Recommend August 2012 - (Page 28)

Santiago has a new and charming boutique hotel, Lastarria, where guests make themselves at home in 14 spacious accommodations and amidst gardens with an outdoor pool. Situated in the historic center of Santiago and surrounded by museums, galleries, trendy shops and restaurants, Lastarria made the Conde Nast Traveler’s “Hot List 2012.” (lastarriahotel.com) Turismo Chile is promoting a new “discovery” destination to indeed discover: the Araucania region, whose gateway is the university town of Temuco, an hour by air south from Santiago. Its attractions are blue mountain lakes, snow-capped volcanoes and pristine forests: playgrounds for hiking, kayaking, white-water rafting, ﬁshing, mountain climbing and skiing (JuneOctober). Additionally, Araucania is the traditional homeland of the Mapuche people, who welcome visitors to experience their culture and stay in their ﬁne native lodges. Making Travel + Leisure’s “It List: The Best New Hotels 2012” is Terra Patagonia, a spectacular resort that rises from a bluff overlooking Lake Sarmiento at the edge of Torres del Paine National Park. All 40 rooms have grand views, and the Uma Spa has an indoor pool and outdoor jacuzzi. Activities range from fording the Baguales River on horseback to shearing sheep—with local gauchos lending a hand. (terrapatagonia.com) Adventure has just gotten more comfortable on Robinson Crusoe Island, with limited access via twin-engine plane on a 2-hour ﬂight (in season) from Santiago. Newly opened is the Crusoe Island Lodge— making its own mark on the 2012 “It List”—ﬁtted with 15 rooms and suites with terraces, bar-lounge, library, La Breca restaurant, and undoubtedly the one and only spa in the Juan Fernandez Island archipelago. Activities include trekking, ﬁshing, scuba diving and snorkeling. (crusoeislandlodge.com) Also noteworthy is Robinson Crusoe Deep Patagonia, located in Villa O’Higgins, at the end of the Austral Way. The lodge opened its doors in 2010, and the company provides an array of programs for travelers to view these remote landscapes. (robinsoncrusoe.com) What’s New in Chile CHILE Shaped like an arrow pointed at Antarctica, Chile averages 120 miles across in width and runs 2,600 miles north to south along the Paciﬁc coast. The craggy Andean Mountains run right down the middle of the country, where travelers are ﬁnding some of South America’s most dramatic scenery, the best skiing and ﬁshing south of the U.S. border, and 32 national parks, plus no-better-anywhere seafood and world-famous wines. Santiago, Chile’s major gateway, sits mid-country, sporting today a capital full of new and stylish hotels, restaurants where the favorite dish has got to be ﬁsh, art galleries and designer boutiques. Close to the capital lie the wine roads through the vineyards; the seaside resort of Viña del Mar and its charming neighbor Valparaiso, whose rich treasury of Victorian architecture secured the port town a place on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. Travelers have to take a plane to reach the natural wonders of Chile: the Atacama Desert, whose fabulous lodging fan out around the village of San Pedro de Atacama; south to the Chilean Lake District for excellent hiking, biking, kayaking and ﬁshing; and even farther south to the magniﬁcent national parks of Torres del Paine and Parque Nacional Puyehue. And one of the world’s great outdoor museums, Easter Island, with its iconic giant statues, lies 2,300 miles offshore. (chile.travel) COLOMBIA Colombia has reinvented itself to become one of Latin America’s fastest-growing destinations and Bogota is the new go-to Latin capital for lovers of art (a must-see is the Museo Botero) and history, great dining and a nonstop nightlife. A popular trip from Bogota is a half-day venture to the Zipaquira Salt Mine with its spectacular underground cathedral carved out of the rock, while at least one night should be reserved to explore and hang out in such charming market towns as Raquira and Vila de Leyva in TravelMart LatinAmerica, the 36th annual in-gathering of travel buyers and sellers of leisure travel to Central and South America, takes place Sept. 12-14 in Cartagena, where delegates with ﬁnd that the luxury boutique Casa San Agustin, combining three colonial buildings and an ancient aqueduct, has been completely renovated. (hotelcasasanagustin.com) Coming beachfront to Cartagena’s Boca Grande district in early-2013 is the 280-room InterContinental Cartagena, complete with a spa, restaurants and bars. The property will anchor a mixed-use development that includes a casino. (ichotelsgroup.com) The privacy of Playa Koralia, a complex of 19 brightly painted bungalows fronting a secluded stretch of Colombia’s Caribbean Riviera, has made it popular among Latin American celebrities. Located 50 minutes from Santa Marta, the resort features oversized rooms; a tiny spa, and an open-air bar. (koralia.com) Effective Nov. 2, JetBlue Airways will inaugurate nonstop service between New York (JFK) and Cartagena; ﬂights will operate three times a week. What’s New in Colombia CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, Panama, Peru, Ecuador, The Galapagos Islands WHOLESALE RATES 12% COMMISSION on all packages one call does it all! BOOKING EASY SERVICE for you and your client CALL US TODAY! DEPENDABLE info@woodbridgetravel.com www.woodbridgetravel.com CST #2070227-40 800.883.8366 S10 august 2012 recommend.com http://www.lastarriahotel.com http://www.terrapatagonia.com http://www.hotelcasasanagustin.com http://www.ichotelsgroup.com http://www.crusoeislandlodge.com http://www.koralia.com http://www.robinsoncrusoe.com http://www.woodbridgetravel.com http://www.woodbridgetravel.com http://www.recommend.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