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Not So Memorable All-Inclusive Resorts for Families




If you ask my kids, ages 14 and 12, what their favorite vacations were, they’d no doubt say Alaska, British Colombia, Israel, Paris, Bryce,  Zion, and Acadia National Parks, and, of course, New York. Even though we’ve been to over a dozen all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico over the years, all except our last one at the Riu Ocho Rios in Jamaica are quickly forgettable. They all featured wonderful beaches and decent food until the 3rd day, when you become tired of seeing the same entrees. But the reason they quickly forget this type of vacation is that it never really gets to the depth necessary to touch them. There were no adventures, no immersion into the local culture, be it food, music or history, no mishaps to look back and laugh about. It was all very pleasant, a warm retreat from the cold winter temps in Boston. How can staying at one hotel all week possibly compare to being surrounded by whales, otters, bald eagles, and sea lions on a zodiac off Sitka? Or listening to music late at night at one of the jazz joints in Paris? Or grabbing plates of hummus and foul with locals in Jaffa? Or seeing where King Henry VIII married his sixth wife at Hampton Court Palace?  Or hiking with those odd-shaped hoodoos or an exhilarating cliff walk in Bryce and Zion? Or grabbing a hot pastrami on rye at Katz’s Deli and then going outside to see Shepard Fairey paint his most recent mural on Houston Street? These things my kids remember. All those all-inclusive beaches blur into one big warm embrace, nothing more. 


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Maine Huts & Trails Will Open Third Hut on October 9th

Maine Huts & Trails, the nonprofit organization hoping to build 12 backcountry huts over 180 miles of trails in the remote western mountains of the state, has just announced the unveiling of their third lodging, the Grand Falls Hut. The hut is located on the banks of the Dead River, two miles below the cascading waters of Grand Falls. Each of the three huts, including the Poplar Stream Falls and the Flagstaff Lake hut, are spaced about 11 miles apart, so people can reach it within one day of hiking, snowshoeing, or x-c skiing. Now through November 7th, Maine Huts is offering a deal where you stay two nights and get the second night for half price. So for less than $150 per adult, you get to sleep on a bed for two nights, get hot showers, 2 dinners, and 2 breakfasts. The best part is that you have this vast tract of wilderness outside your window, with mountains, large lakes, sinuous rivers, and waterfalls all vying for your attention.
 

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A New Hostel on Cape Cod

Sand and sea are the images that appear when we think of Cape Cod. Undulating dunes and long stretches of fine white beach serve as a soft welcome mat for the surf that rolls ashore. Yet, you’re going to have to pay a hefty price to grab accommodations near one of those Cape Cod beaches this time of year. Thankfully, Hostelling International has just opened its third hostel on the Cape, the Angeline Crocker Hinckley Hostel. With 40 beds, a full kitchen, and free continental breakfast starting at $29 a night, going to those dunes on Cape Cod National Seashore has never been this affordable. The hostel is located on Ocean Street, across from the ferry docks in Hyannis.
 

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So You Want to Own a B&B, Part Two

In 2004, I wrote a cover story for the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine called, “So You Want to Own a B&B.” In the article, I spoke about the dream of leaving your current job and opening a country inn. The new innkeepers underestimated the amount of hours it took to run a B&B and many burned out quickly. During my research, I met a couple, Jennifer and Ed Dorta-Duque, who were taking a course on the ups and downs of running an inn. At the time, they had quit their jobs as software developers in Baltimore and had been searching for an inn for over 1 ½ years, looking at more than 50 properties in Annapolis, Pennsylvania, Cape Cod, Nantucket, and New York’s Finger Lakes region.  Finally, they came upon the Three Mountain Inn in Jamaica, Vermont, and made the purchase. Six years later, the couple is still going strong and the inn, located in a quiet village on the backside of Stratton Mountain, is a wonderful weekend retreat any time of year.