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One of my favourite places visited on my recent trip to South Africa was Grootbos Nature Reserve.

I was expecting a very rustic lodge type property with basic service and how I was wrong! Grootbos is set within a 23 hectare Milkwood forest and it is stunning. It was originally a farm with some decrepit outbuildings subsequently bought by a Capetonian for a ‘project’ in the 90s and it has grown since then.

The first thing you notice is its very modern building hidden within the thick forest and the

Certainly Cuba has no shortage of charming Spanish colonial and early post-colonial architecture, from Pinar del Ríoout west to Santiago in the east. But for me the place that most makes me feel like I’ve actually stepped into the past of a century or more ago is Trinidad (Spanish for “trinity”), an almost ridiculously photogenic UNESCO World Heritage Site which in 2014 will commemorate its 500th anniversary.  In the province of Sancti Spiritus, on the south coast of the island’s midsection, i

La semana anterior, la directora general de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (Unesco), Irina Bokova, vino de visita al país. El motivo de su viaje fue conocer de primera mano las famosas esferas precolombinas de Diquís, candidatas a convertirse en Patrimonio de la Humanidad.

De tal manera, la dignataria vio en persona estas estatuas monumentales, cuyo significado continúa siendo un misterio. Constató el proceso de conservación que se está desarrol

In 2002 the movie Cidade de Deus (City of God) brought to the eyes of many a picture of Brazil that was uncompromising but gave a glimpse of life inside one of Brazil’s many favelas. Telling the story of an ordinary young man and his struggle to survive in a rough, tough world, the movie won over 50 awards and received four Oscar nominations. But how does the drug-fueled gun-toting world of the movie compare with the reality of life within the favelas in Brazil?

Brazilian Favelas

The term favel

Flying with a wheelchair is a lot like playing the tables at Vegas. You throw the dice and hope for the best. Sometimes, it really does feel like a craps shoot.

Although U.S. airlines are generally required to accommodate you, it would not be in your best interest to just show up at the airport and put that to the test. Flying and airports are strenuous at best, throw in an unexpected accommodation request and you’re just asking for trouble.

There are recourses available to you when things go wron

Guatemala is a country that is unique not only for the extraordinary beauty of the countryside, but also for the vibrant soul in the character of the people. Home to a population of 12 million, there is an exquisite cultural mix of 22 Maya ethnic groups. A hot coastal climate is perfectly balanced with a temperate climate in the highlands. Guatemala is a county of contrasts, emotion and adventure. The country’s natural and cultural treasures are even further enhanced by the fabled warmth of Guat

French influence in Hanoi has left its mark in many ways; in the city’s architecture, its parks and gardens, and in its cuisine. Café culture has been embraced whole-heartedly and is now an inherent part of daily life, fuelled by a love of coffee (café) and burgeoning domestic production.

Hanoi Imperial Hotel would like to recommend you some popular coffee shops in Hanoi:

1. Café Pho Co: 11 Hang Gai str-Tel:04 3928 8153; 7am-10pm

Tucked away at the back of 11 Hang gai Street, this multi-tiered café wa

There’s a lot to be said for Southern hospitality. There’s much more to be said experiencing it for yourself. I was very fortunate to do just that in a five-day trip to St. Simons Island, Georgia. For a traveling wine aficionado and foodie like me, this has got to be one of my top three trips this year. It’s quite clear that Southern hospitality focuses heavily on food and the role it plays in daily life and social interaction. Add some great wines, amazing beaches and fun activities… and Voila!

por Cristóbal Ramírez

Adiós a las tapas grasientas. Adiós al bar de fritanga donde ponen raciones a precios baratos pero da un no sé qué la decoración, el San Pancracio con el perejil y la dudosa limpieza. Adiós a la ensaladilla rusa, los torreznos y las patatas bravas encharcadas. La gastronomía española vive una doble velocidad: mientras los grandes cocineros como Ferran Adrià se convierten en dioses y conquistan el globo, los típicos bares de batalla siguen estando ahí, sin reinventarse, con b

If HuffPostTravel can declare that the "Old Travel Show is Dead, Long Live the New York Travel Festival," then we might be right in declaring that "Travel Destination Articles Are Dying, Long Live Social Media Travel Content."

So, when a senior editor at Technorati  told me that, going forward, all travel-related content had to have a social media spin, had to be presented via a Social/New Media filter, I knew the travel content game had changed. No more colorful destination pieces?

And then I

Even a short visit to the Dominican Republic like I had last week to Punta Cana’s Bavaro Princess Resort acquaints you with a locally produced beverage….the mysterious mamajuana. My first encounter with it was dining at on site Chopin
Restaurant. A waiter brought out a bottle sans label filled with slivers
of wood steeped in liquor. This was his own creation and asked if we
wanted to give it a try. Being a food/wine/liquor geek, I naturally
couldn’t help myself. In fact I was downright fascinate

Trending in recent years among brides and grooms is leaving behind the traditional, large, 250-person, fancy church, banquet hall wedding in favor of a fun, exotic destination wedding that adds the adventure of a sunny honeymoon vacation.

Couples choose to go out-of-town for many reasons, including basic economics. You would think that staging a wedding in another country would break the bank, but in most cases, only close friends and family attend these celebrations; thus, sparing couples from t

“I have a robe for you’. This short statement left me laughing and engaging with a gentle sense of humour that crossed politics and the equator. The line came from a monk in the precinct where the mighty Shwedagon Paya (Pagoda) gleams and beams across the city of Yangon.

We had been wandering around the centrepiece of Yangon being dazzled by the exemplary temples, buildings, animal statues and Buddha images – cleaned to within an inch of their many karmic lives. Lift your eyes and golden spi

Vienna Travel: ‘I am trying to convince a group of friends to visit Vienna Austria. We are planning our annual city trip. My friends love the good things in life and like culture. Which tips would win them over for a Vienna city break?’, my ex boss recently asked an unusually simple question.

I can actually write a book about the answer. Here are my key winning arguments that will provide the final kick to any culture traveler for visiting my hometown.

Two UNESCO World Heritage sites

If you love

10. UP IN THE AIR SOUNDTRACK: A great movie with some great performances, but the soundtrack is also very good, well about half of it. Mixes new school and old school with some great messages. If you like travel, this is a great place to start with some music.

9: U2 GREATEST HITS. Ok, here's the thing. I'm not a obessive U2 fan or nothing. I just think they got some good tunes, its inspring, and they mean good. They aren't the next coming of Jesus, but, good guys making good music.

8: BRUCE SPR

Call me a masochist (or whatever), but even after sitting through the often cheesy but extremely popular annual song festival that is Eurovision and even penning a blow-by-blow review in May 2012, I’m back again this year.  What is it about this spectacle that has captivated many in Europe and beyond ever since its inception in 1956? Several reasons, perhaps. Big pop-music spectaculars seem to do reliably well among the public, and many folks do of course tune in because they want to hear good

‘Went to the centre of Australia. Saw a big rock. Had lasagne for dinner’

This morning, a brochure came through my letter box, promising an ‘Uluru Experience’. We could travel by four wheel drive, and camp under the stars … in fact, we could visit exactly the same places we visited six months ago. But, then, we travelled by coach, and stayed in a comfortable hotel, at two thirds of the price those operators were asking.

I don’t think it really matters how you get there, or where you stay. The impo