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Greece Week with Heritage Tours: A Sunset Cruise on the Santorini Caldera

All trips to Greece should end with a sunset cruise aboard a private boat in the sublime Santorini caldera, a mesmerizing mix of aquamarine waters, jagged volcanic islands, and the whitewashed houses on the island clinging precariously to the cliffs. Add the reddish/orange/pink orb of a sun melting into the sea, shading this scene with the full spectrum of color, paired with a glass of crisp Santorini wine, and you have a fitting ending to a memorable trip. It took me 25 years to return to Greece and I hope I don’t make that mistake again. In the meantime, I’ll certainly be selling the experience with passion to the members of ActiveTravels. I want to thank John Cagle at Heritage Tours for designing an ambitious itinerary. We packed a lot into a one-week trip.  

 
Have a great weekend and keep active! 
 

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In Every Season, Memories of Martha’s Vineyard, by Phyllis Méras

 

By the time I met Phyllis Méras over a decade ago, she already had an illustrious career as travel editor at the New York Times and Providence Journal. That’s not to say that she was retired by any means of the imagination. Over dinner, she would tell me about her travels to Europe or Africa, and her publishing efforts. Her latest book pays homage to her home of Martha’s Vineyard and it is perhaps her most personal work. She talks about how her great-grandfather, a French professor, came to the island in 1890s to teach at the Martha’s Vineyard Summer Institute. As managing editor at the Vineyard Gazette for six years starting in 1967, Méras met many of the island’s most famous residents, including Walter Cronkite, Beverly Sills, James Cagney, and Thomas Hart Benton. Yet, this book, exquisitely illustrated by her late husband, landscape painter Thomas Cocroft, and architect Robert Schwartz, details her walks in Menemsha to find ripe blackberries, paddling the often-overlooked ponds, and watching skunk cabbage rise in early spring. Take time to smell the roses with her in Edgartown and you’ll walk away with a finer appreciation of the island. 

 
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Holiday Cheer in Toronto—The City’s Architectural Boom

Over the past five years, Toronto has enjoyed an architectural renaissance, with Daniel Libeskind’s bold addition to the block-long stone and brick Royal Ontario Museum, Frank Gehry’s tasteful redesign of the Art Gallery of Ontario, and hometown favorite, Jack Diamond’s acoustically perfect opera house, the Four Seasons Centre. Outside the ROM, shards of aluminum and ribbons of glass jut out onto the sidewalk with knife-like precision, without care or need for right angles. Libeskind’s whimsy lends itself well to the child-like intrigue that one can’t help but muster when visiting the mind-boggling collection of wares inside the ROM. More than a mere natural history museum with requisite brontosaurus skeleton, the ROM has a vast collection of gems and treasures from ancient Egypt, Greece, and China. On display until January 6, 2013, is the exhibition “Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana.” The show displays bizarre dinosaurs, virtually unknown to North Americans, before they were discovered in South American and Africa. 
 
Highlights of Frank Gehry’s new addition at the Art Gallery of Ontario include a stairwell that extends outside the blue titanium back wall to reward guests with vistas over Grange Park. And Galleria Italia on the second floor, a large lounge where ribs of soft Douglas fir curve upward, as if you’ve just entered the inverted hull of a ship. A spacious gallery devoted to the sculptures of Henry Moore and landscapes by the Group of Seven, highly regarded Canadian painters from the 1920s, are a small sampling of the impressive works found at the AGO. But I’ll be headed there this morning to view the latest blockbuster exhibition, “Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics, and Painting.” This rare showcase of 155 works by and about the artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera was created primarily from the collection of Mexico’s Museo Dolores Olmeda. It’s only on view through January 20, 2013, so find a way to get to Toronto soon. 
 
 
 
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Top 5 Eco-Resorts in Central America, Chaa Creek, Belize

Nestled within the lush Belize interior, Chaa Creek is a 365-acre nature preserve that sits atop a hillside of tall mahogany and cedar trees overlooking the Macal River. Open for 31 years, Chaa Creek led the eco-friendly movement in Central America, promoting conservation and low-impact sustainable development long before green was the magic word. They employ local artists to create the furniture in each bungalow and buy produce from local farms to ensure fresh food on the table. Yet, Chaa Creek’s real forte is guiding their guests deep into the jungle. Plan ahead with the resort to go horseback riding through the Mountain Pine Ridge, paddle the Macal River to see the resident colony of toucans, swim under waterfalls, and visit the Mayan ruins at Caracol. Then return to the property and its two dozen bungalows, spa, and an open-air restaurant that serves such dishes as pollo asado and grilled tilapia.  

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Adventures in the Everglades

The best way to tackle the immensity of the 1,506,539-acre Everglades National Park is to take it in chunks.  At Shark Valley Visitor Center at the northern tip of the Everglades, rent bikes from the rangers and get ready for one of the most exhilarating 15-mile loops of your life. More than likely, it will take you an hour to bike that first mile. That’s because you’ll want to stop every 20 yards to get another photograph of an alligator sleeping in the tall grass, large turtles sunbathing on rocks, and the extraordinary amount of birdlife that call the canal next to the bike trail home. Anhingas dry their wings on the branches of the gumbo limbo tree, wood storks, white whooping cranes, and the long-legged great blue heron stand tall in the shallow water, while pink roseate spoonbills fly over the royal palms. Or canoe a stretch of the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway from Everglades City to Flamingo as you paddle though mangrove swamps and creeks to the deserted white beaches of anonymous cays. If the canoe starts to rock, slap your paddle firmly against the water. This usually scares off alligators and those doe-eyed West Indian manatees. 
 

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The Legendary Mountain View Grand Offering February Vacation Week Deals

Three hours north of Boston sits one of the legendary New England properties, The Mountain View Grand. One of three remaining grand hotels in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the 1865 Colonial Revival resort recently underwent a $20 million restoration after being abandoned for most of the 90s. Located in Whitefield, just north of Franconia Notch, this immense resort has been restored to its original state and, in winter, features a free shuttle to nearby Cannon Mountain for downhill skiing, cross-country skiing under the tall pine and spruce, a large outdoor ice rink, sledding, an indoor pool and whirlpool, and a full-service European spa to rest that weary body after a day of play. I just received word that they are offering a rate of $179 per night over February Vacation Week. It’s a pretty good deal for a night at this historic property.
 

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Happy to Announce the Launch of a New ActiveTravels.com

I’m excited to announce the launch of our new membership-based travel consulting and booking agency, ActiveTravels.com. As many of you know, I’ve been working as a professional travel writer since 1990, visiting more than 80 countries and writing over 1200 stories. Whenever one of these stories is published, I receive numerous follow-up emails and calls from people asking for more specifics about that particular travel locale. Even with the glut of travel information out there on the web, expert travel advice is at a minimum. So, prospective travelers contact me to get in-depth knowledge from a trusted source. 

 
This is exactly why I created ActiveTravels.com! Just like you rely upon a financial advisor to give you advice about your investments, it’s a good idea to trust a travel consultant and advisor to help plan your valuable vacation time with friends and family.  According to a New York Times article last Sunday, the need for a reliable travel agent has never been greater. Together with my wife, Lisa, we are delighted to be able to offer that service to anyone who joins ActiveTravels.com.
 
Lisa is now an accredited travel agent with two pillars of the travel industry, the Virtuoso Network and CWT Vacations, the leisure arm of Carlson Wagonlit Travel. Through her contacts, she can often get discounted room rates, complimentary upgrades and breakfasts, and on-site spa or food and beverage credits. Just this week, she saved friends $750 on discounted room rates at the same hotels they booked online. In addition, I have developed great relationships with hotels, outfitters, and restaurateurs over the years, so you can expect VIP service whenever you trust us to book your next escape. 
 
As a husband and wife team, you can look forward to dealing with a “mom and pop” atmosphere where each member will be appreciated. This is not your corporate agency where you are just another face in the crowd. We look forward to getting to know you and your travel preferences and to giving you exceptional personalized service. 
 
Happy Travels!
 
 
Steve and Lisa
P.S. I’m taking the week off from blogging to tend to the new business. I’ll be back next Monday with guest blogger, Emily Bradbury, talking about her recent trip to Costa Rica. 
 

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