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When traveling around Costa Rica, there’s nothing better after a big day of hiking, rafting, zip lining or other adventuring, than slipping gently into steamy thermal springs so hot they make you tingle all over. Decadent, sultry, igneous water laps your tired muscles into spaghetti-like relaxation. Finer still to have a frosty tropical fruit drink in hand. Lay your head back, steam rising all around you, and the cares of the world melt away.

Costa Rica’s hot springs are a popular vacation attrac

You really can't get more family-run than Conway Family Wines...Chris and Ann Conway along with their 5 children Gareth (President), John, Sally, Tom (VP Business Development), Gillian (VP Communications) all share ownership in the winery producing a tasty trio of Deep Sea varietals. Being small scale and tight knit allows them to use sustainable agricultural and vineyard practices not only to produce great tasting grapes but to effectively preserve their historic Rancho Arroyo Grande property.

por Cristóbal Ramirez

Un aplauso para Bogotá: la capital colombiana lucha encarecidamente por derribar prejuicios y que no se le asocie a la guerrilla y la inseguridad. El turista, nada más poner el pie en la ciudad, se da cuenta de la alegría que trae hasta el interior los vientos del Caribe. Con una extensión de 385 kilómetros cuadrados, esta megaurbe resulta amable, irresistible, acogedora. Si no, fíjese en la siguiente imagen: los camareros, en lugar de preguntar “¿qué desea tomar?”, sorpr

One of my earliest travel memories, back in the early 1970s, Cozumel at that time was the Yucatan's biggest (hell, only) beach resort deal. Cancun was still but a glimmer in the eyes of Mexico's government tourism planners and the "Riviera Maya" was little more than miles of hot, buggy scrubland punctuated by a string of barefoot (not even electrified) villages with the seaside Maya site of Tulum stuck in there somewhere (suffice it to say, a whole lot more inaccessible in those days). 

My, oh

I'm one of those people who's got a thing for ancient ruins, especially in the Western Hemisphere - Aztec, Inca, Maya, Olmec, whatever; if it's pre-Columbian, bring it on. So when I was offered a chance by the resort chain Iberostar to pop back down to the Yucatan Peninsula's Mayan Riviera, including a visit to Tulum, I jumped at it.

After flying in from Miami the day the day before yesterday (just an hour and 20 minutes to CUN, aka Cancun); settling into the Maya Paraíso, one of the properties

El término ecoturismo ha sido objeto de muchas interpretaciones distintas. Abundan hoteles, propiedades y paquetes vacacionales que se jactan de ser amigables con el ambiente. En múltiples ocasiones, la palabra se refiere a la sumersión en un espacio natural. Los tonos verdes varían, pero en general cualquier viaje que involucre a la Madre Tierra puede llevar el prefijo «eco».

Sin embargo, para nuestros fines, el descanso ecológico genuino involucra el turismo verde y responsable. Esto es, la est

The name of Don Quixote is known around the world, even if the story behind the name is perhaps not so familiar. Written 400 years ago by Miguel de Cervantes, the novel describes the colorful adventures of Don Quixote of La Mancha, a retired country gentleman from the western La Mancha region of central Spain, who lives out a fantasy life based on the many romantic books he has spent his years reading. He battles imaginary enemies (famously including the windmills of La Mancha) and fights for t

 http://http://www.examiner.com/article/ulagalla-is-an-amazing-destination-sri-lanka

There are some places so special that one feels the need to tell everyone but at the same time would like to keep it a secret so as not to have it inundated with people. Such a place is Ulagalla Resort in the heart of Sri Lanka. Ulagalla is located between the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Anuradhapura, which was once the capital of Sri Lanka; and about 20 miles north of Dambulla, which is also a UNESCO World Her

I still remember vividly the first time a local gave me directions in Costa Rica:

Go north 700 meters. At the “pulperia” turn left, and go west 300 meters. At the corner where the old fig tree used to be, turn right. Go 175 meters and it’s the papaya-colored house on the left with the black gate.

Sure. So … how do I count meters? Which way is north from here? And how in heaven am I supposed to know where the old fig tree used to be?

Or, how about the directions to my old apartment in Rohrmoser, whe

Tucked snugly in a circa 1910 brick storefront just a 5 minutes walk from the train station on Pelham New York’s 5^th Ave., Bistro Rollin recently opened to the immediate praises of the New York Times and local media. “5^th Ave desperately needed something more than red sauce Italian and pizza,” says Bistro Chef Manny Lozano.

Chef Lozano should know, he got the cooking bug in high school working in his friend's parents

Italian restaurant. This curiosity and budding talent carried him to sous-chef in

These are some of the most joyous (and exhausting) weeks of the year in various parts of the world, from Venice to Port of Spain and New Orleans to Rio de Janeiro.  But being as fond as I am of the Dominican Republic , I’ve got a soft spot for the pre-Lenten Carnaval celebrations down here – especially because unlike in many other places, here the party starts today and keeps poppin’ every Sunday in February in various towns and cities such as Santiago, La Vega (considered the country's best), a

A big part of our traveling is the food. How often do we find a delicious delicacy and wish we could have it at home?

Bouillabaisse in Nice; Schweinhocken in Munich; Leige waffles in Belgium; or even a gumbo from Lousiana. It may be hard to find that perfect ethnic restaurant in your neighborhood that makes it but you can always try to recreate it yourself.

That’s what we did after our recent trip to Ensenada in Baja California. We had the most perfect dish of chilaquiles con huevos at Restaurant

Anyone who thinks the British weather is getting wilder with each passing year should cast their mind back to this day 60 years ago.  On the night of 31st January to 1st February 1953 the east coast of Britain experienced one of the most catastrophic weather events in the nation's history when it was pummelled by violent storms which resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives.  Many of those whose lives were spared found themselves on rooftops awaiting rescue.

The trouble began over on the other s

Flight delays are frustrating and time consuming. They send stranded passengers on a mad cycle of phone calls, emails, texts, Facebook messages, overpriced bottled water, lots of Starbucks and Auntie Annie's salty pretzels.

A funny thing happened on the way to the movies.

Forty million international movie-goers opted to travel to a place where a movie they loved was shot.
Travel Daily News (TDN) reports that these travelers made their travel plans and chose their destinations based on a movie they saw in 2012. Obviously, as TDN says, filming in a destination is "clearly a very efficient driver for attracting new visitors."

Makes sense. As Mashable reported, old Hollywood had its star system and magazines. New mov

Estuve recientemente en Machu Picchu, la ciudad perdida de los incas y una de las siete maravillas del mundo moderno. No pude quedar más que encantado ante tanta belleza pues es verdaderamente majestuoso lo que uno tiene ante los ojos cuando visita la ciudadela inca.

1.  Viajar a Cusco y Machu Picchu por su cuenta es seguro. Obviamente como en toda ciudad turística, siempre es necesario estar atento cuando se camina en las calles, sobretodo de noche. Nunca faltan los carteristas, que aprovechan e

Rather like the best 1970s disaster movies or the science fiction B-movies of the 1960s, the spaghetti western still boasts a strong and dedicated following many decades after the last movie was produced and the dust, quite literally settled. And like these other genres, even those who look back fondly at the age of sharp shooters in dusty saloons remember the films not so much for their artistic merit as for the joy they brought to a whole generation of young movie fans.

What Were Spaghetti W

There’s nothing better than a day at the beach. The sun, the surf … what could be more fun? Especially in Costa Rica, where the sun, sand and sea are warm all the time!

Long beaches of gold, rich black, pearly white, beige and even pink sand, fringed with palm trees and other greenery – Costa Rica’s beaches are paradise! It seems like every surfer who visits Costa Rica agrees it is one of the best places to surf. Not by chance is the country the third most popular destination for surfing after Ha