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Up for Breakfast in Manchester, Vermont

Guest Post by Amy Perry Basseches 

Breakfast and brunch are the only meals you can get at Up for Breakfast (UFB), and you better believe they do them well. Open since 1989 in their unique and tiny second floor location (which has never thought of expansion — it’s just right this way), UFB is a casual and cozy spot with great food. Open 7am-12:30 pm (1:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays), don’t miss it, at 4935 Main Street. Consider getting there on the early side for a table, no wait. We literally go on every trip to Manchester. I favor the Eggs Vegetarian (complete with artichoke hearts and fresh Hollandaise); my husband Josh likes the Wild Turkey Hash, or sometimes one of the amazing daily specials (or a special homemade sausage like pheasant with hazelnut and cognac).
 
Every time we visit, we see the same servers. It’s a family-run place. Owner Bonnie Bruce is well known in town. On a personal note, there was a front page story in the Boston Globe in 2016 about her family (not about UFB). The next time I went for a meal, I pulled her aside to say I had read the article and wanted to share a quiet moment with her. We ended up sitting and talking in the storage room off the small kitchen for quite a while. 
 
If your travels take you to Southern Vermont, let us know. ActiveTravels would be more than happy to help with lodgings, restaurant, and (indoor and outdoor) activity recommendations.
 
 

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Deal of the Month: Winvian in Litchfield Hills, Connecticut

When the Smith family decided to transform their 113-acre estate into one of New England’s most unique and exclusive resorts called Winvian, they spared no expense. In 2006, they hired 15 architects to create “cottages” nestled into the meadows, ponds, and rolling farmland that flanks their circa-1775 Main House. Today, these 18 finished works are rare architectural gems where inside each spacious abode, you’ll find hidden wonders like an intact fully restored 1968 helicopter that now serves as the bar and entertainment center in the Helicopter Cottage. The Treehouse Cottage is a two-story structure 32 feet off the ground, suspended atop a tree. We stayed in the Library Cottage, inspired by the libraries of yesteryear and dominated by double-story shelves of books. A ladder accesses a wraparound second level balcony surrounding a glorious stone fireplace.

 
When not admiring the cottages, you can stroll through the wildflowers to a pond where we spotted a great blue heron or take a much longer hike in the surrounding White Memorial Foundation, a 4,000-acre wildlife sanctuary. Afterwards, opt for a facial or massage at the spa. Winvian is a Relais & Chateaux property as you’ll soon realize at dinner or the exceptional breakfast where I dined on poached eggs carbonara, over a bed of fresh eggplant and zucchini just plucked from their garden. Dinner was a 4-course feast of tuna crudo, rabbit tortellini, and veal cooked two ways. Lisa’s Atlantic halibut was also tender and fresh. After dinner, we played a game of pool downstairs before walking outside and looking up at the shimmering stars in the night sky. This retreat is as close to perfection as you get in a New England country estate. 
 
Winvian reopens Wednesday with the best rates of the year, $399 a night. The rate is only available for stays from March 20 through April 4. So if you need a quick escape at a one-of-a-kind resort, please contact ActiveTravels and we’ll check availability. 
 
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Bike Across North America

Tour d’Afrique, the socially responsible bike touring company out of Toronto, doesn’t fool around when they create their dream bike trips. In 2003, they traversed the entire African continent in four months, from Cairo to Capetown. Then came the 50-day jaunt on the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul, the 2752-mile Silk Route ramble from Istanbul to Samarkand, the 7500-mile Vuelta Sudamericana that traveled from Rio to Quito, and the upcoming 2050-mile jaunt through India that starts in January. Now the company has just announced a new itinerary next summer that will cross North America, from San Francisco to Newfoundland. Starting on May 29th, they’ll bike for 76 days, averaging 106 km per day. Along the way, you’ll hit California wine country, the Grand Canyon, Route 66, Chicago, Toronto, and Montreal.  Cost of the entire tour is $9,950 per person or you can do one of the five shorter segments for $1800. Cost includes guides, van support, and lodging.

 

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A Rejuvenating Stay at the Riu Reggae

With our kids out of college early this semester, we decided to head to the Caribbean before Christmas. We made the wise decision to book two rooms at the Riu Reggae, an adults-only all-inclusive which made its debut 8 months ago. Located down the beach from the Riu Palace and the Riu Montego Bay, the Riu Reggae is only a 10-minute drive from the international airport. Compared to the other Riu properties we’ve stayed at in Ocho Rios, Aruba, and Costa Rica, it’s a smaller, more contemporary resort with 400 rooms and 5 restaurants. We thought the food was very good for an all-inclusive property, especially the breakfasts at the main buffet, the steak at the Italian restaurant, and our last night’s dinner at the gourmet restaurant, Kulinarium, which featured lobster, grouper, and oxtail ravioli. The highlight for us (and one of the reasons we keep returning to Jamaica) is the jerk hut, serving slightly charred barbecue chicken on the beach, topped with homemade spicy jerk sauce. We would stand in line every day to grab our lunch there. 
 
The beach connects to the other two properties so you can take long walks in the sand. But most of the time we read our books at the pool while being entertained by the excellent staff. Everyone at the resort seemed genuinely happy to welcome you to their country, from the wait staff to the front desk to the room service (there was no attitude at all). But the entertainers, including Kool Kid and Shampoo, went out of their way to make you laugh and stopped by your chaise lounge chair to converse. One morning, a wonderful band played live reggae music at the edge of the pool, including classic Bob Marley and Peter Tosh tunes. It’s no surprise that the occupancy rate is already 85 percent, with clientele coming in for a week’s stay from all over North America and Europe. If the price remains as reasonable as it is now, I’d happily return. 
 

A Peaceful Stay on the Amalfi Coast at Ravello’s Villa Maria Hotel

Even in early October, the Amalfi Coast was swarming with people, especially the well-known coastal towns of Positano, Sorrento, and Amalfi. That’s why I was happy to spend the days on the coast but my nights up in the serene hill town of Ravello. As soon as we hit those narrow cobblestone streets of Ravello, with far less foot traffic, I could breathe again. Our room at Villa Maria Hotel had a balcony with a glorious view of the mountains sloping down to the sea. Service and the food was excellent, especially the duck and lamb we had at dinner. In the day, we hired a driver with Amalfi Car Service, Pasquale, to show us the properties we like to book for our clients and also suggest some of his favorites. We went to Antiche Mura in Sorrento, perfectly located in the heart of the town, and Le Sirenuse in Positano, where people line up for hours to have a drink at their champagne bar, offering the best views of the coast. There were two surprise properties that we’d happily recommend, especially for quiet and romance. Il San Pietro di Positano, a Relais and Chateaux boutique resort on the outskirts of town, has its own dreamy beach, pool, and fantastic views of the coastline. Just north of Positano clinging to the hilltop is a former 17th-century monastery, now a luxury property called Monastero Santa Rosa. Their infinity pool is in the most dramatic locale I’ve ever seen, on the edge of the hillside overlooking the vast waters below. Tell ActiveTravels what type of vacation you want on the Amalfi Coast and we’ll suggest one of these dreamy properties or others. 

 
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New iPhone App Sends Postcards

Point. Snap. Postcard. World Nomads has just launched a Postcard App for the iPhone that makes sending postcards as easy as a push of the finger. Here’s how it works. Users download the free app from iTunes. Via PayPal, they purchase stamps (the cost of $2 per stamp works for delivery anywhere in the world). Users then snap a photo that is then turned into a postcard image. Type a message for the back. Add a delivery address and then submit everything electronically. The postcard is printed in the USA on real high-quality gloss paper, stamped and then sent to the address on the card anywhere in the world. When making stamp purchases there’s also an opportunity to donate to one of World Nomads’ Footprints Projects that funds community development projects and fights poverty worldwide.
 

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How a Travel Advisor Helps with Flight Delays

Last week, we had three clients miss their flight connections and one ActiveTravels member break his clavicle and ribs on a motorcycle accident in Phuket, Thailand. Before our clients even got off their planes, they were rebooked and ready to go on the next available flight. No standing in line for hours at the customer service desk with all the other passengers. The man with the broken bones is still healing in a hospital, but we were able to cancel and reschedule his first-class flight with a slight change fee. In this Do-It-Yourself World, you’re led to believe that you can easily book travel on your own. That’s certainly true, but when a mishap happens, which is inevitable when you travel, it’s good to have someone working on your behalf while you’re still on a plane with no WiFi.

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