france Archives - The Great Global Bucket List

Bucket List Family Trips

Posted on 1 June 2017 | by robin@robinesrock.com | Leave a Comment

Gone are the days when vacation meant leaving the children at home. Bring the kids with, and throw them in the deep end of immersive, cultural trips. From golf lessons with PGA pros to learning the art of Thai dance from a local expert, here’s a round-up of bucket list family trips for the summer – and beyond.

AFRICA

Language (and chocolate) Lessons

Royal Mansour turns little ones into global citizens with a dedicated Kid’s Club, complete with Moroccan art activities and Arabic lessons. The newly renovated hotel also offers a hands-on chocolate making experience for children in their on-site Chocolate Laboratory, allowing kids to taste-test their creations.

Tanzanian Treehouses

Every child’s dream-come-true – living in a tree house – can become a reality at andBeyond Lake Manyara Tree Lodge’s new Family Suite. The stilted two-bedroom accommodation in Tanzania’s mahogany forest opened in December 2016. Kids can enroll in the WILDChild program, which consists of butterfly walks, cycling through a village, bow and arrow shooting, playing soccer with the staff and roasting marshmallows on a fire.

ASIA

A Child’s First Job

Budding botanist? Future Michelin-starred chef? Belmond Napasai in Koh Samui lets young travelers indulge their career aspirations with the “My First Job” program. Guests can join the hotel’s head chef in the kitchen to create chocolate roses, or blend local papaya and coconut juices with the bartender for a delicious mocktail. Kids can also learn the art of Thai dance from a local expert.

CARIBBEAN

Coconut Carving with Ian Fleming’s Former Gardener

Jamaica’s GoldenEye was the former home of Ian Fleming and the site where he penned all 14 James Bond novels. His gardener, Ramsey Dacosta, still works on the property and leads activities, including coconut carving and nature walks for children. Daily complimentary kid’s yoga is also available.

‘Maman’ (Mom) & Me

The littlest guests checking in at Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France this year will be delighted to find teepees set up in their room with games and a doll. Kids can also romp around St. Barth’s beaches in matching mommy-and-me pareos (wraparound skirt).

Sugar, Spice & Everything Nice

St. Lucia’s Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort’s Sugar Club and Spice Club offer kids and teens their own version of paradise. The Sugar Club welcomes children ages 4-12 and offers treasure hunts, arts and crafts, and coconut bowling, while the Spice Club caters to teens and tweens with ping pong, croquet, pool tournaments, and pinball machines, as well as a sailing school.

EUROPE

Golf Lessons from PGA Pros

Nestled within a 47-acre park between Lake Geneva and the French Alps, Hotel Rôyal is home to the largest Kid’s Club in France, offering everything from circus lessons to ceramics classes. Offsite activities include skiing in the Alps, sailing on the lake, and the Golf School at Evian Golf Resort – the only major course in continental Europe and host of the Evian Championship – where kids can learn first-hand from PGA pros.

Treasure Hunting in the British Museum

Claridge’s has partnered with children’s entertainers Sharky & George on new programming for kids. Experiences include everything from an MI5 race against time around the Houses of Parliament to a Harry Potter quest using the Marauder’s Map. The duo will even put together a bespoke adventure tailored perfectly to a family’s favourite activities.

A Private Treehouse for Kids Only

Rising above the shores of Lake Geneva is La Petit Réserve at La Réserve Geneva, a treehouse with game tables, an obstacle course, suspension bridge, and fireman’s pole. In the summer, the property offers swimming, diving, sailing, paddle boarding, wind-surfing on the lake as well as tennis lessons.

City on Scooters

Explore the streets of Barcelona with Majestic Hotel & Spa’s scooter program, offering folding scooters and helmets (both child- and adult-size), a backpack with water and snacks, and an iPad loaded with themed maps and itineraries. Extra credit: families can select the Spanish language tour option to take in La Sagrada Familia and Casa Mila in the native tongue.

Behind-the-Scenes at the Zoo

Head down the rabbit hole for a Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea Party aboard Belmond Northern Belle, complete with purple cakes and strolling magicians. Alternatively, arrive in style at the Chester Zoo, where Belmond guests receive an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek with a zookeeper.

Be Our Guest

Inspired by the recent movie release of “Beauty and the Beast,” Town House at The Kensington in London is offering a ‘Tale as Old as Time’ Afternoon Tea, with Mrs. Potts and Chip Potts dishware, a Cogsworth Chocolate Tart, and a Lumière White Chocolate Mousse.

Learn How to Play Petanque

Domaine de Manville, a 250-acre restored farming estate in the heart of Provence, has allocated two caravans amidst the olive country as aKid’s Club where children can participate in a French immersion program including language lessons and cooking classes. Additional activities include how to play Petanque – the outdoor sport similar to bocce that’s traditionally played in the South of France. At night kids can watch French and American films in the private cinema while parents sip rose in the courtyard.

NORTH AMERICA

Facials and Massages Sweet as Honey

The “Bee Pampered” children’s treatment at Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa’s Kinan Spa includes a honey facial and a foot massage tailored to tiny feet. The honey is sourced from Kinan Spa’s own hive of native Melipona bees, and is known for its strong anti-microbial and healing properties. As a memento, tots take home Meli, a Melipona bee stuffed animal.

The Unexpected Napa Valley

While Napa Valley is famous for wine, the region has plenty to offer to families. Sign up for a tour of the Castello di Amorosa, a 13^th-century Tuscan castle and winery perched on a hill just south of Calistoga, where kids can sip on grape juice. Gondola rides and colouring books are also offered. Stroll di Rosa, a museum where families can participate in activities including painting portraits.

In-Room Camp-Out and Mini Chef Program

Nantucket’s White Elephant, situated on Nantucket harbour, will launch the Mini Chef program, where children are invited to decorate cupcakes and cookies in 45-minute weekly sessions in July and August. For a fun night in at the hotel, children can snuggle up in kid-sized robes and have an in-room camp-out, complete with teepees and faux, indoor campfires.

SOUTH AMERICA

Capoeira for Kids

At UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa in Trancoso, Brazil, kids can learn the ancient art of Capoeira, a traditional Bahian sport that blends martial arts, acrobatics, and dance at the local school sponsored by UXUA. Guests are invited to either train privately in the hotel’s studio, or side by side with over 65 local children and young adults at the Casa da Cultura (Cultural Center).

Unusual Hotels for your Bucket List

Posted on 16 February 2017 | by robin@robinesrock.com | Leave a Comment

Jumbo Stay, Sweden
The next time a friend tells you how they were bumped to first class and could stretch out on a reclining seat, tell them about the night you slept inside a 747 on a double bed, with an en-suite bathroom! What’s more, it was in the cockpit, with a flatscreen TV, and view of Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport. Couples might want to consider the private, double Black Box suite at the back of the plane. The 29 rooms on board this converted jumbo jet might not actually fly anywhere, but your one night in a “most unusual hotel” story will certainly have wings.

Desert Cave Hotel, Australia
One sleeps very well in a cave hotel. Possibly because our DNA remembers the thousands of years humanity evolved inside dark caverns, or more likely because it’s quiet, cool, and somewhat impregnable. Located in what is known as the opal capital of the world, Desert Cave is a memorable outback experience. Extreme heat and dust storms make these spacious underground luxury rooms a respite from the world above. There’s also an underground bar, shops, opal interpretation centre, and a history of “dugout” living in the area. Go on, cave into the temptation. See Also: Aydinli Cave House Hotel, Turkey

Giraffe Manor, Kenya
Breakfast on the patio, a bright sunny morning outside of Nairobi. You’re excited to be heading to Masai Mara or one of the other game parks that put Kenya on the safari bucket list. You know you’ll soon get close enough to the animals to put away the zoom lens. As you sip your tea, the large head of a Rothschild giraffe pokes its head through the window, and gives you a lick with its cucumber-sized tongue. Yes, that just happened, as it does every morning at Giraffe Manor, a 10-room luxury hotel located inside a giraffe reserve. The herds love popping their heads in at breakfast or tea, helping themselves to a snack, and giving you the wildest breakfast of your life. Photo: Giraffe Manor

V8 Hotel, Germany
There’s nothing cool about sleeping in your car. Unless that car is a vintage Mercedes, racing VW Beetle or cherry-red Cadillac, converted into a double bed in Stuttgart’s classic car themed hotel. The 10 theme rooms celebrate all facets of the automobile. The Gas Station room lets you sleep in Herbie, the Drive-In room lulls you to sleep with painted stars and soft yellow headlights. Too chintzy? Book the Scrapyard Room, where your bed-car needs a fresh coat of paint (although the hood does hold a large flat-screen TV.) All the rooms look like the dreams of a 12-year-old boy came true, and will therefore appeal to men of all ages. Photo: V8 Hotel

Aux Vieux Panier, Marseille
Small, independent boutique hotels are popular for a very good reason – they provide a different experience from cookie-cutter hotel chains. It doesn’t get any more different than this hotel slash art gallery. Located in Marseille’s historical La Panier district, the five rooms have been turned over to artists to run amok. And amok they have run. One room has hanging columns of wood over the bed. Another was designed to “extract poetry and absurdity.” Each room has an artist statement, incorporating painting, architecture and sculpture. All designed to give you something to think about, and talk about, for years to come. Photo: Aux Vieux Panier
See also: Toronto’s Gladstone Hotel has a similar concept, with 37 unique, artist-designed rooms.

Finca Bellavista, Costa Rica
What makes Finca Bellavista stand-out from other treehouse hotels is its location – both remote and yet surprisingly accessible too. Located off the Pan American Highway in Costa Rica, you enter a world where guests stay in multi-platform treehouses high in the jungle canopy, ziplining to the main lodge for dinner, and surrounded by the sounds and colour of rainforest. The privately owned, eco-friendly treehouses are rented out to overnight guests, giving each a homely atmosphere. Shower on the outdoor platform, high in the treetops, and breathe that rich jungle air. Ah….your own private Pandora.
See also: Free Spirit Spheres on Vancouver Island, where you can fall asleep gently swaying in the trees. Photo: Robin Esrock

Mine Suite, Sweden
Advice for those that found the sandstone cave hotel in Australia too exposed: go deep. The Sala Silver Mine offers guided tours inside and around a former silver mine. At night, descend 155m to the legendary Mine Suite. Left alone (with an intercom to contact an attendant aboveground) the heated double room is so isolated and quiet that an alien invasion wouldn’t interrupt your sleep. All alone, deep beneath the ground, the silence is immaculate. It’s enough to forgive the 50 metre walk to the closest toilet, although at this depth, one should be grateful there is one to begin with.

HI-Ottawa Jail Hostel, Ottawa

If darkness gives you the creeps, match it with a haunted prison cell. After a century of (mis)use, the old Nicolas Street Gaol was closed in the 1970’s due to inhumane living conditions. It opened shortly after as a budget hostel. There are 4 beds to a dorm in the same vaulted cells murderers and thieves once scratched their names in the walls. Evening tours of the former Death Row, isolation cells and ghostly haunts doth not a peaceful night make. Even if your face is as white as the sheets, it’s an experience you won’t forget. See also: The Liberty Hotel in Boston, a former prison, this hotel is far more luxurious.

Crazy House, Vietnam
A local architect felt inspired by Gaudi, Dali, Disney, Sesame Street, Tim Burton, fairy tales, nightmares, monsters, angels, demons, and whatever else can explain the wildest hotel this side of Fantasia. Built as a personal expression, the loopy buildings were opened as a guesthouse to help with heaps of debt. 9 of the rooms are located in three treehouses, the honeymoon suite in the Spider-Web Garden. Like many visitors, you might stay a few nights to experience more than one room, but like the ice hotel, rooms are open to the public for daily tours. Some guests love the creativity, others find it kitsch beyond sanity. As for your dreams…well, they can’t be any weirder than the rooms themselves.

Ice Hotel, Quebec
There are cool hotels, cold hotels, and just plain freezing hotels. Quebec’s Hotel de Glace may look like a winter wonderland, but spending the night is a matter of survival. Guests are provided with Arctic sleeping bags, instructed how to use them, and warmed up before bedtime in hot tubs and saunas. You enter your artist-designed ice chamber with nothing but your jammies, boots and winter jacket. It’s an even -5C in the rooms, and much colder outside. Public bathrooms are located in the heated public area.. A night in the quiet ice hotel is a night bundled up with just your face exposed. Don’t think about sleeping in – if the light doesn’t wake you up, you’ll be asked to leave before the day visitors arrive in the morning.

Bucket List Gondolas, Trams and Funiculars

Posted on 1 February 2017 | by robin@robinesrock.com | Leave a Comment

Chamonix, France

Let’s start with Europe’s highest gondola, the Aiguille du Midi. Beginning its journey across the Alps in the tourist hotspot of Charmonix, the téléphérique gives visitors sweeping access to the French, Italian and Swiss Alps, with unparalleled views of the highest mountain in the Alps, Mont Blanc. Once atop Aiguille du Midi, hop into the red télécabine for the three-mile, 40 minute journey over a dazzling glacier to the Italian border. Drawing heavy crowds in all seasons, beat the queues by leaving early, and by making return reservations once you arrive at the top.

Table Mountain, Cape Town

Named for the cloud that often sits atop it like a tablecloth, Table Mountain is Cape Town’s most distinguishing landmark. The Table Mountain Cableway has transported over 20 million tourists on the four to five-minute journey to the top, with circular cabin floors rotating to give everyone a good view. Lions and leopards are no longer roaming the mountainside, but this World Heritage Site is home to a variety of small animals and endemic plants. Closed during strong winds, the temperature can be up to 6C colder at the top, so bring a sweater. Once there, you can take one of three short walks offering fantastic views of this famously picturesque city and surrounding mountains.

Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro

I’ve been in love with gondolas ever since I saw the James Bond film Moonraker, featuring a thrilling chase scene of the cable car up Sugarloaf Mountain. Ascending almost 400m, first up Morro da Urca and then Sugarloaf, the gondola offers 360-degree views of the beaches, ocean, mountains and landmarks that make Rio one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Of course, Moonraker also made me wonder how the villain Jaws managed to literally chew through the steel wire transporting the 65 passenger cars. Fortunately, the system has been fully updated, ensuring no bad guy will be using this cable car for dental floss (see below).

Banff Gondola / Jasper Tramway

The two towns that serve Canada’s oldest national parks boast a world-class gondola and tramway. There are technical differences between gondolas and aerial tramways. Tramways work like elevators, with a counter-balance car, where as gondolas can leave more frequently, like ski lifts. The Banff Gondola Mountaintop experience is an eight-minute ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain, in a four-passenger cabin climbing to an elevation of 2,281 metres. At the top you’ll find a restaurant, a Cosmic Ray Station Historic Site, and a 1km self-guided interpretative Skywalk. The Jasper Skytram is the longest and highest guided tramway in Canada, giving visitors spectacular views of six mountain ranges, glaciers, alpine lakes, and the town of Jasper itself.

Old Quebec Funicular, Quebec City / Valparaiso, Chile

Neither are very long, nor very thrilling, but these old funiculars are definitely fun, not to mention convenient. Opened in 1879, Quebec’s 64m long funicular is an easy way to transition from Upper Town to Lower Town, where you can explore the Petit Champlain district, port and museums. Open until midnight in the summer, it is the only funicular of its kind in North America. Valparaiso is a city of hills, serviced by 10 funiculars, although at one time there were 26 working elevators. Protected by the World Monument Fund as an endangered historical treasure, the funiculars are not only practical to navigate Valparaiso’s steep hills, but they also give great views of the city and harbour.

Singapore Flyer / London Eye

OK, these are Ferris Wheels, but since both involve you getting into a glass-domed car, ascending high into the sky, and taking pictures of a city’s view, the sentiment is the same. Opened in 1999 at a cost of £70 million, the London Eye has quickly become the biggest tourist attraction in the UK. It takes a half hour to make a full rotation, with 25 mile long views in every direction. When it opened in 2008 – the Singapore Flyer – stole the Eye’s thunder and, at 42 stories high, is currently the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. Located at the Marina Centre, the Flyer’s 28 air-conditioned capsules take a half hour to rotate, with terrific views of the city. Both the Eye and the Flyer can be rented out for corporate events, dinner parties and weddings.

Whistler's Peak 2 Peak — Whistler’s Peak 2 Peak

Peak 2 Peak, Whistler

When the peaks of Whistler and Blackcomb decided to connect via gondola, it needed one serious engineering achievement. The resulting Peak 2 Peak Gondola holds the world gondola records for the highest point above ground (436m), and longest free span between towers (3.03km), and the two largest lift terminals in the world. Each winter, the 11-minute journey gently ushers over 4000 people an hour between the mountains of North America’s largest ski resort. Only two of the 28 cabins have a glass bottom, so consult the wall chart at the terminal to see when it is approaching. Cars arrive and depart ever 49 seconds.

The Peak, Hong Kong

Opened over 120 years ago, The Peak is one of the world’s oldest and most popular funiculars, rising 396 metres above sea level on a gradient so steep it appears buildings are leaning on their side. Besides the expected gift shops and restaurants, it’s well worth visiting the Peak Tower for the panoramic views of Hong Kong. There’s also the Sky Terrace 428, with the highest viewing platform in the city, and you can walk along one of several walking trails. The funicular itself ascends up Victoria Peak on a 1.4km railline, and takes just under five minutes to reach the top.

Grouse Mountain Skyride, Vancouver

North America’s largest aerial tramway system offers visitors to Grouse Mountain stunning views of Vancouver, surrounding forests, mountains and the Gulf Islands in the distance. The 45-passenger car runs 365 days a year, depositing tourists and locals at the top to enjoy a range of activities, including a gourmet restaurant, wildlife, and a busy ski resort in winter. During summer, you’ll find a grizzly bear enclosure, bird of prey shows, logging demonstrations, and ziplining and paragliding for the more adventurous. On the way down, you might notice some particularly sweaty passengers. A popular local pastime is to hike up the punishing Grouse Grind, and take the Skyride down to the parking lot.

The Sea to Sky Gondola

Western Canada is making a bold claim to the Bucket List gondolas podium. Squamish, located between Vancouver and Whistler, has the outstanding Sea-to-Sky Gondola with astounding views of Howe Sound, Sky Pilot Mountain, and one of the world’s bucket list climbing walls, the mighty granite Stawamus Chief. The 849m-long gondola takes you right to the top of an adjacent mountain, where you’ll find a 65m-high suspension bridge, scenic walking loops, as well as new hiking and biking trails. Celebrate the commendable execution of BC’s latest attraction with a craft beer on the sunny patio of the Summit Lodge.

Ba Na-Suoi Mo, Vietnam

Fifty kilometres west of Da Nang City is the world’s longest single wire cable car system, spanning over 5 kilometres in length. The Ba Na Hills gondola trip takes 15 minutes to reach the top, with passengers enjoying views of the surrounding mountains, the Han River, and lush jungle. A 27 metre high Buddha also rests at the top, along with gardens and an impressive pagoda. The gondola prides itself on being built to European standards of comfort and safety.

Oh, and by the way, if you’re afraid of getting into a gondola or tramway, I’m almost entirely positively certain that this will never happen.

jaws

Tag: france