Hello from paradise,

Puerto Escondido, located on Mexico’s Pacific Coast in the state of Oaxaca, literally translates to “hidden port,” and I like it that way. Although I’ve visited Mexico more times than I can recall, upon arrival I instinctively sensed something special and almost magical about this little-known destination. The road to Vivo Resorts, where I stayed, was bumpy and filled with sensorial stimulation, a cow here, an endemic flower there, mountains and greenery everywhere, and the soft light of a lavender-pink sunset. It’s no wonder why two-time Canadian Olympian, Cary Mullen chose this as the setting for his oceanfront resort and Real Estate development.

Vivo, which means alive in Spanish, is a name quite representative of the area, bustling with surf, festivals, outstanding Oaxacan cuisine and an active expat community. At the center of it all, there is, of course, an impressive stretch of coastline which has put the town on the map as a world-class surfing destination. While Playa Zicatela, Playa Carrizalillo and Playa Principal are a must-see for beach lovers, Puerto Escondido has other waves to ride. Think food.

Oaxaca is one of Mexico’s top culinary destinations and in Puerto Escondido, for very little cash, one can find fresh seafood in every corner as well as traditional dishes like the “mole” sauce and even chicatanas (flying ants), a delicacy only found twice a year at the start of the rainy season. Coffee enthusiasts will enjoy a pit stop at Bi Nisa, a charming organic café offering fresh brews, cacao, hibiscus jam, nut butters, honey and hot sauces– all made in-house, all very well received by my taste buds.

Nature lovers will enjoy Laguna Manialtpec, come early in the morning for its impressive bird watching and at night for its bioluminescent waters. The town is also a gem for shopaholics, like myself, where one can find traditional textiles and crafts. Make sure to stop by the local market for fresh flowers, authentic food and souvenirs, or stroll El Adoquin, a colorful street lined with local artisans where you’ll find woodwork, freshly-baked pastries, jewelry and traditional black pottery (yes, I took home one of each).

And there you have it; the secret has been spilled…because it would have been selfish to keep too much of a good thing to myself.

Until next adventure,

Amy

www.vivoresorts.com

Buenos Dias,

I am writing to you from my Hennequen hammock at the Hacienda Petac in Merida, Mexico. Right beneath me is a lap pool and as I write to you, I am serenaded by the song of exotic birds. I am surrounded by larger than life vegetation and stunning Moorish architecture.

Words cannot do justice to the beauty, luxury and hospitality of this incredibly relaxing and tranquil retreat! Perhaps like you, I wasn’t familiar with Merida and hadn’t realized it was the largest city and capital of the State of Yucatan, only a few hours from Cancun and an easy destination. I soon learned that Merida was nominated twice as the Cultural Capital of the Americas.

I can see why.

Hacienda Petac sits atop ancient unexcavated Mayan ruins and touts itself as “Heaven but with Better Service”.  They aren’t exaggerating. My partner and I have been pampered from the moment we entered the premises by the staff of 24 carefully tending to our every need like fairies.

For instance, we hang a little embroidered café tag outside of our bedroom door in the morning and within minutes there is a delivery of delicious coffee in porcelain cups. After a luxuriating massage, we lounged aside the spa in our cozy bathrobes and seconds later, two bashful girls in white traditional Yucatecan dresses approached us for our drink order.

That is not all.  The food here is a culinary delight and masterfully presented with dishes containing fresh herbs and vegetables straight from the organic garden.

In fact, we participated in a fabulous cooking class in the Yucatecan traditional kitchen where we learned to make the hacienda’s own Caldillo Poblano soup with fresh poblano peppers from the garden and corn tortillas using a traditional cast iron press.  The girls even taught us the art of napkin folding and radish carving.

If relaxing in this opulence is not enough and you want a break during your week, you can venture out to see the Mayan ruins of Uxmal, visit the port town of Progresso or head into town for an evening of fun and music at the Plaza de Santiago. Don’t forget to grab a sorbet at the famous Sorbeteria Colon on the Paseo De Montejo.

Did I tell you that Hacienda Petac hasn’t raised its prices in 15 years? What an affordable vacation for a family or group of friends!

Heaven?  They are right indeed.

Via con dios,

www.haciendapetac.com Robin

Hola,

I came in hot to this super cool resort as I was totally in need of a little luxury escape. From the looks of things, I picked the right place. Although relaxing is at the top of my to-do list, being on the go, even when I am enjoying my down time, seems to be threaded into my DNA. As I landed in the Dominican Republic and my driver met me to get me to Casa de Campo, I wondered if it would live up to my expectations. I have friends who have villas here and have heard wonderful things about the resort and the famed golf courses, especially Teeth of the Dog, but these are their stories. Should I have believed them? The dynamic details of days filled with golfing and lounging at the beach club followed by nights sipping cocktails and enjoying the company of great folks up at the new Minitas Beach Club and restaurant. The stories were so delicious that I wanted to dive in and create memories of my own, using theirs as my tasting menu having whet my appetite. “Have a drink here, eat Sushi lunch at Pubbelly in the Marina, Grab a romantic dinner at La Piazetta in Altos de Chavón. Don’t forget to take your golf cart over to La Casita.” I could have designed my stay around gourmet experiences. Each choice better than the last. Come to find out, I could design a variety of differently focused vacations here. I went horseback riding, past the manicured polo field. Spent a morning shooting clays at the shooting center, golfed on one of the three courses, and almost took a boat out from the marina to go deep sea fishing. The things that I could plan a full vacation around here are no joke. Casa de Campo goes deep in entertaining their guests and taking their interests to heart. Thankfully, my golf cart came with a GPS. This way, as I sought out the spots I wanted to explore, I confidently drove from place to place; except for one night I decided to go “off grid” and got myself utterly lost only minutes away from midnight. I said I wanted to make memories, right?

As I drove around, trying to reconnect to the path my GPS was clearly telling me to get back on, I wended my way past the most gorgeous villas. The warm glow of their interior lights had me making up tales of who lived there and what they were up to that evening. These homes, or second homes in many cases, are owned by some of the world’s most affluent and influential folks. At one point, when I could not seem to get the dot of my golf cart to connect to the leading blue line on the GPS, I wondered who I may bump into. The possibilities here are endless. My little night detour seemed endless as well. When I finally got back on track and made my way to the hotel reception, I found the lobby bar to be just what I needed– to reconnect with people. The laughter and conversation that filled the night air was exactly the vibe I needed. 7,000 acres of resort can seem lonely in the dark, but any smaller and I wouldn’t be room for all the activities. The one I am most intimate with is lounging. My las three days, I plan to do little more than let the great service of the staff handle the heavy lifting of bringing me green juices and refreshing salads as I lay by the infinity pool at the beach club, plotting my next trip back. I think I will design the next stay around an event…polo season or a concert is the real question. Maybe I’ll bring a few more friends and they can play the three courses and our meeting spot can be the 19th hole for cocktails after they’ve rounded their afternoon. I know one set of friends who would never forgive me if I came and didn’t bring them during the marathon. Yes, they host their own marathon on property. I think I know exactly what to do next time…rent a villa here and bring the entire gang.

Hasta luego, adios,

Peta

www.casadecampo.com.do/

Namaste!

Can you guess where I am writing this from the greeting? That’s right I’m in India, the southern state of Kerala to be precise, in what is believed to be India’s first and only fully eco-organic resort. I am sitting in a wooden shelter right beside the clear flowing waters of the Chalakudy River, with locals bathing in rock pools and eagles swooping down to catch a fish which are plentiful here. After an exhausting 11 hours in the air in total, being hit by the heat of India at Cochin Airport arrivals area, and getting my first glimpse of the hectic driving on Kerala’s roads, Rasa Gurukul resort came as a welcome surprise. As soon as I checked in I was whisked off to the traditional Hindu wedding ceremony of one of the resort’s chefs, and treated to my first banana leaf Keralan meal, eating rice, curries, chutneys, and dhal with my hands.

Cows, chickens, turkeys, emus and bullocks roam freely around the organic farms and manicured lawns of Rasa, but don’t worry, there is plenty of land for both people and animals to live in harmony, a total of 25 acres to be precise. Locals can often be seen tending to the endless rows of rice paddies, sugarcane plantations, coconut and banana trees, and a variety of other fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices scattered right across the resort. Every single piece of food eaten at Rasa is organic, with most coming directly from the farms every morning. The friendly staff are always trying to get guests involved in the farming and cooking process, and I even tried my hand at making steamed coconut kozhukatta dumplings filled with fried jaggery (sugarcane).

I met the founder of the resort, Das Sreedharan, a popular Indian chef with a number of authentically Keralan restaurants in the UK, who told me about a dream that he had, which resulted in him buying his first plot of land alongside the Chalakudy river, and several other plots of land over the following years. As a proud Keralan who had found success through his Rasa restaurants, and worked with numerous famous chefs including Jamie Oliver, Das dreamt about a resort that would preserve local farming traditions that are quickly disappearing, allow visitors to join in village life, and provide steady work for local villagers. What I think makes Rasa truly special is its commitment to training underprivileged locals to cook and farm Keralan dishes, whilst providing them with accommodation, a monthly stipend, a diploma, and a guaranteed permanent job at the resort after a year.

Throughout my time here I have tried to walk around every inch of the resort, but I just can’t – it is so vast! There are six Keralan-style cottages with uninterrupted views of the river, a huge traditional villa with views out across the river and Rasa farms, and a kitchen building at the heart of the resort. Das told me that he took inspiration from his late mother who was a great chef, and the kitchen building is like the mother of the resort, everything revolves around it. I have to agree with him. I find myself spending a significant amount of my time sitting in the dining room eating the countless Indian foods that are being made especially with my tastes in mind.

Every day I am treated to a freshly cooked hot breakfast of dhosa pancakes, idli cakes, and coconut chutney, lunch of curry, chutneys, rice and freshly picked fruit, plates filled with snacks, and a dinner of curries, rice, aloo and biryanis, all washed down with freshly blended papaya juice, flavoured water, and mint and lime tea with fresh organic sugarcane. What more could I ask for, really? The friendly staff are always asking if I want more food or drinks, they are always smiling and ready to talk about Keralan food, and they even let me taste some sweet sugarcane as it was plucked straight from the soil.

Located just an hour from Fort Cochin and its historic neighbourhoods, which can be explored best by the experts at South India by Car and Driver, hidden historic gems including the oldest mosque (Cheraman Juma Masjid – opened in 629 AD), synagogue (Paradesi synagogue – opened in 1568 AD) and church (St Francis Church – opened in 1503) in India, and the famous Chinese fishing nets in the Keralan backwaters, Rasa Gurukul offers an unrivalled location and unique experience. Inside the Rasa compound there is no traffic noise, no pollution, and no distractions. Car horn sounds have been replaced by the moos of cows, fresh air blows between the impressive architecture, and the food is completely safe to eat and guaranteed to be tasty, especially if you decide to join in the cooking, like I did.

So, what are you waiting for? Come and join me in the kitchen – I’ll make you some fluffy steamed idli rice cakes.

Joe

ww.rasagurukul.com

Aaah the Florida Keys,

Sending you a note from a place where things more than simply “Survive” they “Thrive to a Laid Back Tropical Vibe.” For centuries pirates, the Spanish-American and World Wars, hurricanes, failed and successful railroads, cycles in cigar manufacturing and sponge fishing, and weekly 18th Century shipwrecks on the reef that keeps the water relatively calm around Key West, brought good and bad economic fortunes to this island chain– depending on how much in salvage rights the locals got from the wrecks, yet today they’re still atop the luxury relaxation game.

Drive at your pace, stopping for shells, shirts, seafood swims skin or scuba dives or sunsets as the mood takes you. Take in the view from wherever tickles your fancy. Start In the Upper Keys with Largo, ease down to Islamorada and Marathon then finish with a leisurely U-Turn on US-1, the vehicular artery through this water-based paradise.

Regardless of what happens, you can count on The Florida Keys’ reputation as a top-notch vacation destination as reliably as their sunsets will take your breath away.

Come down and revel until dawn on the Duval Street, their main drag, or simply hang out and relax in The Marquesa, a classic Old Town Key West hotel, then head to the west side and check out the sunset.

If you take this leisurely route south, at the physical end of you’re your tip, you’ll be in Key West and whether you swim, bicycle, moped or walk around the island, though you’ll find a wide range of activities, you can’t go terribly far, The US’s Southernmost getaway is only a few miles wide.

Hoping you’ll come here,

Andrew