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The beaches and shore towns of New Jersey are open and as they say"Stronger Than the Storm”. So “The Jersey Shore is Open”. Bradley Beach is a beach town just south of Ocean Grove in New Jersey and it will be open with its Annual Lobster Fest again this year. The annual Bradley Beach Lobster Fest will be held on July 13th and 14th, 2013. The Chamber of Commerce is presenting the Fest and the hours will be Saturday 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. & Sunday 11:00 - 6:00. The festival will have every kind of lobster choice you can think of. (Each year is better than the last). There will be 6 bands, craft and specialty vendors, and a beer and wine tent. There will be activities for the kiddies such as face painting and amusement rides. Entrance to the festival is free. The event will be held at 500 Ocean Ave., Bradley Beach. I enjoy these Shore festivals. Since I am a local, I always see someone I know. These events are so much a part of our Jersey beach towns and I am very happy to see that Bradley Beach will be having their Fest this historic summer. Mark down the dates on your calendar and get to Bradley Beach’s summer lobster party. It’ll be fun at “The JerseyShore”. More info:www.BBLOBSTERFEST.COM

Everyone seems to be traveling to the Jersey Shore to help it get back on its feet. I have a suggestion that you will enjoy and savor - Day’s Ice Cream in Ocean Grove, Ocean Grove is a unique Victorian jewel of a town located just south of Asbury Park in Monmouth County. There is the huge wooden Auditorium surrounded by the tiny tents. Many programs and events are offered for your entertainment. There are beautiful beaches. Ocean Grove offers a large choice of hotels and B&B’s. The serene Main Street has its little boutiques making it fun to shop there. There are a great many cafes and eateries. One of my favorite eateries is Day’s Ice Cream - an old fashioned Victorian ice cream parlor that has been in business since 1876. Day’s is open from May until October and I love to sit on the big, old fashioned porch and enjoy a dish of their ice cream. I’m not alone in finding this famous ice cream parlor to be #1. The ice cream is delicious and the atmosphere is wonderful. Day’s has just opened at a second location. They are now on the boardwalk in near-by Asbury Park. Want excellent ice cream? Don’t mind the long lines on summer nights. The line moves fairly quickly and the short wait IS worth it. Get to Day’s Ice Cream. Day’s : 732-988-1007

Just an hour’s drive from the busiest town in Laikipia County, El Karama Lodge feels like a world away. Set on 14,000 acres of private land, six cottages and two riverfront cabins are simply decorated with locally sourced stone and thatch and regionally made furnishings, giving emphasis to the lush natural surroundings. If total immersion is more your speed, the staff can arrange a personal fly camp before your arrival: after a hike to a remote location, you’re greeted by a suspended tent with a clear view to the night sky, complete with comfortable bedding, a drinks table, and a small barbecue. What you won’t find here? Cell service, though you’ll hardly miss it. A drive through El Karama land is almost certain to include sightings of elephants, giraffes, and zebras, but guests can also see creatures that are unique to northern Kenya, including gerenuk and Laikipia hartebeeste. Back at camp, there’s nothing to do as darkness sets in but lie back, stargaze, and listen to the calls of the wild.

What started as an outback resort known as Wrotham Park Station in far north Queensland was bought by Indigenous Business Australia, dismantled, and loaded on 18 triple road trains (each roughly the length of three semi trucks) for the journey 1,740 miles across rain forest and desert to the Northern Territory’s Mary River Wetlands, about an hour and a half from Darwin, adjacent to Kakadu National Park. Safari tents from Kenya were added to the modern “Habitats” and restaurant and bar to complete the immersive Australian wilderness retreat. Like the world’s best safari camps, Wildman Wilderness Lodge has a spacious wooden deck with an infinity pool and daybed-style lounge chairs that encircle a fire pit. This is the place to watch the sun set and look for the area’s wallabies, dingoes, water buffalo, wild pigs, native birds, and two resident saltwater crocodiles known as Big Arse and Fat Arse.

The Mary River Wetlands are known for having the highest concentration of saltwater crocodiles in the world, and the lily-studded floodplains are prime habitat for barramundi, which the restaurant often cooks for dinner. Open March through November, the lodge treads lightly on the landscape and is culturally connected to the native Limilngan, Unwynmil, and Wulna people, who have lived in the area for thousands of years.

Vacationing families and travelers looking to mix a little pleasure with their business will find plenty to love at the Four Seasons, which occupies 24 floors of a 45-story skyscraper downtown. First, there’s the location—across the street from the performing arts complex, a few blocks from the convention center, and next to the restaurants and shops around historic Larimer Square. But there’s more than enough to keep you on-property: Adjust to the altitude with a gemstone massage and deep-tissue treatment using local evergreen oils at the spa; practice laps in the heated saltwater pool; dine on meat sourced from Colorado ranches and grilled in a pecan-wood oven at EDGE steakhouse; or simply cozy up in a leather armchair by the double-sided fireplace in the lobby. Spacious guest rooms are decorated in tasteful neutrals with stone accent walls and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city skyline or nearby mountains; bathrooms have separate soaking tubs and in-mirror TV screens, and the hotel can provide humidifiers and air ionizers to combat Denver’s dry air. Kids can expect their own tailored amenities, from child-sized bathrobes to in-room tents.

Near the pontoon bridge in Handelskade in Willemstad, wooden boats from Venezuela dock alongside the canal, and vendors here sell just-caught fish and tropical fruits and vegetables (plantains, citrus, papayas, avocados) directly from the quay under the shade of tents. Mornings are the best time to visit, for the finest selection of produce, the cooler temperatures before the midday sun shines, and the pleasant ambience of the hours before the crowds arrive.

• Neighborhood: Marina Bay
• Why we love it: Classic and glamorous accommodations with views of Marina Bay
• Loyalty program: I Prefer (Preferred Hotels & Resorts)
• From $545

What was once Clifford Pier, a landing point for immigrants arriving in Singapore, is now a snazzy hotel welcoming well-heeled travelers. Located right on the water and clad in glass and metal, the 100-room Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore feels glamorous with a heady scent of gardenias and lilies wafting through its dramatically arched hallways. The plush rooms designed by Andre Fu boast views of the Marina Bay Sands, Customs House, or Clifford Pier; the Premier Bay View rooms offer a private deck and Jacuzzi overlooking Marina Bay.





Come sunset, wind down with a cocktail at the rooftop bar Lantern—named in honor of the pier’s past moniker “Red Lantern Pier”. Order the tequila-spiked Red Lantern or Lime Garden Gin Fullerton Sling and sit back to enjoy the sparkling lights of the waterfront.

For anyone who believes that truly historic architecture doesn’t exist in the states, Mesa Verde National Park will make you think again. Still standing in the park are cliff dwellings built in 600 CE by the ancestral Pueblo people who once lived in the area. A transformative day trip, Mesa Verde is nearly two hours from Telluride but well worth the drive to see its 5,000 archeological sites, from Cliff Palace (a ranger will guide you on the hike up, which involves climbing ten-foot ladders) to Balcony House (which you’ll enter via a 12-foot tunnel).

If it’s rhinoceros you want to photograph, you can’t miss Ongava Game Reserve just south of the border of Etosha National Park. This private breeding facility has black and white rhino and plays a critical part in conserving this species. When staying at Ongava, there are several options for accommodation including the three luxury suites at Little Ongava, the air-conditioned chalets of Ongava Lodge and the traditional safari tents at Ongava Tented Camp. Best of all, because Little Ongava is so small, guests share a private guide and 4WD vehicle. This allows you maximum flexibility for exploring both Etosha and Ongava’s reserve.

Drive along the main road from Sea Cows Bay to Road Town and you’ll come across numerous roadside tents selling everything from fresh fish to local fruits. The best stands are located close to Carrot Bay, where you can find steaming pockets of fish cooked in foil and fresh-squeezed mango or guava juice.

Close by the Lapa arches there’s a round tent that everyone in Rio knows and loves. Beyond being just a concert venue, it’s a cultural (and countercultural) icon with its own fascinating backstory. It all started in 1982 in Arpoador, an Ipanema beach hot spot, when a group of artists pitched a circus tent to display their work. After several ups and downs, the city government granted them the land where the arena now stands. Its amazing program includes performances by major international acts, but above all it’s a venue every local musician dreams of playing.

Each evening as the sun sets, Stone Town’s Forodhani Gardens park transforms into an open-air food market. Skip the fish kebabs and head straight to the vendors selling urojo, a thick mango-and-tamarind soup served alongside chickpea fritters, boiled potatoes, cassava flakes, chutney, and as much hot sauce as you dare. Follow it up with hand-pressed sugarcane juice with ginger and lime.

At this tranquil spot in Oranjestad, hundreds of species of butterflies flutter among tropical flowers, groomed gardens, and a Japanese pond, all set beneath gauzy netting. Docents lead tours past rushing waterfalls, crystal-clear pools, and native flowers, sharing their encyclopedic knowledge of the pretty critters. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to witness babies hatching—one of the farm’s biggest draws. For a perfect picture, wear bright colors like yellow and orange to attract the butterflies to your shoulders.

São Martinho do Porto is a bay located at the Silver Coast in Portugal. In a bit more than one hour (by car) from Lisbon and few minutes away from Nazaré or from Alcobaça, where you can visit the monastery. In Summer time, blue and white tents invade the sandy beach. Walking along the bay, heading South, you will easily reach Salir do Porto, a former salination village; with low tide, you can cross the river and go up the Salir dune, so that you can then slide or run down…or in another way. Heading to the North side of the bay, you will reach the port. There are many small anchored boats and it is possible to go sailing or canoeing.

What if you could spend the night in the middle of hundreds of acres of wild scrubland—where large herds of elephant graze, gazelles bound, and elusive leopards patrol—with nothing between you and the canopy of stars but a thin black mosquito net? The Star Beds at Loisaba Conservancy in northern Kenya offer a quirky and spectacular place to wonder at the universe all night long. The camp’s comfortable beds are rolled out onto a private open deck in the evening, allowing guests to watch the darkness set in and the glittering wonder of the galaxy awaken overhead.