travelworld luxury travel sept.oct 09

DISCOVER THEHAWAIIAN SECRETIsland of Lana’i

EXPERIENCESouthernSophistication

VENTURE TO THESpas of India

PLUS...

Travel TipsFOR MATURETRAVELLERS

T H E M A G A Z I N E W R I T T E N B Y N O R T H A M E R I C A N T R A V E L J O U R N A L I S T S A S S O C I A T I O N M E M B E R S

09.4 SEPT.OCT

LUXURY YACHTING IN THEBRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS*style

theLuxury issue

roughing it in

TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE / 09.4 SEPT.OCT

2

theLuxury issue

309.4 SEPT.OCT / TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE

FEATURES

8 GETTING PERSONAL IN THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDSYacht Society Breeds the Best of the BestSTORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LISA CODIANNE FOWLER

14 A LAP OF LUXURY SOUTHERN STYLESouthern Charm and Comfort areMore Accessible ThanOneMay Think.BY DANIEL LEE

22 PINEAPPLE PARADISELana’i is the Hawaiian Island Less TravelledSTORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHERRI TELENKO

28 THE LOVE OF LUXURYExploring the Spa Scene in IndiaBY CAROLE HERDEGEN

THE NATJA OKLAHOMA CONFERENCEGRAND PRIZE AWARD WINNER:

33 OKLAHOMA CITY: EASY TO FEEL AT HOMEWITH LOTS TO EXPLOREBY CHRISTINE TIBBETTS

COLUMNS

4 FROM THE PUBLISHER

6 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

7 BENEFITS OF BEING A NATJAMEMBER

38 ARTS & ARCHITECTURE

Miami’sWonderful Eye Candy / BY MICHELLE NEWMAN

42 SPORTS & SIGHTS

Flying Through Powder And SkiingWith Kangaroos / BY MICHAEL DWYER

46 SENIOR TRAVEL

Travel Planning Tips For Seniors / BY SANDRA KENNEDY

48 GADGETSWE LIKE

It’s All About The Power

50 SPOTLIGHT

Staying Afloat In Trying Times / BY ARLINE ZATZ

52 BOOK STORE

09.4 SEPT.OCT


4

High threadcount sheets...soft,yummy robes...beds you canstay in forever...massages that transport you to a far away land.... Let’s face it—luxurytravel doesn’t suck.My family and I recently stayed at The Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa in

Pasadena,Calif. (http://pasadena.langhamhotels.com). It is a famed landmark dat-ing back to 1907 and is the utmost in luxury. While my family is not the type totravel in this style on a regular basis (far from it), itwas delightful to take in the his-tory, glamour and beauty that comeswith some of life’s unexpected opportunities.Wewere in Pasadena for a NATJA boardmeeting. The Langhamwas gracious to

host our board members and treat us to an amazing behind-the-scenes tour.We found fascinating the power our stay had to transport us into another way

of life and how quickly we were to accept it. After hustling to meet deadlines,struggling to make ends meet, and juggling to keep tranquility in the day-to-dayhousehold, it was pure joy when we kicked off the shoes, put on the slippers andsat back saying, “This IS the life!”It mademe realize how luckywewere to be able to enjoy this luxury, if only for

a night. It alsomademe realize how necessary it is to experience this kind of treat,especially in these trying economic times. Life is too short to not take that “splurge”trip, even if you think it may stretch you too thin or you don’t have the time. Youmay have to shorten your trip a day or two, or sacrifice your favorite airline to getto your destination. But you must take it.There are luxury opportunities out there that you would not believe, and they

are easier to obtain than you know.The stories, the experience, the nurturing of the soul and the joy of luxury are

long-lasting. They’ll get you through the rough spots.

JerriJerri HemsworthPublisherE: [email protected]:www.travelworldmagazine.com/blog/publisher

FROM THE PUBLISHER*For The

JOY OF LUXURY!


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Luxury means something different to everyone: perhaps a highthread count in a king size bed to one, a night of champagne and caviar to another,or a retreat to an exclusive spa to another.Several of our NATJAwriters have definite ideas on luxury. Sherri Telenko heads

to Lana’i to relax island-style (page 22).Daniel Lee enjoys high end Southern hos-pitality (page 14), while Carole Herdegen reviews India’s top spas (page 28). LisaCodianne Fowler heads to the high seas in spectacular yachts in the British VirginIslands (page 8).Our columnists cover everything from skiing inUtah, senior traveltips, andMiami’s architectural gems.And don’t miss the Oklahoma Conference journalist award winner ChristineTibbetts’ piece reprinted here (page 33). More than 20 stories were submitted tothe Oklahoma City Convention&Visitor’s Bureau,who carefully read and judgedall submissions and chose hers!Happy and safe travels!

KimKim Foley MacKinnonEditor-in-ChiefE: [email protected]:www.travelworldmagazine.com/blog/editor

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR*

Comments?

Questions?

Suggestions?

Drop us a line at

Travelworld

International

Magazine by emailing

[email protected].

Submission?

Submit story and

photography pitches

to [email protected].

Do not submit images

unless requested.

22 288 14

EDITORIAL CALENDARNov/Dec 2009 . . . . . . . .FOOD &WINEFood and travel, fromwine trails to culinary schools to hidden gems.

Jan/Feb 2010 . . . . . . . . . .IT’S A GREEN, GREENWORLDEco-tourism, from green hotels to green cruises to traveling withoutleaving a carbon footprint.

March/April 2010 . . . . . .ONE IS NOT THE LONELIEST NUMBERPlanning, traveling, being safe, and other issues and tips about travelingon your own.

Travelworld International Magazineis the official magazine of the

North American Travel Journalists Association

GroupPublisher HelenHernandezPublisher JerriHemsworth

Editor-in-Chief KimFoleyMacKinnonArtDirection/Production NewmanGrace Inc.

www.newmangrace.comVicePresident,Marketing BrianHemsworth

ContributingWriters LisaCodianneFowlerCaroleHerdegenDaniel LeeSherri TelenkoChristineTibbetts

ContributingColumnists MichaelDwyerSandraKennedyMichelleNewmanArlineZatz

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Travelworld International Magazine is published bi-monthly byTravel Professionals Inc.

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Volume 2009.4 September/October. Copyright ©2009 by TravelProfessionals Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole orin part without written permission is prohibited. Advertisingrates and information sent upon request. Acceptance of adver-tising in Travelworld International Magazine in no way consti-tutes approval or endorsement by Travel Professionals Inc. orNATJA of products or services advertised. Travelworld Interna-tional Magazine and Travel Professionals Inc. reserve the rightto reject any advertising.Opinions expressed by authors are theirown andnot necessarily those of Travelworld International Mag-azine or Travel Professionals Inc.Travelworld International Mag-azine reserves the right to edit all contributions for clarity andlength, as well as to reject any material submitted. Not respon-sible for unsolicited manuscripts. This periodical’s name andlogo along with the various titles and headings therein, aretrademarks of Travel Professionals Inc. PRODUCED IN U.S.A.

The Benefits of Being aNATJA Member� NATJA List ServeContact more than 400 professional NATJA journalistsand/or associates at one time through the NATJA List Serve.� Resource CenterReview hundreds of travel publications. Includes editor’sname and contact information. .� Professional DevelopmentAnnual programs geared to enhancing the skills of ourworking media and improve the effectiveness of our bu-reaus, organizations and other professionals.� eWire ServiceSend a query, story or press release to more than 250 majorUS/Canadian publications electronically via email.� MediaMember Database—All AccessEnhance your professional networking capabilities. Searchour growing database of over 350Media Members.� CVB and Associate Database—All AccessEnhance your professional networking capabilities. Searchour constantly growing database of NATJA members thatinclude convention & visitors bureaus, hotels and resorts,airlines, restaurants, food industry and growers associations,wineries andwine associations, PR agencies, andmarketingand public relations professionals.� Travelworld International MagazineMembers have access to publishing and advertising oppor-tunities. Travelworld International Magazine features storiesand photos from our members.� TheWayfarerTheNATJA official newsletterwhich includes industry newsandmedia relation contacts.� Media Trips InformationPress trips, events and story ideas are distributed monthlyto members.� Personal Web SiteNATJAMembers can activate their own personal web page.It’s free and it’s simple!� NATJA News Connection (NNC)Where active and associate members connect.� NATJAMedia IDAll members can receive a NATJA ID.� Annual NATJA Conference &Marketplacewww.natja.org/conference

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GETTING PERSONAL in the


8

British VirgCharter Yacht Society Breeds the Best of the BestSTORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY

BY LISA CODIANNE FOWLER


ptly dubbed the “Sailing Capitalof the World,” the British Virgin Islands boastthe most beautiful bays on earth; the trade

winds are steady, and, of course, the islands are gorgeous.But so are the owner-operated boats that comprise the

majority of members of the Charter Yacht Society (CYS) ofthe BVI. Unlike cookie-cutter yachts that make up the

fleets of better known corporate companies, this non-profit organization represents the cream of the crop—both in vessels and crew. From 42-foot mono hulls to105-foot multi hulls (floating five-star hotels), each iscustom designed with luxury in mind. All charters are all-inclusive: fine food to your liking, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, water sports equipment...once you

rgin Islands

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book, you are showered with the bestof the best.At first glance, these crewed charters

may appear more expensive than bareboating. But hidden costs associatedwith the latter disguise the bottomline. Not the caliber of CYS boats, theydon’t have water makers; youmustpay for water as you go. You also shellout for provisions—food, beverages,even ice, and recreational equipment.

With CYS, everything is included. Evencrewed charters with corporate com-panies don’t compare to the level ofservice CYS presents, nor do they allowyou to select your crew. Through CYSyou can actually peruse bios of theowners and/or of their carefully se-lected crew.We spent two nights eachwith Nut-

meg Charters, Blue Bayou Charters andfinally on land at the SugarMill

Hotel—an upscale boutique resort atonce in the hills and on the shores ofTortola. The very best part? The people.First class in every way.Wemade somelifelong friends from all over the world.Laughter is a common language andwewere all incredibly verbose.

THE SPICE OF LIFESandy and Elinor were our hostsaboard Nutmeg, a sleek St. Francis 50

with four guestrooms that include AC,flat screen TVs and en suite heads andshowers.With spacious salon, cornerbar, both sunny and shaded areas onits sprawling deck and onboard watertoys, guest are privileged to the perksof a world-class resort.Veteran global sailors, Sandy and Eli-

nor were handpicked to crew thisstate-of-the-art 50-foot cat. Each sea-son they leave their home in South

Africa to entertain visitors here.Why?“It’s the people, really,” Sandy explains.“Even if you’re as tired as can be, andyou have a 24-hour turnaround toclean and provision the boat, whenpeople come they are enthusiastic andwe draw our energy from them. Peo-ple that come aboard like to have fun.”Have fun we did, sharing experi-

ences and laughing into each starrynight. Our itinerary was planned for

optimum sightseeing including a sailto North Sound,where en route wepassed a cluster of secluded islandscalled The Dogs:West Dog, Great Dog,George Dog and Seal Dogs. Great forsnorkeling and diving. North Sound ishome to popular Leverick Bay, the Bit-ter End Yacht Club, Biras Creek resortand picturesque Saba Rock.We couldhave anchored close to shore andjoined in the revelry of boat-hopping


British Virgin Islands

“There’s a spirit among yacht crews— a can-do attitude. If I were stranded in theSahara desert and could choose 12 people to help get me out, I would pick 12

‘yachties.’ I don’t know how they would do it, but they would.”~ Tim Schaaf, Charter Yacht Society

Nutmeg Charters’ catamaran features four guestrooms and spacious salon (right).


and partying. But we chose to stay far-ther out and enjoy Elinor’s savorygourmet cuisine, the dramatic sunsetand each other’s company.Next day,we had the rare opportu-

nity of visiting remote Anegada, awindswept island known for its freshtwo-pound lobsters. Rare, because it’soff the beaten path and only experi-enced sailors are permitted to venturethere. A long but beautiful sail bymono hull, on this fast cat we arrivedin no time at all.Wild donkeys andcowsmeandered about on the treas-ure of an island. Snorkeling yieldedcolorful sea life, and our moonlit lob-ster dinner on shore at WhisperingPines was pure perfection.Our final morning with Elinor and

Sandy was spent exploring The Bathsat Virgin Gorda. Huge boulders sheltercool pools of water perfect for refresh-ing swims and adventurous rockclimbs. It’s kind of like Disney.We sawplenty of kids with wide-eyed staresand giggles as they discovered nature,not animated, but real.We shared one final Painkiller (an

elixir of rum, coconut, pineapple and

orange juice), Sandy’s specialty and aBVI tradition, before departing Nut-meg and boarding Blue Bayou. Hugsand kisses—we invited them to ourhouse in Florida, they invited us totheirs in South Africa.

LET’S ROCK ‘N ROLLBlue Bayou is also a catamaran but thisone is owner-operated.A Dean 441

awash in rich Americanwalnut, it wasdesigned formaximum interior space. Itfeatures amaster suite and three largeguestrooms,with of course, all the com-forts of home. That’s because it is.Turns out that captain and hostess

Wally and Ruthie June were our Sara-sota, Florida neighbors,minutes fromour house, just last year. After an invi-tation from AC/DC friend and rock

The romantic Sugar Mill Hotel on Tortola.

PHOTO COURTESY THE SUGAR MILL HOTEL


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star, Brian Johnson and his notablewife, Brenda, to sail these ceruleanseas,Wally and Ruth sold everything,commissioned this luxe, custom 44’catamaran and flat out moved here.“I wanted to move somewhere that

was 30 years behind the US,”Wallysays. “But I missed the timemachineand landed in a place that is 50 yearsbehind. It’s a beautiful place to live.”Wally grew up sailing in New Jersey

andmid-western-born Ruth is an ac-complished first-mate and culinaryqueen. Once again wewere in the bestof hands. First stop, The Bight at Nor-man Island and home of the legendaryWilly T’s, a ship-turned-restaurant andbar. Good food, drinks, laughs, newfriends. It was the perfect beginning toa new adventure. Onewhich includedsnorkeling at The Caves,where wewit-nessed blue tang parrot fish, neon yel-low spotted fish and other marine lifewonders. At Jost Van Dykewe hoppedthe quirky beach bars: Foxy’s, One Loveand The Soggy Dollar—all favoritehaunts of locals and jumpingwithmusic into the night.In contrast, Sandy Cay was desolate.

Rockefeller owned and donated thisuninhabited islet to the governmentstipulating it become and remain anational park.We trekked to a chorusof turtle doves and backdrop of bril-liant flora and fauna in rainbow colors.We bid our new friends adieu at

Soper’s Hole, home of Pusser’s Rumrestaurant and gifts, where we pur-chased some liquid gold for our oldfriends at home.

SWEET AS SUGAROur final nights in BVI were spent atThe Sugar Mill Hotel, a historic sugarmill converted to “a boutique hotel fora few special people,” and Fodor’schoice of resorts on Tortola. Accommo-

dations range from studios to cot-tages, and dining here is consistentlyvoted the most romantic in theCaribbean. Besides candlelit dining atthe 370-year-old stone sugar mill,there’s a casual beachside bistro.Tour the islands to learn about—and

dive—the famous wreck of the Rhone;the artist colony, Crafts Alive and TheCallwood Distillery at Cane GardenBay,where the Callwood family hasbeen producing rum for more than200 years. Or, just lounge on a ham-mock at the pool or beach at The SugarMill, where life is truly sweet.

IF YOU GOCYSwas founded in 1982 by independ-ent owners of crewed yachts in the BVI.It is the only BVI government recog-nized bodywithin the crewed charterindustry. The society represents theorganized voice of individual yachtsand their crew. Learnmore atwww.bvicrewedyachts.com, includingbooking info through brokers. Yachtbrokers are experts atmatching guestswith the right yacht and crew. There isno additional cost for their services. Formore information about The SugarMillHotel, visit www.sugarmillhotel.com.For information about the British VirginIslands, visit www.bvitourism.com.

Lisa Codianne Fowler is an award-winning

travel journalist and travel talk radio show co-

host. She resides in Sarasota, Florida with her

husbandPatrick and two dogs, Sadie andMimi.

Visit her online at www.codiannefowler.com or

http://lisacodiannefowlerblog.blogspot.com.

TOP TO BOTTOM: Blue Bayou Charters’ catamaran

features a master suite and three guestrooms; Blue

Bayou owner and host Ruthie June perpares a

meal; the author looks out from Desolate Sandy

Cay; the author and her husband enjoy an evening

with Nutmeg hosts Sandy and Elinor.


British Virgin Islands

SOUTHERa lap

From cool mountain retreats tocountryside sporting estates to coastal LowCountry plantations, no itinerary of five-star relaxation is complete without a tripthrough the American South.But no longer is luxury south of the

Mason-Dixon Line the preserve of a fewwell-heeled families; you, too, canmake therounds of southern travel showplaces,whether in the mountainside footsteps ofthe Vanderbilts; at a historically-significantantebellum plantation turned resort northof Atlanta; or at a palmetto-shaded redoubtof genteel coastal sophistication just out-side of Charleston, S.C., amongmany otherpremium destinations.And for those with a yen for a truly per-

sonal experience, there are more andmoreindividual vacation rental properties avail-able, like the Laughing Frog Estate hiddenaway in the North Carolina Blue RidgeMountains. There you’ll find solitude, lushgrounds, and the chance to craft an a lacarte getaway experience without the bus-tle of a popular resort.

Southern Charm andComfort are MoreAccessible ThanOne May Think

BY DANIEL LEE

RN STYLEof luxury

The view from Laughing Frog

Estate in North Carolina.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LAUGHING FROG ESTATE


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THE COTTAGE ON BILTMORE ESTATEFor pure splendor, start with the Bilt-more Estate in Asheville, N.C. The im-posing French baronial-inspiredmansion built before the turn of thelast century by George Vanderbiltserved for decades as the family’ssummertimemountain retreat.You can tour the huge, 250-room

mansion,with its priceless furniture,historic art, and touchstones of Gilded-Age culture. You can even stay at theestate’s new,well-appointed resort.But to get a real taste of what lifemust have been like for the Vander-bilts and their guests, book the decep-tively plain-sounding Cottage on theBiltmore Estate.Housed in a sumptuously renovated

home on the estate (formerly the Van-derbilts’ market gardener’s residence,

later used for VIP visitors) you’ll be at-tended by your own 24-hour staff in-cluding a personal assistant, a chef,and even a chauffeur. Guests are fetedwith multi-course feasts suitable forpatrician palates, and handled withthe kind of detail-oriented care ex-pected by wealthy travelers of thepast, whether it be arranging elabo-rate picnic outings on the 8,000-acreestate grounds, trips into Asheville forcultural events, or whipping upscratch-baked chocolate-chip cookiesat three in the morning.“Youmake your guests happy with

food,” says Dalila Mendez, a CordonBleu graduate who serves as a Bilt-more Cottage personal assistant, orbutler. “If they’re pleased with thefood, you can’t go wrong.”And it would be tough not to be

pleased with breakfasts like EggsBenedict and sautéed asparagus orblueberry muffin French toast,lunches including an arugula lettuce-roasted pear salad, or dinner entreessuch as carefully preparedchateaubriand with a honey-mustardglaze or horseradish cream.Fine wines from the estate’s own

stock are available, but trueoenophiles need not limit their tastes.“If they want a particular wine that isnot on the property, then we’ll go outand get it,” Dalila said.Just as in the Vanderbilt era, dinners

are dramatic events, with five coursesincluding soup, salad, a main course,dessert, and after dinner-cheeses. “Wealways surprise our guests with anamuse bouche,” adds Dalila. “It’s thevery first course that the chef presents

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to the guests, something small just tocleanse the palate.”It’s all prepared by the chef and

served at the cottage, and of courseinput from the guests is more thanwelcome. “We do have amenu, butmost of our guests don’t choose fromit.We tell themwe canmake anythingtheir hearts desire,” Dalila says. Theservice often begins even before ar-rival, when the staff contacts futureguests to quiz them on their likes, dis-likes, wishes, wants, and desires.The 1,500 square foot, two-story

home has two plush bedrooms, eachwith its own very modern, very pleas-ing bathroom,with polished granitesinks, garden tubs, and walk-in show-ers. The home’s furnishings are styledafter those of the estate’s centerpiecemansion. If you take a liking to a piece

or two, you can order your own fromthe Biltmore’s line of home décor.

THE LAUGHING FROG ESTATESome consider home-like solitude it-self a form of luxury. So the next stopdown south should be a showpiecehome nestled in the woods nearAsheville, N.C. You’ll be surrounded by215 forested acres, with miles of pri-vate hiking trails, your own tenniscourt (no waiting, no time-slot reser-vations, no critical kibbitzers), and anorganic garden, greenhouse, and or-chard fromwhich you’re welcome toselect produce for the estate’s well-ap-pointed gourmet kitchen.The five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-

bath home’s owner, KelleyWilkinson,says travelers are turning to privaterentals to avoid the crowds they find

in resort settings. “When you rent ahotel room, you get the room. You getthe lobby that you’re sharing witheverybody. You get the restaurant thatyou’re sharing with everybody,” shesaid. “For people who don’t want to belistening to the sound of cars and lotsof people and everything going on,this is a great setting.”At Laughing Frog Estate, named by

Kelley’s young daughter for a speciesof frogs that emerge in early, earlyspring for mating season, filling theair with a distinctive chuckling sound,visitors enjoy completely private ac-cess to creeks and a koi pond on theproperty, along with an outdoorJacuzzi, five miles of private moun-tainside hiking trails, and even a wa-terfall outside the front door. Bikes areavailable on site.

laughing frog estaтIf you can’t vacation like the Vanderbilts, you can come near to it with a visit to The Cottage on Biltmore Estate, in

Asheville, N.C. (left). A chef and butler will see to your every need, as well as arranging outings in Asheville or

around the 6,000-acre, 1900 estate. For an even more secluded experience, consider the Laughing Frog Estate, a

privately-owned home packed with hideaways like the library, reading nook, and gourmet kitchen pictured here.

Or get out and walk the private trails on the property’s 215 wooded acres, enjoy a game of tennis with no waiting,

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Inside you’ll find large-screencable/satellite televisions with a vastDVD library, fireplaces, a pool table, so-phisticated décor at every turn, plentyof readingmaterial and nooks inwhich to curl up for hours or minutesof silence. Dramatic mountain viewsspread into the distance, giving a senseof expansiveness to complement thenested feeling of the property.The 2,000-square-feet home is orna-

mented with antiques personally se-lected by Kelley, an artist specializingin watercolors. Several of her ownworks ornament the dramatic grandstaircase from the huge great room.Many of the furnishings predate thehome, and served as inspiration for itsdesign. “I basically drew out the planson a napkin,” says Kelley,who culti-vates a serious interest in architecturein addition to her artwork.

“Much of the wood comes from theproperty. It was an old Appalachianhome site, including an entire moun-tain cove,” she says.When theybought the property twenty yearsago, there was nothing there but thefoundations of previous structures. “Itwas a very long process building thehouse, probably about ten years, be-cause so much of it was handmade.”Local artisans specializing in woodand stone worked on the house,which includes 200-year-old stained-glass windows salvaged from a RhodeIsland seaport mansion.“Everybody is different, but most

people love the openness of the home,the windows, the feeling that they cansee forever, and yet it’s nestled backinto the mountain,” Kelly says. An on-site caretaker (occupying their owncottage at some distance from the

main house) also serves as a conciergearranging on site or off site experi-ences. “For some of our guests, we’vearranged for private chefs; we havearranged for small weddings…We tryto make it a special experience.”

BARNSLEY GARDENS RESORTSpecial experiences are also on tap ata wonderland of comfort hidden inthe foothills an hour north of Atlantathat blends the best of an Old Southupcountry estate with features of atraditional English rural village.Centered on the dramatic ruins of an

1840s Italianate mansion built bywealthy cotton businessman GodfreyBarnsley, the resort offers carefully re-stored heirloom gardens, newly-con-structed guest cottages, five-stardining, championship level golf, andendless other activities, including fish-

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ing, hunting, canoeing, biking, horse-back riding, nature hikes, even paint-ball battles.Most interesting, it’s a destination

that is both old and new, as thegrounds were gradually reclaimedover the last twenty years from thelush southern undergrowth that con-sumed the property when it was es-sentially abandoned in the mid-1900s.“You used to drive by on the road

and look up here and just see kudzu,”says RecreationManager DonnaMar-tin, an area native who presides ge-nially over “The Outpost” areconstructed and deliciously creakylog cabin packed with gifts, souvenirs,and sporting equipment, Guests stopby The Outpost to chat and gear up be-fore heading out to fish, play Frisbeegolf, practice archery, take bird watch-ing hikes, try the resort’s sporting

clays shooting course, or many otheroutdoor activities.The property consists of thousands

of rolling acres, from carefully mani-cured to heavily wooded, with nooksand crannies of all sorts in between. Agraceful pair of swans nest at the fish-pond. Bocce balls rest on the carefullytrimmed lawn, ready to roll. A tinylandscaped spring called “Carl’s Folly”provides a shaded hideaway merefootsteps from the dramatic ruinedmansion and its lush, boxwood-basedparterre, carefully restored to its origi-nal form, based on the design princi-ples of premier 19th centurylandscape architect Andrew JacksonDowning, who also designed thegrounds of the U.S. Capitol and theSmithsonian Institution.The ruins themselves stand open,

partially restored, and available for pic-

nics, dances, and romantic moonlightdinners. Very gently lighted at dusk,the oldmansion at eventide is a sightnot to bemissed, especially when theflowering shrubs and boxwood scentthe evening air with their musky aro-mas. The resort sponsors regular Fire-fly Evenings at the ruins,with dinnerand dancing that echo themid-19thcentury affairs of the original owners.Continuing themagical theme, the re-

sort’s official Fairy Godmother,DeniseWebb, stands ready to get creative inmaking your Barnsley Gardens visit aspecial one. Fromher prop-crammed of-fice in the restored 1840s stage coachhouse,where female plantation guestsdone in by their four-week journeyfrom Savannahwere powdered and re-freshed for visiting,Denise has an ac-tualwand towork hermagic, thoughit’s usually kept behind glass.

" w�dlandsThe cottages at Georgia’s Barnsley Gardens Resort, (left) are modeled after English bungalows, but their

flowering shrubs, shade trees, and porches facing quiet lanes and sidewalks make it easy to picture

yourself visiting in some quiet southern village. Don't miss the resort's carefully maintained antebellum

ruins and spectacular heirloom gardens, the site of starlight dances, art excursions, or if you choose,

solitary gourmet dinners for two, served by the always-smiling staff. Above, the Georgian Revival façade

of The Woodlands, promises exactly the kind of coastal sophistication you’d expect just outside

Charleston, S.C. You can enjoy five-diamond fare on the dining terrace (above right), or spend hours

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“Sometimeswe dress up in costumes;we havewater balloon fights, lots ofcrazy things,” says Denise. “If youwantto do a rodeowith your family,we’llteach you how to rope and ride.”

THE WOODLANDS RESORT & INNNo roundup of the American Southwould be completewithout a visit to afirst-rate Low Country estate, and theWoodlands Resort & Inn nearCharleston fills the bill superbly. In fact,nowherewill you find amore completeluxury package: TheWoodlands and itsrenowned dining room are one of onlythree U.S. properties to earn AAA FiveDiamond andMobil Five-Star awardsfor both lodging and dining.Guests approach the 1906 Georgian

Revival estate along awinding lanelinedwith Spanishmoss-draped liveoaks, catching glimpses of the carefullygroomed croquet lawn, English-stylered-clay tennis courts, and beautifulgardens before pulling up before theimposing columned inn and beingwel-comed by a concierge, oftenwith atasty gourmet treat to offer in greeting.Choosing from among 18 roompack-

ages, or a separate cottage, visitors relaxin an environment designed to putthem at ease even as they bask in lux-ury and take advantage of amenitiesthat are far from routine formost peo-ple, butwould have been just the thingfor the home’s builder, fin de siecle rail-road tycoon RobertW. Parsons.For instance, you’ll be able put your

feet up in the Governor’s Suite with-out kicking over any of its West Indies-influenced knick-knacks; the suitemeasures an expansive 864 squarefeet spread out over two rooms, aplushmaster bedroom and a sittingroom complete with a gas fireplace,wet bar, and a balcony overlooking theproperty’s gracious 42-acre estate.In keepingwith the property’sWorld

War II role as awell-chaperonedmeet-ing place forAmerican servicemenand

local belles, even the one-roomExecutiveSuite offers plenty of room (630 squarefeet) for friends and family to gather.But if you have a fewmore friends

or relatives, or just a yen for solitude,you may want to look into the Wood-lands’ Country Cottage, located ashort distance from the main inn—apart for privacy, close for conven-ience. And while you’re there, enjoythe cottage’s deluxe-sized whirlpoolbath, separate shower, and steam-warmed towel racks (also available inother inn rooms).But there’s more to luxury than hot

towels; you can also accent your visitby choosing from an extensive list ofextras ranging from a special rose-petal turndown service at $18, fresh-baked cookies andmilk for $14,chocolate-covered strawberries at $22,a dozen roses at $99, Dom Perignon for$232, even a bottle of Cristal cham-pagne at the bubbly price of $486.At theWoodlands,wonderful food is a

crucial element of the equation. Knownlocally and by international travelers forhaving South Carolina’s onlyMobileFive-Star Award restaurant, theWood-lands features NewAmerican Cuisineas created by Chef NathanWhiting.Guests enjoy dishes like South CarolinaQuail Breast, Keegan Farm Suckling Pig,Chilled Hawaiian Blue Prawns, and Cod-dledMain Lobsterwith ThumbelinaCarrotMousseline.For off-site activities, you can’t go

wrong with the small town of Sum-merville, home to shops, cafes, andboutiques. A mere twenty minutesaway is the historic district ofCharleston itself. Stroll the narrow,old-world lanes between Broad andBattery streets and view the dramaticside-yard gardens ornamenting the17th century downtownmansions. Ortravel up the Ashley or Cooper riversto visit spectacular plantations likeMiddleton Place, Magnolia PlantationGardens, Boone Hall Plantation, or

Drayton Hall. For those with militarytastes, consider reconnoitering mili-tary sites like Civil War-era FortMoultrie and Fort Sumter, as well asthe retired U.S. warship the U.S.S.Yorktown on a lap around CharlestonHarbor, their no-nonsense utilitarian-ism a fitting counterpoint to yourlap around the South’s luxurious des-tinations.

THE DELUXE DETAILSBarnsley Gardens Resort

597 Barnsley Gardens RoadAdairsville, GA 30103888-467-9062;www.barnsleyresort.com

Manor Rooms: $259-$299; GardenSuites: $335-$375;Meadow Suites:$375-$399; Arbor Cottage: $556

Bike Rental: $12 per day, $30 per 4hours; $10 trail-use fee for visitorswith their own bikes

Sporting Clays: 100 rounds, $40 Barns-ley Gardens member/$65 non-member

Garden Tours: $10 adults; $8 seniors;$5 under 12; complimentary for re-sort guests

Paintball: $20 field admission; $15paintball gun and safety gear;paintballs—$50/1,000; $25/500;$12.50/250; paintball package: $65for field admission, 500 paintballs,paintball gun, safety equipment, 9oz. CO2 tank, referee.

Horseback Riding: (Ridersmust be 11 orolder) 1 hour/$80; 2 hour/$125; chil-dren’s corral ride $45/30minutes.

The Woodlands Inn125 Parsons Road

Summerville, SC 29483800-774-9999;www.woodlandsinn.com

Superior Room:wkday/$125 per night,wkend/$255 per night; Junior Suite:$265, $305; Executive Suite: $345,$395; Governor’s Suite: $455, $565;Cottage: $595, $695

The south is packed with luxurious resorts and destinations.Here are just a fewmore:

THE LODGE ON LITTLE ST. SIMONS ISLANDPost Office Box 210781000 Hampton Point DriveLittle St. Simons Island, GA 31352888-733-5774www.littlestsimonsisland.com

You may feel a bit like the crew of the S.S.Minnow on thisnearly deserted island off the coast of Georgia. Limited tothirty overnight guests, the lodge specializes in toes-in-the-sand relaxation in a casual, rustic atmosphere combinedwith top-of-the-line beachfront cuisine.

THE GREENBRIAR300West Main StreetWhite Sulphur Springs,WV 24986800-453-4858www.greenbrier.comIf you want to wander in the footsteps of some of the lead-

ing lights of the nation, try this National Historic MonumentnearWhite Sulphur Springs,W.V. In operation since 1778, andfor thirty straight years a AAA Five Diamond AwardWinner,the Greenbrier’s imposing architecture and dignified pres-ence really lets you feel you’ve arrived.

BLACKBERRY FARM1471West Millers Cove RoadWalland,TN 37886865-380-2260www.blackberryfarm.comLocated on the fringe of the Great Smokey Mountains,

Blackberry Farms offers guests a rural but luxurious resortexperience complete with fly fishing instruction and guidedtrips to gurgling mountain trout streams, as well as top

flight cuisine at the on site gourmet restaurant.

THE HOMESTEADP.O. Box 2000Hot Springs, VA 24445866-354-4653www.thehomestead.comA historic monument to comfort and luxury offering mod-

ern travelers tbe best in traditional recreation amenities,that’s The Homestead in a nutshell. Skeet, carriage rides,leadership and teams courses, bowling, supervised kids’ ac-tivities, downhill skiing, a European-style spa, and even agrand ballroom are among the highlights of a stay at TheHomestead, founded before the American Revolution.

PINEHURST RESORT80 Carolina Vista DriveVillage of Pinehurst, NC 28374910-235-8507www.pinehurst.comThere’s more than golf at the Pinehurst Resort, though

many will want to take time out from enjoying the beautifulmountain scenery and activities to play through the resort’sfamous championship courses, especially the renownedNumber 2,which despite the name is second to none.

THE RITZ-CARLTON LODGE, REYNOLDS PLANTATIONOne Lake Oconee TrailGreensboro, GA 30642706-467-0600;www.ritzcarlton.com/en/properties/reynoldsplantationKids and their parents will love this resort’s dramatic lake

front pool, as well as all the other amenities on the property.Remember to check out the “club level” accommodations forthe very best in attentive service five-star extras.


Laughing Frog EstateAsheville, NC

828-712-9910;www.vrbo.com/169238

$985 per night (2-night mini-mum)/$5,200 per week ($300cleaning fee); “Couples” rate:

2 people only, $2,600 per week,plus tax and cleaning.

The Cottage on Biltmore EstateInn on Biltmore Estate1 Antler Hill Road

Asheville, NC 28803800-411-4063;www.biltmore.com;

$2,800 per night.

Daniel Lee is the former editor of Jack and Jill

magazine for kids. He has also written for the

Nashville Tennessean, Cincinnati Enquirer,

Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal,

Children's Digest and U.S. Kids.

m� amazing sou"rn �s�ts

Four Season’s Manele Bay, Lana’i, Hawaii.

ParadiseP I N E A P P L E

Lana’i is the HawaiianIsland Less Travelled

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY

BY SHERRI TELENKO

Paradise


The horses’ strides stir upthe red rich soil of Lana’i, one of thesmallest and least travelled of theHawaiian Islands. Their hooves rip upthe black plastic buried in the groundfor weed control decades ago. Visitorsin saddles ooh and awe at thepanoramic view of the Pacific waters(home to 3,000 Humpback whales inwinter) and distant fog-coveredmountain peaks that make this regiona fantasy vacation for many. The animals are used to the steep

sloping trails that meander throughthis hilly landscape past dense brushof invasive species (including deer)and the occasional abandoned pineap-ple or coconut tree. From the back of ahorse from the Stables at Ko’ele is thebest way to see the landscape ofLana’i—a place where Spanish Panioloonce taught Hawaiian natives to becowboys. And that’s just one of the is-land’s peculiarities.

23

With only 30 miles of paved road, notraffic lights and 100 miles of walkingtrails, exclusive Lana’i has been a des-tination of choice during the last twodecades of the well-heeled who lovethis tropical landscape, modified overthe years by cattle farming and agri-culture. Bill Gates was married here atthe luxurious beachside Four Season’sManele Bay Resort and, according tostaff, returns to vacation regularly,though not necessarily buying everyroom on the island as he did duringhis wedding. The history of the island is as eccen-

tric as the aura of the land itself,within a 45-minute ferry distance ofboth Maui and Molokai. Because all ofHawaii’s beaches are public property,some people come for the day to enjoythe expanse of seaside sand down-wind from the imposing Manele Bayperched cliff-side with a gasp-inspir-ing view of Maui, just miles away.

However, the sparsely inhabited is-land wasn’t always welcoming to hu-mans. Prior to the 15th century, Lana’iwas believed to be controlled by man-eating evil spirits, and few people sur-vived in this hostile place. Then, in the1600s, things changed. Maui princeKaula’au was banished to this islandby his father, and he is credited asdriving the evil away, making room forhuman habitation—and eventually aseries of diverse capitalist ventures inthe 20th century.Formally the largest pineapple plan-

tation in the world, thanks to JamesDole who bought the island in 1922,Lana’i has undergone a few reinven-tions in recent history. Though the DoleFood Company’s presence is still evi-dent in the naming of parks, existenceof residential row houses originallybuilt for plantation workers in Lana’iCity (a half-hour shuttle ride fromManele Bay) and presence of Filipino

and Chinese descendants of those whoimmigrated here to work in the or-chards, there’s a new chief in town.Today, Lana’i is 97 percent privately

owned by David Murdoch, who ac-quired the island by purchasing Castle& Cooke in 1985. The pineapple indus-try, no longer profitable thanks tocheaper foreign imports, was phasedout in the 1990s, replaced by Hawaii’seconomic engine of choice: tourism. Orin this case, luxury destination travel.There are only three accommodationoptions on the island: Manele Bay andLodge at Ko’ele, both extravagant up-scale resorts managed by the FourSeasons, and one humble but authen-tic Hotel Lana’i in the center of thesmall downtown, home to a samplingof galleries and eateries. The hotel isan 11-room country inn originally builtin 1923 to house executives of the DoleCorporation. Now, it’s primarily usedby Hawaiian residents visiting the is-


24


The pool at the Four Season’s Manele Bay.

Horseback is a great way to

meander the landscape of Lana’i.


26

land, as it offers economic rooms anda newly opened restaurant Lana’i CityGrille under the stewardship of MikeCharles from Arizona who bought thebusiness with his aunt in 2007. But it’s the two shining-gems,

Manele Bay and Lodge at Ko’ele, builtin the early 1990s that attract the dis-cerning international and mainlandtravelers. Here visitors discover a poshtropical paradise with all creaturecomforts one could demand from anisland simultaneously blanketed withotherworld exoticism, and the benefitsof the U.S. Constitution.The Four Seasons Resort Lana’i at

Manele Bay is the larger of the twowith only 236 rooms (most more than600 square feet in size including mar-ble bathrooms). A beach resort stepsfrom Hulopoe Bay, the Manele is aboutindulgences such as a health spa,

ocean view swimming pool lined withumbrellas and private beach cabanas,a poolside terrace restaurant calledOcean Grill and two world-class golfcourses designed by Jack Nicklaus andGreg Norman. This hotel, with a dis-tinct Asian sensibility in both ornatedesign and personal service, is com-plemented by layers of Chinese gar-dens, koi ponds and Hawaiian foliagethat make the walk from elevator toroom feel like a stroll through a quietMing retreat.By contrast, The Lodge at Ko’ele is

seven miles inland, usually ten de-grees cooler and draws on the charmof a Grand English Manor to create astately hunting lodge folded into themountain wilderness. With 102 rooms,it’s small by Hawaiian hotel standards,yet big on amenities such as spa, fit-ness centre, golf course (whose 17th

hole is on a cliff with fairway fifteenstories below), acres of Asian-inspiredgardens and reflecting pool that mir-rors dinner tables in the adjacentGreat Room restaurant. Add to thatstables with riding trails on the prop-erty and a sporting clay facility to testmarksmanship and you’ve got a placeyou haven’t just travelled to, you’ve ar-rived. And arriving is the best thingabout Lana’i.

Sherri Telenko has been an editor and writer

for 15 years after graduating from the Uni-

versity of Guelph with a Masters degree in

English Literature. Currently, she teaches at

Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario, while

writing travel articles, lifestyle pieces and

personality interviews. Her travel articles

focus primarily on urban adventure, arts, cul-

ture, cuisine and nightlife, and upscale re-

sorts, spas, inns and family travel.

A view of Lana’i from the ferry.


It would be hard to write about the luxuryspas of the world without positioning India’s at the top of thelist. After all, India has a 5,000-year-old history of healingspas which practice the system called Ayurveda. It’s a San-skrit word meaning “science of life.” The herbal remedies ofthe old pagan cultures when combined with the spiritualhealing techniques of wise Indian sages combine to form awell-rounded system of treatment to help the body heal itself.


28

Love of LuxuryTHE

Exploring the spa scene in IndiaBY CAROLE HERDEGEN

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM


Blend this with yoga, its sister science, add the luxury of a5-star hotel and you have a sumptuous Indian spa destina-tion. India has many types of spas: hotel spas; destinationspas; resort spas and medispas.There are allegedly more than 2,300 spas in India, but it’s the

top end of this list that is the most intriguing for spa aficiona-dos. In choosing a luxury spa in India, one must look far be-yond the typical spa services of luxury Western hotels. Many

luxury Indian spas utilize history, astrology, Mughal landscap-ing and architecture to remain in harmony with nature. In case a person thought that wearing gold jewelry was

the only way to make heads turn, how does having a gold fa-cial sound? Silly or extravagant? Today, fruit scrubs, hotstones and even the hands of two attendants kneading yourbody sounds rather ordinary compared with the gold facialsoffered by many spas in India. Having its roots in Ayurveda,

Love of Luxury

the gold facial is an anti-oxidant andcombats free radicals, one of the majorculprits in the aging process. Just asCleopatra used gold to reduce her wrin-kles, spas are offering the gold facial asthe answer to the fountain of youth. Ifone wants to live like a queen and get a24-karat gold treatment, book a gold fa-cial at one of the many spas offeringthis health regimen in India.

THE HOTEL SPA In the exclusive list of Small Luxury Ho-

tels of the World, the Oberoi Amarvilasin Agra stands out year after year inthe top ten lists of Travel + Leisure andCondé Nast Travelermagazines. Thehotel’s Mughal palace architecture pro-vides a bird’s eye view of the majesticTaj Mahal from the balcony of everysuite. The hotel spa offers a unique ex-perience that combines Ayurveda andThai therapies with cutting-edge West-ern techniques and amenities. The sig-nature treatment, Noor-e-Taj, is athree-hour experience that was cre-ated as a tribute to the beauty tradi-

tions from the royal palace of theMughals. It includes everything from ahoney citrus wrap to a lavender milkbath. Expect to pay about $80 to $180for treatments listed in the spa menu.

THE RESORT SPA The Radisson Resort and Spa in Al-ibaug (20 miles from Mumbai) is anexample of an independent spa in aresort setting. This can be a goodchoice for couples when one personloves spas and the other loves to play

tennis or hike. The Mandara Spa at theRadisson Resort not only has its rootsin the Buddhist and Hindu traditionsof Bali, but also in European tradi-tional and classic techniques. The20,000 square foot Mandara Spa hasthe distinction of being the largest inAsia. In contrast to the Oberoi Amarvi-las spa, this resort spa is contemporaryin design. In keeping with the themeof the spa, the Mandara Spa has devel-oped unique and exotic spa treat-ments. The signature spa treatment, “afour hand massage” incorporates the

skills of two therapists and has wonthe coveted Pevonia Asia Spa Award in2008 in the best spa treatment cate-gory. This spa technique combines fivedifferent massage styles of JapaneseShiatsu, Thai Massage, Hawaiian LomiLomi, Swedish and Balinese. The thera-pists use their forearms and elbows torelax the muscle tissues. The cost forthe one-hour signature treatment is$130. And finally, the dining facilitiesat the resort offer a delicious lightmenu to complete a day at the spa.

THE DESTINATION SPAS Ranked second in the World’s 100 BestSpas in 2008 by Condé Nast Traveler

Magazine is the Ananda Spa located inthe foothills of the Himalayas. Its solepurpose is to provide mind and bodyfitness, healthy eating, spa treatmentsand relaxation. The spa combines tra-ditional Indian wellness regimes ofAyurveda, Yoga and Vedanta com-bined with the best of InternationalWellness Experiences. Deluxe roomsstart at $350 per day excluding mealsand spa treatments. In a sub-list of destination spas, it is

easy to include Aman-i-Khás, aMoghul-inspired luxury safari camp lo-


30

Love of LuxuryTHE

The lobby of the Oberoi Amarvila Hotel in Agra.

PHOTO BY CAROLE HERDEGEN

Spa Treatment at Mandara Spa.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MANDARA SPA

cation on the edge of Rajasthan'sRanthambore Tiger Reserve NationalPark. There, guests venture out in jeepsin the early morning and late after-noon to spot tigers, leopards and marshcrocodiles. They return to camp forsoothing massages in the spa tent fitfor royalty. There are 10 air-conditionedtents. Within are screens that separatethe tent into different areas for sleep-ing, dressing, bathing and living.Aman-i-Khás was second in the BestResort in India and the Indian Ocean bythe Gallivanter's Guide to Idyllic Placesfor Dedicated Travelers in 2008. The treatments in the spa tent include

massages, facials and scrubs. What is

different at the Aman is the inclusion ofthe traditional body art of India. Guestscan experience the decoration of theirarms or hands with delicate henna artusing local ingredients, herbs and spices.Expect to pay $1,000 per day includingmeals, but excluding spa services.

THE MEDISPASThe medispas have similar traditionalspa services but added to this is a com-plete Ayurveda Center under the su-pervision of a doctor or an ayurvedicpractitioner. Guests come to this type

of spa for better health and to fight ill-ness. The spas offer holistic, organic el-ements in treatments, as well as anemphasis on mind-body-spirit connec-tions while advocating eventuallifestyle changes. In some cases, thesetreatments will combine the elementsof massage, meditation, yoga and en-ergy manipulation like reiki.As a member of the Small Luxury Ho-

tels of the World, the beautiful Ku-marakom Lake Resort in the southernstate of Kerala is an example of a greatresort that features a top-ratedmedispa. Visitors come from aroundthe world to receive holistic treatmentsand unique therapies at the Ayurma-

nia, the first-class Ayurvedic Centerwhile enjoying the luxury of a top ratedresort. Ayurmania has received the Ker-ala Government's Green Leaf Certifica-tion, a prestigious award presented onlyto the best and most authentic practi-tioners of this healing art form. From the first moment of entering

the resort's gates, one immediately ex-periences the sensation of peace andtranquility. The entire village has beenspecifically designed and carefully re-built using authentic buildings called Il-lams from the surrounding Kerala

countryside. These structures have beenmeticulously enhanced by the additionof traditional furnishings and décor. Be-cause of the resort's unique design andauthentic reproduction, it has beennamed the leading resort for the thirdyear in India’s World Travel Awards. Two hundred years ago, the Ayurma-

nia was a beautiful Kerala Mansion inthe style of the traditional "nalukettu"or four-sided mansion built around acourtyard. Guests staying at the resortmeet Dr Liji Krishnan, the AyurvedicConsultant. She can recommendspecifically designed treatments. The Rejuvenation Massage (Ab-

hyangam) uses traditional techniques

accompanied with medicated herbaloils to relax the entire body as well asspecial head and face massages. Thelarge wooden massage table in thetreatment room is raised in the middleso any surplus oils drain off into thesmall openings at each corner of thetable. A large opening for the patient'sface at the top end of the table is simi-lar to the massage tables at most ther-apy resorts and spas. A 30-minute massage of warm

herbal oils begins with a procedurecalled the Sirodhara. While lying face


Sirodhara hot oil treatment at the Ayurmania in Kerala.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KUMERAKOM LAKE RESORT

The Mandara Spa at the Radisson Resort and Spa in Alibaug.

PHOTO BY CAROLE HERDEGEN


32

up on the wooden massage table, ahanging brass pot containing thesame warm oil begins to flow over theforehead for another 30 minutes. Thisis considered an excellent treatmentfor relaxation insofar as it stimulatestranquility of the mind and improvesmental functions. Patients feel the in-tended results almost immediately.Another procedure called Njavarak-

izi is the most unusual. The treatmentinvolves a massage with medicinalNjavara rice cooked with milk andherbs. When dried, the rice is pow-dered and placed into a muslin clothbag and massaged all over the body.The patient wears a protective cover-ing over the nose and mouth to facili-tate easier breathing from the dust ofthe powdered rice. Sometimes called adry massage, this treatment helps torejuvenate sore and tired muscles andeases stiffness in the joints. The above treatments are just three of

the many specialized procedures thatare prescribed at the Ayurmania at theKumarakom Lake Resort. The Ayurvedicphysician determines the length and

number of days of treatment. Ayurma-nia offers one week programs of rejuve-nation or de-stress for $260, plus taxesper day with double occupancy.

PRACTICAL INFORMATIONThe best time to visit India is betweenOctober and March but since this isalso the high season it is advisable tohave advance bookings for luxury ac-commodations. For the most compre-hensive information pertaining tovisas, travel taxes, medical, train andairlines, visit www.tourindia.com. Al-though Hindi is the official languageof India, English is widely spoken inmost Indian cities. INDEBO Travel are the experts for

travel and tours in India. As a destina-tion management company for 29years, they can fulfill all travel and itinerary needs. Visit www.indebo.comor call 888-546-3421.

SPA INFORMATIONOberoi AmarvilasAgrawww.oberoihotels.com

Reservations: [email protected]

Radisson Resort and SpaAlibaughwww.radisson.com/alibauginReservations: 800-395 7046 Ananda SpaRishikesh Valley in the Himalayas Valleywww.anandaspa.comReservations: [email protected] Aman-i-KhásRanthambhore Tiger Reserve NationalPark, in Rajasthan

www.amanresorts.com/amanikhas/home.aspx

Reservations: [email protected]

Kumarakom Lake ResortKottayam, Keralawww.thepaul.in/default1.htm Reservations: [email protected]

Michigan writer Carole Herdegen is Editor

and Travel Consultant of TravelSite.com, the

host site of her travel magazine, TravelQuest

with Carole Herdegen. Her 20 years of trav-

eling to India has made her a travel expert

on India.

Love of LuxuryTHE

Aman-I-Khas Safari Camp in Rahasthan.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AMAN RESORT GROUP

The Spa at the Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OBEROI GROUP

Kumarakom Lake Resort in Kerala.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KUMARAKOM LAKE RESORT


Christine Tibbetts is an award-winning NATJA travel writer and frequent

TravelWorld International Magazine contributor. She is based in south

Georgia, producing destination features on assignment for the Tifton

GA Gazette and Community Newspaper Holding Inc. News Service.

Most recently, she won an Outstanding Journalist award from Travel

Media Showcase in Montgomery, Alabama. Tibbetts is a 1970

graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. When

occasionally not traveling, she provides marketing and public relations services to

political candidates, grows backyard vegetables, volunteers for Hospice, hikes in

the woods and tries to stretch her yoga poses.

In 2008, the North American Travel Journalists Association

(NATJA) announced a new contest for attendees to enter.

The writer who submitted to the host Convention and

Visitor’s Bureau the best story about the host city would

win a grand prize provided by the CVB.

More than 20 stories were submitted to the Okahoma City

Convention & Visitor’s Bureau who carefully read and

judged all submissions. TravelWorld International Magazine

is proud to reprint the winning article here for you to enjoy,

written by NATJA member Christine Tibbetts.

Congratulations, Christine!

�

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p r e s e n t i n g t h eN A T J A O K L A H O M A C O N F E R E N C E

G R A N D P R I Z EA W A R D W I N N E R �


34

oklahoma city:�G R A N D P R I Z E

PHOT

O:IS

TOCK

PHOT

O.CO

M


Outside my familiar zoneand into new realms. That’s goodwhen it happens on a trip, especiallyto a place I’ve heard about all my lifebut never experienced.I expect newness in really far away

places, or spots I never heard of, but Iwas mightily surprised by the depthand breadth of experiences in Okla-homa City on a five-day visit in June.Guess I’ve known about it all my life,

especially in the late ’60s when I livednext door in Missouri. Certainly feltthe anguish when the federal buildingthere was bombed.Never chose to go to Oklahoma City

until a conference ploppedme rightdowntown in the Skirvin Hilton, asumptuous property with changingmoods on every floor and, despite the14 floors, a small-enough lavish lobbyto feel welcoming. Big showy lobbiesoverwhelm, as I suppose they are in-tended to do, but I liked the scale ofthis hotel, and the scale of the city.Downtownwalking works. You need

a car or cab to some of the sites, butyou can do a lot that’s pleasant rightfrom the front door of city-center ho-tels. Great big handymaps posted onthe sidewalks kept me straight, walk-ing alone to get a feel of the place, andhunting dinner.Bricktown offers good choices; I had a

light-crust pizza for under $10 that firstnight at Zio’s and an outstanding pastaprimaverawithwood-grilled fresh veg-etables for under $20 later in theweek

at Nonna’s. Plenty of prime rib, steaksand pork chops in restaurants through-out this red brick district too.This used to be an industrial district,

with lots of railroad activity; renova-tion in the 1990s to turn it into an en-tertainment hub held onto all thosebricks, arched windows and decorativedoorways. Tire of the bricks? Hop onthe water taxi for a spin through themile-long canal or cheer for the Red-Hawks at the minor league ballparkright in Bricktown.Walking left frommy hotel got me

to Bricktown in two blocks; turningright and going just about the samedistance offered three fine adventures:art museum, botanical gardens andnational memorial.For fans of blown glass and the

works of Dale Chihuly in particular,the Oklahoma City Museum of Art is amust do.More of his works are perma-nently on display here than anywherein the world. That includes thetallest—a 55-foot tower of orbs,spheres and colors in the front win-dow, lighted at night. Two Finnishboats spill over with colorful, whimsi-cal Chihuly shapes in a room of theirownwith a raised glass platform re-flecting like water. I desperatelywanted to sit quietly in the corner ofthat glass water, keepingmy hands tomyself and contemplating. The guardswere attentive so that didn’t last long.Why here? Might have something to

do with Chihuly’s wife, Leslie Jackson,

being an Oklahoma City native.“Why here?” can be asked a lot

around this city. I quit after a longstring of interesting discoveries andbegan instead expecting the excellence.Check out your heartbeat on the

lawn of the National Memorial &Mu-seum, where 168 handcrafted chairsrepresent the lives lost in the bombingof the Murrah Federal Building; 19 aresmaller for the children. You won’twant to speak, only feel. Listen a littleif you like, because stories are welltold dialing up some private listeningon your cell phone.Go twice, day and night, because the

experience is powerful in differentways with the changing light. Go in-side too. I got the message to remem-ber those whowere killed, those whosurvived and those changed forever,but I appreciated it in extra waysmeeting local people volunteeringhere, like Sue Craig who said, “This ishealing for me to come here.”Oklahoma City people captured

something valuable, and personalabout the human spirit in the waythey put this memorial andmuseumtogether. I sensed it, but was touchedevenmore by low toned, occasionalcomments from amanwalking nexttome, a New Yorker. “Why haven’t webeen able to do this for the people oftheWorld Trade Towers?” he asked innumerous ways. “Why are we arguingabout the plans in New York, and theseOklahoma people figured out what the

easy to feel at homewith lots to explore

BY CHRISTINE TIBBETTS

A W A R D W I N N E R

Buffalo, prairie dogs and

expansive views provide an

astonishing counterpoint to

the arts, culture and heritage

in Oklahoma City. All are

easily seen at the Wichita

Mountains Wildlife Refuge,

60,000 acres protected by

the U. S. Fish and Wildlife

Service.

PHOTO BY CHRISTINE TIBBETTS

The Oklahoma City Museum of

Art, located in the heart of the

downtown Arts District, has a

permanent collection

consisting of European and

American art. Shown is the

iconic fifty-five-foot Eleanor

Blake Kirkpatrick Memorial

Tower in the Museum’s atrium.

PHOTO BY PAUL HOUSTON

PHOTOGRAPHY

The Oklahoma City National

Memorial & Museum is a

tribute to those who were

killed, those who survived

and those changed forever by

the April 19, 1995 bombing of

the Alfred P. Murrah Federal

Building downtown. The

30,000 square foot Memorial

Museum allows visitors to

experience that day and

those that followed through

the voices, images and

artifacts of survivors, family

members and rescue workers.

PHOTO COURTESY OKLAHOMA CITY

NATIONAL MEMORIAL & MUSEUM


city and its families needed, andwhatwewho saw the news need?”Best I can figure, that’s a reason to

travel—toexperiencehowothers liveandbreatheand interactwithoneanother.The message is powerful in this

place and it’s joyous, sometimes bois-terous and certainly loads of fun at theCowboy &Western Heritage Museum.I didn’t really know I was a big west-ern fan before I got here. Now I’mhooked. Stunning art, including Rem-ington’s “Buffalo Signal”which is theonly one ever cast, and Albert Bier-stadt’s “Emigrants Crossing the Plains.”Too many rooms to count with exhibi-tions to suit all kinds of moods. Don’tlove oil painting and sculpture asmuch as I do? No problem; hang out inthe firearm collection.Not as thrilled as I about the photos

of women riding in rodeos? No prob-lem; marvel at the room full of barbsand barbwire in unbelievable shapeswith specific purposes for each. LoveWestern movies and actors morethan I do? Immerse yourself in an en-tire section with film clips, memora-bilia and interactive displays. I’ll becontent in the gallery about func-tional, mechanical and decorativearts of this era.The museum’s one-quarter cowboy,

and three quarters western heritage,they say; best I could measure in anafternoon, there’s plenty for lingeringmore than a day.Stay too long one good place and

youmiss another in Oklahoma City.The Paseo Arts District is a good walk-about, a little north of downtown,with 60 artists in 17 galleries, all inSpanish revival buildings of purple,terra cotta, yellow, pink and aqua, andtile roofs. The artists seem to live andwork here so the mood is vibrant withmixed generations and loads of en-ergy and creativity.

Energy is also in evidence on thesevenmiles of downtownwaterwhere long boats with eight rowerstrain, some in preparation for Olympictrials. They’re great fun to watch, fromyour own kayak, or the deck of a pas-senger boat on a 90-minute cruisethrough two locks. Depart from theChesapeake Boathouse on the Okla-homa River, go to Meridian Landing at15th Street and take the city trolleyback. That’s a fun half-day. Plans are inthe works to connect the river to thecanals, the boats to the water taxisgiving Oklahoma City yet another di-mension to an already diverse and in-teresting personality.

WHEN YOU GO:Oklahoma City Convention & VisitorsBureau

800-225-5652www.visitokc.com

National Cowboy &Western HeritageMuseum

405-478-2250www.nationalcowboymuseum.org

Oklahoma City National Memorial &Museum

888-542-4673www.oklahomacitynationalmemor-ial.org

Oklahoma City Museum of Art405-236-3100www.okcmoa.com

Oklahoma History Center405-522-5248www.okhistorycenter.org

Wichita Mountains National WildlifeRefuge

www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/oklahoma/wichitamountains/refhist.html

A W A R D W I N N E Rwildlife refuge:surprise near a city

NOT SMART TO GET TOO CLOSE toa buffalo, but scores of them areeasily visible in theWichitaMountainsWildlife Refuge nearOklahoma City.Prairie dogs too, and they’re safer

to cozy up to. Sixty thousand acresin mountains considered amongthe oldest ranges on earth,according to the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service that maintains thisland, protect the buffalo.Nearly extinct, they were

reintroduced in 1907 with 15 bisonfrom the Bronx Zoo and refugeofficials say 550 now roam here,along with 700 elk, 2-300 longhorncattle and perhaps 1,000 white-tailed deer.More than half of the land

belongs to the animals; the rest ofus can visit 23,000 acres withstunning views, 22 lakes, hikingtrails, an abundance of birds, andsome copperhead snakes,which arereally copper-colored because of theminerals in these ancient rocks.I don’t know if the prairie dogs can

be counted because they dart headfirst into their holes when spookedby people, shadows of big birdsoverhead or noises they don’t like. •

The big guys keeping an eye on things at the

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.

PHOTO BY CHRISTINE TIBBETTS


38

Miami is all about design, fabulous architec-ture, glamour and glitz. The greater Miami area livesands breathes art ranking amongst the top four con-temporaryartcenters intheU.S.ArtBasel,anannualex-travaganza has put Miami in the forefront of the

internationalartscene.Takeyourpick,asanarchitectural smorgas-bord Miami has it all; Art Deco,MediterraneanRevival, ’50sMod-ernism,and ’70’s leftover schlock.Sleek streamlined sky scrap-

pers along Brickell Avenue, Pas-tel colored Art Deco hotels lineOcean Drive, and MiMo,Miami’s newest edition hasemerged as a transformed edgyneighborhoodwith an attitude.Then there’s thehotDesignDis-trict just north of downtownthat’s thriving with design stu-dios, trendy bistros, galleries,antique shops, and show-rooms. Put onyour comfortable

shoes and plan on spending about four days to getyour fill of Miami’s eye candy.

SIZZLING SOUTH BEACHFor a comprehensive overview of South Beach, takea walking tour offered by the Miami PreservationLeague. Skip over to Ocean Drive and marvel at thewell-preserved pastel-colored Art Deco hotels. Studythe unique architectural details including terrazzofloors, eyebrows, and sleek lineswith a futuristic in-fluence. Versace’s Mediterranean Revival palazzo isa popular spot for a Kodakmoment.Lincoln Road is another hot spot for fabulous Deco

architecture gracing the storefronts of the chic cafés,designer boutiques, and art galleries. Check outthese gems: the Sterling Building, Colony Theatre,Van Dyke, and the stylized banana leaves accentingthe 1936 Lincoln Theatre. Head down a few doorsandwatch artistsworking in their studios at the ArtCenter of South Florida.Swing downWashingtonAvenue and detour onto

Espanolaway; surrounded by pink stucco buildings,balconies, arches, and columns, you’ll swear you’vearrived on the Italian Rivera.

BILTMORE HOTELThe Biltmore Hotel, a National Historic Landmark isthe grand dame of Coral Gables with its pink tieredtower inspired by Seville’s Giralda tower. The elegantBiltmore exudes Old World charm and is saturatedwith lavish architectural details including hand-painted tiles,mahogany aviaries, voluminous cobaltblue vaulted ceilings, ornately painted woodenbeams, and an exotic mish mash of Moorish andMediterraneanmotifs accent the grand lobby.Originally slated to be demolished in the 1970’s, a

group of determined preservationists rescued thelandmark Biltmore from the wrecking ball providinganother incarnation for this majestic hotel to be re-stored to its former grandeur. As a National HistoricLandmark, the Biltmore has a rich and colorful pastand has undergone several reincarnations includingserving as a military hospital during WW II and theoriginal site of theUniversityofMiamiMedical School.In its early days, the Biltmore was a glamorous placewith celebs like Esther Williams and Johnny Weiss-muller as regulars. Inhis pre-Tarzandays,Weissmullerwas a swimming instructor at the legendary pool.With 700,000 gallons of water, the pool is the

TAKE YOUR PICK, ARCHITECTURAL JUNKIES...MIAMI’S GOT IT ALL.

Story and Photos By Michelle Newman

Miami’s Wonderful

EYE CANDY

ARTS & ARCHITECTURE*

The Colony is one

example of the

colorful Art Deco

hotels of South

Beach.

new caption

The Biltmore Hotel, the grand

dame of Coral Gables.


40

largest hotel pool in the country resembling amini-lake with a dramatic waterfall and Greek statuesgracing the loggia. The pool was the center of sociallife in the 1920s and ’30s with frequent aquaticevents and competitions, beauty pageants, andgalas; it was the place to see and be seen.Lots of famous folks have stayed here through the

years and recent guests have included former Presi-dent Bill Clinton and presidential wanna-be JohnMcCain during the last presidential campaign. Pres-ident Clinton loves the Biltmore’s golf course andwhen he’s in town likes staying in the exclusivetwo-story Everglades Suite with a private elevator,going up to the tower. The two-story suite iswell-ap-

pointed with a dramatic fireplace, Oriental carpets,and hand-painted ceiling frescoes depicting pelicansand flamingos and scenes from the Everglades.

VENETIAN POOLCreated in 1923 from a rock quarry used to build thehomes and roads of Coral Gables by city founderGeorgeMerrick, the Venetian Pool, is the only swim-ming pool to be placed on the National Register ofHistoric Places and rightfully so. This stunning ar-chitectural wonder is such a well-kept secret thatsome of the locals don’t even know about it.TheVenetian Pool’sMediterranean revival style is a

delightful paradise in the midst of a suburban oasiswith palm trees, loggias, grottos, caves,waterfalls, is-lands, and a special bridge bringing magic to the

pools. While a romantic spot for adults, kids love toswimandhide in thegrottos (but theyhave tobeoverage 3). Thepool holds 820,000gallons of springwatercoming fromanundergroundaquifer; every summerevening the pool is drained and refilled overnight.

VIZCAYAVizcaya Museum and Gardens, the palatial winterresidence built in 1916 by John Deering of the Inter-national Harvester fortune, is the ultimate show-place of lavish excess. Vizcaya is a classic example ofMediterranean Revivalwith tiled roofs, exquisite for-mal Italian gardens, and superb decorative arts.Thirty-four rooms are filled with priceless treasuresspanning 2,000 years. Take a tour with a well-trained docent and see one spectacular room afteranother filled with breathtaking European andAsian antiques; each room is influenced by a differ-ent theme including the Cathay Bedroom, theAdams Library, and Deering’s Napoleon Bedroom.The formal manicured Italian and French Renais-sance gardens are heavily accented with statuary,fountains, coral grottos, sphinxes, griffins. Thedrippy grottos are gorgeous with their shell-en-crusted mosaic ceilings and gargoyles.Mr. Deering and his interior designer Paul Chalfin

made frequent trips abroad to purchase furnitureand decorative arts sparing no expense. Marblefloors, hand-paintedmurals, fine sets of china, and a16th century inlaid marble table from the Mediciworkshop adorn this Palazzo on Biscayne Bay.If you’re more into Modernism, check out Miami’s

emerging edgyMiMo districtwith lots of funky ’50sand cool ’60s retro architecture. Trendy galleries,boutiques and cafés seem to pop up overnight pro-viding a fun addition toMiami, South Florida’s play-ground. Plan on attending Art Basel, the megaannual art event this December in South Beach ifyou can, and you’ll have a hard time decidingwhichis more interesting...the art or the people.Formore infovisit,www.miamiandbeaches.com.

Michelle Newman is a designer, writer and photographer fo-

cusing on art, craft, design, fashion, and cultural destinations.

She has written for Better Homes and Gardens, Womans Day,

Belle Armoire and Expressions. Based in San Antonio, Texas,

she can be reached at [email protected].

The Vizcaya

Museum and

Gardens was built

in 1916 by John

Deering.

ARTS & ARCHITECTURE*

Calling AllTravel writers, photographers, journalists, CVB’s,DMO’s, public relations firms, broadcast, cable,

and internet content providers...

You are cordially invitedto submit entries for consideration in the18th Annual North AmericanTravel Journalists Awards Competition

The entry period isOct. 1, 2009–Nov. 30, 2009.All entries must have beendistributed in print, internetor a broadcast outlet fromOct. 1, 2008 through Sept. 30, 2009.

For more information and to enter, visit: www.natja.org/awardsYou don’t need to be a NATJA member to enter and win!


42

What is“TheGreatest SnowonEarth?”It’s someof the lightest anddriest fluffy precipitationin the world that blankets the Wasatch MountainRange in Utah. Each winter season, from Novemberthrough April, the heavenly powder drifts across themountains of the state.While this type of snowmayhappen elsewhere, in Utah it is a consistent gift fromabove. And it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Whilemost of Utah’s 13 ski resorts average 300–500 inchesof snowper year,up to 700 inchesmay fall during theseason in a few of the lucky ski areas.The quality of the snow is reliable and the amount

is dependable. However, all the ski resorts in Utahare different from one another, though you’ll findcharm, luxury, and fun everywhere you look.Most ofthe ski areas arewithin an hour drive from Salt LakeCity International Airport,making it one of themoreconvenient ski destinations in the country.Just 36 miles from the airport is the charming

town of Park City, home of the Sundance Film Festi-val. Here there are three wonderful ski resorts, fan-tastic shopping, and a variety of dining options.Deer Valley is the top-end resort for luxury and

glamour. Youwon’t find snowboarders here; this is aski-only area ranked the nation’s number one resortby many people in the industry.If you’re an intermediate skier or snowboarder, you

may want to try Park City Mountain Resort with themost intermediate terrain of all the resorts in Utah.And for a big rush, you must do the Alpine CoasterRide. I had a blast on this thing. Feel free to wanderover in your ski boots to jump on. Be brave; don’t usethehand-break.Asyourheart poundsandyou’re sure

UTAH OFFERS UP AN AMAZING WINTER PLAYGROUND

By Michael Dwyer

Flying Through Powder and

SKIING WITHKANGAROOS

SPORTS & SIGHTS*

Fresh tracks through the powder at Alta.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL DWYER

The author with the Flying

Kangaroos at Snowbasin Resort.

PHOTO BY STEVE MAZZUCCHI

Intermediate skiers and

snowboarders enjoy Park City.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PARK CITY MOUNTAIN

The Alpine Coaster

Ride at the Park City

Mountain Resort.

PHOTO COURTESY OF

PARK CITY MOUNTAIN

you’re going to fly off the rails, you’ll be tempted toslowdown—resist pullingon thebrake—justholdon,yell, scream and enjoy! This resort is family-friendlyand has four terrain parks to keep thewild ones busy.The Canyons is the third resort in Park City and of-

fers the largest skiable terrain with more advancedruns in Utah than the other resorts. Everything youneed is on location in the Canyons Resort Village.Also very close to the airport, in Little Cottonwood

Canyon, are the resorts of Alta and Snowbird. Alta isthe other skier-only resort in Utah and it’s been thatway for 70 years. Tradition, scenic views,and powderwill almost overwhelmyou.Alta has a nice variety ofterrain for any level of skier. And you won’t have toworry about a snowboarder running you over. Altawas my first true experience with powder skiing. I

had fun learning to slice tracks through the 12 inchesof fresh snow that had fallen the night before. The lo-cals live for “powder days” and you’ll have to arriveearly to take advantage of all that virgin terrain.If you stay at theAlta Lodge, thewalk down the old

wooden staircase might make you think twice, butonce settled in, you’ll understand the charm. This isa classic ski lodge, rustic and homey. For an easier en-trance and more luxury, book a room next door atAlta’s Rustler Lodge. It has all the amenities youcould want. Even though I stayed at the Alta Lodge,I walked over the Rustler for a massage at the spa—it was just what I needed to makemymuscles relaxafter all that powder skiing.If you do snowboard, try Snowbird, next to Alta. In

fact, for skiers, they offer an Alta/Snowbird combopass for those who want a lot of variety. Snowbirdalso has the longest season of all the resorts in thestate and highest vertical drop serviced by a lift.Between Little Cottonwood Canyon and Park City,

are the less-crowded resorts of Solitude andBrighton. Just a couple miles apart from each other,both are located in Big Cottonwood Canyon.Brighton is the“placewhere Utah learns to ski and

snowboard.” This family-friendly resort has threeterrain parks and the entire area is accessible by ahigh speed quad chairlift. Brighton is definitely pop-ular with the locals.Nearby Solitude lives up to its name; there are no

lift lines. I felt as if I had the mountain to myself attimes and I would stop and just take in the view, itwas tranquil.However, I did have the chance to take aski lessonwith 2005 Instructor of the Year, Ron Cook.Bouncingback-and-forthbetweenSolitude’s twonewhigh speedquad chairlifts,Ron tookmeall around themountain. I saw improvementwith each run.Ron re-ally knew how to instruct with a gentle voice andclear direction—I didn’t even feel I was in a lesson—it was smooth and natural. Anyonewill benefit froma lesson, no matter what your skill level; I encourageyou to brush-up on your techniquewhile in Utah.Youwill finda couple resorts to the southof Salt Lake

City thataremore rustic andvalue-oriented.SundanceResort is an hour from the airport and offers an inti-mate setting and low key atmosphere. While BrianHead Resort is best accessed from the LasVegas Inter-national Airport, it is ones of Utah’s friendliest resorts

SPORTS & SIGHTS*Alta is a skier-only

resort with a

variety of terrains.

PHOTO COURTESY OF

ALTA SKI AREA


for families on a budget. And it is wonderful for be-ginner and intermediate skiers and snowboarders.Scattered to thenorth of Salt Lake City,youmaydis-

cover Utah’s other ski resorts. Family-owned andoperated BeaverMountain is another family-friendlyvalue resort. Powder Mountain has the most skiableterrain in Utah with equal amounts of area for allskill levels andwith budget prices.Wolf CreekMoun-tain is one of the smaller Utah resorts.However, theyhave the best prices and night skiing.Snowbasin, sort of off on its own, is just a half an

hour drive from the airport and ismy favorite ski re-sort in Utah. They have everything, including twohigh speed gondolas for a quick, enclosed 12-minuteride to the top. Attentive and courteous staff isaround every corner.On a visit there, I met and skied with the Aus-

tralian Aerial Ski Team, The Flying Kangaroos. SteveRogers, their NorthAmerican representative, toldmethat Snowbasin is their “home resort from Decem-ber throughMarch.”Thiswill be the Kangaroos sixthseason at the resort. They ski almost every day forabout six hours. Some of thewomen have only beenskiing three years and they out-skied me at everyturn. The long runs at Snowbasin were challenging,and fortunately, the Kangaroos led theway. They arefit and fast—gymnasts that have learned to ski. Be-

linda Price, one of the coaches, told me that it is eas-ier to teach a gymnast to ski than it is to teach a skierto do flips off a ski jump! Makes sense to me—I’llkeep to skiing for now.To date, three members of the team are on their

way to the 2010OlympicWinter Games. Iwish themall good luck. While you’re enjoying the slopes ofSnowbasin, you may see the team in training; theydress in matching red ski jackets. More than likely,you’ll see a red flash go by and just tell your friendthat you were passed by a Flying Kangaroo in Utah.You have somany options in Utahwith skiing and

snowboarding. Shuttles run to many of the resortsfrom the airport, so youmaywant to opt-out of rent-ing a car. Utah is a great destination all year long.Look for deals early season and schedule a lesson.You’ll be powdered with pure joy.

IF YOU GOGateway Airport: Salt Lake City International (SLC)Ski Utah, 801-534-1779,www.skiutah.com

Michael Dwyer is a travel columnist, freelance writer, and

broadcast journalist living in southeast Michigan. He writes

about travel, relationships, and dating. He is founder of the

Rochester Writers’ Conference and can be reached at

[email protected].

The tranquil

Solitude Resort as

viewed from a lift.

PHOTO BY JOHN

HORACEK

FAMILY TRAVEL*

What’s your next adventure?Will it be anItalian culinary feast, voluntourism, African safari,bird watching in Ecuador, cruising in Alaska, lyingon a Caribbean beach or painting in Provence?Imagine your dream trip. When would you go?

Will you travel with spouse, friends, grandchildren,family, tour group or solo? Begin researching yourdestination through libraries, guidebooks, travelagents, travel bookstores, films, the Internet and re-views. Learn about the culture, customs, languageand which regions you would like to visit.

BOOK IT: ALWAYS ASK FOR SENIOR DISCOUNTSThe Internet is an invaluable resource used bymanymature adventurers.However, if you are uncomfort-able with it consider a travel agent affiliated withthe American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA). Theirpersonalized service assists you throughout the en-tire travel process from booking to your return.You canworkdirectlywith tour operators.Check out

mature traveler tours such as: Grand Circle Travel,Elderhostel,ElderTreksandWalkingTheWorld.BookingthroughKayakorSideStep travel searchenginesallowsyou to compare airlines,hotels, cars and cruises.Checkforaddedbaggageand fare fees,seniordiscounts (usu-ally over 65) and itineraries. The fare may be less butmight cost you more in terms of two or more airlineconnections, airportwaits or flying red eye.Online travel agencies book hotels, cars, packages,

cruises and rail. The top three: Expedia, Orbitz andTravelocity charge no booking fees. Hotwire andPriceline are great for bargainers. You choose a priceand place a bid. If an airline or hotel is willing to ac-cept it, your credit card is immediately charged. Then,you find outwhichmajor airline or hotelwas chosen.Other online agencies include: bing travel,

CheapOAir, CheapTickets and TravelZoo. You maywant to try an online travel planner such as Travel-Muse. Also, check discount airlines such as South-west (deals for seniors), Jet Blue and Air Tran.

For reduced fares: Airfares are in continual flux.Try different times, days, airports (may not beworththe hassle), and flexible dates. Tuesday andWednes-day are usually the best days to book.Helpful onlineassistants include Yapta (rate-tracker for airlines andhotels) and SeatGuru (choose best seat).

Train or bus: Train: Amtrak (U.S., deals age 62+),Seat61—How to travel by train or ship worldwide,Canada VIA Rail (Canadian, discounts 60+), EuRail(Europe, age 60+ some countries). Bus: Greyhound,(U.S. discount 62+).

CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTORAs travelers, you know that it is no fun to get sick ona trip. It’s important for you to get a checkup.Discuss

TIPS TO HELP MATURE TRAVELERS TRAVEL WITH EASE

By Sandra Kennedy

TRAVEL PLANNINGTips For Seniors

SENIOR TRAVEL*


your trip and getwritten prescriptions for eachmed-ication. Also have their generic names. Keep yourprescriptions in their original containers. Be proac-tivewith your preparation for health concerns, suchas diabetes.Contact your doctor, travel clinic or Center for Dis-

ease Control and Prevention for required immuniza-tions. Begin early, since some diseases require aseries of shots. Call yourmedical insurance providerto learn about your coverage. Keep your insurancepolicy and emergency numbers with you. NeitherMedicare nor Medicaid is recognized overseas.

TRAVEL AND MEDICAL INSURANCEChoose a well-established travel company such asTravel Guard for medical, flight and trip assistance,TravelInsured, AccessAmerica, MedJet Assist formedical evacuations and InsureMyTrip, a travel in-surance comparison site.Mainly, youwill be lookingfor trip interruption and cancellation, medical, bag-gage and evacuation.

PASSPORTS AND VISAS:KEYS TO YOUR ADVENTUREIf you do not have a current passport or visa (re-quired for certain countries), begin the process aboutfour months early. Be sure to check your currentpassport for its validity six months from the lastdate of your trip. Take two to four extra passportphotos with you in case yours is lost or stolen. Youneed several blank pages in your passport for visastamps. Photocopy your visa and passport docu-ments to carry in a separate area of your luggage. Ifit is lost or stolen, immediately contact your Em-bassy or Consulate and police. Keep their phonenumbers and addresses with you.

LUGGAGETake one rolling suitcase and a daypack or bag. Re-move the tags from your last trip. Make sure thatyour luggage is visibly different from other bags.Add colorful stripes, ties and tags showing yourname and tour company (or email and phone num-berwhere you can be reached).On the inside of yourtag write your name, address, phone number andemail. Inside your luggage, put your name and acopy of your itinerary. Leave an emergency name

andnumber.Use TSA-approved locks that allowyoursuitcase to be opened without breaking the lock.

PACKING TIPSPack lightly: Bring comfortable shoes. Consider tak-ing a collapsible “monopod”which can be used as awalking stick as well as a tripod for your camera.ReadArline Zatz’s “Spotlight”Column in TravelWorldMagazine of May 2009 (NATJA—North AmericanTravel Journalists Association’s online publication.) Itis entitled, ‘Members “Must Have” Travel Items’. An-other helpful resource is: OneBag. Packing lists andtips can be found on Rick Steves website. JohnnyJethas a travel portal with travel websites that includesa packing list for men,women and children.

OTHER WEBSITES TO CHECKwww.travelwithachallenge.com —by Alison Gard-

ner, columnist for Transitions Abroadwww.transitionsabroad.com —senior section and

50 Best Travel Websiteswww.VantageTravel.com —Tours and 151 Senior

Travel Tipswww.smartertravel.com/senior-travel/ —Useful

senior information for travelingwww.about.com —section on senior travelwww.AARP.com —Extensive senior (50+) travel in-

formationwww.AAA.com —Road trip information, TripTiks

for U.S. states with travel information and ratedhotels

www.travel.state.gov/travel —U.S. Department ofState – International Travel

www.iamat.org —International Association ofMedical Assistance for Travelers

www.travelworldmagazine.com/articles/members-must-have-travel-items

Sandra Kennedy has traveled extensively in China, Tibet, Eu-

rope, Morocco, Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Tahiti and

the Cook Islands. She taught eight years for American In-

ternationals Schools in Paris, Lima and Lisbon. She is cur-

rently a travel writer and photographer based in Oregon.

Her articles have been published in International Living, The

Traveler, The Times Newspaper, 40 plus Travel and Leisure

(UK), Oregon.com, Offshore Wave, Transitions Abroad, Ad-

venture-Life Journeys and others.


48

WHEN YOU NEED IT, YOU GOT IT...

It’s All AboutTHE POWER

GADGETS WE LIKE*

the mophie juice pack airThis little number extends your iPhone’s battery so you can watch movies, listen to yourfavorite music or podcasts, or play games on a flight or long road trip. The protective casehouses a rechargeable lithium polymer battery which doubles the battery life. It has anintegrated 4 LED charge status indicator that shows off howmuch juice is left and comes inblack, white, and purple. It’s currently available at Apple stores nationwide.

www.Apple.com.

“go mini”—my little steamerThis mighty little gadget uses 850 watts of powerful steamto smooth out wrinkled clothing disasters. It produces steamwithintwominutes and is quite small,making it a great device fortraveling. It’s available in pewter, lime, tangerine, lemon, lavender,cornflower blue,white or desert rose.

www.hsn.com


49

the fueltank and callpodImagine...simultaneously charging two small electronic devices withoutany outlets! The Fueltank contains a rechargeable lithium ion batterywhich has more than seven times the capacity of a standard mobilephone. It utilizes device-specific adapters so you can customize yourFueltank to meet your needs. Devices can be charged at home, in the caror while traveling.

The Callpod is a nifty little number that is a 6-way charging deviceallowing you to charge multiple cell phones, PDAs, headsets, and mostother mobile electronics with a single power cord. It definitelyeliminates the clutter from having multiple chargers and is compatiblewith thousands of mobile devices. Traveling internationally? No worries.Chargepod is compatible with all foreign 120/240 V adapter wall plugs.

www.callpod.com

solioYour on the adventure of a lifetime...far from civilization and yourbatteries go dead. Yikes! But if you’re traveling with a Solio, noproblem.We tested the Solio Classic, a “Universal ‘Hybrid’ Chargerthat is powerful enough to charge all of your handheld electronicproducts at home or on the move, anywhere under the sun.” It’scalled a Hybrid because it can accept power from either the sun orthe wall storing this energy within its own internal rechargeablebattery.We even charged it on our computer via a USB cable. Soliothen uses this energy to power your gadgets at the same rate asyour wall adapter. According to the company, Solio will also hold itscharge for up to a year. It fits into the palm of your hand when it’scollapsed and can be a one-stop charging solutionfor all of your personal electronics such as cellphones, iPods, digital cameras, game players, andGPS. It comes with all the necessary adapters andcables.

www.solio.com

FAMILY TRAVEL*“Over 12,000 writers have lost jobsover the past two years. Many are now competingfor fewer assignments as magazines and newspa-pers either have closed or reduced the frequency ofpublications,” says author and American Society ofJournalists and Authors (ASJA) member Caitlin

Kelly. Kelly is now“reaching out to newprint clientsacross the country while pursuing new areas, in-cluding web-based content creation.”Although NATJA member Linda Kavanagh says

her “writing assignments have been cut in half,many publications turned into bi-monthlies, editorsfired, and that I have to work with new contacts

fromweek toweek, I’m delighted thatmy public re-lations company is experiencing about a 30 percentincrease thanks to hospitality industry clients.” Tokeep her columns going, Kavanagh “supplies a fewfreebies. I feel that thewriterswho keep themost ac-tive and stay in contactwith editors/publishers,willbe the ones to get the paying jobs when they areback. Publishers appreciate dedicated writers.”ASJAmemberBeth Levine—asuccessful freelance

writer for over 20 years—has recently been brain-storming in order to remain solvent. She recalls,“Be-fore this falling economy, my dips were generallyminimal, with 80 percent of my income from mag-azines and newspapers, and 20 percent from corpo-ration and public relationswork. The percentile splithas changed during the past year with magazinework next to zero.As a result, I’ve had to rampupmycorporate work. Fortunately, I have a solid back-ground in public relations andmarketing, but still, Ifeel like I have to reinventmyself in very little time.”

“The present economy has actually helped myrecently launched online travel magazine (www.francerevisted.com), notes Gary Lee Kraut (NATJA).Besides supplying advertising space, Kraut acceptsarticles, and says that hismagazine“attracts readerswhohave found that their usualmagazines or news-papers no longer are willing to invest in travelpages.” Although he pays a low fee to writers, Krautbelieves that “the magazine, in offering assign-ments, is especially helpful for those who havefound that print publications are no longer able togive them the freedom to write about and exploredestinations and themes that truly interest them.Myweb site has been able to keep its head high, andthose of its writers as well.”To copewith several lost clients,MargaretHaapoja

STAYING AFLOATIn Trying Times

SPOTLIGHT*HOW WRITERS ARE COPING WITH THE DOWNTURN IN THE ECONOMY

By Arline Zatz

50TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE / 09.4 SEPT.OCT

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is writing for a new online newspaper sponsored bya local public radio station. I scour the newsstands fornew magazines to query, and am fortunate in spe-cializing in gardening topics. In this age of ‘green’en-vironment there’s more interest in articles aboutgrowing vegetables and flowers.”Maxine Sommers (NATJA)—a travel writer for 26

years—has definitely been affected by this economy.“I’ve never seen anything like this, and clients I usu-ally workwith say budgets have been cut or are non-existent. This year, my main newspaper (circulation100,000) has been cut to the bone. Fewer articles thatarepitchedarebeingaccepted. I’m tryingnewoutlets,but the soundof silence rings loudandclear.Timewilltell.” On the other hand,Nancy Monson (NATJA) be-lieves she has been fortunate so far because herwrit-ing and editing “is so diversified, although I’ve hadtrouble getting magazine assignments. Editors areslower than usual to assign and are using more in-ventory than before,while some ofmy smaller, regu-lar magazine outlets aren’t assigning at all. I’mdefinitely concerned about the future.”Entertainment Writer/Blogger Jane Louise Bour-

saw (NATJA) previously wrote for consumer maga-zines and theirweb sites, but over the past fewyears,most of her work has shifted to blogging. “As maga-zines have gotten thinner or closed down, bloggingand onlinework has picked up steam. Blogging isn’ta passing fad, and whether you’re monetizing yourownblog or blogging for another company, itwill bearound for years to come. I’ve worked hard over thepast year to diversify the type of work I do, which ishelpingme during this down economy. I blog aboutthe entertainment industry, write a family moviecolumn, teach an online blogging class, and do occa-sional print andwebmagazineworkwhen it comesmyway, but I don’t seek it out. The way I stay afloatduring these hard times is to keep a lot of differenttypes ofwork in themix. Thatway, I’mnot panickingif one thing goes sour.”Lisa Collier Cool (ASJA) has discovered that being

optimistic and persistent can pay off big-time al-though, like others, she’s finding it more difficult toget work. “I’ve had to be more aggressive in follow-ing up because,with smaller staffs atmagazines, ed-itors are swamped and take longer to respond ordon’t reply at all. Now I’m casting a wider net, andsending more queries and letters of introduction tocustommagazines and places that run advertorials,including newspapers and organizations’ publica-

tions. As a result, I broke into 3 new markets so farthis year.” When Cool encountered a dry spell, sheused the time to create a web site to showcase herwork. “That really paid off,” says Cool. “Recently, aneditor I knew years ago but who I had lost touchwith, found me via the web site and gave me a$7,800 assignment. I’m also doing everything inmypower to ‘rejection-proof’my queries. Instead of justproposing one way to a story, I suggest two or threeoptions, so if the editor doesn’t like one approach,she can see other ways to do the story.”Nancy Pistorius (NATJA) refuses to take ‘no’ for an

answer.“If the editor points out something negativeabout the idea, I shoot back a solution. I also havefriendedmy editors on Facebook and LinkedIn, thenpost if any of my articles are published so they cansee what I’m up to. This keeps me on their radar. Intoday’s economy,my motto is ‘I will write anythingthat anybody will pay me for.’ I write for a wide va-riety of outlets, and findmyselfworking harder thanever, with more freelance assignments.”Tim Leffel (NATJA) hasn’t seen his income and

workload dipmuch.He’s thankful he “saw this com-ing years ago. That’s when I scaled backmywork forconsumer print publications. For the past few yearsI’ve mostly written for other people’s web sites, myown sites that get ad revenue, and trade publica-tions. I’ve built a business and a brand instead of re-lying on assignments from editors thatwould likelybe gone a year later, or fromnewspapers/magazinesthat would be in trouble as soon as the economyturned. This is a great time to be an entrepreneur,but a terrible time to be a generalist freelancer whohas always relied on print article assignments.”There is no doubt that these are troubling times for

everyone.On the bright side,writers interviewed areresourceful, proving with perseverance and diversi-fication; they can find new ways to keep moneyflowing in.

Arline Zatz is the award-winning author of Best Hikes With

Children in New Jersey (The Mountaineers); 30 Bicycle Tours

in New Jersey (Backcountry); New Jersey’s Special Places

(WW Norton); New Jersey’s Great Gardens and Arboretums

(WW Norton); 100 Years of Volunteer Wildlife Law Enforce-

ment in New Jersey (NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife); and

Horsing Around in New Jersey (Rutgers University Press).

Her features and photographs appear nationally in news-

papers and magazines. She can be reached via web site:

funtravels.com.


52

BOOK STORE* Baseball BitsThe Best Stories,Facts, and Triviafrom the Dugout tothe Outfield

Dan Schlossberg

Facts, stories, andanecdotes about legendary playersandmanagers, teams and games toremember, and everything fromspring training to winter dealing.Casual fans and hardcore baseballbuffs will enjoy.Price: $14.95Available at:www.baseballbits.com

Wai-nani,High Chiefessof Hawaii:Her Epic Journey

Linda Ballou

Through the eyesof high chiefess,Wai-nani, experience the Hawaiiansociety as it existed when CaptainCook arrived at Kealakekua Bayin 1779.Price: $17.95Available at:www.lindaballouauthor.com

Paris Revisited:The Guide forthe ReturnTraveler

Gary Lee Kraut

A true insider'sguide intended for those who enjoyfine informative travel writing,whether returning to Paris, lookingto get it right the first time, orsavoring Francophile fantasiesfrom home.Price: $18.95Available at:www.amazon.com

Horsing Aroundin New Jersey:The Horse Lover'sGuide to Every-thing EquineArline ZatzThe first guidebookto everything equine in the GardenState, this book is for horse lovers—from the novice who yearns to gohorseback riding but doesn't knowhow or where to begin, to the experi-enced equestrian seeking new trails,campsites, and challenges.Price: $19.95Available at:www.funtravels.com

Promote Your Book in theTravelWorld International Book Store!

NowNATJAmembers canpromote their books in theTWIBookStore. Letfellowmembers and readersworldwideknowwhatyou’vepublished.

To request rates, place your order or gathermore information, contact:[email protected]

30 Bicycle Toursin New Jersey

Arline Zatz

Discover the heartof the GardenState—its farm-lands, beaches, pine barrens, lakes,and canals—by bicycle! Tours con-tain directions, detailedmaps, andinformative descriptions of the nat-ural, cultural and historic featuresencountered along theway.Price: $16.95Available at:www.funtravels.com

New Jersey'sGreat Gardens

Arline Zatz

Explore the gardensof the Garden State.The 125 gardens in-clude rose, colonial, herb, Shake-speare, demonstration, education,bird, butterfly, andwildflower gar-dens, plus one-of-a-kind gardens inunexpected places.Price: $19.95Available at:www.funtravels.com

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