Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

Ernest Hemingway lived on the small island chain in the Bahamas from 1935-1937 and famously drank vodka martinis, extra dry with olives, inside the Compleat Angler Hotel, which burned down in 2006.

“Swim, eat, drink, work, read, talk, read, fish, fish, swim, drink, sleep.” That’s Bimini, summed up by a character in Hemingway’s novel “Islands in the Stream.”

Walking along a quiet stretch of white-sand beach, I’ve come to appreciate this remote retreat of old-school fishermen, miles of mangroves and spectacular ocean views.

The first group of islands in the Bahamas chain, Bimini — with the small islands of North Bimini and South Bimini at its core — is only about 50 miles from Miami, but the slow-and-easy lifestyle on the historic atoll feels like a world away.

Adam Clayton Powell, the late congressman from New York who embraced a self-imposed exile on Bimini in 1967, was known for sipping scotch and milk inside The End of the World Bar and referring to Bimini as a “shaggy paradise.”

For me, Bimini has always been a tranquil place to escape the commotion of big-city living, a sandy haven where I can sit and listen to the ocean waves gently slapping the shoreline.

“When you look at the ocean in Bimini you can often see a dozen different shades of blue and green,” said Capt. Ansil Saunders, an 80-year-old world-renown fisherman, boat builder and local legend.

North Bimini is only seven miles long and less than a mile wide, so walking and biking along the main road — “The King’s Highway” — is the best way to experience Bimini. With 1,600 residents in Bimini, there are no crowds or long lines and rush-hour traffic is often just a three-golf-cart pile-up in a hotel parking lot.

Take a leisurely stroll through Alice Town, Bimini’s main settlement that dates back to 1848, and you’ll find a cozy collection of small shops, family-owned restaurants and bars, one bank and plenty of engaging conversation.

What you won’t find in Alice Town are traffic lights.

“People come to Bimini because it’s a laid-back destination,” Anthony Stuart, general manager of the Bimini Tourist Office, said in a recent interview. “They walk the street, sit on the side of the road, meet local people, listen to music and experience good food — and that includes fresh-baked Bimini bread.”

And, Stuart added proudly, “Bimini is safe.”

I’ve traveled to Bimini many times over the years and even though swimming, eating, reading, talking and drinking consumed most of my days, exploring Bimini’s enchanting underwater world was also at the top of my to-do list.

Fifty feet beneath the sea, Bimini offers an array of shipwrecks, shark dives, swim-through caverns and tunnels and colorful coral heads resting on the ocean floor. Divers also come to Bimini to explore the fascinating limestone formations that some believe to be the Lost Continent of Atlantis. (Nondivers can also experience Bimini’s reefs through daily snorkeling trips. Snorkeling is a fun and easy way to spot angel fish, moray eels, sea turtles and many other forms of exotic marine life. )

“The scuba diving here is great,” Saunders said. “The reefs are very beautiful and many people come here to dive with dolphins.”

Tourists who venture near the docks may run into Saunders, Bimini’s most well-known resident.

Saunders served as a personal guide to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1964, when King wrote his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech on Bimini. King also returned to Bimini in 1968 to write the last speech he delivered, to the sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, before his death.

Forty-eight years ago, King wrote part of his eulogy in Saunders’ wooden boat deep in the Bimini mangroves, a winding swamp of thick bushes and trees where 100 species of fish and marine life fill the murky waters.

“There was such humility about Dr. King,” Saunders recalled. “He enjoyed communing with nature in the mangroves. Birds were singing. Stingrays were swimming by. He was inspired. When he first stepped foot on this soil, I could tell there was something special about Dr. King and Bimini.”

Bimini is known as the big-game fishing capital of the world. Anglers have been traveling to Bimini for decades to snare bonefish, snapper, tuna and wahoo. The island has become famous for its international fishing competitions and Bahamian guides, like Saunders, are skilled tradesmen.

Even though Bimini is still a sleepy little island, change is coming fast. A new casino is almost completed and expected to open sometime in 2013. The casino coincides with a “fast ferry” between South Florida and Bimini that will offer tourists an alternative to flying.

There is only one airport serving Bimini — South Bimini Airport (BIM). Daily scheduled air service is available to Bimini from Nassau, Grand Bahama Island and Florida.

Where to stay

I like the Bimini Big Game Club and the Bimini Bay Resort.

Founded in 1947, the Big Game Club is situated just off the main road in Alice Town. With 51 rooms and quaint cottages, the hotel also offers a 75-slip marina for tourists who arrive by boat. It’s a comfortable, clean and friendly facility within walking distance of Alice Town’s restaurants and bars.

The Bimini Bay Resort is a new luxurious property that features 374 Caribbean-style hotel rooms with authentic Bahamian décor. The resort features several upscale and inexpensive restaurants and a popular infinity pool that overlooks the ocean. Bimini Bay Resort is not as close to Alice Town as the Big Game Club, but it’s only a short ride by taxi, golf cart or bike to town.

Where to eat

The Anchorage Restaurant & Bar in Alice Town is a staple in Bimini that overlooks the sea. It’s a small, inexpensive family-owned restaurant serving genuine Bahamian food. Try the conch fritters and conch salad.

The Bimini Big Game Bar and Grill serves good burgers, fresh fish sandwiches, pizza and steak.

At the Bimini Bay Resort, Sabor is the resort’s most upscale restaurant, and Bimini’s most fashionable eatery. Try the conch ceviche and fish tacos.

If you’re looking for nightlife and club-hopping, stick with Nassau, but if it’s serenity near the ocean that sounds appealing, then you might want to consider Bimini — a stress-free destination for stressed-out travelers.

As one Bimini native once told me: “No rushing, no pressure, no heart attacks.”

Michael H. Cottman writes about national politics for BlackAmericaWeb.com. He is an avid scuba diver and the author of “The Wreck of the Henrietta Marie,” the story of a British slave ship that sank off the coast of Key West, Florida, in 1700 and Cottman’s personal journey retracing its route and scuba diving inlets where the ship anchored.

Editor’s note: Author and travel writer Hilary Davidson recently went on tour to promote her latest mystery, “Evil in All its Disguises.” CNN.com asked her to pick her favorite independent bookstores.

Surprisingly good, it turns out.

I’ve published three novels over the past three years, and each time I head out on tour, I discover amazing bookstores. While it’s hard to beat the Internet for sheer efficiency, virtual book-buying can’t satisfy the same itch for discovery that browsing in person can. Moreover, it’s become easy to love e-books and local stores since Kobo started partnering with independents to make some 3 million titles available electronically.

The stores that are succeeding offer a mix of author visits, staff recommendations and community outreach that’s impossible to replace. While there are incredible indies all over North America, these are my favorites:

BookPeople: Austin, Texas

They say everything is bigger in the Lone Star State, and BookPeople seems determined to make that point. This three-story shop has sat on a prime plot of downtown Austin real estate since 1970, and its marquee sign out front lists that day’s special guests, which have included former presidents, rock stars and best-selling novelists. What makes BookPeople special is that it’s just as welcoming to newly minted authors, too. While every department is fully stocked, crime novels get a lot of love here, especially since the 2012 launch of MysteryPeople, a store within the original store. Big as the store is, it’s still a place where handwritten notes from staff line the shelves, personally recommending favorite reads.

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The Poisoned Pen: Scottsdale, Arizona

While its name suggests a criminal enterprise, The Poisoned Pen specializes in fiction — not only mysteries, but historical novels, literary fiction and works set in the Southwest. Still, crime fiction is close to its dark little heart — beating since 1989 — and this is a place that stocks its shelves with British and Canadian titles that are often impossible to find elsewhere. The store’s owners are so passionate about books that they founded the Poisoned Pen Press in 1997, and it’s since become one of the largest hardcover publishers of English-language mysteries in the world. I think of it as the little press that could.

Ben McNally Books: Toronto

If I could give an award for the most beautiful bookstore in North America, this one in Toronto’s Financial District would win. With its soaring ceiling, elegant chandeliers, slender columns and leather wing chairs, Ben McNally looks like an idyllic private club for book lovers. Some dedicated bookworms have even tied the knot in the store. Beautiful as it is, the shop’s biggest strength is its charming staff, who are adept at sussing out any visitor’s interests and recommending what to read next. Seductive as their home base is, they also sponsor readings and events around the city.

Mysterious Galaxy: Redondo Beach, California

The first time I encountered the staff of this shop wasn’t at the store itself, but at a Noir at the Bar reading in Los Angeles — a popular crime fiction reading series that takes place in cities across the country. Home base is a shiny new space that only opened in 2011 (the original San Diego store has been operating since 1993), but Mysterious Galaxy is hardwired into the local community, hosting author events at schools, its popular Ladies, Lunch & Literacy program at independently owned restaurants, and organizing the Passion & Prose conference for romance readers.

Subterranean Books: St. Louis

When Subterranean opened in 2000, it carried a mix of new and secondhand books; since then, it’s shifted its focus to carrying only new books. But they don’t try to stock everything. Instead, they’ve carved out a niche with cult-classic novels, intriguing offerings from small presses, and books about film, pop culture and history. Everything in the store has been personally selected by staff members, so their recommendations are deeply personal.

The Tattered Cover: Denver

Technically, there are three branches of the Tattered Cover, and each one is spectacular in its own right. The downtown store near Union Station, which boasts 20,000 square feet of retail space, is where the Dalai Lama reads when he comes to town, and there’s the gorgeous Highlands Ranch outpost in the suburbs. My personal favorite is the location on East Colfax Avenue, which remade the historic Lowenstein Theater into a bibliophile’s paradise with cozy corners and couches.

McNally Jackson: New York

It looks like an elegant, old-fashioned bookstore, with its tightly packed rows of bookshelves, overstuffed international newsstand and a café that serves rose water and cappuccino. But underneath that elegant surface beats the heart of an innovator. That was clear when McNally Jackson introduced its Espresso Book Machine, which takes mere minutes to print library-quality paperbacks from a catalog of almost 4 million titles. (That same machine also allows authors who wish to self-publish in print easy access to a press.)

Book Passage: San Francisco

This shop has two locations, but the tiny one in the San Francisco Ferry Building is the one that grabbed my heart. I discovered it while attending a conference, and I was instantly charmed by its towering shelves, spectacular travel section and inspiring view of the water. Two years later, I returned on tour and found the same staff I’d met the first time still working in the store. “We never want to leave,” one told me. I didn’t either.

La Maison Anglaise: Quebec City

In a city where fewer than 5% of the population is Anglophone, what hope could there be for a store specializing in English-language books? La Maison Anglaise, whose name translates as The English House, has been going strong since 1984 in its small space near Laval University. That’s partly because its owner, Guy Dubois, is an extraordinary organizer who co-founded the QuebeCrime literary festival, which has drawn superstar writers such as Lawrence Block, Ian Rankin and Daniel Woodrell to town.

Parnassus Books: Nashville

This is the one store on my list that I haven’t visited — yet. But I’ll be in Nashville for a conference in August, and Parnassus Books is at the top of my sightseeing list. One reason why is that the store was co-founded by Ann Patchett, the author of “Bel Canto” and one of my favorite novelists. I love the fact that she opened this store at the end of 2011 when independent bookstores appeared to be in steep decline. (Patchett decided to open the store after Nashville lost its last local bookshop, saying she had “no interest in living in a city without a bookstore.”)

Where do you like to find your next book, whether it’s a local bookstore, the library or the Internet? Please share in the comments below.

At times, though, the hotels play a leading role, providing memorable settings that are characters unto themselves.

Oscar’s tour of the world

Naturally, California has many such hotels, but movie star hotels are scattered all over the world. In honor of Oscar season, here are a handful of hotels that make for award winning, star-kissed vacations.

“Some Like It Hot”

Hotel del Coronado, San Diego

One of America’s most beloved comedies, 1959′s zany “Some Like It Hot,” starring Marilyn Monroe and drag-bedecked Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, used the Hotel del Coronado as a main location. Set in 1929, the comedy’s plot centers around two musicians escaping from the mob by dressing up as women to join an all-female band. The film was nominated for several Oscars, but didn’t get a nomination for best picture.

The hotel turns 125 this year, and completed an $8 million renovation in 2012. Over its long history, the Victorian hotel, noted for its wraparound porches (highlighted in the film where rows of men wait to watch for Monroe’s character, Sugar, to return to the hotel), has been the site of many films, including 1915′s “Pearl of the Pacific” and 1924′s “My Husband’s Wives.”

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“The Shining”

Timberline Lodge, Oregon

Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado

The Timberline Lodge was used as the exterior of the Overlook Hotel for the 1980 Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick movie “The Shining,” starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. The plot centers on a couple and their son, the hotel’s winter caretakers. It turns out the hotel is haunted, driving the father (Nicholson’s character, Jack Torrance) insane.

Many of the outdoor scenes were shot at the Timberline, a ski resort in the shadows of Mount Hood. Creepy indoor scenes, including endless hallways, along with the hedge maze scene, were sets created in the United Kingdom at Elstree Studios.

The movie is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, inspired by King’s stay at Colorado’s Stanley Hotel. The hotel, just outside Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, is considered haunted and is routinely surveyed for paranormal activity. The hotel was used in 1994′s “Dumb and Dumber” and called Hotel Danbury.

“Lawrence of Arabia”

Hotel Alfonso XIII, Seville, Spain

Several scenes from “Lawrence of Arabia,” the 1962 British film about T.E. Lawrence’s World War I exploits, starring Peter O’Toole, were filmed at this 1929 Moorish style Seville property. 2012 marked the 50th anniversary of the film, which was released in a digitally remastered version.

The hotel went through a similar renewal, with a $25 million renovation completed in 2012 that included a new restaurant, bar and guest rooms. The decor in the hotel’s rooms captures different eras of Spain’s past with Andalusian, Castilian and Moorish elements.

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“Argo”

The Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, California

This midcentury Beverly Hills classic was opened in 1955 by Conrad Hilton, great grandfather to blond socialite Paris Hilton. The Aqua Star Pool, the largest heated pool in Beverly Hills, is surrounded by cabana guest rooms for easy access to the Southern California sunshine.

Some of the hotel’s pool level area, where restaurants Circa 55 and Trader Vic’s Lounge are located, have retained the original 1950s “Mad Men”-style color schemes.

The hotel’s eighth-floor Stardust Room was featured in “Argo,” the Iran hostage drama that won this year’s Oscar for best picture. Ben Affleck’s character, Tony Mendez (based on a real CIA operative), heads to the hotel to mingle with Hollywood’s elite as part of a farfetched rescue scheme for American hostages.

The hotel has hosted the Golden Globe Awards for 35 consecutive years

“Pretty Woman”

Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills, California

Another Beverly Hills hotel featured in movies is the Beverly Wilshire, just around the corner from Rodeo Drive.

The 1928 Italian Renaissance style hotel, now part of the Four Seasons, has a big role in 1990′s “Pretty Woman,” starring Richard Gere as a ruthless businessman and Julia Roberts as a prostitute who softens his heart. Roberts’ scantily clad character is frowned upon by hotel staff, but eventually wins them over with her personality and wardrobe transformation. The hotel is so associated with the film that many Los Angelenos simply point it out as the “Pretty Woman” hotel.

The nearly 400-room hotel includes 137 luxury suites and a Mediterranean-style pool with cabana packages starting at $180.

“Lost in Translation”

Park Hyatt Tokyo, Tokyo

“Lost in Translation,” a 2003 movie starring Bill Murray as a fading actor and Scarlett Johansson as a lonely young American newlywed whose husband is busy working, uses the Park Hyatt Tokyo to tremendous effect. Occupying the top 14 floors of the Shinjuku Park Tower, the sleek Park Hyatt Tokyo boasts commanding views and was a hotel of choice for director Sofia Coppola before the film. The vast, chaotic neon-lit view from the serene hotel emphasizes the loneliness of both main characters.

“Ten years have passed since the film’s release, yet it continues to be a catalyst for people to discover both Park Hyatt Tokyo and the city of Tokyo,” said Philippe Roux-Dessarps, Park Hyatt Tokyo’s general manager.

“How Stella Got Her Groove Back”

Round Hill Hotel and Villas, Montego Bay, Jamaica

Get your groove back at the Round Hill Hotel and Villas, set on a lush 100-acre peninsula in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The hotel was the setting for 1998′s “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” starring Angela Bassett as workaholic divorcee Stella Payne, Taye Diggs as much-younger love interest Winston Shakespeare and Whoopi Goldberg as sidekick Delilah Abraham.

The movie uses the hotel’s rooms and views beautifully, with vistas of the verdant landscape and beach.

The resort has 36 Ralph Lauren-designed rooms in its main building, called the Pineapple House, along with 27 private villas, the type of room Stella stayed in. Other highlights are an open-air dining terrace, a double infinity pool, five all-weather tennis courts and a spa housed in a restored 18th century plantation house.

“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”

Hotel Palacio, Estoril, Portugal

Plenty of hotels have been used as James Bond locations, yet few are said to have helped inspire the character. The 1930 Hotel Palacio reportedly did just that for author Ian Fleming. As a neutral country during World War II, Portugal played host to spies, deposed royalty, black marketers and many others who came to stay at the hotel and play in the casino on the Estoril Coast outside Lisbon. As a British Naval Intelligence officer, young Fleming rubbed elbows with some of those colorful characters at the hotel.

While many remember dramatic Swiss Alps ski scenes with machine guns setting off avalanches, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” opens on the beaches of Portugal, with James Bond staying at the Hotel Palacio overlooking the Bay of Cascais. To this day, the hotel’s bar is renowned for its very strong martinis, which you can order shaken, stirred or however you like.

The House of Representatives approved the legislation, capping a major congressional initiative as delays snarled traffic at airports. The House vote comes a day after unanimous approval by the U.S. Senate.

The measure — which is expected to be signed into law by President Obama — gives the Transportation Department budget planners new flexibility for dealing with forced spending cuts.

It would also allow authorities to protect 149 control towers at small- and medium-sized airports that are slated for closure for budgetary reasons.

“Good news for America’s traveling public,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said a day before the House vote.

“But ultimately, this is no more than a temporary Band-Aid that fails to address the overarching threat to our economy posed by the sequester’s mindless across the board cuts.”

Furloughs affecting some 15,000 Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers began this week with the agency saying it had no flexibility to avert them without action by Congress.

Under the sweeping austerity triggered by congressional inaction on deficit reduction, the FAA was required to cut $600 million from its budget.

The furloughs have delayed more than 3,000 flights since Sunday, according to FAA tallies. By comparison, there were more than 4,400 delays due to weather and other factors, the agency said.

Controller furloughs and the planned closure of towers that are privately run but overseen by federal aviation regulators have become political flash points in the partisan-fueled debate over spending in Washington.

They have been highlighted by many to illustrate a clear nationwide consequence of the $85 billion in government-wide cuts that took effect in March and may otherwise not be apparent to the public.

Vocal and politically powerful aviation interests have argued that the budget cuts affecting their industry would hurt business, travelers and cost jobs. More than 600 million people fly U.S. airlines each year, figures show.

During the furloughs, controllers have been spacing planes farther apart at key centers so they can manage traffic with current staffing, the FAA said.

Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins said she worried that continued FAA furloughs could jeopardize jobs throughout the travel and hospitality industry.

Earlier this spring, Congress approved a stop-gap budget law that would, among other things, ease budget cuts for the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and Veterans Affairs.

The deal moved quickly through the Senate.

“Something rare has happened in Washington; the Senate came together on a bipartisan basis to put common sense before politics,” Republican Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas said Thursday.

CNN’s Mike Ahlers, Jim Acosta, Dana Bash and Kevin Liptak and CNNMoney’s Jennifer Liberto contributed to this report

From the windswept beaches of Tierra del Fuego at South America’s tip to sunny Cape Town, South Africa, and Melbourne, Australia, penguin colonies exist in many strikingly beautiful destinations in the Southern Hemisphere.

There’s no denying it: Penguins are among the most charismatic creatures. Their notorious curiosity, waddling gait and comical body language seldom fail to charm. But these flightless sea birds have evolved over 15 million years to become strong, nimble swimmers that often migrate long distances in pursuit of fish following seasonal ocean currents.

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Today, most of the 18 species of penguins are in decline because of climate change, habitat destruction, pollution and overfishing — in fact, more than half are considered endangered. You can support their survival by visiting carefully managed colonies where tour operators respect penguin habitat and educate visitors about conservation efforts.

November through March — when it’s the warmest in the Southern Hemisphere — is prime time for viewing many penguin species. During the warm season, they spend more time on shore to breed, nest and raise their young.

Check out these amazing penguin spots:

Tierra del Fuego (Argentina and Chile)

Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, boasts several tour operators offering day cruises to view penguins and other marine life. But only one, PiraTour, gives visitors the chance to walk among the penguins.

PiraTour runs two six-hour tours daily from the port of Ushuaia. Tours are limited to 20 people, so be sure to make reservations well in advance. A 90-minute minivan ride takes visitors through Patagonian forests and along secluded pebbly coves before arriving at Estancia Harberton, a charming family-owned farm and marine center. From there, visitors transfer to a boat for a short ride to Isla Martillo, a research station that monitors the 3,000 pairs of Magellanic penguins and a small colony of gentoo penguins that nest here between September and April.

Visitors will spend up to an hour observing the very vocal Magellanic penguins, which bellow and strut along the beach by the hundreds. The tour guide will instruct you to maintain a safe distance from the birds, but be prepared for them to approach you as penguins can be extremely curious. After a few minutes on the beach, you’ll be led up a bluff to see their nesting ground, where the birds often return to the same mate and same nest year after year.

Back at Estancia Harberton, you’ll have time to grab a hot drink at the tea room or explore the farm’s on-site marine research center. There is also a guest house and camp sites; contact Harberton directly if you want to extend your visit to this peaceful haven. Otherwise, Ushuaia offers a wide range of accommodation options, from backpacker hostels to luxury hotels perched on glacial mountainsides overlooking the city.

PiraTour, U.S. $95 for a six-hour tour (50% discount for children under 12), plus $13 entry fee to Estancia Harberton

Phillip Island, Australia

Since the 1920s, tourists have flocked to Phillip Island to witness the smallest penguin species, known as little penguins or fairy penguins, return to shore each evening to feed their young after a long day of fishing. Only 12 inches tall and weighing less than 3 pounds, the little penguin is found only in Australia and New Zealand.

For decades, the penguins on Phillip Island were largely unprotected from the throngs of sightseers, but today most visitors observe the evening penguin “parade” from elevated boardwalks and viewing platforms to minimize disturbances to the birds.

For those who want a more up-close-and-personal experience, a limited number of tickets are available each day for small group, ranger-guided tours where you can walk among penguins on a secluded beach. The ticket price helps support conservation work on the island, including habitat restoration and research focusing on how penguins are affected by climate change, development and invasive species.

Phillip Island is a 90-minute drive from Melbourne, but plan on spending at least a couple of days here to enjoy all its wildlife, including koalas, wallabies, elusive anteaters, seals and whales.

Phillip Island Nature Park, prices start at U.S. $23 for evening viewing from a platform, $46 for close-up viewing and $82.50 for a private, ranger-guided ecoadventure in a part of the penguin colony that’s closed to the general public.

Cape Town, South Africa

The southern tip of Africa offers numerous opportunities to view the African penguin, previously known as the jackass penguin because of its distinctive donkey-like bray.

African penguins have declined by 80% in the past 50 years because of pollution, development, climate change and irresponsible tourism activities. The Boulders Beach colony, about 24 miles from Cape Town, was only established in 1983, but it’s now an important habitat for the endangered bird.

As its name suggests, the beach is strewn with granite boulders, which create an impressive backdrop for photographing the penguins. Today, boardwalk viewing areas help protect the birds from excessive human contact, although you may encounter penguins while swimming and should take care not to approach them if possible.

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Boulders Beach is part of Table Mountain National Park, situated at the convergence of the Atlantic and Indian oceans on the Cape of Good Hope. Hiking, mountain biking, wind sailing and wildlife viewing are just a few of the activities here that offer impressive views of Cape Town and the surrounding countryside. The nearby village of Simon’s Town, with its historic cottages and cobblestone streets, provides numerous accommodation and dining options.

Table Mountain National Park, visitors to the park pay a daily conservation fee of U.S. $5.30 per adult and $2.50 per child.

Otago Peninsula, New Zealand

Even in a country known for its dramatic scenery and amazing wildlife, the Otago Peninsula stands out. Located on New Zealand’s South Island, the peninsula was born of volcanic eruptions that created steep mountains and rugged sea cliffs. It’s a hot spot for marine wildlife viewing — seals, sea lions, elephant seals and, of course, penguins. Here it’s possible to see both the little penguin and the rare yellow-eyed penguin.

A number of tour operators on the peninsula are committed to environmental education and sustainable ecotourism. Nature Guides Otago offers naturalist-led tours as well as lodging that emphasize sustainability and support penguin habitat restoration and conservation.

Another option is Penguin Place, a conservation reserve on a private farm. Visitors begin the tour by learning about penguin conservation efforts before proceeding to a series of trenches and observation huts. From these vantage points, they are treated to up-close views of a yellow-eyed penguin colony while minimizing disturbances to the birds, which live in coastal forests and have suffered significant habitat loss from logging.

Nature Guides Otago, a sunrise tour of a yellow-eyed penguin colony, maximum six people, runs U.S. $75 per person. Nature packages, which include two nights at a B&B cottage, sunrise penguin tour and a daylong tour of the Otago Peninsula, run $540 per person. Note that tour priority is given to those staying at the cottage.

Penguin Place, penguin tours run throughout the day. Price is U.S. $41 for adults and $10 for children. Budget accommodations are available at the Penguin Place Lodge for U.S. $22 adults, $8.50 children

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

It comes as a surprise to most travelers that a trip to the Galapagos could include the chance to see penguins. But in fact, the islands are home to the only penguin that lives in a tropical climate. Unlike other species that migrate according to the season, endangered Galapagos penguins live here year-round, especially in the colder waters of the western islands such as Isla Isabela.

Almost any tour of the Galapagos includes the chance to see an incredible variety of wildlife, but some operators specifically offer penguin tours. More likely than not you’ll be observing the birds from a boat, but if the tour includes snorkeling in an area frequented by penguins, there’s a chance that you could end up swimming with the birds.

Southern Exploration, a member of the International Ecotourism Society, is one tour operator that offers the chance to see penguins at close range. However, since the Galapagos National Park Service restricts tourists to specific areas and may limit access depending on conditions, it’s best to contact tour operators directly to confirm that you’ll be able to see penguins on your trip. Talk through the options carefully with the booking agent to make sure your expectations will be met.

Southern Explorations, four to 15-day Galapagos cruising tours with an English-speaking guide, start at around U.S. $3,000 up to about $6,000, including the flight from Quito to the Galapagos. Ask to speak to a Galapagos expert and tell them you are interested in seeing penguins so they can find an appropriate tour during your travel dates. Avoid holiday travel unless you book a year or more in advance — tours around Christmas and Easter fill up fast.

It’s summer vacation planning season and travel recommendation site Gogobot’s users have whittled down the long list of possibilities by homing in on their favorites. On Tuesday, Gogobot released its top picks in two categories — best natural wonders and best guided tours — based on survey responses and nominations from its community of 2.5 million registered users, as well as reviews posted in the last 12 months for each destination or tour.

The best-of lists are part of Gogobot’s annual Travelers’ Favorite Awards.

“We really want to pique people’s curiosity and help them discover places they might not have thought about or might not have heard of that they’d find really fun,” said Travis Katz, Gogobot CEO and co-founder.

In the guided tours category, those ideas include the Seattle Underground Tour, which takes visitors through parts of Seattle buildings that were largely built over after the Great Fire of 1889.

The top pick in the natural wonders category is far more visible, especially from the beaches of Waikiki: Diamond Head State Monument in Honolulu tops the list, followed by the Grand Canyon, Northern California’s Muir Woods and other awe-inspiring natural sites in the United States and beyond.

Check out the gallery above for the top 10 wonders and see the top guided tour recommendations here.

Forget golden sands and swaying palms — the reality of solitude is different as these terrifyingly distant landfalls demonstrate.

Tristan da Cunha

1,750 miles from South Africa

The British island group of Tristan da Cunha stands profoundly alone in the South Atlantic. The nearest landfall is South Africa, 1,750 miles east, and to the west, South America is more than 2,000 miles.

It’s the world’s most remote inhabited island chain — so precariously occupied that when a volcanic vent erupted in 1961, the whole population was evacuated to England.

Reaching Tristan da Cunha: This is no easygoing excursion.

To quote the official website, “There are no package tours for independent travelers, no hotels, no airport, no holiday reps, no night clubs, no restaurants, no jet skis nor safe sea swimming.”

All visitors need to clear their arrivals in advance through the Island Council, and they also need to obtain a police certificate. (A 40-day wait is typical.)

There are around 10 sailings a year from Cape Town, South Africa, and Namibia, each taking five to six days to reach the islands; it costs $800-$1,500 for a round trip. A list of available ships can be found on the official website: www.tristandc.com.

Bear Island

400 miles off Europe’s north coast

Bjornoya, better known as Bear Island, is the southernmost island in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, 400 miles north of mainland Europe — but only on paper, given that it’s almost 150 miles south of the Norwegian island chain with which it’s lumped.

It’s been a nature reserve since 2002 and has a lively history of failed occupation — hard to believe for a place of barren cliffs, near-zero precipitation and risk of leaks of radioactive material from the nearby wreck of a nuclear submarine.

Reaching Bear Island: Getting to the heart of Svalbard is a relatively simple matter — there are daily flights from Oslo and Tromso to Svalbard’s capital, Longyearbyen, on the west coast of Spitsbergen.

Now it gets tricky. Research vessels infrequently call on Bear Island (the Norwegian Polar Institute makes an occasional appearance), while individually chartered boats and the occasional adventure cruise (such as this one from Polar Quest) haul in the remaining visitors.

Bouvet

1,000 miles from Antarctica

Tristan da Cunha is the remotest inhabited island in the world — now, welcome to its uninhabited, far bleaker counterpart.

Its cliffs are sheer. It’s almost entirely covered by a glacier. In winter, its seas are pack ice.

And its nearest neighbor is Antarctica, 1,000 miles to the south. In short, idyllic.

Reaching Bouvet: The entire island is a nature reserve — so unless you can make a compelling case for visiting, you’ll be blocked by Norwegian authorities.

Get permission, and it’s now a simple matter of finding a research vessel, quickly mastering a valuable skill such as arctic geological surveying or marine biology and then getting someone to land you via helicopter. (There are no ports or harbors.)

If all else fails, try becoming an amateur radio enthusiast: In 1990, a multinational expedition of operators spent 16 days on the island.

Bishop Rock

30 miles from England

Regarded by Guinness as the world’s smallest island with a building on it, Bishop Rock stands at the end of Britain’s Isles of Scilly, where coastal waters give way to the fury of the Atlantic.

In 1847, engineers started building an iron lighthouse there — and it washed away in a storm. Its extraordinary successor, first lit in 1858, stands to this day.

Reaching Bishop Rock: Visiting the most southwesterly point in Britain is surprisingly easy — the St. Mary’s Boatsmen’s Association runs day trips.

But as Martin Hesp notes, even on a “calm” day you’re in for serious chop.

Boreray

60 miles off mainland Scotland

Love the Scottish islands, but want something with a little more bite? Head west of the Outer Hebrides, and you’ll find the archipelago of St. Kilda, 40 miles into the Atlantic.

It’s one of Scotland’s five World Heritage sites, with a main island that was abandoned in the 1930s when crops failed. Imagine the surprise of archaeologists when they found that one of the least hospitable islands, Boreray, was occupied in prehistoric times.

Reaching Boreray: Since Boreray comes under the protection of the National Trust for Scotland, you need its permission to visit.

Then? Lots of time and lots of luck — with a rugged shoreline and savage sea swell, this isn’t an island built for landings.

According to one guide, more people have reached the summit of Everest than have landed at Boreray since the National Trust took ownership in 1957.

North Sentinel Island

400 miles from Myanmar

North Sentinel is one of the 572 islands making up the Andaman chain in the Indian Ocean’s Bay of Bengal.

It’s surrounded by dangerous reefs, but North Sentinel is intimidating because of its inhabitants. The Sentinelese want nothing to do with the modern world and have repeatedly rebuffed attempts to make peaceful contact.

Reaching North Sentinel Island: You’re kidding, right? If the above description didn’t put you off, this article about a pair of fishermen who strayed onto the island certainly should.

Rockall

270 miles from Ireland

If you think Boreray sounds forbidding, try sailing 187 miles west of it. Rockall is the tip of an extinct volcano reaching 20 meters (about 65 feet) above sea level, in seas with waves recorded as high as 29 meters (95 feet).

In 1955, the British Empire, in its final territorial acquisition, seized Rockall – allegedly due to fears the Soviets would build a missile battery on it.

Reaching Rockall: In the words of the recently minted Rockall Club, “visiting Rockall is difficult, completely weather dependent and not cheap.”

Your best bet is contacting Kilda Cruises and arranging a tailor-made excursion. Or you could sail there, lash yourself to the rock and claim it as your very own micronation — but you wouldn’t be the first.

A spate of properties are rising to the occasion with eye-catching arts programing — from extensive collaborations with arts organizations to interior design that relies as much on paintings and sculptures as it does on furniture to set a scene.

Take the James Royal Palm in Miami. This months-old beachside haven has already gained quite the following for its stunning private rooms and Florida Cookery, the bustling on-site restaurant. But with its Cultural Collection initiative, the hotel has partnered with several local and national creative outfits that will stage site-specific projects exclusive to the property.

New York City-based fashion label Public School, for example, designed the staff’s uniforms, and Miami’s Museum of Contemporary Art worked with the hotel and artist Jorge Pantoja to craft a five-piece collection of paintings displayed in the lobby.

And across the Atlantic, the recently opened Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht is now home to what it says is the largest in-hotel video art collection in the world, transforming the property into more than just a hotel — it’s an art gallery now, too.

So if you’d like a little culture right on your doorstep, check out these hotels with an artful approach to hospitality:

The James Royal Palm, Miami

In addition to the hotel’s joint efforts with some of the country’s leading arts and culture groups, The James Royal Palm in South Beach also provides a great-looking backdrop for renowned interior designer Lauren Rottet’s exquisite taste in art.

Titled An Ocean Apart, the collection’s paintings (including the aforementioned works by Jorge Pantoja), digital pieces and sculptures were all hand-picked by Rottet herself. Some are from well-known names such as Alex Prager and Gavin Perry, while others are works by recent art-school grads and future industry luminaries — like 2012 University of Florida alumnus Chad Cunha — and can be found and admired all over the property.

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Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht

In Dutch design maestro Marcel Wanders, this canal-side property has a national treasure working on its decor and visuals, which would have been enough to garner it well-deserved attention. But walls animated with video creations from art-world celebrities like Yael Bartana, Martha Colburn and Cristina Lucas have made the hotel even more popular among Amsterdam’s creative community.

Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon

Since it opened back in 1959, the Four Seasons’ sole outpost on the Iberian Peninsula has been dedicated to supporting local artists and using their works to add Portuguese flair to the hotel’s overall design. Now, the property owns no fewer than 500 pieces — a massive collection on view throughout, from paintings of traditional countryscapes in the lobby to the bronze sculptures of seahorses that decorate the restaurant. To make sense of it all, a digital application is due out this fall to show guests where they can find each piece, who made it and what it’s all about

Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris

Raffles’ City of Light outpost has a lot going for it, from the Philippe Starck-designed interiors to a can’t-be-beaten address steps away from the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees. Art aficionados will appreciate the on-site bookshop that stocks a wide range of coffee table volumes and catalogs both rare and mainstream, as well as the paintings, photography and installations that show up all over the hotel from international artists like Portuguese sculptor Joana Vasconcelos and English artist Stephen Smith.

If you’re in town to experience art away from the hotel, Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris has its very own art concierge who creates a weekly list of art-related events happening all over Paris, from small gallery exhibitions to private consultations with local dealers.

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Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong

Hong Kong will be the third destination to play host to Art Basel (after Miami and the title city of Basel), and the Mandarin Oriental there is geared to be the official hotel for the event when it kicks off in May. And why not? Works by aspiring stars of the local arts community can be found on its walls, including those of the Clipper Lounge, a chic watering hole that serves as a launch pad for Hong Kong’s hopefuls. Last year, 28-year-old Tang Kwok Hin exhibited his work there, and this year, his creations will make an appearance in Art Basel in a group show called Discoveries.

Faena Hotel Buenos Aires

The Faena Group has created an important art district in Buenos Aires in a revitalized dock area. The Faena Hotel, housed in a converted grain barn, is blocks away from the Faena Arts Center, which opened in 2011 in a former flour mill. Rotating exhibits at the center feature contemporary art from all over the world. The general admission fee of $20 is waived for hotel guests.

Faena has also started a residency program, where an artist gets to shack up at one of the hotel’s stylish rooms and work on his or her craft. In November, it was Franz Ackermann — known for his colorfully bombastic yet abstract creations. Faena also awards a Prize for the Arts. The 2012 winner was Argentine artist Franco Darío Vico, whose work will be exhibited at the center in July.

21c Museum Hotel, Bentonville, Arkansas

While the rest of the hotels featured on this list hail from some of the biggest cities on the globe, 21c makes the cut for its third outpost, a 2-month-old operation tucked away in Bentonville, Arkansas. 21c has made headlines for delivering properties that nurture the contemporary arts scene in Louisville and Cincinnati. The Bentonville offshoot is equipped with 12,000 square feet of exhibition and event space that will see a rotation of solo and group shows. Eight site-specific installations (from sculpture to wallpaper) from emerging artists like Alexandre Arrechea and Rob Wynne are currently on display.

Visitors to the Caribbean vacation island, however, tend to stay close to resorts, preferring to nurse poolside glasses of rum punch during their stays.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that — resorts around the famed white sands of central Grace Bay are terrific.

It’s just that many visitors leave the island having missed out on a gathering of the best local tastes in town, just a short cab ride away.

Local party

Launched in January, the island’s Thursday night Fish Fry is a weekly party that aims to get tourists mingling with locals. It takes place in a part of Providenciales (often called “Provo”) that most tourists don’t readily frequent.

Island specialties such as jerk chicken, conch fritters, just-caught fish and an array of fresh seafood are cooked on the spot by the types of smaller vendors most tourists wouldn’t typically come across. The rum punch, too, is mixed in a way locals swear can’t be replicated by any hotel bar.

A steel band punctuates the rhythm of a Junkanoo, a Bahamian-style dance and music parade.

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“Our goal is to get people out of their Grace Bay resorts and get them to experience our local food, culture and music,” says local tourist board representative David Fenimore, the brains behind the Fish Fry.

Reaching across the divide

Turks and Caicos is known for white sand beaches, turquoise waters, spectacular snorkeling and diving, and a heavy tilt toward high-end travelers. There’s a distinct separation here between locals and tourists, who tend to stick on or close to their resorts.

So it’s important, Fenimore says, to try and tip the scales the other way, “since the trickle down doesn’t necessarily happen the way it should.”

Longtime Providenciales resident Hazel Greenwood recalls a time when Grace Bay was nothing more than a raw stretch of beach, when expats (many of whom never left the island and became Turks and Caicos residents) and locals all knew each other and would often hang out together.

“Tourists are not really aware of where we have come from to get to where we are, and it has been hard, but I’d say that what’s important here is that everyone does things together and we like to keep it that way,” says Greenwood, whose engineer husband put in the lights for the runway at Providenciales’ airport in 1983 and later wired up Club Med, the first luxury resort on Provo.

Colorful characters

At the Thursday fish fry, visitors can meet Provo personalities such as Melbourne Smith, creator of Henry the Conch, a Turks and Caicos mascot whose goal is to raise awareness of the cultural and ecological importance of conch to island.

Another regular is the charismatic Alicia Wilson, who goes by the nickname “Beautiful” and is the creator of potent cocktails.

Judging by the crowds lining up at stands like Blue Hills Native Cuisine, where owner Bertha Mae Forbes busily fries up vast quantities of fresh snapper, the word may be spreading faster than Fenimore expects.

“We’re just using lime, some salt and a little bit of pepper,” says Forbes’ daughter, Marjorie Dorsett of her mother’s fish as it sizzles in hot oil.

“It’s plain, way-back kind of seasoning, but I can tell you that you’re not going to find the same taste in the big hotels.”

Tourists seem to be loving the local taste.

“It’s a fantastic party — a great occasion for locals, expats and tourists to get together, and I’m definitely coming again,” says Robyn Matravers, a visitor from Toronto.

The Turks and Caicos Fish Fry takes place every Thursday from 5:30-9:30 p.m. at Bight Park, Lower Bight Road, Providenciales. A US$10-per-person taxi ride from any Grace Bay resort, it’s a family friendly event.

But as he got older, he developed an interest in photography. And that made him stop taking the vibrant autumn color for granted.

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“I suddenly began to notice the stunning colors that seemed to blanket the hills in fire each fall as the days got shorter and the nights became colder,” he remembers. “Slowly but surely, as I gained experience and insight, I began to really understand what a special place Vermont is, and I began to fall in love with my home and the stunning colors.”

Collier is now a staff photographer for the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus. This year, he decided for the first time to document the fall beauty of his state.

He shared his images alongside dozens of other photographers on CNN iReport. The best of his shots, along with other images of autumn around the world, are in the gallery above.

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