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Backroads, the world’s number one active travel company, has just announced that all trips this year will feature their custom-designed titanium bikes. The bikes are lighter than last year’s bikes and offer electronic shifting. The company also offers e-bikes on all trips. New Bike Tours in 2018 include Chile’s Lakes District, Croatia & Slovenia, Cuba, and Portugal.
Country Walkers, the tour operator that likes to slow down to appreciate the splendor of the world on two feet, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2019 with a slew of new trips to far-flung locales like Zambia, Chile, and New Zealand. But we really like the itinerary to Sri Lanka, an 11-day jaunt coined "Sri Lanka: Ancient Temples & Tea Trails." The February trip is already sold out, but there’s still availability on the December trip. We had dinner in Bangkok recently with a woman who has traveled all of Asia on 2 to 4-hour flights. She told us she loves Sri Lanka and returns there often. Fantastic scenery, history, culture, and people.
Our first morning in San Francisco, we wandered over to the Ferry Building to sample the wares at the Saturday Farmers Market. Jake downed a delicious pork banh mi, Melanie found yummy blueberry muffin, and Lisa scooped up homemade yogurt at a booth. I stood on a long line at the Blue Bottle Coffee stand hoping it was worth the wait. One sip of my strong latte and I instantly understood the fuss. This is the real deal. When I found out that my lodging for the last two nights, Hotel Zetta, was only a 2-minute walk from the Blue Bottle Coffee at Mint Plaza, Lisa and I went both mornings and yes, once again stood in line to order. Paired with yogurt and fresh fruit or oatmeal, it was a great way to start the day. Looking at their website, I noticed that Blue Bottle has locations around Manhattan and Brooklyn, including a stand on the High Line, so waiting on line for another latte is in my future. 
While staying in Ocho Rios last week, we checked out a relatively new boutique hotel recommended by an old friend. Clinging to the forested hillside and coastline just outside of town, Hermosa Cove features nine villas nestled into the lush landscape. The small retreat, ideal for couples and destination weddings where you can rent the whole shebang, is owned by a couple from Iowa and managed by Duke Molton, formerly of Island Outpost Resorts and the Ian Fleming estate, Goldeneye. Expect that same sense of style at Hermosa Cove, where each villa is decorated with Jamaican sculpture and antiques, and walls are painted a colorful sky blue, peach, or red. Each villa houses a full kitchen and most of the villas have private plunge pools. You can order groceries in advance and they’ll be waiting when you arrive. Several of the villas like the 1BR Calabash and the 3BR Ginger have ocean views from their second story. The grounds are exquisite with a small crescent beach, restaurant that’s already garnering rave reviews for its authentic Jamaican cuisine (open to the public), and a tower where you can go to the top and view the entire coastline. Guided kayaking and snorkeling tours past Jamaica Inn to the point are offered, and, of course, Duke can plan outings to climb the nearby Dunns River Falls, swim in the Blue Hole, tube down the White River, or simply grab a taxi to try the best jerk on the island at Scotchies.
May 29th marks the 100th birthday of John F. Kennedy. To commemorate the occasion, The National Portrait Gallery is displaying photographs from his life in a gem of show simply titled, “Celebrate: John F. Kennedy.” 72 portraits from the museum’s collection are on view through July 9 including a wonderful pastel by Shirley Seltzer Cooper. You’ll see well-known images of JFK holding John John’s hand in the White House along with rarely seen early shots of Jackie and JFK dating.