2013's Five Hottest Destinations!

2012 is not quite over yet, but that doesn't mean it's too early to start thinking about your 2013 travel! Here are 5 fabulous destinations that should be on your radar! I would also love to hear reader's top picks for 2013!

*Maldives

 Photo courtesy of VisitMaldives.com

This island nation is known for its luxurious private island resorts set of perfect sugar sand beaches fronted by crystal clear water. One of only 2 areas in the world (the other is French Polynesia) with tons of overwater bungalows, the Maldives offers the perfect romantic getaway in paradise! Some resorts even offer dining (and in one case, sleeping!) with the fish in under-sea restaurants.

 Photo courtesy of VisitMaldives.com

Top resort picks: Anantara Kihavah, Four Seasons Kuda Huraa, Soneva Fushi, Baros Maldives, Cocoa Island
Best time to visit: January to April, November and December

*Greece

Rich history, fantastic food, and gorgeous scenery collide in Greece,where you can spend the morning exploring the Acropolis and the afternoon swimming in an infinity pool on the rim of an ancient volcano. From history buffs to culture-seekers to sun-worshippers to party-all-nighters, This incredible country offers something for everyone!

Top resort picks: Grande Bretagne (Athens), Astra Suites (Santorini), Mykonos Grand
Best time to visit: May to September

*Puerto Rico

 Photo courtesy of St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort

With the recent opening of 3 luxe new resorts (see below), Puerto Rico offers more options for high-end travel than ever before. Stay near San Juan to enjoy all the shopping, restaurants, and nightlife you could ask for, or head to the outer islands of Vieques or Culebra for secluded beaches, lush rainforests, and a magically glowing bioluminescent bay.

Top resort picks: St. Regis Bahia Beach, W Vieques, Dorado Beach, a Ritz Carlton Reserve
Best time to visit: January to May

*Fiji

With 3 "main" islands crammed with sightseeing and adventure options, and dozens of incredible outer islands featuring beautiful boutique resorts, local villages, beautiful beaches, amazing snorkeling, rich culture, and some of the world's friendliest people, the Fijian islands are a must-visit destination!

Top resort picks: Royal Davui, Matangi, Qamea, Tokoriki, LikuLiku, Intercontinental Fiji
Best time to visit: May to October


*Belize

Photo courtesy of TravelBelize.org

Want to snorkel or dive the world's second largest barrier reef? Head to Belize. Want to explore and zipline through rainforests bursting with monkeys, tropical birds, lush foliage, and other wonders? Head to Belize. Want to see ancient Mayan ruins and tube through the cave systems they considered to be a sacred underworld? Head to Belize. Want to lay on the beach, stay in a private casita, drive a golf cart around a great little town bursting with shops, restaurants, and beach bars, swim with sharks and rays, see manatees and seahorses in their natural environment, eat fresh-caught lobster, and just have an all-around blast? Head to Belize!

Top resort picks: Victoria House (Ambergris Caye), Hamanasi (Hopkins), Turtle Inn (Placencia) Blancaneaux Lodge (San Ignacio)
Best time to visit: January to May

To start planning your own trip to any of these or other destinations, please don't hesitate to contact me at Caroline@easyescapestravel.com for custom itineraries and pricing!

Friday Hideaway #1 - Las Cascadas Lodge in La Ceiba, Honduras

I'm starting another new weekly series, this one called Friday Hideaway! Just in time for the weekend, I'll introduce you to very special properties with the following features:

*A secluded and peaceful location
*Under 60 rooms (and generally far fewer than that)
*A gorgeous and relaxing setting
*Luxurious accommodations
*Delectable food and beverages
*Excellent service

For the first edition of this series, I present to you a fabulous little jungle lodge - Las Cascadas in La Ceiba, Honduras!

With just 4 luxury cabins, there are never more than about 8 total guests on property at any given time, so it's the perfect hidden getaway for couples or small groups looking for personalized attention. The managers, Ryan and Maggie, are fantastic - knowledgeable, kind, efficient, and fun, and their obvious happiness and excellent service carry over to the rest of the staff as well.

A new Cancun luxury resort - complete with limited-time deal!

I'm excited to announce that one of my favorite all-inclusive brands, Secrets Resorts and Spas, will be opening a beautiful new property in Cancun come August - Secrets The Vine Cancun! And to celebrate, they are offering some fantastic deals!

Introductory Rate
Secrets Resorts & Spas is offering a limited time pre-opening special of $160 per person per night based on double occupancy for travel between August 1 - October 28, 2012, and $175 per person per night for travel between October 29 – December 27, 2012.*

* NOTE: The booking window is 11/29/11 to 1/31/12. 

To book your stay at Secrets The Vine Cancun or any other tropical luxury resort, please don't hesitate to contact me at caroline@easyescapestravel.com! 

Press release and more details on this new luxury resort after the jump!

Now on Twitter!

I finally broke down and started a Twitter account! For lots of travel tidbits, follow me here: http://twitter.com/#!/Blonderlust!  In the meantime, here's a photo of a monkey at Gumbalimba Park (Roatan, Honduras) marveling over the smoothness of my skin after the chocolate-coconut body scrub and massage I had at Serenity Day Spa.

2011 Dream trip # 2: Costa Rica honeymoon!

Since last Monday's episode of "The Bachelor", filmed at Costa Rica's Springs Resort & Spa near the Arenal volcano, I've noticed a huge uptick in the number of requests for information on vacations in this beautiful Central American country. So today I'm showcasing a fabulous itinerary - the perfect Costa Rican dream honeymoon!

Day 1:
Fly into Daniel Oduber International airport in Liberia (LIR), and then take a short flight from there to La Fortuna.  After checking into your Honeymoon Vista Suite at The Springs Resort & Spa mid-afternoon, put on your bathing suits (or go au natural!) and sip champagne in your private infinity-edge jacuzzi, which is fed by hot mineral springs. Enjoy a romantic dinner at the resort's Las Ventanas restaurant, where the delicious fusion cuisine is outshone only by the incredible views of the Arenal volcano. After dinner, grab a bottle of wine to go, and head back to your private jacuzzi for some "star-gazing". ;)

 

 

Nicaragua part 5 - Granada

For the last 3 nights of our July trip to Nicaragua, we decided to visit the colonial city of Granada. After a lot of research, we settled on Hotel Spa Granada, which was originally the largest private colonial home in the city, but had recently been renovated and reopened as a hotel. A few days ago, it was actually featured on the Today Show as one of their top hotel bargains for travel this holiday season - you can watch a clip of the show here (HSG portion of the clip starts about 1 minute and 40 seconds in)! We actually spent our last 2 nights (more on that below) in the room they show with the pink bed.

Nicaragua part 4 - Ometepe

After flying from Big Corn Island back into Managua, we were met by a rather surly driver from Adelante Express. After a long wait for another couple who were being dropped off in San Juan del Sur, we finally were on our way to San Jorge, where most of the boats and ferries leave to Ometepe. Two hours and a dash through a rainstorm later, we just barely managed to jump on the boat over to Moyogalpa, Ometepe's main port. There was only a bit of covered space on the boat, and it was already overcrowded so the first part of the ride was a bit damp.

Nicaragua part 3 - Big Corn Island

 Upon arriving back on Big Corn, we grabbed a cab and headed for our hotel, Casa Canada. At $109 + tax per night (including breakfast), this property is a bit pricey by Nicaragua standards, but is also the most luxurious hotel in the Corn Islands.

Nicaragua part 2 - Little Corn Island

We arrived at the La Costena Airlines check in area (a small, smelly, and very crowded room in a building separate from the main part of the airport) and spent the next 45 minutes hoping the long line was not going to make us miss our flight. This fear was unfounded, though, as the flight did not actually take off until 7:30 (in talking to a pilot, this "delay" seems to be pretty typical for this airline/route, as he laughed when we told him the original departure time we'd been given). Note: you do need to pay a small fee (I believe it was $2-$3USD/$40-$60 Nicaraguan Cordobas per person) before going through security, so it's good to have some small bills on hand. Once you get through security, there's a small waiting area with 2 stands selling drinks and food (prepackaged snacks and some "fresh"--I use this word loosely--pastries/rolls).

We finally boarded the plane for the hour or so flight (including a short stop in Bluefields on the Caribbean coast) to Big Corn Island.

Why Nicaragua? And our first night in Managua...

To take advantage of the fact that my husband's company gives the entire week of July 4th off as a holiday (which we did not discover until the end of May!), we decided to head down to Nicaragua for 10 nights. When we told people we were headed down there, 95% of the reactions we got were either:
"Nicaragua? Really? Um....why?" or the similar but slightly more polite, "Oh. Hmmm. Well, that should be...fun."

Thinking back and looking forward

Photo taken over Guanacaste, Costa Rica in July 2009.

With 2009 just behind me, and 2010 stretching out in front, I'm remembering my trips over the last year and getting excited for those I'll take this year! Last year took me to some fabulous places, both domestic and international, including French Polynesia, Mexico, Tonga, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Fiji, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Napa Valley, Palm Beach, and Isle of Palms (SC). Now, if I could just get reviews and photos finished and posted here for all of these...

Third trip to Belize - December '08

Close to a year behind on this, but my husband and I made our third visit down to Ambergris Caye for my birthday in December '08!

Note: please excuse the poor quality of many of the pictures--they were taken with my old camera!



This time, Victoria House was all booked up (we booked last minute), so we stayed at Xanadu Island Resort.