Asia
The Peninsula, a Serene Retreat from the Bustle of Bangkok
I always love it when I know even before I step into the lobby of a hotel that my stay is going to be a special occasion. By the time our limousine drives through acres of […]
Destinations
10 Best Lists
5 Must-do Excursions and Some Detours on a Viking Danube Voyage
A great thing about cruising on the rivers of Europe is that every day you’re docked in a city so steeped in history and culture that there’s always something fresh to discover. On a recent Danube […]
Canada
They’re Great Lakes, Now Can They be the Future of Luxury Cruising?
You’ve done grand cruises in the Mediterranean, criss-crossed the Caribbean and even cruised up the Amazon. Now’s the time to consider sailing from Chicago to Montreal by way of Detroit. That’s the pitch of a new cruise […]
AmaWaterways
4 Exotic Asian Rivers Get More Comfortable New Cruise Options
Life in Asia has always depended on rivers. Some of the world’s oldest civilizations developed along the Yangtze, the Mekong, the Irrawaddy and the Ganges. These rivers are still main sources of water, irrigation and trade, […]
10 Best Lists
8 Reasons Why Viking Longships are Dominating Europe’s Rivers
I can’t imagine any voyage more steeped in European history than a cruise along the Danube aboard a Viking Longship whose program director is a guy named Attila “the Hun-garian.” Even our starting point on […]
Caribbean
5 New “Where’s That?” Ports Appearing in the Caribbean
They’re gated communities; fenced-in shopping malls that have little to do with the local cultures. They’re tropical amusement parks. Say what you will about the proprietary cruise ports and private islands that cruise lines are […]
Destinations
Gresham Palace: A Grand Budapest Hotel with Four Seasons Flair
Boy am I glad my job isn’t being the glass cleaner at the Four Seasons Gresham Palace in Budapest. The hotel’s stunningly sensual Art Nouveau stained glass, crystal chandeliers and even the hand-made glazed tiles […]
Croatia
Naughty or Nice? It Means a Lot in Europe’s Colorful Christmas Markets
Once upon a time, before the scourge of Black Friday, the Christmas shopping season didn’t start before December and Santa Claus wasn’t a shill for a soft drink company. Remarkably, it’s still like that in […]
Cruises
Fun with Lava: Hovering over Hawaii’s Big Smoke
Even inside the cabin of a helicopter, the heat reaches blast furnace intensity as we hover over the mouth of Hawaii’s dramatically active volcano. It was a phenomenal opportunity to be able to fly over Kilauea and follow its […]
Cruises
Into Hells and Back on an Un-Cruise Jet Boat Adventure in Idaho
The water appears to boil as swirling whitecaps rise up over jagged rocks that lurk barely below the surface. “Hang on! I’m going to be doing some really fast turns,” cautions the pilot of our […]