Family Package at Naples, FL Ritz makes luxury attainable

by Tom Johansmeyer on

I love the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort. I spent a weekend down there just shy of a year ago, and it’s become my mission in life to get back there. Until that happens, though, you may ant to see it for yourself. Even if you don’t play golf (personally, I hate the game), there is plenty to enjoy.

The Family Summer Package, which starts at $239 a night, is available from the first day of May to the last of October this year, and it comes with enough perks to make that seem like pocket change. In addition to the roof over your head, you’ll get breakfast for four, a free kids’ menu meal with each adult entrée you purchase, a $50 resort credit and a $50 gift card which is good at the resort’s retail shops. A similar packages is available at the golf resort’s sister property (which is on the beach) for $299 a night.

I know … free meal offers make me skeptical, too. What do you get? At the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, you’ll have breakfast at Lemonia, which, I assure you, is outstanding. Also, make sure you get over to the spa at the beach resort. I received the best massage of my life there as part of the Elements treatment. Don’t miss it.

While you hit the links (36 holes in total), your kids can take advantage of the Nature’s Wonders program, which is on the beach resort property. It’s an environmentally-focused program that is conducted by a team of certified Master Naturalists who can give some great insights on Florida wildlife. The Ritz-Carlton does take its environmental seriously, as I found while participating in the “Giveback Getaway” program last summer.

If you need to dash off for a few days this summer, the Family Summer Package gives you an affordable option to have an upscale experience. My only hope is that I get back there before you do (I miss the place).

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World’s Top Eco-Lodges

by Kraig Becker on

Outside Magazine has put together a great list of the top eco-lodges from around the world, with seven amazing escapes that not only offer plenty of luxury, but do so in an eco-friendly way. Each of the resorts is given a rating on the “Green-O-Meter” and for its accessibility, and the selection of locations spans the globe, offering a destination no matter which direction you’re headed.

For instance, if you’re traveling to Africa, Outside recommends Azura’s at Gabriel’s, on Benguerra Island, off Mozambique. The small resort has just 15 villas, but each has its own private pool, to compliment the amazing white sand beaches. World class SCUBA diving and deep-sea fishing are amongst the top activities, and Azura earns its green rating by using its gray water for irrigation and doing its own composting on site. The lodge is also moving forward with plans to buy wind credits to go completely carbon neutral and is contributing to the local economy by ensuring that 90% of the staff are Mozambican.

If Belize is more your style, then the Machaca Hill Lodge is the recommended place to stay. This lodge was once a fishing community that has been transformed into an eco-friendly resort that includes an 11,000-acre nature reserve that surrounds the 12 cabanas, and isolates them from the outside world. Machaca Hill is lauded for the fact that it generates most of its power via solar panels and has an organic farm on site that provides most of the lodge’s food.

There are five other great eco-lodges on the list as well, each with a unique setting and a unique approach to sustainable tourism. Any one of them will proved an amazing experience, and not make you feel guilty about your travels.

Afghan wildlife refuge: no hand grenade fishing

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Afghanistan is going green. The war-torn country has declared Band-e-Amir its first conservation area. While it may be premature to book your trip to this spectacle, at least there’s hope that you’ll get to enjoy it someday.

Band-e-Amir, like the rest of Afghanistan, has had a rough run over the past 30 years. Let’s face it: that’s how long the country’s been engaged in one war or another. The region’s snow leopards fell victim to the conflict between Soviet troops and mujahideen in the 1980s. Of course, the great Buddha statues were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.

The fighting is reportedly in other parts of the country, these days, which the locals will attract foreign visitors. The lakes are the major draw, assuming you’re willing to subject yourself to a brutal daylong drive from Kabul. The destination may be billed as safe, but the journey certainly isn’t. Head into Afghanistan at your own risk.

For now, local merchants have their fingers crossed for Afghan tourists. Westerners, one would assume, would come much later.

If you do throw caution to the wind, be sure to follow the rules. Fishing with hand grenades is no longer allowed.
Among the local practices that are now banned: no more fishing with hand grenades. If you role the dice, don’t worry. The rangers tasked with enforcement are paid less than $60 a month and can be on duty for up to 24 hours at a time.

Virgin America helps the green movement

by Jamie Rhein on

Fresh spring food selections isn’t all that Virgin America is up to these days. Virgin America is also interested in lessening its impact on the environment. To prove it, the California-based airlines has joined The Climate Registry, the non–profit organization dedicated to keeping track of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to aid in better regulation so that efforts to be more environmentally friendly have a fighting chance.

In fact, Virgin America, the first U.S. airlines to join up with the Climate Registry, is ahead of the curve. By the end of 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency may have emission standards for aircraft and aircraft engines. Because Virgin America has agreed to add to the transparency of measuring emissions, it’s helping the cause of seeing how much airplanes impact the environment and what to do to lessen adverse effects.

One might wonder just what an airline can do to be more environmentally friendly considering the amount of fuel it takes to fly, but Virgin America has thought of such details.

For example, the new Airbus A320 fleet is 25% more fuel efficient than other domestic carriers. Virgin America also does the following as part of its efforts to fly more green:

  • single engine taxiing
  • idle reverse landings
  • regulate speed to reduce fuel burn
  • use advanced avionics to fly more efficiently

There is a certain hopefulness to read about an airline that is interested in taking care of the environment while it figures out how to turn a profit. [PR Newswire: United Business Media]

Are We in a Golden Age of Green Travel?

by Kraig Becker on

Clearly the entire travel industry has been undergoing some dramatic changes over the past few years. There was a time when the thought of “green” travel was relegated to a relatively small, niche market that included some eco-conscious tour operators. But in the past few years there has been an inceased effort to be more green in all area of our lives thanks to an increased awareness of global climate change and a focus on limiting our impact on the environment in general.

This increased awareness and focus within the travel sector has resulted in more energy efficient modes of transportation, the rise of sustainable tourism efforts across the globe, and better environmental policies from many nations. All of this has prompted National Geographic Adventure to ask “Is This a Golden Age of Green Travel?”

Adventure cites an action plan from the World Tourism and Travel Council that offers ten ways to combat climate change and the fact that four major international airlines have begun testing jets that use bio-fuels. They also point to the fact that Marriott Hotels is leading the charge to protect a 1.4 million acre section of the Amazon Jungle.

As further examples of the green movement, the magazine offers up five great eco-lodges, on five different continents, that are all leading the way in sustainable tourism and caring for the Earth. Places like the Black Sheep Inn in Ecuador and the Odd-Balls Camp in Botswana, who are making it easier for us to visit exotic places, while leaving a minimal impact.