Leap Day Deals

BedroomWith Leap Day about to approach, hotels are coming up with fun deals. At Burlington’s Hotel Vermont, leap year babies can book a one-night stay on leap day for only $129. In addition, enjoy a complimentary dinner at Juniper with sparkling wine and cake. Leap Year babies can also celebrate with a FREE vacation at the new Kixby hotel in Manhattan. On February 29, anyone born on Leap Day can enjoy one free night at Kixby. From now through the end of February 2021, guests who stay two nights at The James New York – NoMad will enjoy the third night FREE. Or book a multiple-night stay at one of the participating Meritage Collection hotels by March 31, 2020 and you’ll get a 3rd, 4th, or 5th night free. The Collection includes several of our favorite properties like Koa Kea in Kauai and The Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa. Please contact ActiveTravels and we’ll be happy to make the booking for you!

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Hotels I Visited in Thailand and Laos

Guest Post by Amy Perry Basseches

I’ll end the blogs on my trip to Thailand and Laos with a quick summary of the very nice hotels I visited on behalf of ActiveTravels members. Rest assured, if you are seeking a Five Star experience in Bangkok, Chiang Saen, Chiang Mai, or Luang Prabang, I have first-hand experience to pass along.
 
My favorite hotel of the trip was the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort, in Chiang Saen (not too far from Chiang Rai). While staying there, we also toured the nearby Four Seasons Tented Camp. The location is amazingly beautiful. Both are high on a hill, overlooking the border with Myanmar and Laos, on the Mekong River. You can see from balconies and hot tubs elephants grazing and roaming around. There are 160 acres of bamboo forest, indigenous gardens and rice paddies at the Anantara. And there’s glamping at its best at the Four Seasons — superb luxury tents. Interact with the elephants, enjoy the spa in the jungle, take a three-country cruise down the river. These hotels are quiet and offer delicious food. Perfect!
 
I also really liked our hotel in Luang Prabang, the Sofitel. Originally built as the French Governor’s residence in the 1900s, it is on the outskirts of town, and lovely. I had an enormous outdoor tub in my patio area. While we did not take a cooking class, the facility on-site looked outstanding. There is a sister property in the heart of the old quarter, in the UNESCO World Heritage neighborhood, called M Gallery 3 Nagas, where we ate a delicious first dinner in Laos. Lastly in Luang Prabang, we visited the Belmond La Residence Phou Vao Luang Prabang, which felt similar to the hotels in Chiang Saen, with calm mountain vistas and cloud forest. No bad choices!
 
In Chiang Mai, I’d like to feature 137 Pillars Chiang Mai. The main house of this small luxury hotel was built in the 1880’s as part of the Borneo Company headquarters (which was in the teak wood business in Northern Thailand); it’s a beautiful restored teak building. The 30 rooms and mouth-watering cuisine here are modern. We also stayed at the Anantara Chiang Mai (right in the center of the city, set on the grounds of the former British consulate, but very peaceful once inside…and wonderfully walkable to the Night Market!), and we visited the Four Seasons Chiang Mai, featuring two small lakes and a working rice farm, where I had an amazing lunch of Khao Soi Gai (Chiang Mai Yellow Curry Noodles with Chicken). I could envision being quite content at any of them. 
 
I’ll let Steve and Lisa discuss the hotels in Bangkok, where they spent more time than I. Keep in mind that at many of these hotels, we can secure additional perks for our members and clients. Your comfort in mind, let me also assure you that Thai and Lao beer is top notch. Cha La Wan, Thai Amarit, Chang, Singha, Leo, and Lao were all sampled plentifully and can be recommended. Thanks to our destination partners Kensington Tours and Khiri Travel for all of their support and assistance on my 9-day journey in Thailand and Laos. Contact ActiveTravels for more information! 
 

Boston’s Newbury Hotel to Debut in April

The Newbury Hotel to Debut in BostonOne of the first assignments I received after moving to Boston in 1996 was to pen a story for Town & Country magazine on Boston’s grand dame of hospitality, the venerable Ritz-Carlton. Located at the end of Newbury Street, across from the Public Garden, the Ritz occupied one of the most enviable locations in the city and played host to such luminaries as Winston Churchill, Charles Lindbergh, and Rin Tin Tin since its opening in 1927. When it changed ownership to the Taj Boston, I was called back to the property to write a story for Boston Globe Magazine about the new General Manager. Tragically, he had lost his entire family when Pakistani militants stormed the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, where he had worked previously. He now has a beautiful new family and resides in New York.

In other good news, the latest iteration of the Ritz, called The Newbury, will be making its debut next month. Part of the Highgate Hotel Group, which includes both James properties in Manhattan, The Newbury has aligned themselves with master chef Mario Carbone. Carbone runs the Major Food Group, the hospitality company behind such restaurants as Carbone, The Grill and Sadelle’s in New York, Hong Kong and Las Vegas. For the Newbury, he has plans for a fine dining restaurant on the roof and a bar off the lounge called The Street, that will be the perfect place to congregate after shopping Newbury Street or grabbing a Swan Boat ride across the street. With tulips in bloom, the early spring has always been one of my favorite times of year to visit the Public Garden. Now with the opening of The Newbury, I have even more incentive to head downtown.

Rent Your Own Private Island this Winter

Guest Post by Amy Perry Basseches
In 2018, I wrote a blog about SuperShe Island, off the coast of Finland, where you and friends can enjoy a private island retreat. What fun…but not exactly a “palm trees and sand” location. And it’s women only.
Recently, an ActiveTravels member expressed interest in a birthday celebration week with her husband and some friends, on a private island in the Caribbean. Now we’re talking! If this is up your alley, please consider:
Fifteen minutes off the coast of Placencia, Belize, Kanu Private Island is a coral island with white sands sloping gently into the Caribbean Sea. Kanu’s 2.5 acres ensures privacy with five 1,000-square-foot villas, each containing a breezily chic master bedroom suite, high bamboo ceilings, huge resort bathrooms with outdoor showers, and custom-made local furniture. Some villas also have large soaking tubs and one has a loft for kids. Price is $4,305 USD per night for exclusive use of the entire island for up to 8 adults based on double occupancy and a minimum 7-night stay (includes all taxes and booking fees). The cost is all inclusive, including transfers, accommodations, meals prepared by your personal chef, local beer and spirits, personal concierge services, personal boat captain, personal fishing and snorkeling guide, up to 4 complementary massages per day, housekeeping, Internet/WiFi, unlimited use of kayaks, paddleboards, snorkeling gear and all other sporting equipment.
Eagle Rock Cay is “for those looking for a little bit of peace and quiet whilst still enjoying the best of the Bahamas.” In the Abacos region, in Hopetown harbor, this island can accommodate four people. Both bedrooms offer comfort and great design. The master bathroom, with its whirlpool tub and double headed shower, forms the perfect place to relax and soak up the Caribbean. From the spacious deck or in the hot tub, you can wave at passing yachts as they cruise through the calm waters, soaking up the spirit of the Caribbean. Nearby Elbow Cay is home to what is generally considered to be the world’s third biggest barrier reef. Choose to cook your catch of the day in the full kitchen. Or take advantage of the wealth of restaurants in nearby Hopetown and the neighboring islands. For an additional fee, a talented chef is available to you. Prices begin at $3600 USD per night.
Let ActiveTravels know if these or other private islands are of interest to you!
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The Annual Retreat to the South Seas Resort, a Family Tradition

Guest Post and Photo by Amy Perry Basseches 

It all started 35 years ago when my parents made a sailing stop on Captiva Island, Florida for the night, thereupon setting into motion an annual multi-generational week at South Seas Resort. It is a property I know extremely well, over many decades, and am pleased to recommend to ActiveTravels members. An easy drive from the Ft. Myers airport (RSW), South Seas features regular hotel rooms and condos with kitchens to stock with groceries. The fun pools, miles of white sand beaches, and activities like beach yoga, which I described in yesterday’s blog, lead to activity filled days, gorgeous sunsets, and starry nights. Off property, we venture to Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge to see the alligators and egrets, visit a farmers’ markets, buy lots of fresh seafood, and head to Captiva Cantina or Bubble Room restaurants for dinner. In December, 14 members of my family (aged 19 – 89) gathered for a week at South Seas. We experienced great weather and are already planning for next winter. Please contact ActiveTravels if Captiva, or nearby Sanibel Island appeals to you. We’d be pleased to make arrangements. 
 
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La Samanna to Reopen on St. Martin December 10

Great news out of the French side of St. Martin, where Belmond La Sammana has just announced that they are reopening on December 10th.  St. Martin was devastated by Hurricane Irma, so the reopening is something we can all celebrate. Lisa and I know La Samanna well, having stayed in one of their whitewashed villas, only a short stroll to the pearly white sands of Baie Longue. After long walks on the mile-long beach, we sunbathed on the roof of our villa and then cooled off in our private plunge pool. It was like being at a resort built for two. The resort’s 83 rooms and public spaces have been given a refresh, awash in a sea of pastel blues, greens, pinks, and peaches, inspired by the natural tones of the Caribbean. Belmond La Samanna will also reopen its beachfront French restaurant, Trellis, and La Cave Wine Cellar, the largest private wine cellar in the Caribbean. 

 
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The Adelphi Hotel in Saratoga Is Once Again a Victorian Gem

For my recent road trip article for Chevrolet’s New Roads Magazine on Revolutionary War sites, I spent a night in Saratoga and was fortunate to stay at the recently renovated Adelphi Hotel. Growing up in upstate New York, I spent many weekends in Saratoga dancing at the Rafters, seeing concerts at SPAC, and going to the track. It’s a wonderful spot for a weekend retreat, especially now that the Adelphi Hotel has returned to its circa-1877 roots after a 5-year renovation. Walk into the lobby and you can’t help but be impressed with the Victorian era grandeur. The lobby bar, Morrissey’s, was busy, even on a Monday night and the restaurant, Blue Hen, is housed under a glass conservatory. But it’s the spacious rooms that are really impressive, replete with freestanding tubs, heated floor tiles and towel racks, and sumptuous beds. After a good night’s sleep, wake up in the morning and stroll to Sweet Mimi’s, owned by friends. You can’t go wrong with the lemon ricotta or toasted coconut pancakes.  

 

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