists of a strip of hip restaurants and bars. We went with a friend’s recommendation and ate at Le Cottage. The food and service made us feel like we’d been whisked away to France for the night. We were the only Americans in sight. Our children decided to put away all their preconceived notions of “yucky” food and tried everything. My son declared that the lobster bisque was heavenly and swore that he would start eating salad if I could make it the French way.
It was sad to leave paradise for snowy New York, but we know we’ll be back again soon. There are nonstop flights from New York (and other East Coast cities), so it’s an easy destination for a long weekend. –Libbie Rice
What We’re Watching
Here are our Top 10 Programs of the week:
1. Best Tressed – Devachan Spa, SoHo
2. Style Icon – Nicole Miller, Midtown
3. Haute Chocolate – MarieBelle, SoHo
4. The Art of the Cigar – Graycliff Cigar Company, Bahamas
5. Village Underground – Hotel Griffou, New York City
6. Aruba on Horseback – Rancho Notorious, Aruba
7. Bermuda En Vogue – Cecile, Bermuda
8. Panama Hats – El Galpon Shop, Puerto Rico
9. Island Indulgence – Elbow Beach Spa, Bermuda
10. Mountain Majesty – Jade Mountain, St. Lucia
Click on Voyage.tv to see more of our exciting programming.
Breaking Deals To Bermuda
Looking for an easy getaway with great off-season value? Bermuda has it, with less than two hours flying time from the East Coast. A combination of British country charm with tropical palm trees and blue waters, Bermuda is a great getaway for a long weekend of golf, tennis, spa treatments or long walks on its famed pink sand beaches. Weather is mild this time of the year, with daytime temps in the 60s to 70s—a bit like Hilton Head, Kiawah Island or North Florida. Golf tee times and spa appointments are easier to come by now than in the peak summer months, and cool evenings are warmed up with a little pub crawl to the English-style pubs such as the Swizzle Inn, the Hog Penny or Henry VIII. To extend your weekend getaway, the deluxe Fairmont Southampton is offering a 4th night free now through March 31. The Fairmont is a full-service resort with great dining options, an 18-hole golf course and the beautiful Willow Stream Spa with a glass-enclosed swimming pool and sun deck. Check out Voyage.tv for great package deals with airfare on American, JetBlue and Delta airlines from nationwide gateways.
Wanderlust – Cape Town, South Africa
Photo by Edith Mehiel
Voyage.tv brings together travel enthusiasts from all walks of life, not just our viewers, but also all of us employees. I work in the Editorial Department writing articles about all the fabulous hotels and unique places that we cover, so hopping on a plane is just another day in the office!
Over the New Year holiday I spent two weeks with my family in South Africa, first in Cape Town before making our way to The Bush. We flew business class on South African Airlines. This was a delight for those of us in rows one through four, but a bit less so for those in rows 15 and 16 (on airlines where the business class is separated into two sections, always opt for the front of the plane. It’s serviced by a dedicated galley, so there’s no heavy foot traffic to the back of the plane, and the temperature control is separated from coach, so you won’t be freezing with the masses).
We stayed at the gorgeous Cape Grace hotel in Cape Town, right in the marina, where the sea lions tanning on the docks were our first animal sighting. We only had a few days, but covered a lot of ground renting a car (mostly stick shifts, and left lane oriented). A drive down the west coast to Cape Point for a hike and back up the east coast was a great day trip. (Watch out for hungry baboons along the way!) Heading out to the wineries is another day well spent – we visited the Spier Wine Estate, which has not only a grand property but also an incredible cheetah rescue project (you can pet cheetah cubs!), an eagle rescue project, and a gorgeous restaurant serving authentic South African meats, stews, vegetables, and fish in a really magical outdoor setting (picture richly draped tents, fire pits, romantic tree houses and live music).
On our final day in Cape Town day we hiked Table Mountain, an incredible rock formation that towers over the coastal city. As the name suggests, the top is flat, but getting up there is pretty steep. There’s a cable car that runs up and down, as well as a multitude of hiking trails with varying degrees of intensity, and each requiring different amounts of time. We opted for a two-hour, near-vertical ascent that definitely had us winded, but left us with an incredible feeling of accomplishment. The views were spectacular, the flora on the way up was almost Seussian (maybe it was the endorphins), and the ride back down in the cable car was well earned! I’ll get into the Bush in my next post. Bon Voyage! –Erika Mehiel
What We’re Watching
Here are our Top 10 Programs of the week:
1. Rainforest Adventure – El Yunque National Rainforest, Puerto Rico
2. Panama Hats – El Galpon Shop, Puerto Rico
3. Savor Old San Juan – San Juan, Puerto Rico
4. Best Tressed – Devachan Salon and Departure Lounge, New York City
5. Jamaican Sundown – Rick’s Cafe in Negril, Jamaica
6. Aruba on Horseback – Rancho Notorious, Aruba
7. Village Underground – Hotel Griffou, New York City
8. Relax Roman Style – Qua Baths & Spa at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
9. Inner Glow – Julian Wright Skin Spa, New York City
10. Grade A Gourmet – Harry’s at the Waterfront, Bermuda
Click on Voyage.tv to see more of our exciting programming.
Wanderlust – Sankt Anton, Austria
Michael McNabb, CEO of Voyage, has just returned from his winter holiday at his favorite European ski resort. He gives us the lowdown on what makes St. Anton the place he comes back to year after year.
Sankt Anton am Arlberg is a village in Tyrol, western Austria, with a population of 2,800 in the summer and around 20,000 in the winter. The dramatic influx of residents is due to St. Anton’s prominence as a ski resort.
Few mountains in the world can match this place when it comes to expert terrain, off-piste, and trail variety. This resort has trails facing every exposure of the compass, allowing skiers to chase the sun for the entire day and never see a shadow. Cruisers delight in the over 4,000 feet plus of vertical on numerous top-to-bottom runs, and an ultra modern lift system has eliminated most of the lines for which the resort used to be notorious.
St. Anton is part of the Arlberg alliance of ski resorts — a region that includes the ski areas of St. Anton, Lech, Stuben and St. Christoph. In all, there are more than 82 cable cars and ski lifts, 160 miles of groomed paths and 114 miles of deep-snow runs. Expert terrain includes less frequently groomed ski runs such as Schindlerkar and Mattun, and the backside of Valluga (2,811 m) down to Zürs, which is for experts and then only if accompanied by a guide. The overall area measures 50km² – think Whistler or Vail and then multiply it by two.
Skiing has a long history in this village; even before World War I, the first skiing teachers were employed at St. Anton, home of the world’s first ski school. Further contributing to the reputation that the region enjoys today as a winter sports centre was the Arlberg Ski School founded by Hannes Schneider after WW II. Schneider was one of the foremost figures in the early days of skiing and developer of the “Arlberg Method” — the first uniform method of ski instruction. Legend has it that one day, Schneider, after taking a couple of particularly nasty falls, finished the rest of his run in a deep crouch. This, of course, had the effect of lowering his center of gravity, and no more falls resulted. He tried the crouch again the next day, and this time discovered what was apparently a new way to turn.
Needless to say, this resort is not a quiet place. It boasts a bustling nightlife and is a meeting place for some of the greatest skiers on the planet. (Austria’s national ski team trains on the slopes of St. Christoph.) Most of them can be found at the Mooserwit located a few hundred feet off the main run. It packs in hundreds of skiers and snowboarders drinking beer and schnapps. The music is Euro remixes and dance tracks. One of my Austrian friends remarked that Mooserwit is one of the top 100 businesses in the country. That doesn’t say much about Austria, but it does give you a sense of scale. The fun doesn’t stop at Mooserwit. There is the Krazy Kangaroo, Scottys, Underground, Amadeus, and many more.
The role Apres Ski plays in St. Anton is illustrated by the advertisements for Billy Boy condoms, lingerie and JagerMeister (the local alcohol of choice), which line the trams and gondolas. There is a certain cohesiveness here. And the three advertisements juxtaposed next to each other do kind of set the mood.
There are a number of lodging options from very upscale hotels to more modest family owned hotels. At Christmas we stayed at the Hotel Parseierblick, a traditional Austrian ski lodge run by Lilo Strolz. The accommodations were clean and cheerful and the Hotel Parseierblick is located about 30 feet from one of the new high-speed gondolas, so it was very convenient. The real benefit, however, was the Strolz family. They were warm and extremely hospitable and made us feel very much a part of St. Anton. –MJM
What We’re Watching
Here are our Top 10 Programs of the week:
1. Savor Old San Juan – Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
2. Panama Hats – El Gapon Shop, Puerto Rico
3. Spa and Sea – The Caves Spa in Jamaica
4. Jamaican Sundown – Rick’s Cafe in Negril
5. Aruba on Horseback – Rancho Notorious, Aruba
6. The Art of the Cigar – Graycliff Cigar Company, Bahamas
7. Village Underground – Hotel Griffou, New York City
8. Tuscan Market – Salumeria Rosi, New York City
9. Bermuda En Vogue – Cecile, Bermuda
10. Island Indulgence – Elbow Beach Spa, Bermuda
Click on Voyage.tv to see more of our exciting programming.
What We’re Watching
Here are our Top 10 Programs of the week:
1. Rainforest Adventure – El Yunque, Puerto Rico
2. Spa and Sea – The Caves Spa in Jamaica
3. Swim with the Fishes – DePalm Island, Aruba
4. Panama Hats – El Gapon Shop, Puerto Rico
5. A Taste of Jamaica – Bellefield Great House, Jamaica
6. Jamaican Sundown – Rick’s Cafe in Negril
7. Savor Old San Juan – Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
8. Join in the Junkanoo – Junkanoo Carnival, The Bahamas
9. Scent of a Woman – Bermuda Perfumery, Bermuda
10. Two if by Sea – High Seas Private Excursion, The Bahamas
Click on Voyage.tv to see more of our exciting programming.
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