Belize Diving

October 27th, 2010

SunBreeze Resort and SunBreeze Suites, in the heart of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, form a crescent that embraces the waterfront as well as its white sands, palm trees and tropical garden. The resorts are the home of Aqua Dives Belize – the Ultimate Dive Center and a Gold Palm PADI dive operator. They offer PADI instruction courses, private courses, intro dives, dives to the famous Blue Hole, Turneffe Elbow and daily snorkeling trips to Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley. Sunbreeze also has a great restaurant on property, the Blue Water Grill, where you can enjoy the “sea breeze” and enjoy a spectacular view while indulging in their varied menu.

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Chic Edinburgh

October 26th, 2010

Three new hotels opened in Edinburgh within the last year. The Scottsman Hotel, a five-star boutique property, is a member of Small Leading Hotels of the World and is housed in the former Scotsman Newpaper building.  The hotel is a five-minute stroll from Multrees Walk, a prime place for shoppers. The restaurant, North Bridge Brasserie  bar, echos the building’s Victorian origins, and serves modern Scottish cuisine. With suitesthat can accomodate families and a duplex penthouse suite with views of the Castle, this place is wonderful.

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Wildlife Volunteering Vacations

August 2nd, 2010

There are wonderful wildlife volunteering vacations available. You can spend 2 weeks at the Sweetwater Research Centre in Kenya measuring the condition of plants the endangered black rhino depends upon for sustenance. You’ll be out in the bush using a GPS. It’s like being on safari but much more intense. Or go to the tiny island of Utila, off the coast of Honduras, to the Conservation Project Utila Iguana, set up to protect the nearly extinct Utila iguana and other endangered lizards threatened by the development of the mangroves and beaches where the females bury their eggs. Many species of tropical birds live on the island as well as families of monkeys, whitetail deer, wild boards and raccoons.

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Jamaica again

July 21st, 2010

The drive between Montego Bay and Negril is now only a couple of hours on a good, new road. There was still a bit of construction but its supposed to be finished soon. It’s an interesting drive through villages and with the ocean peeking through the vegetation. We were there late afternoon and there were lots of uniformed kids just getting out of school and walking home. Lots of people were walking everywhere, especially in the villages. You could tell they were running errands and taking care of business before going home for the day. As we got closer to Negril, the ocean was more prominent and each turn of the road produced another spectacular view. The beaches are Negril are so beautiful. Hard to believe they were only discovered not that long ago. While in Negril, we visited the RIU Palace Tropical Bay, Sunset at the Palms and Couples Swept AWay. The RIU Palace is gorgeous…very deluxe. Sunset at the Palms is across the road from the beach but they have their own beach access. The accommodations are on stilts and it was peaceful and quiet. What a great getaway from it all! It rained on us at the end of our Couples inspection. A real downpour, but it only lasted half an hour or so. Later that evening we returned there for a lovely dinner. Negril is beautiful, with calm waters and lovely beaches. I can see myself back at Negril someday….I can dream, can’t i?

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Jamaica, Mon

July 3rd, 2010

Just got back from Jamaica. Negril has the most beautiful beaches and water. Stayed at Breezes Grand in an ocean front junior suite. Just had to walk out of the room, across a grassy, manicured lawn and onto this beautiful beach in a calm Caribbean sea. Or walk down the public beaches and pick up shells. The Breezes has a small spa with a great staff, and two pools, one of which is clothing optional, and many different room types. Rick’s Cafe in the town of Negril is the best place to watch the sunset.

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Napier New Zealand and Hawkes Bay

April 28th, 2010

Napier, home of the most complete Art Deco city in the world, is also part of the Hawke’s Bay region, well known for wonderful wines. It’s also home to the famous luxury lodge, the Farm, Cape Kidnappers. The Farm has won numerous awards, including one of the top 50 hotels in the world through Travel & Leisure in the Jan. 2010 edition. The golf course has been ranked #4 by Golf Magazine of the world’s best golf courses. A trip to the Hawkes Bay region is one of the best reasons for going to New Zealand, and most especially if you love wine and golf.  www.capekidnappers.com

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Classic New Zealand Wine Trail

March 4th, 2010

The Classic New Zealand Wine Trail extends from Hawke’s Bay on the North Island, across the Cook Strait, to the Marlborough region at the top of the South Island. It starts in Napier, the most perfectly preserved Art Deco city in the world. Napier was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 and rebuilt in Art Deco style and that style has persevered. A wonderful way to see the Art Deco buildings is to take a walking tour. The day I took the tour we had a girl from Amsterdam, a couple from South Africa and a couple of Brits. As we were walking, the tour guide just casually mentioned that one of the All Blacks had just opened a sandwich shop for his mum in Napier and he was there that day making sandwiches! Needless to say, that’s where I had my sandwich that day, courtesy of Tane Randall! Cape Kidnappers, the wonderful resort and golf course is also in this area. You can fly to Napier and they will pick you up at the airport. Driving from Auckland to Cape Kidnappers is about 6 hours. You can also take a helicopter from their sister property Kauri Cliffs in just under 3 hours. This is one of the best golf courses in the world! …to be continued…much more on the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail. Check it out at www.classicwinetrail.co.nz

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Trains

August 20th, 2008

New Zealand has some spectacular train trips. One of the best is the Overlander. I took this a few years ago from Auckland to Wellington and that was the day that I changed my mind forever about the beauty of the North Island. You travel through the ski towns of National Park and Okahune, and continue on through farmlands and stunning river gorges. The best part was something I didn’t even know about…the famous Raurimu Spiral, an engineering wonder through a beautiful gorge. Something I will never forget. If you want more information, go to www.tranzscenic.co.nz for more information. The trip to Wellington took a whole day, but it was a day well spent. With the added bonus of ending up in Wellington, one of my favorite cities in New Zealand. More about Wellington later.

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Pet Care

August 8th, 2008

If you need someone to take care of your pets, bring in your mail and in general look after your house while you’re traveling, call Deb Brightstar at 520-490-2221. You can visit her website at www.doggiedivapetcare.com. Isn’t Doggie Diva a great name? Deb’s motto is “We take care of your pets and home as if they were our own”, and she means it.

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Milford Sound

July 30th, 2008

There are several ways to see Milford. Most people do a day trip from Queenstown but it’s a very long day. The best way is to fly both ways, but at least to fly back. The weather is so unpredictable though, you just never know if you’ll be able to fly back. I usually recommend you reserve the flight back and then, if it’s raining, you can always drive back. That makes for about a 12 or 13 hour day though! But one good thing about if you get rained out of flying back is the waterfalls! They are amazing and everywhere. Once at the Sound, you take a boat around the sound to look at the wildlife and scenery. You can also spend the night on a boat in the sound, which is a wonderful experience. One company that does tours to Milford Sound is Real Journeys. www.realjourneys.co.nz Check it out.

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