Australia, Maui, and St. Barts Featured in the April ActiveTravels Newsletter

Guest Post and Photo by Amy Perry Basseches
We broke up our trip last week in Florida with a stop at the Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale. While I’ve stayed at the better known Ritz-Carltons in Florida at Key Biscayne and Naples, I’ve always been a bit leery of this property due to its proximity to the row of Happy Hour bars and T-shirt shops across from the beach, better suited for college students on spring break. But I was pleasantly surprised. Rooms were spacious with balconies overlooking the ocean, the fitness center on the 8th floor has up-to-the-minute equipment with views overlooking the Intracoastal, and the hotel’s new restaurant, Burlock Coast Seafare, served our favorite breakfast of the trip, including strong Panther Coffee. But let’s be real. You come here for the Florida sunshine and this Ritz offers two choices, padded chaise lounge chairs on the 7th-floor pool with glorious vistas of the Atlantic and great waiter service for drinks and lunch; or an overpass across the street to their own stretch of beach and ocean. It’s a nice combination to have on vacation. Kudos also to the concierge, Ernesto, for pointing out Casablanca Café, serving fresh seafood in one of the oldest houses in Fort Lauderdale, a mere 5-minute walk from the hotel. I’d happily recommend this Ritz-Carlton to clients and wouldn’t hesitate to return.
(Photo by Lisa Leavitt)
Yesterday, I received a call from an editor of an auto magazine in Detroit, wanting me to rent a Chevy Malibu in Boston and drive to Washington, DC. A photographer will be joining me to take shots. She wants me to describe the drive. Okay, not exactly the most scenic stretch of highway in America, especially when you’re passing the chemical plants in northern New Jersey. I’ve been a travel writer for 20 years, so I’ve had my fair share of absurd assignments. The worst was a request from Men’s Journal to backpack along a stretch of the Mojave Desert with a guy who was designing a long-distance Desert Trail though the Western states. I had to backpack in with over 30 pounds of water and my own blend of dehydrated food. The heat was brutal and the only signs of civilization I saw were deflated balloons hanging from the cacti. You want to know where your kid’s helium balloons go when they lose them? This forgotten hellhole. By the third day, my feet were covered with blisters, my supply of water was sucked dry, and the tape in my trusty microcassette recorder had melted. The editor ended up cutting my 1500-word story to 500 words due to space limitations. But I did better than the photographer I was traveling with, who had to schlep in his heavy camera equipment on top of the water. They didn’t accept any of his work. Must have been that glaring sun.
In the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the dozen or so Madeleine Islands are unlike any other destination in Quebec—green hillsides, long stretches of beach, red cliffs, and the brightly painted houses of its inhabitants. Once there, you can explore the islands by horseback or bike, try deep-sea fishing, scuba diving, sea kayaking, or the latest craze, kiteboarding. Home of the Kiteboarding World Cup in 2006, the Madeleine’s strong, prevailing winds are ideally suited to a sport that uses a kite to propel you along the water. Give it a go at the first kiteboarding school in Canada, Aerosport, with more than 10 years of experience under their belt.