Continuing
our look at ports of call found on Canada and New England itineraries we are
next going to take a look at Québec City, Québec, Canada.
Québec
City is one of the largest and most expensive cities in Canada, most of the
residents speak French and only about 1.5 percent of the population speaks
English. The city is known for the world-famous Château Frontenac, a
château-style hotel in historic Old Québec, built by the Pacific Railroad
Company in 1893. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1981. The city
is also known for its European architecture and fortifications. The city is
considered to be a piece of Europe in Canada. If you get a chance to visit this
beautiful city make sure to try the local cuisine!
Riviera Maya is the general name for the large area of the East Coast of Mexico. This area covers south of Cancun all the way down to Tulum including Playa de Carmen and Puerto Morales. Maroma and Tulum have some of the best beach areas in this region. The resorts here tend to be more spread out with great landscaping and large winding pools.
I think the best resorts in this area are:
Secrets Maroma Adults Only All Inclusive Resort
Unico 2087 Adults Only All Inclusive Resort
Hard Rock Riviera Maya Family All Inclusive Resort with an Adults Only section
Generations Family All Inclusive Resort
Sandos Caracol Eco All Inclusive Resort
Check out this video to learn what's so great about these resorts:
A few weeks ago we took a look at Bar Harbor, Maine for our virtual vacation. Normally this time of year is a popular time for Canada and New England cruises. In honor of that I thought we could look at another port of call that often appears on those itineraries, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
This coastal city is Nova Scotia’s capital and home to the second-largest natural harbor in the world. It became a permanent British settlement in 1749, and was named for the 2nd earl of Halifax. This city played a key role in the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic, as it sent three ships to recover bodies and it is the final resting place for many unclaimed victims.
Angie visited Halifax on a Canada / New England cruise and shares out she spent her day:
It's always hard to pick a favorite, but I narrowed down all the Cancun Hotel Zone all inclusive resorts to the four I like best.
Cancun Hotel Zone features a long stretch of white sand beach, blue water and it's close to the airport. It's close to luxury shopping. The Cancun Hotel Zone tends to have a strong current so water activities like kayaking and paddle boarding may be limited.
The four best resorts, in my opinion, are:
Hyatt Ziva Cancun
Fiesta Americana Condesa
Le Blanc Spa ResortCancun
Live AquaCancun
Take a look:
To sign up to have weekly resort tours delivered to your inbox, click here.
We
are back in the USA for this week’s virtual vacation and headed to the capital
of country music and also the capital of the state of Tennessee,
Nashville.
Founded
in 1779, the city is named for Francis Nash, a general in the Continental
Army during the American Revolutionary War. Situated on the Cumberland River,
the city is a center for music, healthcare, publishing, banking, transportation
industries, and also home to a number of colleges and universities. Let’s check
it out!
A
great way to explore this music city is the Hop On Hop Off Trolley Tour .
There are 14
stops around the city offering access to more than 100
points of interest. One of the most popular stops is
Broadway, the major thoroughfare through Nashville, and the
Lower Broadway area is an entertainment district known for its
honky tonks and live country music. For a great informational video
on the Lower Broadway area, click here.
Music
and history lovers will enjoy spending a few hours at the Country Music Hall of Fame and
Museum located near Broadway. The museum has amassed one the
world’s largest musical collections with more than 2.5 million
priceless artifacts. The museum offers a video
section on their website with pre-recorded live performances,
interviews, songwriter sessions, podcasts and more. The museum’s digital
archives with photos, recordings, objects and more can be found here. For a virtual tour of the museum itself, click here.
Once
the home to the Grand Ole Opry is Ryman
Auditorium. Tours are offered for a behind the scenes glimpse, but one
of the best ways to experience the venue is to see a live concert.
The auditorium continues to host contemporary artists like Trace Adkins,
Blake Shelton, and Luke Combs. For a peak inside, click here.
The Johnny
Cash Museum boasts the largest collection of memorabilia,
including films, handwritten notes and letters penned by Cash
himself. Exhibit highlights include his years in the Air Force, his
marriage to June Carter, and his famous prison concert tour. To learn
about the Johnny Cash and the museum click here.
On the second floor of the
Johnny Cash Museum you will find the Patsy Cline Museum where
visitors can explore the life of one of country music’s top female entertainers
of all time. To learn about Patsy Cline and the Patsy Cline Museum
click here.
Family-friendly,
the Frist Art
Museum is dedicated to presenting a changing schedule of
exhibitions from local, regional, national, and international art sources.
The museum has 30 interactive art-making stations, educational
programs, and offers live music on Thursday and Friday
evenings. The museum has its own YouTube channel where
you can learn more about the museum itself and the exhibits.
Centennial
Park, located in Nashville’s West End Neighborhood, once served
as a fairground, a racetrack and the location for the 1897
Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition. Today in the
summertime visitors to the park will find Shakespeare in the Park, craft fairs,
and local festivals. Park amenities include a one mile walking trail, a
sportsplex, lake, historical monuments, sunken garden, volleyball courts,
and a dog park. The centerpiece of the park is a replica of the Parthenon. The
original is located in Athens, Greece. This Parthenon facility in Centennial
Park also serves as Nashville’s art museum.
Music
Valley is home to the Grand
Ole Opry, a weekly American country music stage concert. It
was founded in 1925 as a one-hour radio barn dance on WSM, it is the
longest-running radio broadcast in US History. Guided backstage tours are
available of the theater. Check out this tour and brief
history of Grand Ole Opry. Music Valley is also home to a
slew of restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, shopping and the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. Check out
this video
tour of the area.
Just
northeast of Nashville, is The Hermitage the home of our 7th
U.S. President, Andrew Jackson from 1804 until his death in 1845. The
current home was actually built between 1819 and 1821, and in 1831 the home
went under a major remodel with the addition of 1st floor wings added to
the east and west side of the home and a two-story portico. A fire in 1834
heavily damaged the home, it was remodeled again and completed in 1837. The
Hermitage has its own YouTube channel where
you can learn more about Andrew Jackson and his home.
For
a wonderful overview of the city, check out Expedia’s Nashville
Travel Guide. There are also a lot of great little towns within two
hours of Nashville to explore if you are looking for some more Tennessee
history and culture. Check this link to see if any of these are of
interest. My vote would be a day trip to Pulaski to tour the home of
Frank Mars, founder of Mars candy, followed by a stop at Big
Creek Winery. What would be your pick?
I visited Sandos Finisterrs Cabo on a travel agent rate in August 2020.
Sandos Finisterra is a Cabo all inclusive resort for families. Sandos
Finisterras has a terrific, unique location with both a view of the
marina and a beach front. You cannot swim at Sandos Finisterra because of the strong current. You can enjoy a walk on the beach and the sound of the waves crashing to the shore.
You'll
find four restaurants plus a coffee shop and a pizza quick service at
the Sandos Finisterra pool.
Virtual Vacation: Cathedrals of Europe by Katy DeHaven
For this week's virtual trip I thought we would do
something a little different and take a look at the top 10 best
cathedrals in Europe. This list come to us from USA Today and National
Geographic. These are the European cathedrals that
best represent the history, architectural wonders and the imagination
of the country in which they are located.
Secrets Puerto Los Cabos Golf and Spa Resort is an adults only all inclusive resort about 45 minutes from the SJD Cabo Airport. The resort sits right in the middle of a 27 hole golf course. You can watch golfers on the 6th hole from the Preferred Club infinity pool.
Secrets Cabo has five restaurants plus a coffee shop and poolside grill. The only dining option that requires reservations is the teppanyaki tables at the Asian restaurants. We thought the food in general was very good. We didn't love the steak. We've often had trouble getting "good" steaks in Mexico.
We stayed in August 2020. I was very impressed with the COVID precautions. Plexiglass was added to the check in, the bars, and the hostess stands. All the staff are wearing masks all the time. Hand sanitizer is offered at the entrance at each restaurant and when ordering at the bar. Bar waiters will also bring it to you.
