Chatwal Lodge to Debut in the Catskills

Chatwal Lodge in the CatskillsWe’re big fans of the location, service, and comfort at the historic Chatwal property in Times Square. So we know we’ll adore the Chatwal’s sister property set to open in the Catskills in April. Located on 60 acres along the wooded shores of Toronto Reservoir, the retreat will feature hand-hewn timbers, huge stone fireplaces and mighty trunks of 40-foot white pine trees towering from floor to ceiling. All 10 suites will have private patios overlooking the lake. Some of the accommodations will also have soaking tubs, outdoor showers, and full kitchens. There’s also 1,000-square-feet treehouse 25 feet above the ground, featuring a fireplace and outdoor deck. Outdoor activities include flyfishing, kayaking, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and badminton. Indoor activities comprise of yoga, meditation, cooking classes and music lessons. Please let ActiveTravels know your dates and we’ll check availability and pricing.

Celebrated Experiences Launch Private Homes Division

Private home rentals in the UKThose of you who had the good fortune to travel with Celebrated Experiences to Scotland, Ireland, Britain, or Wales know firsthand how exceptional they are as a tour operator. At least twice a year, they visit every hotel they recommend, and include a special Celebrated perk like a spa treatment or bottle of wine at dinner. They also hire fantastic guides that add unparalleled insider knowledge like the gardener to Prince Charles or a 9th-generation cheesemaker. In the latter half of 2020, they added Celebrated Homes, a collection of 200 private homes they personally vetted across the UK. So now you can stay at the Spring Cottage, a historic 3-bedroom house on the Thames River outside London, and still get the same stellar concierge service including private guides, tours, and drivers with Celebrated. The Celebrated Homes collection includes some remarkable estates including Borthwick Castle in Scotland, where Mary Queen of Scots slept, and the 12th-century Roch Castle in Wales. If interested, please let ActiveTravels know and we’ll help create an exciting itinerary with Celebrated.

Rocky Mountaineer Comes to Colorado

Rocky Mountaineer Return to ColoradoRocky Mountaineer, known for its upscale rail service in Vancouver and the Canadian Rockies, will be entering the American market this coming summer. The Rockies to the Red Rocks route will be a two-day rail journey between Denver and Moab, Utah, with an overnight stay in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The train will voyage along the Colorado River, passing through steep rock canyons and breathtaking desert scenes along the way. Like the existing Canadian routes, Rocky Mountaineer’s U.S. option will offer passengers a similar onboard experience, including regional cuisine, entertaining storytelling, jaw-dropping scenery, and high-end, service in their custom-designed glass-dome coaches. The route will launch with 40 departures across 10 weeks from August 15 to October 23, 2021. If interested, please let ActiveTravels know and we’ll check pricing and availability.

Top Travel Days of 2020, Visiting Miraval Berkshires

Fall foliage on hike at Miraval Berkshires Lisa and I spent two nights in the Berkshires in mid-October checking out the new Miraval property in Lenox that made its debut in early August. The Miraval brand is already well known in the travel world for its two wellness properties in Tucson and Austin, so we were excited to see what they had in store for New England. They took over the former Cranwell property and expanded across Route 20, where they now house a horse farm, chicken coop, gardens, and space for archery, hatchet throwing, and pottery classes. Arriving in the rain, we were happy to see that all rooms are connected indoors via a long corridor with classes, restaurants, and lounge area. This comes in handy during these winter months when you don’t have to venture outdoors unless you choose to snowshoe or hike.

Wanting to take advantage of the two nights/three days we spent on property, we signed up for a busy regimen weeks before arrival that included classes in fitness, yoga, mindfulness/meditation, farming, and nutrition. We ended up taking three walks outdoors, along the shoreline of Stockbridge Bowl and beside a rolling brook in October Mountain State Forest, all glorious during the peak of fall foliage. We also took four meditation courses with Will, known as Chill Will, including an introduction to Qigong and Forest Bathing; a fantastic cardio drumming class with Tariq; a visit to the farm to feed the horses and chickens with Jen; a fun flow yoga class with Mark; and an informative lecture on keeping a healthy gut with Annie. We would quickly learn that all of the instructors are excellent and that most have devoted their lives to their particular passion. Will has taught meditation to people in drug rehabs the past two decades; Annie led the nutrition department at nearby Kripalu; Jen not only owns a farm, but was involved in education at Sturbridge Village. Miraval had to know the wealth of talent they would find in the Berkshires, a hub in the northeast for wellness and yoga thanks to Kripalu and Canyon Ranch.

Thanks for checking in with ActiveTravels during a year when we could barely travel. Like most of you, we had to cancel trips, including Croatia, France, China, and most disappointing of all, our daughter’s college graduation at Bloomington, Indiana. With the vaccine starting to roll out, we’re hoping for a far more adventurous year of travel ahead.

Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous 2021!

Steve and Lisa

Top Travel Days of 2020, Every Day on Cape Cod

Lobster Rolls at Arnold's on Cape CodPent up for months due to the pandemic lockdown, come mid-July, we were ready to leave the house and head to Eastham on the Cape for a week. We rented a cottage down the block from the bayside Thumpertown Beach, where we would spend most afternoons and evenings swimming in the calm surf and watching the sunset. In the mornings we would bike to Nauset Light Beach and on the up-and-down Province Lands Bike Trail, walk the Fort Hill Trail and beaches of Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, and swim in the surrounding kettle ponds. We had our requisite lobster rolls and tasty onion rings at Arnold’s, but also were content barbecuing in the backyard and spending time outdoors with the family. Another highlight was a guided tour with Art’s Dune Tours in Provincetown. You must be doing something right if you’re still in business since 1946. We spent an hour in a Suburban as our driver and guide cruised over the sand dunes on Provincetown’s Cape Cod National Seashore, telling us about the unique topography and the history behind the longstanding dune houses that still cling precariously to the shoreline. We ended at Race Point Beach to watch another glorious sunset. Breathing in that salty air and viewing the serene seascape was the best form of pandemic therapy.

Top Travel Days of 2020, Biking to the Missions in San Antonio

Biking to the Missions in San AntonioBefore heading to a wedding in Austin this past March, Lisa and I returned to San Antonio. Every time I visit this city I think about renting an apartment here in winter, especially in February and March, when the temperature often reaches 70 degrees. The city offers two world class art museums, San Antonio Museum of Art and the McNay, sublime dining at the Pearl, great neighborhoods to roam like King William, and, of course, all the restaurants and bars that line the renowned River Walk. But the reason I really love San Antonio is that it’s one of the best biking cities in America.

We rented bikes from the Blue Star Bike Shop near the boutique shops and galleries of the Blue Star Contemporary Art Center (great for checking out after the bike ride) and pedaled on the 10-mile long bike trail called the Mission Reach. It’s not uncommon to find herons, egrets, families of ducks, and turtles lounging in the waters, and colorful wildflowers in full bloom. At Mission Road, we turned right and visited the first of two Spanish colonial missions, Concepción. These early 18th-century Spanish colonial missions are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of a national historic park. I always bring my camera to poke around these impressive buildings and get great shots of the light and shadows reflecting off the walls. We continued on Mission Road another 3 miles to reach the largest mission, San José, known for its popular Mariachi Mass each Sunday. Inside the stone walls, overlooking the green and the church, the setting is serene. When we had our fill, we simply retraced our steps back to the Mission Reach and headed to Rosario’s in Southtown for authentic Mexican fare.

Top Travel Days of 2020, Sailing to Anse La Roche on the Island of Carriacou

Sailing the GrenadinesSouth of St. Lucia and west of Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines are known as the world’s best cruising grounds. With a prevailing northeasterly trade wind, you can sail at a good 9 to 10 knot clip, zipping through the swells while watching the fly fish take flight. But what makes this 100-mile sail from St. Vincent to Grenada so enjoyable are the anchorages, wondrous sheltered bays ridged by the hillside and lined with often desolate crescent sand beaches. These are the sights Lisa and I, friends Amy and Josh, and our highly competent 24-year-old Captain Bry, would savor on our weeklong joint in early February. We chartered the 48-foot Andiamo Piano from Horizon Yacht Charters out of St. Vincent, the same outfitter we used two years prior when sailing the British Virgin Islands.

This is the Caribbean of yore, where you anchor and then go snorkeling with turtles near the shoreline or with the multi-colored fish at one of the most pristine reefs in this part of the world. If terra firma calls your name, you can simply swim over to the beach and walk in the sand, practically deserted except for the lone fishermen sewing his nets. At twilight, you zodiac over to the requisite beachside bar and restaurant, dig your feet in the sand, and have a stiff rum punch spiced with local nutmeg, before dining on freshly caught lobster, conch, and red snapper.

We had many memorable meals on this trip, but my favorite dinner was at Anse la Roche Bay on the Grenada island of Carriacou. After another day of fantastic sailing, we dined barefoot in the sand on a sublime stretch of secluded beach lit up by torches. We devoured our last grilled lobster of the trip and ended the night with the chef’s special potion, a shot of homemade liquor that burned my throat called “Under the Counter.” It’s no surprise that Forbes chose our trip as one of the best bucket list trips in the world.

Bucket List Travel to India

Bucket List Travel to India All week, we’ve been discussing the solid relationship ActiveTravels has with local suppliers around the globe to ensure your bucket list travels not only become a reality but an exceptional life experience. I can think of no better way to end the week than a destination that will provide you with lasting memories, India. Nothing is ever easy about traveling to India and this is certainly true with finding an outfitter that consistently offers excellent service. We must have went through at least 6 different suppliers before we felt comfortable with IndoAsia Tours. The owner is a former hiking guide for National Geographic Expeditions in Afghanistan, who we’ve met over coffee on several occasions at the local Starbuck’s. He not only knows India exceptionally well, but has helped us in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

This is only the tip of the iceberg! Those of you who have traveled to Costa Rica with us know we love Aaron at Costa Rica Experts. Our Colombia go-to contact is always Nils at Latin Excursions. For private or guided trips to Israel, we always turn to Kenes Tours. Trails of Indochina have been fantastic for trips to Thailand, Cambodia, Bali and other Southeast Asia destinations. For China, we always turn to Wild China and they never disappoint. Let ActiveTravels know your Bucket List Destination and we’ll happily work with our local contacts to ensure that it lives up to your expectation!

Bucket List Travel, Australia and New Zealand

Cruising Milford SoundHaving traveled around Australia for 3 months, we feel comfortable designing our own ActiveTravels Dream Day Itineraries to Australia. Depending on time and budget, we can send you to Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns/Port Douglas, and add in some special treats like Ayer’s Rock, biking or hiking in Tasmania, or scuba diving off a Great Barrier Reef island, like Heron.

New Zealand, however, was meant for driving at a slow pace. That is, if you can handle driving on the left-hand side of the road. We’ve enjoyed working with a local outfitter, NZSidekick, that will rent you a car and then design an itinerary with suggested activities and stops at small inns they personally inspect and recommend. Pricing is affordable and it’s a fantastic way to see the country’s topography, from fjords to glaciers to massive lakes and long stretches of secluded coastline. Activities include cruising the majestic Milford Sound, dinner at a Marlborough sauvignon blanc vineyard, and strolling along a beach dotted with hundreds of massive elephant seals.

Bucket List Travel, Slice of Europe

Amalfi Coast First-time visitors to ActiveTravels often ask us what’s our expertise? That’s not an easy question to answer, because we delight in sending you to the most remote corners of the globe, whether it’s the chance to see the orangutans of Sumatra or hiking the W Trek in Chilean Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park. Yes, we know New England like the back of our hand. But we also know Europe exceptionally well and wow, do we love our local suppliers, especially TFL in Italy, Madrid and Beyond in Spain, Celebrated in Scotland, Ireland, and the UK, and Original Senses in Greece. It’s easy for us to design itineraries in major cities like London, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Rome. Yet, if you want to get a real taste of Europe away from the masses, please give us the chance to show you Puglia, Provence, and Paros, where the Europeans go on vacation. Whether you want to bike to Monet’s house in Giverny, go out on a tasty tapas tour in Madrid, hike the Dolomites, or sail to Greek’s undiscovered islands, we’ll create those lasting memories! Also consider slowing down on two wheels with Backroads, DuVine, VBT and Ciclismo Classico, biking and hiking outfitters, who know how to get you off-the-beaten-track to more isolated and scenic locales.