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Archive for category North America

Mexico Safe for Travel –Officially, At Last

Feb 23

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in Latin America, North America, TripClips | No Comments

February 23rd, 2010

Overview:

The US Department of State has extended a travel alert to Mexico. The text of the alert has remained virtually unchanged, with a few additional border areas being added to the list of those where extra caution is recommended.

The travel alert expresses no concern whatsoever regarding Mexican beach resorts and key tourist and business destinations. Tourist areas are safe to travel to, which means that the vast majority of U.S. citizens visiting Mexico should not have any hesitation in doing so.

Mexico’s tourist destinations and resort properties remain fun, safe, affordable and popular vacation destinations. Indeed, Mexico remains the number one international destination for U.S. tourists.

A travel alert has been issued for Mexico, not a warning. A travel alert disseminates information about short-term conditions of which U.S. citizens abroad should be aware to maximize their safety. The alert for Mexico does not discourage U.S. citizens from traveling to the country’s tourist destinations.

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Tags: Mexico, safe, safety, security, Update

The World’s Weirdest Restaurants

Feb 5

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in Asia, Eat, Europe, North America, See, TripClips | 4 Comments

Even for those of us who aren’t self-professed gastronomes, many of travel’s most vivid memories are made at mealtime — we remember so well that skin-melting madras curry in Southern India or that al dente spaghetti in squid ink in Venice. So while there’s nothing inherently wrong with grabbing yet another sandwich at an international chain, sometimes solidifying the travel experience means picking the two-pound, 8,000-calorie cheeseburger or spicy silkworm larvae instead.

You can sink your teeth into these tasty dishes and a wealth of other outlandish offerings at the restaurants we’ve selected as the world’s weirdest. “Weird” is, of course, a matter of taste — as one man’s sheep’s penis is another’s Korean hot pot served in a toilet. Regardless, there’s no denying that travelers won’t soon forget eating at a restaurant devoted to a single ingredient (apples) or one that employs tiny monkey waiters. Read on to learn about nine of the world’s most unusual restaurants — happy perusing, and bon appetit!

kayabukiya tavern macaque monkey Kayabukiya Tavern: Utsunomiya, Japan
At first glance, there’s nothing particularly striking about Kayabukiya Tavern, a seemingly run-of-the-jungle Japanese sake house. Food is of the Asian comfort variety — barbecue chicken, fried dumplings and rice dishes, all washed down with a no-frills selection of beer and sake. “What’s so odd about this place?” you wonder — until a tiny, fleet-footed monkey server politely hands you a customary pre-meal hot towel.

In lieu of human servers, who are costly and sometimes prove impossible to train, the owner’s pair of macaque monkeys efficiently work the gig. Dressed in open shirts and short pants, they scamper about, delivering bottles of beer and collecting tips of edamame (steamed soy beans) for their efforts. Animal rights regulations dictate that the simians can only work a total of two hours a day (the monkeys are fighting this rule), so make sure you call ahead to avoid homo sapiens servers. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: bizarre, food, novel, odd, restaurant, restaurants, strange, unique, weird, world, world's

World’s Coolest Pools –Travel+Leisure

Dec 19

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in *Hot*, Asia, Australia & Oceana, Europe, Latin America, North America, Play, See, TripClips | 1 Comment

Get wet at these wild and wonderful swim spots.

From Travel+Leisure Magazine, December 2009 By Jimmy Im

Sally Randall Brunger, creative director of men’s knitwear line The Brungers, traverses the globe for inspiration for her collections—and she knows a cool pool when she sees one. “I can’t imagine anything more fun after a day of meetings than to toss off my heels and dip into a pool where I can swim to the bar and order my favorite cocktail.”

For the notorious “it” girl from the glamorous ’80s club era, the pool at the Grace Hotel in Times Square fits the bill. The midtown hotel has one of the most talked about pools in New York City. With two swim-up bars, live DJs, and a projector screen, it’s at the heart of the action—complete with half-naked guests.

Pools are fast evolving from background scene-setters to the main attraction. The 21st-century pool has blossomed from mere swim spot to an imaginative work of art that flaunts a “wow” factor—be it a pool elevator, a whitewater slide, hidden grotto, or interactive aquarium. With all these bells and whistles, who cares about a diving board?

Of course, a buzz-worthy pool doesn’t just happen overnight. “The interesting aspects of cool pools are in the choice and use of materials,” says Cool Pools and Hot Tubs author Vinny Lee, “and its shape should complement the surroundings and landscape.”

“It’s all too easy to design a pool that looks good, but to make strong and powerful connections to a place, a climate, a landscape, an atmosphere or a feeling—now that’s cool because it’s unrepeatable,” says Marwan Al-Sayed, one of the designers of the pool at the stunning new Amangiri resort in the Utah desert, which is built around a natural stone outcropping.

Other pools are more of a novelty attraction. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: best pool, great pool, largest pool, pool, pools, World's Best Pool

Top Ten HotSpots for High Tea — A Global Tour

Dec 14

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in *Hot*, Africa, Asia, Eat, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America, TripClips | No Comments

From :

SINGAPORE – Fancy a cuppa? From highbrow salons to highland plantations, the world’s best places to have tea.

1. London, England

Ladies, don your gowns; gents, start pressing your ties. Afternoon tea at the Ritz is a splendid formal affair: silver pots and fine china chink at 4 p.m. sharp under the vaulted glass and chandeliers of the Palm Court. It’s not cheap, but you’ll be in good company — this venerable hotel has served exotic infusions to everyone from King Edward VII to Charlie Chaplin. If the budget won’t stretch, try alternative institutions: the organization Classic Cafes champions the formica-countered greasy spoons of the 1950s, a dwindling number of which are still serving brews in vintage surrounds. Tie not required.

2. Trans-Siberian Railway, Russia/Central Asia
Nonstop, the epic Moscow-Beijing train journey takes over six days. The best way to spend them is befriending your carriage mates — Russian businesspeople, Mongolian traders, Buddhist monks. Each car has a samovar, a hot-water urn where you can top up your mug to ward off the Siberian chill. Samovars are more than kettles: entrenched in Russian society, they’re made for communal drinking. The local saying ‘to have a sit by the samovar’ means to talk leisurely over endless cups of tea. Fill your flask — and those of your new-found friends — and watch Europe roll into Asia.

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Tags: afternoon tea, afternoon tea recommendations, best afternoon tea, best high tea, best places for tea, best tea, cream tea, formal tea, High tea, high tea recommendations, tea

Mexico shuts Cancun beach, alleges sand was stolen

Jul 31

Posted by Nathan, Owner/Manager & COO in North America, TripClips | No Comments

From Associated press, Friday July 31st 2009

MEXICO CITY – Surprised tourists found their little piece of Cancun beach paradise ringed by crime-scene tape and gun-toting sailors on Thursday.

Environmental enforcement officers backed by Mexican navy personnel closed off hundreds of feet (dozens of meters) of powder-white coastline in front of a hotel accused of illegally accumulating sand on its beach. Mexico spent $19 million to replace Cancun beaches washed away by Hurricane Wilma in 2005. But much of the sand pumped from the sea floor has since washed away, leading some property owners to build breakwaters in a bid to retain sand. The practice often merely shifts sand loss to beaches below the breakwaters.

“Today we made the decision to close this stretch of ill-gotten, illegally accumulated sand,” said Patricio Patron, Mexico’s attorney general for environmental protection. “This hotel was telling its tourists: ‘Come here, I have sand … the other hotels don’t, because I stole it.’” Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Beach, Cancun, Mexico, Sand, Steal Sand, Stolen, Stolen Sand

Pride Travel’s Rocky Mountain Rail Journey Through Canada – Day 12: Journey Home, Unforgettable Memories

Jul 7

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in North America, TripJournals | No Comments

Day 12 – Journey Home, Unforgettable Memories

With a wonderful night’s sleep behind us we awaken to wish that we had booked one extra night in Vancouver, just to rejuvenate in this most cosmopolitan and yet down-to-earth haven. Skipping breakfast (we were still so full from eating so late last night) we casually repack and redistribute our luggage to meet the guidelines of the airlines; sad to say, we’ve become experts at re-balancing, and woe be it to the ill-informed gate guard who tries to make us check in carry on luggage that ‘looks’ too big but is in fact meeting size standards. I’ve been known to challenge the knowledge (or more frequently the lack thereof) of the gate guards who are ill informed…. Your cary-on absolutely does NOT have to fit inside the wire framed contraption of doom they always have to intimidate travelers. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Adventure, Alberta, bag size, bags, Banff, Banff National Park, BC, British Columbia, carry on, carry on size, Columbia Icefield, Glacier, Jasper, luggage, luggage size, Mountaineer, Rail, Rockies, Rocky Mountain, Train, Vancouver, Whistler, Yoho National Park

Pride Travel’s Rocky Mountain Rail Journey Through Canada -Day 11: Kamloops to Vancouver, All good things must come to an end.

Jul 6

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in North America, TripJournals | No Comments

Day 11 –Kamloops to Vancouver, All good things must come to an end.

One last early morning wake up call, one last day on the rails and one last night in a Fairmont. Today set our sights on Vancouver, our final destination in this amazing journey. Our transfer the rail station has us looking at a much larger train than we had been on the day before. The cars that do the Jasper to Vancouver run had met us in Kamloops and piggybacked onto us. Our car which had up to this time been at the rear of the train was now smack dabbed in the middle which had its benefits and drawbacks. While no longer the caboose and able to take nice caboose shots, the photo opps from the side were still breathtaking. Nathan was able to take some amazing pictures of both the front and back of the train in tunnels and on large turns. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Adventure, Alberta, Banff, Banff National Park, BC, British Columbia, Glacier, Jasper, Mountaineer, pride travel, Rail, Rockies, Rocky Mountain, Train, Vancouver, Whistler, Yoho National Park

Pride Travel’s Rocky Mountain Rail Journey Through Canada – Day 10 : Banff to Kamloops, back on the rails

Jul 5

Posted by Nathan, Owner/Manager & COO in North America, TripJournals | 1 Comment

 Day 10 – Banff to Kamloops, back on the rails

A scary thought crosses my mind: are we actually getting used to 18 hour-long days of active traveling? Either the pain has so dulled our nerves as to be almost imperceptible or we really are beginning to enjoy on-the-go style. We cannot refute one inexorable fact: we are seeing so much, doing so much, and absolutely maximizing all the daylight hours…. Now we only need to schedule a sleep day for when we return home!

The morning greets us with a light dusting of rain, so light in fact that we barely become wet while waiting for our transfer to the train station. The low lying clouds cover the summits of the surrounding mountains, giving us a almost other worldly view. Our short transfer (maybe 7 minutes) drops us in front of the Banff train station. The station is a scene from a classic movie. The building is quite small, yet the staff still manages to bring everyone in out of the sprinkling drops of rain and warm our bodies with hot coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Adventure, Alberta, Banff, BC, British Columbia, Columbia Icefield, Glacier, Jasper, Mountaineer, Rail, Rockies, Rocky Mountain, Train, Vancouver, Whistler

Pride Travel’s Rocky Mountain Rail Journey Through Canada – Day 9 : Banff, with Helicopter Summit Tour

Jul 4

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in North America, TripJournals | No Comments

Day 9 – Banff, with Helicopter Summit Tour

Although we had a 7am wakeup today to upload pictures and write for our faithful readers, it was a pleasant morning nonetheless. Out of habit, we always leave our window blinds open in order for the sun to naturally light our mornings; today we were not disappointed as the morning light permeated our suite with gradual light and a cascade of bright mountain colors. Waking up to such a majestic alpine view, with a river cascading below was breathtaking, and set the right tone for our day. Today we will not need to pack, as our tour departs and returns from the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.

We started the day out right again, with breakfast in our suite… Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Adventure, Alberta, Banff, BC, British Columbia, Glacier, helicopter, Jasper, Mountaineer, Rail, Rockies, Rocky Mountain, summit tour, Train, Vancouver, Whistler

Pride Travel’s Rocky Mountain Rail Journey Through Canada – Day 8: Lake Louise and Yoho National Park to Banff

Jul 3

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in North America, TripJournals | No Comments

Day 8 – Lake Louise and Yoho National Park to Banff

[Nathan:] Today’s wake up call for me comes at the ungodly hour of 5AM. What seemed like a great idea last night, getting up to take pictures of the sunrise’s light hitting Victoria Glacier, seems like unintentional cruel self-inflicted punishment this morning. So much so that I only wander over to the window, not outside, and while having only one eye open took a few photos. [Marc:] You can definitely tell that these photos were taken with one eye not-so-open and in a semi-comatose state. Although we’ve ordered room service at our prior Fairmont hotels, this morning’s breakfast at the Chateau Lake Louise seemed more civilized, perhaps due to the majestic glacier just outside our window. We lazily whiled away the morning, napping again after our initial wakeup, and refilling our reserves for the next two active days ahead.

All packed and ready to go, we headed to the lobby for a quick internet connection to post yesterday’s blog… when we heard Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Adventure, Alberta, Banff, Banff National Park, BC, British Columbia, Glacier, Jasper, Lake Louise, Mountaineer, Rail, Rockies, Rocky Mountain, Train, Vancouver, Victoria Glacier, Whistler, Yoho National Park

Pride Travel’s Rocky Mountain Rail Journey Through Canada -Day 7: Jasper to Lake Louise, the Columbia Icefield, and Athabasca Glacier!

Jul 2

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in North America, TripJournals | 1 Comment

Day 7 –Jasper to Lake Louise, the Columbia Icefield, and Athabasca Glacier!

This is the most exciting day of our journey! The opportunity to actually step out and walk on a glacier is a first for two travelers who have visited Alaska and South America’s glaciers many times over already, but never so up-close and personal. We traveled on one of the most scenic highways of the world, the Icefield Parkway, and made a stop at Athabasca falls before heading to the Athabasca Glacier for our trek onto the glacier in specially-designed motorized behemoths.

Our morning was most rested, thanks again to the supreme soft down pillows generously heaped on the bed. I had to tear Nathan away from them this morning, and double check that he (thankfully) had not packed away a pair in our luggage somehow. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Adventure, Alberta, Athabasca, Athabasca Glacier, Banff, BC, British Columbia, Columbia Icefield, Glacier, Jasper, Mountaineer, Rail, Rockies, Rocky Mountain, Train, Vancouver, Whistler

Pride Travel’s Rocky Mountain Rail Journey Through Canada – Day 6: Quesnel to Jasper on Canada Day

Jul 1

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in North America, TripJournals | 1 Comment

DAY 6- Quesnel to Jasper on Canada Day

Never mind my disposition yesterday… this morning’s early wakeup was painful. Perhaps because we were lacking the niceties of an Orange Juice and Tea personal wakeup call, or perhaps because, although pleasantly surprising for what it was, our Best Western was not quite up to par as the Fairmont. Whatever the reason, we manage to sneak aboard the shuttle bus only second to last and proceed for our morning ‘tour’ of the remaining portions of Quesnel. Say what you will about small-town folk, but they certainly take pride in their community. Mention a tire store as one in our number did, and our bus driving guide will proceed to highlight every tire store in town on our route, what each provides, and the reason so many tires are needed: gravel roads and winters are hard on tire tread.

Our obligatory tour completed, we made our way back home to board the Rocky Mountaineer. Dana and Keisha, our lovely attendants, wait staff, and tour directors were cheerily with us again, greeting us with genuine warmth and hospitality. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Adventure, Alberta, Banff, BC, British Columbia, Columbia Icefield, Glacier, Jasper, Jasper National Park, Mountaineer, Quesnel, Rail, Rockies, Rocky Mountain, Train, Vancouver, Whistler

Pride Travel’s Rocky Mountain Rail Journey Through Canada – Day 5: Whistler to Quesnel on the Rails

Jun 30

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in North America, TripJournals | No Comments

Day 5 – Whistler to Quesnel on the Rails

The early wakeup call turns out not so bad as we had dreaded. Having packed the bags the night before and requested an orange juice & tea wakeup call, our attendant delivered our drinks with a pleasant smile and gently whisked away the bags. There’s something to be said for luxury porterarge service whereby your luggage is taken from your room in one city and returned to your room in the next without you having to lift so much as an ounce. Of course, we still had to carry our day bags, but the load was significantly lighter without the larger pieces. Since our departure was so early, we did not have the opportunity to checkout at the gold desk nor to grab a light pastry from the Fairmont Gold lounge. Our disappointment was short-lived, however, as we knew a nice hearty breakfast awaited us aboard the Rocky Mountaineer.

As was the case with Whistler Mountaineer, GoldLeaf express boarding was swift and easy. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Adventure, Banff, BC, British Columbia, Columbia Icefield, Glacier, Jasper, Mountaineer, Quesnel, Rail, Rockies, Rocky Mountain, Train, Vancouver, Whistler

Pride Travel’s Rocky Mountain Rail Journey Through Canada – Day 4: Leisurely Whistler Monday

Jun 29

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in North America, TripJournals | No Comments

Day 4 - Leisurely Whistler Monday

Today began with pastries; phenomenal, crunchy butter croissants that crumbled gently in your mouth. Fresh juices, granola parfaits, smoked salmon, three varieties of eggs, hot sides and just plain goodness. Nathan commented that this was perhaps our best continental breakfast ever. Sure, we’ve had better made to order and hot ‘American’ breakfasts before (our best recently in Meunich), but never such a wide selection of high quality goods so arranged in a ‘cold’ self-service buffet.

We were hoping to ride the ski lift and complete a circuit this morning: up the wizard express to Blackcomb, across the peak to peak to Whistler, and down the Whistler gondola into whistler village in time for our afternoon massage and treatments. Alas, distracted by pastries and fruit parfait, our morning breakfast combined with our 1:30PM spa treatments did no allow for the two to three hours necessary to traverse the mountaintops and take pictures. But, ever optimists, we leave this excursion undone as a reminder of and incentive to visit this quaint ski lodge village once more. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Adventure, Alberta, Banff, BC, British Columbia, Columbia Icefield, Glacier, Jasper, Mountaineer, Rail, Rockies, Rocky Mountain, Train, Vancouver, Whistler

Pride Travel’s Rocky Mountain Rail Journey Through Canada – Day 3: Vancouver To Whistler; Sea To Sky

Jun 28

Posted by Nathan, Owner/Manager & COO in North America, TripJournals | No Comments

Day 3:  Vancouver To Whistler; Sea To Sky

Well, Marc says it’s my turn to blog today and I couldn’t be happier.

Today was full of excitement as it was our first real “rail” day. We started our morning with an early wake up call at The Fairmont Waterfront. After slowly waking up and getting ready, we made our way down to the lobby of the hotel to await our transfer to the train station.

Our train was scheduled to leave at 8:30 AM, and at 7:35 we started to worry since the rep for Rocky Mountaineer had not arrived yet, however the concierge reassured that the train company was very reliable and we needn’t worry. Sure enough about 10 minutes later the bus for the transfer arrived. Checking in for the train and receiving our rail vouchers was a breeze, and before we knew it we were on the bus headed over the Lion’s Gate Bridge to North Vancouver to catch the train. Our journey throughout the rocky mountains is in Rocky Mountaineer Vacation’s “Gold Leaf” service, the highest level of service available on this journey, and it feels great to be treated like a star. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Adventure, Alberta, Banff, BC, British Columbia, Columbia Icefield, Glacier, Jasper, Mountaineer, Rail, Rockies, Rocky Mountain, Train, Vancouver, Whistler

Pride Travel’s Rocky Mountain Rail Journey Through Canada – Day 2: Vancouver at Leisure

Jun 27

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in North America, TripJournals | 1 Comment

Day 2 – Vancouver at Leisure

We had a full day today, totally unplanned of course. An early (for us) wakeup call was a good start to the day for handling online chores, and the modern conveniences we cannot seem to part with even while on vacation. By 10 we were ready for a bite, and wanted to go out and hit the town.

As part of our rail journey, Rocky Mountaineer Vacations provides an attractions pass booklet which, for Vancouver, included a hop on hop off bus tour service. Not normally our cup of tea, we decided to try something different and ‘hop on’ at the second stop on the tour across the way at Canada Place. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Adventure, Alberta, Banff, BC, British Columbia, Columbia Icefield, Glacier, Jasper, Mountaineer, Rail, Rockies, Rocky Mountain, Train, Vancouver, Whistler

Pride Travel’s Rocky Mountain Rail Journey Through Canada – Day 1: Transit to Vancouver & Vancouver

Jun 26

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in North America, TripJournals | No Comments

Day 1 – Transit to Vancouver, Vancouver

Never wait till the last minute to pack your suitcase(s)…. at least don’t wait until that last minute to launder and pick out the clothes, fold them, and organize your travel gear. Wise words to live by, and ones we always strive (yet, sadly fail) to adhere to. It’s the curse of the frequent and experienced traveler. Subconsciously, we think we have all the time in the world; we’ve done this a thousand times before, after all.

Of course, as is always the case with travel-day, there are over a million things that needed to be done: chief among them, one high-visibility deliverable that MUST be emailed, bills that MUST be paid, chores, chores, chores to prepare for the almost two weeks away…. and OH! don’t forget about who’s baby-sitting the cat! Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Adventure, Alberta, Banff, BC, British Columbia, Columbia Icefield, Glacier, Jasper, Mountaineer, Rail, Rockies, Rocky Mountain, Train, Vancouver, Whistler