Recommend August 2012 - (Page 27)

is Potosi, another colonial beauty whose silver mines once made her the boomtown of the Americas. Another option is an Amazonia holiday in the Madidi Rainforest Reserve, combining a short ﬂight from La Paz and a canoe ride on the Tuichi River to Chalalan Lodge (chalalan.com), a friendly lakeside property developed with the participation of the local indigenous community. The most talked-about corner of Bolivia, however, is the surreal Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt ﬂat, dotted with lakes, ﬂamingos and unique hotels such as the Palacio Salar de Uyuni (palaciodesal.com. bo), made of salt blocks. It’s accessible overland from Potosi, and now also packaged into a circuit crossing into Chile and the Atacama Desert. (boliviacontact.com) BRAZIL Brazil is the giant of South America, not only its largest country—covering approximately 50 percent of the entire continent—but a gem of a country, with people to match. Travel plans usually start in Rio de Janeiro, with a scintillating mix of beach culture, bigcity sophistication and seemingly nonstop joie de vivre played out against the heights of Corcovado and Sugarloaf Mountain, the islands of Guanabara Bay and that famous In November, American Airlines will inaugurate daily service between Miami and Manaus. Marriott’s Autograph Collection debuts in South America with the addition of the Hotel & Spa do Vinho in Bento Goncalves, the wine-producing state of Rio Grande do Sul; the French beauty and spa company, pioneers in unique wine therapies, oversees the award-winning spa. (autograph-hotels.marriott.com) Newly introduced to the North American market is the southern state of Santa Catarina, where the pull is glorious beaches attracting sunbathers, swimmers and surfers. Adding spotting of southern right whales (July to October annually) to its superlatives list, Praia do Rosa recently won top-beach pick. This year, Iguazu Falls was ofﬁcially announced as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature, a designation celebrated with ceremonies taking place on both the Brazilian and Argentine sides of these incredible cascades. Carnaval Rio in 2013: Feb. 8-12 Brazil has two big dates on the horizon: the 2014 FIFA World Cup, played out in 12 cities; and the 2016 Summer Olympics coming to Rio. What’s New in Brazil string of legendary beaches. From Rio it’s an hour by air to Belo Horizonte, gateway to the baroque Gold Cities of Minas Gerais state, while a longer ﬂight heads northeast to Salvador da Bahia, Brazil’s spiritual heartland, captured in the Pelourinho, now a UNESCO-designed quarter of gaily painted houses, extravagant mansions, baroque churches and convents. New air service to the northeast makes it easier to discover such places as Chapada Diamantina, a 376,000-acre national park in the heart of the state of Bahia. Dubbed Brazil’s “Taj Mahal of adventure tourism,” this park is a mountainous playground of waterfalls, caves, pools, cacti and orchids whose gateway is Lencois. And, of course, a trip to Brazil is not complete without a visit to the Amazon, and the travel choices here are many in and around the air gateway city of Manaus: river cruises, catering to different tastes in comfort and itineraries, and jungle lodge stays, ranging from remote and rustic to relatively luxurious. (braziltour.com) Central & South America plus Antarctica      Earn up to 15% commission Over 40 Years Experience Excellent reputation Members of USTOA Best Airfares  Quality Staff who have lived and/or traveled extensively  We offer a variety of travel ideas  Price Guarantee  We really care 2016613-20 august 2012 S9 888 469 2955 · www.goway.com http://www.autograph-hotels.marriott.com http://www.chalalan.com http://www.palaciodesal.com http://www.boliviacontact.com http://www.braziltour.com http://www.goway.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend August 2012

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk: DogSpa Resort & Wellness Center
Tour Talk: MLT Vacations
The Danube With AmaWaterways
Striking Gold With Vegas' Golden Gate
Central & South America Guide
Wequassett Resort and Golf Club, Cape Cod
New Zealand's South Island is Sheer Eye Candy
Seven Stars Resort, Turks & Caicos
Iberostar Cancun
Three Days in Cape Town & the Winelands, South Africa

Recommend August 2012