Backroads Announces New 2022 Trips Available for Booking

Backroads New Trips in 2022Hiking from Italy’s Gran Paradiso to the Matterhorn, a multisport African safari in Namibia, Rhine River Cruise bike tour, and hiking in Oman are just a few of the trips Backroads will debut in 2022. The travel company also announced that they are expanding their Dolce Tempo segment with more than 100 new trips. These easygoing trips are becoming quite popular. New destinations will include the Canadian Rockies, England’s Cotswolds, as well as a Danube River Cruise E-bike tour. Please let ActiveTravels know your dates and level of activity and we’ll find the ideal trip for you!

A Visit to the Revitalized Stevens-Coolidge House and Gardens

Tulips in Bloom at the Stevens-Coolidge House and GardensWhat a treat it was to escape the office yesterday and head to North Andover’s Stevens-Coolidge House and Gardens during the peak of their spring tulip bloom. The circa-1729 farm and early 20th century Colonial Revival home were bequeathed to the Trustees in 1962. Thanks to a two-year renovation to the 91-acre grounds by the Trustees, this sylvan oasis 30 minutes north of Boston has never looked better. They’ve built a new entrance and parking lot, replete with the opening of the Garden Gateway building crafted from a former maintenance shed and now containing classroom space, gift shop, and snack counter. They also doubled the size of the garden and planted thousands of bulbs and hundreds of perennials, trees, and shrubs. The tulips in all shapes, sizes, and colors were glorious to witness in the bright morning sunshine yesterday after two days of rain. Lilacs are just starting to bloom and then comes an explosion of peonies. So don’t get discouraged if you can’t get the timed tickets you want at first. There will always be something in bloom this spring and summer. Go anytime for a therapeutic walk through these gardens and meadows. Better yet, bring a picnic!

The Wilburton Now Offering Exclusive Vacation Home Buyouts

The Wilburton in Manchester, VermontLast time I stayed at the Wilburton Inn, I tried belly dancing, sang children’s songs in a big singalong, and learned about the history of conflict resolution from ancient Greek times to the present. No, Manchester, Vermont’s Wilburton Inn is not your typical New England inn. Come here for a stay and you leave as part of the multi-talented Levis family, who have now been running this mansion in the mountains a mind-boggling 33 years!

The bucolic 30-acre destination resort recently rebranded as The Wilburton and is now featuring eight vacation homes to accommodate groups of 6-100 for buyouts, weddings and reunions. The Battenkill Valley Mansion, located on its own private five-acre estate just half a mile from The Wilburton, is a sprawling 15-bedroom mansion ideal for groups of up to 34 guests. It was built as a wedding present for the daughter of the Chicago railroad tycoon who built The Wilburton. Additional vacation homes on the property include the eight-bedroom Reunion House, three six-bedroom homes (Equinox Views Villa, Strawberry Hill Villa and Green Mountain House) and the two-bedroom Innkeepers Cottage. All vacation homes feature fully appointed kitchens, dining rooms, fire pits and washer-dryers, making them ideal for summer and foliage Vermont getaways.

Additionally, now that Vermont is welcoming vaccinated travelers, the resort is offering a special Vaxication Special. Now through June, if you show your vaccination card, the third night is on the house. Lastly, be on the lookout for a special Bridgerton-themed event July 16-19. There will be a formal lawn party with Regency dances, a breakfast hosted by Lady Wilburton (the American cousin of the mysterious Lady Whistledown) a garden tour and promenade, and costume contest. Ooh la la!

Please let ActiveTravels know your dates and we’ll check availability and happily introduce you to the welcoming Levis family and their adorable canine concierge, Jetson.

New Data Based Study on the Best Hotels in Las Vegas

Carriage House, Las VegasMax Tour, a Las Vegas-based tour company that helps travelers visit Antelope Canyon and the Grand Canyon, took advantage of their downtime during the pandemic to create an algorithm that ranks the top hotels in Las Vegas. Scores are based on reviews from TripAdvisor, Google, and other online travel sites, location, price, and entertainment venues. Using the criteria, they collected more than 20,000 data points that would help pick the winners in each price category. In the 4 to 5-Star Category, Cosmopolitan won Best Hotel, Treasure Island received Best Value, and Caesars Palace was Best for Partiers. In the 3.5-Star and Under Category, Carriage House won Best Hotel and Best Value and Flamingo received top billing as Best for Partiers. Thank you, Max Tour, for doing this invaluable research, ideal for ActiveTravels when deciding on the right hotel for our  clients!

The World is Your Oyster, Volume 4, Our Talk with Fran Golden and Midgi Moore, Authors of 100 Things to Do In Alaska Before You Die

100 Things to Do in Alaska Before You DieOur fourth episode brings you to the 49th state, Alaska! We are super excited to introduce you to a close friend and award-winning travel writer and specialist in cruises, Fran Golden. She and her co-writer, Midgi Moore, a native of Juneau and owner of Juneau Food Tours, join us to talk about about all the cool things to do in Alaska.

Hot off the press is their book, 100 Things to Do In Alaska Before You Die, and it’s chock full of amazing sights to see, foods to try and activities to experience. Ever dined on reindeer sausage pizza? Have you eaten Alaskan King crab legs in Alaska? Midgi can steer you to the right places! If you’re curious where to go to see the Northern Lights, go dog sledding and see 26 glaciers in one day, pick up a copy of this great book. They recommend taking at least 2 weeks to see this glorious state and trying to get a free stopover at a second Alaskan destination on Alaska Airlines so you can see the state more efficiently and economically.

Thank you so very much Fran and Midgi for participating in this episode of The World is Your Oyster and for sharing with us all the best things to do and see and experience in Alaska with our valued ActiveTravels members.

World’s Most Picturesque Routes According to Instagram Data

Chapmans Peak Drive, South AfricaJudging from the amount of driving routes ActiveTravels is designing right now for clients headed across America, this summer proves to be the year of the road trip. The UK’s Pentagon Motor Group analyzed over 7 million Instagram hashtags to find the most scenic road trips around the world, calculating the number of photos posted on Instagram of each road per mile. Australia’s Great Ocean Road came in first with 8418 pictures per mile. The rest of the top five are California’s Big Sur, Jebel Hafeet in the United Arab Emirates, Hai Van Pass in Vietnam, and Chapman’s Peak Drive in South Africa, which I can personally attest to stopping every 5 minutes to take another photograph of stunning jagged mountain peaks and ocean. Check out the list of the Top 20 Drives and make sure all are on your wish list!

Saranac Waterfront Lodge Opens in the Adirondacks

Saranac Waterfront LodgeIf you’re looking for a waterfront escape this summer or fall, consider the new Saranac Waterfront Lodge in the Adirondacks. After more than 7 years of planning and development, the resort had a soft opening this winter. But to take full advantage of this lakefront property, you should check it out during the warm weather months. Saranac Waterfront Lodge features 93 rooms, a lakeside pub, restaurant, pool, hot tubs, fire pits, a fitness center, even electric car charging stations. With the reopening of nearby Hotel Saranac in 2018, these two properties transform Saranac Lake into the Adirondacks travel hub it was a century ago and will compete with nearby Lake Placid. If you’re interested in my boyhood stomping grounds of the Adirondacks, please contact ActiveTravels and we’ll check availability and pricing at these two resorts and design a detailed itinerary that includes recommended hikes, restaurants, and driving routes.

Holland America Launches New Cruise from Boston to Iceland

New Boston to Iceland Cruise Holland America just announced a new 24-day voyage from Boston to Iceland and back, set to make its inaugural jaunt on August 3, 2022. Aboard one of Holland America’s newest ships, the Pinnacle-class 2,650-passenger Nieuw Statendam, the trip will make six calls in Iceland along with stops at Bar Harbor, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Greenland. In addition to sailing to Iceland, Holland America has announced that Nieuw Statendam will operate a series of 6 to 8-day “Canada & New England Discovery” voyages in 2022 between Boston and Quebec City, with weekend departures. Stops will include Bar Harbor; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; and Sydney and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The eight-day sailings add Saint John, New Brunswick. Holland America also said Nieuw Statendam would operate longer “Newfoundland & New England Discovery” cruises between Boston and Quebec City. Ports on this 10-day cruise include Baie-Comeau and Havre-Saint-Pierre, Quebec; and Corner Brook, St. Anthony, St. John’s, Halifax and Bar Harbor. If interested in any of these cruises, please let ActiveTravels know and we’ll check pricing and availability.

The World is Your Oyster Volume 3: Andy Levine and Tom Coppock of DuVine Cycling

The World is Your OysterOur third episode of The World is Your Oyster brings us closer to home as we speak with Andy Levine and Tom Coppock of DuVine Cycling + Adventure Co. about their new trips in Hudson Valley, Shenandoah Valley, and New Mexico.

Andy Levine started his company decades ago creating bike trips in and around the vineyards of France. Since then, DuVine has offered small group trips (only up to 14 people per trip) with fantastic guides, farm-to-table experiences and carefully curated scenic rides designed to see the world slowly and intimately. Their motto is “Bike Eat Drink Sleep” and on their trips, you’ll do each of these in style!

We were lucky enough to pin Andy down long enough to find out what’s new this year. Tom Coppock, trip designer extraordinaire, joined us as well and tells us how he planned tours in the US with the same attention to detail as their trips in Tuscany and France. He discovered that you don’t need to look beyond our borders to find the distinct character, culture, and history of different regions of the US, not to mention, exquisite culinary experiences and magnificent scenery.

Thank you so much Andy and Tom for participating in this episode of The World is Your Oyster and for sharing your passion for what you do with our valued members. If anyone is interested in DuVine’s summer or fall trips, please let ActiveTravels know and we’ll check availability.

Salt Hotels To Open Hutton Brickyards in May

Hutton Brickyards in KingstonI’ve been a big fan of hoteliers David Bowd and Kevin O’Shea ever since they unveiled their first property in Provincetown, the Salt House Inn. Their sense of style and service was more artisanal than corporate and not surprisingly, it quickly caught on with the guests. Soon they would open a second property in Provincetown, the Eben House, and two more properties in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Their biggest venture yet, Hutton Brickyards, will soon debut along the Hudson River in Kingstown, New York. 31 cabins will overlook the water, joined by a spa, outdoor restaurant, fire pits, biking and hiking trails, and an event space that’s perfect for a wedding or small business retreat. Other activities will include morning yoga, guided kayak jaunts on the river, and a chance to do some beekeeping. Can’t wait to check it out!