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One of My Favorite Covered Bridges in Vermont Washed Away Due to Hurricane Irene

I spent the morning with my family cleaning up my yard in suburban Boston after Hurricane Irene swept through the area on Sunday. There were more than 5 garbage cans filled with downed branches, including one massive limb that fell two feet from our car and could have caused extensive damage. All in all, we were fortunate as ole Irene was tired by the time she reached here. Vermont took the brunt of the storm in New England. I was saddened to hear that one of my favorite covered bridges in New England, the one that sits over the Ottauquechee River in Quechee, best seen while dining at the Simon Pearce restaurant, was swept away by surging water. In Rockingham, the 141-year-old Bartonsville Covered Bridge was washed away by the raging Williams River. Those bridges are irreplaceable.
 

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Highly Recommended Hermosa Cove Villas in Ocho Rios, Jamaica

While staying in Ocho Rios last week, we checked out a relatively new boutique hotel recommended by an old friend. Clinging to the forested hillside and coastline just outside of town, Hermosa Cove features nine villas nestled into the lush landscape. The small retreat, ideal for couples and destination weddings where you can rent the whole shebang, is owned by a couple from Iowa and managed by Duke Molton, formerly of Island Outpost Resorts and the Ian Fleming estate, Goldeneye. Expect that same sense of style at Hermosa Cove, where each villa is decorated with Jamaican sculpture and antiques, and walls are painted a colorful sky blue, peach, or red. Each villa houses a full kitchen and most of the villas have private plunge pools. You can order groceries in advance and they’ll be waiting when you arrive. Several of the villas like the 1BR Calabash and the 3BR Ginger have ocean views from their second story. The grounds are exquisite with a small crescent beach, restaurant that’s already garnering rave reviews for its authentic Jamaican cuisine (open to the public), and a tower where you can go to the top and view the entire coastline. Guided kayaking and snorkeling tours past Jamaica Inn to the point are offered, and, of course, Duke can plan outings to climb the nearby Dunns River Falls, swim in the Blue Hole, tube down the White River, or simply grab a taxi to try the best jerk on the island at Scotchies. 

 
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Villa La Massa, The Ideal First Stop in Italy

After the overnight flight to Rome and a 2-hour train to Florence, we took a taxi to our hotel for the first two nights, Villa La Massa. Only 7 km or a 20-minute drive from the crowds of Florence, this 16th-century former Medici family estate feels a world away. You’re whisked away to a serene setting in the Tuscan hills along the Arno River. Rooms are spacious with tall ceilings and glorious panorama views. We took a short stroll under the tall cypress trees and past the herb and veggie gardens before wandering along the Arno shoreline watching men fish and families bike. Then we had our first negroni and aperol spritz of the trip on the patio next to the outdoor pool. Dinner was also perfection, beef tenderloin with porcini mushrooms, washed down with local wines and served by a highly professional staff. A relaxing start to our trip to Italy, the perfect place to unwind after a long flight before facing the mass of tourists that swarm Florence. 
 
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Adventures in Ecuador: A Worthwhile Stop in Baños de Agua Santa

Heading southeast from Quito, snowcapped volcanoes line both sides of the road while you pass through towns that specialize in one industry like stores selling only jeans in Pelileo. Three hours later, you reach the quaint town of Baños below the steep green flanks of the volcano Tungurahua. The small town has become an outdoor hub for folks who want to visit the numerous waterfalls in the region, go bungee jumping, hiking in the hills above town, or simply soak in the hot springs Baños is named after. La Piscina de la Virgen, located across from the Sangay Spa-Hotel, features three large pools of varying temperatures, from tepid to very hot. The town is also known for its taffy and you’ll find numerous candy stores around town to sample the goods. A great bakery, also known for its rich coffee and freshly made juices like tree tomato or guanabana is Café Ricooo Pan. Go there for breakfast to start the day. 

 
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New Beer Garden to Open on Boston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway

Excited to hear that the Greenway Conservancy is opening a Beer Garden this summer on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. They chose a perfect spot, right in front of the Rowes Wharf Arch at the Boston Harbor Hotel. They also chose my favorite Massachusetts-made beer, Trillium, which has breweries in Fort Point and Canton. Expect Fort Point Pale Ale, dry double-hopped Melcher Street, and six other beers on tap. Don’t just take my word that Trillium is one of the best brews in the region. Earlier this year, the website RateBeer ranked Trillium as the third best brewery in the world! The Beer Garden is slated to debut in late June. 

 
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Hong Kong Week-Seeing Big Buddha and Tai O

It’s hard to grasp the immensity of Big Buddha until you’re high in the sky on a cable car looking down at this massive sculpture perched atop the hillside on Lantau Island. The sitting Buddha is one of the largest in the world at 112-feet high. It’s definitely worth checking out, not only to walk up the many steps that lead to the Buddha and see the neighboring Po Lin Monastery, but to take the wonderful cable car ride to the site. Once again, our concierge at the W steered us in the right direction by getting tickets to the cable car in advance and going for the standard car, not the deluxe one with a glass bottom. The line for the standard cable car was much shorter and frankly the vistas from the windows are magical enough. Take the subway to the Tung Chung station and you’ll see signs to walk over to the Npong Ping Cable Car. Wait in line with your timed ticket (try to arrive at least 20 minutes prior to your time) and then get ready for a 25-minute ride past the international airport to the mountainous silhouette that houses Big Buddha. Once you disembark, walk past the shops and climb the 268 steps to go face-to-face with the statue, which made its debut in 1993. Then wander over to the large monastery, where people were lighting incense and saying prayers for good fortune at the start of the Chinese New Year. 

 
From Big Buddha, you can take a 15-minute bus ride to the historic seaside village of Tai O and then take a short boat ride to supposedly see pink dolphins and the many historic houses built on stilts on the riverside. We didn’t see any pink dolphins on our boat ride, but I did like being on the boat looking at the landscape. Afterwards, we strolled the narrow streets and tried the homemade fish shu mai. Tasty. Realize that from Tai O, it’s a good hour-long bus ride back to Tung Chung station. So if you’re in a rush, you might want to skip Tai O and take the round-trip cable car back. 
  
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February Newsletter Now Available at ActiveTravels.com

Not surprisingly, we booked quite a few trips to Tuscany last summer. The hotels that received rave reviews from our clients are featured in this month’s newsletter, “Eat, Play, Live!” You’ll also find a detailed description of Israel from our own family trip, a highly reputable outfitter from Croatia that we recommend, and why we believe Global Entry is better than TSA Precheck. 

 
Since we started ActiveTravels, we have been churning out these monthly newsletters hoping to inspire your travels. One of our long-term goals was to categorize each of our headings, so members can have this library of information at their fingertips. We’re almost there. We’ve been working with web designers and we hope to be finished with this task by the end of the month. Simply type in your password and you’ll find close to 20 Quick Escapes to tempt you, or peruse our main feature, “News from the Road,” which tackles one region at a time, like Kenya, Turkey, or the Canadian Rockies.
 
I’m off to Jamaica for a much needed vacation, back on February 24th. Happy travels! 
 

2 Comments

  1. Hi Steve,

    Glad you posted this. I find the loss of these bridges to be among the saddest of stories coming out of Irene. We always look at historic structures such as these assuming they’ll be there forever, and quite literally bridging the past to the present. I guess the next best thing is for the local tourism offices to preserve images of them for generations to come.

    Susan

  2. Our thoughts are with everyone dealing with the flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Irene. New Brunswick has experienced the destruction of covered bridges recently as well, and the loss is immeasurable.

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