Guide to the World's Best Resorts & Lodges
Cayo Espanto, a private luxury all-inclusive in Belize (courtesy, Cayo Espanto)
For the past 12 months, I have been neck-deep in one of the toughest assignments a travel editor can expect: Scouring the globe for the world's best destination resorts and lodges. I know, it's a hard job gazing at images of unspoiled, faraway places (like the one above), but I wasn't alone for my journey. We assigned a crack squad of travel writers with clips in publications including National Geographic Adventure, Travel+Leisure, and Lonely Planet to track down the cream of the crop, including their selections for the best family resorts, beach resorts, national park lodges, all-inclusive resorts, and six other distinct travel categories. One year later, with my list of must-visit places in a state of morbid obesity, we're excited to announce the launch of Away.com's new Resorts & Lodges Guide, featuring 200 of the world's ultimate destination-resort experiences. If you're looking for inspiration about where to stay next, this is the place to start.
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May 26, 2009
Top 10 U.S. Beaches: Dr. Beach's 2009 Picks
POT OF GOLD: Hanalei Bay on Kauai, Hawaii (Thinkstock/Getty)
Florida International University's Dr. Stephen Leatherman, aka Dr. Beach, has released his 2009 list of top beaches (note that past winners are ineligible for inclusion). Here are his top ten beaches:
1. Hanalei Bay (Kauai, Hawaii)
2. Siesta Beach (Sarasota, Florida)
3. Coopers Beach (Southampton, New York)
4. Coronado Beach (San Diego, California)
5. Hamoa Beach (Maui, Hawaii)
6. Main Beach (East Hampton, New York)
7. Cape Hatteras (Outer Banks, North Carolina)
8. Cape Florida State Park (Key Biscayne, Florida)
9. Coast Guard Beach (Cape Cod, Massachusetts)
10. Beachwalker Park (Kiawah Island, South Carolina)
Tell us about your favorites in the comments section. My fave U.S. beach is probably the pristine stretch of sand at the bottom of the road in Carmel (amazing sunsets); outside the U.S.—and this one's way off the beaten track—it's Mogushi Beach in southwestern Japan. (For more of Away.com staffers' far-flung beach favorites, check out our interactive Google Map here.)
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March 31, 2009
New on the Network: Travel Photos
Sea anemone in the waters off of Bonaire (Nathan Borchelt)
Away.com just posted lots of awesome new travel photos on the site. We beefed up our Caribbean inventory (because we know you're all dreaming of sun and sand) with photo galleries of Bonaire Above Ground and Bonaire Under Water. Plus, you can now download screensavers of Bonaire, Grand Cayman, and Grenada.
Also in the spirit of warm, sunny places, we have new photo galleries featuring Kauai, Hawaii; Big Island, Hawaii; and smoking hot lava on Hawaii's Big Island.
Our own Nathan Borchelt put together a great photo essay on the Hudson Valley Wine and Food Fest last fall in New York. This gallery is just one more piece of our blown-out guide to New York, where you'll find great trip ideas for the city and upstate.
We also captured the essence of Bangkok, Thailand, in both a photo gallery and a screensaver. If you're looking for something a little more serene, our new Temples of Cambodia screensaver will do the trick.
Like what you see? View more Away.com photo galleries and screensavers now!
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March 16, 2009
Hawaii Tourism Upset Over SNL Skit
The Associated Press reports that Hawaii's lieutenant governor and some in the state's tourism industry are upset over a Saturday Night Live skit that aired March 7, 2009, claiming that it portrays Hawaii in a negative light. The skit (video below), with professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who once lived in Hawaii, and SNL regular Fred Armisen, is about two poorly paid stereotypical entertainers in grass skirts making the rounds at a restaurant full of tourists. Hawaii's tourism liaison told the Honolulu Advertiser that the skit is "offensive," and with the economy and tourism industry in such bad shape, anything that portrays the state negatively could affect the industry even further. You be the judge. Would you think twice about taking a trip to Hawaii, one of the most beautiful and exotic places in the United States, because of a sketch that makes fun of the divide between Hawaiian natives and tourists?
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February 02, 2009
"Gathering of the Kings" Luau on Hawaii's Big Island
PLAYING WITH FIRE: A performer at the "Gathering of the Kings" luau (courtesy, The Fairmont Orchid Hawaii)
Sure, the travel-writing gig undoubtedly has its perks, but there is a simple irony to being in Hawaii, one of the most romantic places on Earth, with only a notebook for company. On a recent weeklong trip to Hawaii, I toured around Oahu, Kauai, and the Big Island, checking out romance-ready properties like The Fairmont Orchid Hawaii on the Big Island and Grand Hyatt in Kauai. At The Fairmont’s "Gathering of the Kings" luau, which shows Saturdays, the director of banquets got word I was a journalist on assignment for Away.com. I was seated first, front row center, ahead of couples celebrating their anniversary or honeymoons. No mad dash for the buffet... my table got to go first. There wasn’t a better view of the show than the one I had. And while you can put this VIP treatment down to the PR people playing their game well, I’m happy to report that this is one show that’s worth the price of admission if you want a multisensory taste of what it is to be Hawaiian.
Continue reading ""Gathering of the Kings" Luau on Hawaii's Big Island" »
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