Viajes / Travel

Dubrovnik: A traveler’s jewelry box delivered with Croatian hospitality

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16 April 2013 Darren Ballegeer Print Email

View of Dubrovnik from the ancient wall.

Arriving to the postcard city of Dubrovnik a few weeks ago, I saw a calm, tranquil community that was still enjoying a rest before the tourist crowds start arriving for another season of urban archaeological explorations and food/wine recreation, all served with old-world hospitality of a most gracious flavor. The hospitality of the Croatian people is exceptional, even by European standards.

Ancient bath therapy reborn

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07 February 2013 Darren Ballegeer Print Email

Photos of Hammam Baths, Athens. Photo: Courtesy of TripAdvisor

A healing and history lesson at a modern bath house --- 

Most tourists and locals in Athens, Greece discover the Hammam Baths by chance – only a relatively small (but growing) number of people are aware of hamam, either in word or concept. It is not something that people search for, but it should be.

A hamam combines the functionality and structural elements of the Roman baths with the Central Asian Turkic tradition of steam bathing, ritual cleansing and respect of water. Hamam is also known as a Turkish bath, and naturally so –

Five star sweat: The luxury of experiential travel

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28 October 2012 Darren Ballegeer Print Email
One of Mexico’s most honored and oldest rituals is the temazcal, a pre-Hispanic sweat lodge used in ancient Mesoamerica as part of a curative ceremony to purify the body after battle or aid the sick.

What is the difference between tourists and travelers? Tourists want an easy, relaxing trip focused on basic needs of accommodation, food, drink, and perhaps recreational activities. Travelers seek experiences and people that define a destination – they seek the essence of a place. Directly experiencing the traditions and rituals of the local culture is one of the best ways to learn about a place and its people. Such experiential travel is a luxury of its own whether you spend a lot or no money on a certain experience.

Adobe, sand, and surf

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02 March 2012 Elena Miramar Print Email

The attraction of eco-living and eco-tourism--- 

There are still many places in Mexico that are unspoiled and untouched by tourist development. Foreigners and Mexicans who value un-crowded places where nature still dominates are attracted to places like Cabo Corrientes, which is South of Banderas Bay in the state of Jalisco. Driving two hours from Puerto Vallarta, our destination was a unique eco-resort in the Cabo Corrientes region.  

Gourmet experience supreme

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04 October 2011 Elena Miramar Print Email


A first-class international culinary tour in one evening ---  

Dining at a four diamond restaurant is something that most people don’t do very often - dining at three fine restaurants in the same evening is something most people would not imagine doing, so it was really a rare experience when I got the opportunity to enjoy a special dining tour called Gourmet Experience. Organized by several of the top restaurants in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, Gourmet Experience tours guests through a six-course dinner at three upscale restaurants. Each restaurant prepares two courses and pairs it with wine from Casa Madero, the oldest winery on the American continent.

Rebound in Mexico: Real estate market still enjoys unique advantages

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23 July 2011 Darren Ballegeer Print Email
New development in Bahia de Banderas 

Americans, Canadians, and other foreigners are still buying homes in Mexico’s popular beach destinations – they’re just not buying as many as they did two or three years ago. And they’re not buying nearly as many as Mexicans, who as a group are buying about half of all new properties currently sold in popular regions such as the one anchored by Puerto Vallarta.

The real estate market in Mexico was hit hard by the housing bust in the U.S., though home sales in Mexico have been supported somewhat by a strong Canadian economy and by