YOU MUST BE DREAMING
Spend Christmas on the Savannah plains with Wildlife Safari – its Kenya Safari Explorer and Savannah Safari itineraries have a Dec. 18 departure that could put you within sight of a rhinoceros on Christmas Day. The Kenya Safari Explorer offers 12 days of luxury accommodations and game viewing, beginning in Nairobi and traveling around Amboseli, Mount Kenya, Lake Nakuru (home of the world-famous flamingo sanctuary) and several days in the Masai Mara Game Preserve. For a $300 supplement, part of the trip can be substituted out for three nights at the Mara Intrepids Camp, a luxury tent camp on the banks of the Tale River. Highlights of the trip include a breakfast with hippos, an acacia tree-planting ceremony in Amboseli and a Masai Mara bush dinner. The Savannah Safari is 12 days in Kenya and Tanzania, including time in Serengeti National Park, with the option of a $450 hot air balloon ride over the plains. Cost of the Kenya trip is $4,350 per person and the Savannah trip is $5,675 (single supplements are $600); prices include lodging, all meals while on safari, ground transportation, guides, domestic flights, national park fees, airport transfers and taxes. Call 800-221-8118 or visit wildlife-safari.com.
GEARING UP
You know how the fashion magazines are always telling you to invest in that one great piece? Well, start saving your pennies, because this is going to be one high-yield handbag, the kind that will pay dividends for years to come. Theresa Kathryn is a line of business-oriented bags and accessories, the best of which is the Angelina – yes, that Angelina – a padded laptop case that is so stunning people stopped us on the 16th Street Mall to ask where we got it, co-workers stopped us in the hall to touch it, and even men wanted to get a closer look at it. Made of calfskin leather (in black, brown or white) so buttery it is impossible not to reach out and touch it, but hardy enough to withstand bouncing around in the overhead compartment of a plane, the 17″x6″x13″ bag comes lined with satin brocade so pretty you wish you had jammies to match (thank heavens there is a little cosmetics bag that does), and it has plenty of nooks and crannies for keys, cellphone, pens, sunglasses and other necessities, as well as a handy zippered component that allows you to slip the whole thing over the handle of your rollaway. It also comes with a detachable, lightly padded, adjustable shoulder strap. The whole ensemble is well-crafted; it’s obvious that it will wear beautifully, softening into a beloved piece that will only improve with time. Take a deep breath now, because here comes the price … | $535,
theresakathryn.com
WEBSITE
TripConnect.com
For folks looking to get advice on where to stay and what destinations are worth visiting, the possibilities seem endless. You can add TripConnect to your favorites, especially if you like chat rooms and feeling connected to like-minded travelers. Join the site – it’s free – by selecting a user name and password, then indicate areas to which you have traveled. Whenever you feel like sharing information, including reviews of sights, hotels, restaurants, things to do and photos, simply add them when you’re logged on. You can decide to share them only with the groups you’ve chosen, such as a network of friends or family, or the whole site, and you also can search to find out what others have reviewed within a destination by clicking on the country, as well as read other members’ blogs.
REAL DEALS
The week’s best travel bargains around the globe, by land, sea and air.
The fifth night is free at Bermuda’s Cambridge Beaches resort for stays through Nov. 30. The rate for two starts at $510 a night through Oct. 31, and $430 a night Nov. 1-30; breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner are included. Taxes are 11.25 percent extra. Call 800-468-7300 and request the “fifth night free” rate. Resort info: cambridgebeaches.com.
The Renaissance Cleveland Hotel has a “See, Taste and Stay” package during the city’s “Fabulous Food Show,” which features celebrity chef cooking demonstrations and food tastings. The deal, good Nov. 9-12, is $179 a night (plus 15.5 percent taxes) per room; it includes two one-day passes to the show, parking and breakfast buffet for two. Priced separately, the package would cost $267. Info: 216-696-5600, marriott.com/property/propertypage/clebr. Request CUE promotional code.
Book a cruise through CruiseDirect.com by Dec. 31 and receive a certificate for a two-night hotel stay at one of 19 different brands, including Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn and Sheraton. The deal applies to cruises booked on any of 20 lines; cruise must depart by Dec. 31.
Hotels, which have a rating of at least three stars, are available in 21 cities, including Orlando, Fla.; Honolulu; and Williamsburg, Va. The hotel certificate must be used by February; value is at least $118. Info: 888-407-2784, cruisedirect.com.
A 13-night cruise of the Caribbean’s Windward & Leeward islands aboard Windjammer Barefoot Cruise’s S.V. Mandalay now starts at $998 per person double (usual price starts at $2,400). The deal is good on the Oct. 1 and 15 sailings; the cruise visits 12 islands, including Antigua, Martinique and St. Lucia. Book at 800-327-2601. Cruise info: windjammer.com.
– The Washington Post
TRAVEL BY NUMBERS | Top Resorts for Family Boating
The best family boating resorts, according to Boating Life magazine.
1. The Abbey Resort, Lake Geneva, Wis.
2. Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, Charleston, S.C.
3. Hawk’s Cay Resort, Florida Keys
4. The Inn at Bay Harbor, Bay Harbor, Mich.
5. Inns and Spa at Mill Falls, Lake Winnipesaukee, N.H.
6. Madden’s, Gull Lake, Minn.
7. Moody Gardens, Galveston Island, Texas
8. Point Sebago, Sebago Lake, Maine
9. Semiahmoo Resort, San Juan Islands, Wash.
10. Tan-Tar-A Resorts, Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.
GEO QUIZ
1. Phosphates are exported from Aqaba (AH-KUH-BUH), the only major port in which Asian country?
2. Nickel is mined near Pico Duarte, one of the highest peaks in the West Indies. This peak is located in which country west of Puerto Rico?
3. The capital city of Conakry is an important port for which West African country?
4. Rice is grown in the Caspian Sea region in which country bordering Iraq?
5. Estonia exports electricity to Russia and which other bordering country?
6. What African capital city located on the Gulf of Aden is the terminus of a railroad from Ethiopia?
7. The world’s longest suspension bridge spans the Inland Sea, linking Shikoku to which other major Japanese island?
8. The world’s leading olive oil-producing countries all border what sea?
9. Raising livestock is a major economic activity in the country that is almost entirely covered by the Tian Shan. Name this landlocked country, which borders Kazakhstan.
10. The busiest international airport in the Middle East, located in Dubai, is undergoing an expansion to meet growing travel demands. Dubai is on the Persian Gulf in which country?
ANSWERS: 1. Jordan 2. Dominican Republic 3. Guinea 4. Iran 5. Latvia 6. Djibouti 7. Honshu 8. Mediterranean Sea 9. Kyrgyzstan 10. United Arab Emirates
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
