Top Ski Resorts for Winter Getaways
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Top Ski Resorts for Winter Getaways
A chill is in the air, snow is on the way, and soon the slopes (or lodges) will be calling your name!
Escaping to a ski resort is the perfect way to enjoy the season while leaving the stresses of holidays, shoveling and icy commutes behind. If you’re a skier, you already understand the thrill of the world’s most popular winter sport. But if not, there are countless other winter activities (think sleigh rides, snowmobiling and tubing) and luxuries (spas, shopping, dining) waiting for you at the resort, along with eye-popping views. Whether you’re visiting with family, friends, significant other, or skiing solo, there’s fun for all at these premier U.S. resorts:
Alta, Deer Valley and Park City in Utah
Aspen and Breckenridge in Colorado
Jackson Hole in Wyoming (top spot in Forbes list “The Top 10 Ski Resorts In North America For 2016”
Stowe, Killington and more in Vermont
With so many wonderful options, it might be difficult to choose! Not to worry, one of our expert consultants, Marylyn McLaughlin, happens to be a seasoned skier and long-time patron of many of these resorts. She shared her thoughts on one ski town in particular, Beaver Creek, Colorado.
IMG_1732“I have been to and enjoyed many of the U.S. ski resorts with my husband and our four boys, but one resort has truly stood out to us above all others. Beaver Creek is a classic self-contained village equipped with a world-class ski mountain, 5 star resort hotels, an ice skating rink, high end resort shopping, art galleries, and an award winning performing arts center. It is not as big as some of the other top resort towns, but it proves that quality means so much more than quantity!
The skiing on Beaver Creek is phenomenal for all levels of skiers. The more experienced and daring skiers (aka, my four sons) tackle the Birds of Prey, a lineup of double blacks that would challenge even the heartiest of risk takers. They are steep, deep, and bumped up. For those who prefer a calmer ride, there is plenty of terrain for cruising the blues, meandering the greens, and bopping in and out of the glades. All areas of the mountain are easily accessible with up-to-date, well-run. The trails are thrilling and offer beautiful vistas of the Vail valley.
The food on this mountain is exceptional, and the service is just as impressive. After only two days at the hotel, the bartenders knew my husband’s “scotch”, my “wine”, and how many cherries to put into each of our kids’ customized “Roy Rogers”! There is a variety of exceptional places to eat, including Toscanini for Italian, The Blue Moose for pizza, the Coyote Cafe for Mexican, and The Dusty Boot for burgers and wonderful western ambience. Late in the afternoon, you will find scores of families gathered around the Hyatt’s large fire pit, roasting complimentary s’mores.
We have never been disappointed by a stay at Beaver Creek, and I intend to keep up that streak when I venture back again and again and again…”
Photos courtesy of Park Hyatt and Marylyn McLaughlin (pictured with her son after a day on the slopes).
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Africa… a Magical Journey Africa has become a popular destination for many of our travelers – with good reason! Here we share some accounts of their fabulous journeys. This will surely help others planning to experience the continent…. February 2015, travelers Diane and Ted shared a lively account of their African Adventure with our Ginger Morrissey: The gorilla trekking was absolutely over the top for each of us. That we could get so close and be completely ignored (I think that there were about 11 of us) was spectacular. Cameras were clicking. After our treks, and with lovely accommodations in each place we stayed, we’d arranged for a flight to Ethiopia, to visit the single mom of the student we are supporting through our local private university. Mekdi is now half-way through her junior year, all As, which makes us feel proud for her. 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Thank you SO much for making the trip possible. It was just perfect in every regard–even the hotels were spectacular. But the best part was actually being with the gorillas, who seemed to contentedly pretend that we weren’t even there! The babies were adorable! We were knocked over by the luxury of our hotel(s), and the organized drives to the gorilla areas were smooth and positive. It was sad to observe the obvious signs of poverty, but we have been all over Africa in the past, so it was no surprise…only sad. You outdid yourself in providing the best possible experience. Ben was a fabulous driver/guide, and our rooms were comfortable and luxurious. The organization to put all eleven of us in separate vehicles to get to the animals was handled without flaw, and best of all, our gorilla trekking was a “one-off” experience that was made permanent in our memory banks. We definitely had plenty of time to quietly observe the gorilla families in their encampments. Thanks for everything you did to make the trip so positive! The trip materialized beyond expectations. As neither of us had time to read to read Gabriella’s itinerary it was a sequence of delicious surprises. The first day’s “speedboat” ride with Chris to Jane Goodall’s Chimps was the first unforeseen thrill. The next day it was the little plane across the equator into the luscious south. The trek after Uganda’s gorillas was one of the most strenuous hikes I’ve had since my summers in the High Sierra, and WELL worth it. The animals were very real! That morning we met our exceptionally capable and sagacious driver/guide, Ben, who on the next excursion ushered us into Rwanda with illuminating dialog. Our second gorilla trek was fortunately somewhat easier, and just as rewarding, but felt the same back at the truck….. Rwanda was an eyeopener. Nearly as neat as Switzerland, thanks to a tidy dictator, and its infrastructure impressive, the population crunch, as with much of the undeveloped world, hinted at the roots of their genocide, so well dealt with in Kigali’s Memorial Museum. It was hard saying good bye to Ben. He was like traveling with your own professor/Indiana Jones. We regard this expedition amongst our most rewarding, and it’s all your fault! Many & most sincere thanks, Diane and Ted A special trip to South Africa, 2014: Recently, we returned to South Africa on a magical journey (they always are) and wanted to share some of the highlights. SA Airways took good care of us in their Business class section; no sleep but the movies and the service were up to expectation, with French Champagne and a marvelous South African wine. 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Our young, knowledgeable ranger took every precaution to ensure we weren’t the lion’s next meal and it is always amazing to experience wild animals up close. At Ulusaba, the Branson camp, we had an affable, loquacious ranger who regaled us with his many close encounters, mainly with elephants. Their chef, Jess, made every meal a special culinary delight and the view from the property is stunning. Back to the Saxon, then on to Botswana, Savute Elephant camp, where our ranger, Watch, took us wherever game had been spotted and we sighted a pair of lion cubs frolicking on top of a termite mound, determining who was going to retain possession of the fabulous viewpoint. Back to Johannes burg, two nights with relatives and then back home on the non-stop SAA flight. This time I took a sleeping pill and was rewarded with 8 hours – enough to be back at the office on the day of arrival at JFK. As the saying goes: You can never brush the dust of Africa off your shoes… So… I know you will return someday.
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