Famous Faces, Famous Places and Famous Foods
So Many Places – So little time
So Many Places – So little time
The "Rich Hippie" wardrobe foisted on summer travelers by the French fashion industry has been packed away and now that October has rolled around it takes a Palm VIIx in each hand to keep organized. Charity balls, sports events, seminars and classes are added to those 12-hour days at the office. Before we know it we will be in the midst of celebrating Halloween and shopping for Christmas gifts.
Who has time to travel? We remind ourselves "You don't find time, you make time," and off we go to places like Tuscany to experience the harvest, to the Caribbean's Cap Juluca to sample a menu of spa rituals, to Cuba for the Havana Jazz Festival.
Although most of us like to travel at a moment's notice, we have included some trips, like Crystal Symphony's World Cruise 2001, that must be booked months in advance to ensure a reservation.
WEIRD, WILD AND WONDERFUL
To the rock & roll soul of Cuba
It's becoming easier and easier for Americans to travel to Castro's Cuba.
Pamela Bracken and Karen Dixon, co-founders of Adventures in Rock, are announcing tour
dates for "a cultural tour of Havana's phenomenal music scene." The dates to
keep open this year are Nov. 8-19 and Dec. 13-21 (Havana Jazz Festival). Ned Sublette, a
pioneer in bringing contemporary Cuban music to the U.S., will guide the tour. Ned has
traveled to Cuba many times in the last decade and is presently working on a book for
Chicago Review Press: Cuban Music from the Revolution to the Millennium. Adventures
in Rock tour packages include all the music and dancing you can imagine, Cuba travel card,
airfare from New York City and accommodations at the jewel of Havana – Hotel Nacional
where Frank Sinatra, Winston Churchill, Marlon Brando and the Prince of Wales have checked
in. For details and updates, visit the AIR Web site at Adventures in Rock.com or phone toll free:
877-788-ROCK.
Off to the speedway races
Fast-track travelers can attend the Talladega Winston 500, Winn-Dixie 300 and Pro Monster Truck season finale all in one high-octane weekend, Oct. 13-15, with a Grand Prix Tours "triple-event" package. Priced at US$495 per person double, exclusive of airfare and race tickets, the three-day / two-night bundle of events includes accommodations at the Sheraton Perimeter Park in Birmingham, Alabama; a race preview party hosted by Buddy Baker, the 1980 Daytona 500 winner and holder of the Daytona 500 speed record; a meeting with NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield at the race track; and airport and track transfers.
An optional Sunday hospitality package at $155 per person adds a hospitality
chalet, pit lane tour, closed circuit television, lunch and refreshments. Race tickets for
Saturday's ARCA Winn-Dixie 300 and Winston Cup practice are $50 for seats in Birmingham
Tower (across from the pit lane exit with great views of the entire track) and $10 for the
Pro Monster Truck race. Sunday's race tickets for the Winston 500 are $115 for seats in
Birmingham Tower and slightly lower for other locations. Reservations, brochures and
additional information are available from Grand Prix Tours, 800-400-1998 or 949-717-3333,
Web site: www.gptours.com.Ambling around in five Ferraris
For those who prefer to wear their driving gloves behind the wheel of a Ferrari instead of a Formula One racing car, historic Amberley Castle in the south of England is hosting a Classic Ferrari driving weekend Nov. 3-6. During the course of the four-day, three-night weekend, guests will be handed the keys, in turn, of five different Ferrari models to explore Chichester, Brighton, and some of the prettiest little villages in England, those clustered in the South Downs of West Sussex. The weekend is sponsored by Bespokes, the United Kingdom's largest fleet of prestigious classics and sport cars for rent. The Ferraris they will have on hand are a 1972 246 GTS Dino, a 1986 308 GTS, a 1988 328 GTS, a 1990 348 TS and a 1996 355 GTS. Cost of the Ferrari Weekend per person is approximately US$1,230, plus tax, based on double occupancy. For details, contact Amberley Castle at 011-44-1-79-883-1992, or e-mail info@amberleycastle.co.uk. The Web site is www.amberleycastle.co.uk.
Around the world in 104 days
It
may take a little longer than it took Phileas Fogg, but travelers on Crystal Symphony's
World Cruise 2001, will get much more than the bird's-eye view that Jules Verne’s
famous character got from the basket of his hot air balloon. Spanning 38 ports in 31
countries through Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, Africa and Western Europe,
Crystal Cruises' sixth consecutive World Cruise departs Los Angeles for London on Jan. 12,
2001.
Angor Wat, Botswana Safari, Bilboa's Guggenheim and Yangon's Pagoda top the list of new overland adventures and day tours added to the 2001 cruise schedule. Special World Value Fares for the complete 104-day World Cruise began at US$38,052 per person, double occupancy, and include round-trip first class or business class air transportation (depending on stateroom category), and a long list of special perks. Crystal cruises are booked exclusively through travel agents. Call 800-820-6663 to order a complimentary 2001 World Cruise highlights brochure. Visit www.crystalcruises.com.
WHAT’S THE DEAL?
Endless summer with an ocean view
Leave
it to those energetic Californians around Santa Monica's legendary Muscle Beach to refuse
to say goodbye to summer. Hotel Casa Del Mar, which re-emerged last year as one of the
grandest of the opulent Santa Monica beach hotels and one of the most luxurious hotels on
the West Coast, is offering a beach-and-fitness oriented "Endless Summer"
package to guests who book an ocean view room for a stay between now and Nov. 15.
For $399, single or double occupancy, guests get a 30 percent break over regular rates for an ocean view room that includes breakfast and an hour of fitness instruction with a personal trainer or an hour of inline skating lessons from a professional instructor. Hotel Casa Del Mar is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. For information or reservations, call 800-898-6999 or 310-581-5533, or visit their Web site: www.hotelcasadelmar.com.
Bilbao and beyond
A different kind of adventure in rock involves real rocks – from prehistoric caves to cities of stone. It is a 14-day deluxe tour of Northern Spain's Basque Country operated by Travel Plans International (TPI) and led by Dr. Paul G. Bahn, an expert on prehistoric rock art. Among the sites participants will explore is the underground gallery known as the "Sistine Chapel of Prehistoric Art" where Ice Age artists created masterpieces in subterranean caverns. Accommodations are in paradores (historic structures, many from medieval times, that have been restored and converted into elegant inns) and 5-star hotels.
The program begins at Biarritz, an international resort and playground for the rich and royal since the time of Napoleon III. Included in the highlights of the tour are visits to Bilboa and the spectacular Guggenheim Museum, the famed Altamira II caves, and Astorga, home of Gaudi's neo-Gothic Palacio Episcopal. Final stop is Santiago de Compostela, the beautiful "City of Stone" that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tour is priced at $5,200 per person, based on double occupancy. Airfare is additional. Departures in 2001 are April 21, May 19, Sept. 15 and Oct. 6. Detailed information and reservations are available from TPI at 800-323-7600 or 630-573-1400. E-mail tpi@travelplansintl.com.Clicking away in Baja's photographer's paradise
Travelers with a passion for photography are often rushed through spontaneous photo ops so the tour can stay on schedule. Aware that serious photographers need to travel at a slower pace and on a more flexible itinerary than those who do not share their interest, Lindblad Expeditions has organized a photographer's voyage to one of most photogenic places in the world, Baja California's Sea of Cortez. Among those on board sharing their enthusiasm and expertise will be Ralph Lee Hopkins, a widely published professional photographer who is co-author and photographer of the book, Baja-A Special Expedition to Baja and the Sea of Cortez. Included in the voyage will be Zodiac cruises dedicated to photography, shore landings timed for sunrise and sunset photo walks, a focus on photographing whales and dolphins from the deck of the ship and lectures on photographic techniques. There will be additional naturalists on board to guide activities for those not interested in photography. Date of the Photographer's Expedition is April 15-22, 2001. For reservations contact your travel agent or Lindblad Expeditions at 1-800-397-3348, or visit their Web site at www.expeditions.com.
TRIPS FOR LOVERS AND GOURMANDS
Grandma's Thanksgivings were never like this
Forget
Grandma's house this Thanksgiving and shift your moveable feast to Europe. Mansions and
Manors, the sister company of Country Cottages, is introducing a festive Thanksgiving
getaway to a choice of 120 historic castles, villas, chateaux and palaces in England,
Ireland, France, Italy and Spain. An air-inclusive, 9-day Thanksgiving package at a
12th-century Irish Castle or a 12-bedroom, 12-bath villa in Tuscany, to give a couple of
examples, costs from $998 per person to $2,298 when the expense is divided among the
participants.
The package provides transatlantic flights from New York, Newark or Boston on British Airways, exclusive use of an aristocratic home for seven nights, a Thanksgiving dinner of turkey and trimmings prepared by a chef, and self-drive executive automobiles. The homes have four to 12 bedrooms and can accommodate eight to 24 persons. For more information, call 800-674-8883, e-mail cottages@worldnet.att.net, or visit the Web site: www.mansionsandmanors.com.
Cap Juluca – secluded, sophisticated and romantic
.Anguilla's
Cap Juluca, an idyllic retreat on 179-acres, reopens Oct. 28 after an extensive makeover.
Its world-class spa won't open for another year but a full menu of spa rituals is
available this year in breathtaking settings ranging from seaside pavilions and waterfall
pools to moonlit terraces and a yoga garden. Some rituals are couples- oriented and will
be available in the privacy of a guest rooms or suites, under a new gazebo with a view of
the Caribbean and the mountains of St. Martin, or other secluded spots. In advance of the
spa's 2001 debut, Cap Juluca also will offer Balinese and Thai massage, Reiki,
aromatherapy, reflexology, facials, regression therapy and kinesiology. Private yoga
sessions, personal training, circuit training, meditation and massage lessons for couples
will also be featured. Sandy beaches, water sports, tennis and croquet are also available.
Daily room rates range from US$310 for a superior room to US$5,655 for a five-bedroom
villa with a private swimming pool. For details, contact Cap Juluca's Miami office,
888-858-5822 or the hotel, 264-497-6779, or visit www.capjuluca.com.
Foodies, cooks, and anyone else who has dreamed of harvest time in Tuscany need to act quickly if they want to join Da Vinci Travel Group's 12-day/10 night "Autumn Harvest Festivals Tour of Italy" tour, Oct. 26-Nov. 6. Participants will enjoy a total immersion, hands-on experience of Tuscan life and tradition. Among the plethora of activities, they help bring in the harvest, taste freshly made ricotta cheese and chestnut polenta baked in open wood fires, learn the secrets of a truffle hunter, visit the vineyards that produce one of the world's great wines, dine in local restaurants and sample the bounty at harvest festivals, even learn to prepare a local dish or two. The tour, priced at little more than $200 a day includes accommodations at La Campana, a medieval country estate south of Siena, daily breakfasts, seven dinners and three countryside lunches. Regional house wine is provided with meals and all activities, including wine tasting, festivals and excursions are included. Total cost is US$2,479 based on double occupancy. Participation is limited to 28 persons. Call Da Vinci Travel Group at 800-887-4379 or visit www.davinci-travel.com.
ADVENTURE TRIPS
Winging it over the holidays
For those who would rather go birding than eat a turkey this holiday
season, Field Guides of Austin, Texas, offer the following getaways over Thanksgiving and
Christmas / New Year's: Thanksgiving in Trinidad & Tobago, Nov. 23-Dec. 2;
Thanksgiving in Belize: Lamanai, Hidden Valley & Caracol Nov. 18-26; Christmas in
South Texas, Dec. 23-31; Christmas at San Isidro, Ecuador, Dec. 23-Jan. 1; New Year's in
Trinidad & Tobago Dec. 27-Jan. 5; Arizona Winter Specialties Dec. 27-Jan. 5.
Gull lovers haven't been forgotten either. Doug McRae will lead a short Niagara River Weekend, Dec.1-4. For itineraries and other information, call Field Guides at 800-728-4953, or visit them online at www.fieldguides.com.
