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A Memorable Segway Ride on Oahu’s North Shore

A mere hour north of the hustle and bustle at Waikiki Beach is the North Shore. This is the Hawaii of yesteryear, home to the Banzai Pipeline and charming towns like Haleiwa, where folks will happily wait in line to try the shaved ice at the local favorite, Matsumoto’s. It’s also home to the largest resort in Oahu, Turtle Bay Resort, which fronts a mind-boggling 5 miles of shoreline. In April, they signed an agreement with the state of Hawaii and the Trust for Public Land to ensure that 666 acres of their property will become a conservation easement, never to be developed. Not many resorts can make that boast. In October, Turtle Bay will complete a 3-year, $30 million renovation that modernized all rooms.

 
But my family was most excited about Turtle Bay Resort’s 2-hour guided Segway Tour. I’ve taken Segway Tours in Tampa Bay and Minneapolis, but these Segways had fatter tires so you could go on dirt paths and sand. It ended up being one of the highlights of our trip! We cruised through forests of swaying palms to secluded beaches where only a handful of spearfishermen were hanging out, or to small sheltered coves beloved by local families. Far from the manicured grounds and overpopulated beaches of Waikiki, this part of the island felt raw, authentic. Afterwards, we dined on ahi pokes and kalua pork sandwiches at Ola, overlooking Turtle Bay Resort’s shoreline.  A perfect outing. 
 

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Family-Friendly Rafting Trips on the Salmon River

Western River Expeditions will celebrate its 50th year in 2011. Founded by Colorado River rafting pioneer, Jack Currey, the outfitter quickly expanded beyond the Grand Canyon to the other great rivers in the West, heading north into Utah and Idaho. Next summer, the company will unveil a new adventure for families with children as young as five. Called the Salmon River Canyons Family Magic Trip, the five-day, four-night jaunt will include a River Jester, whose sole duty is to keep the kids happy, leading nature-oriented games and activities for the kids, cooking a separate kids dinner at night, and telling stories and singing songs around the campfire. The Class II-IV rapids are mostly on the mild side, well-suited for the youngins. Trips meet and end in Lewiston, Idaho, and cost $1,435 for adults, $1,245 for children ages 5 to 15.
 

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The Latest Changes at New Hampshire Ski Resorts for the Upcoming Season

The big news out of the Granite State is the opening of the first phase of the RiverWalk Resort at Loon Mountain this past June. The $30 million project is located on the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River at the base of the South Peak of Loon Mountain. Phase One of the ski-in/ski-out resort is now open, featuring 79 1, 2, and 3-bedroom units, a full-service spa, fitness center, restaurant and lounge, game room, heated all-season pool, skating rink, and personal storage lockers. Loon is celebrating its 50th anniversary this winter with events planned throughout the season, including a special anniversary weekend January 28-29. Over at Bretton Woods, their new $110 ZIP & SKI package lets you hit the slopes then soar above them on the Bretton Woods Canopy Tour. Cross-country skiers who always wanted to learn how to skate now have that opportunity at the renowned Jackson X-C. Jackson offers a $65 package that includes an all-day trail pass, skate equipment rental, and a one-hour private lesson.

 
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Bhutan or Bust

One of the biggest trends in travel right now is the increasingly popular multisport trip. Head off to a country and then try as many activities as possible, from hiking, to biking, to whitewater rafting. This has proven to be a huge success in places like Costa Rica which has a great mix of mountains, rivers, and ocean. Now Uma Paro in Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan is entering into the mix. From July 6-13 and August 31-September 6, they are offering a weeklong adventure featuring rafting, biking, archery, and fly-fishing. The bike ride sounds like an incredible thrill. Guests are dropped off at the top of Chele La at 12,500 feet, Bhutan’s highest road pass. After taking in the magnificent views towards Mt. Jhomolhari standing at a mere 24,000 feet, you enjoy a 22-mile downhill run all the way back to Paro. You’ll also get to do a morning Puja (pilgrimage) to a local monastery.
 

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Adventures in the Florida Keys, Snorkeling Grecian Rocks in Key Largo

Escaping the snow of the northeast, I’m hiding out in the Florida Keys this week. My first stop is always Captain Slate’s Atlantis Dive Center just over the bridge in Key Largo. In operation since 1978, Slate is the premier snorkel and dive operator in the region. In 2004, he received the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame Award for his early work on diver and boater safety. Slate took a group of eight of us 7 miles out to sea to Grecian Rocks, a coral reef located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Surrounded by aquamarine waters, the vibrant reef is easily one of the premiere snorkeling spots in America. Before we snorkeled, Slate took advantage of his glass bottom boat to show us the Christ of the Abyss statue, a 9-foot tall bronze statue attached to a concrete base and placed in 25 feet of water back in 1965. Then we were off the boat watching a stingray swim gracefully above the sand. Purple fan coral way swaying with the current attracting barracudas, while I spotted a very cool midnight parrotfish with her neon blue lips poking at the brain coral. Visibility was outstanding and all was bliss for the next hour. 

 
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Cape Town’s Rise to Culinary Prominence

It wasn’t so long ago that the signature dinner in Cape Town was a traditional braai, a barbecue featuring copious amounts of meat like boerewors sausages. If that didn’t satiate your carnivorous cravings, you could always stop at the local butcher for a bag of biltong, the popular South African snack of air-dried beef jerky. Then the Apartheid regime ended and the city started to embrace its diversity of cultures, especially when it came to expanding the palate at your nightly meal. The fusion of Dutch, French, Malaysian, Indian, and African cooking has melded to create an exciting new cuisine. 

The latest batch of talented chefs take full advantage of Cape Town’s melting pot and its envied locale, straddling the Atlantic and Indian Oceans as the largest city on the southernmost point of the continent. Everywhere you look is water and thankfully the fresh bounty of the sea now appears on the menu alongside the many types of meat, all washed down with South Africa’s world-class pinotage and sauvignon blanc vintages. You don’t have to step far from your hotel room to find a restaurant that scintillates the taste buds. Fine dining is sprouting up in all parts of the city like the blooming of king proteas, the national flower, at the city’s Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. So pick a neighborhood, any neighborhood. 

My entire story on the Cape Town dining scene can be found in the February/March 2017 issue of Virtuoso Traveler. 

 
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Favorite Ski Trails in New England

New England skiing has never been better. Snowmaking technology has almost eliminated the infamous northeastern patch of ice; high-speed quads take you to the peaks in record time; synthetic fibers like capilene, polypro, and polar fleece keep you as warm on the trails as you will be later reclining in a hot tub; and new skis make carving that perfect turn a cinch. Depending on your level of experience, you have a number of runs to choose from. Check out some of my top picks in my latest blog for Liftopia. 

 

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