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Portland’s 5 Lighthouse Bike Tour

Known for their weekend and weeklong bike trips throughout Maine, Summer Feet Cycling is now offering a half-day bike tour that will visit five lighthouses in the Portland region. Running daily from Memorial Day to October 31st, the 5-hour jaunt will start on a bike path alongside Willard Beach to Bug Light, which marks the entrance to the Portland Breakwater. From here, you’ll cycle on to Spring Point Lighthouse, the Portland Harbor Museum, and Fort Preble, a 19th century stone fort, before ending at the iconic Portland Head Light. Built in 1791 and sitting on a bluff perched out to sea, this exquisite white edifice has been painted by the likes of Edward Hopper. You’ll dine on lobster rolls, peering at the large oil tankers that make their way in and out of Portland Harbor. Lobster, salty air, biking. Sounds like a winner. 

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Family Adventure at AMC Lodges Over February Vacation Week

Hey New Englanders and New Yorkers! Still need something affordable to do with the kids over February Week. The AMC still has openings at two of their lodges, Highland Center at scenic Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, and the Joe Dodge Lodge in Pinkham Notch, at the base of New England’s tallest peak. The activities during this 3-day getaway include snowshoeing, winter hiking, cross-country skiing, snow shelter building, animal tracking, and more. Kids games and kid-friendly meals will be offered each day, as well as social hour for the adults. Rates start at $267 for adult members, $107 for child members and include lodging, meals, guided activities, and a trail pass to Bretton Woods and Great Glen for cross-country skiing. Add an extra two nights in nearby Portland and Freeport, Maine, for art, shopping, and dining and you have yourself a budget-oriented break. 

 
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Just Ask Jeeves: The Rise of Butler Service in the Travel Industry

Walk into the Lanesborough Hotel at London’s Hyde Park Corner and you’re immediately escorted to your room, where you are introduced to your butler, who is there to be your personal assistant for the rest of your stay. He’ll unpack for you, set up your WiFi, make restaurant reservations, draw your bath, make hotel transfers, wake you up with coffee and tea, be a personal shopper, and a whole lot more if need be. 
 
“We’ll do anything as long as it’s legal,” says the Lanesborough’s head butler, Daniel Jordaan. In the past, that has included cutting a businessman’s hair who was late for a meeting; finding reindeer from a farm, little people to dress up as elves, Santa, and a snow machine for an impromptu Christmas party; redecorating a private hospital room in the style of the Lanesborough after a woman had come to London to give birth; and sending a courier on the Eurostar train to Paris to have a confidential document signed urgently.
 
Blame it on Carson, the hard-working butler who runs a tight ship on the popular television series, Downton Abbey, but more and more high-end clientele are yearning for yesteryear when personal service extended from the hotel or cruise line’s concierge to inside the suite. With the addition of butlers, hoteliers now have the opportunity to service their guests behind closed doors. 
 
 
I’m off with my son, Jake, to the first of many college visits this fall. I’ll be back on Tuesday, September 3rd. Enjoy the weekend, and, as always, keep active! 
 
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Top 5 Beaches in New England to Be Active: Multisport East Beach, Rhode Island

For the hardcore jock, we’ve created your own personal triathlon. Start at the western end of East Beach, one of the wildest stretches of sand in Little Rhody. You’ll be swimming for 3.5 miles to the Charlestown Breachway. Don’t worry. This is not Cape Cod or Maine ocean water. Touched by the Gulf Stream, temps here can reach a downright balmy 70 degrees. At the Breachway, your canoe will be waiting to take you across the state’s largest coastal pond, Ninigret, to the shores of Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge. Keep on paddling and don’t even think of reaching for those binocs to view the more than 250 recorded species of birds. The Refuge has more than three miles of trails to walk on, but we expect you to sprint.
 

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Riu Palace Peninsula Week—The Dining

Each morning at the Riu Palace Peninsula, I strolled over to the large breakfast buffet at Las Olas restaurant, which included an omelet station, French toast, bacon, sausage, yogurt, cereals, and fresh fruit including small sweet bananas and papayas. Food in hand, I walked over to one of the outdoor tables to enjoy breakfast with a sea breeze and a pot of strong Mexican coffee. For lunch, I would head to the Italian restaurant, Venecia, just off the lobby. They offer a salad bar, pizza, grilled fish, and pasta choices. No reservations are necessary. I also enjoyed my mid-afternoon latte at the stylish coffee bar, Capuchino. 
 
Reserve in advance to dine at one of the four specialty restaurants. My favorite dishes included the tender Chilean sea bass at the fusion restaurant, Krystal; the large cut of rib eye at the steakhouse, Isla Mujeres; the wok pan-fried grouper with shitake mushrooms at Kabuki Japanese restaurant; and the tequila-flambéed prawns at Tamales, the Mexican restaurant. 
 
It’s been a fun week in Cancun, but it’s back to the frigid temperatures for me, with stops in Chicago, New York, and Presque Isle, Maine. I’ll return on January 7th with my Top 5 Travel Experiences of 2012. Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!
 
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Gurney’s Opens Second Resort in Newport, Rhode Island

Great news out of Newport last week as Gurney’s, the iconic Montauk hotelier, has announced they have taken over the Hyatt Regency property on Goat Island. The sprawling 10-acre waterfront locale is one of the best in town, a short walk from the restaurants and shops, yet far away from the crowds to feel like a seaside resort. Gurney’s Montauk knows how to please families and I expect the same dynamic in Newport, where they plan to expand the pool deck, start a Kids’ Club, and offer daily activities for families. Gurney’s Newport will also be home to a full-service spa, state-of-the-art fitness facility, and indoor pool, good for a dip any time of year. They also plan to add the brand’s signature restaurant Scarpetta, set to make its debut in May. 

 
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Make a List, Check it Twice: Set Your Travel Goals for 2014

December is the month most of us set aside time to create a list of goals for the following year. I would urge you to add the destinations you want to visit to that lengthy list. I know, it might seem silly to add something as frivolous as travel to your lofty aspirations, but give me a minute to explain. By creating a list of locales you want to definitely visit in the upcoming year, if not the next 1-3 years, you’ll be assured of finally going to those countries and cities on your wish list. No longer will they be dreams, but a reality. Perhaps even more important, by being organized about where and when you want to go, we can book flights and hotels months in advance, saving you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. For example, a client came to us in November to book flights over Christmas to Buenos Aires. Round-trip airfare was over $3,000! If they had given us six months lead time, the price of airfare would be cut in half. Yes, it’s exhilarating to be spontaneous when it comes to travel, but realize that you pay a hefty price. 
 
Hopefully, an Alaskan cruise is on your wish list for next summer. That’s our lead story in our December newsletter. Other topics include hotels we recommend in Madrid, a weekend escape to Woodstock, Vermont, an outfitter known for their walking vacations, and the numerous options available when traveling with your extended family or a large group of friends. 
 
Wishing You All a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous 2014! I’m taking a much-needed break from blogging and will be back on January 6 with my top travel days in 2013.
 
 
 

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