Caribbean’s Best Islands: Part 1 of 3

April 15, 2017July 5, 2020 / Mimi's Travel File / 1 Comment

St. Lucia (photo courtesy of Ladera Resort)

AnseChastanet-ScubaStLucia-004

Mustique (photo courtesy of The Firefly): Please note how undeveloped this is!

My husband has been sailing the deep, blue seas of the Caribbean for the past 30 years. He and his sailing friends have been to 95% of the islands…several times. So who better to ask, “Which are the best islands in the Caribbean?” By “best,” I mean no large cruise ships, no water slides, nothing resembling Cancun, no high-rise hotels, little-to-no pretense, relaxing and transporting. So here are the best, from one who knows!

Top Five, in no particular order

St. Barth’s—The Sophisticate with Retail and Restaurants

St. Barth’s charming small capital city, Gustavia, has narrow, old streets lined with sophisticated little boutiques, charming Caribbean cottage architecture, and nice little restaurants around the harbor. BUT St. Barth’s is mostly a wild, windswept island with some lovely hotels, beaches, and houses tucked here and there, i.e., not overly developed. St. Barth’s has some great restaurants (like Maya’s and Tamarin). St. Barth’s has it all…with just the tiniest bit of pretense here and there, but you really have to look for it.

beach from Hotel Le Toiny

You can stay at a hotel or rent a “villa.” If you want to be in a town, check out Eden Rock-St. Barths (charming, fun; Conde Nast Traveler 2017 likes it, too). To get away from it all and experience St. Barth’s wild wonderfulness, go to Hotel Le Toiny St. Barth (in a beautiful natural setting and very stylish; 14 villas on 42 acres; Architectural Digest 2016 also endorses it). Hotel Le Toiny’s DR overlooks the pools which overlooks a big sweep of green on a big crescent of beach…

Most restaurants on St. Barth’s are smaller and less formal than this dreamy one (photo courtesy of Hotel Le Toiny)

Love the bar at Hotel Le Toiny!

If you’d prefer to rent a house, WIMCO will take good care of you. Below is Cap au Vent, the house we rented several times via WIMCO. Upon our arrival, the charming caretaker couple (they live on the property but stay to themselves at the far end) had made dinner for us and left it in the fridge to warm up at our convenience, along with a good bottle of champagne. In the morning before we woke up, they delivered just-made croissants from the local bakery…and left us alone for the day. Houses w/out live-in caretakers are available, too, and WIMCO provides on-island help should you have questions about your “villa.”

Cap au Vent (photo courtesy of WIMCO)

Note: Most houses and hotels on St. Barth’s are not on the beaches. They are in the hills where the views are spectacular and the breezes are cooling. This island is very small, so you are never far away from one of the beautiful, unspoiled beaches. You will need to rent car. The roads are narrow and steep but you will get the hand of it quickly.

St. Lucia—Most Geographically Distinctive

Thanks to the Pitons, its twin-pointed mountain peaks, St. Lucia is the most geographically distinctive island in the Caribbean. This lush, jungle-y island has good scuba diving, beaches, hiking and some really nice hotels. Stay at Ladera! It is spectacularly situated in the saddle between the two Pitons (not on the beach but it has an arrangement with a beachfront hotel for use of its beach), with sweeping views down the verdant mountains to the beach. If you don’t stay here, definitely go for drinks and dinn. It’s the most dramatically beautiful place I’ve ever dined in the Caribbean…and, bonus, the food it good!

The view from Ladera for sunset drinks and dinn!

If you would rather stay on the beach, book Anse Chastanet because it has a fun beach bar and cheery open cottages built up the mountain.

Caribbean St. Lucia Anse ChastanetPremium Room (7f) & Pitons view

Anse Chastenet guest room: Ignore the painting and focus on this VIEW!

Anse Chastenet on St. Lucia

Saba—Old-Time Caribbean Loaded with Charm

Saba is the most unusual island in the Caribbean. The island is a dormant volcano sticking straight up out of the water. Saba’s small villages are in the caldera, not on the water because the island is too vertical. They are picture-perfect, neat, clean, and quaint. The only road is called “The Road” and Saba’s capital is called The Bottom because it sits in the bottom of the caldera. While its population is under 2,000 people, a world-class, respected medical school was established on small Saba in 1992 and has 250 students. Unusual, in the best way!

Saba: Note the town in the caldera! (photo courtesy of Michael Walker at michaelwalkerphotos.com)

Check out this charming government building in The Bottom! (photo courtesy of Cees Timmers for Saba Tourist Bureau)

Though Saba has no beaches, it has good diving!

Dive from Saba’s harbor and the Saba Bank Reef (photo courtesy of Cees Timmers for Saba Tourism Bureau)

The hiking on Saba looks glorious: 14 trails through lush green forests with big ocean views, abundant wildlife, and fairly cool temp’s because everything here is up, up, up.

(photo courtesy of Cees Timmers for Saba Tourist Bureau)

While not designer-chic like those on St. Barth’s, Saba’s hotels are small, clean and nice. I haven’t stayed at any of them but Saba’s tourism website will get you started (Queens Garden Resort and Haiku House look promising). Saba is simple living at its best, where you dive, hike, explore the villages, and laze by the pool. Ahhh….

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Queens Garden Resort (photo courtesy of Cees Timmers for Saba Tourist Bureau)

Iles des Saintes—Laid Back, Authentic, Unspoiled…& Colorblind

Off the coast of Guadeloupe, the Saintes are a group of small islands, two of which are inhabited, Terre-de-Bas and Terre-de-Haute (referring to the winds). Take the 15-minute ferry from T-de-H to T-de-Bas, as it’s fun to explore them both. They are uncrowded, with lovely beaches and snorkeling, simple towns with charming little bars and cafes. Neither island has fancy restaurants or hotels. I recommend you stay at Auberge Les Petits Saints, as we stayed here and can report that it is perfectly nice and the best on the island (Conde Nast Traveler recommends it, too). The most unusual thing about the Saintes is that its small population (less than 4,000 people) is colorblind (no racial tension). The population is very mixed and it’s not unusual to see green-eyed, pale-skinned black French-speaking locals.

(photo courtesy of Auberge Les Petits Saints)

“Terre-de-Haut is known for Pain de Sucre Beach’s coral-rich waters and palm-lined Les Saintes Bay. Overlooking the bay is 19th-century Fort Napoléon, with a museum and cactus garden. Trails cross the volcanic landscape of Terre-de-Bas Island, home to tranquil Grand Anse Beach,” per Wikipedia.

The Grenadines
- See post to follow soon for the specific islands in the Grenadines!!!!!

Lesser Antillean Hummingbird (photo courtesy of Anse Chastenet)

Let’s drink to these beautiful islands! (photo courtesy of Hotel Le Toiny)

Australia Awesomeness

December 5, 2016February 1, 2021 / Mimi's Travel File / 6 Comments

(photo courtesy of Tourism Australia/Richard Powers)

As luck would have it, a highly placed Australian diplomat sat next to my husband at a business lunch shortly before our trip to Australia. He recommended the following itinerary for first-time travelers to his native land. Said he, “My three priorities would be

Sydney (suggest 6 nights)
Uluru/Ayers Rock (suggest 2 nights)
driving from Brisbane to Noosa on the Sunshine Coast (suggest 4-5 nights).

“Should you have additional time, recommend you drive from:

Sydney to Canberra via the coast (suggest 3-4 nights)
followed by Melbourne or Tasmania (3-4 nights).”

And that’s just what we did! Following are the best from our trip and recent articles in Mimi’s Travel File:

(photo courtesy of Tourism Australia/Nick Rains)

Sydney

Australia’s population is 22 million, of whom approximately 4 million live in Melbourne and 5 million live in Sydney.

SEE THE SIGHTS in Sydney

See a show at the Opera House, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that houses six different theaters
Climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge or walk across it for great views. The guided climb up the arching span of the bridge is expensive and not for those afraid of heights–however, what a thrill!

Sydney Harbor Bridge w/Opera House (lower left) and Sydney Tower Eye (spindle-shaped building on right)

Get an aerial view of the city by going 40 stories up to the Sydney Tower Eye
Take a 10-minute taxi ride out of Sydney to Bondi Beach, a lovely crescent-shaped beach famous as a surfing destination. While there…
- Walk along the cliffs from Bondi Beach to Tamara Beach to Bronte Beach and back for gorgeous blue water views; then…
- Check out Icebergs SLC, the swimming club at Bondi’s tip with an outdoor pool. Wedged into a cliff, it’s refilled with sea water whenever the waves crash. Pools like this are an Australian institution found on most beaches but the Art Deco Icebergs pool is among the prettiest.

pool below Icebergs Dining Room and Bar

Loll away the afternoon upstairs at Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, a Mediterranean restaurant with a beautiful perch from which you can watch the surfers on Bondi Beach.

(photo courtesy of Icebergs Dining Room and Bar)

Back in Sydney, see…

Sydney Aquarium is more theme park than educational, except for the shark and Great Barrier Reef exhibit
Museum of Sydney is attractive and interesting
Australia National Maritime Museum is superficial
ANZAC War Memorial–acronym for Australia New Zealand Army Corps–a lovely Art Deco building in Hyde Park

(photo courtesy of ANZAC Memorial in Hyde Park)

Art Gallery of New South Wales–There are numerous commercial art galleries in Sydney specializing in Aboriginal art but the NSWAM is a good place to learn what the curators consider to be the best. You will also learn answers to such burning questions as: why the ubiquitous use of dots? Because the Aborigines often use the end of sticks to paint so dots are easy.

Aboriginal art (courtesy of New South Wales Museum)

Aboriginal art courtesy of New South Wales Museum

Sail around Sydney’s large harbor on an America’s Cup boat…so peaceful and pretty!

(photo courtesy of Tourism Australia/Hugh Stewart)

EAT, DRINK & BE MERRY in Sydney

Sydney’s Harbor is L-shaped and lined with restaurants with outdoor patios and amazing views of the Opera House, bridge and the boat traffic. Stroll the harbor to find the restaurant that appeals to you most.
The Rocks, a formerly bad neighborhood by Sydney Harbor’s docks, is now attractive with a nice assortment of bars and restaurants. We ate at the small, charming Scarlett.

St. George OpenAir Cinema

St. George OpenAir Cinema–This is FUN with a capital F! “In summer, old-timers and first-date couples alike gather at the Open-Air Cinema which screens mainly art-house films. The setting–beside the Botanic Gardens and overlooking the harbor–is thrilling…Many go just to watch the screen rise magically from the water at the beginning of the show.” (from a local brochure) We had a lovely dinner here on the harbor shore with attractive people, gazing at the Sydney skyline. The giant movie screen rose up from the shore and the movie began.

SHOP in Sydney

Paddington neighborhood is known for its top Australian fashion and jewelry designers.

STAY in Sydney

Pick a city hotel near the harbor (Circular Quay/the Rocks) so you will be close to everything.

Park Hyatt Sydney–(recommended by Andrew Harper, Travel+Leisure 2016, and moi, as I saw it in person) While this bedroom’s decor (below) is a bit spartan, the hotel is in a great location and has a pretty pool…(155 rooms)

luxury-hotels-sydney-park-hyatt-sydney-slide-2_lg

(photo courtesy of Park Hyatt Sydney)

luxury-hotels-sydney-park-hyatt-sydney-slide-4_lg

Please note that you can gaze at the Sydney Opera House while sipping a Mai Tai at the Park Hyatt’s pool!

The Langham–(recommended by Andrew Harper and Travel+Leisure 2016) Its website is beautiful! (98 rooms)
The Four Seasons looks pretty but it’s 531 rooms, which is just too BIG!

Ayers Rock, aka Uluru, aka the Red Centre

Uluru is a 3-hour flight from Sydney and a 1.5 hour time change from Sydney: THAT’S RIGHT, a one and a HALF hour time zone change!

Uluru and Longitude 131 hotel in foreground (photo courtesy of Longitude 131, whose luxury tents are the only manmade structures for miles around)

Uluru is 6 miles in circumference and abruptly rises 1140 feet above the surrounding flat desert. Formed 300 million years ago, Uluru is a dramatically beautiful place and sacred to the Aborigines. The area’s other fantastic geologic formation is Kata Tjuta, also known as The Olgas (see lumpy mountains below).

Our camels and cameleer going back to the stables, with The Olgas in the background

SEE THE SIGHTS in Uluru

Ride a camel to dinner in the beautiful desert! My husband and I rode for an hour from the camel camp with our cameleer…just the three of us. Camels are very sweet animals that can easily carry half of their weight.There were no other people around, just the three of us and the short, scrubby bushes, grasses and trees of the silent desert. The Olgas mountains were behind us as we rode towards Uluru.
Upon dismounting, a waiter welcomed us with cocktails. We then dined under the stars at the Voyages “Sounds of Silence” dinner in the desert, with about 50 tourists from all over the world. A beautiful experience surrounded by nature, despite its corny name.
Hike to the Olgas with a guide (private, of course), who will point out the Aboriginal art on the walls of the caves that you might not see otherwise.

The Olgas

up close and personal with the Olgas

Take a tour with SEIT Australia to the base of Ayers Rock and explore the Cultural Center. The tour ends with sunset cocktails overlooking the vast desert and lovely, lumpy Uluru.

STAY in Uluru

Sails in the Desert –Despite its somewhat cheesy website, this hotel is nice. Our room had a large private terrace on the second floor. (228 rooms but feels smaller)

Sails in the Desert’s reception area

Longitude 131°–This is THE place to stay. It is a luxury wilderness camp with unobstructed views of Uluru. Kate and Wills stayed here in 2014…and so should you! (15 tents)

Sydney to Canberra via the Coast

Drive 1 1/4 hours south from Sydney to Canberra on the coast road through the Southern Highlands region. Similar to California’s Napa Valley, the SH is a big foodie and vineyard Mecca. You will see rolling green hills, manicured cattle farms, and big, old rounded mountains.

Southern Highlands countryside

SEE THE SIGHTS in the Southern Highlands

Burrawang is an especially charming little town, with gingerbread cottages, tin roofs, front porches, and lovely gardens.

typical Southern Highlands house

Visit beautiful Kiama, on the Pacific Ocean Coast, where mountains drop down into rolling hills, which cascade onto white sand beaches with bright, blue/green water. Check out Bateman’s Bay and then up the plateau to Braidwood and Bungendore. Jervis Bay has good scenery. Should you choose to drive the inland route from Sydney to Canberra, go through Berrima and/or Bundanoon (sheep farms and forest).

Kiama, where the river (left) meets the ocean (right)

STAY in the Southern Highlands

Peppers Manor House–good restaurant here!

Canberra

The only thing we found of interest during our one-night stay here in Australia’s capital was the beautiful War Memorial, from which you can get a good view of Canberra.

Canberra’s War Memorial

Canberra’s War Museum: This wall is engraved with the names of Australians who died in various wars. A red poppy has been inserted next to some of those names.

Melbourne

SEE THE SIGHTS in Melbourne

Lose yourself in Melbourne’s network of narrow alleys with their gallery-sanctioned graffiti, easily three stories high! Specifically, AC/DC Lane, Howe Place, Croft Alley, Duckboard Place, and more.

Federation Square–Attractive modern building complex with an excellent visitors center, where you can pick up good self-guided walking tour maps; in addition, it’s a lively spot to have a light lunch while watching the street performers, tourists and professionals scurrying back to work. Also at Federation Square is the…
National Gallery of Victoria’s Ian Potter Center–stunning modern building that showcases Aboriginal art, as well as paintings and sculptures by 19th, 20th and 21st century Australian artists.
M.V. Grower–Take the 1/2 hour boat tour on the Yarra River that runs through Melbourne on a 1924 classic river boat. Because we took the last cruise of the day, we had the boat all to ourselves (plus the captain, of course)!
Tour the two, huge National Galleries of Victoria, whose buildings look like the Royal Palace in Beijing; the Ian Potter Center is a particularly striking modern building.
Museum of Melbourne–another huge, gorgeous, modern building where we learned a little about the history of Melbourne
Take the free streetcar from the Docklands to the Fitzroy (hip) neighborhood

STAY in Melbourne

The Adelphi–stylish, attractive, convenient location on Flinders Lane, once the center of the city’s rag trade, it is now home to hip restaurants, shops and galleries, as well as a nice mix of Victorian-era buildings and beautiful modern ones. (34 rooms)
The Langham–was highly recommended in a recent issue of Travel+Leisure but the website looks a bit bland; (360+ rooms)
Andrew Harper of the esteemed Harper’s Hideaways travel newsletter recommends the Hotel Lindrum (59 rooms) and the Park Hyatt (240 rooms)

EAT, DRINK & BE MERRY in Melbourne

Movida–fun restaurant with DELICIOUS tapas, located on a graffiti-painted side street, around the corner from The Adelphi Hotel. We ate here twice during our three-day stay in Melbourne!

Movida: a nice restaurant on the lane opposite Melbourne’s modern visitors center (photo courtesy of Visit Victoria/Robert Blackburn)

Queen Victoria Market–charming food stalls from another place and time; describes itself as the “largest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Casa Ciuccio–cute restaurant with delicious tapas in the Fitzroy neighborhood
Four out of five of travel guru Andrew Harper’s top Australian restaurant picks are in Melbourne. They are Chin Chin, ezard, Flower Drum and Grossi Florentino.

Sunshine Coast

Fly the two hours from Melbourne to Brisbane, and drive to Noosa along the Sunshine Coast. The terrain is steeply hilly and green with lots of beautiful, bright, flowering trees and bushes.

STAY in the Sunshine Coast

Spicers Clovelly Estate–10 rooms; great, fancy meals served in the main building; we stayed in a free-standing house which was big and wonderful with a front and back porch

Spicers Clovelly Estate

Spicers Clovelly Estate: Splendor in the Grass!

SEE THE SIGHTS in the Sunshine Coast

Glass House Mountains–drive the Glass House Mountains Scenic Drive

Drive around the hilly roads, visit little towns, like Montvale and Maleny, that are small and whose houses are 1-2-story buildings that look like a mix of 1920’s buildings from little towns in the rural U.S. west or south.
Hike Kondalilla National Park rain forest
Walk through the beautiful Mary Cairncross Park–a rainforest with palm trees where we say five wallabies (like beagle-sized kangaroos)
Drive to Noosa Heads, up and down sometimes steep roads surrounded by bright green pastures for cows, pineapple farms, banana plantations, and bright flowering trees to the…Walk its gorgeous beach where the water is a dreamy Coke bottle blueish green; at Sails Beach Restaurant and bar, while watching the surfers; and take the public ferry around the harbor for the one hour tour.

Fly out of Brisbane home or to Tasmania or to New Zealand. You name it! The world is your oyster.

Traveling Companion: “The Road to Coorain,” by Jill Ker Conway, who was born and raised in Australia’s outback, after which she moved to the US and eventually became Smith College’s first female president. Check out Longitude Books for other suggestions of books set in AU and/or considered Australian classics.

NOTE: The Great Barrier Reef was excluded from this itinerary because we traveled in January, which is the GBR’s hurricane season.

I leave you with these People Magazine-worthy parting shots from the arch atop Sydney’s harbor bridge…

Emma Thompson (photo courtesy of Bridge Climb Sydney)

Prince Harry (left) and pals (photo courtesy of Bridge Climb Sydney)

Heidi Klum (photo courtesy of Bridge Climb Sydney)

Galapagos & Machu Picchu: Wahoo!

September 13, 2016October 23, 2017 / Mimi's Travel File / 7 Comments

blue-footed booby feet (photo courtesy of National Geographic Expeditions)

If you’re going to the Galapagos Islands, you’re probably going to spend 2-3 nights in Quito, Ecuador. Do not resist going to Quito in the interest of saving time! Old, colonial Quito is a UNESCO World Heritage site…a nice city with lots to see. Suggest two full days here

STAY in Quito, Ecuador

Villa Colonna–HIGHLY recommend! This is a B&B but VERY upscale: beautifully decorated 19th century mansion with Latin American antiques, plus a lovely interior courtyard, plus amazing breakfasts (linens, crystal, fresh flowers & wonderful food) and interesting, non-intrusive, informative hosts. Great location in the heart of old Quito. (6 rooms)

view of Quito from Villa Colonna’s pretty rooftop terrace

Casa Gangotena–“the stateliest hotel in town” and “one of the most beautiful colonial buildings in the country,” according to Travel + Leisure, 2013. Andrew Harper and Departures magazine (2017) also like it. (31 rooms)

Casa Gangotena: Looks like a pretty place to rest after a day of seeing the sights!

SEE THE SIGHTS in Quito

Independence Square–Independence Square has it all: City Hall, alfresco shoe shines for $3, the Presidential Palace, the HUGE national cathedral with its green-and-white-checked tiled domes, boutiques tucked in niches, and lots of museums nearby, beautiful flower-filled gardens w/a big fountain at its center and lots of people, mostly native Ecuadorian Indians…in native Indian dress, which is refreshing because it is genuine, i.e., not put on for the tourists.

(photo courtesy of National Geographic Expeditions)

Fun and great eye candy!

Independence Square

Jesuit Church of La Campania de Jesus–Decorated with seven tons of gold leaf, this is referred to as Quito’s Sistine Chapel.

San Francisco Square–A huge (the largest in S. America!) monastery built in the 16th century occupies one corner of the square

San Francisco Square (photo courtesy of Casa Gangolena, which has a lovely elevated terrace overlooking the square)

EAT, DRINK & BE MERRY in Quito

Ask the sophisticated proprietors of Villa Colonna. They steered us to Zazu (in 2011), which we liked a lot.

GALAPAGOS!!!!!!

Blue-footed boobies, red-footed boobies, pink flamingos, snorkeling with giant turtles, sea lions, purple starfish, penguins…they’re all here, and more, plus stunning water, islands and silence.

The water really is this blue and the wildlife really is this relaxed with humans. This sea lion can jump 5′ up into the air! (photo courtesy of QuasarExpeditions)

You’ve heard of the famous blue-footed boobies, of course. (photo courtesy of National Geographic Expeditions)

But have you heard of the red-footed booby? You will see them in the Galapagos! (photo courtesy of National Geographic Expeditions)

Ever seen a Sally Lightfoot crab? You will in the Galapagos! (photo by Andy Coleman courtesy of National Geographic Expeditions)

The gorgeously colored animals were expected. The beauty of the various Galapagos Islands was unanticipated. For example…

Bartolomeo Island (photo by Paul Schicke courtesy of QuasarExpeditons)

sea lions taking a siesta (photo courtesy of National Geographic Expeditions)

STAY in the Galapagos:

There are two ways to see the GI’s: Stay on a ship and cruise from island to island or stay at one of the few hotels on land and take day trips from it to the islands.

HOTEL/ship in the Galapagos

The Grace (photo courtesy of QuasarExpeditions)

The Grace…as in, THAT Grace! Highly recommend this ship, built in 1928. Its one-time owner, “Ari” Onassis, gave it to Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier as a wedding present…a little bit of Hollywood glam in the Galapagos! Nice staff, highly knowledgeable naturalist guide, mediocre interior decor and food (but who cares, given the scenery and staff)…per my 2011 trip. (8 cabins)
Ecoventura‘s MV Origin…”The Origin is [Ecoventura’s] most luxurious vessel to date, with 10 staterooms for 20 passengers on the 142-foot yacht,” per Departures magazine (2017). I just looked at the MV Origin on Ecoventura’s website and think its public areas look a bit stiff and uncomfortable. The Grace is a much prettier ship.

The Grace’s serene deck (photo courtesy of QuasarExpeditions): Don’t worry, we never saw as many other ships as are pictured here.

breakfast aboard The Grace (photo courtesy of QuasarExpeditions)

The guide aboard The Grace was wonderfully knowledgeable, enthusiastic and fun.

Yes, you CAN swim with the giant turtles in the Galapagos! They ignore you. (photo courtesy of Galapagos Safari Camp)

SIZE MATTERS: You want a small ship for two, key reasons: (1) It can get into smaller anchorages/coves than a big ship, so you can go more places; (2) You will not have to wait for a large number of fellow passengers to lumber off the ship into dinghies taking them to/fro the various islands. At 145-feet long, The Grace was the perfect size.

TIP: Higher is not better. The closer your room is to the top, the more it will sway when the wind blows the ship. Go low for a smoother trip.

Suite on The Grace (photo courtesy of QuasarExpeditions)

SHOE TIP: From The Grace (or any ship), you will get into a dinghy that will take you to various Galapagos Islands. Some have a dock and some don’t, which means that you will sometimes have to step out of the dinghy into water a foot deep or less. So leave the Jimmy Choos at home and succumb to practical amphibious (read: ugly) shoes that will give you support for light, uphill hiking! You will thank me.

The Grace and her dinghy (photo courtesy of QuasarExpeditions)

HOTEL/land

Pikaia Lodge–While I think its website is a bit cold, Pikaia Lodge is recommended by Departures magazine (2017) and travel aficionado Andrew Harper, who has rarely steered me wrong. PL is also a member of the Small Luxury Hotel group.

Pikaia Lodge’s infinity pool

Galapagos Safari Camp–upscale, African-style tented camp, recommended by Andrew Harper, with a beautiful website!

Galapagos Safari Camp

This could be you on your room’s deck a the Galapagos Safari Camp!

MACHU PICCHU

CUZCO, Peru

Cuzco is your jumping-off point for Machu Picchu and well worth a visit. But brace yourself: This former Incan capital is 11,000 feet above sea level. As in, LOTS of huffing and puffing while walking up its hilly streets. Hydrate! Recommend 1-2 full days.

HOTELS in Cuzco

La Casona Inkaterra–Located on a lovely, quiet square, this former conquistador’s mansion is small, sophisticated, and beautifully decorated with colonial and Incan accents. Andrew Harper recommends it, as do I, as this was our base in Cusco. (11 rooms)

La Casona Inkaterra

La Casona Inkaterra

La Casona Inkaterra

Belmond Hotel Monasterio–Converted from a 16th century monastery, this hotel has received a lot of mention in the travel media and is perfectly nice but lacking the charm of the Inkaterra. (122 rooms & suites)
Belmond Palacio Nazarenes–“Dating from the 16th century, this former convent is now a luxe hotel with 55 suites, the city’s first outdoor heated swimming pool, lush terraces…” (Elle Décor, 2015)

SEE THE SIGHTS in Cuzco

The Cathedral–baroque, 17th century
The Qorikancha (Temple of the Sun)–a huge Dominican monastery built atop the ruins of a former Incan temple
People-watching–because MANY of the local Indians wear their colorful and beautifully woven shawls, hats, skirts, etc. Such a variety of hats!
Museum of Pre-Columbian Art–Located on the same square as La Casona and Hotel Monasterio, this is a beautiful building with a semi-interesting collection due to its uninformative descriptions next to each object
UNSAAC–Yale International Center for the Study of Machu Picchu and Inca Culture (320 Calle Santa Catalina Ancha)–recommended by a 2012 Departures article

Peruvian next to an ancient Incan wall in Cuzco (photo courtesy of National Geographic Expeditions)

SHOP in Cuzco

Pedazo de Arte (Plateros 334B)–“The owner of this charming boutique, Miki Suzuki, has an eye for the best local handicrafts, which she sells for bargain prices…” (Elle Décor 2015)

MACHU PICCHU! (advise 1 night w/5 hours total of MP touring time)

FYI: Machu Picchu is an abandoned fortified town built by the Incans in the 15th-century, which is pretty amazing, when you consider how hard it must have been to construct without modern tools and atop a mountain ridge 7,970 ft above sea level! It is located in Peru, 50 miles northwest of Cuzco. Although known locally, it remained unknown to the outside world until Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911. Bingham, a Yale and Harvard man who later taught at Princeton, discovered Machu Picchu with the help of local farmers who led him to it through the remote mountain jungle.

IMPORTANT TIP #1: The typical transpo from Cuzco to MP is a crowded van-to-train-to-bus. However, who wants to be typical?! Advise you not to settle for that crowded van; instead, contact Inkaterra (upscale Peruvian travel agency and hotelier) to arrange for private transportation from Cuzco to the train. During the non-rainy season, you can get a train from Cuzco to Aguas Calientes. The train portion of the trip is wonderful because it is clean and travels through stunning, flowered-filled jungle scenery up to Aguas Calientes, the small town at the base of MP’s mountain. We saw wild impatiens, hydrangea, orchids and many more.

(photo courtesy of Belmond)

IMPORTANT TIP #2: Do not travel to MP during the rainy season because sometimes the rain is so torrential that the train to MP is cancelled.

We saw this bird! Machu Picchu is waaaay up high and in the middle of nowhere, hence its exotic birds and flowers. Such an unexpected treat!

IMPORTANT TIP #3: Upon disembarking from the train in Aguas Calientes, you have two options: hike up to MP (must be in good shape & have acclimated to the altitude, as it is steep…but possible) or take the bus up the switchbacks to MP.

Machu Picchu is surrounded by nothing but VERY high mountains as far as the eye can see=seriously remote! (photo courtesy of National Geographic Expeditions)

HOTELS in Machu Picchu

Belmond Sanctuary Lodge–Do it! The BSL is the one and only hotel located on the mountaintop with Machu Picchu. Strongly recommend you spend the night, so you can see the grand and glorious MP after the day-trippers depart, as well as avoid long MP entrance ticket lines. Though the Lodge was nice when I was there in 2011, a 2012 article in “Departures” described it as “a bit down on its ear.”

Belmond Sanctuary Lodge (photo courtesy of Belmond)

View of MP from the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge (photo courtesy of Belmond)

TIP: If the BSL is full and you can’t spend the night, I would not recommend spending the night in Aquas Calientes (the town at the base of MP’s mountain, from which you catch the bus up to MP), as it is dumpy.

I really wish I had known about this before going to Machu Picchu…

“Between Cusco and Machu Picchu, the geographically dramatic Sacred Valley abounds with views of the snow-capped Andes and largely unvisited Incan sites, including Moray, where agricultural terraces in concentric circles descend almost 150 feet.” (Departures 2012)

Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba in the Sacred Valley: Gorgeous Andes!

I also wish I had known about sophisticated, high-end Inkaterra, the Peruvian travel planner and hotelier that can arrange smooth, comfortable transport to/from Machu Picchu and other great areas of Peru, like the Sacred Valley. Look at Inkaterra’s beautiful hotel there…

I could have stayed in this lovely room at Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba while touring remote, ancient Inca sites by day! I didn’t, so you will have to do it for me.

“Stop for lunch at Hacienda Huayoccari (51-8/425-4197) where the estate’s owner, José Ignacio Lambarri Orihuela…opens his home to a select few, showing off one of the most impressive private collections of pre-Colombian artifacts.” (Departures 2012)

Other hotels in the Sacred Valley include:

“In Urubamba, one of the valley’s largest towns, Tamba del Inka…a member of Starwood’s Luxury Collection, opened its 128 rooms…on the banks of the Urubamba River in 2010…The lovely Sol y Luna meanwhile, recently added 15 deluxe casitas to its 25 gardened acres…with private patios, fireplaces…” (per Departures 2012) The photos on Sol y Luna’s web site look beautiful…a bit like Colorado in the summertime. Sol y Luna is one hour from the airport and Cuzco.

orchid near Machu Picchu (photo courtesy of Inkaterra)

Machu Picchu flora and fauna (photo courtesy of Inkaterra)