Photos curtesy of Bellevue Syrene Hotel
Friday Fantasy Vacation: Bellevue Syrene Hotel, Sorrento
Photos curtesy of Bellevue Syrene Hotel
Category Archives: Wanderlust
Photos curtesy of Bellevue Syrene Hotel
Winery Stay: Abeja
Fall may be the best, and most difficult, time to visit wineries. Best because of all the luscious fruit coming in for pressing and difficult because everyone is so busy that they may not even be accepting visitors. Of course, the best thing to do is stay at the winery itself (and sometimes even volunteer to help sort fruit) so you can see all the action. One thing I regret from moving away from the northwest is that I never got a chance to stay here, at Abeja in Walla Walla, Washington. Just outside the town, which itself has transformed over the years from sleepy farm town to wine destination, it’s a perfect homebase for exploring the area, or just enjoying the stunning views while doing little to nothing. It’s supposed to be vacation, right?
The winery is in what used to be a mule and horse barn on an old farm and they smartly have turned various outbuildings into comfortable, not-too-country, vacation rentals. Prices vary but most have their own kitchen and a couple even their own garden. All of them have beautiful surroundings.
Edison House:
Carriage House Suite:
Chicken Coop:
Summer Kitchen:
Bunk House:
Hay Loft Suite:
All photos curtesy of Abeja.
Wanderlust: The all-American Road Trip
If Portland, Oregon is the place where young people go to retire then I recently came out of a productive and happy 14-year retirement. I moved there straight after college; it’s where I met my husband, where our daughter was born, where we all made dear friends. Why leave such a place? There’s only really one thing that makes people move from Portland and it’s work. This spring my husband was offered a job in Fort Worth, Texas and suddenly we were moving. He left a couple of months before myself and our 9-year-old daughter who, while excited, was also nervous about what was to come. Mapping out our drive it appeared the shortest route would take us 3-4 days but was that any way to drive to a new life in the middle of summertime? I wanted to give her an adventure and some perspective on this move, on the distance we were to travel, on its place in what I hope will be a big life. There’s really only one way to do that: the all-American road trip. Given the novels written on the subject already, I can’t increase anyone’s understanding of what it’s like in the wide expanse of the American west; the small towns and surprising beauty and feelings of isolation and also belonging that come from days of driving through nothing and everything. The meaning comes from the experience and having this experience with my little girl seemed like the perfect way to transition our life. We left feeling a bit like adventurers in our own Hero’s Journey, hoping that by leaving all we knew behind and traveling into the unknown (but highly map-able) we’d discover a path home again.
The Route
Last day in PDX
Redwoods Magic Light
Founders Tree
Humbolt Redwoods State Park Visitor Center
Avenue of the Giants
Eel River Café, Garberville
Souvenirs from Santa Rosa
Santa Barbara
Last Look at the Pacific
Shark Tank Aquarium, Las Vegas
Hoover Dam
The Grand Canyon
Winslow, AZ
Gallup, NM
Amarillo, TX
Big Texan 72oz. Steak Challenge
West Texas
The Road to Fort Worth
Texas Sunset
All photos by Morgan Ennis
Friday Fantasy Vacation: The Serai
Anyone who’s seen this site before has probably picked up on the fact that I have a real soft spot for luxury camping; all the great things about being close to nature without the lumpy ground to sleep on. It doesn’t really get more luxe than the Serai near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India. A Relais & Chateaux property that describes itself very accurately as “a luxury desert camp and spa”, it’s set on 30 acres in the Great Thar Desert and really couldn’t be more romantic and serene if it tried. I don’t doubt that a goodly portion of the other “campers” here would be honeymooners but the 14 tent suites are private enough that it should hardly matter. The fact that you can dine anywhere you desire on the property also helps alleviate any problems you may have sharing your private space with snuggly newlyweds. And there are plenty of excursion possibilities to keep one occupied such as Jeep or camel safaris, historical tours of the ancient fortress city of Jaisalmer or plain old pampering spa treatments. But enough talk, let’s take a look at all this beauty.
More information at Relais & Chateaux
Also available through i-escape
Photos curtesy of Relais & Chateaux
Last Chance to Camp
I don’t know where you live, but where I am it’s about to turn cold and rain. A lot. While this change of season doesn’t make camping impossible, it does make it a lot less desirable. It is, however, the perfect season for luxury camping. I refuse to use the word “glamping” if only because it sounds like something someone does while sick with the flu, but also because I feel that it cheapens the experience of a real luxury camping experience. The setting is beautiful, nature is at your door and when it pours rain, you can retreat to the interior of an actual structure and snuggle in a real bed. There are often restaurants on-site and while you may or may not have to share a bathroom with your fellow “campers” you are almost always guaranteed a breathtaking view. Below are a few places I would love to visit during this in between season, if only to get in one last camp before winter.
Longitude 131°, Ayers Rock, Australia
Available through Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia: travel@voyages.com.au
Le Camp, Midi-Pyrénées, France
Available through Welcome Beyond: welcomebeyond.com
Dunia Camp, Serengeti, Tanzania
Available through Asilia Camps/ Lodges/ Safaris: www.asiliaafrica.com
Treebones Resort, Big Sur, California
Available through i-escape: www.i-escape.com
Dolphin Beach, Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka
Available through Makara Resorts: reservations@dolphinbeach.lk
Elqui Domos, Elqui Valley, Chile
Available through Welcome Beyond: www.welcomebeyond.com
The Serai, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India
Available through Relais & Chateaux: serai@relaischateaux.com
Memories of France
Yes, I realize it’s been a long, long time. I’ve been living in a nebulous world of possibly moving across the country, possibly not for about 6 months now and it all seemed to (happily?) culminate in a multi-generational two week trip to France last month. I still have no idea if I’m staying or going, but I’ll say this: France is the cure for what ails you. Even if nothing ails you. I’ve been about 5 times now and while travel to anywhere resets my psychic clock, travel to France puts me in a mindset that no other place yet has. I feel at home in Britain and Ireland. I feel content and full of life in Italy. I feel rootless and wild while an American road trip. But France does something different to me. It throws me out of my comfort zone just enough to keep me on my toes (and rooting through my mental list of French vocabulary) but surrounds me in so much beauty and elegance that in the end all I want to do is stay and walk slowly through every place and eat ridiculous amounts of cheese.
Many countries value and incorporate beauty into daily life, and almost everyone does it more often and better than Americans, but while Italy and Spain do it in a visceral, passionate way, the French do it in a way that to me is more refined, more subtle. And, yes, sometimes practically invisible if you take the French distance too personally. Although I’ve never been to Japan, it in no way surprises me that French and Japanese chefs have such a connection and sense of mutual respect. They are both doing the same thing without (seemingly) even trying: bringing pleasure in the most basic and yet refined way possible. Am I exaggerating? Quite possibly. But truth be told, I have yet to experience a place where I am so deeply satisfied by what I eat, drink, and see. I’ll be posting more specifics in the future, but here’s some visual memories of my most recent journey.
Sunrise from our bedroom in Paris as taken by my 8-year-old.
Notre Dame and the Seine.
The 900 year old Notre Dame Cathedral in Reims.
Best sardine sandwich in the universe at Le Bocal, Reims.
Eiffel Tower at night over rooftops.
House built into the tuffeau in Amboise, Loire Valley.
The rooftops below medieval Loches.
Medieval architecture in Honfleur, Normandy.
Nearly infinite gravestones at the American Cemetery above Omaha Beach in Normandy. Plus my thumb 😦
Monet’s lily pond in the charming, if touristy, Giverny.
Wanderlust: Normandy
Unless you’re lucky enough to be on vacation where there is no internet, television, or mail then you’ve probably heard that France has a new leader. Francois Hollande hails from Rouen in Normandy and I will be lucky enough to go there later this Summer, but I thought now might be the perfect time to resurrect the wanderlust feature and take a luxurious look at this part of northern France. Bon Voyage!
For photo credits click on photo.
Friday Fantasy Vacation: Capella Lodge, Lord Howe Island
Only a two hour flight from Sydney, this World Heritage listed island is exactly the kind of place to go when wanting to escape the world. Yes, there’s a spa, hiking trails and snorkeling, golf, surfing, and fishing but with views like this I’d just find a comfortable chair and look around for awhile.
All photos courtesy of Capella Lodge.
Friday Fantasy Vacation: Six Senses Nihn Van Bay
As an American born in the 70’s I grew up in the shadow of, unfortunately, more than a couple of international wars/skirmishes/incidents/what-have-you and for most of my life it had never occurred to me to take a luxury vacation to Vietnam. Whether right or wrong, I can’t say that that was a place that was ever etched into my psyche as a luxury vacation spot. Not in the way that places like Cabo San Lucas, Martinique, Ibiza, or pretty much all of Costa Rica has. Myopic or no, I had obviously not been exposed to this resort on the eastern coast of Vietnam or I would have been thinking of vacationing here much sooner. This place is amazing. There’s the usual myriad of water sports and activities, there’s a spa, there’s badminton for crying out loud! Although, do you see that couple below looking happy and romantic next to that big rock formation, of which the area is famous? I can whole-heartedly assure you that on my vacation here, you’ll see my husband climbing those rocks instead of snuggling in the window seat. That couple purchased the “romance package” and we usually buy into the “indulgence package” which means that he’s on a rock and I’m in the window seat lounge with a martini. The beautiful thing about a place like this is that whatever you want your fantasy vacation to be, it can be.
Cornwall Vacation Homes
I have a love of fishing villages. Maybe it’s due to the fact that I’ve always lived on a coast and near the water. Maybe it’s because I love eating seafood. It’s certainly not because I like boating as I can get motion sickness in an elevator, but there’s something so relaxing and exciting about small fishing towns to me. The smell of the seawater and the constant coming and going of the boats combined just wake me up in a way that other places don’t. While there are fishing villages of great beauty all over the world, there is something special about those in Cornwall, England. They give new definition to the word quaint, I believe, and it’s hard not to love a vacation that includes boats, beaches AND sheep. I’ve compiled some spectacular spaces to call home base while you explore this gorgeous region. All of these (and many more) can be reserved through Unique Home Stays, a fabulous resource for vacation rentals throughout Britain and beyond.
Rosewastis Manor, Near Watergate Bay
The Sea Barn, Roseland Penninsula
Waters Reach, Lerryn
Mawgan, Near Watergate Bay
Worthyvale Mill, Near Tintagel
All photos © Unique Home Stays
Properties are available through Unique Home Stays http://www.uniquehomestays.com +44 (0) 1637 881947
Virtual Vacationist 