Quick Escape: Puerto Rico

Condado Ocean Club, Puerto RicoIf you need to escape the winter weather, Puerto Rico might be your best bet right now. We’ve been booking a lot of Puerto Rican travel these past 3 months. Why? They have some of the lowest COVID numbers in America and their vaccination rate is one of the highest. Puerto Rico requires no passport for Americans, but you will need your vaccination cards uploadhttps://www.fairmont.com/puerto-rico/ed on their declaration form. Also, Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and excluded from the CDC requirement to provide a negative COVID-19 test result to return to the mainland United States. Translation: You can’t get stuck there! Lastly, the many direct and affordable flights to Puerto Rico makes the island easily accessible from across America.

The properties on island we like are Condado Vanderbilt and their new sister property, Condado Ocean Club, Dorado Beach Ritz Carlton, St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, Wyndham Rio Mar, and the Fairmont El San Juan Hotel. While there, you can take a walking tour of historic San Juan, hike to the waterfalls in the El Yunque Rainforest, and sea kayak amongst the shimmering waters of Bioluminescent Bay. Or simply sit on the beach with the latest Amor Towles novel and enjoy the 80-degree weather and days of sunshine. Please let ActiveTravels know your dates and we’ll be happy to check availability based on your budget.

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Check Out the April 2018 ActiveTravels Newsletter

Not surprisingly, Italy is once again the top summer destination for our members, with Spain, Greece, Portugal, Scotland, and Iceland not far behind. Bike or drive through the rolling foothills of Tuscany along the Arno River and you quickly understand why Italy continues to seduce. You’ll stop to taste wine from local vineyards, olive oil from orchards, and walk on the cobblestone streets of medieval villages like Cortona, where Under the Tuscan Sun was filmed. Add requisite stops in Venice, Florence, and Rome, the dreamy landscapes of the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, and Capri, and the growing popularity of Sicily and Puglia and you begin to realize why Italy keeps us busy year-round.
 
We work with a number of wonderful Italy-based tour operators who will custom-design your private trip based on your interests, be it food and wine, biking and hiking, arts and culture, history, or all of the above. They will take care of all the logistics including lodging, transfers, and activities. We also book a number of guided trips, when our clients love to leave all the worries to someone else so they can sit back, relax, take in the sights, and make new friends. In this month’s issue of the ActiveTravels newsletter, we select five group trips our clients have loved. We also talk about Medawisla, the newly revamped lodge run by the Appalachian Mountain Club in the remote Maine woods, and remind you of the benefits of booking with a travel agent. Please have a look! 
 
I’m off to Saratoga, Valley Forge, and Philadelphia next week to pen a story for Chevrolet’s New Roads Magazine on a driving trip to Revolutionary War sites. I’ll be back on May 7th. Have a great week and keep active! 
 

Quick Escape to Portland, Maine

Truffle fries at DuckfatWe love Portland in the off-season to dine at the acclaimed restaurants that are hard to get reservations in summer and to walk our dog, Theo, on the beach of Cape Elizabeth at that pet-friendly gem of a resort, Inn by the Sea. Portland has been making innovative food for the past decade. Just ask our kids who plead with us to stop at Duckfat every time we pass through town just to have another taste of their crispy French fries dipped in truffle ketchup. Fore Street, which led the food revival in town, is consistently nominated by James Beard for Outstanding Restaurant in the national category. Other longtime favorites include Evo and Street & Co. Also check out the fantastic baked goods at Tandem Coffee and Bakery, the deli food at Rose Foods, and the microbrews at nearby Bissell Brothers Brewing Company.

Portland’s 10-Day Carnaval Maine is going on right now at the Eastern Promenade. The winter wonderland features live music, art installations, light shows, a rail jam competition by Sunday River, professional ice and snow sculptures, and Bites and Brews, where award-winning chefs and craft brewers come together to make made-in-Maine pairings. Families looking for kid-friendly activities during school vacation week can visit The L.L. Bean WinterKids Fun Zone where activities include a snowshoe obstacle course, Bean Boot toss, and more. In the evening, the event shifts to popular local and regional bands who will turn up the volume for the adults, like Scott McCreery on Saturday.

Life’s a Beach, My Top 12 Picks, Including Popham Beach, Phippsburg

Popham Beach, Maine At the end of one of those fingers of land that dangles off the Maine coast into the Atlantic, Popham is hopelessly exposed to all the elements. There’s nothing manicured about this rare spit of sand sandwiched between the rocky shores. Pieces of driftwood lie on the beach, backed by dwarf pines and uprooted trees. Come at low tide and the grooved sand leads to a tiny island where seagulls have picked over unfortunate crabs and mussels that lay exposed on the kelp. When the water rolls in, kids swim in the warm (yes, warm) waters of the tidal pool as parents take long beach walks, watching three-masted schooners and lobstermen cruise past the pine-studded islands and lighthouses. Let the cool breeze blow through your hair and breathe in the salty air. This is the raw, genuine Maine coast you have yearned for.

This entry is excerpted from my latest book, New England in a Nutshell. The book/ebook is slated to published on July 2nd and you can pre-order now at Amazon. The ebook includes all hyperlinks to listings. The paperback includes front and back cover illustrations from Manhattan-based artist, Sarah Schechter, and a small sampling of photos from Lisa Leavitt, who accompanied me on many of my assignments, resulting in published work for the Boston Globe.

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5 Wellness Retreats, Vermont’s Woodstock Inn in ActiveTravels December Newsletter

In our November newsletter, we noted that our colleague, Rachel, has now become certified as a Wellness Travel Advisor. She can discuss with expertise a curated list of wellness properties that would be best suited for what you’re yearning for, from yoga to nature to nutrition to health to personal growth. Rachel can not only find the exact lodging that suits your needs, but can get complimentary amenities like room upgrades, free breakfasts, and $100 off spa treatments. In this month’s issue, we feature the resorts she likes best. Also in the December issue is a great package deal at the Woodstock Inn in Vermont and our favorite brews to try in the state, when savoring that apres-ski pint. Please have a look!

 
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Escape to Alcatraz

It wasn’t until this last trip to San Francisco that I finally made it to Alcatraz. The ferry over to The Rock was always booked and even though I grew up on a steady diet of true crime books, there’s countless other sights in San Francisco to pick from. But I have to say that I loved it, especially the captivating 45-minute audio tour narrated by former Alcatraz prisoners and prison guards. “Move over to the next cell,” says a scruffy voice, “this is where Frankie planned his escape.” It really gives the empty prison cells so many more layers. A word of advice: book your ferry well in advance. 
 
Before heading to Alcatraz, we wisely chose to have lunch at Fog Harbor Fish House. Located on Pier 39, the second floor seafood restaurant overlooks the expanse of San Francisco Bay. Sourdough bread, fresh out of the oven, arrived at the table. Then we downed local oysters, a spicy garlic shrimp dish that was a hit at our table, fried calamari, and a wedge salad. Service was excellent and we easily made it to the Alcatraz ferry on time. 
 
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Cuba, Colombia, Hartford, and More in August ActiveTravels Newsletter

Lisa and I recently had the pleasure of meeting Megumi Gordon, granddaughter of ActiveTravels member, Naomi Gordon. Megumi, along with her husband, Michael Laverty, and his brother, Collin, is co-founder of Habana Live, a tour operator in Cuba that custom-designs trips to the island based upon your interests. With new nonstop service on JetBlue starting on November 10th between Boston and Havana, (JetBlue already offers direct flights from JFK to Havana), there’s no better time to visit Cuba. Along with Megumi, many outfitters and cruise lines are adding Cuba to their list of destinations this winter. To see the five ways we recommend visiting Cuba this winter, please see our latest ActiveTravels newsletter. We also include highlights of my recent trip to Colombia, as well as a fun quick escape to Hartford, Connecticut. And if you’re heading to Europe this year, read about the great (and free!) audio tours by travel author Rick Steves.

 

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