Category Archives: Leisure

Vacation Views: ‘Waldorf Astoria Resort – Maldives Ithaafushi’ (Video)

Nestled among white sands and crystal blue waters, this elegant Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi resort is a 40-minute yacht journey from Velana International Airport. Discover indulgent choices from 11 celebrated dining venues, a world-class lifestyle spa sanctuary, and a plethora of activities for all generations. Experience True Waldorf Astoria Service personalized to your every wish.

Set in a tropical paradise, the resort and the beach, reef and overwater villas span across three islands with a wealth of luxuries and experiences:

• 119 beach, reef and overwater villas with private pool, including the Ithaafushi Private Island
• 11 dining venues and bars including Terra, an elevated treetop restaurant, and The Ledge by Dave Pynt
• World-class lifestyle spa and wellness sanctuary
• A myriad of adventure and watersports activities

Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is a small archipelagic state in South Asia, situated in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 700 kilometres from the Asian continent’s mainland. 

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Travel & Hotel Books: ‘Great Escapes Greece’

Greece is the land of gods and scholars as well as the birthplace of democracy and Western philosophy. Completely surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, it is also one of the most popular vacation destinations—and has much more to offer than just the blue and white islands of the Cyclades.

A voyage to the most beautiful hotels in Greece

Greece’s ancient art and culture form the cradle of Western civilization—numerous monuments and museums tell to this day of the country’s rich history. Greece is unique also by virtue of its breathtaking landscapes, the hospitality of its inhabitants, and its fabulous hotels, making it the dream destination of many travelers. The fresh and healthy cuisine, the crystal clear sea, and the canvas-worthy sunsets do the rest—a trip to Greece is pure delight.

Angelika Taschen travels from the mountains of Macedonia in the north to the Peloponnese with its mythical places like Corinth, Sparta, and Olympia, and to the larger and smaller groups of islands in the south. She opens the doors to some of the country’s most extraordinary hotels, including Imaret in Kavala, located in a former Ottoman complex; Tainaron Blue Retreat in a secluded former defense tower in the Mani; and The Windmill, a converted windmill on the island of Kimolos in the Cyclades. She invites readers to discover legendary luxury hotels, like Eagles Palace in Halkidiki or Poseidonion Grand Hotel on Spetses, and takes them to enchanting B&Bs like Guesthouse Mazaraki in Mystras or Mèlisses on Andros, run by food blogger Allegra Pomilio.

Along her itinerary, she visits hotels on well-known picturesque islands—such as the Mystique on Santorini and the Soho Roc House on Mykonos—but also accommodations in remote places like the Mediterraneo on the island of Kastelorizo, which lies in the very southeast of Greece off the Turkish coast. In addition she shows interesting architectural and design concepts, such as The Rou Estate hotel village, a historic, carefully restored hamlet on Corfu; the minimalist Olea All Suite Hotel on Zakynthos; and Ammos on Crete, where no two pieces of furniture are alike and new eccentric pieces are added every year.

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Views: ‘Octola Lodge & Private Wilderness’ In Lapland, Finland (Video)

The Most Exclusive Lodge In Lapland

Having hunted for the right place to accommodate the discerning guests of our Luxury Action travel company, I eventually realized the the right property did not exists in the right location. That’s when I decided the only option was to build our very own log chalet. Traditionally, we have managed or rented private chalets in various locations around Lapland, then refurnished them to meet the individual standards of our guests.

As fun and instructive this concept has been, implementing interior design on a one-by-one basis is costly and time consuming. In addition, regardless of our efforts to upgrade the existing chalets in Lapland, although of excellent quality, tend to have very small rooms and only a few properties have en-suite bedrooms with shower and toilet. I felt it was time for a revolutionary change to provide exclusive accommodation in the Arctic that meets the needs of our experiential guests.

Top New Camper Vans: The ‘2021 Challenger’ (Video)

2060 – THE COMPACT INTEGRATED ONE WITH A UNIQUE SELLING POINT

The 2060 adopts the layout of the 260, our popular semi-integrated with a 160 cm wide electric fold-down bed that is accessible without a ladder. In addition, it impresses with its unbelievable spaciousness (living room, kitchen, bathroom, dressing room) with an exterior length of just 6.99 m.

3048XLB – ALL CURRENT TRENDS IN A SINGLE FLOOR PLAN

In addition to the large 160 cm wide middle bed and the height-adjustable garage, the fully integrated 3048 offers a bathroom with a double partition (for more space and better access) and a SMARTLOUNGE salon of the latest generation: A cozy salon that can easily be converted into two comfortable individual seats when you are out and about can. Certainly the most successful system on the market!

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Travel Guide: Great Places To Stay & Eat In San Diego

Travel may be changing but that does not mean you can’t experience a little adventure. San Diego has a lot to offer and we explore some of the top places that are still eagerly awaiting your visit. From the best places to stay like the Tower 23 Hotel named after lifeguard post 23 to the modern Pendry San Diego Hotel. We also explore some of the best restaurants that are sure to please.

Video timeline: 00:00 Introduction 00:33 Tower 23 Hotel 01:36 Little Italy Food Hall 02:42 The Baked Bear 03:25 Pendry San Diego Hotel 04:39 Born & Raised Restaurant 05:15 The Lodge at Torrey Pines 06:13 George’s Ocean Terrace

Compact Camping: ‘2021 Toyota TRD-Sport Trailer’ “All-In-One Convenience”

The TRD-Sport Trailer features a scissor-lift that raises an innovative rigid platform several feet out of the bed. There’s a Yakima four-person tent with an awning and fly fishing-pole holders, a custom-built toilet and trash can, a refrigerator, a hot water heater, a shower with curtain, a generator, an Optima Yellow Top battery, a 16-gallon fresh water reservoir tank, a 15-gallon grey water holding tank, and a slide-out sink and stove. And that’s just for starters!

Toyota, a brand known for its deep off-roading roots and rugged reliability, unveiled the TRD-Sport Trailer, a creative ‘basecamp’ solution concept vehicle allowing overlanding explorers to quickly set up camp and then continue on their remote adventure.

Overlanding is an extremely popular and growing trend, providing adventures in a year when many have faced challenges taking traditional vacations. The TRD-Sport Trailer’s inspiration began when Bob Kupina, Senior Program Manager, Toyota Motor North America Research and Development, saw a trailer made from a Toyota Tacoma at the Overland Expo WEST in Flagstaff, Arizona. Kupina and team got the ball rolling with a cool base concept, but then Toyota turned to Marty Schwerter and the team at Motorsports Garage to take the concept to the next level… and beyond.

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Mobile Living: The ‘Iridium E-Mobil 70EB’ – World’s First Electric RV (Video)

While electric cars have become a more common sight on our roads, there is still some way to go before we step away entirely from fossil based fuels. The change to electric power is well underway, but there are still some categories of road transportation that are missing out, including the motor home segment.

That’s until recently. We’ve already seen some electric vans, such as the Nissan e-NV200 and more recently the Mercedes eSprinter, but neither are dedicated camper vans. Various conversions have taken place, and even the one-off electrification of some camper vans, but Germany is home to the world’s first fully electric purpose built RV, the Iridium E-Mobil 70EB.

The original model debuted in early 2019 at a German trade show, a mere hint at what the companies were capable of creating when working together. It’s a shame, then, that its range is just 124 miles. The latest offering doubles this, promising more than 249 miles on a single charge. This comes with the transition from an 86.4 kWh battery pack to a 108 kWh offering. That’s double the range on a 30% battery capacity boost, thanks in part to more efficient technology.

Travel & Lodging: ‘How AirBNB Rebounded During The Pandemic’ (Video)

Airbnb was bleeding cash earlier this year, making its plans to go public by the end of 2020 look bleak. But by adapting its business to the pandemic, Airbnb looks to have salvaged its IPO and possibly its future.

Photo illustration: Jacob Reynolds/WSJ