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Part 4: SOUTHERN FRENCH CONNECTION: ART, FOOD & WINE

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Shopping at the farmer market.

In Part 3, we cruised down the Canal du Midi in a barge, cooked a full-course meal in a 5-star French hotel’s cooking school, and learned that Vincent Van Gogh left his impressions on more than canvas.

SAINT-REMY-DE-PROVENCE, LES-BAUX-DE-PROVENCE, ISLE-SUR-LA-SORGUE and ROUSSILLON

One of the absolute delights of this Southern France trip was getting to visit (albeit too briefly) small mountainside medieval villages on day excursions. We were lodging in Aix-en-Provence. Each village brimmed with the flavors of France, from fresh bags of lavender to nutty confections of nougat, to the flower-potted window sills that crowded narrow passageways within the former fortress rock walls. The air was fresh from mountain breezes. The views of multi-hued fields Read more

Part 3: SOUTHERN FRENCH CONNECTION: ART, FOOD and WINE

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The locks at Canal du Midi

In Part 2, the journey took us to Figueres, Spain to explore Surrealist Salvadore Dali’s Theatre-Museum, to the seaside city of Collioure immortalized by paintings of André Derain, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, and to the quiet beauty of Perpignan.

CANAL DU MIDI, AVIGNON and ARLES

On our way to stay in Arles and to visit Avignon, we paused for a morning excursion on the famed Canal du Midi.

CANAL DU MIDI

The slow steady pace of cruising down the 150-mile-long 17th century-constructed Canal du Midi in a flat-bottomed barge was one of the most relaxing aspects of the two-week Odysseys Unlimited tour thus far. Originally named the Canal Royal en Languedoc in 1681 when completed by Pierre-Paul Riquet, it was renamed by French revolutionaries to Canal Read more

Part 2: SOUTHERN FRENCH CONNECTION: ART, FOOD and WINE

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Hollywood Oscar-like figurines repose in niches at Dali’s Theatre-Museum

In Part 1, our journey began in Albi before exploring the medieval city of Carcassonne and then the Abbaye Fontroide in Narbonne.

FIGUERES (SPAIN), COLLIOURE and PERPIGNAN

Where we stayed:

La Villa Duflot sits in a three-acre park with olive and palm trees. The hotel’s site says it has just 24-rooms, but it is apparent they have added many more than that. We had to walk outside the hotel’s lobby to reach our room in a first-floor wing. The hotel is styled after an Italian villa, although the décor was more Art Deco. The dining room in the evening is Read more

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – JULY 2019

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Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa

HOT DEALS!

Summer isn’t the only time Florida Resident discount rates will be available at Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa, minutes from Naples, FL. A seven-day advance purchase is required, but the rates are available through December 31 by using the code CPFLR. The 26-acre property can host meetings up to 1500 people, has an 18-hole golf course, Camp Hyatt kids club, two firepits and is close to the airport. There is a three-acre pool area with waterslides, lazy river, adults-only pool, hot tub, and both a Read more

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – JUNE 2019

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The Met Hotel in Greece is both an art gallery and upscale hotel.


When I first began writing this column, I was working regularly for a high end travel magazine that catered to the hospitality, meetings & events industries. Over time I have realized that not all travellers visit destinations or plan events because they are part of a corporate or social group. This edition (and likely more in the future) will feature some personal travel options for adults and families.
HOT DEALS!
It’s an art gallery. No, it’s a hotel. No, actually The Met Hotel in the ancient coastal city of Thessaloniki, Greece is both. While Read more

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – LATE APRIL 2019

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GRAND OPENINGS

A terrace of El Llorenç Parc de la Mar overlooks the Palma neighborhood in Mallorca


One of the oldest neighborhoods in the Palma area of Mallorca will be getting awakening jolt of modern sophistication when El Llorenç Parc de la Mar opens this July. The 33-room boutique hotel will have a three-tiered rooftop terrace providing 360-degree views of the city, as well as two restaurants, a lobby bar, and a wellness center called Natura Bissé. Renowned island chef Santi Taura’s culinary offerings will reflect traditional cuisine, with ingredients sourced locally, such as signature black pork from an island producer. El Llorenç Parc de la Mar is located within the ancient quarter known as La Calatrava, an area once inhabited by Jews, Muslims and Christians. Highlights include the Arab baths, the Church of Santa Fe and the Church of Monti-Sion and the Convent of Santa Clara, where the nuns of the Order have lived and prayed for more than 750 years. The quarter is located just a short distance from some of the city’s major landmarks, including the Palma Cathedral, Almudaina Palace, Cort Square or the S’Hort del Rei Gardens. Swedish designer, Magnus Ehrland. Incorporates geometric motifs reflective of the local history and Moorish influence on the island. Read more

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – APRIL 2019

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Hotel ICON in Hong Kong

HOT DEALS!

Book a suite or Above & Beyond Club room directly with Hotel ICON and enjoy a complimentary one-way private chauffeur ride in a Tesla Model S from Hong Kong International Airport to the hotel in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui East. Together with two electric shuttle buses and a BMW i3, Hotel ICON aims to lead the industry in switching to 100% electric transportation. Bookings made through other booking channels or an online travel agent would have to pay HK $800 one way. Multiple bookings on consecutive nights will also get a 20% discount on the departure airport transfer by Tesla. Bookings Read more

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – APRIL 2019

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Hotel ICON in Hong Kong


HOT DEALS!
Book a suite or Above & Beyond Club room directly with Hotel ICON and enjoy a complimentary one-way private chauffeur ride in a Tesla Model S from Hong Kong International Airport to the hotel in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui East. Together with two electric shuttle buses and a BMW i3, Hotel ICON aims to lead the industry in switching to 100% electric transportation. Bookings made through other booking channels or an online travel agent would have to pay HK $800 one way. Multiple bookings on consecutive nights will also get a 20% discount on the departure airport transfer by Tesla. Bookings Read more

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – MARCH 2019

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Eiffel Tower Lights shine across the sky on the Las Vegas, NV Strip.

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN

It’s amazing how the new light show at Paris Las Vegas can illuminate even the neon-drenched Nevada skyline and add more than a little sparkle to a 541-foot gem originally erected on the Las Vegas Strip in 1999. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower’s illuminations in France, the $1.7 million light show will offer a free, recurring show featuring synchronized and choreographed twinkling and colored lights for visitors to enjoy nightly on The Strip. In partnership with Vision Sign Inc., Paris Las Vegas installed approximately 300 color washing light fixtures and more than 800 white strobe lights on the tower’s exterior. Guests can enjoy the nightly light show every 30 minutes on the hour and half hour from sunset to midnight. By May, the hotel’s Read more

HOTEL HAPPENINGS & PROGRAM PROMOTIONS – FEBRUARY, 2019

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Swimming with a whale shark


EXOTIC DESTINATIONS. LUXURIOUS LODGING. ACQUISITIONS.
Corporate and leisure-travel readers across the world read my blog, so it shouldn’t come as any great surprise that I am often asked if I know about out-of-the-box trips or exotic destinations of which they may not be aware. This new package just being offered by Montana-based Austin Adventures sounds exactly like it would fit the bill for any adventurous group to undertake. Of course, individuals can sign on for any scheduled trips, but think of the experiences a like-minded, seaworthy group could share by swimming alongside 25-40- Read more