El Morro Graveyard

Puerto Rico is an easy destination to get to from the eastern U.S. (where I live). The flights are cheap, and the island is an American protectorate, so there’s no need for a passport or to exchange your U.S. dollars.

I spent six days at the Hotel El San Juan in, of course, San Juan. The Hotel El San Juan is only a few minutes from the airport and a taxi ride is relatively inexpensive. The Hotel itself has a small casino and night club off the main lobby. I spent one night watching people at the craps table and couldn’t help feeling that it was a game in which four guys in dark jackets (one with a stick) just took people’s money. I completely do not understand the game!

Caribbean on Sale: Save up to 35% on hotels in Puerto Rico! – Expires 3/30/09

The pools are wonderful, with swim up bars and ample room to take in the sun. It’s a nice location to visit when the temperature back home is hovering around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The best golf courses and beaches seem to be on the south side of the island.

I took a walking tour of old San Juan, and visited to the two Spanish forts. I walked back and forth throughout old San Juan, enjoying the scenery and the history. I also visited the cathedral of Old San Juan where De Soto is buried. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

When gauging relative expense, I like to compare the destination to New York (which is, I admit, expensive versus the rest of the U.S.). I noticed that gas prices were about the same as in New York (but sold in liters) and food prices were also about the same. A note on the food – it was fabulous! I would suggest that you eat some of the island cuisine. I actually went on a brief red-bean-and-rice survey, in which I ate them every night at different restaurants. Every restaurant had excellent red-beans-and-rice, but my favorite was at Pikayo restaurant which is located within the Puerto Rico Arts Museum.

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Hotel Del Coronado

In February, I stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado near San Diego California. Like the Jekyll Island Club, the Hotel Del (as it is called by the locals) is a historic landmark and worthy of the robber baron lifestyle. The hotel has been visited by ten U.S. presidents and numerous luminaries over the years including Marilyn Monroe, Charles Lindbergh, Babe Ruth and Charlie Chaplin. The Hotel Del also sports a colorful history including the ghost of Kate Morgan, who, according to Hotel Del legend, checked into the hotel on November 25, 1892 and never checked out. Interestingly, November 25th is our anniversary.

I stayed in an older room in the main building. It was nicely appointed with a high ceiling and a comfy bed. The bathroom was missing something important though – a bathtub – it only had a shower stall. The hallways of the Hotel Del have settled with age and are crooked, which is expected in a building over 100 years old. The Hotel Del has added Ocean Towers and California Cabanas down on the beach and adjacent to the main Victorian style building. The best thing about my stay was the weather, seventy degrees and sunny, while it was about five degrees and snowing back at home in New York.

The Hotel Del also has a full-service spa, although I didn’t take any treatments. The restaurants are wonderful, but pricey. In fact, the Hotel Del is quite pricey in general. I had to pay a “resort fee” (I think it was $29 per day, but I can’t remember exactly).

I was able to arrange a boat tour of the San Diego bay and it was quite interesting and informative.

The Hotel Del is situated on Coronado Island southwest of San Diego proper. The island itself is a very upscale community with the median house price above $1 million. It’s nice to walk around the island and see this beautiful community.

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Chateau Elan - Outside of Atlanta, GA USA

A French country chateau in north Georgia? “Sure, why the hell not,” thought an Irish pharmaceutical mogul. He combined his love of wine and his wife’s love of pampering and has come up with quite a place: Chateau Elan. Once you get over the pretentiousness and the out-of-place look of the buildings, you are in for a real treat.

The resort has an inn (well hardly an “inn” in common terms) – it’s got at least 200 rooms, and it is pretty standard hotel fare.

If you really want to be coddled, the place to stay is the spa. They have 14 themed rooms: country French, vintage, Bacchus, modern, hunter’s loft and several others. So far we have stayed in the country French and the vintage (note: Bacchus is the hardest to get hold of). The rooms are all decorated to give the feel of the name: frills in country French, neon and a vibrating Hammacher-Schlemmer chair in modern, lots of grape leaves in Bacchus. Each room has a unique bathroom: some have Jacuzzis, some giant soak tubs and some waterfall tubs. The bathrooms alone are worth the price! All rooms are very unique and romantic. Just take your pick of what setting you want.

The spa has a large indoor Jacuzzi, a small gym and a juice bar. The spa services are some of the most superior I have experienced – the attendants know their stuff. So if it’s a facial, a massage, or a salt rub, you’re in good hands (literally). And because Chateau Elan is a big conference/wedding center, staying in the spa really gives you an “away from it all” feel. The spa has a small restaurant, with healthy, low fat food – not very tasty or impressive.

There are also several restaurants in the main inn and one in the winery. All of these offer acceptable food, but you definitely will not be dazzled. Recreation includes several golf courses, an indoor and outdoor pool and a bar with several pool tables. You can take tours of the winery, and get samples. However, the chateau started out by making muscatine wine (the moonshine of wines). It is very sweet and, although they make a variety of other wines now, all of them seem to be on the sweet and fruity side. This is not a wine connoisseur’s paradise.

The inn will prepare picnic basket lunches complete with wine that you can take and sit at the edge of several lakes – very nice setting, although you will have people “playing through” sometimes! The staff is helpful and accommodating. Pampering is the watchword at the spa.

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The Jekyll Island Club

The names include J.P. Morgan, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller and Pulitzer… these families got together in 1886 and founded a hunting club on the Georgia’s faraway Jekyll Island. This club is the Jekyll Island Club, on of the most prominent resorts on the barrier islands around Georgia and South Carolina. In the late 1800’s the club was an exclusive retreat for the nation’s most moneyed families. It was home to one of the nation’s first transcontinental phone calls, the richest of bankers and industrialists and can taut guests including presidents and senators.

In 1986, the club was renovated and became a hotel and resort. The resort now has 157 rooms in three buildings, a grand dining room, a lending library and numerous indoor and outdoor activities year-round.

When we went to the Jekyll Island club, we stayed in the Annex building rather than the main building (the Club itself). The club boasts beautiful Victorian architecture including a huge flag-crested turret. In the Annex we had arguably the world’s largest whirlpool bath – it was at least six feet across and was ours exclusively. We also had a fireplace; however, as Juliana and I liked to joke long afterwards, “due to the historic nature of the property”, the attendant had to maintain the fire. The stay of course included many calls to the attendant to stoke the fire.

The property itself is exquisite. Close to area beaches, the resort offers many packages including winter and summer packages, family getaways, a culinary school and golfing vacations. For a weekend away from the grind, the Jekyll Island club provides millionaire surrounding to the rest of us.

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Villia La Massa

On the banks of the Arno River, Villa la Massa offers luxury that seems a world away from the city. Seems a world away, but the resort is actually on a few miles from the center of Florence. As one of the Leading Hotels of the World, this resort offers a country experience in the midst of one of Europe’s most romantic cities. Situated in the rolling Tuscan hills, the hotel offers beautiful views of the Arno and the surrounding villages. The villa dates back to the age of the Medici (16th century) and was turned into a hotel in 1948. The hotel has 37 guest rooms all recently redone in a elegant Tuscan style.

The dining experience is wonderful, with local dishes and regional specialties. They also have an extensive wine list.

The villa is surrounded by a peach and olive orchard and offers nice, relaxing walks through the property. The property also has a heated swimming pool.

When we went to Villa la Massa, we were supposed to stay in Venice for another two days, but decided to move on to Florence earlier because of the bad weather and service in Venice. Villa la Massa was an excellent choice. We spent an extra two days there, with sun reflecting off the winding river and peace and quiet. Even though it is close to the city center (and therefore close to the museums and sites of Florence), it seems like it is out in the Tuscan countryside. The pool was not open when we were there, because it is only open in the summer months. Although we didn’t have the kids with us, the Villa offers many opportunities for kids including nearby horseback riding, the pool and baby-sitting services.

The Villa is rather pricey, it is well worth the expense. For a relaxing time close to Florence, Villa la Massa is a great choice.

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The Pitons in St. Lucia

I have found paradise! Its name is Jalousie! In my travels so far I have found no getaway to compare. Jalousie is a fairly new resort created by Hilton hotels on the island of St. Lucia, in the West Indies. Now before I describe this heaven on earth I must let you know it does not come cheap. No, it’s pricey, but worth it.

The resort sits on what must be described as the best parcel of real estate on this already stunning island. Nestled between the twin “pitons”, mountains that rise directly from the ocean to a height of 4000 feet or so, on a quiet cove, Hilton has procured 400 acres of lush tropical land. The great house, modeled after an old sugar plantation houses the restaurants, a ballroom, and a conference room. Down the expansive lawn from the great house is the huge pool just steps from a white sandy beach, with restaurant/bar pavilion. The beach features thatched umbrellas to shade you from the strong St. Lucian sun. You can choose to swim in the soft Caribbean bay or the pool with the effort of a few steps. Or if you don’t feel like getting up at all you can have you lunch and drinks delivered to you at your seat. For those really active, there is a small water sports pavilion where you may indulge in sunfish sail boats, water-skiing, snorkeling and day and half day boat trips to other areas of the island. Also just a short ride from the resort is the islands volcano where you can view an impressive smoking crater. There are also trips to the regenerative sulfur springs and a gorgeous botanical garden filled with indigenous plants and cooling waterfalls.

Whether you choose to fill your day doing nothing or scouting the area an even bigger treat awaits you back at your “room”. Each accommodation is in a cottage complete with comfy beds with mosquito netting (not that you need it), terraces and your own plunge pool. The cottages come with an ocean view or a view of the amazing pitons. The rooms are set away from the great house up in the plush tropical hills and you are ferried around by small vans on demand, to the beach, great house, etc. The resort boasts several restaurants, one very upscale with good local and continental fare and one beach side, where the food is somewhat less than exemplary. Room service is 24 hours, a lovely perk for those late night munchies. I found the room service food far superior to the beach side restaurant.

This is not a place to dance ’til dawn, unless of course it is just you and your significant other. Most of the resort closes down by around nine and nighttime entertainment consists mainly of a game of pool or chess on the resorts huge outside chessboard. However as I said the booze and food can continue to come all night long with room service.

The resort also boasts a full service spa, offering massage, facials, scrubs, etc. and the service in the spa is impeccable, something I don’t often say of spas. The treatments I got at the Jalousie spa rival the ones I have gotten anywhere.

The staff is friendly and attentive, something often lacking unfortunately. Jalousie is the place to go if you want peace and quiet, unobtrusive service and the ultimate in pampering and despite the sticker shock, worth every penny.

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Castle on the Hudson - Tarrytown, NY

And now for somewhere closer to home – because you can’t always jet off to someplace far, far away. One of our favorite places for a weekend or just a quick overnight from the kids is the Castle on the Hudson. Aptly named, it is indeed a Castle on the Hudson. It sits high on a hill top and commands amazing views of the Hudson River valley. The older structure of the castle is medieval in style with Gothic windows and imposing turrets. The main building comes highly recommended for those who crave the kingly or queenly treatment. The suites in the main building are luxury at its finest. All are individually decorated and feature fireplaces and views of the river. These oversized suites command spaces of 700-900 square feet. All feature period antiques, marble bathrooms, TV, VCR, stereo, room service and turndown service. If advance notice is given, spa services are also available in room. The restaurant, Equus, features French-American cuisine, although if you have a hearty appetite you might choose another Tarrytown restaurant – Equus’ portions are small and focus more on presentation than anything else. The bar is cozy and a nice place to curl up with a before or after drink or tea. The decor throughout the hotel is impeccable creating a feeling, if only for the moment, that you are part of royal society (hey, it’s fun to play sometimes)

Outside, the castle is incomparable. The lawns and gardens are a sight to behold in spring, summer, and fall. The castle also features an outdoor pool (too cold for my tastes until about August), a whirlpool and a poolside bar. Also featured are a tennis court, jogging path and a Bocci court.

The hotel also has an annex building with which I have no experience, although I’m sure it is just as deluxe as the original castle. However, when given the choice to be treated like a queen, I will choose the tower anytime.

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Ciboney Jamaica

Jamaica is one of the most-traveled honeymoon islands in the Caribbean with tons of resorts, from small and intimate to places where the partying goes on ’til dawn. We chose something in between.

Ciboney (now, Sandals Jamaica) is about a forty minute bus ride from the Kingston airport and most airlines will fly direct from major US cities. My favorite airline to fly to the Caribbean is Air Jamaica. Now I know you may be wondering “who the hell is flying those planes?” But have no fear they have partnered with Delta and are extremely professional. And since they know most people are flying to either their honeymoon or anniversary they try to make the flight extra special. All their “lovebird” flights include free beer, wine and champagne (yummy), and they keep you entertained on even the shortest flights with videos, food and fashion shows.

On Arrival, you will be met at the airport and immediately handed a Red Stripe, the beer of Jamaica, then board a large greyhound sized bus for the ride to Ciboney. The roads are good for the most part, and the guides will point out places of interest along the way all the while continuing to ply you with Red Stripe. No worries – there will be a bathroom pit stop!

The resort sits up on a hill with breathtaking views of the Caribbean Sea. You will be ferried up to your villa in a golf cart and a porter will help you settle in. The villa will consist of four units in each building. There is a sitting room with decidedly uncomfortable rattan furniture (I guess they think you won’t spend too much time there) a full kitchen, fridge stocked with beer, wine, rum and juices and a bedroom with lovely louvered windows opening to the sweet smells of bougainvillea bushes. We were given the impression that our villa would also be stocked with snacks but that was unfortunately not the case, and a bit of a let down. There is a television in the sitting area with satellite TV should you want to watch sports or movies.

Behind the villa is a pool you will share with the other rooms in the villa. We lucked out in that there was only one other couple in our unit and they never seemed to use the pool. The resort is not directly on the ocean but they have rights to a beach at another resort just down the hill and a shuttle runs all day. The beach is small and fills up quickly. I found that a bit of a let down. They do have all of the requisite water sports available, wave runners, sailing, water-skiing, parasailing, diving etc. There are many wandering vendors on the beach, and you can get pretty much anything you want from them including the plant Jamaica is so well known for – ahem. The vendors can be quite pushy at times but usually a firm “no thank you” will work.

The resort is all-inclusive so your meals and drinks are covered. There are several restaurants which serve everything from traditional Jamaican fare to continental to burgers. I found the Jamaican patties addictive! Throughout the resort are paths that lead to several communal outdoor Jacuzzis, wonderfully refreshing after a walk.

The main house also has an impressive pool with waterfall and swim-up bar. The grounds are truly gorgeous but marred a bit by chain link fences with barbed wire at the top, giving the resort a bit of an “armed camp” feel. But since crime is a problem in Jamaica, I guess these measures are necessary.

The resort also boasts a spa. I found the spa lacking, the treatments seemed rushed and the spa therapists uninterested. In all I found the staff to be friendly but in a forced sort of way. The hospitality was a bit insincere.

All in all the price is right here, you get a lot for your money, but I had trouble getting over the fact that a lot of the smiling and “no problem mon” veiled a real dislike of visitor. To be fair, this is a very poor island and perhaps the attitude is understandable. There is much to see, from the gorgeous Blue Mountains that produce some of the world’s best coffee, to waterfalls and rivers. You can take jeep tours, horse back ride or just laze around in the sun. If it’s a good deal on luxury you are looking for Ciboney is for you!

A last word of warning: if you choose to indulge in the local “product”, DO NOT, repeat DO NOT, attempt to bring it back with you to the US – there will be dogs at the airport.

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Serondella Lodge - South Africa

Africa has long been to dream of adventurers and pioneers, still a place of mystery, of the unknown. Africa has always been a dream of mine, ever since I was a little girl watching national geographic specials, fantasizing of being Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey. When the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it, although I have to admit daunted by the fact that along with my husband and myself, we would take our four children: a twelve year old, our seven year old twins and our year-old baby.

Africa has many types of safari to offer. There are tented safaris, which move from place to place via small planes. There are private safaris where you set the agenda (again tented and with the use of small planes). There are lodges, both large and small. Each offers its own advantages. For example, if you have unlimited funds, you might choose a private safari, or even a tented safari; however, which with small children, I was hesitant to undertake either of these. We chose a small lodge, which can accommodate only eight people at a time.

Our lodge Serondella (which means “place of the elephant”) was perfect for us. At the time, we were there we were the only guests, securing attention unparalleled. We stayed in a family boma, a traditional round house with thatched roof. The three bedrooms were luxuriously appointed with comfortable beds, mosquito netting (a necessity), showers and a living area with a fireplace. There are no telephones or TVs neither of which were needed. We had a small terrace for sitting outside when the weather cooled a bit. We were awaked each morning by the barman at 5:30 am, with a tray of tea and biscuits, and then we were off on our morning game drive.

Our open land rover offered unparalleled views of the “Big 5″ – lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino”. In addition, we saw impala, zebra, giraffe, crocodiles, hippos, wild dog, baboons, and warthog. Our ranger Donny and tracker Thimba provided a wealth of knowledge on all these creatures and gave a running commentary on our rides. We even made a side trip to the Hoedsprit Cheetah Reserve, where these majestic animals are being kept in captivity for protection and breeding purposes.

Our afternoons were spent relaxing back at the lodge for cocktails and lounging by the pool. While exploring the property, we watched the verdant monkeys play in the trees throughout the grounds. High tea is served at 5 PM with all sorts of delicate pastries and sandwiches. Then it was off again for our evening drives where we often had “sundowners” surrounded by curious giraffe. Back at the lodge, we enjoyed gourmet cooking, either in the main lodge dining room or on the open deck. The lodge also has an open bar with extraordinary South African wine. The dinners consisted of traditional African fare mixed with western dishes. One special night we even had an outside barbeque complete with roaring fire.

Serondella is the experience of a lifetime. The staff caters to your every need, and they love kids! It is a long way from everything, but trust me when I say: the 27 hour flight is more than worth it. It will stay with you forever. After all, why go to Disney’s Animal Kingdom when you can see the real thing?

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Jaguar Reef Belize

Three words remote, remote, remote. If you really want to get away from it all, this is the place. But it takes travel, and if you don’t like little prop planes, bring a handful of Xanax (as I did) or forget it! You arrive at the international airport on a big jet (OK, no problem) however then you board a tiny prop (we’re talking a 6 seater here) which flies you to the “city” of Dangriga. Don’t get me wrong the flight was perfect, these guys do it all day long, but it was the thought of one propeller keeping the plane airborne that spooked me. The Dangriga “airport” is literally a swath cut out of the coastal bush, a wind sock and a shack. This is the third world make no mistake. We were met promptly by an employee of Jaguar Reef who took us on a 40 minute odyssey on the dirt “highways” of Belize. The ride was bumpy but made quite pleasant by the stories our driver told us. Belize is very poor, although you would never know it from the attitude of the Belizean people. Some might be shocked by the shacks and the seeming abject poverty these people live in, but one experiences no rancor from the locals – and no, I’m not on a “happy native” kick – it’s only that I have been places where this sort of hospitality did not exist.

Upon arrival at the club we were stunned by the beauty of the place. Landscaped amongst the sand are beds of tropical flowers. The roofs of the cabanas and the main house are thatched as is the Belizean custom. The few cottages are clustered around the main house in a semicircle. You are greeted and checked in with great expediency (they know you are coming). We did not actually stay on the resort property but in the Na Balum beach house about a 5 minute walk down the beach. We stopped at the bar to pick up the requisite rum punch (this is still after all the Caribbean) and wandered out onto the small open air dining room. About 15 simple tables all afford a glorious view of the Caribbean Sea. We checked out the swimming pool (small but functional) and then wandered down to the beach here they have beach chairs shaded by palms from the burning sun and double hammocks to while the day away. We then made our way down the beach to Na Balum – what a perfect spot.

The house has two rental levels, we had the bottom, with a living room equipped with a futon couch, a full kitchen with bottled water, simple bathroom and a bedroom with a double bed, alarm clock (as if you’d need it!) and a sliding glass door that opens to the sea. Since there is virtually no crime in Belize we slept with that door open every night, lulled to sleep by the sound of the lapping waves. Just in between Na Balum and the Jaguar Reef is a tiny inn with 4 rooms run by Canadian ex-pats. I recommend taking most of your meals there as the food is far tastier and cheaper than at the lodge – their pizza is to die for. We did take several meals at the lodge and they were fairly ordinary, with a few Belizean dishes thrown in – nothing to write home about, although the service is perfect.

The real draw of Belize is the rainforests and the reef (the largest in the Northern Hemisphere) you must take at least one tour if not several while you are there! We did two – the first was the rainforest and ruins. I was a bit disappointed in the ruins as they were not what I expected to see (these tend to be in the north of Belize) the ruin we saw was extremely old and thus it had been reduced to a pile of rocks, hardly the awe-inspiring temples one expect – but the jungle is another story, wild pineapples, wild parrots, snakes, (bring hiking boots and bug spray). There are two hikes, one considered “difficult” and one moderate. During the difficult hike our guide laid rope so we could get back down a particularly steep slope, half way through I was thinking – “What the hell am I doing?” – this is a VACATION. But the pay off at the end was a waterfall whose equal I have never experienced. We got to swim in it! Heaven! I think the photo of me looking happier than I have ever looked was taken in those falls. We spent a while there then headed back down for lunch. I was in the lead and scared something awfully large in the brush; our guide assured me that it was not a jaguar (they are nocturnal) but most likely a wild boar – still! We had a wonderful boxed lunch sitting by a stream and talking to the three other couples who trekked with us. It was very enlightening as Belize attracts some interesting characters. Then we started our “moderate” hike, although I would deem it easy and I am in no shape at all. All the while our guide pointed out the flora and fauna, and even though he does this once a day, there was nothing jaded in his presentation. Again at the end a beautiful waterfall and more swimming – what a pleasure! Trekked back and returned to the lodge in an (unfortunately) un-air-conditioned van (most are).

Make no mistake, Belize is hot – and if you are not used to extremely hot weather I recommend getting an air-conditioned cabana of which they have several. That night we lay on our backs in the sand in front of our condo. No one around, no other resorts to light up the sky, it was as black as coal. The stars were exceptional and the ambience romantic. Mind you three is nothing to do at the lodge past about 9 PM so you must make your own fun (wink, wink).

We also went on the all day a snorkeling trip. Belize is a divers paradise (and rightly so) and there is a dive shop right next to the lodge, but neither of us are certified so we settled for snorkeling. The small boat took us 12 miles off the coast, to the reef and we had 3 dive stops. The Belizeans are very eco conscious so we got a lecture about touching nothing (which I think is good). The world beneath the sea is like nothing I have seen before, the fish are splendiferous and the coral extraordinary. Our guide was again friendly and enthusiastic and brought a card with picture of the different fish so we could identify what we had seen. On our last dive we say a manta ray 7 feet long, at least 400 lbs., our guide estimated. Some (not me thank goodness ) saw barracuda. No one saw a shark, although they do exist there. We pit stopped at a tiny island to have lunch and use the facilities. Unfortunately, I got seasick on the ride home (no one else did) but was told that Bonine would have prevented this. However it was all worth that post trip bathroom jag as I will never forget what I saw. Please note that tipping the guides is expected but not hard to do as they really do give their all. We were picked up for our flight out exactly on time which really amazed me since these people are certainly not in the kid of rush most westerners are.

A word of warning – you do not want to end up in a Belizean dentist office, as I did when a filling came out. In all, the jaguar reef is highly recommended – it is quiet, it is remote, it is luxurious and friendly, and it is a world away from anything I’ve ever experienced.

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