Video: 3 Reasons You'll Love Marseille
France's largest port town, on the magical Mediterranean, has been transformed in recent years. You'll still find the charms of its Old Port, the oldest neighborhood in France, the maritime culture... but there's been a wave of revitalization and stunning builds that make this seaside city spectacular. On our latest visit, we fell in love with Marseille, and here are at least 3 reasons we think you'll love it too. Start your Trip! more
Face to Face with the World's Largest Solid Gold Buddha
Most of the time, breaking an historic religious icon does not turn out well. But when workers moving a large and very old but otherwise unremarkable plaster statue of Buddha in Bangkok in 1955 dropped their load, they got lucky. The accident revealed an amazing secret: the plaster with modest inlaid glass decoration was a decoy shell concealing the world's largest solid gold Buddha. By Lynn Elmhirst, Producer/ Host, BestTrip.TV Hidden in Plain Sight The design of the Buddha suggests it dates to the 13th or 14th centuries. It's believed when dangerous times were at hand during Burmese invasions in the 1700's, the solid gold statue was plastered over to cleverly hide the magnificent religious treasure in plain sight. In the confusion, dynastic... more
Why Inject Adventure Travel Into your Next Vacation
We get it. You really need a break. Downtime. Relaxation. Time to book a vacation so you can… Try a new adventure. Does 'adventure travel' sound way too energetic, even the opposite of what you need in a holiday? Think again. Lynn Elmhirst, Executive Producer, Host and Travel Expert from BestTrip.TV, explains why finding a way to leave the beach and make soft adventure part – or all - of your next holiday, whether it's a cruise, multi-generation family vacation, a couples' escape, a girl- or guy-friend getaway, bleisure time from your business trip or business conference, might be the best travel decision you can make. And way better for you than a week on a lounge chair. Soft adventure is about being... more
Spelunking in Jamaica
It might be the most polar opposite activity to a day on the beach in Jamaica. Escaping from the sunny, hot, breeze of the beaches, to explore one of the island's networks of cool, dark, damp cave systems. Jamaica is one of the special places in the world with 'Karst' topography, where flowing water has carved paths through soluble limestone terrain, resulting in spectacular underwater rivers and caves. Exploring caves is irresistible. Our earliest ancestors used caves for protection, a place for worship, where they created art, stored their treasures, even buried their dead. There's something about being in a cave that taps our most primal instincts, returning to the refuge of Mother Earth. Feeling just for a little while that we're... more
Re-Visiting Jamaica
Gone are the days when a trip to Jamaica meant a week spent entirely at your all-inclusive resort. Getting around and exploring outside your resort has never been easier or more appealing. If you haven’t visited Jamaica in a while, we suggest it’s time to try something new on one of the Caribbean’s most-loved islands: Run! What’s the best way to enjoy Reggae music? The organizers of the Reggae Marathon & Half Marathon think it’s running to the beat. The marathon is Jamaica’s premier International Marathon Event, an internationally certified course with a Jamaican vibe that includes Reggae, refreshments, and ‘irie’ atmosphere. Marathoners, sports enthusiasts as well as beginners, locals and visitors converge in Negril to run or cheer on the runners and... more
Forget Oktoberfest!
Michelin-starred gourmet hiking in the Black Forest is the grown-up way to celebrate Germany's cuisine and outdoors. We hope you've already checked Munich's incredible Oktoberfest off your travel bucket list, because it really is a young person's game. Staggering from Festhall to Festhall, raucously joining off-key, multi-lingual singing, and belting back beer and sausage with your buddies and thousands of your newest best friends is tons of fun once, but off the menu for most people after 30 or your first couple of children. What should be on your travel list to replace it? Baiersbronn. Michelin Stars in the Black Forest Nestled in the fabled Black Forest across the French-German border from Strasbourg, Baiersbronn is surrounded by clean air, green hills, cold fresh water,... more
Seabourn Launches Holistic Wellness Program with Celebrity Author Dr. Andrew Weil
Program will be incorporated on all Seabourn cruise ships in 2017 For ultra-luxury cruise guests for whom wellness is more than workouts, massages, a spa menu, and the relaxation of a service level where extraordinarily intuitive staff anticipate your every need, Seabourn has created a fleet-wide mindful living program. The new offering guests a holistic spa and wellness experience that integrates physical, social, environmental and spiritual well-being. The new Spa and Wellness program, with acclaimed wellness author and expert Dr. Andrew Weil, will be the first-ever of its kind at sea, and executed in partnership with Seabourn's Onboard Spa by Steiner. Dr. Weil, a pioneer in integrative medicine, will be working with the ultra-luxury cruise line to deliver an range of mind and... more
Exploring the Wild Side of Ireland's Atlantic Way
1. Rock climb in Donegal Excellent rock climbing locations are scattered along Donegal’s coastline, and particularly great ascents can be found at Ireland’s most northerly point, Malin Head. The sea cliffs, slabs and sea stacks of here provide over 100 rock climbs in a stunning, wave bashed locations. Wild Atlantic Way Climbing will provide adventures for all levels. mountaintraining.ie 2. Surf a Sligo wave Perfect surf geology shapes triangulated reefs, river mouth sandbars and assorted beach breaks on the coastline where Donegal morphs into counties Leitrim, Sligo and Mayo. Sligo is one of the hotspots, and the beaches at Strandhill and Enniscrone are perfect for seasoned surfers and learners alike. Loads of surf schools in Sligo are devoted to getting you up on your... more
Video: Vintage Vespas in Tuscany
Italy's iconic scooter is the very symbol of stylish, romantic getaways in Europe. Vespas originated in Tuscany, and on a trip to the Tuscan seaside city of Livorno, BestTrip.TV discovered a local who collects, restores, and displays a collection of colorful vintage Vespas. You can't miss this tour of his showroom and workshop! more
Video: This Historic Hospital is now a Design Hotel
If you're looking for a room with a view in Marseille... this is it. The Hotel Dieu might be the the best piece of real estate in Marseille. Part way up the hill next to the historic harbor, occupying the best vantage point overlooking the iconic view of the old port and the church on the opposite hill, Marseille's Hopital Dieu dates back to the 1700's. As a hospital, it served the oldest neighborhood in all of France, where sailors, immigrants from around the Mediterranean, nuns and beggars, artists and artisans thronged. The care center of the community finally closed its doors, and the building sat empty for years... Until a city-wide renaissance of style, design and culture included the transformation of the... more
5 Adventures in Antwerp
Belgium’s unique character and two-language culture makes it a must-see destination in Northern Europe. But go beyond Brussels. One of Europe's hidden gems is Belgium's second city. Just up the estuary from the North Sea, Antwerp's historic port became its claim to fame and source of wealth as a trading capital 500 years ago. The port is still the second largest in Europe. The wealth of this great trading city financed great art and artists, the world's oldest stock exchange, and an historic core of richly elaborate Flemish buildings. Photo Credit BestTrip.TV's producer/host Lynn Elmhirst shares her favorite things about Antwerp. History with a Quirk Distinctive historic Flemish architecture reflects Antwerp's power in its heyday, including the magnificent Town Hall, guild halls, and Notre Dame... more
Is the Modern Travel Luxury... Sleep?
You can't enjoy life - even luxury travel - if you don't have sleep. That's the premise of the new ship-board wellness program on Celebrity Cruises in conjunction with its spa and wellness partner Canyon Ranch SpaClub. It's not just about getting your 'beauty sleep' these days. It's about stressful lifestyles and poor sleeping habits that have left many of us chronically exhausted. That takes the fun out of even the most amazing travel experience or destination. So what better time than on vacation to not only catch up on some rest and relaxation – but also to experience new sleep treatments that can help you improve your sleep even after your holiday? Especially after your holiday? Celebrity Cruises and onboard Canyon Ranch SpaClub... more
Where's the Coolest Place to do Yoga in Vancouver?
It's where stand up paddleboard meets downward dog – in a South Beach-style pool overlooking Vancouver's seawall and mountains. The latest trend in West Coast wellness lifestyle, the stand up paddleboard (SUP), is well established in Vancouver. And yoga? Well that's a no-brainer. But it took local SUP pioneer and yoga instructor Kristy Wright Schell to bring the two together and introduce them to Vancouver. And the Westin Bayshore's programming team to take notice and make Kristy's 'Liquid Yoga' part of the hotel's pool lifestyle. The stunning hotel pool gives participants an opportunity to practice yoga in the open sea air, embracing the quintessential experience of Vancouver's West Coast lifestyle but in the security of a pool as an aquatic yoga studio, rather... more
Visit This: Underwater Winery in Croatia
Drinking and diving don't mix, but we've found one exception. At the Edivo Vina winery about an hour north of the Croatian seaside town of Dubrovnik, you need to slip into a wet suit for a cellar tour. That's because this winery stores and ages their – aptly named – 'Navis Mysterium' or 'Sea Mystery' wine – 20 meters (66 feet) under water. Sea Mystery wine begins life above ground as other wines do. The regional grapes are harvested, pressed and bottled, then aged for three months on land. Then it gets interesting. Cork and two layers of rubber seal the bottles which are then enclosed in amphorae – locally made clay vessels like the ones used in ancient Greece with a narrow... more
A New Place for the Best Views of Old Havana
The Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski La Habana has opened in Havana. It's the Cuban capital's first five-star luxury hotel, located in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Old Havana. And it is the first foray into the Americas for Europe's oldest luxury hotel group Kempinski. The hotel is a revival of an historic six-story colonnaded building begun in the late 1800's. It lived through various incarnations as Cuba's first European-style department store, a silent film theater, and later, government offices, slowly decaying like much of the historic architecture in isolated Cuba. Its re-imagination as a luxury hotel brings the Manzana building back to its glory days… and then some. Now as a 246-room urban lifestyle hotel, the Gran Hotel... more
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