Recommend April 2016 - (Page 8)

E d it o r 's N o t e s Ok, so I know I look a little silly in my editor's notes pic, but that's what happens when you are having a great time, as I recently did during a press trip to Iberostar Playa Mita in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico. See that fabulous sunset? Your clients can catch it every day of their stay at this all-inclusive resort. How luxuriating-sitting down at the resort's rooftop lounge, sipping a cocktail and watching the sun slip into the Pacific right before heading to dinner. And that last bit brings me to this issue-our annual Culinary Travel Issue. I'm always quite hungry when I'm done editing this issue. I want to devour those pastries on the cover, as well as that gorgeous plate of food in the cruise feature on page 14, or that simply divine-looking dish in the North America feature on page 25. And that chocolate dripping onto page 22 in the Saint Lucia Loves Chocoholics piece is just too decadent for words-that feature, in fact, is a keeper for when your chocolate-loving clients want top recommendations for lavish resorts on that stunning Caribbean island. From Mexico (page 34) to China (42), and on over to Israel (page 33), and Costa Rica (page 24), this issue spills over with recommendations on cooking classes, restaurants that create out-of-the-box dining experiences, tequila tastings, farm-to-table dining, and foraging for food experiences. And in Vegas (page 30), we've gathered a bite-sized collection of new to-do's you'll want to tell your clients about. Recommend Luxury Travel Survey This past February, to coincide with the Luxury & Spa Travel issue, Recommend conducted a luxury travel survey and the results are in. When asked if you book luxury travel through a high-end tour operator or completely customize a vacation for your client, the response was overwhelmingly, at 75 percent, that you use both methods to create that dream vacation. The top brands you're using when booking luxury travel range from Crystal Cruises and Sandals to Viking and AmaWaterways. So where is it that many of you are sending your clients? Destinations are all over the map-from Italy, Tahiti and Morocco to Australia, Hawaii and Germany. If you didn't get a chance to participate in the survey, drop me a line and tell me about your luxury bookings. -Paloma Villaverde de Rico E-mail me at paloma@recommend.com Official Florida Travel Industry Education Program Recommend has partnered with VISIT FLORIDA to create a course focused on Family Travel throughout Florida. You'll get the 4-1-1 on the range of family vacation opportunities Florida offers, everything from high-energy theme parks and museums showcasing shipwrecks, pirates, and clowns to up-close encounters with wildlife. When you graduate as a VISIT FLORIDA Family Specialist, you'll have access to prizes, including a Flip Digital Camera and three $50 Amazon gift cards; and you'll receive 3 CEU credits from The Travel Institute or 12 CEU credits from ACTA. Graduates also receive sales support from VISIT FLORIDA and a personalized full color, printable certificate. Go to visitflorida. recommend.com to enroll and become a VISIT FLORIDA Family Specialist. let's get social Hang out with us @Recommendmag on both Twitter & Instagram, as well as on facebook.com/recommendmag. And if you want to see what our editors are up to away from the office, follow them @EdWetschler & @AreanWanderlust. 8 april 2016 group publisher/editorial director associate publisher editor-in-chief associate editor art director latin america editor caribbean editor cruise editor web editor/copy editor contributing writers corporate director of marketing production manager ad traffic coordinator laurel a. herman terence k. murphy paloma villaverde de rico michelle marie arean janet del mastro carla hunt ed wetschler vivian holley melissa bryant susan farewell, lane nieset sharon lewen estrella bibas daimee feliz chairman/founding editor hal herman president/editorial director laurel a. herman executive vice president gary herman miami corporate headquarters: 5979 nw 151st. st., suite 120, miami lakes, florida 33014 tel: (305) 828-0123; fax: (305) 826-6950 caribbean, central & south america: terry murphy, terry@recommend.com tel: (305) 828-0123; ext. 120; fax: (305) 828-0799 northeast usa, eastern canada, europe, africa, middle east: monique agaliotis, monique@worthit.com, tel: (917) 244-7000 florida, midwest usa, caribbean: brenda goodwin, brenda@worthit.com, tel: (305) 828-0123; ext.160; fax: (305) 826-6950 southeast usa, colorado, utah, idaho, montana, wyoming, texas, north & south dakota: karen smith, karen@worthit.com; (561) 419-8397 western canada, california, oregon, washington state, nevada, arizona, new mexico: lisa marie costa, lisamarie@worthit.com, tel: (949) 244-4760 hawaii: alan rock, alanrock1@gmail.com, tel: (310) 721-2825 cancun: margarita alvarez, margarissima@gmail.com tel: 011 52 998 287 1545; fax: 011 52-998 884-1716 RECOMMEND, Vol. 31, issue number 7, (ISSN 0034-1452) is published monthly by Worth International Media Group. OFFICE OF PUBLICATION: 5979 N.W. 151st St., Suite 120, Miami Lakes, FL 33014.Periodicals postage paid at Hialeah, FL and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to RECOMMEND Circulation Department, P.O. Box 171070 Hialeah, FL 33017-1070. RECOMMEND is distributed at no charge to qualified travel agents and tour operators. Paid annual subscriptions are available for $48 in the U.S., $96 in Canada, payable in U.S. dollars in advance. Published for North American distribution. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Pitney Bowes International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2 Copyright© 2005 Worth International Media Group. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Recommend is not responsible for unsolicited photography, art or manuscripts. 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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend April 2016

Editor’s Notes
Hotel Desk: Hotels for Foodies
Tour Talk: Take to the Road With Enterprise
Cruise Lines Whip Up Culinary Treats
Viking Celebrates Agents
5 Adults-Only All-Inclusives Where Dinner Is an Art
Saint Lucia Loves Chocoholics
Accent on Food
Hotel Culinary Options in the U.S.
Culinary Travel: A Buffet of Options
Vegas Bites
Dining Through the Holy Land
Spotlight on Gastronomy
Hyatt Ziva Cancun
Lovely Valencia
Thuringia: Germany’s Best-Kept Secret...Revealed
Devouring Asia

Recommend April 2016