Travelers Insider

Stay in a Tree House

Amsterdam

I Dream of Africa

Table of Contents

Stay in a Tree House … 4

Amsterdam …. 11

I dream of Africa …. 13

Travel News …. 18

T

When looking for

accommodations for a

vacation, staying in a

tree house isn’t what

normally pops into

persons mind. When

you say “tree house”

most people envision a

crude structure put

together out of some

gapping 2 x 4 planks of

wood and glassless

windows. But that is

certainly not the way of

the modern tree house.

The modern, luxury tree

house comes with king

size beds, full

bathrooms, sitting areas

and balconies with a

view. However if you

are looking for

something a little more

rustic you will have no

problem finding

something to fit your

taste as well.

Tree Houses

Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort– Belize

This Caribbean Sea beachfront property is a secluded, intimate resort perfect for discovering Belize. Its 9 luxury tree houses are raised on stilts and set in the coast forest surrounded by orchids and birds.

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The Great House which is reminiscent of a plantation home, is the heart of the resort and where you will find the lobby, gift shop, restaurant, bar and wrap-around veranda. You can also enjoy a refreshing swim in the curved, freshwater infinity pool or maybe just go for a stroll in the lush gardens. You can also take advantage of the full service scuba diving and snorkeling center.

All the tree houses come with private porches, hair dryers, bottle water, safe, are en suite, and have air conditioning. Other amenities vary by room. Rates run from $251 per night (dbl occp.) to $690 with $35 for each additional person.

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Tree Houses Hotel - Costa Rica

The Tree Houses Hotel is perfect for when you want that

rustic feel but don’t want to give up all the comforts of a

hotel room.

The tree houses come with a full bathroom, air

conditioner, safe and refrigerator yet they still retain that

rustic, natural feel. Located in the Costa Rica jungle, the

tree houses have great viewing balconies and are often

visited by monkeys and toucans. Some come with open

showers, are split level, full size beds or family size.

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Prices range from $87.00 a night to $150 a night (dbl occupancy & $15 for each additional person) with prices

being slightly higher from Christmas through New Years. Price includes a full breakfast and access to the 70

acre wildlife refuge complete with waterfall and dipping pools.

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Tongabezi – Zambia

The luxurious Tongabezi tree house boast of amazing views of the Zambezi River. The beautifully decorated,

exotic tree house includes a king size canopy bed with air conditioning and plenty of space for private dining

and lounging. The bathrooms pride and joy is it’s the open claw footed bath. The resort is all inclusive with

activities including canoeing, an island lunch, Sanpan floating candlelit dinner, Mukuni Park, sunrise & sunset

boating, Victoria Falls, bush walks, museum tours, fishing, game drives and trips to the Maramba Market.

Rates start at $620 per person, per night.

Marc’s Treehouse Lodge

Marc’s offers rustic yet comfortable accommodations. Some tree houses are en suite while others have

bathrooms just outside the tree house. They come with mosquito netted beds, electric fans and private decks

which overlook either the Klaserie River or the Breakfast Dam.

They are located on the Motlala Game Reserve where there is an abundant of wildlife. The tree houses are

spread out so have the feeling of being secluded.

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Since Marc’s is located on a game

reserve animals are free to roam

about so this is the perfect place

when you want a really African

wildlife experience. These are basic,

not luxury tree houses which also

makes them a good bargain. Game

drives can be taken right from the

lodge and with their package deals in

conjunction with Viva Safari’s, meals

are included as well as your pickup in

Johannesburg which makes them

very convenient. No phone or

internet connection is available since

you are out in the middle of the

African bush. A small bar is available

in the mail building/lobby.

Package deals are available, contact

lodge for rates.

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Amsterdam is able to perfectly mix its 17th century

charm with modern conveniences. The narrow

streets, canals, bridges and squares are exactly

what visitors hope to find.

Amsterdam started out as a small fishing village

with the waters around it controlled by a system of

dykes and polders. The young township soon

became the chief trading city of northern Europe

and in the 17th century a massive trading empire.

Known for its gable houses, the city has the

highest museum density in the world with

museums such as the Van Gogh Museum,

Heritage Amsterdam and the Rijkmuseum with

Rembrandt’s world-famous Nightwatch.

Amsterdam is also rich is World War II history

and no visit to the city would be complete without

a tour of the Anne Frankhuis where 13 year old

Anne Frank and her family along with four other

people hid for two years during World War II in

order to escape Nazi extermination.

Visitors enter through the hidden staircase

behind the revolving bookshelf just as Anne and

the others did in 1942. The rooms are now empty

except for Anne’s film star pictures still pinned up

on the walls and Otto Frank’s model of what the

annexe looked like during the occupation.

If you are planning to visit the annexe get there

early, over 500,000 people visit the museum a

year. But don’t let that discourage you from

going. It is a historical and moving experience

you will not want to miss.

Amsterdam

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When people think about Amsterdam they often

think of tulips and flowers and justly so.

Beginning in late January and peaking around

mid-April, beautiful varieties and colors of tulips

can be found in and around Amsterdam. Tours

to the tulip fields and gardens can easily be made

right from the city. One of the

most popular places to see the

tulips is at the Keukenhof Gardens

with over 7 million bulbs in every

imaginable color and variety you

will want to make sure you have

plenty of memory in your camera.

You can also visit a flower auction

and watch buyers from all over the

world bid on some of the

most beautiful flowers you will ever

see. The variety and color of flowers are

amazing. You can walk along the catwalk inside

the warehouse and marvel at the sights and

smells.

There are plenty of good places to eat no matter

what your budget is. You will find everything

from a retro 70’s restaurant to South American

food and if you prefer something a little more

familiar you will even find a McDonalds.

However, one thing you may be surprised not to

find at the local Micky D’s are seats. There may

be a couple of chairs but mostly there are just

stand up tables. When the Dutch say fast food

they mean fast food, and that means no time for

sitting.

But since you’re in the Netherlands you may

want to try more traditional meals. A traditional

Dutch breakfast usually consist of bread, cold cut

meats and cheeses along with sweet spreads such

as hagelslag, vlokken and muisjes. Don’t worry

the names aren’t as scary as they sound.

Hagelslag are chocolate sprinkles, Vlokken are

chocolate flakes and muisjes are tiny candies or

sprinkles made primarily from aniseed and sugar.

You will find lunch doesn’t differ much

from breakfast. With both meals there will

be plenty of cheese, the Dutch are famous

for their cheese especially Gouda, Edam and

Leyden.

If you want a traditional dinner you may want

to try some like Zuurkoolstamppot which is

sauerkraut mashed with potatoes and served

with fried bacon or sausage, Hutspot made with

carrots, potatoes and onion and served with

meat or perhaps some Andijviestamppot which

is rave endive mashed with hot potatoes and

served with fried bacon. Of course the big

question here is what is endives! But no

worries it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds, it’s a

leafy vegetable belonging to the daisy family.

Amsterdam is also a great launching point for

visiting other European cities which are easily

accessible via the Euro rail. Paris, France is

just 3 hours away by train, Frankfurt, Germany

is 4 hours away and London, England is only 2

hours away.

Amsterdam is the perfect blend of old world

charm and new world modernization. Giving

visitors that feeling of stepping back in time

but with all the modern conveniences.

Who could ask for more.

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I Dream of Africa A trip review by Cindy, California

From the time I was a little girl I had the desire to travel. Growing up my family didn’t have

money for traveling so I didn’t get to start traveling until I got a job and could pay for it myself.

I have worked long and hard for every trip I have taken and on the top of my bucket list was

Africa. I had been waiting since I was a young girl to take this trip so it had a lot to live up to. I

was afraid too much to live up to, maybe I had built up the expectation of it so high there was no

way it could live up to it, especially on my budget. This was going to be a short trip on a tight

budget but if I was going to get to Africa this was how I was going to have to do it. So with

more excitement then I can describe, I packed up myself, my husband and teenage son up and

headed to South Africa.

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I had booked a 6 night package with Viva Safari’s, a local tour company

(http://www.vivasafaris.com). I choose them because they had excellent prices with an itinerary

that focused on seeing the animals which was what we were interested in. We arrived in

Johannesburg the day before our tour was to begin and spent our first night at a hotel near the

airport. After breakfast at the hotel we were to be picked up at 9am by somebody from Viva

Safari’s. I was a little nervous about whether anyone would actually show up or not. I had heard

terrible stories from travelers who used local tour companies but I had done a lot of research on

this company and could not find a single

complaint about them but still I couldn’t

help but be a little nervous. As it turned

out I had nothing to worry about, as our

driver and guide showed up in the lobby

at 9am sharp. We were picked up by a

van and after a couple of stops around

the city to pickup other guests we were

on our way. After about three hours of

driving we stopped for lunch and then

continued on for about another 3 hours.

We stopped at Tremisana Game Lodge,

where we would spend our first night.

Tremisana is a fenced lodge in the Balule section of Kruger Park. It has 15 chalets and 2

guesthouses. The grounds are beautiful and quiet except for the mischievous monkeys who like

to break into the kitchen area and play with the pots and pans. Dinner was served outdoors,

buffet style around a big table. Our first game drive was taken shortly after arriving at the lodge

and the sunset drive did not disappoint. We saw rhinos, giraffes, a lion, wildebeest, zebra,

impala and a number of other animals.

The following morning after breakfast we set out on a morning game drive in our open

Landcruiser. After returning to the lodge we had some lunch, relaxed at the lodge for a while

and then on to Mark’s Treehouse Lodge, which was about an hour’s drive. The lodge is located

on the Motlala Game Reserve. We arrived at Marc’s in the evening and after a short orientation

on what to do if we come across any animals on the trails around the lodge, we were escorted to

our treehouses. The long dark walk, via a dimly lit trail, to our treehouse was a little intimidating.

I just kept asking our escort, how far out are we? I could see why you needed a guide to show

you to your treehouse, we would have never found it on our own.

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There is no fence around the lodge area. We were deep in

the South African bush on a game reserve and the animals

were free to roam, right up to your front door if they wanted

to. The tree houses were spread out so you really got the

feeling you were all alone.

Our tree house was on an embankment, there were about 6

steps made out of small round tree branches, which made

them awkward to climb. The outside deck overlooked the

river. The sound of the river at night was very soothing.

After being escorted to our treehouse we were told dinner

was being served so we had just enough time to drop off our

suitcases and take a quick look around and then head back up

to the main building. After walking for several minutes, we

passed another treehouse. We looked at it and realized it was

ours. Somehow we had walked in a complete circle. We

were so lost. Fortunately, someone came walking by and

showed us the way.

The treehouse walls were made of thin pieces of bamboo.

The walls were pretty solid except in the bathroom where

there were several gaps. In a number of places you could

actually see outside, so it’s a good thing we didn’t have any

neighbors.

The bathroom was a bit ruff, I don’t think I was ever in there

alone. There was always some creature in there with me.

Several times I showered with lizards.

At the top of the walls was about one foot of chicken wire

which kept out the mischievous monkeys. The floor was

made of wide wooden planks. You could actually see the

ground through the gaps in the floor boards. Frogs were

constant visitors in the treehouse. There weren’t took many

bugs, we went at the beginning of June and the beds were

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equipped with mosquito nets. Though I did bring a can of Off and spray it around the beds at night and we had

no problems with bugs at night.

We were told by the manager the first night if the treehouses were too extreme for us they did have some

bungalow style rooms we could stay in instead. They also have tents you can stay in. I loved the treehouse

but you really are roughing it. There is no heat, no air conditioning ( just a ceiling fan), no TV or phones. So

if you needed something you couldn’t just pick up the phone and call, you had to actually make the trek up to

the main building and there really wasn’t much there once you got there.

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The walk to the main building wasn’t much less scary in the day time. There were often Impala,

Kudu, and Nyala along the trail. One night about 15 minutes after returning to our treehouse after

a group of hyena’s came by. They are very loud.

Each morning when we got up we could see foot prints from

all the animals that had come by during the night. We often

heard the animals at night but sometimes it was hard to tell

what they were. One night we heard a noise that sounded like

a woman’s scream. The following morning our guide told us

it was a warthog being attacked by a leopard.

Breakfast and dinner were included in our rate. Breakfast

was served on a deck alongside the river. The monkeys

usually came by to see what was for breakfast. They love

the homemade muffins. They are incredibly smart and often

worked together to distract us while one of them jumped up

on the table to snag a muffin.

Dinner was served under a covered patio alongside a fire. All of the guest ate together, it was

very nice. All the food was delicious.

Marc’s is just a few minutes from Kruger Parks Opren gate. We took daily game drives right

from the lodge as well as a game walk. The tour also included a trip to an animal rehab center.

Marc’s Treehouse Lodge was not only a great bargain but

also a great place to stay for the real bush experience. I

absolutely loved it and would highly recommend it. I do

recommend bringing a small flashlight since it can be pretty

dark walking around at night and also a bottle of Off.

My trip to South Africa lived up to everything I had hoped

it would be and so much more. It really was the trip of a

lifetime.

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Travel News Smoking on Cruises

In the spring of 2014, Cunard

Line will begin banning

smoking on cabin balconies

aboard the Queen Elizabeth,

Queen Victoria, and Queen

Mary 2.

As of November 15, 2013,

Disney Cruise Line will no

longer allow smoking on

stateroom verandas. Violators

will be charged a $250 cleaning

and maintenance fee. Smoking

will also be banned from all

interior spaces and will only be

allowed at specified outdoor

deck locations, which will vary

from ship to ship.

In early 2014, Seabourn Cruise

Line will ban smoking in all

cabins on all ships. Smoking is

banned on the balconies of the

Seabourn Legennd, Seabourn

Spirit, and Seabourn Pride but

will be allow on the balconies

of the line’s other ships.

Passengers will still be able to

smoke cigarettes in bars and

lounges and on the starboard

side of the ship. The new

policy will ban the smoking of

cigars and pipes except on open

air decks.

Current Travel Warnings

Korea, Democratic People's

Republic of 10/01/2013

Kenya 09/27/2013

Turkey 09/06/2013

Lebanon 09/06/2013

Pakistan 09/06/2013

Iraq 09/05/2013

Algeria 08/23/2013

Afghanistan 08/23/2013

Egypt 08/15/2013

Haiti 08/13/2013

El Salvador 08/09/2013

Yemen 08/06/2013

Saudi Arabia 07/25/2013

Mali 07/18/2013

Niger 07/15/2013

Mexico 07/12/2013

Philippines 07/05/2013

Somalia 06/21/2013

Israel, the West Bank and Gaza

06/19/2013

Honduras 06/17/2013

Chad 06/11/2013

Libya 06/07/2013

Nigeria 06/03/2013

Iran 05/24/2013

Mauritania 05/21/2013

Cote d'Ivoire 05/16/2013

Eritrea 05/10/2013

Central African Republic

05/10/2013

Congo, Democratic Republic of

the 04/24/2013

Burundi 04/22/2013

Sudan 04/16/2013

Colombia 04/11/2013

Republic of South Sudan

03/29/2013

Tunisia 03/13/2013

Syria 03/01/2013

Jet Blue’s New Premium

Service

Jet Blue is introducing its new

business class intercontinental

service, Mint. With fares starting

at $599 each way, Jet Blue feels it

is making its premium service

available to everyone.

Mint will feature a pre-departure

drink, followed by a cocktail and

amuse-bouche once airborne. The

on board menu has been created by

famed restaurant Saxon + Parole.

They will also be the only U.S.

airlines to offer customized

amenities kits for men and women

created by Birchbox which will

change throughout the year.

Mint will also feature lie-flat beds

and four private suites.

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