WHAT A TRIP!

Travel Tip Tuesday: Vancouver on Sale

Just in time for the Winter Olympics...airfare deals to Vancouver!  In case you've been hedging about going to see the exciting sporting event in person next month, let me entice you with some Air Canada deals:

Right now you can fly round trip from Los Angeles to Vancouver for $118. Of course, this advertised price doesn't include taxes, so when I called the airline to check on that, it is a whopping $73 more..bringing the real total to $191.73. Still a good deal in comparison to normal prices, but don't ya just hate how they hook you before you know the whole truth?

This deal is good through March 10... no required advance purchase...and you can travel any day of the week. There are some great deals form San Francisco too. For more visit: www.aircanada.com. It is hard to find this special on the website, so it might be better to call 888 247-2262. But before you book on the phone, make sure they don't charge you extra for not using the website like some other airlines do.

Happy Travels!

GREEN IN GOLDEN GATE PARK - SF with kids

   AS IF we all need another reason to visit lovely San Francisco...but this time, I may really convince you to bring the kids. There are plenty of reasons, but the most newsworthy is the reopening this week of the tremendous California Academy of Sciences Museum in Golden Gate Park. Ten years in the planning and $500 million later, this is a true "sustainable architectural masterpiece" that  the whole family will love - just allow plenty of time because there' so much to see! 

(Speaking of seeing...Just check out the photo above - if the roof looks green to you, that's because it is!! It is a LEED certified building with a 5 acre roof top garden with some 7 million plants.) Here's a close up of the roof top with skylights to let in natural light:

                                        

 The Museums two main questions it attempts to explore are :How did life develop..and how will we sustain it? The exhibits used to illustrate the topics of life and sustaining it are educational and engaging: An aquarium, planetarium, natural history venue, and a 4 story rain forest dome, pictured above. One of the highlights is the albino alligator named Bonnie.  She is one of the many new animals whose population has dramatically increased for the new museum.      

Some fun extras that you might ant to check out: Penguin feedings every day...and a 3-d theater with a presentation about bugs! Sure to keep your little crawlers interested.

The only things is - the admission seems pretty steep to me. $24.95 for an adult...and $14.95 for kids 7-11. Kids 6 and under are free....And here's a tip: Every third Wednesday is free if you can coordinate that.  Do come hungry my fellow travelers - This ain't no ordinary museum food...after all this IS San Francisco. There are two restaurants and one of the chef's involved there is from one of my favorite SF restaurants The Slanted Door.

While you are there you can also enjoy Golden Gate Park and the relatively new De Young also. Check the exhibitions to see what's kid friendly. (Dale Chihuly just left but that was a wonderfully colorful show..)

Have fun and let me know what you think -

 

CONTEMPLATING SUMMER

Spring is here...and our thoughts turn to our summer vacation. (But if you are really good, you've already booked one!)

This got me thinking about one of my favorite destinations  - for families or singles or friends. And - the good news is that it is a domestic location, so  you won't be bit by an expensive foreign currency.

I am talking about Moab, Utah. Some know it as the "adventure capital" of the world...but to me, it's outstanding beauty makes it worth the trip..oh, yeah, and then there are some pretty cool things to do.

The place is ethereal...other worldly..and the best place to witness these qualities are the national parks. AMAZING! Shutterbugs will have a field day. The red rock in incredible formations at Canyonlands Natl Park and Arches National Park. There are more state parks and national parks in the 200 mile radius around MOab than any other area, but a hike through these will take your breath away.

I am writing now because May and June are great times to go - it gets a bit hotter in the July and August months...but September brings the amazing music festival, where organizers hoist a grand piano up in the red rock caves, and the natural acoustics of the carved out canyons and stone is the setting where visitors sit and enjoy some good relaxing music.

Biking, hiking, kayaking in the Colorado River, horseback riding, ATVing, you name it - you can do it! Don't miss the chuck wagon dinner that is kitschy but fun - especially with kids.

I think the photos speak for themselves. One big tip: If your pocket book can afford it, stay at the Sorrel River Ranch. It is the nicest place in town and has great food and is surrounded by huge red mountains. There aren't many luxury resorts in Moab, but that is part of the down home charm...the town is very modest also.

GOOD NEWS FOR BICOASTAL TRAVEL

Finally! Jet Blue arrives at Los Angeles International Airport. The low cost airline will begin flying from JFK in New York to LAX in May of this year. Currently, Jet Blue flies into Long Beach or Burbank- both of which are more desirable airports, by the way...but for those travelers who need to get to different areas of Los Angeles, it can be more than an hour commute from Long Beach or Burbank to LA if there is traffic (rush hour!!). And if you are flying to make a connection, now you will be able to go through LAX which has more options than Burbank or Long Beach.

Also good news - watch for promotional deals to publicize this new route. Many times when an airline starts flying somewhere new, there is an introductory discount offer to get people to try it. However, this may be an exception since LAX-JFK round trip is a pretty popular route already. Still - keep your eyes open!

The nitty gritty: JetBlue will offer three non stop flights three times a day to JFK and once to Boston from LAX.

Form Burbank  - JetBlue is adding flights to and from Las Vegas and Washington D.C.'s Dulles.

From Long Beach - JetBlue is adding non stops to San Jose, Seattle, and Austin.

Happy Travels!!

Girls' Getaways

I recently appeared on KTLA's Los Angeles morning show. It was a fun segment, where I spoke about the increase in women traveling together - chick trips! (www.ktla.com) Let's face it- women these days are so busy taking care of kids, working, managing the house, or preserving their marriage that they really deserve a little rejuvenation.

Here's the info you need to follow up on any info I gave, or to plan your own chick trip!

1) www.jeannefeldman.com - for shopping tours of Paris. I have seen others like this - you can also try the tourism board's website or email someone there - but Jeanne's trips look good. She will show you the back "rues" where travelers rarely go....take you to outlets...and help you navigate the flea markets. She is fluent in French, and knows the etiquette of shopping in Paris.

2) www.manifestasafaris.com - This tour operator leads three different kinds of trips for women. They vow to make "girls out of women" by teaching them us gals how to surf on their surf and yoga safaris...how to play golf on their golf jaunts..or how to paint in the picturesque setting of Carmel, CA.

3) I also spoke about Napa - a place where there is something for every woman: Gastronomical delights...spas...shopping...wine tasting..hot air ballooning...relaxing. I do recommend taking a private tour of a winery or two. You get a much more intimate picture of the wine making business, and of that particular wine. AND Di Rosa Preserve is a MUST!!!!! One of my favorite places on Earth. Art galleries, mixed with a pastural setting where you can picnic on the grounds...beware of the beautiful peacocks that roam there. :)

Happy Travels!

CHECK THESE OFF YOUR TRAVEL LIST

OK...so every year you ruminate over where you should spend your next vacation. You want to go somewhere you KNOW is great..but maybe you want to venture beyond the obvious.

I am here to help! I just went to the Conde Nast Johansen's travel awards ceremony for that travel publication's picks on the best of the best in North America, South America, Caribbean, and more. Cindy Crawford co-hosted the event. Not only was it a fun night, it was iluminating; there are so many places in the world that have yet be to explored!

If you are reading this blog, you probably feel the same way I do. So, I am printing a list of the hotels/resorts that won top honors from this elite publication. (Supposedly each hotel is put to a tough test to get high scores from the editors.) Enjoy - and make this your wish list of future destinations! I can vouch for some of the winners; the several on this list that I have visited are top notch. (Mind you, these places are all pretty high end, so budget travelers beware. There'll be another posting on that topic sometime!)

USA & CANADA:

Most Excellent Resort: The Lodge at Turning Stone, Verona New York

Most Excellent Inn: Chateau du Sureau & Spa, Oakhurst, CA

Most Excellent Lodge: The Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino, British Columbia

Most Excellent Spa Hotel: Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, Scottsdale, AZ

Most Excellent Hotel: The Hay Adams, Washington, D.C.

Most Excellent Ranch: Sorrell River Ranch and Resort Spa, Moab, Utah

Most Excellent Small Hotel: L'Auberge Carmel, Carmel by the Sea, CA

Most Excellent Golf Resort: The Inn at Palmetto Bluff - Bluffton, South Carolina

Most Excellent Romantic Hideaway: Rancho de San Juan, espanola, New Mexico

MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA:

Most Excellent Resort: One and Only Palmilla, San Jose del Cabo, Mexico

Most Excellent Hotel: Gaia Hotel and Reserve, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Most Excellent Spa Hotel: Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort -Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico

Most Excellent Romantic Hideaway: Casa Nalum, Tulum, Mexico

Most Excellent Eco Resort: Hotel Punta Islita, Islita, Costa Rica

SOUTH AMERICA:

Most Excellent Resort: Taxi Resort, Itacare,Brazil

Most Excellent Hotel: Ponta dos Ganchos-Governador, Celso Ramos, Brazil

Most Excellent Romantic Hideaway:Sitio do Lobo, Angra dos Reis, Brazil

Most Excellent Spa Hotel: Kurotel - Gramado, Brazil

Most Excellent Lodge: Isla Victoria Lodge, Isla, Victoria, Argentina

ATLANTIC, CARIBBEAN & PACIFIC ISLANDS:

Most Excellent Resort: Grace Bay Club, Turks and Caicos

Most Excellent Hotel: Horned Dorset Primavera, Puerta Rico

Most Excellent Romantic Hideaway: Royal Davui, Fiji

Most Excellent Spa Hotel: Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos

AND.....

Most Excellent Service - Hotel Bel-Air -Los Angeles, CA