Archive for 'Destinations'

Newly opened beach and nature resort, Arenas del Mar looks like the perfect escape for an eco-friendly, luxurious vacacion.
Feel free as a bird on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast in one of their 38 rooms and suites. Or perch yourself in an ocean view apartment featuring over 1650 square feet of living space, [...]

My good pals, Arlene and Paul, recently returned from California, raving about Treebones Resort in Big Sur. With breathtaking views of undeveloped coastline, kissed by the magnificent Santa Lucia Mountains, this unique destination features yurt accommodations, (my buddies know of my strange fascination with yurts).
Treebones’ 16 yurts are well-appointed with nice amenities — comfy beds [...]

Perched on a private nature reserve with a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean, Costa Rica’s Lapa Rios Ecolodge once again paves the way as an environmental pioneer. In an effort to shrink its eco footprint even more, Lapa Rios is supporting alternative fuels and energy by converting to biodiesel to help lower their [...]

Travelers tempted to get a taste of Jamaica need look no further. Sandwiched between the translucent Caribbean Sea and the looming Blue Mountains, Hotel Mocking Bird Hill is perched, offering stunning views in both directions. Ideal for hikers, rafters and bird-watchers, this paradise is a retreat sure to relax and rejuvenate.
An “eco-chic boutique”, this hotel [...]

If Belize is on your list of top places to see before you die, you won’t want to pass up Chaa Creek, a sustainable eco lodge that offers enough amenities to keep you busy for as long as you’d like to be, including historically-steeped tours of the Maya Temple sites, local caves, Mountain Pine Ridge.
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One look at this eco property has me wishing for nothing more than a long weekend in Vermont. The state’s greenest inn, A Stone Wall Inn B&B is a “new century escape” that blends design and landscape to appeal to guests and the surrounding environment.
Solar heated, the buildings are constructed of mostly locally milled wood, [...]

Escape the city and head south with a gaggle of gals, to get hitched or for an overdue family reunion. In Taos, New Mexico, travelers will find the lovely Alma del Monte vacation rental home, a luxurious hacienda property that strives to combine green elements with total comfort.
In the five-room house (sleeps ten), green features [...]

They won’t jump through burning hoops and they’re not for sale, but these big kittens do purr – I heard one myself! I thought that The Exotic Feline Breeding Compound’s Feline Conservation Center, located in the middle of the desert in Rosamond, California, would be a good place to spend an afternoon my nieces and [...]

My two favorite things: chocolate and travel (eco-friendly, of course) combine to create this promising getaway in Belize.
The new Cotton Tree Lodge, where organic cacao orchards “flourish”, is debuting a unique program that allows guests to dive into every aspect of the local chocolate trade, including: chatting to local farmers, learning about the Free Trade [...]

As green as it gets. That’s what comes to mind when I envision Sunrise Springs Eco Resort in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Featuring organic, local and natural cuisine (some from their own gardens) and wines, house-made oils, vinegars and liquors, yogurt and breads, this resort is a member of Slow Food, USA and supporter [...]

Five minutes from Acadia National Park and its 60 miles of unpaved roads (hello, bikers, walkers, skiers and snowshoers!) sits the Victorian Graycote Inn. A bed and breakfast in Bar Harbor, Maine, Graycote became the first Bar Harbor lodging to receive the Environmental Leader Certification from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
Surrounded by lush gardens, [...]

Yearning to get away from the bustle of the city? Soak up the lush natural beauty of Costa Rica’s rainforest at the adults-only, 5-star Gaia Hotel & Reserve, where guest density is 1 human for every 620 square yards. Whether your ideal getaway includes adventure or not, options abound. Onsite, you’ll find sailing, kayaking, fishing, [...]

Sick of the slots? Tired of the tables? After nearly ten years of development, Las Vegas’ Springs Preserve, a 180-acre plethora of botanical gardens, trails, museums and galleries, has just opened as an off-the-Strip tourist experience.
Set upon land that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the site of the first water [...]

Want to tour Thailand and Laos the eco way? Sign up for one of Wild Planet Adventures’ wildlife-focused tours and get a glimpse of life off the beaten path – up close and personal.
If you choose to tack on the five-day “Gibbon Experience,” you’ll be sleeping in a comfy tree house (connected by an innovative [...]

One of my favorite places to travel, Traverse City, Michigan (aka “The Cherry Capital of the World”), is home to The Cherry Stop, nothing other than a boutique that’s filled with all things cherry. You name it: lotions, potions, chocolate-covered or smashed into a delicious natural jam; they’ve got it. Gleaning their website the other [...]