Blogs

For the third and final leg of my Southern business trip, I pulled in to charming Charlottesville, Virginia and was eager to sample one of the town’s premier lodging offerings.

While the popular Boar’s Head Inn, Omni Charlottesville Hotel, and Keswick Hall all seemed interesting, each – IMHO - had its downside (too big, way too big, too stodgy, respectively). Digging a bit deeper, I found the elegant Oakhurst Inn, and judging from the ebullient reviews on TripAdvisor (4.5 stars), Yelp (5 stars)

Southport, Connecticut is a picturesque, historic (est. 1639) port town on the Long Island Sound, just an 80-minute Metro North train ride from midtown New York City, And just a quick stroll from the local train station, Delamar Southport's classic white clapboard colonial architecture situated on the Old Post Road looks like it's been a fixture here since the town's 19th-century maritime heyday.
 
Until walking inside, it's hard to conceive that construction on the property was actually comple

“Honey, I still don’t see any action in the restaurant!”  

We were sitting on the balcony of our hotel high above the Adriatic with a view directly into a large, empty, open-air restaurant built in a cave which was also high above the crashing surf. For experienced independent travelers we were getting a little concerned. Did we just make a big leap of faith on a good friend’s recommendation to go to this isolated location for an exceptional dining experience?

The Journey of Faith and a Twinge

I had some business meetings scheduled in downtown Atlanta, and I wanted to find a top rated hotel in the area that offered character, class, and quality.

The Glenn, part of the Marriott Autograph Collection chain, promotes a boutique-ish vibe and looked appealing.  Ditto the upscale Courtyard by Marriott and swank Ritz Carlton.  While all were within walking distance of my confabs and appeared to be perfectly fine choices, I hesitated on the chain thing:  given the uniqueness of Atlanta, my pre

Your next vacation needs to be to the Bocas del Toro Archipelago in Panamá. Easy to get to from North America and Europe via Panama City, or combine with a trip to Costa Rica, Bocas del Toro has everything you could want in a Caribbean vacation – sun, clear turquoise Caribbean Sea, white sand beaches, coral reef, dolphins – but without the crowds.

Located off the Caribbean coast of northwestern Panama, very close to the border with Costa Rica, the Bocas del Toro Archipelago is an area of incredi

Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world, having been continuously inhabited for at least 7,000 years. I most enjoy the fall season in Greece, as the city is perhaps less crowded and one sees the true, hospitable and open, Athenian. It would be on a seasonably warm mid-October night that I would arrive in Athens historic center, at the comfortable Herodion Hotel, my digs for a four day sojourn in the city of my infancy and many summer visits. Upon arrival, I’m greeted at the front desk by

While the Great Depression gripped most of the world in 1931, Milton S. Hershey built an opulent hotel atop Pat's Hill overlooking his chocolate factory in Hershey Pennsylvania. The Hershey Hotel is truly a testament to the fact that greatness marches to the beat of a different drum. But eccentricity borne by wealth alone doesn't explain why Mr. Hershey went ahead with such an extravagant project during hard times. Faced with the decision of either employing his town's construction workers or pr

When it was time to start planning our family’s summer ‘14 adventure, we decided to expand our borders beyond tours around the Northeast to a destination down South.

My wife Sue and I felt that we were ready for such an expedition.  Our excursions to Vermont, the Poconos, and the Jersey Shore were successes, and we figured that a location below the Mason Dixon line that offered new experiences, culture, and surroundings was worth the longer drive.  Also, our kids were at ages (Eli – 16, Doris – 1

Nestled along the banks of the Arroyo de las Vacas river creek, Carmelo is a small town located in western Uruguay, noted for its wineries, beaches, and laid-back lifestyle. The river runs along the east and south part of the city and serves as a port for the town. On its north bank there is the Puerto Carmelo-Tigre, where small catamaran boats carry passengers across the Río de la Plata to Argentina.

A swing bridge, the Puente Giratorio de Carmelo, which opened on May 1st 1912, passes over the r

Originally dubbed the greatest playground in the world by New Yorkers in the early 1900's, throngs of tenement dwellers weren't the only visitors here looking to escape the city's summer heat. J.P. Morgan and the Rockefellers stayed over and entertainment headliners Harry James and Tommy Dorsey made their appearances. Throughout the 1930s and 40s, the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and the New York Knickerbockers basketball team used the park's extensive field as their training headquarters.

Long Beach Island is exactly as the name implies...an 18-mile-long narrow barrier island off New Jersey's central coast complete with sugar soft beach the entire length, body surfing, and plenty of frozen custard and grill joints to fortify you along the way. Upon crossing the causeway on the Manahawkin Bay Bridge, your options are simple. Turn left (north) and hit quieter more residential beach communities crowned by Barnegat Light at the tip or turn right (south) onto Long Beach Boulevad where

At first glance, Wildwood, New Jersey is the exclusive province of motel balcony parties, boardwalk vices like corn dogs, cheap T-shirts, and fried dough along with Morey's Piers grand amusement park rides on the beach. You're getting a roller coasters, booze, and crashing-on-the-beach vibe until you start walking down some quieter residential streets like the corner of Atlantic Ave. & East 22^nd Ave. where Summer Nites B&B sits. "100 years ago, our porch overlooked the ocean right across the str

It starts just after I land in Hobart. I am whisked into the airport’s private Saffire Lodge lounge. Quick refresh, an espresso and pick up my snack pack and drink, then fold into a private car to take me to the magical Freycinet Peninsula of Tasmania.

Just two and a half hours away, along Tasmania’s scenic east coast from Hobart (it’s two hours’ drive from Launceston), you turn off the road and cruise towards heaven on earth. (Purely subjective – but hey, I was there.)

Tasmania has to be one o

Staying at truly unique hotels and inns transports you to a different time and place, allowing you to forget the real world for a bit. Mirbeau Inn & Spa at The Pinehills in Plymouth, Massachusetts is a great coastal escape 45 minutes south of Boston without the hassle of battling Cape Cod traffic.

Ensconced by thick pine forest buffeted by salty ocean breezes, Plymouth's Pine Hills are a unique topographical feature as well as the name of an ever growing planned community. Stunningly rural despit

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In the current (Winter edition) of Get Up & Go magazine we have an article on Airbnb. There is some controversy around the company in the USA at the moment but we promote the concept as it is another way for travellers to experience up-close-and-personal local attractions and people. Get Up & Go is not endorsing the product but just sharing the various experiences.

 

                                             Rob & Ro Porter, from Victoria, Australia.

We interviewed a couple from Victoria, Rob

Perched squarely at the confluence of the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound, Saybrook Point Inn and Spa isn't the first property to take advantage of this coveted location. Originally occupied by Native fishing encampments, the Pease Hotel was the first property built in 1870 to accommodate overnight visitors to Old SayBrook Point. Lasting until the 1950's, this historic gem was then replaced with Terra Mar Hotel featuring modern amenities expected by 20th century travelers. Then the Tagli

I needed to be in Boston on business through Memorial Day weekend.  Rather than stay at a conventional hotel in a typical part of town (Financial District, Seaport District, Back Bay, South End), I wanted to do something a bit more creative, inventive, and fun.

I checked out a bunch of bed and breakfasts, but they were too quaint.  “Hip” hostels were an option, but the reviews were all horrific.  A furnished corporate apartment seemed like a cool move, so I researched the available options.

The of

Set on a private stretch of North Falmouth's Old Silver Beach on Buzzards Bay, dune grasses and traditional shaked cottages weathered to a classic gray surround a community of 264 rooms spread across 8 buildings. From its 1927 origins as a summer playhouse to its recent emergence from a top-to-bottom $15 million renovation, Sea Crest Beach Hotel has always been a multi-generational Cape Cod vacation destination.

It all started when The University Players Guild, among them a young Henry Fonda and

Sometimes spelled Daba or Diba, Dibba is a large natural harbor lying on the Northern Emirates’ east coast. It has proven to be quite strategic in settlement and maritime trade since the Islamic era. Make your tour a momentous one by choosing any of the following best three places to stay in Dibba UAE:

Royal Beach Hotel & Resort

You will discover the Royal Beach Hotel and Resort to be family-friendly Indian Ocean property featuring a hot tub and pool bar set within an outdoor pool. The units a

If you've never visited the Greek island of Crete, you’re in for a lot of surprises. Travelers are so often astounded by the scenery, the diversity, and utter uniqueness of this Island. However surprising the geography may be however, the simplicity of village life has to be the more pleasurable discovery. Why there's even a term that best describes the people you'll experience here. So well noted for stellar seascapes, the term Filoxenia (the love of visitors) outshines any Cretan photo op. For