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Riu Palace Peninsula Week—The Dining

Each morning at the Riu Palace Peninsula, I strolled over to the large breakfast buffet at Las Olas restaurant, which included an omelet station, French toast, bacon, sausage, yogurt, cereals, and fresh fruit including small sweet bananas and papayas. Food in hand, I walked over to one of the outdoor tables to enjoy breakfast with a sea breeze and a pot of strong Mexican coffee. For lunch, I would head to the Italian restaurant, Venecia, just off the lobby. They offer a salad bar, pizza, grilled fish, and pasta choices. No reservations are necessary. I also enjoyed my mid-afternoon latte at the stylish coffee bar, Capuchino. 
 
Reserve in advance to dine at one of the four specialty restaurants. My favorite dishes included the tender Chilean sea bass at the fusion restaurant, Krystal; the large cut of rib eye at the steakhouse, Isla Mujeres; the wok pan-fried grouper with shitake mushrooms at Kabuki Japanese restaurant; and the tequila-flambéed prawns at Tamales, the Mexican restaurant. 
 
It’s been a fun week in Cancun, but it’s back to the frigid temperatures for me, with stops in Chicago, New York, and Presque Isle, Maine. I’ll return on January 7th with my Top 5 Travel Experiences of 2012. Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!
 

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VBT Offering New Walking Vacations in America’s National Parks

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about how Xanterra Parks & Resorts, the people who run all of America’s national park lodges acquired Austin-Lehman Adventures, now called Austin Adventures. A year prior, Xanterra purchased VBT Walking and Bicycling Vacations. Now we’re beginning to see the results of that acquisition. VBT has just announced that they will be offering walking tours at 5 American national parks in 2014, the first time they have offered walking vacations in the States. Travelers can explore the Grand Canyon, Zion, Grand Teton and Yellowstone while staying in lodges right in the heart of the parks. Vermont-based VBT is also launching a walking vacation closer to their headquarters in Acadia National Park. Walks include one of my personal favorites, Zion’s Narrows, where you walk in the Virgin River through a 1,000-foot-high slot canyon that’s a mere 20 feet wide at times. If you can’t wait until next summer, VBT will offer a 6-day cross-country skiing jaunt in Yellowstone this coming January and February, the most serene time of year to visit the park. Add several nights after the trip to ski downhill at nearby Big Sky. 

 
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Oh Canada!

The favorable exchange rate for the American dollar not only extends to Europe. If you haven’t looked lately, $1 US will now fetch $1.25 in Canada. I haven’t seen an exchange rate like that since I was at an Expos game. If the exorbitant flights to Europe limit your options to the continent, especially if you want to travel as a family, head north. I’m already planning to go to Nova Scotia in early June and Montreal and the Eastern Townships in October. I’m also heading to the Canada Media Marketplace next week in New York, where I’ll be learning about all the new travel opportunities in the country. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively around Canada, biking around Niagara-on-the-Lake and Prince Edward Island, hiking in Cape Breton and the glorious Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, savoring the charming town of St. Andrews in New Brunswick and the resplendent beauty of Salt Spring Island in BC, going on such memorable adventures as whitewater rafting down the Klinaklini River in BC, a multi-sport vacation with the family in the Canadian Rockies, or canoeing through Ontario’s remote Wabakimi Wilderness, and loving my time in the cities while vintage shopping in Toronto and eating my way though Vancouver. If you need me to point you in the right direction, I’m happy to help! 

 
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A Wealth of Winter Activity at Vermont’s Grafton Inn

The same deluge of snow that hit Boston this winter, now topping 100 inches thanks to Tuesday night’s dusting, has also arrived at Vermont’s doorstep. Grafton Inn, one of my favorite properties in the state, recently reported that they received over 4 feet of snow in the past 3 weeks. Down the road, the Grafton Ponds Outdoor Center is offering 5 kilometers of groomed trails; Wine & Cheese Snowshoe Hikes on Saturday afternoons; dogsled rides on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays; tubing on their 600-foot hill; and the use of 2 fat bikes for hitting the trails. On property, the Phelps Barn features live music every Saturday night. 
 
Never been to Grafton? Amble along Main Street past the Country Store, where I once spotted a sign posted outside asking if anyone’s seen a missing horse, and you swear you just stepped into a Currier and Ives painting. To the right is the red brick town hall, circa 1816, now home to the post office. Further up the road, past the white clapboard houses spewing smoke from their chimneys is the requisite white steeple. Across the street is the Old Tavern, opened in 1801, and once the stagecoach stop on the ride from Boston to Montreal. Ulysses S. Grant spent a night here while campaigning for his presidency and Rudyard Kipling liked the locale so much he honeymooned at the hotel in 1892. For more information on Grafton, see the story I wrote for Preservation Magazine. 
 
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Boston’s Lenox Hotel Just Gets Better With Age

There’s a reason why The Lenox is consistently rated one of the top properties in Boston by TripAdvisor. A mere 115 years old, the owners put close to $80 million in renovations the past decade, so the rooms are as modern and stylish as any new build. The staff are exceptional, especially the concierge desk, which personally vets restaurants and sights before making recommendations. Most important to me, they continue to seek out sustainable practices. So don’t expect small plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel to be tossed in the garbage every day. In its place are dispensers carrying Beekman 1802 products. If you’re not familiar with The Beekman Boys, they won The Amazing Race and have their own television show, The Fabulous Beekman Boys. Working out of a Sharon Springs farm, not far from where I grew up in upstate New York, Brent Ridge and his partner Josh Kilmer-Purcell have become purveyors of all things indigenous, including lotions, furniture, a tasty bruschetta, and addictive caramels. They just entered into an agreement with The Lenox this month to supply their products and there are plans for the Beekman Boys to redesign one of the suites. Like a good wine…

 
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Family Surf Camp in Costa Rica

Peaks N’ Swells, a small family-owned surf camp in Montezuma, Costa Rica, recently announced their line-up of surf camps for 2013. The schedule includes professionally coached Family Surf Camps, Surfer Girl Getaways, and a new Mountain Bike & Surf Adventure. Offered during the spring and over the holiday season (March 19-29; March 29-April 5; April 6-13; April 13-20; December 18-27; December 27-January 5), the Family Surf Camps combine the exciting experience of surfing with your family with seeing the wildlife of Costa Rica. Daily surf and yoga sessions are mixed with plenty of time to hike Montezuma’s waterfall, explore the nearby turtle sanctuary, take a horseback ride on the beach, or relax by the pool. There is no “kids club” at Peaks N’ Swells. Instead, staff will custom tailor activities for each family, from coconut tree climbing competitions and soccer on the beach to Spanish lessons and collecting mangoes from trees on the property. Still not convinced? Here are ten reasons why Costa Rica is one of the best spots in the world to surf. 

 
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Croatia, Western Dude Ranches, Pack for a Purpose, and More in Our May Newsletter

In the May ActiveTravels newsletter, Lisa reports on her latest trip to Croatia and delves into why the country has become such a European hot spot. We also list some of our clients’ favorite dude ranches, promote Pack with a Purpose, and talk about an outfitter who designs custom-made trips to America’s National Parks. With the National Park System turning 100 in 2016, this is a good time to think about a trip to Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier, or Acadia National Park. 
 
I’ll be in Ithaca, New York, next Monday and Tuesday, back Wednesday. Enjoy the weekend and keep active!
 

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