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Spend a Night at the New Yorker Hotel for $129

If you take a look at our December newsletter, you’ll quickly realize that we love Manhattan this time of year. Well, now we have an even better reason. Through Thursday on Groupon, the art deco New Yorker Hotel is offering a chance to spend the night in Manhattan at $129 a night. Travel dates are good through March. Across from Madison Square Garden, this is a good place to spend the night if you want to head to town to see the red hot New York Knicks. It’s also within easy walking distance to the Broadway theaters. 
 

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Be Wary of Circuit Routes and Name-Brand Hotels When Choosing a Safari

The last two weeks I had the privilege of traveling with Rob Barbour around northern Tanzania, with stops in Arusha and Arusha National Park, the southern Amboseli plains, Mwiba Wildlife Reserve, Ngorongoro Crater, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Kusini Camp in the southern Serengeti, the Grumeti Wildlife Reserve, and the Lamai section of the northern Serengeti, where the legendary wildebeest migration takes place across the Mara River. Rob not only serves as director of African operations for the safari operator, Epic Private Journeys, but he’s a native Tanzanian who formerly owned his own lodges in Lamai and Ruaha National Park in southern Tanzania. It seems like every restaurant, hotel, and airport stop we made, he ran into an old friend. What was invaluable to me was the wealth of information he shared on taking a safari in Africa, knowledge accumulated over a lifetime. This week, I’ll be sharing some of his tips to ensure that your next safari is indeed a once in a lifetime opportunity. 

 
Throughout the trip, Rob emphasized that you can’t pick a safari based on hotel name. You design a safari itinerary on where the wildlife will be that time of year and than combine 3 or 4 properties near the wildlife that will best suit your needs, whether an upscale boutique hotel or a mobile tent deep in the African bush. Actually, to get the true African flavor, it’s best to have a combination of both, like 3 nights at Alex Walker’s Serian camps in Serengeti, combined with an exclusive stay at one of the private wildlife reserves say Singita Grumeti or the relatively new Mwiba Lodge. 
 
The most important thing is not to be seduced by name. Outfitters like Abercrombie & Kent or andBeyond will design a circuit solely based on their properties. That’s wonderful when staying at A&K’s Olonana Sanctuary on Kenya’s Mara River, where you wake up to breakfast with views of the hippos swimming. Not so great if you’re staying at A&K’s outpost near the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, where tents were lined up practically on top of each other. andBeyond’s Ngorongoro Crater Lodge and it’s over-the-top “Out of Africa” style is easily the best property in the region. But in Grumeti, andBeyond will put you in their own tents, which doesn’t offer the same privileges of staying at Singita Grumeti, like night drives and off-road driving to get closer to the wildlife. So it’s best to mix and match with a company like Epic Private Journeys who simply want the best experience and don’t have loyalty to one name. Also be wary of the big name hotelier. For example, Four Seasons Serengeti is located in central Serengeti in a locale far away from the both the wildebeest migration in summer and winter. It’s actually best in late February and March.
 

St. Lucia Week: Walking the Tet Paul Nature Trail

I’ve always enjoyed taking nature walks, especially in tropical settings where the guide tells me the medicinal qualities of all the leaves and herbs. I’m all for natural remedies to my ailments. So when I heard about the Tet Paul Trail, outside of Soufriere, I had to throw it into my itinerary. Little did I know that the 45-minute long trail offers one of the best views of the Pitons, those volcanic twin peaks that has mesmerized me these past two days. The Tet Paul is run by the local community, and my guide, Macgyver, knew every tree, bush, herb, and fruit like the back of his hand. He also took wonderful panoramic photos with my Apple phone. 
 
Located in a farming community 2,000 feet above sea level, everything seems to grow here. Fruit grows straight on the bark of the soursop tree, whose young leaves are supposedly good for the prostate when soaked in hot water. In fact, it seems as if St. Lucians use tea for all their woes. Rosemary leaves are good for migraines, fennel a digestif. MacGyver picked bay leaves, lemongrass, and mint for me to smell. He pointed to ripe guavas, pineapples, cashews, apricots, the sour orange, used in many fish dishes, star fruit, passion fruit, limes, and mocambos, small bananas great for frying. We passed elephant ear ferns, the red gingerlily flower, the prickly bark of the gri-gri palm tree, which locals call the “devil stick.” 
 
“Now let’s climb the stairway to heaven,” says MacGyver, and we walk up stairs to a platform overlooking Gros Piton and his little brother, Petit Piton. The view is astounding. “Welcome to my home,” he says as I stare down in amazement at the spanking white beach below, part of the Sugar Beach resort. “Thanks,” I respond, “but I’m not leaving, Macgyver. I’m going to build a little shack down the road from you and grow yams.” He laughs as I make a mental note to spend at least two weeks on Saint Lucia my next trip. 
 
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Trekking in New Zealand

In the wake of the devastating February 22nd earthquake in the South Island of New Zealand, travel writers around the world are blogging about the country this week in hopes of convincing folks that, outside of Christchurch, the vast majority of New Zealand is intact and ready to welcome visitors. In fact, I’ll be heading there later this year for the annual Society of American Travel Writers Conference. To do my share, I’m going to reprint this list of pointers I wrote for Backpacker Magazine on trekking in New Zealand.

Plan: Book as early as July for the most renowned of all hikes, the 4-day Milford Track in South Island’s Fjordland National Park. Number of hikers are limited to 10,000. 

Inspiration: A rite of passage for Kiwis, the 33-mile trek weaves through rainforest and alpine meadows, passing the country’s tallest waterfall in the (Sutherland), and dumping you off at the striking fjords of Milford Sound. 

Season: The hiking season is late October to late April. Avoid the rush of Christmas school holidays from the last week of December through January.

Pack: With huts built along many of these trails, like Milford, tents and mats are often unnecessary, lightening packs. 

Clothes: The uniform of choice is usually a layer of polypro under shorts. This deters bugs, especially the nasty sand fly, and keeps you cozy in mist and fog.

Weather: Expect a mix of clouds and sun, with frequent changes in weather. Average daytime temps are in the high 50s to mid-60s, Fahrenheit, but often dip to just above freezing at night. 

Food: Granola, fresh bread and cheese, dried fruit, even freeze-dried meals are easy to find once you get to New Zealand.

Extras: Kiwis love their tea, so have extra bags on hand and you’ll win friends easily.

Caveat: Serious backpackers who might find the Milford Track overly regulated (you’re required to overnight at the Clinton Hut, a mere hour’s hike from the trailhead) should opt for Fjordland’s less visited and far more rigorous Dusty Track. It has much of the same scenery Milford features, without the foot traffic.

Wildlife: Watch for the luminous glowworm, hidden under ferns at night, and listen for the call of the elusive Kiwi bird. 

Guides: Kiwi Wilderness Walks in Queenstown is a respected authority on South Island tracks.

Book: Tramping in New Zealand (published by Australian-based Lonely Planet), by Jim DuFresne.
 

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Download the Best Translation Apps

Fear of overcoming the language barrier is one of most common anxieties travelers face. One experience with a surly Parisian waiter who mocks your stab at French will only exacerbate the situation. Or the futile attempt to explain to your taxi driver in Bangkok the name of your hotel when he uses a vastly different alphabet. That’s why I’m downright giddy about the latest language translation apps, found in my latest column for Men’s Journal. Try one of these technological beauties and you’ll no longer be fumbling through the pages of the Berlitz guide.

 
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Windsurf Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

Lining the North Carolina coast, the Outer Banks are barriers of sand 150 miles long and never more than a few miles wide. These islands serve as welcome mats to the Atlantic and her many changing moods. Hurricanes, northeasters, and low pressure disturbances along the jet stream are quite common here. This might create havoc for the fisherman or sailor, but unleashes a steady stream of wind for the windsurfer. Most of the sailing is on a 50-mile stretch of the Pamlico Sound off of Hatteras Island. Shallow water, sandy bottoms, and prevailing winds are cherished by both novices and experts alike. If you want to be with the crowds, catch the waves at Canadian Hole. Otherwise, choose from hundreds of more secluded launch sites along the coast. Wind-NC in Avon rents boards and offers lessons.
 

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My Favorite Music of 2014

As I do every year, I go through the Boston Globe and NPR’s music reviewers’ lists of top reviewed albums and songs of the year to see what truly stands out. It was a great year for electronica music, thanks to Leon Vynehall, Caribou, and Jacques Greene. Check out these three songs, in particular: Goodthing, Can’t Do Without You, and 1 4 Me. Love the sultry delivery of Niia on her latest cut, Body. Lee Field’s Standing By Your Side is old school R&B straight from the playbook of Curtis Mayfield. The Matt Wilson Quartet and John Mediski came out with an ebullient up-tempo jazz album called Gathering Call, which I just purchased on Amazon and can’t wait to listen to it as I write. Check out Pumpkin’s Delight. Hip-hop lovers will adore the new Freddie Gibbs and Madlib song, Deeper, meant to be played loud in the car when you don’t want anybody to mess with you. There was some excellent African music to come out this year, including Ugandan singer Somi and her strong delivery on Lady Revisited. Nigeria’s Brymo came out with a great album, Tabula Rusa, including one must-download song, One Pound. My favorite album of the year was A Long Way to the Beginning by Seun Kuti, Fela’s son. The younger Kuti reunited with his dad’s band to once again create that hypnotic Afropop beat, guaranteed to put a smile on your face. I can’t wait to crank it out on my trip to Tanzania in March. Enjoy! 

 

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