Today's Hong Kong

July 1 marked the 15th anniversary of the transfer of Hong Kong from Britain to China, making Hong Kong one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China (the other is Macau, located across the Pearl River delta from Hong Kong).  The city is celebrating the anniversary with events ranging from concerts to dragon-dance parades, all adding to the energy of this fascinating city.

Since the transfer, Hong Kong's unique blend of Eastern and Western cultures (it was part of the British Empire for most of the time from 1842 until 1997) has been maintained through the practice of "one country, two systems."  Hong Kong has its own political system and judiciary, and high degree of autonomy in most areas of governance and operations.  It remains a global financial center, a retail wonderland, and a place where you can enjoy dim sum and English high tea in the same afternoon.

Hong Kong, while densely (and vertically) populated, is also a place of extreme natural beauty.  Take the tram to the top of Victoria Peak for a breathtaking view of the city and harbor below.  Hong Kong's harbor is busy and interesting during the day, with all sorts of traditional and modern watercraft at work.  But, the best time to cruise the harbor is at night, when the impressive skyscrapers are lit up by a fabulous light show.

If you're traveling to Hong Kong soon, note that some 15th anniversary events will continue into fall.  For example, the Museum of Art's special exhibit on Emperor Qianlong will run through October 14th.  The display includes treasures from Beijing's Forbidden City,  most of them collected by the Emperor himself.

Hong Kong's luxury hotels are a treat to visit at any time of the year.  The elegant Peninsula Hotel is known for it's Rolls Royce limousines, white-gloved bellboys and high tea, complete with cucumber sandwiches and other English delicacies.

The luxurious new Ritz-Carlton Hotel has the distinction of being the world's highest: it occupies floors 102 to 118 of the International Commerce Center.  The hotel's height gives it unmatched views of the city, the harbor and beyond.  While each guest room has a spectacular view, you can also check out the panorama from the Club Lounge or one of the six restaurants.

Visiting London for the Summer Olympic Games

This summer, the city of London, England, will host the Summer Olympic Games for the third time in history.  In 1908, the games were moved to London from the original host city, Rome, due to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.  In 1948, London hosted the first Olympic Games to be broadcast to home televisions.  The third London games, July 27-August 12, 2012, promises to make history as well. Events will be held in a combination of already-famous venues, such as Wimbledon (tennis) and Wembley Stadium (soccer), as well as in new, purpose-built venues.  Enhancements to London's facilities and transit systems will serve visitors well not only during the Games, but for years to come.

If you haven't booked your flight to the Olympics, it's important to do so as soon as possible. Of course, the same is true for accommodations.  London's excellent collection of hotels and bed-and-breakfast inns will be bustling before, during and after the Olympic Games.  Additional options include hostels and private home rentals.  You can also rent a room or a campsite away from the city and hop on the train to London each day.
While the initial distribution process for event tickets is complete, tickets will soon be available through an official ticket resale program.  Some tickets are also available through tour operators. And, some events don't require tickets: anyone can watch road cycling, the triathlon, race walking and the Olympic marathon.  In additional, some events will be shown on giant screens in Hyde Park and Victoria Park.  Once in London, you can make good use of the excellent public transit system.  Nearly all venues can be reached by the London Underground (the Tube) or bus.  The DLR light railway links Olympic Park with Greenwich Park and the Royal Artillery Barracks; venues along the River Thames, including Greenwich Park, can be reached by boat.  Shuttle service and taxis will also help keep the crowds moving.
Along with ticket to any Olympic event or ceremony, you'll receive a card that entitles you to free travel on the Tube, the DRL light railway, buses, trams and most National Rail services on the day of the event.  You can also purchase a Visitor Oyster card, a smart card you can pre-load with payment for any of those forms of transit.  Visitor Oyster cards can be purchased in the U.S. before you leave.

Tasting the World's Best

Should you find Copenhagen, Denmark, in your travel plans, one must-see sight is Tivoli Gardens, the world's most popular seasonal amusement park.  The park has rides, cultural performances, concerts and Evening Illuminations, a light show on Tivoli Lake.  There's also an incredible variety of food in the park:  everything from traditional open-faced Danish sandwiches to sushi, burgers and freshly picked and brewed tea.

However, you may want to save your appetite for the exceptional cuisine at the best restaurants in Copenhagen and, in fact, the world:  Restaurant Noma.  For the third year in a row, Noma was named the world's top restaurant in an annual survey sponsored by San Pellegrino and published by Restaurant magazine.  At Noma, each day's menu includes Nordic tastes such as Limfjords oysters with air onion; roasted turbot with bitter greens; or rhubarb with milk curd.

If your travels take you to Spain, you could visit two of the top three restaurants in the world.  After admiring the Sagrada Familia and other architectural treasures of Barcelona, take a ride about 65 miles northeast to the city of Girona. This city has its own architectural wonders and the restaurant rated second best in the world: El Celler de Can Roca, where three brothers produce playful dishes like pigeon with strawberries and roses.  If you're in the north of Spain to visit a beach resort on the Bay of Biscay, make a reservation at the world's third-best restaurant: Magaritz in San Sebastian. The dishes here are designed to evoke emotional responses in patrons, with a focus on fresh fish and other regional specialities.

If you visit the sprawling city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, to enjoy the carnival season, the annual International Film Festival or the Festival of Electronic Art, you'll also want to experience D.O.M. Moving up from seventh to fourth on the Best Restaurant list this year, D.O.M. celebrates produce from Brazil - particularly the Amazonian region - incorporating elements such as palm hearts, manioc root and tucupi juice into its dishes.

The ancient city of Modean, Italy, is a center for the Italian auto industry, and visitors are attracted to the antiquities and the sleek, modern Maseratis and Lamborghinis manufactured there.  There's also Osteria Francescana, fifth on the best restaurant list, where chefs deconstruct regional dishes and experiment with ingredients like pork sausage, balsamic vinegar, beans and pasta.

To visit these or other "world's best" epicurean delights during your travels, talk to us!

Panama the Emerging Destination

In the most recent Travel Trends survey conducted by Travel Leaders, expert travel agents cited Panama as the top up-and-coming vacation destination in Central and South America, and with good reason.  Many people are familiar with the Panama Canal, the impressive 98 year old man made waterway that links two oceans and, in itself, is a reason to visit the Central American country.  However, there is much more to Panama than the canal.  The incredibly diverse landscape ranges from quiet beaches ringed with coral reefs to pristine rain forests and mountain peaks that lose their tops in the clouds.

Panama City, which lies at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal., offers a vibrant atmosphere, stunning skyscrapers, great dining, and a convenient base from which to see the rest of the country.  There are really three Panama Cities, all worth exploring: the modern city,
Panama Viejo and Casco Viejo.





In the 1500s, development of the original Panama City was set back several times by fires and earthquakes.  The city was completely destroyed by fire in January 1671 after being attacked by pirates.  The ruins, located in the suburbs of the modern city, have are now a popular attraction called Panam Viejo.
After the destruction of the original city, residents conceived of a walled city that would protect against future pirate attacks.  This is not the historic district called Casco Viejo, which is full of wonderful buildings and monuments.

Panama City is within easy driving distance of the beautiful Soberania National Park.  The park, which stretches along much of the length of the Panama Canal, is great for hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, bird- and monkey-watching, or simply taking in the beauty of the rainforest.
You'll need to venture a bit further from the city to tour Panama's spectacular highlands.  From the heights of Volcan Baru National Park, it's possible to see both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the coffee plantations around the charming town of Boquete.

Then, of course, there's the famous canal, a true marvel of engineering.  The Miraflores Visitor Center is a 20-minute ride from Panama City.  It has a museum of interactive exhibits and an outdoor terrace where you can get a close-up view of transiting ships.  Another way to experience the canal is to hop on a day cruise that will take you through one or more of the three impressive sets of locks. You can also take a cruise from Miami or Los Angeles that will sail through the canal as part of a longer itinerary.

Discovering Vietnam

One of the great things about travel is that there are always up-and-coming destinations to consider for your next vacation.  In the most recent survey of international travel trends, Vietnam was the top up-and-coming destination in Asia.  Here, bustling cities retain a touch of colonial influence, the countryside ranges from mountainous regions to sand dunes to lush rice paddies, and the long coastline hugs the shimmering South China Sea.

The urban center of southern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, offers a poignant look at the difficult years of the Vietnam War at the War Remnants Museum and Reunification Palace.  The memory of war is ever-present, but there's much more to explore along the wide, tree-lined boulevards laid out by French colonists.  There are hundreds of cinemas and live-performance theaters, a zoo and botanical garden, and lovely parks to explore.  Take one of the bicycle taxis to the Ben Thanh Market to browse the silks and souvenirs, and then relax at the Suoi Tien Amusement Park, which has its own beach.

Beginning just west of Ho Chih Minh City, The Mekong Delta is where the Mekong River branches into thousands of distributaries that empty into the South China Sea.  The beautiful area is a major producer of rice, fish and shrimp.  A sampan tour can take you to rice fields, floating markets, orchards, and workshops where rice is used to make paste, candy and paper.

The northern city of Hanoi is Vietnam's cultural center: be sure to catch a performance of puppetry, music or dance.  The streets and buildings of the city's Old Quarter are still home to many small artisans and merchants.  The French colonial influence can be seen in impressive buildings like the Grand Opera House, the presidential palace and the Hotel Metropole.  Try the flavorful cuisine which pairs delicate French croissant and pastries with famous Vietnamese dishes such as pho, a rice noodle soup available from hundreds of street-side, open-air restaurants.

Halong Bay is a popular side trip from Hanoi.  Painters and photographers are attached to the bay's emerald-green water and the 3,000 towers of limestone hat rise from it.  Some are hollow, with intriguing caves and grottos; others are large enough to form islands with their own lakes and beaches. 

To explore your options for discovering much more of Vietnam, talk with your travel professional

Up to the Highest Heights

Skyscrapers and towers around the world are becoming favored destinations for thrill seekers who want to feel the wind in their hair on the planet's tallest man made structures.  While you can't quite copy Tom Cruise's skyscraper-climbing stunts from "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol", you can take in incredible views from the inside - and outside - of some landmark buildings and towers.

The CN Tower, a communications and observation tower in Toronto, Ontario, held the title of the world's tallest freestanding structure from 1976 until 2010.  Last summer, the CN Tower Edge Walk opened as the world's highest full-circle, hands-free, outdoor walk. Visitors are tethered to an overheard rail system for a walk around the edge of the tower's main pod, 1,168 feet up in the air.

If the feeling of standing on nothing but air appeals to you, the Skywalk at Sydney Tower in Sydney, Australia, is an open-air, glass-floored platform 879 feet above the ground.  You may be mesmerized by the view through the bottom on the platform, but be sure to look around at the ocean to the east, the mountains to the west and the city itself.

Macau Tower in the former Portuguese colony of Macau, now part of China, has a variety of activities for adrenalin lovers.  Like the CN Tower Edge Walk, The Macau Tower's Skywalk X uses an overhead rail system for safety.  If Skywalk X isn't enough of a thrill, you can also bungee jump off the tower, or climb the exterior from the observation deck to the top of the mast.

As for skyscraper the Cruise scales in "Ghost Protocol", the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is now the tallest free-standing structure in the world, with more than 160 floors of offices, residences and hotel rooms.  Floor 124 features "At the Top", an outdoor observation deck that is the world's highest viewing platform.

To enjoy these or other sky-high urban experiences, talk with your travel professional.

Marvelous Croatia!!!

If you're looking for a gorgeous, historic European destination that still feels a little undiscovered, try Croatia.  Once part of Yugoslavia, Coratia fought a war for independence during the 1990s.  Today, this country on the the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea is peaceful, thriving, and welcoming more visitors each year.

The natural wonders of Croatia are remarkable diverse, beginning with the country's long and scenic coastline along the sparkling Adriatic.  There are more than a thousand islands off the coastline, where boaters and sun seeker flock in the summer. Inland, there are mountains, forests, waterfalls and thermal spas.

The inland city of Zagreb, bordered by mountains and rivers, is full of wooded parks, lakes and lovely gardens.  From the bountiful farmer's market in the historic Dolac quarter to the charming pavilions of Maksimir Park, there's a lot to explore in this capital city.  One of the loveliest sights in Zagred is actually a cemetery - Mirogoj Cemetery was designed by renowned architect Herman Bolle.


The centerpiece of the port city of Split is the palace of the ancient Roman Emperor Diocletain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  You can spend an entire day exploring the remains of the palace, constructed in 305 AD. Or, focus on the city's museums, including the popular Archaeological Museum and the Maritime Museum.  For a stunning view, climb the bell tower of St. Duje, constructed in the 13th century.

The islands of Korcula and Hvar tempts visitors to hop a ferry from Split. Korcula has a rich history in the arts, and many visitors are thrilled to see the traditional Moreska sword dance.  Hvar is known for hillsides covered in pine forests, which make a lovely backdrop for vineyards, olive groves, and fields of lavender.

Have your camera ready in Dubrovnik- another UNESCO World Heritage Site where there are photo-worthy views everywhere you turn.  You can actually stand on top of walls constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries to protect the Old Town, one of the best-preserved medieval city centers in the world.  You'll see the Sponza Palace, the Rector's Palace, Luza Square, and ancient towers and fortifications that have stood the test of time.

With so many fascinating places to explore, it's not wonder that we have nationally named Croatia s the top "up and coming" destination within Europe.  You can find out more about how you can enjoy Croatia's cities, seashore and natural wonder, talk with your travel professional.
Happy Travels!