Summer Travel Plans.

After a quiet spring, we are about to embark on a pretty full slate of summer travel plans.  Other than a few days in Salzburg and Graz, most of the cities and countries we'll visit are not new, but that doesn't mean we won't be able to make new memories.  Plus, there is a certain ease when traveling to a familiar place.  I was just in London last September so the Underground will be easy to use as will the Vienna Metro as it's just been a few years since I visited there.  Here's a run-down on our adventures:

1.  Symi, Greece (with two days in London).  This trip has been in the works for a while and will be a special one.  We are going to spend a solid week on the island of Symi, a tiny island in the Dodecanse region of Greece, which is 12-island chain close to Turkey in the Aegean.  Most importantly to me, the island is where my father's parents were born. 

The clocktower in the harbor area of Symi, Greece.

We have not been back since 2005 and we are not going alone.  My sister, my parents and Kevin's parents are all coming.  It's truly a family affair!  Kevin's parents have not been to Greece and it will be nice to share the experience with them as well as spend time with my family.  Plus, having my Dad there, who speaks Greek fluently will be rather nice!  We chose two villas (Villa Cassandra and the Pitini House) in the upper village that we booked through Symi Visitor.  I highly recommend this rental agency as they have some wonderful properties and are easy to work with--being incredibly responsive via email. 

The family reunion will only be during the week in Symi.  The parties will then split up and tour and vacation in different ways and locations.  For Kevin and me, we will bookend the time in Symi with time in London.  We are flying directly to London and then taking a flight from London to Rhodes and then a ferry onto Symi, bypassing Athens this time.  I think it will be nice to enjoy a few days in London on either side of the Greece trip.  London is a city we both enjoy and have traveled to enough to feel at ease.  We'll spend one night in the financial district, close to Liverpool Street Station (as we have an early flight from Stansted and need to take an express train out to this distant airport).  On the way back to the US, we will stay near the Earl's Court Station, which is on the Tube line to Heathrow.  When traveling to London, I do think strategically about location as having an easy walk to the trains and being able to get back to the airport with all your belongings without transfers is really nice!

2.  Chicago.  In late July, we are taking a long weekend to visit friends and enjoy Chicago.  Growing up and attending college in the Midwest, we both have lots of acquaintances in the Second City.  (Meaning we do not have to worry about hotels as there is always some place to crash!)  Another dear friend from Brooklyn is joining us for the weekend so we really will have a memorable time catching up with folks.  Plus enjoying a break from the DC summer will be lovely.

Giant Mozart ball sculptures, Vienna, Austria.

3.  Vienna and Salzburg, Austria.  At the end of the summer--right around Labor Day--we are heading back to Europe.  This time, we'll be in Austria.  Although we were just in Vienna a few years ago, a meeting is taking me back there and we really loved our last visit, it will be nice to go back and see a few of the sites we were unable to see the first time around.  We will also be staying in a different section of town.  During my meeting, I'll be staying in the MuseumQuartier, which is a lovely part of town and allows me an easy commute on the UBahn to the Conference Center for my meeting.  After the conference, we will take a train to Salzburg, which will be new for us.  We plan on doing the Sound of Music Tour (um, why go to Salzburg and NOT do this!) and we may take a daytrip out to see the Hitler's Eagle Nest Retreat.  We also may take a daytrip from Vienna to Graz, the second largest city in Austria and a place we have not been or back to Krems and the wine country of the Wachau Valley, which runs along the Danube and is basically beautiful.

Taking a Taxi: Just Beware.

When I travel, I avoid taking cabs.  They are obviously expensive and I like the thrill of navigating a city on public transit, but the bigger issue for me:  I don't trust cab drivers. 

I will make one exception to this rule:  cabbies in the UK are honest, kind and you should feel comfortable taking a ride with them.  Bill Bryson also sings their praises in his book Notes from a Small Island. So if both Bill Bryson and I have had amazing UK cab experiences, they must be okay, right?

We had this cab driver in Belfast who was taking us to get our rental car and was passing along little tips and directions for us as we were planning to drive up the coast to County Antrim.  When I confided in him that I heard Irish drivers could be impatient and we'll most likely be taking our time on the curvy road, he turned to me as said, "Love, you don't worry about anyone behind you.  Just be safe."  So if you are in UK and feel like spending a small fortune or really just want to ride in those vintage, black taxis, well go for it.  You have my blessing.  Anywhere else though: beware! 

I'm not trying to be dramatic.  From Miami to Mexico City, I have had sketchy situations with cabs.  Some pretend they didn't hear the hotel or street; others pretend that they forgot to turn on a meter; others do not give change back properly...I have a long list of grievances here, which has given me pause. But the reality is, you cannot always hop on a train or subway or just walk, sometimes you need to take a cab.  Here are a few important tips if you must take a taxi:

1.  Know where you are going.  When I'm traveling, I study a map so I see cross streets and have a good sense of where my destination is in the city.  For instance, Philadelphia is on a grid system and I took a cab from 30th Street Station to the Rittenshouse Hotel, close to 20th Street.  When I saw we passed 20th street, I queried the cab driver who thought I said the Ritz Carlton, not the Rittenhouse Hotel.  I leave it up to you to determine if the cab driver made an honest mistake or deliberately took us 5 city blocks out of the way in rush hour, almost doubling the fare.  (You can probably assume what I believe happened.)  Smartphones are super handy these days in pulling up maps in the cab or as you are in the taxi queue so you are always prepared.

2.  Know the system.  It would be nice if all cabs used the same method--meters, flat fares, negotiated rates, but alas, the world is a big, inscrutable place so how the fare is determine varies.  Before traveling to a new location, always do a quick check of taxis from the airport (a lot offer flat fees) as well as if it's okay to hail a cab from the street (it's not okay to do this in Mexico City, for instance). 

3.  Be smart.  Always be alert.  Study the road to ensure you are going in the right direction.  And, if you feel uncomfortable, trust your instincts and just  ask the cab driver to pull over and get out.

You don't want a whole trip spoiled over a scheming cab driver. If you follow these tips and take taxis only sparingly, you should be okay!

Resort Review: The Excellence Riviera Cancun

I like to travel independently, for the most part.  Book the hotel, book my own flight, discover restaurants using local resources and maybe, if lucky, stumbling upon a place during a long stroll (how I discovered one of my favorites, in London--Sofra Mayfair). But let's be honest, sometimes you want an easy vacation--one that requires you to show up with a passport, appropriate clothes and sunscreen and  little else.  About once a year, I require sort of trip...call it planning fatigue or whatever.  And, all-inclusive make this possible. If you have a vision of all-inclusives being filled with partying college students, watery drinks, endless buffets and everyone forced to wear paper bands, you have not been to one of the Excellence resorts and need to go--immediately!

A lazy river weaves through the property, making
 it easy to have a chair poolside and pick a quiet spot.

In December 2009, Kevin and I spent 4 days at the Excellence Riviera Cancun.  We had never been to the Yucatan and wanted to take advantage of a nonstop flight from Dulles.  I didn't want to stay in the Hotel Zone and I didn't want to deal with the wristbands or standing in line to make reservations.  I wanted an all-inclusive, but one with some class.  I can definitely report that the Excellence Riviera Cancun delivered and exceeded our expectations.

First of all, if you haven't done the Cancun thing--, think again because there are plenty of quiet, relaxing options (just erase the Senor Frog images from your head, okay?).  The best thing about Cancun is the airport--it is the best airport in the Caribbean.  Easy, efficient--it is deft at processing tourists who just want to get to the beach!  We were out of the airport in minutes and picked up by our pre-arranged transfer service (I told you I didn't want to think, not even to negotiate a cab fare). 

Kevin enjoying the view from our private, spacious terrace.

Situated just 20 minutes from the airport on the outskirts of the village Puerto Morelos, the resort is set back from the road and really no other resorts are nearby.  The buildings are low--just 3 stories high so it's easy to use the stairs and the property is really spread out, weaving fountains, pools and loads of lovely gardens between the lodgings.  We were welcomed with a scented, warm towels and champagne and immediately taken to our rooms (this is less than an hour after our flight landed, I should remind you--and less than 4 hours after leaving cold, DC).  We spent the rest of our trip in an easy pattern:  coffee on the terrace, breakfast early, long beach walk, camp out on some pool chairs for the rest of the morning--drinking, napping and reading, maybe a swim, lunch, more of the same relax activities and drinks, late afternoon beach walk, shower, nap, dinner by 8, another beach walk, drinks and perhaps listen to some live music. 

As far as breaking down the various aspects of the resort...

The Rooms:  Very spacious--huge terrace, bathroom, well-stocked  mini fridge, a little sitting area and a big, four poster bed. Very tasteful and open. 

The Food:  The resort offers buffet breakfast or room service (included in all inclusive), but the other meals are at sit-down restaurants scattered throughout the property.  Reservations are not required and I think only at one did we have to wait a few minutes for a table. The food was really solid--I think we liked Agave, the Mexican place the best.  As far as all-inclusive resorts go, this place deserves an "A" for diverse food, gourmet food and minimal buffet lines.

The Entertainment:  We aren't so into shows and such, but they always had some nightly events.  We preferred the live jazz performances and other musical acts that they always featured outdoor near one of the bars.

The beach was nice and the staff kept it clean and tidy.

The Location: Positioned an easy drive from the airport, the resort is great for what we wanted--a quick, easy trip.  The beach was nice and the resort did a good job keeping it tidy.  We enjoyed several good beach walks and made all the way down to Puerto Morelos a few times.  But not really a walkable location--but really being at an all-inclusive for just a few days, we didn't strive to do much.

The Resort:  Lovely, manicured grounds, lots of seating--no need to rush out and "save" spaces, staff were friendly.

Choosing the Right Hotel.

I just had to book a couple of rooms for our trip to Greece this summer (we are bookending our time in Greece with time in London).  Since I have hotels on the brain, figured I'd blog about it and share a few ideas:

1.  Location, location, location.  Duh, that's a no brainer, right?  But choosing the right location for you really varies based on the purpose of your trip.  For instance, our flight to Rhodes leaves quite early from London Stansted so for this trip to London, I chose the Apex London Wall hotel--an easy walk to Liverpool Street Station, which is where you catch the Stansted Express train.  This hotel sits in the Financial District, which is quiet on weekends and not maybe ideal for tourists, but for our specific needs--it's perfect!  On the flip side of the trip, I picked a more central location, Earl's Court, which is on the Picadilly line--the line that leads directly to Heathrow.

Our hotel in Amsterdam was an easy walk
to the Central train station.

2.  Transportation.  This definitely dovetails with point one.  Ensuring your hotel is an easy walk from a subway line or central train station will only enhance your trip.  I always map out my location on Google Maps and read TripAdvisor to get a sense of the location.  (This also helps you gain a familiarity with the area even before you arrive.) When in Europe, you know urban areas are going to have decent transportation--so take advantage of it!  A good example from our travels is Hotel New Amsterdam (now known as Chic & Basic) in the Jordaan.  The location--a somewhat residential neighborhood (which I loved) is an easy ten-minute walk to the central train station. 

We stayed in the borough of Frogner on the second leg
of our trip to Oslo...the first part we stayed more central.

3.  Know thy neighborhoods.  When visiting a city for the very first time, I spend a good chunk of time just researching neighborhoods.  Of course, I am thinking about safety, but also I am considering my personal tastes.  If I know people who have visited a city, I'll ask them about areas they would recommend, too.  I also like to stay in different locations on repeat visits.  For instance, when we went to Spain a few years ago, we stayed for the first part of the trip in the heart of it all--the Austrias quarter, which is in the center of Madrid, close to the Palace and shops, cafes, and of course...subway stops (the Opera Metro station).  On the way out of Spain, we chose to stay up near the embassies and business district in the Salamanca region of the city--also easier to reach the airport from this location.  We did the same thing for a trip to Oslo a few years back--staying at the front-end of the trip in a central section of town and on the way out picking a quieter, more tranquil section of Oslo, the Frogner borough near the famous Frogner Park.

4.  Use all available resources.  I use TripAdvisor and Frommer's as the two main places to explore lodging options.  If I find a hotel I like, I always go to the hotel's Web site to check for specials.  Using Google Maps to see the location and the "search nearby" option on Google Maps will bring up restaurants or other hotel choices. 

5.  Consider your priorities.  Is it all about saving some cash?  Would you prefer a hotel that has breakfast included?   Do you like big chains that are reliable or funky, small boutiques?  Do you avoid the B&B concept because you hate country kitsch?  Do you have to have a pool?  Good views?  There are a million more questions, but be clear on your top needs and you'll find the perfect place. Happy Searching!

Difficult to Reach Destinations.

This summer we're heading to Symi.  Have you heard of it?  Probably not.  But it is an important place in our family--some of the DINKs ancestors are from there, lived there for generations. Symi is a (tiny) island in the Dodecanse region of Greece.  It's a two-hour ferry ride from Rhodes (which you have probably heard of, but still not exactly and easy-to-reach destination).

Symi, Greece. Beautiful. But not easy to reach.

Because of a wide range of issues, we have a limited window for traveling and plan to spend a whole 7 days on Symi with the extended family.  So the challenge: how to get to Symi as quickly as possible?  There are no direct flights to Athens from DC.  And, well the Traveling DINKs HATE changing planes, but we have done Dulles to Paris to Athens before and that's not too bad, but prices on Air France were crazy and we would still need to fly to Rhodes and then ferry it to Symi.  So we wanted to see what else was out there.

We used Expedia and Orbitz to see what other options were out there and discovered we could fly to Rome or Istanbul direct.  We then decided to explore an airline we knew didn't surface on Expedia and Orbitz--the dreaded (but grudgingly used) Ryanair from Ireland.  We have used this low-cost carrier for strange hops in the past (Grenada to Madrid and Belfast to Glasgow). Sure enough, there was a flight from Rome to Rhodes--allowing us to bypass Athens.  But the times didn't work out so we started looking at Turkish Airlines--thinking of flying from Dulles to Istanbul, spend a few days in Istanbul then on to Bodrum, Turkey and then a series of ferries to Rhodes, then Symi.  But doing this route completely blows our plan for a short and  simple route out of the water, plus the timing wasn't exactly awesome for all the different pieces. 

I decided to search Ryanair one more time as they have multiple options into Rhodes from all over Europe.  And low and behold!  A new flight announced from London Stanstead!  So I snapped that up allowing us to fly Dulles to London and then onto Rhodes.  Perfect and Easy.  Bookend the trip with a few nights in London (allowing us to have a couple good Indian meals and wander around one of our favorite cities) and able to bypass Athens and then zip over to Symi on the many ferries that move between Rhodes and Symi each day.

So to sum up the tips:  Start with the big search engines to explore all your direct flight options; then see what low-cost carriers have to offer; don't hesitate to reach out to local travel agents.  A travel agency in Bodrum and Symi both confirmed ferry service timetables for me and cemented my feelings that the fewer ferries, the better.

Portrush—Don’t Stay Here! But Eating Here is Okay.

This old Victorian strucuture was a coverted coffeeshop
and really the only nice building in Portrush.

So County Antrim is pretty empty and wild.  Hotel choices are few and hotels that actually have Web sites are even fewer.  So I do understand why Kevin chose Portrush.  It’s one of the larger villages and the hotel we stayed in is recommended in the books by Rick Steves (a Rick Steves’ tour was actually there during our stay).  But based on my experience: Portrush is a seedy dump.  And that’s putting it nicely.  Trailerparks ring the city and there is an empty, decaying feel to the central section. There are a few Old Victorian buildings that still give the place a regal, vintage feel, but most of Portrush is rundown and filled with arcades and fish-and-chip shops.  We also had the misfortune of being in Portrush during some sort of annual air show.  I think all of Northern Ireland attended and traffic was a pure nightmare.  We seemed to be the only people not there for the air show.  I did learn an important travel lesson: if you are going to a rural location that cannot manage traffic, best to find out if there are any holidays/festivals/events happening.  Because we could not find parking in Portrush, we spent the late afternoon at a hotel on the highway outside of town and watched a wedding reception gather.  We also enjoyed a nice walk on the beach as the rainy morning turned into a sunny afternoon. 

Samples of the vast array of door signs.
Our favorite: "Hard of Hearing."

The hotel, itself, was tired and I found the staff unfriendly, which is pretty amazing as most of the Irish we encountered were among the friendliest people on the planet.  They had a parking garage, for instance, but wouldn’t let us use it to park during the air show.  Their attitude was: well, it was a well-publicized event so we (as foreigners not two days in the county) should have been well aware of it!

I would urge travelers to try to stay in the very tiny village right next to Portrush, Portballintrae.  They have at least one hotel, the Bayview Hotel, which has favorable reviews on Trip Advisor.

Being an easy 10-minute drive from Portrush, you can take advantage of more restaurant options.  We had a solid Italian Meal at Don Giovanni’s in Portrush and one of the better meals of the entire trip, an elegant dinner at 55 Degrees North . 

The tiny village of Portballintrae (standing on the outskirts) would have been a better place to stay in our view.

Giant's Causeway

Besides taking in the rural and rugged coast of Northern Ireland, The DINKs wanted to check out the UNESCO World Heritage site known as The Giant’s Causeway.  Folk legend Finn McCool (Fionn mac Cumhail) allegedly built the causeway to walk to Scotland and battle his Scottish counterpart Benandonner.   One version of the legend tells that Finn fell asleep before he got to Scotland. When he did not arrive, the much larger Benandonner crossed the bridge looking for him. To protect Finn, his wife Oonagh laid a blanket over him so he could pretend that he was actually their baby son. When Benandonner saw the size of the “infant,” he assumed the alleged father, Finn, must be gigantic indeed. Therefore, Benandonner fled home in terror, ripping up the Causeway in case he was followed by Finn.  This legend corresponds with geologic fact: a portion of the same geologic wonder (aka “causeway) is visible in Staffa, Scotland. 

Giant’s Causeway is actually 40,000 basalt columns (some 12 meters high) created during ancient volcanic eruptions 50-60 million years ago.  I’m not going to go into too much detail, here.  I’ll let the pictures speak for our impressions, but hiking on and around Giant’s Causeway should be on everyone’s “bucket list.”