Photo opportunity in Morocco's Blue City.

Adventures

Chefchaouen: Morocco’s Blue City Mesmerizes visitors

April 1, 2024

Big brands, boutiques spice up the New Orleans hotel scene

Food & Drink, History, Hotels, Lifestyle, Luxury, Travel

Humpback whale shows some tail.

A Whale-Watching Adventure in Victoria, B.C.

Adventures, Lifestyle, Nature, Stories, Travel

Filoli Gardens

Exploring the Bayside of the San Francisco Peninsula

Adventures, Family, Food & Drink, History, Lifestyle, Stories, Travel

Chefchaouen: Morocco’s Blue City Mesmerizes visitors

Adventures, History, Hotels, Travel, Wellness
by Barbara Redding
Photo opportunity in Morocco's Blue City.

Myriad shades of blue wash over the walls of Chefchaouen, a remote village cradled in the rugged Rif Mountains of northeastern Morocco.     Nicknamed Morocco’s “Blue City,” the town is one of the dreamiest places in this North African country. Smaller and calmer than frenzied Fez and Marrakesh, Chefchaouen’s arched doorways and maze-like alleys create stunningly blue photo backdrops.     In the heat of summer, tourists snapping selfies can overrun the medina, or old city. However, when I added a winter weekend in Morocco’s...

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Big brands, boutiques spice up the New Orleans hotel scene

Food & Drink, History, Hotels, Lifestyle, Luxury, Travel
by Barbara Redding

Seafood gumbo, crawfish etouffee, and sugar-dusted beignets entice visitors to New Orleans. Along with Mardi Gras and the Jazz and Heritage Festival, of course.   But these days, the city’s hotel scene is also getting some special attention.   Luxury hotel brands Caesars and Fairmont are set to add new properties in the Crescent City. Plus, new boutique hotels are opening, and historic favorites are being renovated.   Plus, most of the new additions include restaurants that are offering the food that’s helped make New...

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A Whale-Watching Adventure in Victoria, B.C.

Adventures, Lifestyle, Nature, Stories, Travel
by Barbara Redding
Humpback whale shows some tail.

A whale-watching tour in Victoria, British Columbia, is an exhilarating experience, especially in an open-air Zodiac boat.   A clear, sunny day is preferable. The steep mountains and pine forests surrounding this city on beautiful Vancouver Island create a breathtaking backdrop for the Salish Sea. But even my tour on a rainy, cold day proved that this Canadian city is one of the best places in the world to see whales in the wild.   My whale-watching tour was arranged as part of a cruise...

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Exploring the Bayside of the San Francisco Peninsula

Adventures, Family, Food & Drink, History, Lifestyle, Stories, Travel
by Barbara Redding
Filoli Gardens

As enticing as the cable cars and cioppino of San Francisco can be, California’s Bay Area is stacked with other options for travelers seeking more rural or small-town adventures.   On an excursion south from the city along the bayside of the San Francisco Peninsula, I explored several not-to-be-missed sights. At the serene country estate of Filoli, I enjoyed a wine tasting hosted by the prestigious San Francisco Wine School. Dinner followed in the walkable town of Burlingame at an inventive plant-based restaurant started by a...

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The Velvet Rope: A New Palm Springs Hotel Spins Old Hollywood Glamour

Adventures, Fashion, Food & Drink, History, Hotels, Lifestyle, Luxury, Travel
by Barbara Redding
Fancy bedroom in the Velvet Rope

The Velvet Rope, a new boutique hotel in Palm Springs, puts a modern twist on Hollywood’s heyday in this California desert town.   Nine deliciously themed suites and a speakeasy-style bar transport guests back in time to experience the mid-20th century glamour that attracted celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley, and Hugh Hefner to Palm Springs.   The Velvet Rope opened in December 2023. But before the first official guests arrived, I was among a group of travel writers invited to experience a few days...

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Séc-he: New Palm Springs Wellness Center Offers Tribal Healing Treatments

Adventures, Lifestyle, Luxury, Travel, Wellness
by Barbara Redding

“Taking of the Waters” is a sacred healing experience practiced for centuries by the  Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of Palm Springs, California.   Today, visitors can soak in the steaming water of the tribal hot springs at The Spa at Séc-he, the tribe’s new luxury spa in downtown Palm Springs.   The tribe began sharing Agua Caliente Hot Mineral Spring with settlers in the 1800s, making it Palm Springs’s first tourist attraction–and namesake. The first bathhouse was a rough-hewn wooden cabin.    Séc-he...

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Wonders of the Sahara Desert beckon visitors to Morocco

Adventures, Family, Food & Drink, History, Hotels, Stories, Travel
by Barbara Redding

Morocco is known for its stunning diversity. The North African Country boasts windswept deserts and ancient cities, craggy mountains and lonely beaches, medieval medinas and modern mosques.   Since my visit in early 2023, I have written several stories about Morocco’s many treasures. Recently, I had the chance to talk about my trip to Morocco on Big Blend Radio with Lisa Smith.   I am excited to share my YouTube interview below with Lisa! You can also view the podcast on bigblendradio.com.   You can...

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Castles, Cardiff and a Coast Path draw visitors to Wales

Adventures, Beach, Food & Drink, History, Lifestyle, Stories, Travel, Wellness
by Barbara Redding
Wales-Coast-Path-winds-around-Cardiff-Bay

With more than 400 fortresses still standing, Wales has more castles per square mile than any other European country. Wales is the place to explore lofty towers, secret dungeons, and legends of Camelot. If you love castles, as I do, Wales should be at the top of your travel list. But castles are hardly the only reason to travel to Wales, which is part of the U.K. and shares the island of Great Britain with England and Scotland. Wales has its own story to tell...

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Wine, Cheese and Chill in ‘magical’ Tequis, Mexico

Adventures, Food & Drink, History, Hotels, Stories, Travel
by Barbara Redding
El Geiser hot springs pool near Tequis. @Diane Gierisch

The charms of traditional Mexico abound in Tequisquiapan, a small city in the arid highlands of Central Mexico.   Indigenous people named it for the steaming hot springs and minerals discovered there in the 1600s. Today, the city is better known as Tequis. It’s also a popular stop on the Querétaro Wine and Cheese Route.   To learn more about this pueblo mágico, or magical town, please read my Tequis story in Rovology.  For more travel stories, visit the Rovology website–a wonderful resource for anyone who...

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Barton Family Wines: Crafting Innovative Wines and More in Paso Robles

Adventures, Family, Food & Drink, Lifestyle, Luxury, Stories, Travel
by Barbara Redding

California’s Central Coast wine region was in its infancy when the Barton family bought an old farmhouse west of Paso Robles and started a family winery in the 1990s.   Today Barton Family Wines includes a winery, a farm-to-table restaurant, and a spirit distillery. Modern indoor tasting rooms and shaded outdoor patios with stunning vineyard views welcome visitors to the original farmhouse.   No longer a sleepy inland community, Paso Robles is the state’s third-largest wine region behind Napa and Sonoma.   Please read my...

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