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The South American country has increased security measures in response to a recent spate of violence following the prison escape of drug kingpin José Adolfo Macías earlier this month. Here’s the latest.

A local spirits writer tells all.

In this week’s episode of Unpacked by AFAR, cruise expert Fran Golden shares her favorite itineraries for 2024, what’s new in the world of sustainable cruising, and the right cruise for every traveler.

Sparkman Wharf is a multi-faceted entertainment center located on the Garrison Channel in downtown Tampa.

Sparkman Wharf offers a variety of dining spots, including fine ethnic foods at Tinatapia’s (tapas), Thai Thani, or Oisi Sushi. Qachbal’s Chocolatier offers signature chocolates made in small batches and the favorite of many locals.

Splitsville is a fun venue where you can “Dine, Dance, Drink, and Bowl.” Open Thursday through Sunday, Splitsville offers a “not your usual bowling alley” menu with items such as sushi rolls, fried calamari, and sliders.

Surf Down Under offers a wide variety of surf and sun apparel for the whole family.

Visit Tampa Bay hosts a well stocked visitor center at Sparkman Wharf with helpful staff ready to supply visitors with maps and information about activities in Tampa and the area.

Months-long world cruises, better food, more remote destinations, and luxury sailings designed with families in mind—these are the top cruise trends of 2024.

Save big on past season jackets, sweaters, and more for men, women, and children.

The world’s newest river cruise ships are delivering passengers to beautiful destinations in Europe, Asia, and South America in style. And they’re leaving less of a footprint, too.

With fewer crowds, excellent service, and the ability to get to remote destinations, small-ship cruising—on vessels that can only accommodate up to 500 passengers—might truly be the best way to explore by sea.

There’s no shortage of luxury lodges, urban retreats, and pretty beach houses in Oz—but these are our favorites, from coast to coast.

A beginner’s guide to which words to watch out for where.

In France, many châteaux (a term that sometimes translates to “castle” but can also refer to an ornate, castle-like mansion) are open as museums. However, Domaine de Maffliers, a 19th-century château nestled in the countryside just 45 minutes north of Paris, gives travelers the rare chance to spend the night in one. Though centuries old, the bar, restaurants, and 8 guest rooms have been recently renovated after a fire destroyed much of the building in 2020.

The interiors of each guest room are unique from one another, but all of them exude opulence and luxury—from the velvet chairs and curtains to the freestanding bathtubs—that allow guests to immerse themselves in the grandeur of its history.

Use one of these singular towns as a base for your next outdoor adventure.

When Southern Ocean Lodge, the flagship property of Australian hotel brand Baillie Lodges, opened in 2008, it was Kangaroo Island’s first true luxury lodge, known for its cinematic spot atop grass-covered limestone cliffs, with curved guest suites facing the namesake seas. Surrounded on three sides by national parks, Southern Ocean Lodge connected travelers with Australia’s powerful natural landscapes. Then in early January 2020, wildfires consumed more than half of Kangaroo Island, reducing the ecological paradise to sandy hills and blackened branches. Southern Ocean Lodge was a casualty of the blaze.


As AFAR’s Katherine LaGrave reported in her feature on the island, rebuilding began in earnest in February 2022, with the goal of becoming more sustainable: “The new lodge will use 25 percent less energy than the original lodge, and diesel fuel consumption will be halved. There will be rainwater harvesting, reliance on a hybrid solar-and-battery system, and elevated boardwalks to minimize impact on the health of coastal plants. Smart landscaping will create a sort of buffer around the lodge.”



Along with the new sustainable choices, the lodge has replicated the footprint of the original property, with 25 guest rooms slightly reoriented to optimize sea views. A new ultra-premium suite, the Ocean Pavilion, has up to four bedrooms and bathrooms (or two separate suites) with an outdoor terrace and private pool. And the ever-popular main lodge still has a Great Room with a suspended fireplace and a deck with a plunge pool that juts toward the sea.

It doesn’t get more quintessentially Australian than this: waking up to a symphony of kookaburras and the heady scent of eucalyptus, the sight of kangaroos roaming freely about the 7,000-acre nature reserve. You might be tricked into thinking you’d slept under the stars—if it weren’t for the four-poster bed, flicker of a warm fire, and sunrise reflected from the glittering private pool. A three hours’ drive west of Sydney, this luxury ecolodge feels worlds away, surrounded by sandstone bluffs and sweeping plains filled with leafy gumtrees and Wollemi pines. It has 40 homestead-style villas that are as eco-friendly as they are indulgent: materials sourced within a 60-mile radius, solar panels for hot water and lighting. Highlights include the Aussie cuisine, mostly grown and sourced within 100 miles of the resort (and included in the all-inclusive rate, along with a premium minibar). A fruit orchard and edible garden supplies organic herbs, vegetables, fruits, and nuts.


The most intriguing aspect of the property is an original farmhouse, built around 1832, that hosted Charles Darwin in 1836. Today, the homestead functions as a museum that highlights the Indigenous, settler, and agricultural history of the valley. The comprehensive program of activities gets guests off the homestead: There are peaks to climb, glowworms to ogle, and horses to ride. Following a landslide in 2022, Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley has faced access issues. It is temporarily closed.