Luxury Vacation Guide 2012: East London

by Alex Robertson Textor on

London, a perennial tourist favorite, is no stranger to the luxury travel market. What’s relatively new is the proliferation of luxury hotels and other venues in traditionally working-class East London.

In 2012, East London’s reputation as luxury territory will intensify. Why? The Olympics, mostly. London hosts the Summer Olympics from July 27 through August 13. The Olympic Village along with many Olympics sites are are located in London’s East, far beyond the capital’s traditional tourist sites.

London’s East has seen significant high-end hotel development over the last several years. Luxury hotels like Hoxton Hotel, Andaz Liverpool Street by Hyatt, Boundary, Shoreditch House, and Bethnal Green’s Town Hall Hotel have transformed East London’s hotel scene.

Edgy fashion, weekend markets, and various creative venues will continue to characterize East London, but there are luxury shopping opportunities as well. East London is packed with galleries and specialty shops, with particularly interesting hubs in Shoreditch and Spitalfields.

For dining, there is the outstanding Viajante, a Michelin-starred restaurant, located in the Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green. Other Michelin-starred restaurants not far from the East London hubbub include St. John Bar and Restaurant in Clerkenwell (with a less formal outpost, St. John Bread & Wine, in Spitalfields) and Club Gascon, located just inside the City of London, across from Smithfield Market.

[flickr image via Harshil.Shah]

Adventure Vacation Guide 2012: Chamonix, France

by Kyle Ellison on

There is a stark difference between “adventure destination” and “adventure capital” in that adventure capitals offer some sort of adrenaline rush 365 days a year. A prime example of this never-a-bad-time-to-be-here type of adventure capital poised to be hot in 2012 is the legendary town of Chamonix at the base of France’s Mt. Blanc.

Summer and fall seasons turn Chamonix into one of the world’s most renowned mountaineering and rock-climbing destinations, and the epic treks departing from the Chamonix valley include the eight-day Tour de Mt. Blanc and The Haute Route, which was recently listed as one of Lonely Planet’s top 10 treks in the world.

Or, for the best view of anywhere in the valley, the skies of Chamonix are dotted with the colorful confetti of paragliders blissfully hucking themselves off of craggy alpine peaks.

In the winter and spring months, the valley offers some of the best skiing found anywhere in the Alps, with the 2100m (nearly 7,000 ft.) vertical run of Les Grand Montets and the off-piste Vallee Blanche serving as the pinnacles of winter adventure.

After a slow start to the winter season where the resorts were essentially devoid of snow (late-season mountain biking!), the Chamonix Valley was just graced with enough record-shattering snowfall to once again postpone the start of the season due to white-out conditions and avalanche danger.

Plus, with the Euro plummeting against the dollar amidst European debt fears, 2012 is shaping up to be an all-around good year for outdoor adventure in the French Alps.

[flickr image via rachel_thecat]

Video of the Day: Brussels to Bruges in two minutes

by Mike Barish on

Road trips seem to be a very American activity. Driving cross-country, family vacations to national parks and the like. However, road trips are popular around the world. Caravanning (what we would call RVing) is quite popular in the UK. Also, because European countries are so much smaller than the United States, driving within a country or to neighboring nations is pretty simple. This video shows off the 96km drive from Brussels to Bruges. It’s oddly comforting to know that highway driving in Belgium is pretty similar to interstate driving in the United States.

8 best coastal walks from around the world

by Jessica Festa on

There’s nothing better when traveling than exploring a beautiful city coastline. Not only do these treks give you access to unique landscape and picturesque beaches, they also help you stay in shape while on the road.

Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk, Australia

When I lived in Sydney, Australia, this was one of my favorite ways to spend a sunny day. Not only do you get to explore the beaches of Bondi and Coogee, but also Tamarama and Bronte. The walk is not all beach, as you will also pass through local communities, parks, and a cemetery littered with palm trees while also seeing unique rock formations and jagged cliff faces with contrasting colors and shapes. At the end of the 4-mile walk, which includes some challenging uphill sections, reward yourself with a dip in the ocean or a brew from the adjacent Coogee Bay Hotel‘s beer garden.Abel Tasman Coast Track, New Zealand

While this coastal hike will take a few days to complete (it’s about 34 miles), it is worth it as you will get a lot of diverse experiences in different areas of the South Island of New Zealand. There are campsites along the way as well as the option to do only certain sections of the hike, which are outlined here. You begin the Abel Tasman Coast Track in Marahau at the Information Kiosk, making your way past Tinline Bay, Apple Tree Bay, and Torrent Bay as well as through forests of beech and kanuka trees until you reach Anchorage Bay. Here, you can choose to spend the night at a campsite or continue on to Bark Bay via coastal forests and a 154-foot suspension bridge. Next it’s on to Awaroa, passing an old rock quarry along the way. Moving on from Awaroa Estuary, which can only be crossed during low tide, you will head towards Totaranui and will be given access to prime lookout points. Next it’s on to Whariwharangi Bay via lush forests and Anapai Bay. On the final day of the hike, you will traverse gorse-covered ridges that are remnants of 1978 fire before ending the journey at Wainui Inlet.

Cinque Terre “5 Towns” Hike, Italy

While flash flooding has recently damaged the towns of Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare, the spirit of the community is speeding the recovery process, which is expected to be almost back to normal around Easter. You can still visit now, and the Cinque Terre towns of Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore were generally not affected. According to the Cinque Terre Riviera blog, while some of the hiking trails were damaged by the flooding there are still many safe paths open to hikers. Hiking through the five towns of Cinque Terre was the best experience I had in Italy and is a great way to experience the Italian Riviera, diverse beaches, grape vines, countryside, and colorful towns embedded right into the hillside. The bright yellows, pale pinks, and olive greens of the buildings face all different directions in a confusing yet artistic pattern as fishing boats hug the coastline. It is definitely a unique way to experience the natural side of Italy as well as some old-world charm as you can take breaks during the walk and stop in the different towns. The hike is about 7 and a half miles and contains sections of uphill and uneven terrain, but is worth it for the views.

California Coastal Trail, California, USA

The California Coastal Trail, while not completely finished, will extend from Mexico to Oregon and was actually a mandatory creation by Proposition 20 in 1972, which stated that “a hiking, bicycle, and equestrian trails system shall be established along or near the coast”. The trail system will be 1,200 miles long and, while it is not fully complete, still has a lot to offer visitors. All trails are within “sight, sound, or at least the scent of the sea”, with various tracks running parallel to each other to accommodate the needs to different physical capabilities. For a map with access points, click here. For a list of fun day hikes on the California Coastal Trail, click here.

Stanley Park Seawall and False Creek Seawall, Vancouver, BC, Canada

When I was in Vancouver, Canada, experiencing these hikes was one of my favorite parts of the trip, as I got to see great views of the skyline as well as beaches, marinas, and monuments. The hike is very easy, as it goes along a paved road. While you can experience the Stanley Park Seawall and the False Creek Seawall as two separate hikes (about 5 and a half miles each) it’s also possible to connect them and do one longer hike. During the Stanley Park Seawall, you will travel from Coal Harbor to English Bay while getting to see smooth beaches, the North Shore mountains, and Coal Harbor Marina. If you want to walk further and experience the second section of the hike, you can get to the False Creek Seawall via Sunset Beach. As you make your way towards Kitsilano Beach where you will end, you can take in views of Granville Island, Yorktown, and Science World, a unique looking dome that is a work of public art as well as an art gallery and museum.

Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail, Wales, United Kingdom

The Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail in the United Kingdom allows hikers to explore 186 miles of British coastline. The path is more than just your average walk on the beach, as you will pass rugged cliffs, winding estuaries, shaded coves, coastal flowers, and bird life. For those who like a bit of history with their adventure, you will also get the chance to see evidence of human activity from Neolithic times through prehistoric megalithic structures. The trail begins in St. Dogmaels in the north and runs to Amroth in the south. Be aware that it is physically challenging, with a 35,000-foot ascent and descent that is said to be “equivalent to climbing Mount Everest“. If you’re not in tip-top shape don’t be dismayed, as you can still enjoy the hike in smaller sections.

Hana-Waianapanapa Coastal Trail, Maui, Hawaii, USA

While not the longest hiking trail in the world (about 4-5 miles), the Hana-Waianapanapa Coastal Trail in Maui, Hawaii, has extremely unique scenery, including tidepools, blowholes, sea arches, black rock beaches, steep cliffs, jagged lava coastline, ancient temples, and spots where dark black lava dramatically meets with the bright blue sea. Beginning at Pailoa Bay in Waianapanapa State Park and makng your way to Kainalimu Bay, the hike follows a portion of the “King’s Highway”, a craggy lava road built in the mid-1800’s

Wild Coast Hiking Trail, South Africa

The Wild Coast Hiking Trail in South Africa is about 174 miles long and takes a little less than a month to complete, as the trail is divided into five 3-6 day sections. During the hike, which is thankfully well marked and begins in Port Edward, you will experience unique sea rock formations, dramatic coastlines, sandy and rocky beaches, lagoons, coves, cliffs, swamps, and wildlife. You can choose to go fishing or bird watching in between or visit the Xhosa villages that litter the hillsides. An array of accommodation styles are available along the way, such as lodges, tents, log cabins, and huts. Even if you don’t want to make the full trek it is still possible to explore certain sections. For this trail, it is important to note that permits are required, and bookings can be made up to 11 months in advance. For more information on getting a permit and the trails themselves, click here.

Isle of Skye, Scotland

While there are many beautiful and interesting hikes to choose from on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, one great coastal option is to trek from the small fishing village of Elgol to Camasunary Bay. The trail itself is about 9 miles long and requires a decent fitness level, however, the views you will get of the island of Soay and the Cuillins, a range of rocky mountains that also contain the highest point on the Isle of Skye, are worth the effort. You enter the hike a little ways up the road from the Elgol car park and behind some houses there will be a trail labeled Garsbheinn where you will turn left. Once you see the sign for Coruisk take that path. As you go you will have to negotiate steep hills and overhanging rocks until you reach the trail beyond Beinn Leacach to Camasunary Bay. These are literally some of the best views in Britain, if not the best, as the hillsides and mountains seem soft and vibrant as they hug pools of turquoise sea and azure lakes.

[First 3 photos are via the author, Jessica Festa; the rest are from Flickr via Rick McCharles and Gutsibikes]

A Traveler in the Foreign Service: Escape from a rock-star elevator in Skopje

by Dave Seminara on

Trapped in a private, “rock-star” elevator in a seemingly half-finished apartment building on my first day in Macedonia, I turned, in desperation, to a phrase book. I had spent the previous six months in language training at the Foreign Service Institute, studying full time in a class of two, to prepare for an assignment at the American embassy in Skopje. But I didn’t know how to say, “HELP!”

I was the lone member of the embassy trained in the country’s minority language- Albanian- which is somewhat akin to posting a diplomat in Washington, D.C. with only Spanish training and no English. I lived in a part of town where Albanian was useless and, at this moment, was happy to have found the word for “help” in Macedonian in a phrasebook I had fortuitously stuffed in my backpack before leaving my apartment.

“U-Poh-MOSH!” I yelled. “U-POH-MOSH!”

I’d later learn that I shared my “rock-star” elevator with 3 apartments beneath me, but these other residences were all under construction. I had heard someone hammering just outside the elevator and the noise ceased for a minute after I let out my cry.

There was silence for a moment and then I heard a most unwelcome sound: laughter. I considered the fact that I was pronouncing the word wrong, so I tried various other iterations of the word. Eventually the laughter ceased and the workman started talking to me, in Macedonian. I had no clue what he was saying.

“Please, just get me the hell out of here!” I yelled.

But the man seemed either powerless or disinterested. After about a half hour trapped in the elevator I started to feel claustrophobic and short of breath. It finally dawned on me that I had the cell phone number of my new boss, whom I’d met at the airport just an hour before. We had only exchanged pleasantries and now I had to call her, at the start of a three-day weekend, to bail me out of an elevator. Only in the fishbowl world of the Foreign Service could such an uncomfortable supervisor-subordinate introduction take place.

“Hi Karen, it’s Dave Seminara, we just met at the airport,” I said, making my very first call on a new mobile phone I’d been given.

“I seem to be stuck in an elevator at my apartment building.”

“Stuck in an elevator?” she asked, incredulous. “Well are you sure you hit the right buttons?”I was 29 years old and, by that point in my life, felt reasonably certain that I knew how to go up and down in elevators. But given the circumstances, I refrained from making a sarcastic response and my new boss said she’d make some phone calls to try to get me out.
I sat down on the floor of the small elevator box, and listened to the workman’s music as he ignored my occasional ravings. After about twenty more minutes, I felt a sudden jolt and I was hurdling down, presumably towards the lobby, at top speed.

I stepped out of the elevator, feeling very much like a released prisoner, and Karen was standing there looking concerned, alongside an attractive, nearly six-foot tall young woman named Saska, a local employee at the embassy who also lived in the building. They were both nice to me but I think they suspected that my elevator mishap was somehow my own fault.

After they left, I took a long, depressing walk down Vasil Gyorgov, the street my apartment was located on in Skopje’s Kapistec neighborhood. The sidewalks were filled with parked cars so I had to walk in the street. I kept getting splashed by demented Yugo drivers who targeted me, the lone fool out for a walk in a city of some 500,000 inhabitants.

I passed row after row of shabby Soviet-era apartment blocks before coming upon what looked like an oasis: The Beverly Hills Shopping Center. I walked in and meandered up to a pizza kiosk. Teenagers were taking turns unloading the contents of a ketchup bottle onto slices of pizza that looked hard enough to knock rabid dogs unconscious.

There were cafés with names like Prestige and Trend and a whole host of dark, drafty little shops selling burned cd’s and software. The higher-end shops were selling pirated cd’s that had photocopied liner notes, but a few others were simply selling what appeared to be burned copies of their own personal collections. I bought a homemade cd of Nirvana’s Greatest Hits for 100 denars, a bit less than $2, and returned to my apartment. I took the stairs.

That night, my embassy social sponsors, Blake and Adrianna, took me out for pizza and a brief tour of the downtown. The highlights were the country’s only working A.T.M. machine (or so they claimed), the two best pubs- creatively called the Irish Pub and the English Pub, one on each side of the Vardar River- and the Gradski Trgovski Mall, which offered a slightly better selection of burned CD’s and pirated software than the Beverly Hills Mall.

We met up with a young, local, married couple, and when I told them that part of my duties at the embassy would include interviewing visa applicants, the young woman concluded, “You’re going to be the most popular guy in Macedonia.” Or perhaps the least popular, I thought.

The following day, Blake offered to take me hunting, and when I declined, he seemed put out. The three day weekend passed slowly and on my first day at work at the embassy, I was already famous. Over and over again I heard the same thing.

“You’re the guy who got stuck in the elevator, right?”

It was a perfect introduction to the Foreign Service- a peculiar little world where there are no secrets. The local employees in the consular section asked me to recount the story and all gathered around me in rapt attention. They howled in delight; it was as though my debacle was the funniest thing they’d ever heard. I liked them immediately.

I would spend the next two years of my life living and working in this fishbowl. I never socialized with Blake again, Saska’s husband became a good friend, and I never ventured back into my rock-star elevator.

Next: Ciao Macho Man

Read more from A Traveler in the Foreign Service here.