Hotel Spotlight: Saguaro Lake Ranch, Arizona
STILL LIFE: Saguaro Lake Ranch and Bulldog Cliffs, Arizona (Alistair Wearmouth)
Saguaro Lake Ranch sits in a tranquil spot just beneath the dam that holds back ten-mile-long Saguaro Lake in central Arizona. Downstream, the Salt River twists beneath the striking Bulldog Cliffs and Goldfield Mountains before flexing some mild Class I muscles on its passage toward the Greater Phoenix metropolitan area. This guest ranch has been run by the same family, the Durands, for four generations, and it shows in the hospitality and homey touches in evidence throughout the riverside property. Guests sleep in simple but comfortable "ranchettes," first built to house the workers who constructed Saguaro Lake's Stewart Mountain Dam between 1928-30. These days, however, you can also count on free property-wide WiFi, hooked up by the current owner's grandkids (but happily no phones or televisions in the rooms). Daytime activities include hiking and horseback riding along the desert trails of Tonto National Forest, kayaking and tubing on the Salt River, or special programs such as art weekends and family reunions. Meals are shared buffet-style in a communal dining room, where you'll feast on homemade treats such as BBQ chicken, biscuits, and fresh-baked cookies. It doesn't get much more relaxing than this.
Saguaro Lake Ranch is located 40 miles east of downtown Phoenix, about an hour by car. Bed and breakfast rates start at $130 for two; the ranch's American Plan includes three meals, plus lodging, and starts at $150 per person, assuming double occupancy. Activities such as trail rides or kayak rentals cost extra. Visit www.saguarolakeranch.com for full details.
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November 03, 2009
CouchSurfing in Cairo
Sunset at the pyramids in Cairo, Egypt (Photodisc/Getty)
Many people go to Cairo to see the pyramids, but getting almost as many visitors is the home of Tarek Taha, CouchSurfing's Cairo Ambassador. (CouchSurfing is a network of travelers creating cultural exchanges by staying with locals.) Tarek got into CouchSurfing in 2007 while road tripping across the U.S. Since returning home he has hosted more than 100 couch surfers (my husband and me now included). During our recent stay, I asked Tarek to tell me about his most memorable hosting experiences.
- 1. Proposal at the Pyramids: A couch surfer from California asked for my help to arrange a candlelit marriage proposal outside the pyramids after dark. We bought hundreds of candles to spell out "Marry Me Jane" in the sand, while my wife hired a horse to deliver the unsuspecting girlfriend. After it was over, it wasn't only Jane who had tears in her eyes, but also my wife, and the horse wrangler.
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October 28, 2009
Getting Out There With Afar Magazine
Traveling home from a conference in Québec last week, I picked up a copy of the premier edition of Afar, the newest travel magazine to grace an already crowded category on airport newsstands. An hour later after a thoroughly absorbing in-flight read, I can report that I was impressed. The magazine is "for readers who are curious about everything the planet and its people have to offer," according to founder and editorial director Greg Sullivan. In this day and age, when magazines seek to impress with the most luxurious travel experiences imaginable or cater to a budget-minded, close-to-home crowd, Afar bites off the essence of experiential travel with an honest, open, and upbeat appraisal of the world we explore. A bimonthly publication to start, each issue of Afar will be organized under the typical See, Connect, and Go sections; its first edition profiled everything from Japan's costume-play fetish to a local's guide to East London to the world's best treetop lodging. As someone who reads a pile of travel magazines each month for work, I'm happy to say that this is one travel magazine that will open your eyes, mind, and heart—not just your wallet!
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September 29, 2009
BusJunction.com Adds Yelp Ratings for Bus Lines
In April, we wrote about a new player in online bus-travel ticketing, BusJunction.com. The site has since gained positive reviews from publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post for its utility in navigating the profusion of budget bus providers, particularly for popular routes up and down the East Coast. Last week, BusJunction.com launched a new feature on its website enabling travelers to view star ratings from Yelp users about the listed bus companies, taking some of the guesswork out of the travel experience once you hop onboard. Think of it as TripAdvisor product reviews for the new generation of bus-goers.
Have you used BusJunction.com to book a bus trip? Have any stories to tell about bus journeys you have taken? Tell us in the comments section.
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September 18, 2009
Phu Quoc: Vietnam's Best Beaches
Sunset in Phu Quoc (Mike Sieburg)
Introduction
For a country with a mainland that stretches for nearly 4,000 kilometers along the South China Sea, I find Vietnam’s most beautiful beaches to actually be on the island of Phu Quoc. Set in the Gulf of Thailand just west of the Mekong Delta and less than 20 kilometers south of Cambodia, Phu Quoc is home to vast, lovely stretches of sandy unspoiled beaches, and dotted with towering palm trees overlooking turquoise waters. Dense forests and pepper plants line the slopes of the island’s mountainous interior, while a rugged dirt road hugs the coast. With most of Vietnam’s coast facing east, the island of Phu Quoc is one of the country’s few beaches that offers views of the sunset.
Activities
The seas surrounding Phu Quoc offer excellent diving and snorkeling, especially in the quieter waters of the dry season. Most hotels arrange boat trips out to popular snorkeling and dive sites. The interior of the island has trails, allowing for jungle hikes through dense foliage to waterfalls and mountaintops with views that stretch to the Cambodian mainland on clear days. For those wanting to explore the outer reaches of the island, it is possible to rent a motorbike for the day. The island’s main road follows the coast, making for stunning views throughout any drive.
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August 18, 2009
Budget Accommodations: The New Way to Travel
SWEET DIGS: A Paris apartment for rent (courtesy, HomeAway)
In today’s dire economy, travelers with all types of budgets are looking for ways to trim back on their travel expenses. Even if you usually prefer to bed down in a Four Seasons or a Fairmont, finding cheaper accommodation is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. But just because you’ll no longer find mint chocolates on your pillow doesn’t mean you have to scrimp on comfort and safety. In fact, now’s a great time to try out some alternative approaches to finding vacation lodging, approaches that will not only save you money but that will also offer interesting cultural interactions that your usual hotel accommodations can't match.
Couch Surfing
Ever since couples have been fighting, and friends have crashed after a long night out, there have been couch surfers. The idea is simple: If you have a couch, you've also got a place to host someone for the night. However, fairly recently, couch surfing has extended beyond the friend’s couch to strangers’ homes in foreign countries. According to couchsurfing.org, the purpose of couch surfing is “to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance, and facilitate cultural understanding." It may seem a bit strange—even somewhat scary—at first glance, but travelers have direct access to locals and their knowledge of a destination, and couch surfers and hosts are vetted and vouched for. Even more fabulous, couch surfing is totally free. And in this economy, that’s just too good to pass on.
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August 13, 2009
Last Chance for Fee-Free National Park Weekends
Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park (Adam Jones/Photodisc/Getty)
The Obamas are doing it—why wouldn't you? This weekend, August 15-16, the First Family will visit two iconic national parks in the Mountain West and Southwest—Yellowstone National Park and Grand Canyon National Park—just in time for the last fee-free weekend of the summer. The trip is meant to highlight the country's extensive park system, and to encourage Americans and visitors alike to get out and explore the national parks.
As part of a national trend, Yellowstone broke its own visitation record in July—typically its peak month—when 900,000 tourists visited the Wyoming park. Another park heavyweight, Yosemite National Park in California, also reported the highest visitation numbers in June and July for the last decade. The national park system has seen increased traffic this year across all of its 391 sites, including national parks, historic sites, battlefields, and seashores. National Park Service officials credit the better-than-average year to lower fuel costs and the affordability of park vacations.
This weekend will be the last of three weekends when entrance fees to most national parks will be waived, so get out and take advantage of the great value! If you want to avoid crowded trails and campsites and traffic-choked roads, check out our picks for the Top Ten Alternative National and State Parks. These alternative parks will afford you a little (or a lot) more elbow room to explore.
If you're heading out to Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon any time soon, find our recommendations for four quintessential lodges in these two national parks after the jump, plus a link to a photo gallery of the country's most classic national parks lodges.
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August 12, 2009
Beach Bytes: Free Fun in Atlantic City
Atlantic City, with boardwalk in background (courtesy, Atlantic City CVA)
Can you have fun in Atlantic City without spending money? You bet! Atlantic City beaches are free and have designated sections for surfing, fishing, kayaking, and windsurfing. Grab some sunblock and spend a day on the sand, in the water, or on the city's lively traditional boardwalk.
A premier destination on New Jersey's coast, Atlantic City is a sizzling summer spot for family fun, especially attractive because of all of its low-cost offerings. The city's boardwalk has long been an entertainment center, with varying dynamics over the years as it grew into a gambling city, a convention hub, and an important golf destination. The boardwalk provides a central point for accessing piers, hotels, casinos, shopping, dining, antiquing, and entertainment lining the beach.
The city offers a lot of great, free, and fun events over the summer, including the Atlantic City Air Show, “Thunder Over the Boardwalk,” on August 19. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds headline the show, which begins at 11 a.m. The airshow will include the U.S. Army Parachute Team and dozens more aerobatics, demonstrations, and flybys. If the boardwalk is crowded, the aerial acts will be easy to view from anywhere along the beach.
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July 30, 2009
Annapolis: The Perfect Day Trip
Storefronts and boats at City Dock, Annapolis (Karen Chen)
If you live anywhere within a few hours drive from Annapolis, Maryland, I'd highly recommend taking a weekend or day trip there. The charming city is the state's capital, but surprisingly, does not rank as one of the state's ten largest cities. Instead of a booming metropolis, it's a slice out of a time past, with colonial brick buildings and churches, sailboats floating in the harbor, quiet streets lined with quaint rowhouses and brick sidewalks, and one main street spanning only about four short blocks that's perfect for shopping for souvenirs or knick-knacks, people watching, or making a pit stop for homemade ice cream or fudge. A city of about 37,000 people, Annapolis is small enough to explore on foot, and parking is exceptionally easy to find. Here are some suggestions for some things to do and places you'll want to check out while in the city:
- One great (and green!) way to traverse the city is by bike. Free Wheelin' offers free bike rentals from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. seven days a week, from June 1 to October 1. They're located at the Harbor Master's office at City Dock, above the Visitor Information booth. And even better than free bike rentals? Free bus rides! All Free Wheelin' customers get to ride any Annapolis Transit bus for free as well; all buses have bike racks. Be sure to explore the quaint side streets—you'll find interesting stores and cozy neighborhoods you wouldn't otherwise notice.
- Situated on the Chesapeake Bay, the city is perhaps most famously known as the "Sailing Capital of the World" and boasts a rich maritime heritage. It's nice enough just to stroll along the docks and admire the regal sailing vessels anchored in the harbor, but there are tons of ways to get on the water, too. Dozens of companies rent sailboats and/or kayaks, or board a ferry for a guided tour around the Chesapeake. Check the Annapolis tourism website for all the different options.
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July 23, 2009
Moon Travel Guides Wants to Know: What's Your Favorite City?
Everyone's trying to cut corners these days, including those who are trading in summer vacations abroad for trips closer to home. But whether you decide to take off on a road trip, discover your backyard mountains, go on a weekend getaway to the local lake, or revisit a big city near you, you'll likely find that there's tons of summer fun to be had—right here in the U.S. of A.
To help inspire these summer adventures, or help you plan the logistics of your trip, Moon Travel Guides is giving away 50 of their U.S. guidebooks in 50 days. They will also be featuring all U.S. destinations on their website for the next two weeks, including guest blogs from guidebook authors about their favorite American cities. To win a book, all you have to do is answer one simple question: What's your favorite U.S. city? Tell them in 100 words or less what you love about your top city, and send your entry to giveaway@moon.com. All submissions must be mailed between now and September 7.
We want to know about your favorite city, too! Is it the nightlife or beaches of Miami? The public art and cafes of Seattle? The free cultural activites in Washington, D.C.? Or the easy access to wildlife and outdoor adventure of Anchorage? Tell us in the comments!
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