|

The Stylish New Hotel Zetta in San Francisco

The final two nights of our trip to San Francisco, we stayed in a new boutique hotel called Hotel Zetta. The location was great, within easy walking distance of the restaurants and shops at Union Square and the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde cable car lines down to Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghirardelli Square. Hotel Zetta had a real sense of whimsy and originality like painting the stairwell walls with graffiti. We loved returning to the Playroom, located on the 2nd floor of the hotel, a lounge area that offers pool, ping pong, giant Jenga and multiple game consoles. The cozy bar, off the lobby, is popular with locals who come to listen to live music. Fortunately, the hipster vibe of the place did not affect the service. The front desk and doorman were excellent, even finding us a spacious town car to head back to the airport, only $5 more than a taxi. 

 

Similar Posts

|

Escape to Israel this Winter

Israel’s national airline, El Al, just announced a great deal this winter. Depart New York, Boston, Miami or LA from November 25-February 21 and they’ll offer a direct flight to Tel Aviv and 6 nights at any Dan Panorama property for as low as $1329 per person. ActiveTravels works with great ground operators in Israel who can help arrange transfers and guides to any part of the country, from a day trip to two of my favorite cities, Safed and Akko, to hiking Masada and floating in the Dead Sea. Jerusalem reaches an average high of 60 degrees in December, while Tel Aviv can often top 70 degrees. So it’s a still comfortable time of year to visit Israel. 

 
|

Driving to Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood

Guest Post and Photo by Amy Perry Basseches

With expert local advice, we set our GPS for Vista House in Corbett for long vista views along the river. Then we followed the Old Historic Columbia River Hwy to Latourell Falls, Multnomah Falls, and, eventually, to Cascade Locks for brunch. We met friends at the very local Bridgeside Restaurant and had a yummy salmon chowder. The Bridge of the Gods is right there, but we didn’t go over it. We also missed the Bonneville Dam with apparently very interesting salmon and sturgeon viewing. Instead, off to Hood River we went, then up to Mt. Hood and the historic Timberline Lodge for drinks and handcrafted ales while watching the skiers, in mid-May. Life is rough! Rising 11,239 feet (3,426 meters), Mt. Hood is the highest peak in Oregon, and the second most climbed mountain in the world. At the time of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the mountain was an active volcano and is now considered “sleeping.” I had been to Portland before, but to truly appreciate Oregon, you have to leave the city limits. 

 

 

 
|

Single Malt Whisky Tasting At Cape Breton’s Glenora Distillery

It’s wonderful to be back in Cape Breton, especially on a hot cloudless sunny day. After crossing Canso Causeway and following Route 19 on Ceilidh Trail, we picnicked on the rocks of the Celtic Shores Coastal Trail, a hard-packed gravel trail which snakes along the western shores of Cape Breton from Port Hastings all the way north 92 kilometers to Inverness. In Glenville, we stopped at the Glenora Distillery to sample the single malt whisky (can’t call it Scotch since we’re not in Scotland). We stepped into the bar and listened to the live Celtic music from local fiddlers and singers while sampling a flight of five whisky choices. The Glen Breton 10 year-old whisky was smooth, but we loved the 19 year-old cask strength whisky finished in a barrel used for ice wine to add a hint of sweetness at the end. Then we took a tour around the distillery to see how they produced 150 barrels of whisky this past year. Built in 1990, Glenora is the first distillery in North America to attempt to make single malt scotch. The water stems from the shimmering McClellan’s Brook which runs through the bucolic property, while the malted barley comes from Saskatchewan and the fast-acting yeast from South Africa. The finished product is aged in oak barrels from the Buffalo Trace bourbon distillery in Kentucky.  The result is award-winning single malt whisky, worthy of a stop. 

 
|

ActiveTravels Turns One!

I started writing this blog a little over a year ago, with readership and interest steadily growing. I know you have lots of options to read travel content on the web, so I want to personally pat you on the back and say thank you! My goal the next several months is to expand ActiveTravels to include much more of my travel content in the Go Play section, to be used as a reference. But that will have to wait until early August. I’m on assignment the next 22 of 31 days, traveling to Cape Cod, Maine, New Brunswick, Paris, and the UK. I’m gone so much that I’ve decided to give myself time off next week. So enjoy the 4th of July holiday and come back the week of July 12th when I’ll be divulging my Top 5 Wallet-Friendly Ways to Get Wet and Wild.

Best,

Steve
 

|

October 2015 Newsletter: Canadian Ski Resorts, New Hotels, Just Ahead

The favorable exchange rate for the American dollar continues to ensure that Canada is the place to be this winter. If you haven’t looked lately, $1 US will now fetch $1.31 in Canada, an 11-year low for the Canadian loonie. So if you’ve ever wanted to ski Whistler, Tremblant, or the Canadian Rockies, now would be the time. In this month’s ActiveTravels newsletter, we talk about our favorite places to ski in Canada, including off-the-beaten track Red Mountain. We also want to introduce you to Just Ahead, a guided audio tour through many national parks that is easily accessible from your smart phone. Amanera, the ultra-posh resort opening in the Dominican Republic on November 23rd, is one of the new Caribbean, Florida, and Mexican properties we discuss. Another new hotel, The Taconic, will be the first Kimpton property in Vermont when it opens in Manchester, Vermont, this winter. Lastly, I preview the recent trip I took with Dan Austin, owner of Austin Adventures, to Colorado, where the legendary Broadmoor resort has expanded their holdings, opening three boutique properties in the mountains and rivers outside of Colorado Springs. Check it out, and, if you ever have any travel-related questions, please ask. 

 
|

Top 5 Adventures in Florida, Sea Kayaking No Name Key

The Florida Keys are basically small spits of land connected by bridges on the Overseas Highway. Surrounding you is the water of ocean and bay, but it’s hard to get too far off the beaten track on land. No Name Key off of Big Pine Key is arguably the most remote section of the Upper Keys. The best to way to see the island is from the seat of a sea kayak with Bill Keogh as your guide. For 20 years, Keogh, owner of Big Pine Kayak Adventures, has led paddlers across the channel and into the mangroves of No Name Key. Within moments of paddling on the calm water, we spotted the swift frigate birds, tricolor and green herons, and kingfishers. Then we were following Bill and his dog Scudder through a narrow tunnel of mangroves, pulling roots to move us forward. We would soon reach a large salt pond where we would spot numerous jellyfish in the clear waters. It was just the great white egrets and us in this serene locale. After breathing in our fair share of salty air, we would go back through the sinuous waterway in the mangroves, flowing with the current, and wishing it would never end. 

 

Leave a Reply