Happy Holidays!

So, due to the hecticness of December in general and particularly in my line of work as a Corporate attorney, there will be no blog posts for the month of December. The next new post will be the first week of January. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and I look forward to posting again in the new year!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I will be spending the rest of the week in New Orleans with my family, so there will be no posts this week. Hope everyone has a fantastic holiday week! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

PS -- This picture was by far the best (ie. most ridiculous) one I found when I searched Thanksgiving images through Google.

Ti Kaye Village

Last weekend was my husband and my 4th year wedding anniversary (cue the "awwws"). Remembering that day made me nostalgic for our honeymoon on St. Lucia and the wonderful resort we stayed in -- Ti Kaye Village in Anse Cochon.

Ti Kaye is an adorable little resort situated on the coast of St. Lucia high above the ocean. Everything about this resort just screams honeymoon. Each "room" is actually a small cottage. Ti Kaye translates into "Little House" and the resort is basically a village of little houses. All the little houses face the ocean and have huge French doors. Each cottage includes an outdoor shower, a hammock and a large balcony. Our cottage also had a plunge pool. It was relaxation paradise.

The grounds are lovely. Each cottage is spaced far enough away so you do not hear your neighbors' conversations, but close enough that it does not feel like you are alone in the jungle. The main house includes a small gift shop, the front desk, a bar and a restaurant called Kai Manje. The bar and restaurant were awesome. They are covered, but had no walls, so you were protected from rainstorms but were able to soak up the beautiful weather. The bar specialized in a rum punch dusted with nutmeg that was just awesome. The drink menu as a whole was crazy -- it was huge and all of the drinks were so inexpensive. It was a little dangerous to tell the truth! We ate dinner at the restaurant every night and every night we were thrilled with our dinners. The food is continental with an island twist and also includes some St. Lucia specialties. They even have a pretty good wine list. Since the resort was fairly secluded, they entertained their guests at night with various bands and other fun surprises. Even though I am usually a big fan of variety, I did not mind eating at their restaurant every night!

Next to the main house, there is a small pool for those not interested in going to the beach. But, really you go to the Caribbean to go to the beach. As I said earlier, Ti Kaye is basically located on a large cliff. You have to take these kind of old scary steps down to the beach, but once you get down there you don't want to leave. Ti Kaye has a private beach that is only interrupted by the random snorkeling excursion. They have chairs and umbrellas for their guests to use along with snorkeling equipment and kayaks. My husband and I took advantage of all those items! The snorkeling at Ti Kaye is great because you do not need to go anywhere, you just step off of the beach into the ocean and there are reefs right there. Pretty cool stuff. In addition, you can take the kayak out to see a little shipwreck. Also, pretty cool stuff.

On the beach, Ti Kaye also has a casual restaurant called Ti Manje where you can go for lunch (and mid-afternoon drinks of course). They will also schedule excursions for you around the island, including scuba diving. There is actually a dive shop -- Island Divers -- on property. There is even a spa now named Kai Koko, which they didn't have when we went there.

I had a wonderful honeymoon at Ti Kaye and I would highly suggest honeymooners or other couples to go there. Heck, they even have a little song "Ti Kaye honeymoon...fly me to the moon!"

Ti Kaye Village Resort
P.O. Box GM 669
Castries
St Lucia
Telephone: 758-456-8101
Fax: 758-456-8105
General Information: info@tikaye.com
Spa enquires: spa@tikaye.com
Diving enquires: diving@tikaye.com
www.tikaye.com

The Aububon Institute

I spent last weekend in New Orleans at a wedding event. As is often the case in New Orleans, we spent most of the weekend eating and drinking. I often find that most (if not all) of my New Orleans recommendations are food and drink related. However, there is so much more to New Orleans than food and alcohol. So, this week, I am focusing on a different type of New Orleans treasure -- the Audubon Institute and the great attractions it runs in New Orleans. The Audubon Institute (named after naturalist John James Audubon) is focused on conversation and education and it really is a fantastic organization.

The most famous Audubon attraction is the Audubon Zoo in the Garden District. This is consistently rated one of the best zoos in the United States and you can see why as soon as you step in. The Zoo is huge! Even adults get tired trying to walk around the entire area. There is a little train that runs through it now, though they definitely did not have that when I was a kid! There are tons of different types of animals and each one lives in its own specialized habitat. The Zoo itself is separated into different areas based on habitat, which is a really great teaching tool. Speaking of teaching tools, there are always great learning opportunities for kids scattered throughout the Zoo. I remember riding elephants and camels there when I was a kid! Some of the highlights include the Asian elephant exhibit, Monkey Hill (which rumor has it is the highest point in low-hanging New Orleans), the Louisiana Swamp exhibit and the Dinosaur Adventure. All of this is situated in the middle of the beautiful Garden District, a far cry from the hustle of the French Quarter.

However, if you are in the French Quarter and need a break from eating and drinking, I would highly recommend a visit to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. The Aquarium is also run by the Audubon Institute and it is also fantastic. It is a huge aquarium with different rooms for the various climates represented. Like the Zoo, there are different interactive exhibits scattered throughout the Aquarium. Some of the highlights include the African penguin exhibit, animal feedings, and the Gulf of Mexico exhibit. There is even an IMAX Theatre located next door. I remember seeing a Rolling Stones concert there, though I think it it usually focused on nature-type movies. It is definitely a great place to go to escape a hot summer day!

In 2009, the Audubon Institute opened the Audubon Insectarium, which is America's largest museum devoted to insects and its relatives. It celebrates the world of bugs with 13 gallery rooms containing more than 70 live animal enclosures, 30 mounted specimen cases and a multisensory immersive theater experience. You can experience live insect encounters, discover cultural aspects of insects, sample exotic insect cuisine, shrink in size to see the world from a bug’s perspective, and enjoy the tranquility of a Japanese garden with hundreds of butterflies!It has gotten amazing reviews, but I am honestly too creeped out by the insects to go. But, if it is anything like the rest of the Audubon attractions, I would highly recommend it!

TIP: There are many different combo packages you can buy to help conserve money. The best package is
the Audubon Experience Ticket which includes one visit to each facility; ticket expires five days after first use, excluding Mondays when all facilities are closed.

So when visiting New Orleans, either with kids or without, I would take time to visit one of the Audubon Institutes's attractions in order to see a different side of the city!

Audubon Zoo
6500 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70118
(800) 774-7394 or (504) 581-4629 

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
Canal Street at the River
#1 Canal Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
(800) 774-7394 or (504) 581-4629

Audubon Insectarium
423 Canal Street
U.S. Custom House
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
(800) 774-7394 or (504) 581-4629

www.auduboninstitute.org

Vizcaya Musuem and Gardens

Last weekend was Halloween. I am not personally a big Halloween person -- I love the little trick-or-treaters, but the scary movies and the haunted houses are not really my thing. However, one year in Miami I did go to an amazing Halloween party at an amazing historical site -- Vizcaya Musuem and Gardens in Coconut Grove.

Vizcaya is a National Historic Landmark and museum in the heart of Miami.  Built by agricultural industrialist James Deering (of John Deere fame) in 1916, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens features a Main House, ten acres of formal gardens, and a rockland hammock (native forest). The house was intended to appear as an Italian estate that had stood for 400 years and had been occupied and renovated by several generations of a family.  It has 34 decorated rooms with 15th through 19th century antique furnishings and art objects. The house appears to be only two stories high but between the main public rooms and the bedrooms, there is an intervening level with 12 rooms for servants and service. The expansive gardens combine elements of Renaissance Italian and French designs.  Key features include the many fountains, a central pool surrounding an elevated island, the elevated Mound with its small house, or “Casino,” statuary, and several themed gardens.

Vizcaya hosts numerous events throughout the year including tours, talks and movie showings. You can even rent it for events, but you have to be pretty wealthy in order to do that!

One of the big events of the year is their Halloween Sundowner which takes place on the Saturday closest to Halloween. This party is awesome! It reminds you of one of those cool parties in a movie that you always think..."who goes to parties like that?" The grounds are decorated to the nines and all the party-goers come in costume. Very elaborate costumes usually. There are open bars scattered around the grounds and a few places to buy food, if interested. There are usually a few dance floors and the accompanying bands and DJs. At the end of the night there is a costume party where people pull out super-elaborate costumes. It is a huge party that typically sells out every year. So, if you are in Miami over Halloween, I would definitely recommend attending this event!

TIP: Take some time to plan a great costume -- you will have a much better time if you are dressed to the nines! It is the perfect time to pull out that elaborate costume you have always wanted to wear!

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

3251 South Miami Avenue

Miami, Florida 33129

Main: 305-250-9133

Fax:   305-285-2004

http://www.vizcaya/musuem.org

The Great Barrier Reef

Last week's post discussed the third largest coral reef in the world -- this week's post discusses the largest coral reef in the world -- the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world and the only living thing on Earth visible from space. The Reef contains the world's largest collection of coral -- more than 400 different types. There are also over 1500 species of fish. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has existed for approximately 20 million years.

Since the Great Barrier Reef is so large, you can see it in any number of ways and in any number of places. You can either stay on one of the many coast towns or actually stay on one of the islands in the Reef. I chose to snorkel and I chose Cairns to be my home base.

Cairns is a very cute city -- a typical port town with boating and similar activities dominating the city. There is an airport in Cairns, so you can go directly there from Sydney or any of the other large cities in Australia.
I would highly recommend the hotel we stayed in -- the Cairns Colonial Club Resort. It is a beautiful resort with tropical gardens and lagoon-style swimming pools. It is a great home base to see the region and very reasonably priced. 

I would also highly recommend taking a tour through the rainforest that abuts Cairns. We used the Wait-a-While Rainforest Tour group. We took a night tour and saw a ton of animals. Apparently, the rainforest animals are mainly nocturnal. It was a great and pretty spooky adventure.

There are a diverse range of tourism operations in the Great Barrier Reef including day tours, overnight and extended tours, snorkeling, scuba diving and fishing charters, long range roving tours, aircraft or helicopter tours, bare boats (self-sail), glass-bottomed boat viewing, semi-submersibles and educational trips, cruise ships, beach hire and water sports, passenger ferries, whale watching and swimming with dolphins. Tourism on the Reef reaches as far back as the 1890s!

The trip my friends and I took was a day tour consisting of a boat ride to and from a small deserted island. We used the company Frankland Islands Cruise and Dive. This company is the only company that takes folks to the Frankland Islands. We liked the tour because it was fairly small -- up to 100 people maximum. Once on the island, we could actually swim right into the Reef -- the Reef was very shallow and your swimming abilities did not need to be that great to have a great experience. They even served us a beach lunch!

When you snorkel the Great Barrier Reef obviously you have very high expectations. I have to say that the snorkeling lived up to all of my expectations! The water was shallow so there was high visibility. Both the coral and the fish were plentiful.  And the colors were otherworldly! I could not believe all of the colors and species that were living so close to the surface. It really is another world down there.

I think it goes without saying that snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef is a must-do experience. If you find yourself in Australia or New Zealand, I would definitely recommend tacking on an excursion to the Great Barrier Reef!

Cairns Colonial Club Resort
18-26 Cannon Street
Cairns, Queensland, 4870, Australia

Telephone: +61 7 4053 8800

Fax: +61 7 4032 1031

reservations@cairnscolonialclub.com.au

Wait-a-While Rainforest Tours
PO Box 1471, Cairns 4870
Phone: 0429 083 338
Phone International: +61 7 4093 8414
Fax: 07 4093 8414
Email: bookings@waitawhile.com.au

Frankland Islands Cruise and Dive
PO Box 1938
Cairns Qld 4870
Australia
Telephone: 07 4031 6300
Fax: 07 4031 4777
sales@franklandislands.come

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

Last weekend, I had friends in town and while we were mostly beach bums, I did take them to the best place to snorkel in the continental U.S. -- the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, Florida.

Established in 1963, Pennekamp is the first underseas park created in the US. The park, combined with the Florida National Marine Sanctuary, encompasses 178 nautical square miles of coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove swamps. These areas were established to preserve and protect the only living coral reef in the continental United States (and the 3rd largest in the world). In case you were curious, Pennkamp was a Miami newspaper editor who was also instrumental in preserving the Florida Everglades. 

Pennekamp is about an hour from Miami and about 3 hours from Key West. Per the name, it is a Florida state park and is set up similarly to other state and national parks. There are spots available for camping, picnicking, fishing and swimming. It also provides numerous options of excursions to see the Coral Reef. Namely, diving, snorkeling, glass bottom boat tours and kayak rentals. The park provides the necessary accouterments to each such excursion. We chose to snorkel.

This park is run extremely well. The price is very reasonable (approximately $30 for a 2 and 1/2 hour tour and approximately $10 for park entrance fees) and you get to keep your snorkel, so you know they are clean. All of the people that work there are extremely nice and helpful. You take a 1/2 hour boat ride, snorkel for approximately 1 and 1/2 hours and then take a 1/2 hour boat ride back. Departures are currently at 9 AM, Noon and 3 PM. You can make a reservation which is recommended or you can just take a chance and show up. Very easy!

What makes Pennekamp so special is the quality of the snorkeling that takes place there. There are approximately 7 different places where you go on your tour depending on the visibility and weather. I have not been to all of such snorkeling places, but the ones I have been to are all fantastic.

Many of the spots are very shallow and so you do not need to swim below the surface in order to see great fish and coral. Some of the coral is actually so close to the surface that you have to be pretty careful not to touch it.

TIP: It is illegal to touch or break the coral and it may physically harm you as well. Please please be careful not to touch the coral.

The coral is absolutely beautiful and very colorful. It is also very plentiful as well. There are over 80 varieties of coral to be found in these waters. The fish themselves are also plentiful. There are over 260 different varieties of fish you can see and many of them are very colorful. You see so many different schools of fish that you are sometimes looking at 50 to 100 at a time. The last time, we even saw barracudas and nurse sharks!!! But, don't worry, if I was not scared, you should not be scared. 

There is also a famous Christ of the Deep statue which you can sometimes see on your tour, but don't get your hopes up because I have never been to the part of the park with the statue.

If you find yourself in the Florida Keys or Miami, I would highly recommend taking a drive to Pennekamp and getting your snorkel on!

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
Mile Marker 102.5
Overseas Highway
Key Largo, FL
305-451-6300
www.pennekamppark.com