Back in the mid-1960s, the Orlando region of central Florida was lake-dotted but also unappealing to most people - a hot, swampy, mosquito-ridden backwater. Then came “The Mouse” – Disney’s Magic Kingdom – and lo, these 45 years later, Greater Orlando is now a pixie-dust-transformed mecca for holidaymakers from across the globe, and indeed, the USA’s most visited city. Walt Disney World (with parks Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios added) remains a key draw of course – now in additi

If you've flown on any of American Airlines' 737s in the past year or two, you've seen bolted-in seat trays in rows 16 and 17 that prevent the middle seat from being occupied. The result: Seats A (window), C and D (aisle), and F offer extra elbow room and places for drinks and stashing small carry-ons. Me, I'm on a run, having recently taken four straight flights where I sat in the much-coveted Row 16.

Nice, but don't you find this somewhat strange?
After all, American Airlines' largesse would

Saturday, August 20, 2016

"Hamptons Tour Decor"- A Tour of exceptional homes and gardens"

The Tour: Please join us for a full-filled day of touring some of the most exceptional homes and gardens in the Hamptons all to help raise money to find a cure for cancer. All proceeds to benefit The Dubin Breast Center of the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital. 

Some highlights

-A home with an unique contemporary art collection including one-of-a-kind Lady Gaga photographs

- An elegant estate with a

In the warm waters of the Golfo Dulce in southern Costa Rica, Pacific humpback whales are about to arrive on their annual migration to mate, give birth and socialize from July to October.


A spray of water erupted from the placid blue-green water a few hundred yards off the beach. The long, black and barnacled form of a mother humpback whale surfaced gracefully for air. Our little group standing on the concrete pier pointed excitedly at the huge whale. Then we gasped in delight as we suddenly

Costa Rica is always great for family vacations, with its exotic wildlife, amazing nature, thrilling adventure tours, and of course, being the safest place to travel in 2016.

Families who travel to Costa Rica know that the charming Central American country is a fun, easy and safe family vacation destination. Costa Rica is not only a most recommended travel hotspot in the world; it also tops the list of safe places to travel in 2016.

Costa Rica is always a great place for families to travel with ki

Frommerarchives

Matbah Restaurant, Ottoman Imperial Hotel: Dine Like a Sultan

By Myrna Katz Frommer and Harvey Frommer

The men who make Matbah happen: (left to right) F & B Manager Necati Yilmaz, Chef Kedar Yilmaz, General Manager Serdar Balta

Honeydew melon with chopped beef and “birth raisins”

From the outside, the Ottoman Imperial Hotel calls little attention to itself. It’s clearly a historic building, but then this is the historic area of Istanbul. Directly across the street, a high iron gate op

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Yes, Bulgaria. This country has the fortune to lie on the beautiful Black Sea, and near the city of Burgas, a beach resort that began in the Communist 1950s as a getaway for the masses has found favor with a larger European public. Called Sunny Beach (Slanchev Bryag in Bulgarian), this country's largest resort boasts more than 300 days of sunshine per year and an average temperature of 28° Celsius during the summer months. It has a very small permanent population, but welcomes hundreds of thou

"By their markets ye shall know them."  OK, no one actually ever said that, but on my travels I have often found it to be true. After all, what lovelier way to learn the nuances of a foreign culture than rubbing shoulders with the locals, tasting the flavors of their land? Well yes, there is literature and art and music, but we certainly can't appreciate those on an empty stomach; and so, before heading to the Prado or the pyramids or a voodoo ceremony, you may just find me visiting the local

Vacations can be exciting. And for parents who feel the need for a break away from work and all of the stress, it can be one of the most relieving times in your life. However, traveling with young children can almost put all of that that stress right back into the situation. I know that traveling with kids through airports can be seem little daunting, and with kids, it may seem a little impossible. However, there are some quick tips for you to make your vacation trip run as best as it can when t

In Costa Rica – a country renowned for its legendary sensational amount of plants and animals – it’s one thing to boast about having the greatest biodiversity. It’s quite another to have tons of scientific research to back up the claim.

Not only is the rainforest around Veragua Rainforest Eco-Adventure park in the Talamanca Mountains in Costa Rica spectacularly abundant with biodiversity, to date 11 new animal species have been discovered by the Veragua scientific research team and 15 endanger

The archipelago of the Kerkennah Islands is a paradise for rest and relaxation. Essentially made up of the islands of Chergui and Gharbi, and facing the coast of Sfax, they stand just three meters above sea level. With a population of just 15,000 and having been recently declared a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, particularly as a habitat for aquatic birds, they are a perfect destination for lovers of the sea, diving and fishing.

Their unpaved streets and incredible outlines, only v

With the onset of the summer travel season in much of the world June is a good time to ask ourselves how well we are protecting our tourism sites.  Airlines and other forms of transportation have the advantage that they received government security.  Most other forms of tourism, such as hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, and major attractions such as theme parks receive little or no government security or protection.  In most cases, the tourism industry can depend on no one but itself.

Despit

Is it possible for a Courtyard by Marriott to actually be a boutique hotel? Lately, it seems that mainstream chain hotels are strategically inserting themselves into prime urban locations walkable to top amenities rather than buried in the anonymity of suburban strip development.

Marriott's Courtyard Stamford Downtown exemplifies this trend with a sumptuous lobby wrapped with floor-to-ceiling windows affording sweeping views of surrounding architecture and street life. Its 70-minute train rid

Rajasthan, the dessert state of India is not only known for its beautiful and picturesque tourist destinations but also for its cultural heritage that is depicted by the numerous temples in the state. The temples of Rajasthan are in fact some of the most excellent tourist attractions of the state. While some of them were built more than a few centuries ago, there are many that boast of amazing architecture too. Here is a quick look at some of the interesting temples in Rajasthan.

Pushkar Temple

Th

Did you know that one of the more prominent beach resorts of Europe was not so long ago locked away behind the Iron Curtain? Bulgaria's town of Nessebar, on the coast of the Black Sea, is home to a booming and still growing resort called Sunny Beach, which began in 1958 as the then Soviet régime's version of fun in the sun. 

Sunny Beach's menu of beaches, culture, leisure, dining, and activities on water and land is such that the visitor will be have no choice but to leave some for the next time.

Between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara runs the US 101, alternating between rolling hills and stunning sea views. Family activities abound at a midpoint in Ventura County West, making for an excellent three day vacation close to the heart of Los Angeles. This area includes Camarillo, Oxnard, and Ventura.

Choose day trips between wine tasting, old airplanes, classic cars, or whale watching, just to name a few, as well as the tourist-friendly downtown shops and eateries with craft beers.

Channel I

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Ah, Christmas – for many people, there’s no more magical time of the year. But celebrating this holiday extravagantly goes back only to the 19th century, and in many countries the festivities didn’t take place on December 25 at all, but rather today, on the Epiphany, January 6 (the twelfth day of Christmas, with 12 drummers drumming, as the song goes). In fact, though Spanish-speaking countries have largely jumped on the Yuletide bandwagon with Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and all the

“Honey, I still don’t see any action in the restaurant!”  

We were sitting on the balcony of our hotel high above the Adriatic with a view directly into a large, empty, open-air restaurant built in a cave which was also high above the crashing surf. For experienced independent travelers we were getting a little concerned. Did we just make a big leap of faith on a good friend’s recommendation to go to this isolated location for an exceptional dining experience?

The Journey of Faith and a Twinge

Frontier is making you an offer you can't refuse.

Today, the Denver-based airline announced a series of new "improvements" (to use the airline's language) that are only available to flyers who book directly on the carrier's website, the just-unveiled FlyFrontier.com. These include advanced seating assignments and unrestricted frequent-flyer mile credits. Frontier is marketing the changes as "more choice, more perks, and more value."

But for the most part, it's more choice, perks, and value on one