YOU MUST BE DREAMING
Combine a girl getaway with sunny Los Cabos, throw in a few spa treatments, margaritas and breakfast, and you have the Slumber Spa Getaway, a four-day “girls’ night in” at the Marquis Los Cabos Beach, Golf, Spa & Casitas Resort. The package includes accommodations in a private pool casita with an oceanfront view, an outdoor patio where guests can eat lunch and dinner, a private plunge pool, a breakfast buffet each morning at the resort’s Vista Ballenas eatery and one dinner with an open bar, and a manicure and pedicure. In addition, when the gals arrive, each receives margaritas and Mexican wines, along with a welcome basket containing a beach towel, a sarong and a camera. Also included are airport transfers and the resort’s fitness center. To create a sleepover atmosphere, the resort offers DVDs and board games, along with popcorn, candy and drinks in the casitas. The Marquis Los Cabos is in the “Cabo Real” section of Los Cabos, 18 miles from the airport, and features 237 suites. Cost is $1,455 per person including tax and service charge until Dec. 15. Call 877-238-9399 or visit marquisloscabos.com.
GEARING UP
It sounds like one of those things cool people wouldn’t be caught dead carrying, but it turns out to serve its purpose well: The Cruising Caddy II is a simple but ultimately thoughtfully designed bag, capable of transporting the few things one truly needs when wandering around on vacation. Those items include a water bottle, which fits in the center of the caddy; a small wallet and passport, both of which can be secured in the Velcro-enclosed pocket; and a map, cellphone and sunglasses, which fit into the elastic-pleated pouch on the other side. It will hold a camera instead of sunglasses if you use one of the smaller versions, but only in the pouch, which you would want to keep against your body for security’s sake. The Velcro pocket also has a hidden inner pocket for driver’s license or cash. The whole thing comes with a 54-inch adjustable nylon strap so you can throw the bag over your shoulder, leaving your hands free to shop, shop, shop. Made of black microfiber with PVC backing, the bag is easy to clean and durable. |$19.99, fitness caddy.com
REAL DEALS
The week’s best travel bargains around the globe, by land, sea and air.
Go Barging is offering a discount of $650 per person on the Aug. 27 departure of the L’Impressionniste barge. The six-night cruise on the Rhone River through the South of France now starts at $3,300 per person double. Info: 800-394-8630, gobarging.com.
Four cruises for the price of two on the Dec. 18 departure of MSC Cruises’ Lirica from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Starting rate for the first two passengers for an inside cabin is $1,309 each (including taxes and port charges); the third and fourth guests sharing the same cabin pay taxes of $59 per person. Book the 11-night Caribbean cruise at 800-666-9333 or through a travel agent. MSC Cruises info: msc cruises.com.
– The Washington Post
BOOK YOUR VACATION
It may be more economical to stay in a chain motel, but there’s no denying that it is more convenient and more aesthetically pleasing to stay in the lodge when visiting the national parks across this great land. To get the skinny on all of them, check out “The Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges” ($18.95, Insiders’ Guide) by David L. Scott and Kay W. Scott. This couple has spent the better part of 28 summers working toward their fifth edition of the book, and it’s fairly exhaustive. Broken down by state and then park, the only thing the guide lacks is color photographs, relying instead on well-rendered drawings of the buildings’ exteriors, which fail to capture the grandeur of some of the more impressive ones. But the descriptions are thorough (don’t expect any opinions, however), with the accompanying information hitting upon reservation requirements, rates as of 2005, season, restaurant or other food availability, surrounding transportation options, facilities and activities in the area. The maps are simple and easy to read, and sometimes the Scotts include tidbits about the lodges, such as Paul McCartney’s stay in Room 6474 at the El Tovar on the Grand Canyon’s South Rim.
GoCampingAmerica.com
RVers looking to hook up with just the right site should hit this site first. The searchable database alone would make it a worthwhile stop, with more than 3,900 RV parks and campgrounds (find your home away from home by state or region, amenity, favorite outdoor activity and more), but the “Plan Your Trip” section is a beaut too, with information on gas prices, vehicle maintenance, ideas for keeping kids occupied along the way and informative packing lists, along with a Traveler’s Tips message board and suggestions for managing pets. Elsewhere on the site, those without an RV can search for other types of lodging – such as cabins and trailers – and tent campers can find out which campgrounds welcome them and what the setup is. Looking to make the transition from tent camper to RV owner? Click on “RV Sales” to peruse the options, or post your own used RV on the “sell” side of things. “Outdoor Tips” covers building a campfire (not here in Colorado, of course), cooking and recipes, and the “Kids Pages” offer fun and education (bugs!).
TRAVEL BY NUMBERS | Top 10 Family-Friendly Resorts
Today’s resorts are splurging on amenities for parents and young children, offering kids’ menus in gourmet restaurants, family events like bonfires and clambakes, even free access to baby gear. Child magazine reveals where to find a slice of paradise.
1. The Breakers, Palm Beach, Fla.
2. Winnetu Oceanside Resort, Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.
3. Kingsmill Resort & Spa, Williamsburg, Va.
4. Loews Coronado Bay Resort & Spa, San Diego
5. Colony Beach & Tennis Resort, Longboat Key, Fla.
6. The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Fla.
7. The Tyler Place Family Resort, Highgate Springs, Vt.
8. Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, Ojai, Calif.
9. Four Seasons Lana’I, Manele Bay, HI
10. Club Med Sandpiper, Port St. Lucie, Fla. (tie with Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn, Orlando)
For a list of the 50 runners-up, visit child.com
GEOQUIZ
1. Romansh, a language descended from Latin, is spoken by people living in the Graubünden canton in which central European country?
2. The Ha’Penny Bridge is a nearly 200-year-old pedestrian bridge across the River Liffey in which western European capital city?
3. Toros coleados, a form of bullfighting in which the bull is thrown by its tail, is practiced in the Llanos region of a country that borders Guyana. Name this country.
4. The republic of Tuva is known for throat singing, in which a vocalist produces multiple musical tones simultaneously. Tuva is located near the Mongolian border in which country?
5. Thessaloníki, or Salonica, is a city named for the wife of an ancient Macedonian king. This city is in what country?
6. Wood-carvers are commissioned to make elaborate coffins in the shape of animals, cars and other objects in which African country just west of Togo?
7. The Miao, or Hmong, people are an ethnic group that live throughout Southeast Asia, including the Guizhou province in which country?
8. Hundreds of wooden stave churches, containing both Christian and Viking symbols, were built during the Middle Ages in a Scandinavian country that borders the Barents Sea. Name this country.
9. Magyars are the largest ethnic group in a central European country that borders Slovakia. Name this country.
10. A statue of the Little Mermaid, inspired by a story by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, is a landmark in what European capital city?
ANSWERS: 1. Switzerland 2. Dublin 3. Venezuela 4. Russia 5. Greece 6. Ghana 7. China 8. Norway 9. Hungary 10. Copenhagen
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
