If you’re itching to get away this week–and really, who isn’t?—we have one for the record books: almost 50% off at twelve T+L-reviewed hotels from New Mexico to the Caribbean, even London during the Royal Wedding. Scroll down for some of the deals.
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If you were eyeing the BRITTO Collection by Heys four-piece luggage set that went to the winner of our "Views" photo contest last December, you can snap it up for half price now on Suitcase.com. The colorful set, which includes a 12" beauty case and a carry-on bag for shorter trips, as well as medium and large suitcases for longer trips, normally retails for $2,120. Through Suitcase.com's Winter Sale you can get it for only $1,059.95 (plus free shipping!)
You can also buy the pieces individually: The 22-inch spinner case—the perfect carry-on size— is now 50 percent off at $249.95.
Events are moving quickly in Japan as engineers at a nuclear plant in Fukushima are trying to bring three stricken reactors under control. Tokyo is 170 miles south from Fukushima, and though prevailing winds are sweeping most of the radiation to the Pacific Ocean, residents say a feeling of anxiety pervades the capital. Aftershocks wake them up at night. Lines are long at supermarkets, where staples such as milk and rice are selling out quickly. “The streets are eerily quiet compared to the usual hustle and bustle of this massive city,” says Rachael White, an American teacher and blogger based in Tokyo. White and others, however, note that people remain calm—a reflection of Japanese fortitude.
As a traveler, the most you can do in the event of a nuclear meltdown is get as far away as possible or head for the basement. But there are steps you can take to increase your chances of survival in an earthquake and/or a tsunami. Japan is located in the world’s most seismically active regions—the Pacific Ring of Fire, which includes the West Coast. About 90 percent of earthquakes happen here, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. And Tokyo is still bracing for the Big One that experts say is long overdue. (Friday’s massive quake occurred along the northeastern fault line, rather than the southwest fault line that affects Tokyo more directly. It last ruptured in 1854.) The second most active region stretches from the Mediterranean into northern India.
BBC Travel | There is still more than a year to go before the Olympic Games light up London’s sky, but already, enthusiastic crowds can be found peering into the largest construction site in Europe. The city has come down with a widespread, and highly contagious, case of Olympic fever. (...)
On 27 July, 2012, when the torch is lit inside the main stadium, London will become the only three-time host of the event since the Olympics were revitalized in 1896. (...)
(Photo courtesy of David Allan)
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March comes in like a lion (luxury safari anyone?) and out like a lamb (a wool beret from a Parisian boutique!) with this month’s globetrotting Contest Watch.
Kenya: iExplore.com Photo Safari Contest
Enter by April 22, 2011
The frequent T+L Best of the Web winner, iExplore has kicked off a new contest for shutterbugs. Simply visit http://photocontest.iexplore.com/, register, upload your best photograph, and then spread the word. Site visitors can vote for their favorites, advancing a group of 20 photographs to the finals. A panel of nine award-winning travel photographers and media writers will pick the winner.
In English, this bridge is known by the stone material from which it was built, while its native name refers to the saint known as the rock of the Christian church. Hint: This image was included in our March 2008 issue.
Can you guess where this is? Log in and leave your answers below.
UPDATE 3/14/11: T+L community member canjay99 guessed it right! The early-19th-century Pont St. Pierre spans the Garonne River in Bordeaux, France. Congrats! Check back this Friday for the newest edition of "Guess Where?"
Lyndsey Matthews is an online editorial assistant at Travel + Leisure.
Put down that SkyMall, Bertram. Male passengers traveling Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic flights can indulge in something a little fancier than bed-side pet ramps or peephole spy cameras: The airline is offering custom shoe fittings from haute Finnish shoemaker the Left Shoe Company. Devote 20 minutes pre- or post-flight to having your foot scanned by a 3D digital scanner in the Clubhouse-the Virgin Atlantic lounge-at Heathrow and choose a style. Four weeks later, a courier will deliver your bespoke kicks. The soles are inscribed with your name, and if you choose, your Virgin Atlantic flight number and destination. The available shoe styles start at €225 ($310 at today's exchange rate), and roundtrip Upper Class fare on Virgin Atlantic runs around $10,000.
Won't taking your shoes off at the security line feel slightly less humbling when they're custom-fitted and inscribed with your name?
Ann Shields is Online Senior Editor at Travel + Leisure.
Plane ticket: check.
Concert tickets: check.
Hotel room: whoops!
If you’ve spent your time agonizing over which showcases to attend in Austin next week during the South by Southwest (SXSW) music, film, and interactive festival, instead of searching for a place to crash, you can relax.
Brand new hotel collection, Travaasa Destinations, along with fashion website StyleCaster, is offering an all-inclusive preview package for a three night/four day stay from March 17-20 at the Travaasa Austin before it opens to the public in April.
Craving a proper vacation, even with a new baby in tow? Try this great all-inclusive family getaway in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Twenty minutes from the Cancún airport, Azul Beach Hotel by Karisma (from $288 per adult, all-inclusive; kids under 3 free, ages 3–13 $144 per day) features round-the-clock room service and cribs, changing tables, strollers, toys, and high-quality baby food on request. Best of all: free babysitting twice a week during happy hour, cocktails for parents included.
Hide out at this remote family resort in the Bahamas. Its soft sand,
calm seas, and stellar bonefishing are well-known among sailors and yachting types—and almost no one else. That’s surprising, given the quick flight from Miami or Fort Lauderdale to Abaco’s Treasure Cay and the water taxi to the Green Turtle Club Resort & Marina (doubles from $169). Feast on conch and spend your days tooling from beach to beach—all empty, all extraordinary.
See the state in truly epic fashion on the weeklong Seldom Seen Alaska package from Off the Beaten Path (from $3,695 per person, excluding airfare). The route goes from Anchorage to Nome, with stops for snowshoeing, a helicopter ride, and a snowmobile tour of the Bering Sea ice pack. Given the ambitious itinerary, the trip is best for ages 13 and up.
Margot Guralnick is a contributor to Travel + Leisure.
Lobby DJ’s are so last decade. The latest amenity: live concerts at hotels by Grammy Award–winning musicians.
As part of Renaissance Hotels’ new program RLife Live, guests may very well check in while listening to musicians—Thievery Corporation, Solange Knowles, or the Neon Trees—perform live. To know who’s playing where, visit rlifelive.com (dates are posted two weeks in advance). One recent showstopper: Bruno Mars’s New Year’s Eve concert at the R Lounge Times Square, with a certain crystal ball as the backdrop.
Sarah Khan is a copy editor at Travel + Leisure
