Similar Posts
Northern Lights Viewing, Dogsledding, and Yoga Retreat in Finnish Lapland
Arctic travel and Northern Lights specialists Off the Map Travel have just announced a new winter wellness retreat in Finnish Lapland. The 4-day/3-night itinerary includes 2 nights at a glass-roofed igloo in Rovaniemi and one night in a snow room at the Arctic Snow Hotel. In the daytime, you’ll go dogsledding, take yoga classes, and experience rest and relaxation in the world’s first sauna made from snow. You’ll be enveloped by an instant cloud of steam, resulting from the contact between the sauna’s 1.5 meters-thick snow walls and the heat from the sauna’s stove. The result is a steam-room like effect with cleansing benefits for both mind and body. Then it’s off to the ice bar and your glass-roofed igloo with uninterrupted views of the Arctic night sky. Cost starts at $1606 per person based on double occupancy, and includes lodging, breakfast, activities, and airport transfers.
The Return of the Snowy Owl
I leave you this week with the latest photo from the talented Paul Cyr. I met Cyr while on assignment from The Boston Globe in Presque Isle, Maine, in search of the elusive Northern Lights. Cyr’s colorfully charged photos of the Northern Lights have gone viral. His shots of Maine wildlife, including moose, bear, and this snowy owl are quite spectacular as well. Next week, I’ll be back with my list of the Top 5 Destinations You Should Visit in 2015. In the meantime, enjoy the weekend, keep active, and find yourself a snowy owl.
Fall Foliage Deals in New England
New England Inns & Resorts, a collection of more than 250 inns and hotels in New England, has some fall foliage deals up on their website. Harbour Towne Inn in Boothbay Harbor, Maine is offering a leaf and lobster tour, starting at $149 a night, including a bountiful harvest breakfast. If you prefer mountains to the sea, the Bethel Inn Resort in Bethel, Maine, home to Sunday River, is offering rooms as low as $119 a night, including breakfast. At the Daniel Webster Inn in Sandwich, on Cape Cod, rooms are as low $120 a night (including a 25% discount), champagne and chocolates upon arrival, and a $50 meal credit for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Even exclusive Nantucket is getting in on the deal. If you can wait till late October to hit the island, rates at the Jared Coffin House drop to $125 a night, with a $25 dinner credit.
Run the Alps Offers New Slate of Trips This Summer
My Top 5 Places to Scuba Dive, Heron Island, Australia
Looking forward to seeing an ockie (octopus) in the bommie (coral head)? Then Heron Island, on the Great Barrier’s southern reef, is the place for you, mate. You might also dive with giant sea turtles that come ashore to lay their eggs between late October and March, or with humpback whales that skirt the island from June through October. Heron Island Resort, the island’s lone accommodation, has room for 250 nature lovers. The Point Suites offer unobstructed views of the harbor and bay. Part resort, part wildlife sanctuary, the island is large enough for couples to follow their own trail to a nesting spot among the white herons.
Top 5 Travel Days of 2015, Hiking and Horseback Riding in the Colorado Rockies
In mid-October, I caught up with Dan Austin, owner of Austin Adventures, and his daughter, Kasey, as they were designing a new itinerary that took in all the mountain splendor and adventure found on the outskirts of Colorado Springs. Their primary focus was to introduce guests to “The Broadmoor Wilderness Experience,” two historic sporting camps high up in the mountains that have been recently renovated by the legendary Broadmoor resort. Standing 9100 feet atop Cheyenne Mountain is the former private retreat of Broadmoor founder, Spencer Penrose, and, as of last summer, home to a mountain lodge called Cloud Camp. In 1923, Penrose acquired a bucolic slice of heaven, ringed by 11,000-foot peaks, which this summer has been transformed into The Ranch of Emerald Valley.