What's hot and cool (really, really cool) in Europe this season

Every year, the European Travel Commission meets to talk over the latest travel trends on the Continent. This year, members noted a desire among travelers for slowing down, for comfort and escape -- perhaps hopoing to get away for a while from out electronic gadgets, our computers and television screens. Accordingly, here is what's trending:

* They're going for the waters. Health through water, is making a comeback as the benefits of thermal waters, ocean bathing and mineral springs spark new interest in this time-honored European tradition among aging Baby Boomers. Accordingly,  Europeʼs spas are turning up the taps on treatments and amenities. Portugalʼs Vidago Palace Hotel, for instance, reopened in October 2010 after an extensiver enovation. With 70 rooms and suites, this Belle Epoque builting now sports a modernist wing housing a new spa, where guests try the Vidago spring waters, with hydro and Vichy showers, steam baths and sauna. Massages and treatments are taken in 20 rooms.

* Farm-fresh. What with many Americans turning to organic, locally grown foods, Europe is providing that via farm and mountain vacations. Example: “Holidays in the Countryside” offers farm stays along with B&Bs, guesthouses and small hotels throughout Czech Republic. Pension Javořice (pictured) in southern Moravia is a 400-year-old organic farm where guests can dine on honey, sheep products, apples, pears, cherries, fruit ciders and spirits, and mingle with three generations of the family owners. Gothic castles dot the  landscapes, and the nearby town of Telc is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


* Foodie heaven. Europe has been making it easy to discover its gastronomicdelights. Take Austria’s Via Culinaria  -- “Appetite Way” -- featuring seven  routes to culinary achievements in the region around Salzburg. The websiteʼs interactive maps unlock all things food, from bistros, coffeehouses and haute cuisine restaurants to farms and mountain huts serving country specialties. It also tells where to find the best wild game restaurants, the best seafood, the best stores, as well as how to find classes in making pastry, cheese, bread and beer. 


*LGBT. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travel is not only out of the closet but actively encouraged. Germanyʼs gay and lesbian culture, for instance,  is legendary and the German National Tourist Board website has a gay-dedicated section that gives in-depth detail on gay travel for points north (Hamburg), south (Munich), east (Berlin) and west (Cologne, site of Gay Games VIII Jul. 31-Aug. 7), complete with hotels, bars, scenes and events.


* Memorable design. Europe these days is full of  arty, boutique hotels. Example: Hotel Fabian is a fashionable newcomer in Helsinki. Designed around a courtyard and a short walk from the
Market Square, the Esplanadi gardens and the Museum of Finnish Architecture, this boutique hotel, known for its stylish interiors, has 58 rooms. The hotel's Restaurant Savoy,  meanwhile, features an original Alvar Aalto interior.


* Sailing, sailing.  Cruisegoing is hot this year , especially in the Mediterranean, the Baltic and the famous
rivers with their fabled landscapes. Whatʼs more, Europe is again affordable for most budgets as new and bigger ships come on line. The average price of a 12-day Med cruise has steadily dropped since 2009.Many upscale cruise lines are offering free round-trip economy flights from North American gateways.  New vessels plying European waters in 2011 include Carnival Cruise Linesʼ Carnival Magic (3,652 passengers); Costa Cruisesʼ Favalosa (pictured; 3,502); Celebrity Cruisesʼ Silhouette (2,850); Oceania Cruisesʼ Marina (1,260); Seabourn Cruise Lineʼs Quest (450); Avalon Waterwaysʼ Panorama (166); Amaverde (162); and Uniworld Grand Boutique River Cruisesʼ Douro Spirit (128) and SS Antoinette (164).

Search Amazon.com for Europe travel 

Trivial question
Here's one for World War II buffs, among others: In what island  group do you find Guadalcanal? (Answer somewhere below.)


All-inclusive Caribbean getaway is free for Mom
During a sale, starting at midnight on Monday, May 2,  and ending at 11:59 p.m. on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8, travelers who book an all-inclusive Elite Island Resorts vacation will be able to bring Mom for free.  In fact, every booking  will be buy one, get one free, so anyone else is eligible, too. The "secret" booking code will be announced at midnight on Monday, May 2.  This offer will be valid for travel through Dec. 20,  also includes VIP treatment and a complimentary room category upgrade, when available at the time of booking. Prices and locations vary. Visit www.eliteislandresorts.com or call 800-858-4618.

Worth quoting

"Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry." -- Jack Kerouac


Family time in Paradise, starting at $219

The Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort has launched a new Family Time in Paradise package that includes connecting rooms or suites where available, a daily $50 resort credit, free food and beverage for children under 12, complimentary non-motorized water sports, one welcome amenity per child per stay, a kids cup that can be filled up with juice, milk and soft drinks for free at the pool,  and a complimentary rollaway, subject to availability. Rates start at $219. For more information or reservations, call 866-716-8106 or visit www.sheratonnassau.com.

Fascinating fact

Many of us have flown into Chicago's O'Hare Airport, and at least a few of us have wonered why the airport's designation is ORD. We need wonder no longer: ORD  comes from the location's old name of Orchard Field.

 'Compliments of Bermuda' extended through June
The Bermuda Department of Tourism and its hotel partners have extended their “Compliments of Bermuda” promotion, inviting visitors to enjoy every third night free for hotel rooms booked in April.  In addition, travelers  who book a three-night stay in May will receive the fourth night free, and guests booking a four-night stay in June will receive their fifth night free. Thedeal is available at more than a dozen participating hotel properties, available for booking through May 30 for travel through June 30.  Accommodations range from luxury resorts and boutique hotels to beach clubs and historic beachfront properties. Prices, of course, vary. Visit www.bermudatourism.com/compliments or see a travel agent.

 Trivial answer

Guadalcanal is part of the Solomon Islands.

 

What it's like to live and work on a cruise ship

For my Boston Globe article on spending 10 days at sea, click here.


By Richard P. Carpenter
HONOLULU -- Although it seems hard to believe, cruise directors insist that passengers often ask them this question: “Does the crew sleep onboard?”
The answer, of course, is yes. They snooze onboard, work onboard, and live onboard in a society all their own. A rare insight into just how unique that society is was given by the cruise director and assistant cruise director of the Golden Princess as the 2,600-passenger ship visited the Hawaiian islands during a recent sailing.
Sharing that information was cruise director David Cole, 46, of Pennsylvania, and deputy director Anna Fell of England, who is younger than that. Both spoke frankly about life on the lower decks, discussing everything but salaries because, as Cole noted, that information should be between employee and employer.
It has been established that the crew sleeps aboard, but where? Most of the 1,100 crew members have rooms for two that are “really small,” Cole said, and have bunk beds. Differentiating between the hotel staff -- most of the people that passengers interact with -- and the marine staff, he said that the higher up one goes in the ship hierarchy, the bigger the room they get, “and the less time they have to spend in it.”
A ship’s staff is indeed kept busy. They are required to get 10 hours rest every 24 hours, but that still leaves the possibility of 14-hour days and depending upon circumstances, they have been know to work all of those 14 hours.
A crew has to eat, and the workers get the same good food as passengers, although there are separate “messes” for the entertainment staff, crew, and officers. Fell noted that there is a buffet table, nicknamed The Trough, which is used often by staff members on the run. And there’s a funny thing about good food: You can get tired of it. “When I go ashore, I stock up on Subway sandwiches for my refrigerator,” Cole said. There are, of course, many other services for the staff, from laundry to tailoring, and one deck containing such services is nicknamed the M1, after the British highway.
How does one get hired? Cole, who has spent 21 years at sea, has a background in musical theater and never even saw a cruise ship until he decided to apply and was quickly hired. Fell, who has worked on ships for six years, also has a background in performing arts that includes entertainment at a theme park in Spain. Both have homes to go to (Fell just recently bought hers) during the six to eight weeks between cruises. Other workers, such as waiters and cabin stewards, are often recruited, and while there are some 50 nationalities aboard, about a third of the crew comes from the Philippines.
Then there are the extremely temporary “employees,” such as the people who give lectures on the ports cruisegoers will visit, or the history of the cruise industry, or any number of topics to help passengers pass the time. There are agencies such as Sixth Star Entertainment & Marketing in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that specialize in getting such people aboard ship. The lecturers’ remuneration is a free cruise, although they are usually responsible for their flight and port taxes.
As for the permanent staff, most are young and healthy, and many are single. Nature does take its course, and during the discussion of ship life, the name “Peyton Place” understandably came up.

Provincetown set for first Restaurant Week

Twenty Provincetown, Mass.,  restaurants will set their tables for the town’s first  Restaurant Week, Nov. 6-12. The  participating restaurants will offer three-course (appetizer, entrée, and dessert) prix fixe dinners at either $25 or $35, excluding gratuity, alcohol and tax. A  Gallery Stroll will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7 from 5-8 p.m., when galleries along Commercial Street will host festive open houses.

For details, click here.

Speaking of food, check out Epcot

At Walt Disney World, the 14^th annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is now on through Nov. 8, with a chance to sample food, beer and wine from around the world, to the accompaniment of live music.  Some 250 chefs including Disney chefs and guest chefs from across the country will participate.  Some events are free at others cost varying prices.

For details and a complete program, click here.

Fascinating fact 

Americans eat about 350 slices of pizza per second.

Bermuda, for girlfriends and golfers

Bermuda's Elbow Beach resort has launched two new packages for the fall. The Girls Just Want to Have Fun  package provides welcome sweets, beach and pool time, a two-hour session at the spa, and a wine- and cheese-tasting event. Rates at $430 per person, with breakfast and dinner included.  The  package includes a fourth night free for a minimum four-night stay and includes taxes and gratuities. The golf and spa package, meanwhile, offers a variety of holistic treatments to choose from at The Spa at Elbow Beach, and a tee time at the newly renovated Port Royal Golf Course. Rates start at $420 per person with breakfast, dinner, two hours at the spa, and a round of golf. This package is for a minimum three-night stay and includes taxes and gratuities. Both packages are valid until Dec. 31.

For details, click here or call 441-236-3535.

Worth quoting

“Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey.”

                                                                            - – Fitzhugh Mullan

Where the deals are this autumn

The Orbitz Insider Index has reviewed average hotel costs in 10 popular shoulder-season destinations, with an eye toward the ones that give travelers the most value this fall.  International hot spots Dublin and Bermuda top the list, offering  the highest  percentage of savings, 44% and 38% respectively.  But, savvy spenders should also set their sights on a fall trip on to Las Vegas, San Juan, and once again, Dublin, all of which offer average hotel rates under $100 per night.

For hotel rooms beginning at $29 a night, visit www.orbitz.com/sales.

Be prompt, and save big at Squaw Valley

Starting tomorrow, Sept. 29, the first 100 people to book a winter stay in the Village at Squaw Valley USA will get 40 percent off the price of reservations.   Book by calling 866-818-6963 or visiting www.thevillageatsquaw.com beginning Sept. 29 at midnight.     Blackout dates and restrictions apply at the California resort; and at least two nights must be booked to receive the rate.  High-season prices start around $209 a night