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Kicking Back in Aruba

If you dream of a Caribbean getaway with blinding white sands and aquamarine waters, a destination that has year-round temps in the mid to upper 80s, less than 15 inches of rain a year, a steady breeze, and absolutely no threat of hurricane, then it’s hard to top the Dutch island of Aruba. Only 16 miles long and 7 miles wide, this speck of land, just off the South American coast remains a popular escape year after year simply because you’re guaranteed a week or two of a warm, therapeutic climate. It doesn’t matter that the interior is mostly arid desert, not nearly as lush as other Caribbean isles like Jamaica or St. Lucia, because travelers come here primarily for that glorious 7-mile stretch of beach. To find out about activities, restaurants, and hotels in Aruba, please check out my latest story for Global Traveler. 
 

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One Visit to the Wilburton Inn and You’ll Be Back

My family loves to tease me about the many ways I describe Vermont’s rural beauty in my stories. Phrases such as “so darn fertile you want to plunge your hands into the soil like Johnny Appleseed,” “green as billiard felt,” “a bucolic slice of pie,” and “like a Currier and Ives painting” have all made it into print. That’s in addition to the slew of adjectives that best sum up the rolling mix of farmland found in this state—sylvan, verdant, pastoral, and fecund come to mind. But as I gaze out the window from my room at the Wilburton Inn, I wanted to add that being nestled in this countryside was like being wrapped in a cozy blanket of serenity. 

Much has been written about the unparalleled hospitality of the Levis family (and all of it is true), including a recent front page story in the travel section of the Boston Globe. It was 30 years ago this summer when Dr. Albert Levis brought his wife, Georgette, to dinner at this circa-1902 estate adjacent to Hildene, the former home of Robert Todd Lincoln on the outskirts of Manchester, Vermont. The good doctor, a psychologist with an expertise in the history of human conflict, convinced his wife, a Wasserstein and the inspiration behind the Madeline Kahn character, Gorgeous Teitelbaum, in sister Wendy’s play, “The Sisters Rosensweig,” to purchase the inn. They would raise their four children in this sublime setting and all four still play a significant role in running the inn. 
 
I wish the sisters Wasserstein were still with us today because the Levis family deserves their own quintessentially Vermont tale. The loving dad, who as a young boy in Greece watched his family ripped apart by the Holocaust, only to devote his life to studying conflict and adversity in all relationships and discussing the steps needed for resolution in his many published writings. His wife, who I unfortunately never had the chance to meet, but obviously a buoyant personality if Madeline Kahn is playing her on Broadway. And the immensely talented children, all entrepreneurs that could only emerge from a childhood in Vermont. Melissa, a children’s songwriter with an infectious personality, ready to break out her guitar at any moment for a sing-along. Her sister, Tajlei, a playwright who helps run the 25-room Wilburton estate in addition to the handful of homes they own in the area, ideally suited for multi-generation getaways. Young brother Max, a Harvard-educated psychologist who will continue to advance his father’s research. And older brother, Oliver, who runs a breadmaking company, Earth Sky Time Farm, in the actual house the family grew up in.  
 
To celebrate their 30th anniversary this summer, the Levis are offering a midweek Farm-to-Table Package. Every Wednesday, you’re invited to Oliver’s homestead for a dinner party, replete with organic food picked fresh from the fields, live music, dancing and dining al fresco. Thursday morning, enjoy a tour of their farm, fields, greenhouses and bakery. You’ll also be introduced to artisans and farmers at the Manchester Farmers Market. Better yet, come celebrate Dr. Albert Levis’ 80th birthday July 12-14, when they’ll be a musical tribute to this wonderful man including Greek dancing. Just go and spend some time with the Levis. You’ll be treated like their extended family, the reason why folks return year after year. 
 
 
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Hong Kong, Bangkok, and French Polynesia in the March ActiveTravels Newsletter

In the March issue of the ActiveTravels newsletter, we discuss our recent travels to Hong Kong and Bangkok. When we weren’t downing copious amounts of dim sum, we were checking out the art scene, the food markets, and the temples where residents were preparing for the Chinese New Year celebrations. We also experienced 5 of the best hotels in the region. We now only bring carry-on luggage because we change hotels every two days to experience as much as possible of what our clients will encounter during their stays. Also in this issue is a deal on cruising French Polynesia and the family friendly delights of a relatively new Montage resort just outside of Savannah, Georgia.

Tonight, we’re heading off to Spain to visit our daughter who is studying in Barcelona. We’re also seeing Granada, Ronda, our nephew in Seville, and Madrid. We’ll be back April 8th with more of the best topical travel content you’ve come to expect from ActiveTravels. Thanks again for your interest. 
 
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Heading Back to My Roots at Syracuse’s Hotel Skyler

Guest Post and Photo by Amy Perry Basseches 
 
Last week, I was driving with my husband Josh from Toronto to Garrison, New York for the wedding of our niece, Sarah. Hesitant to drive all day on Friday and head right into wedding festivities Friday evening, we left Toronto on Thursday night bound for Syracuse, where my family has roots. Syracuse often pops up on college tour itineraries in Upstate New York. Within an hour of Syracuse lie not only Syracuse University but also Cornell University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, several SUNY Colleges, Colgate University, Hamilton College, Ithaca College, and many more. When I passed through on college visits in 2015, the place we stayed overnight was nondescript. 
 
However, this visit was different: Josh and I rested our weary heads in a hotel that used to be the orthodox synagogue of my great grandparents, Max and Eva Bragman, Congregation Adath Yeshurun, now the Hotel Skyler!
 
A steady arrival of Jewish immigrants arrived in Syracuse in the early 19th century and the earliest temple was founded in 1839. In 1870, young men who had immigrated from Poland began to worship together, and this transitioned into “Congregation Adas (later Adath) Yeshurun.”  The Congregation met in a South Crouse Avenue synagogue from 1921 until 1971, when a larger and more modern space for the growing community was deemed necessary. This South Crouse Avenue synagogue is now the Hotel Skyler.  The historic edifice of the original Temple is intact. In 2011, the hotel became the third in the United States and the first in Syracuse to be certified LEED Platinum. Hotel Skyler joined the Tapestry Collection by Hilton in 2017. 
 
After a good night’s sleep, we had excellent coffee and breakfast sandwiches at the Heritage Cafe, then we visited many other local sites steeped in family history for me. I’d recommend the Hotel Skyler if you pass through Syracuse. Contact ActiveTravels for more information, and we’d be glad to help. 
 
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Great Late Summer Day Hikes, Blue Mountain, Adirondacks

Although it took 26 hours or more on railroads, stagecoaches, and steamboats to get to Blue Mountain Lake from New York City in the 1870s, the remoteness of the Adirondacks proved to be more of an attraction than a deterrent. The wealthy elite, including J.P. Morgan, William Whitney, and Alfred Vanderbilt bought large tracts of lands and built themselves "great camps," sprawling collections of handsome log buildings with massive stone fireplaces. To make traveling more pleasurable, they would create their own private railway car, complete with brass railings, shower, card room, and bed. A fine example of this is on view in the Age of Horses Building at the Adirondack Museum.  

 
Just up the road is the trail to the peak of Blue Mountain.  I took this 2-mile path on a cloudless day, when the bright sun beat down, forcing me to stop and hydrate. An hour later, I reached the summit. Soaked with sweat, I tore off my shirt, took another gulp of water and then stared at the surroundings. Anonymous mountains tumbled over one another, their slopes forming a sea of green. Blue Mountain Lake stood before me, a speck compared to the much larger Long and Raquette Lakes that shimmered in the distance. These names I remember from my adolescence when I canoed a string of lakes, ponds, and rivers nearly 100 miles from Old Forge through Blue Mountain, Long, and Raquette Lakes to the Saranac Lakes in the north. Whether you hike, paddle or sail like my parents loved, you’ll be rewarded for your efforts in the Adirondacks. 
 
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Seventh Annual Hotel Week in Manhattan January 5-15, 2018

If you want to visit New York at a discount, then head to the city during their Seventh Annual Hotel Week in early January. Gansevoort Meatpacking, the Refinery Hotel, Library Hotel, James New York, Viceroy Central Park, and Archer New York are just a handful of top-tier properties that will cut their rates considerably during this time. For example, the Paul Hotel NYC will only be $100 a night, more than 50% off their usual rate. Hotel Week NYC™ was created by PR maven Nancy J. Friedman in 2010 to address the occupancy dip most hotels experience after the holiday season. It’s a perfect time to visit Manhattan without the crowds and see the new David Hockney show at the Met. 

 
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In 2015, Create a Travel Portfolio

Want the perfect New Year’s resolution? Design a travel portfolio with your travel consultant comparable to the long-term financial plan you have with a financial advisor. This idea comes from my friend Susan Farewell, owner of FarewellTravels.com, and it’s a brilliant one. I’ve been a professional travel writer since 1990 and I still haven’t stepped foot in Russia, Vietnam, Egypt, or China. So if you’re saving all your longer travels for retirement, you’re dreaming. You’ll also have to deal with declining physical health. When my father was 80, he visited Athens and told me that half the people on his trip couldn’t make the 20-minute walk up the hill to see the Parthenon. So don’t just think of your next winter trip to Florida, Mexico, or the Caribbean. Consider creating a 3 to 5 year portfolio that outlines when exactly you’re going to hit the big ones on your bucket list—India, South Africa, Bali, Thailand, Spain, Turkey, Australia, and Argentina to name a few. Travelers who plan well in advance have much better odds of visiting these far-flung locales. 

 

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