The top ten beach hotels of the world

by Scott Carmichael on

European hotel booking site Trivago, recently released the results of their guest survey to find the ten best beach hotels in the world.

The lineup has a bit of a European tint to it, and no hotels in North or South America made the cut. Still, the list has 10 hotels I wouldn’t mind spending some time, and I’m not even that much of a beach fan.

Most of the hotels offer their own private beach, which means you won’t have to share any of it with the commoners who were not lucky enough to stay at your upscale property. Prices for the rooms start around $500/night, with the most upscale rooms going for as much as $10,000/night in the high season (for a private over-water bungalow).

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Big up Kingston – Welcome to the real Jamaica

by Jeremy Kressmann on

In Jamaican slang they like to use the phrase big up. It’s a term intended to bestow respect, giving a shout-out to its recipient in recognition of specific talent or excellence. In Kingston, Jamaica’s capital and largest city, “big up” is a phrase that rings particularly true. Kingston is very much a city on the brink, a renowned capital of reggae, Caribbean culture and stories of rum and pirates from ages past, all dying to be explored. It’s also a city with a fiercely defined identity – unlike the “tourist Jamaica” of Negril, Montego Bay or Ocho Rios, Kingston is very much a town that exists for Jamaicans: built and defined by its proud local residents.

Kingston is a city striving to define itself in the modern day – picking and choosing among the influences of eras past. Founded in the the late 17th Century, Kingston was birthed by the destruction of the infamous Port Royal, Caribbean capital of English pirates and their legendary violence and hedonism. Over the next 200 years, Kingston would thrive as a central trading port of the colonial Caribbean, ground zero for giant sugar cane plantations and the slave trade

By the 20th Century, Kingston was among the largest cities in the Caribbean, playing a central role in one of the era’s most influential and prolific musical movements: reggae. Yet this flowering of Jamaican culture was not without its flaws: by the the 1970’s economic decline and gang violence contributed to steep decline in tourism. Visitors began to steer clear of the lively capital in favor of safer resort towns on the island’s northern and western coasts.

Kingston in 2009 looks more ready than ever to re-assume its eminent position as a central Jamaican tourist destination. Idyllic beach visit Kingston is not – but with an outgrowth of new accommodations, myriad cultural activities and a wealth of overlooked attractions, Kingston is ripe for exploration and worthy of a second look. Over the next few days, Gadling will be sharing a surprising look at Jamaica’s overlooked capital. Big up Kingston, you’ve earned our respect!

Gadling was recently invited by the Spanish Court Hotel to take a look at Kingston’s newest resort and see all this fascinating city has to offer. Though the trip was paid, all opinions remain our own. You can read all future Big up Kingston posts HERE.

Epic round-the-world cruise follows in the wake of famous explorers

by Kraig Becker on

In March of 2010, an adventure cruise of epic proportions will get underway from Singapore that will send travelers on a round the world expedition, following in the footsteps of some of history’s most revered explorers.

Cruise West’s Voyages of the Great Explorers will send 120 luck passengers on a 335 day cruise aboard the Spirit of Oceanus, the flagship of the Cruise West fleet. Departing from Singapore on March 6, 2010, the ship will sail west, and eventually return to its starting destination on February 3, 2011. In between, passengers will be treated to 24 individual voyages, encompassed by six defined “chapters”.

Each of these six chapters correspond to a historical figure who explored the world by sea. The first chapter follows the path of Marco Polo, while the second takes the route of Odysseus and the Phoenicians merchants. Subsequent chapters follow the adventures of Lief Eriksson, Christopher Columbus, James Cook, and Ferdinand Magellan. Each cruise within each chapter will follow historical routes and offer insights into what the explorers experienced as they went about their own voyages.

Through the course of the cruise, travelers will experience 242 ports of call spread across 59 countries. They’ll aslo visit 85 UNESCO World Heritage sites, cross 14 seas and oceans, and traverse the Suez, Corinth, and Panama Canals.

So how much will this epic cruise set you back? Good question! You can book any single cruise or combination of cruises starting at $4995. But if you want to do the whole thing, spending all 335 days circumnavigating the globe, it’ll set you back a cool $233,995. I wonder what Marco Polo would think of that.

For more information on the cruise read the press release here.

Hurricane season is for bargain-hunters

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Hurricane season will not keep travelers from their destinations! A recent survey by TripAdvisor®, which mined the opinions of more than 1,000 U.S. travelers, reports that 43 percent plan to hit a hurricane-prone destination this summer or fall – peak hurricane season. This is up from 36 percent last year. Sixty-five percent of the survey’s respondents are doing this to take advantage of a “significant savings.”

Blame the financial crisis.

An already dismal market for travel companies is likely to be exacerbated by storm risk in areas traditionally visited by hurricanes. To 25 percent of the survey respondents, this is why they’re going. Another 25 percent they could be convinced to enter hurricane neighborhood for discounts of greater than 50 percent on travel and accommodations.

Many of these survey-takers speak from experience. Thirty-two percent of them have been through hurricanes while on vacation … and it would take a lot to get them to leave. Eleven percent would bail when a Category 1 storm hits, and another 18 percent would move for a Category 2. The tipping point is Category 3, which would prompt 26 percent to leave, with a Category 4 storm shedding another 10 percent. Three percent of respondents would leave for a Category 5 storm, and only 2 percent would stick around regardless of hurricane potency. A whopping 29 percent answered, “I don’t know.”

Thirty percent of respondents simply avoid certain destinations because of hurricane risk, with the Caribbean the destination most avoided during storm season. Fifty-five percent would only cancel their plans if a storm was imminent, while 19 percent would cancel on possibility alone. Some hedge their bets – 30 percent said they are likely to buy trip insurance to protect their hard-earned cash from hurricane-related cancelations.

“Despite some reluctance to visit hurricane-susceptible destinations during storm season, a large number of travelers are willing to roll the dice if the price is right,” said Michele Perry, vice president of global communications for TripAdvisor.

Let Eden Rock pick you up this summer

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The beauty of a recession is that the once inaccessible becomes downright affordable (assuming you haven’t been hit too hard by economic woes). At Eden Rock on St. Barth’s, you can travel like the wealthy while paying far less. The “Pick Me Up” packages is the latest example. It feels like stealing, but don’t worry: it’s perfectly legal.

When I saw the price – around $1,500 – I thought it was per person, which made sense. Eden Rock is a luxurious place, and at that price, three nights is a bargain. I took a closer look, though, and saw that that’s the price per couple! So, you pick up the three room-nights, private airport transportation to and from the resort, champagne waiting for you in your room, a gourmet breakfast every morning and the use of a car to explore St. Barth’s (and not a shitty car). And, you can take full advantage of all Eden Rock resort facilities.

All this for two people for $1,500.

I’m thinking of packing my bags now and heading down there. In addition to being a kickass destination, Eden Rock has a hot art gallery on the premises. There are only 34 rooms (“accommodations,” really) available in this six-star hotel, and privacy is valued. And, there are a handful of uber-luxury estates for guests who truly demand insanely upscale treatment, including the recently opened Villa Rockstar.

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