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November Newsletter Now Available at ActiveTravels.com

In June, when one of our clients booked the Aman Sveti Stefan in Montenegro, often ranked as the top resort in Europe by Travel & Leisure, I asked him if he would please do a write-up. I’ve never been to Montenegro and I’ve been hearing great things about this hotel since its debut. Thankfully Todd Finard graciously agreed and you can see his review in the Hotels We Love column. We also asked another member, Lisa Grobstein, to write about her recent getaway to London for our Quick Escape column. Without the summer crowds, it’s a perfect time to visit London and enjoy excellent theater and their world-class museums.
 
We love it when members tell us about their experience after a trip. It’s invaluable information on lodging, guides, activities, and restaurants that we pass along to other clients going to the same destination. Even better when members share it directly with other members via the monthly newsletter and our social media channels, the ActiveTravels Facebook page and Twitter. By becoming a member at ActiveTravels, you’re now part of a growing community of avid travelers who yearn for an authentic and memorable vacation. Your tips will only enhance that experience. 
 
Also in this month’s newsletter is our main feature on Maui and Kauai, two islands I start to dream about this time of year; an excellent Swiss outfitter, Bucher Travel, who we’ve worked with to book ski vacations to Zermatt; and new photo apps that can only improve your photography skills (in case you missed Wednesday’s blog). Enjoy the weekend!
 
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Boston Needs to Take a Good Hard Look at Rotterdam’s New Food Market

Ten years in the making, the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands (less than an hour drive from Amsterdam) has just unveiled a public market that will set the standard for design of food markets for years to come. On the base floor of a horseshoe-shaped tunnel, close to 100 food stalls will sell their mix of local cheeses, meats, produce, and flowers at the Markthal. The largest art piece in the Netherlands, Horn of Plenty by Arno Coenen and Iris Roskam, wraps the curving interior walls of the hall. Projected onto the individually placed screens are larger-than-life images of vibrantly colored fruits, grains, and vegetables. Arching high in the sky and surrounding the massive artwork are 228 apartments with sweeping views of this port city. The city of Boston should take a good look at this multi-use architectural marvel. Set to debut our own public market in 2015, it seems as if we’re settling for far less by just using space in the old Haymarket building. Why not set much loftier aspirations with an emphasis on the future, not the past? 

 
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Photography Apps & Tools to Enhance Your Travel Photos

Guest Post by Lisa Leavitt

I still lug around my heavy 35 mm Canon camera, just like I still tend toward actual books and dirty bulky newspapers. However, you can’t be but amazed at what your iPhone camera is capable of doing. Here are some excellent apps and tools that will give you a hand toward creating those memorable pictures you’ve yearned to be able to take:

 
Ollo Clip
Ollo Clip is a four-in-one lens that can be easily attached to your iPhone or iPad. The four lenses include a wide angle, fish-eye (think strange distortions), 10x macro lens gets you 10x closer and the 15x lens gets you 15x closer (yep, peach fuzz). Pocket sized and very handy, these are extra cool. Remember, the one downside is you have to attach the lenses to the naked iPhone, so cases need to be removed before use. They did invent a special Quick-Flip case for it so you may want to check those out. The four-in-one for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus should be ready to ship by late November, just in time for the holidays. Made for iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5S, and 6 is to come shortly. Also works on Samsung Galaxy. Only $79.
 
Galileo
You likely have a dock for your iPod that amplifies the sound of your music. The Galileo is a dock for your iPhone that gives it a robotic spin rotating in every direction, expanding your photographic possibilities to the extreme. Features include time lapse video that can capture the transformations of the sky during sunrises and sunsets and passing cloud formations, face tracking technology allowing for hand free selfies, object tracking for hand free videography, and spherical photos featuring a composite picture taken from 360 degrees of angles.  $99.95-$149.95
 
GroupShot
This app merges a series of photos into one that everyone loves. Ever take a fantastic family photo but one person manages to blink so it’s just not perfect? Here’s your solution. Load all the pictures you have of that latest family photo, and replace the less than optimal face with one from another take. Problem solved. GroupShot costs .99 in the App Store.

 
ProHDR X 
Incredible definition for smart phone photos, called High Dynamic Range, combines several different exposures into one so you can create a single well-exposed image. You can easily turn on the HDR setting on your iPhone camera by tapping on the options button and turning on the HDR switch. It may take a bit longer to take an HDR photo, but it’s usually worth it. If you want even better HDR quality, try ProHDR X, which was just introduced last month. This app allows your iPhone camera to simultaneously get details on the object in focus, get the lush, saturated color you desire, show shadows with depth and produce a final image that looks almost surreal it’s so focused and highly contrasted. $1.99 from the App store.
 
TouchRetouch
This app will remove unwanted people and content from your photos. Use your finger to change your photos at will. The photos look very convincing and the app is a cinch to use. TouchRetouch is .99 in App Store.
 
 
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Luxury Train Travel to Debut in Ireland

Belmond, formerly Orient-Express, announced last week that they would introduce luxury train travel to Ireland the summer of 2016. Called the Belmond Grand Hibernian, the sleeper will consist of 20 cabins with accommodations for up to 40 guests. The train will also feature four interconnecting suites to accommodate families, two restaurant cars, and an observation bar car. The Grand Hiberian will travel throughout the island offering two, four, and six-night rail stays that include stops at Dublin, Belfast, and Cork. Daily excursions include a round of golf at a world-class resort, a literary tour of Dublin, and stops at Ireland’s classic estates. Belmond already offers upscale train travel to Scotland on the Belmond Royal Scotsman, currently the UK’s only luxury sleeper train. 

 
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Don’t Miss the Goya Show at Museum of Fine Arts Boston

When we last saw the curatorial work of Frederick Ilchman, he was at the helm of the masterful MFA exhibition, “Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese: Rivals in Renaissance Venice,” on view in 2009. Ilchman showed his theatrical side by placing a Tintoretto work on the ceiling as the artist originally intended. Knowing his travels took him back and forth to his beloved Venice, I persuaded him to divulge some of his favorite restaurants and sights in the city for a Boston Globe story. The past five years, he’s been traveling back and forth to Madrid and the result is his impressive new show at the MFA on the Spanish artist Goya. Goya: Order and Disorder, is on view at the MFA through January 19, and you can read my review of the exhibition at Everett Potter’s Travel Report. The MFA is the only venue for the show and you’d be wise to get there or wait another five years for Ilchman’s next exhibition. Thankfully, Ilchman is here to stay, having recently been appointed Chair, Art of Europe at the MFA.
 
I’m off to Fort Lauderdale for the wedding of good friends, Fran Golden and David Molyneaux. Since they’re two of the top cruise writers in America, their wedding will take place on the new Regal Princess on a short voyage to the Bahamas Tomorrow, I’ll be at the naming ceremony with six of the original cast members of The Love Boat, including Gavin MacLeod (Captain Stubing), former Iowa congressman, Fred Grandy (Gopher), and my personal favorite, Bernie Kopell (Doc), who also played the villain Siegfried on “Get Smart.” I’ll be back next Tuesday. Have a great week!
 
Photo: Thirteenth Dutchess of Alba (1797, Hispanic Society of America, New York)
 
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The Tragic Demise of the South African Rhino

Home to the world’s largest rhino population, South Africa recently reported that 820 rhinos have already been killed by poachers in 2014. That’s a dramatic rise from the less than a dozen rhinos killed in 2007. More than half of those killings have occurred in Kruger National Park, home to an estimated 9,000 rhinos. With the cost of rhino horn selling for $65,000 (US) a kilogram in Vietnam, far more valuable than gold, the South African government has no idea how to stop the poaching. Some in the government want to legalize the sale of rhino horn to drive out the ruthless gangs of poachers. About 15 poaching gangs are believed to enter Kruger National Park every day. Rhinos are being captured and relocated to secret protective zones inside the park. Others are sold to private game farms that offer far greater security. If seeing rhinos in the wild appears high on your wish list, you’d be wise not to wait too long. 

 
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10 Best Family Ski Resorts

A family ski trip offers the rare opportunity to spend quality time with every member of your family, including your significant other. In the morning, kids can improve their skills at ski schools, while you hit the slopes with your number one squeeze. In the afternoon, children can show off their new tricks while you ski together as a family. The best ski areas have gentle slopes for little skiers, first rate instructors to enhance skills of children ages 3 and up (in group or private lessons), childcare services for kids younger than 3, and more than enough activity to keep the kids busy when they need a break from the mountain. If you’re thinking of hitting the slopes this winter with the family, check out my list of favorite North American ski areas, found at Family Vacation Critic. 
 
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Salt Lake City’s Urban Renewal

Not unlike many cities in North America, the wide streets of downtown Salt Lake City were practically deserted once the business day ended. Workers might stay late to catch a performance of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or have a business dinner at Christopher’s Prime Steakhouse, but there were relatively few options to lure you to the downtown corridor. 
 
Fast forward two decades later and Salt Lake City has become one of the most desirable cities to live in the country, a low-key version of Denver surrounded by similar majestic peaks. With its proximity to Alta, Snowbird, and Park City and the promise of a healthy lifestyle, Salt Lake City has seen a population explosion spurred on by folks yearning for a better quality of life. No longer is the city, home to the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, lacking in diversity. In fact, the latest figures show that almost half of the population of 170,000 is not Mormon. An ethnic population hovering around 35 percent has led to an explosion of indigenous fare and a growing reputation as a foodie destination. Even a thriving bar scene has started to emerge downtown.
 
The full story on Salt Lake City’s urban renewal can be found in the November issue of Global Traveler magazine. 
 
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Where the Farmland Meets the Sea

Sandwiched between the far better known travel destinations of Newport and Cape Cod is a little slice of heaven reserved for New Englanders in the know. Head an hour southeast of Boston past the gritty ports of New Bedford and Fall River and you’ll reach a sylvan stretch of Massachusetts and Rhode Island where farmland rolls to the ocean and long inlets are bordered by historic towns settled as far back as 1616. This drive (or bike ride) on backcountry roads is only 38 miles, but you’ll want to give yourself a day to explore. 

 
Start in the former whaling port of Padanaram, a picturesque village in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Design stores for summer cottage owners and casual seafood restaurants have replaced the shipbuilders that once lined the harbor of the Apponagansett River. Details & Design (332 Elm Street) features driftwood planters, women’s sundresses, and “Padanaram” pillows, complete with longitude and latitude. Down the block, Flora Home (324 Elm Street) offers outdoor patio furniture and pitchers and glassware, ideally suited for serving lemonade on a porch. 
 
To read about the entire route, please check out my latest story for Yankee Magazine. 
 
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What Sports Gear is Worth the Baggage Check Price?

With the cost of luggage on airlines forever on the upswing, it’s a good time to reconsider whether you want to bring those cherished clubs on your next family vacation unless you know for sure you’ll get some time on the links. American Airlines and United now charge up to $200 per golf bag if the weight scale happens to tip over 70 pounds. Skis, surfboards, and bikes are priced less, averaging $50 per leg per item. But is it worth the hassle and the price? To see my recommendations, check out my latest travel column for Men’s Journal.