There’s little doubt that when it comes to finding a “stylish” backpack for traveling, the odds are against women. Still, there’s no need to turn to a grungy (and masculine) looking backpack. There are better options if you’re willing to look a little farther.

We’ve found these surprisingly feminine and completely reliable backpacks suitable for any adventure.

Thanks to Marc Jacobs’ more affordable line Marc by Marc Jacobs, girls on the go can rock backpacks that look effortlessly chic while traveling. There is a pricey option, of course – call it an investment piece – and a slightly more afforable option for those who aren’t ready to take out a policy at Lloyd’s of London.

Splurge: Pack it all into this chic leather Marc by Marc Jacobs Totally Turnlock Backpack for $428

Keep travel costs down with this Packables Backpack, also Marc by Marc Jacobs, for just $78.

Courtesy of Marc Jacobs

Pack Pretty…and Go!

The challenge is, of course, to find those special places to stay. The obvious choices show up on the booking engines and in the guidebooks, but how do you find anything else, and in particular the right place for you?  We know the off beaten paths in Europe for wellness and adventure!

Each villa has a private dipping pool, indoor-outdoor bathroom, chic plantation interiors and groovy extras such as an iPad. Head chef Chad Arthur, fresh from the Queensland Sunshine Coast, offers daily-changing menus at the open-sided Na Vatu restaurant overlooking the main pool, or in your villa or with sand between the toes by the sea.

Wander the four secluded beaches along the Tadrai estate (reef shoes recommended), go snorkelling or sports fishing, or just hang out, villa castaway style.

Is it time to say, “Ahhhh?”

Posted By:  Arifa Akbar / The Independant

‘This your first time to the Caribbean?” asks the driver as he putters his way around the narrow mountain steeps from Hewanorra airport at the southern end of Saint Lucia to its western heartland. He smiles sagely when I nod. “You’ve come to the most beautiful island first.”

His words might just be patriotic braggadocio, but perhaps there is also good reason to believe him. When the French and British were wrestling for imperial control of Saint Lucia – a battle fought 14 times over an island the size of the Isle of Man – it came to be known as the “Helen of the West Indies”.

It doesn’t take me long to understand why it was the object of such feverish colonial adoration. In the 45-minute drive from the airport, we take in the island’s range of natural wonders. Saint Lucia has a dazzling amount given its size. A drive-in volcano, sulphur springs and two World Heritage-listed mountains – the Pitons – all streak past the car window in our dizzying trip up bumpy hills and down plunging valleys. There are yard-long flowers hanging by the roadside, with petals the size of dinner plates, lush plants with leaves that look like gigantic outstretched palms, and fields upon fields of cocoa trees. Sudden, swift downpours of warm rain are followed by great arching rainbows that look as if they have been painted on to a perfectly blue sky.

“Oh,” adds the driver, pointing to the towering foliage around us, “We have a rainforest here, too.”

We pass though the bustling town of Soufrière, where food sellers sit beside green bananas, sweet potatoes, yams, dasheen and breadfruit, all laid out on the pavement, and we come to a road so uneven that the vehicle bounces like a bumper car ride. This is the remote path leading to the hilltop resort of Anse Chastanet, a world apart from the sprawling Saint Lucia of street sellers and ordinary island life. Built high on the jagged coast in the west, it sits at the most luxurious end of the island’s spectrum of resorts, surrounded by the Caribbean idyll of scorched white sands and turquoise waters.

The hotel rooms consist of three-walled suites, opening up to a vista of sky, sea and the Pitons. The effect is thrilling, with the din of birdsong filling the room by day, and the chirp of crickets by night. The shower is exposed to the elements so you can bathe al fresco while looking out onto a sparkling expanse of sea. My room is large and luxurious, and from it I can watch the light dim across the proscenium arch of the sky. The panoramic view, the shower, the four-poster bed, all conspire to create the most romantic of settings – and it is unsurprising that Anse Chastanet, among other resorts on the island, draws large numbers of wealthy honeymooners.

I potter down to the dimly lit beach restaurant, which serves Indian-Creole fusion food. As I eat, I watch distant lightning flashes illuminating the waves. A storm is raging miles out at sea while I sit in the quiet of the beach. My eyes begin to fill with tears – a combined response to the dramatic show of light and my spicy samosa starter.

However, dreamy as these resorts are, they exist in their own boutique-style bubble, sealed off from ordinary life. And it’s the island that I have come to see – so we hit the bumpy road once again.

The island’s first French colonisers arrived in 1660. The British took control in the early 19th century, and Saint Lucia gained independence in 1979. Since then, it has attempted to excavate and reinstate its indigenous culture. There has been a conscious effort to look back to the ways of Carib ancestors, from cooking, to dancing, to folk songs and domestic habits, such as washing with stones and making “bush tea” to relieve ailments.

Before independence, English was the only language spoken at school, but now Creole is taught again. Of course, more than 300 years of French and British rule has rendered indigenous culture sometimes undistinguishable from imported elements. The Creole language, for example, is French patois, while the traditional dance, Kwadril, is derived from the French Quadrille. The food has elements of Indian and African cuisine – a reflection of the slave legacy.

“Creolisation” began in the early 1980s and included the inception of a celebratory “Creole Day” at the end of October, with which my trip to Saint Lucia coincides. The yellow and green bunting announcing “Jounen Kweyol” flutters across the branches of coconut trees and French colonial wood houses. Some islanders have opened up roadside stalls with “yard food” such as saltfish, green bananas and rum punch. Others have hiked to the three official destinations – Laborie, Anse La Raye and Dennery – with vats of freshly-made food and drink. This gigantic street festival is one of many the island celebrates (the Jazz festival every May is the biggest, and there is another annual party before Lent). Creole Day distils the culture of the island as it is experienced all year round – its home-made food, its music played with traditional drums, and its folk songs sung in schools and churches.

Islanders drink coconut water straight out of the shell and the staple food of fish cakes is made in old clay pots and served hot. The island is rich in cocoa, and cocoa tea is brewed and drunk from calabash bowls with a dash of cinnamon. There are loud blasts emanating from the back streets at the street party I attend. Michael, a Soufrière-born driver, takes me to see the “bamboo bursting” – the island’s equivalent of fireworks – when a bamboo stick is fitted with a plastic pipe and ignited with a kerosene.

The island’s north, which embraces the capital, Castries, is far more urban, with a faster pace of life. It also includes the historic Pigeon Island, where the British military settled. The western side, however, has remained fairly unspoilt. No fast food outlets along this side of the coast – instead, the big food market bursts with activity. There are heaps of “ground provisions” – vegetables grown beneath the earth. The exotic fruits on offer include red avocados, a “golden apple” that tastes like a guava with spikes in the middle, and aci, a small green berry whose shell is broken and pip sucked for its layer of tasty pulp.

Orlando Satchell, a Birmingham-born chef who has worked at Ladera holiday resort for 12 years, believes there are serious misconceptions about Caribbean cuisine: “Everyone assumes that Jamaican cuisine is Caribbean, or Creole, cuisine. They assume it is all about rice and peas and jerk chicken. This isn’t the case. Each island has its own tradition.” He describes Creole cooking as the “original fusion food”, collected from a blend of cultures: “It came from the slave ships. Whenever they took a trip from Africa, they picked up different ingredients from ginger to breadfruit to dasheen along the way and cooked with them.”

His own dishes – one of which is named after Saint Lucia’s Nobel laureate, Derek Walcott – blend Creole flavours with an international twist. Examples include lamb with jerk spices and guava jelly, as well as bananas cooked on coals and served with ice-cream, fish spiced with ginger and rum.

Fond Doux, a 135-acre cocoa plantation and holiday resort which looks like a tropical garden of Eden, showcases yet more of Saint Lucia’s fertile abundance. Here there are nutmeg, almond and clove trees, bananas, coconuts, Whispering Willows and flowers with names like Ginger Lily, Lobster’s Claw (with 20ft leaves) and Angel’s Trumpet. Cocoa pods can be cracked open and their beans sucked (the locals call them “Jungle M&Ms”). Guests in the French colonial cottages can go fruit-picking to their heart’s content.

Ti Kaye is a boutique hotel in the west, which overlooks a stunning strip of beach. It is among the less insular resorts, bussing visitors to nearby Anse La Raye for the weekly “fish fests”. While these are just occasional outings, Ti Kaye is making an effort to join up the manicured and the real sides of the island. Its cottages are built in French Creole style, with pretty fretwork and a porch with a hammock and rocking chair. You might find yourself sitting there for hours, watching the sun fade in the sky and fireflies streak through the night.

The southern Atlantic coast is rougher than the western Caribbean waters. There are precipitous hills, and then a few miles along, flatlands filled with banana and cocoa trees. But it’s the rainforest that dazzles: densely packed and with a colourful range of birdlife. The island bursts with life and lushness, and the sulphur smell of the springs that drifts in the wind occasionally left me choked with its sudden pungence.

Perhaps it’s this diversity that is Saint Lucia’s richest, most beguiling feature: its lush terrain, its eclectic cuisine and its Creole culture.

: November 4-13, 2011

A one-of-a-kind Birding Experience featuring the Caribbean Rain Forest of Tortuguero with its many lagoons, creeks and waterways; the Highlands of Turrialba, home to the world’s famous Rancho Naturalista Lodge, a birdwatchers paradise; and the Savegre Cloud Forest in the Central Mountain Range, home to the elusive Resplendent Quetzal.

Expedition Rates:  $2595 pp for  Solo / $2075 Double Occupancy

Includes:

Private Guides Services from J.P. Schmidt and Rafa Hernandez

9 Nights Hotel Accommodations with Taxes and Fees

- 2 Nights in San Jose

- 2 Nights in Tortuguero Rain Forest

- 3 Nights in Turrialba Highlands

- 2 Nights in Savegre Cloud Forest

Private Ground Transportation throughout Costa Rica

Private Meet and Greet Services with Roundtrip Airport Transfers

25 Meals including: 9 Breakfasts; 8 Lunches; 8 Dinners including a Farewell Dinner

Limited Space!  Hold your Reservation with a $300 Deposit.

Surprisingly, it’s possible…in the butterfly sanctuaries of Mexico — the only place in the world where they are audible due to the staggering numbers congregating together!

Every autumn, up to 300 million monarchs migrate 3,000 miles from the U.S. and Canada to their ancestral wintering grounds in the volcanic mountains of central Mexico.

Custom Departures
Customized independent departures can be arranged for this destination. Please contact us for more information and we’d be happy to assist you.
Guests on this Monarch Adventure witness this moving phenomenon each year, guided by Mexico’s premier naturalists. As you enter the remote forest groves in which monarchs find refuge — including El Rosario, Chincua, and Piedra Herrada Butterfly Sanctuaries — you’re sure to be awestruck by the sights (and sounds!) of monarchs taking to the air in swirls of orange. The beauty of the butterflies is so ethereal that many Mexicans still hold the Aztec belief that the souls of the dead are reborn as monarchs.

On this memorable trip you will travel through colorful Mexican towns, visiting local markets and supporting conservation and traditional culture through ecotourism.

Included
Accommodations, meals (except on Day 6), services of NHA Expedition Leaders, most gratuities, airport transfers on Day 1 and final day, horseback riding option at Chincua and Piedra Herrada, park entrance fees, all taxes (except Mexico’s departure and airport taxes).

Not Included
Travel to and from start and end point of trip, meals on Day 6, alcoholic beverages (except beer with meals), some gratuities, items of a personal nature phone calls, laundry, etc.), airport and departure taxes, optional travel insurance.

Physical Requirements
Moderate / Flexible

Visiting the butterfly sanctuaries requires walking about two miles at altitudes up to 10,660 feet, sometimes over rough terrain, and can be considered strenuous for people who are less active. Horses are available to ride in Chincua and in Piedra Herrada, but not in Rosario, often the steepest ascent. Generally, trips later in the season tend to be less strenuous since the butterflies move down the mountain. Travelers concerned with their physical capabilities should contact our office for further details on the exact physical requirements of this trip, and their personal physician for his/her opinion. Our Expedition Leaders are adept at handling groups with widely varied ability levels so that all travelers are accommodated.

2012 Fees
$2,995 pp
Single Supp.: $545
Deposit: $799

Prices are per person based on double occupancy and are given in US Dollars. 2013 fees may change slightly.

Call 1.866.269.2659 for more information, or booking details!

For family travel, we are happy to suggest Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa scheduled to open August 29th.  The property will feature 359 hotel rooms, and 481 two-bedroom Disney Villas.  On site will be a wedding lawn, water activities, pools, a tube-floating water course, body slides, a snorkel lagoon, and conservation pool. Plus, there will be a children’s center were kids can explore Hawaiian culture.

Hotels undergoing renovations include, Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa, the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa, and The Royal Hawaiian.

On Kauai, the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa has just updated all 602 rooms, and have replaced all the art throughout the property. The Koloa Landing at Poipu Beach Wyndham Grand Resort just opened its doors and offers 85 villas, lagoon pools, a fitness center and upscale shopping.

In Maui, the Aston Ka`anapali Shores completed a $14 million makeover to the studios and one and two-bedroom suites.  The Fairmont Kea Lani has new room furniture, linens and other amenities…plus renovations to the 37  two and three-bedroom villas include complete kitchen remodeling with stainless steel appliances, wooden cabinets and new dining areas.

Hawaii has a fresh look this travel season offering plenty of luxury, activities and comfort.

Aloha! ~ Melinda

Rustic Luxury properties around the world solve the problem, and allow you to commune with Nature in natural surroundings, and while your room may not have the latest in wi-fi and high tech solutions for your multitude of gadgets, you can “connect” while in the lobby, or main buildings on the property.

My favorite nature get-away is on the Caribbean island of Dominica…specifically at Jungle Bay resort. In fact, I love this property so much, LUX World Travel has hosted two women’s retreats here, and will offer our third in Spring 2012.

Jungle Bay is an ecolodge on a 55-acre site filled with lush white cedar, almond and gomier trees, overlooking gleaming Pointe Mulâtre Bay. The location is remote, but not too far from the airport, or nearby villages and towns.  Dominica’s big attractions are readily accessible to guests, especially those who want to spend their time hiking, diving, ocean kayaking and mountain biking rather than sunbathing. Victoria Falls, 130 feet tall, is within walking distance. Zom Zom Lookout Point and Perdu Temps Heritage Trail are nearby hikes.

Rooms are rustic luxe. The 35 individual, spacious cottages are on stilts, filled with sunlight (some seeping through the floorboards), and the sounds of the hummingbirds. All have balconies and views of either the water or the rain forest and are made out of local tropical hardwoods and volcanic stone. There is no air-conditioning or television. Some guests need to be in good shape: a series of footpaths connects the cottages, the highest perched like a bird’s nest up 189 steps. And the vertical is steep…however, at one with the treetops…the views of the ocean are unforgettable.

The bathrooms are unforgettable as well… here, an outdoor shower under an awning of trees with infinite shades of greens will bathe you naturally although you  may spot a Lesser Antillean bullfinch flitting overhead.  The solar-heated water defies expectations allowing your shower water to be  hot with shockingly good water pressure. This cleansing while at one with nature, is a wellness treatment on it’s own!

As far as amenities, a computer with Internet hookup is in the main lobby, but long distance calls must be dialed by the front desk operator. The Spa du Soleil’s cliffside treatment rooms are partially open, overlooking the Atlantic Coast, and daily yoga classes offered in a sun-filled room are hearty sessions.

The food is authentic to the island, plentiful, and included in the package price.  Jungle Bay will also accommodate any diet plan, and has a full selection of beverages to choose from.  Swinging from your private hammock, watching the sunset over the ocean  with a choice beverage in hand, is only one perfect combination what this rustic luxe paradise offers to anyone who needs to disconnect, be with Nature, yet enjoy life’s simple pleasures as well.

See you in Paradise ~ Melinda

Food makes a great theme for exploring all parts of Italy whether you are traveling on your own, or with a group on a food tour. No region is better than any other…destination selections are simply a matter of taste!

One region to consider is Piedmont, and several tour operators offer culinary and cultural tours to the area and the nearby Italian Riveria.  These 12-Day tours include unique opportunities to sample high quality, traditional food and wines; featuring visits to wineries, bakeries, farms and markets for wine tastings and cheese samplings.  Tours also include a variety of cooking classes to participate in, while learning about spices and the blending of flavors and textures.

However, independent travel offers ideal opportunities as well, since it is just as simple to book a private Villa that comes with your own cook…often times to prepare meals for you, but also as a teaching cook so that you can prepare meals together after returning back to your accommodations after a day of marketing shopping and touring local wineries.

The foodie trip is a perfect gathering for families, and also for girlfriend getaways.  I personally have booked several trips to Italy for 40th birthday celebrations for 4-10 friends.  These can be arranged to include a private Villa in any region, private guides, private drivers, and can be customized to include additional amenities such as spa services, private yoga instruction, shopping excursions and more.  These are indeed trips of a lifetime…simple, laid back, and designed to meet your every whim!

Another option is joining a culinary retreat to a particular region, such as the one LUX World Travel is hosting to Puglia, Italy this fall.  This trip is for women and includes all accommodations, meals, cooking lessons, yoga instruction, private guides, all in a region that belongs to centuries long ago.  However, in Spring 2012, we will offer several specialized co-ed retreats as well.  Such retreats are specialized to offer our clients a real taste of Italy, with a flair of simple luxury.  See Trip Details are here: Women’s Italy Culinary and Yoga Retreat.

In short, there are just as many ways to enjoy the food culture in Italy as there are ways to make Pizza!  It really is a matter of taste, style and preferences.

Mangiare bene ~ Melinda