Kyoto japan

Photo by Ilene Perlman

Into Japan: Cuisine and Culture Food Tour

In May 2017, lovers Japanese food and culture can join Esprit’s Japan Food Tour with Andrew Bender, one of Esprit’s top tour leaders – and a travel and food writer for Forbes.com and Lonely Planet guides – on a journey through Japanese food ways. Through culinary hotspots of Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto and Osaka, guests will explore famed public markets and restaurant supply districts, learn the art of Japanese home-style cooking, tour a green tea plantation, explore the sake making — and tasting, and sample delicacies: from Kaga-style cooking on the coast of the Sea of Japan, to Japan’s renowned wagyu beef.

japan market

On this Japan Food tour, guests will learn that from sushi to noodles, humble bento lunches to grand kaiseki dinners, Japanese cuisine has flavors, aesthetics and history all its own. Along the way, they will also experience the culture that makes Japan unique: ancient Shinto tradition to cutting-edge contemporary architecture, learning the Way of Tea and touring exquisite gardens, the path of the samurai, the ultra-modern Shinkansen bullet train and the neon-lit futuristic streetscapes of Osaka.

Dates: May 11-24, 2017

Rates: $7,590 per person, double (single supplements available), not including airfare. Group size is limited to 15. Bookings need to be made by mid-January. Rates are net.

Contact:
Esprit Travel & Tours
(800) 377-7481
www.esprittravel.com

 

Winter in Russia

 

Arctic Wanderings this Winter by Private Train

Christmas at the North Pole? Well, yes, sort of. You don’t have to be a polar explorer to join a band of voyagers venturing far above the Arctic Circle on a hunt for the celestial aurora borealis or Northern Lights or a happy old man with a band of reindeer. Now you can do it all by private luxury train. Guests aboard the opulent Golden Eagle private train will head north from St. Petersburg across the Arctic Circle on an unforgettable 12-day itinerary. The tour includes visits to the Snow Hotel, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the world’s first nuclear-powered icebreaker, the Arctic port of Murmansk, the open-air museum of Kizhi Island, the Golden Ring towns of Vladimir and Suzdal, and of course magnificent Moscow.

Dates: December 29, 2016 – January 9, 2017

Rates: The tour starts at $11,995

Contact:
MIR Corporation
(800) 424-7289
www.mircorp.com/trip/arctic-explorer-by-private-train

 

Cape Cod travel

Cool Autumn Getaways on Cape Cod

As autumn descends on New England look to Cape Cod and the islands for a renewed calm and the treat of a wellness getaway. Three renowned seaside resorts are giving guests a unique wellness experience encased in inviting escape packages:

Harborview Nantucket, the luxe cottage enclave located two blocks from Nantucket’s Main Street, offers guests a restorative getaway with its ACK Wellness Package. The unique retreat includes 20 percent off cottage accommodations, a 60-minute aerial or traditional yoga class, and an assortment of ACKFresh juices with tumblers on arrival. Rates start at $640 per night.

Sea Crest Beach Hotel, a Cape Cod favorite located on private Old Silver Beach, has partnered with Bellezza Salon Medspa to bring guests The Beach Stone Package. Starting at $261 per night (including gratuity), The Beach Stone includes overnight accommodations for one, plus a Hot Stone Massage and a spa-themed welcome bag. Guests should book at least four days in advance to ensure spa availability. Upon booking, Sea Crest Beach Hotel’s reservation department will assist in scheduling spa services.

Harbor View Hotel, Martha’s Vineyard’s most storied hotel located in quaint Edgartown, is offering the Lighthouse Spa Package, ideal for couples looking to reconnect on a relaxing Vineyard retreat. In partnership with Eclipse Massage Therapy, the Lighthouse Spa Package includes luxurious overnight accommodations (based on a two night minimum), breakfast for two at the Vineyard-favorite Lighthouse Grill, and a 60-minute in-room couple’s massage. Rates start at $269 per night. Massages are booked through the hotel’s concierge.

 

Alexandria, VA

Kimpton Honors Road Warriors with Alexandria, VA Stays

“Road Warrior” Package at Kimpton Lorien Hotel & Spa in Alexandria, Virginia means that life on the road doesn’t have to be all work and no play. Located in the Washington D.C. metro area in Old Town Alexandria — only two blocks from the King Street Metro Station, Alexandria Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express stations — Kimpton Lorien Hotel & Spa makes for a great home base for business travelers.

Kimpton Lorien Hotel & Spa’s Road Warrior Package includes:

  • Deluxe accommodations at Kimpton Lorien Hotel & Spa
  • $25 daily credit for only $10 to hotel’s adjacent restaurants, to be used toward breakfast, lunch meetings with clients, drinks at the bar, or room service after a long day of meetings (+$10, regularly $25)
  • Complimentary welcome notebook (Free, $25 value)
  • Complimentary WiFi for Kimpton Karma Rewards members + $10 Raid the Bar Card
  • Free morning coffee and tea + evening hosted wine hour
  • Gaiam yoga mats in every guest room + PUBLIC bikes free for guest use
  • Scheduled complimentary shuttle to and from Ronald Reagan National Airport
  • Access to Lorien Hotel & Spa’s membership quality fitness center, locker rooms and Eucalyptus Steam Rooms

Optional Add-Ons:

  • Discounted Day Pass to Pilates ProWorks including one 55-minute session of Boxing, Pilates or Yoga (+$20, regularly $35)
  • Discounted 25-minute Express Spa Treatment at Lorien Spa with choice of massage, foot scrub or facial with organic, paraben-free products (+$50, Regularly $60)

Rates: From $169-239 per night through December 30, 2016

Contact:
(703) 894-3434
(800) KIMPTON
Booking Code: ROADW
www.lorienhotelandspa.com
Florida Keys

Romantic Retreat in the Florida Keys

No need to wait until Valentine’s Day for a perfect romantic retreat. Hawks Cay Resort invites couples to fall in love this fall with its new Island Escape package.

Couples who reserve a two night stay will receive a $75 dining credit that can be used at any of the Resort’s six restaurants. They can book a romantic dinner by candlelight at Alma, a Latin-inspired fine dining restaurant, or a casual al fresco meal overlooking the marina at the Resort’s new Angler & Ale restaurant.

From sunset cruises and couples massages to tandem bike rides and kayak tours, couples will find assorted ways to cozy up and reconnect at the Resort.

Rates: starting at $219 for two plus tax and daily resort fee.  Hawks Cay Resort is a member of the Preferred Hotel Group Lifestyle Collection

Contact:
(877) 484-9342
www.hawkscay.com