South America

Travel through South America by country:

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

Travel through South America by popular city:

Bogota, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro

Travel through South America by popular things to do:

Adventures in the Amazon, Falkland Islands, Iguazu Falls, Tierra del Fuego

Expedia Releases 2012’s Best Reviewed Hotels List

by Jessica Festa on

This week, Expedia released their findings for their 2012 Insiders’ Select rankings, an annual list put out based on more than 500,000 customer hotel reviews. Only 650 of the 150,000 Expedia properties are designated as Insiders’ Select hotels. Likewise, selected hotels are the ones that consistently offer competitive pricing, immaculate amenities and distinguished customer service.

Of the hotels found across 74 countries, there are 28% in North America, 25% in Europe, 3% in South America, 19% in Asia and 25% elsewhere. Moreover, there is an array of star ratings and accommodation styles. For example, 35% are luxury, 17% are sustainable, 11 are ski-friendly, 87 are for families and 116 provide beach settings.

The top 10 properties chosen for this year’s list include:

1. Marrol’s Boutique Hotel (5 Stars, Bratislava, Slovakia)
2. Hotel Al Codega (4 Stars, Venice, Italy)
3. Hotel Royal Corin (4 Stars, La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica)
4. Hilton Garden Inn Aberdeen (4 Stars, Aberdeen, Scotland)
5. Four Seasons Miami (5 Stars, Miami, Florida)
6. Madison Hotel Hamburg (4.5 Stars, Hamburg/Hanover, Germany)
7. Element Omaha Midtown Crossing (3 Stars, Omaha, Nebraska)
8. Sonnenalp Resort Of Vail (4.5 Stars, Vail-Beaven Creek, Colorado)
9. Taj Lands’ End (5 Stars, Mumbai, India)
10. Mr. C Beverly Hills (5 Stars, Los Angeles, California)

Click here to see the full list.

Hotels Offering Adventure Packages For Summer Travelers

by Jessica Festa on

Want to spend your summer looking for zebras, swimming with whale sharks and scuba diving ancient shipwrecks? Take advantage of these adventure hotel packages to make the season’s travels a little more exciting.

Picosa Ranch Resort
San Antonio, Texas

The Picosa Ranch Resort, located 30 minutes from downtown San Antonio, is an authentic Texas ranch that was once home to former Texas governor John Connally. Adventure activities include:

  • Taking a photo safari in a Polaris Ranger to see zebra, addax, common waterbuck, black buck, elk, oryx, barasingha, eland, Texas dall rams, roadrunners, Texas longhorn cattle and hundreds more local animals
  • Hiking through the Texas wilderness
  • Skeet shooting
  • Horseback riding
  • Shooting
  • Archery
  • Rodeos
  • Hay rides and climbs

Rates start at $7,500 per night, for a group of up to 18 people. All food, beverages and activities are included. Click here to book. The Little Nell
Aspen, Colorado

For those looking to do something a little different this summer, The Little Nell features an Adventure Concierge team to put together personally designed packages, as well as offer pre-set itineraries. Some of these include:

  • Geocaching- This adventure combines hiking with treasure hunting, and participants will use a GPS system to find and hide items called “geocaches.” Treasures are yours to keep once found.
  • Cowboy Camp 101- With this package, you’ll learn the art of backcountry living, like how to start a fire and catch your own dinner.
  • Fly Fishing Adventures- Anyone can take part in this activity, whether you’re a novice or an expert. To make the trip more interesting, helicopter excursions, women’s clinics and float trips in handcrafted wooden boats can be added into the journey.

Rates start at $565 per night, based on double occupancy. Adventure activities range from free and up. Click here to book.

Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles, California

The Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles International Airport is offering a “Surfboard and Brew” package, for guests who enjoy a mixture of thrills and relaxation. The offer includes:

  • Accommodations in a newly renovated guesthouse
  • Surf lessons for two people at El Porto Beach
  • Two pints of beer nightly at the onsite Brewster’s Bar & Grill

Package rates start at $199 per night, based on double occupancy. Click here to book using promo code “SURFBREW.”

Curtain Bluff
Antigua, Caribbean

Until July 28, Curtain Bluff is featuring their “Active Package” for thrill-seeking guests. The offer includes:

  • Four nights of accommodation
  • 2-hour guided rainforest hike
  • Antigua Rainforest canopy tour, with 10 zip lines and round-trip transfers
  • Antigua Clay Pigeon Shooting School with round-trip transfers
  • South Coast Horizons kayaking trip through mangroves with round-trip transfers
  • Swimming with stingrays excursion with round-trip transfers
  • All motorized and non-motorized water sports
  • Two 60-minute massages
  • All meals
  • Bar drinks
  • Use of gym, tennis courts and squash courts
  • Round-trip airport transfers

Package rates start at $4,045 for a deluxe room, based on double occupancy. Click here to book.

Rosewood Tucker’s Point
Hamilton Parish, Bermuda

To help introduce guests to a truly unique adventure, Rosewood Tucker’s Point is featuring the opportunity to explore The Warwick shipwreck. Through July 24, the hotel is inviting guests to dive alongside researchers as they investigate the wreck, which is believed to date back to the Armada of 1588. It is part of the “Warwick Adventure” package, which includes luxury accommodations, and a Tuesday or Thursday dive for two people.

Package rates begin at $875 for the first night for two people. Additional nights begin at $730. Click here to book.

Hotel Solmar
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

For those looking for adventure on a budget, Hotel Solmar is offering a great deal. Guests will be able to book three adrenaline-pumping activities for $189 per person. Excursion options include snorkeling, riding wave runners, underwater helmet diving, scuba, zip lining, ATV riding, whale watching, La Paz day trips, Todos Santos tours, horseback riding and sunset cruises.

Rates start at $161 per night. Click here to book.

JW and CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resorts
Cancun, Mexico

Have you ever wanted to swim with the world’s largest fish? This summer, JW Marriott Cancun and CasaMagna Cancun are offering guests the chance to swim with whale sharks in the wild, as they migrate through the coastal waters of Cancun. The enormous fish can reach up to 50 feet long, as you can see in the side photo by Jeronimo Prieto. The area is home to one of the largest barrier reefs in the world, so it’s truly a memorable adventure.

Excursions are $165 per person including lunch. Room rates begin at $149 in July, and $119 in August and September. Click here to book for JW Marriott, and click here to book CasaMagna Marriott.

Tambo Blanquillo Lodge
Manu, Peru

A stay at the Tambo Blanquillo Lodge will allow you to explore the many facets of the Amazon Jungle. The property operates four and five-day packages, which include night hikes through the forest, piranha fishing, boating through lagoons and lakes, spotting pink dolphins, caimens, anacondas and other unique species and kayaking.

Prices start at $700 for a 4-day/3-night excursion. Click here to book.

Ellerman House
Cape Town, South Africa

The Ellerman House in Cape Town is located on the cliffs of Bantry Bay, and is a great home base for a wildlife safari. Through July, the hotel is offering an “Ellerman House/Grootbos Private Nature Reserve 2012” package, in conjunction with Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. With the deal, guests will receive:

  • Trips to Robben Island and Table Mountain
  • A full-day tour of the penguin colony at Stony Point
  • Shark cage diving at Grootbos
  • A social responsibility tree-planting excursion

Package rates begin at $350 per night. Click here to book.

Awasi Lodge
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

For adventure travelers with a lot of stamina, Awasi Lodge is featuring a five day “Awasi Adventure” package, which concludes with climbing the summit of a 19,589-foot peak. The itinerary includes high trekking, downhill biking and steep hikes, as each day gets progressively more difficult to prepare you for the hardest challenge. Some activities include biking to Moon Valley, hiking Devil’s Gorge and trekking the Sairecabur Volcano.

Package rates start at $3,515 per person for five nights. Click here to book.

Facebook Announces The World’s Most Social Landmarks

by Jessica Festa on

For those looking to meet others and make connections when traveling, Facebook has named the 25 most social landmarks in the world. To collect data, the social network looked at user check-ins across 25 cities around the world, to determine which sites were the most communal. They found that parks, shopping centers and gardens attracted the most people, although in Norway the popular hangout seems to be T.G.I. Friday’s.

The top 25 attractions in the world, in alphabetical order by country, were found to be:

1. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Unicenter (shopping center)
2. Melbourne, Australia: Crown Casino
3. São Paulo, Brazil: Parque de Ibirapuera (park)
4. Toronto, Canada: Rogers Centre (sports stadium)
5. Copenhagen, Denmark: Copenhagen Tivoli Gardens (cultural center)
6. Paris, France: Avenue de Champs-Èlysèe (iconic neighborhood)
7. Berlin, Germany: Kurfürstendamm (iconic neighborhood)
8. New Delhi, India: Gurudwara Bangla Sahib (house of worship)
9. Dublin, Ireland: The O2 Dublin (concert arena)
10. Rome, Italy: Colosseum (historic landmark)11. Tokyo, Japan: Tokyo Dome (baseball stadium)
12. Mexico City, Mexico: Centro Historico de la Ciudad de Mexico (historical area)
13. Aukland, New Zealand: Eden Park (park)
14. Oslo, Norway: T.G.I. Friday’s Aker Brygge (restaurant)
15. Moscow, Russia: Propoganda Nightclub (nightclub)
16. Singapore: Singapore Universal Studios (amusement park)
17. Johannesburg, South Africa: Montecasino (casino)
18. Seoul, South Korea: Lotte World (amusement park)
19. Barcelona, Spain: Camp Nou (soccer stadium)
20. Stockholm, Sweden: Gröna Lund (amusement park)
21. London, United Kingdom: The O2 (concert arena)
22. Chicago, United States: Wrigley Field (sports stadium)
23. San Francisco, United States: AT&T Park (park)
24. New York, United States: Times Square (entertainment district)
25. Los Angeles, United States: Staples Center (sports arena)

What’s your favorite place to meet people when traveling?

Favorite Travel Destinations: Where’s Your ‘Happy Place?’

by Laurel Miller on

Long ago, a friend of mine referred to Colorado as my “spiritual homeland.” I frequently jest that I’m spiritually bankrupt except when it comes to the outdoors, and she was referring to my long-held love affair with the Centennial State.

My friend was right. There are parts of Colorado that are my “happy place,” where I immediately feel I can breathe more deeply, shelve my neuroses and just live in the moment. Places like Aspen’s Maroon Bells, Telluride, and Clark, near Steamboat Springs, are my cure for existential angst. I love the mountains and rivers, but when combined with shimmering aspens, wildflower-festooned meadows and crystalline skies and alpine lakes, it’s pure magic.

There are other places in the world that have a similar soporific effect on me: Hanalei, Kauai; almost anywhere in Australia; Krabi, Thailand; Atacama, Chile.

I’ve been in Colorado for work the last two weeks, and have devoted a lot of thought to this topic. Everyone, even if they’ve never left their home state, must have a happy place. Not a hotel or spa, but a region, town, beach, park, or viewpoint that melts stress, clears the mind and restores inner peace.

I asked a few of my Gadling colleagues this question, and their replies were immediate. Check them out following the jump.

Pam Mandel: Ruby Beach, Olympic Peninsula, Washington.

Kyle Ellison: Playa Santispac, Baja, and Kipahulu, Maui.

Grant Martin, Editor: “Happy place number one is a fifth-floor patio in the West Village with my friends, and a few beers. A garden and a quiet spot in a city surrounded by madness. Number two is at the sand dunes at Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon, Michigan. Hop over the fence in the large camping loop head up the hill and towards the lake and you’ll find the quietest row of sand dunes in West Michigan. It’s a great place to camp out and gaze over lake, and also a good spot to take a date.”

Jeremy Kressman: “There’s a tiny little park buried in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona – one side of it is flanked by a Roman wall and there are balconies all around. It’s far enough off Las Ramblas that there’s not a lot of tourist foot traffic and the little side alleys off it are lined with little tapas bars and fire escapes thick with little gardens. I’d like to be there right now!”

Meg Nesterov: “Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. My family has a 100-year-old cabin on the lake with very basic plumbing and a very wonderful view. I’ve spent many childhood summers there and honeymooned there, like my parents did 35 years ago. I travel a lot to find great beach towns, but few match the bliss of bathing in the lake and eating fresh blueberries from the forest.”

Jessica Marati: The banks of the Tiber just outside Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome.

David Farley: “I grew up in the Los Angeles suburbs where the gridded streets were flanked by nearly identical houses and the stripmalls were dominated by the same chain stores that were in the next town (and the next town and the next ..). Few people walked anywhere. The civic planning implicitly left little room to stimulate the imagination.

So when I moved to a medieval hilltown near Rome, I felt like I’d found the place – my happy place, the spot I’d been looking for. Calcata, about the size of half a football field, is a ramshackle of stone houses, a church and a diminutive castle that sits atop 450-foot cliffs. There’s only one way in and out – which is not even big enough to fit an automobile – making the village completely pedestrian free. I would often stroll its crooked cobbled lanes or sit on the bench-lined square thinking that I was literally thousands of miles, but also a dimension or so from my suburban upbringing. I don’t live there anymore but I’ll be going back later this year to participate in a documentary that’s being made about my book (which was set there).”

Melanie Renzulli: The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

Chris Owen: “Predictably, mine would be at sea, on any ship, completely surrounded by water in all directions as far as the eye can see.”

Jessica Festa: Sydney, Australia.

McLean Robbins: Telluride. “Descending into town on the gondola, in the middle of falling snow and pure silence, felt like heaven.”

Alex Robertson Textor: “My happy place is La Taqueria, at 2889 Mission Street in San Francisco.” To which I add, “Hell, yes.”

Where’s your happy place (keep your mind out of the gutter, please)? Let us know!

[Photo credit: Maroon Bells, Laurel Miller; Ruby Beach, Pam Mandel; cabin, Meg Nesterov; Calcata, David Farley]

Video: Scientists Make Easter Island Statue Walk

by Kraig Becker on

Easter Island is a remote and mysterious place best known for the iconic and other worldly stone faces that dot its landscape. More than 880 of those statues, known as moai, are spread out across the island, some of which weigh in excess of 80 tons and stand more than 10 meters in height. One of the enduring mysteries of the moai is just how they were carved and then moved miles away from the stone quarry. Now two archaeologists believe that they have come up with the answer, which you can see demonstrated in the video below.

Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo believe that the inhabitants of Easter Island used ropes to rock the statues back and forth. This built forward momentum could then be used to “walk” the stone figures to their permanent sites. The duo put their theory to the test with a moai replica last year and was able to maneuver the large statue with as few as 18 people. As you can see from the video, which comes to us from National Geographic, this seems to be an efficient and quick way to move heavy objects.

So what do you think? Is this how the moai were moved about the island? Have Hunt and Lipo solved one of the great archaeological mysteries of all time?