|

Kempinski to Launch First Caribbean Hotel on Dominica

Unlike the rest of the Caribbean, the attraction in Dominica is not the beach, but a lush mountainous interior ripe with every tropical fruit and vegetable imaginable and bathed with so much water that around every bend is another raging waterfall, a serene swimming hole nestled in the thick bush, or a hidden hot spring to rest your weary body after a day in the outdoors. Indeed, this island closest to Martinique has become an affordable haven for the active traveler who yearns to hike through a jungle-like forest (see my story for The Boston Globe). 

 
So it came a surprise that the upscale European hotelier, Kempinski, chose Dominica to launch their first Caribbean outpost. They’ll be partnering with Range Developments, who will debut their first property, the Park Hyatt St. Kitts in December 2015. The 101-room resort will be on one of the rare beaches on Dominica, Douglas Bay on the north shore of the island. Stay tuned for an opening date. 
 

Similar Posts

|

Excited to Add Amy Perry Basseches to the ActiveTravels Team

One of the true signs of any successful business venture are loyal customers. If our members return to us again and again to design their travels, then we know we’re doing something right. Amy Perry Basseches was already one of our closest friends in Boston when we started work on her travels 5 years ago. We have since planned trips for her family in one form or another (mother/daughter, father/son, father/daughter, mother/son, husband/wife, entire family) to Scandinavia, Italy, Morocco, Turkey, Croatia, France, Estonia, the UK, Costa Rica, Colorado, Oregon, Louisiana, California, even a college trip that passed through my hometown of Schenectady, New York on the way to Rochester (though I couldn’t recommend my favorite local burger joint, Jumpin Jack’s, because her daughter is a vegetarian). Each time she returns home with another travel request and we value her repeat business. 

Her passion for travel and gregarious personality are ideally suited for the travel industry so it’s no surprise that we’ve been trying to woo her to ActiveTravels for several years now. Our persuasive tactics have finally paid off. Amy is officially part of the ActiveTravels team, assisting us with marketing, travel planning (especially to her beloved Azores), and creating content for our newsletters and blogs. We’re overjoyed to welcome Amy to ActiveTravels and know that the honesty we value in our friendship and the love we share for authentic travel can only enhance the ActiveTravels brand.
 
|

Spending a Night at the Shaw Festival

Long before people headed to Niagara on the Lake to sample the world-class chardonnays and rieslings, and prior to outfitters like Butterfield & Robinson arriving on the scene to design exceptional day rides, there was the renowned Shaw Festival. Held from the beginning of April to early November, the theatre festival celebrates the works of George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries. More than a dozen productions are performed each year at four stages from works created by Noel Coward, Arthur Miller, Oscar Wilde, Lillian Hellman, and a slew of other noteworthy playwrights. This year, expect to find Frank Loesser’s Guys and Dolls, Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan, and Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara. Last night at Royal George Theater, I took in Our Betters, a rarely performed play by one of my favorite writers, Somerset Maugham. Set in 1920s London, the play is based on a familiar story line from the popular television show, Downton Abbey, where a down on his luck British aristocrat marries a well-to-do American gal for her money. Yet that’s where the similarity ends. Our Betters is much more of a satire, a predictable romp that gets big laughs. Though it’s not Maugham at his finest, it’s still a delight to watch due to the exemplary acting, absorbing sets, and the art deco costumes that take you back to the Roaring 20s. Kudos to the Shaw Festival for continuing to produce plays where biting wit and rapid-fire repartee entertain. 

|

The Stylish New Hotel Zetta in San Francisco

The final two nights of our trip to San Francisco, we stayed in a new boutique hotel called Hotel Zetta. The location was great, within easy walking distance of the restaurants and shops at Union Square and the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde cable car lines down to Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghirardelli Square. Hotel Zetta had a real sense of whimsy and originality like painting the stairwell walls with graffiti. We loved returning to the Playroom, located on the 2nd floor of the hotel, a lounge area that offers pool, ping pong, giant Jenga and multiple game consoles. The cozy bar, off the lobby, is popular with locals who come to listen to live music. Fortunately, the hipster vibe of the place did not affect the service. The front desk and doorman were excellent, even finding us a spacious town car to head back to the airport, only $5 more than a taxi. 

 
|

5 Favorite Travel Days in 2014, Driving the Golden Circle, Iceland

One-day bus tours aren’t my cup of tea. Especially when the guide has memorized an encyclopedia on Iceland and is blurting out everything she knows about the country into a microphone at the front of the bus. There was no pause, just a barrage of factoids that had nothing to do with the landscape we were looking at. At one point, I couldn’t stop laughing hysterically with a friend because this guide could not shut up and give it a rest. We decided to return home and create a “Boston Bullshit Tour” where we would hire stand-up comedians to adlib about Boston’s history, basically saying anything that comes to mind. 

 
Yet, it’s hard not to include the Golden Circle Tour into my list of favorite travel days because the scenery we saw that day was so striking. First stop was Thingvellir (Þingvellir) National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the tectonic plates of Europe and North America meet. You walk on a narrow trail dwarfed by the rocky walls. Next up was the surging waters of the Gulfoss Waterfalls, cascading down the tiers of rock. We took a short hike to the lip of waterfalls, sprayed by the cool water of this massive falls. Last stop was Geysir, Iceland’s version of Yellowstone where hot pools churn and bubble and the Strokkur geyser erupts every 4 to 5 minutes.
 
When told that we would be making one last stop on our Golden Circle route, at a greenhouse, most of the people on our tour scoffed at the idea, simply wanting to get back to our hotel in Reykjavik. It sounded like some hokey add-on, like visiting a gift shop owned by the bus driver’s brother. We were pleasantly surprised to find that Friðheimar is no ordinary greenhouse but a massive year-round tomato and cucumber growing operation that yields close to a ton a day of crop thanks to the geothermal energy. I met the owner, Knútur Rafn Ármann, popped a tomato in my mouth (delicious), and then was treated to a sublime cup of tomato soup garnished with cucumber salsa and paired with fresh baked bread. It was probably the best dish I had in the country.
 
|

Row 34, A Great Addition to Portsmouth

Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is a smaller version of Portland, Maine, with its own great dining scene, one that I discuss in an upcoming story for Yankee Magazine. A 75-minute drive north of Boston, it’s ideal for dinner or an overnight. Lisa and I stayed at the Ale House Inn for a night in October and had a fun visit. This past Wednesday, I met my friend, Joel, in town from Seattle at Row 34. This is the sister restaurant to Row 34 in Boston’s Seaport District, a favorite that I always put on itineraries for clients headed to Boston and New England. We sat outdoors and dined on lobster rolls and a shrimp banh mi. They also feature their Row 34 oysters, farmed locally in Duxbury, Massachusetts, by one of the co-owners, Skip Bennett. If you can’t find a room at the Alewife Inn, check out the Residence Inn, just down the block from Row 34 and within easy walking distance of the historic buildings at Strawberry Banke and other excellent dining spots like Franklin Oyster House. 

 
|

St. Lucia Week: A Magical Day Sea Kayaking and Snorkeling Ti Kaye

Take it from a travel writer who’s been penning stories since 1990—rarely is a day on the road seamless. I wouldn’t say I’m jaded, just realistic. There always seems to be some problem, whether it’s traffic congestion, the lodging not living up to those over-hyped TripAdvisor reviews, the adventure a bit too touristy and not feeling authentic. Then there’s days like yesterday where everything is perfect and this job is sheer bliss. 

My driver Vaughn is a delight, passionate about the history and people of this island. So much, in fact, that he left Brooklyn after 6 years and returned to St. Lucia to make his mark. He picked me up and drove me to the lush western side of the island, home to the largest banana plantation on the island, a rum distillery, and fishing villages like Anse La Raye, known for its seafood street festival held every Friday. At an overlook peering down at picturesque Marigot Bay, where Mick Jagger and Oprah both own homes along the waterfront, we walked into a nearby store to sample banana ketchup, hot pepper spices, and spiced rum with grenadine. 

Less than an hour later we made it to Ti Kaye, a boutique resort nestled into a hillside above a glorious strip of secluded beachfront. I would soon find out that the best part of the resort is the bay next to that beach called Anse Cochon. I threw my bags down in my room, changed into a swimsuit and practically flew down the 165 steps to the gray colored beach, a mix of volcanic black sand and the usual white sand from the coral. I grabbed an ocean kayak and was soon paddling down the western shoreline past cliffs where vines clung precariously to the top, deserted beaches which I’m sure honeymooners staying at Ti Kaye have taken full advantage of, and a green velvety hillside that led to jagged mountainous ridges. I can’t tell you how liberating it is to grab a kayak and take a paddle just by your lonesome down this unpopulated stretch of coastline. The only person who passed me during the 2-hour paddle was one fisherman.

Back at Ti Kaye’s beachfront bar, Ti Manje, I ordered the smoked marlin salad, slices of fish topped with mixed greens, tomatoes, corn, and a chipotle dressing, washed down with freshly made ice tea. Waves pounded the restaurant as I watched scuba divers take the plunge into Anse Cochon. You want to know one of the most cherished spots for all those scuba diving and snorkeling boats? Yes, this exact spot, which is a preserved marine sanctuary. Avoid the boat traffic in the mid-morning or mid-afternoon and the place is yours. I grabbed snorkeling gear, walked to the far end of the beach and soon was swimming in a natural aquarium of neon-colored fish including parrotfish, the multi-colored queen angelfish, and the bright blue chromis. I also loved seeing fan, organ pipe, and brain coral that was very much alive.

Afterwards I washed off in my outdoor shower and relaxed in the hammock on my porch, where I now relax after another hard day of work. 
 

Leave a Reply