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Anantara, a Serene Oasis in Bangkok

Bangkok is a sprawling, congested city and when you arrive at the Royal Palace, Wat Arun, and the other major sights, even they are overcrowded with tourists. That’s why you need to take it slow, not place too many items on your itinerary, and stay at a great hotel where you will enjoy spending time. We split up our stay in Bangkok with two nights at the Anantara Siam and two nights at their sister property, Anantara Riverside. Both featured a lavish spread at the breakfast buffet, including American, Chinese, and Indian favorites. Anantara Siam also features an excellent Thai Restaurant, Spice Market, where we dined our first night. Afterwards, walk into the indoor courtyard and check out the koi pond. The highlight at Anantara Siam was their signature 90-minute Siam 2482 deep-tissue massage. Using two bamboo sticks, eight herbal compresses, and gold leaf, I walked out of there as loose as a jellyfish and happy as a clam. 

 
Anantara Riverside has more of a resort feel, overlooking a large pool where you simply push a button on your menu and a server appears to take your order. The hotel was crowded with families who would spend the entire day splashing around in the 90-degree heat. The Riverside Dinner Cruise from the resort’s pier is a must, a 2-hour gentle cruise along the Chao Phraya seeing the Royal Palace and Wat Arun lit up at night. On our last day, to celebrate Lisa’s birthday, we took a 5-hour cooking course with one of the hotel’s chefs. At 8 am, we took a tuk tuk with Chef over to a local market and picked up all the necessary ingredients for the three courses we would soon make, including large prawns, chicken, lemongrass, galangal, chicory root, mushrooms, and many spicy peppers. Soon we were back at the hotel’s outdoor cooking center on the 2nd floor, creating Golden Caps, crusted rice crackers filled with a chicken and shrimp filling; a spicy and delicious Thai soup that we hope to recreate at home one day; and a tender barramundi topped with spicy chili, curry powder, and lime. We finished with fresh mango that Chef sliced like bird’s wings, served with sweet sticky rice that was topped with sweet coconut milk. A memorable birthday lunch! 
 

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Favorite Fall Drives, Route 100, Vermont

Mid-September to mid-October, when the summer crowds are gone and the snow has yet to drop, is my favorite time of year to cruise around America. This week, I’m going to delve into some of those blessed routes. First up, a fall foliage drive on Route 100 in Vermont. 
 
Don’t believe the Vermont fall foliage hype? All it takes is one drive on Route 100 from Killington to Stowe to understand the allure. Traveling along the ridgeline of the 4,000-foot Green Mountains radiating with its verdant robe of multi-hued maples, you can’t help but sing its praises. Be sure to stop in the farming community of Rochester for the requisite “cows and meadow” photo and the historic village of Stowe to find one of the numerous freshly painted white steeples. Along the route, you’ll want to visit the Cold Hollow Cider Mill for your jug of cider, out-of-the-oven doughnuts, and genuine maple syrup. Nearby is the Ben & Jerry’s factory, where you can take a tour, sample the wares, and find out how the duo started their celebrated business. Spend the night at the Stowe Mountain Lodge, at the base of Vermont’s tallest peak, Mount Mansfield, and you’ll have the opportunity to take in the fall foliage while playing a round of golf. 
 
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Adventures in Oregon, Sampling the Cristom Pinot Noirs

Last time my brother Jim and I were in Salem, we tracked down Cristom Vineyards and barged in on winemaker Steve Doerner. We had just spent a week traveling the Oregon coast and our favorite pinot of that trip was a Cristom Jessie Vineyard served at the Portland den of fine Northwestern cuisine, Wildwood. On this latest trip, we called Doerner well in advance and were greeted by him and the owner’s daughter, Christine Gerrie, the Cris in Cristom (along with her brother Tom). Many of the Oregon pinots are bright, redolent of fruit, have a fine nose, but on his small plot, Doerner has managed to bring layers of complexity to his wine. The Jessie, for example, named for the owner’s grandmother, has hints of black cherries, tangy plum, and cinnamon, with a smooth finish that will have you reaching for your credit card to order a case, the exact move my brother and I made. The Marjorie Vineyard, named for the owner’s mother, is bigger and bolder than Jessie but has that same soft finish, with a nose full of black raspberry. At most wine tastings, I’m happy to spit. But when you make it to Cristom as infrequently as I do, you take your time, luxuriating in the wine and drink every drop, even if it is only 11 in the morning.

Spend the Night at Versailles

Spend the night at Versailles If you ever wanted to have a good night’s sleep like Louis XIV, you’ll have that chance this spring when the only hotel located within the Palace of Versailles will open its stately doors. Chateau de Versailles Le Grand Contrôle will feature 14 suites, a restaurant by Alain Ducasse, and an indoor pool and wellness center, where guests will enjoy unrestricted access to the Orangery and the Lake of the Swiss Guard. Live in the lap of luxury for a night or two on your next trip to Paris. Please let ActiveTravels know your dates and we’ll check pricing and availability.

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Vermont Week, Paddling Lake Champlain

If you live on the shores of 120-mile long Lake Champlain, you better love to play in water. On any day during early fall, you can find sailboats tacking back and forth, sea kayakers heading out to the Lake Champlain islands, ferries crossing over to the Adirondack Mountains in New York state, and scuba divers. That’s right, scuba divers. The cool waters of New England’s largest lake contain one of the finest collections of wooden shipwrecks in North America. The list includes the Revolutionary War boat, Philadelphia, pulled from the waters in 1935 to sit in the Smithsonian Institute, and the Eagle, Allen, and Linnet, three naval craft that participated in the War of 1812. In September, the water on Lake Champlain is still warm enough to go swimming, sailing, and sea kayaking. If you want to kayak with a local guide, go with Abenaki Outfitters in Shoreham. 

 
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Outside Magazine’s Top 6 Spots for Stargazing in North America

Outside just came out with their round-up of top stargazing locales across North America. The locale in Nova Scotia I know well, having stayed with my sister at the Trout Pond Lodge. It’s a wonderful property next to a bubbling brook not far from the high-speed ferry dock in Yarmouth. I’m glad they also mentioned the Acadia Night Sky Festival in early September, which I included in an upcoming story for Yankee Magazine on Perfect Weekend Getaways based on your passion, like staring at the stars. I’ll be staring at the night sky this coming week from Ogunquit, Portsmouth, and Lake George. See you again on Monday, July 30th. Have a fantastic week and keep active! 

 
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Costa Rica Highlights, Tirimbina Rainforest

A mere 40 minutes north of Poas Volcano and you’ll reach the Sarapiqui Region of Costa Rica, another part of Costa Rica that’s mistakenly overlooked. Along the banks of the Sarapiqui River, you’ll find pockets of rainforest rich with birdlife and researchers studying the wildlife. On my last visit to the region, I stayed at La Selva Biological Station to pen a story on birdwatching while feasting my eyes on a variety of toucans and monkeys. This visit, I brought the kids to Tirimbina Rainforest to go on a chocolate tour, where we tasted heavenly chocolate straight from the cocoa pod. It was my son’s 16th birthday and the creamy chocolate sure beat any birthday cake I could have bought in town. On the way over to the cocoa pods, we crossed the longest canopy bridge in the country and spotted our first furry sloth resting under a large leaf of a tree. 

 

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