Krisha

If you’re thinking about an island getaway but can’t quite figure out how to line up meals and activities, then the all-inclusive resort vacation is for you. As a seasoned traveler who has explored the globe on both a budget and in style, I have only stayed in an all-inclusive resort twice. Both were in the Dominican Republic, once on a girl’s trip to Punta Cana when I was single, and most recently to Puerto Plata with my parents, husband and newborn daughter. The two were very different experiences, and you can guess on which trip I got my money’s worth at the open bar. Both adventures accomplished what I was looking for at that time.

Puerto Plata and Punta Cana are popular destinations, and they offer very different tropical experiences. Punta Cana is on the Eastern-most part of the country where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea. This location tends to produce calmer water and more serene beaches. If you are seeking picturesque beaches with soft sand and clean, sapphire blue water, Punta Cana is a better choice. Parasailing and snorkeling are popular, and you can easily take long walks barefoot on the beach without sharp shells. Puerto Plata’s beaches are rockier so bring your shoes! The waves can be temperamental like the Atlantic Ocean itself which makes it more exciting for wind surfers.

The two resort destinations are almost exclusively consumed by all-inclusive packages for tourists with one goal – trying to sell you a piece of the property inside. Be prepared to firmly keep the time-share representatives at bay who are constantly trying to upsell to the VIP area or secure a return visitor. Be polite saying you’re not interested unless you have a few hours to spare and want the freebies that come with touring a unit. Instead, talk to the staff about booking restaurant reservations the day you check in. Your concierge will have a list of all the good eats, usually including different ethnic-themed restaurants like Indian, Chinese and, of course, Dominican. I recommend booking activities at the same time. Some resorts have activities included, but snorkeling trips and horseback riding on the beach are usually extra and can book up fast. Keep dollar bills handy at both places – since everything is all inclusive, an extra tip can go a long way in getting more towels, drinks delivered to your room and valuable information.

If you’re looking to sightsee, Punta Cana is not your destination. Once you get on the property, you basically stay there and can attend nightly concerts on-site or check out the discotheque. I stayed at the Paradisus Punta Cana where there was a beach party or DJ every night. But honestly, in Punta Cana, besides the snorkeling tours, you aren’t missing much if you choose not to venture outside the resort. However, in Puerto Plata, there are a few sightseeing options. If you want to see the replica of Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer you need to book the Teleferica cable car and ride up Mount Isabel de Torres. Try the morning tour as you might not get clear views in the afternoon when the mist rolls in. The center of Puerto Plata is lively with street vendors and mom and pop shops. You’ll need a translator if you can’t speak Spanish as the downtown locals just shake their heads when asked if they know English. If you find a small café, take a seat and watch local life. We witnessed a loud campaign parade that filled the streets and blocked traffic.

Lastly, it is important to note that Punta Cana is a newer tourist destination and much more expensive. The rates and activities onsite, including spa treatments, are just as pricey as an upscale American resort. You can find bargains in Puerto Plata, however. We stayed at the Lifestyle Holiday Vacation Club, and the spa managers walked around the beach ready to negotiate deals. Plus, for the budget price of the accommodation, you have your choice of six pools, some for adults only, others that have activities for kids and the main pool with a DJ and volleyball net near the swim-up bar. You can also save money by choosing a room by the garden instead of the beach.

Whether you decide your destination is Puerto Plata or Punta Cana – remember, you’re on vacation so relax and put away your money. Everything is included.

Krisha Chachra serves on the Town Council of Blacksburg and is a regular columnist and author. She has traveled to more than 40 countries on 6 continents and hosted shows for public radio and television. Her columns are taken from her journals and personal insights from traveling nationally and internationally. Her book about returning to Blacksburg, Homecoming Journals, may be found online or in local bookstores.

Originally published in NRV Magazine

There isn’t another country in Europe quite like it. Italy is a land of dreamers who produce creative ideas that come alive. “You can have the universe, if I can have Italy,” the famous Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi once said. Why make that bargain? Because in Italy, you arguably already have the universe. The world’s best Chianti and Sangiovese from Tuscany, the most romantic settings in Venice, irreplaceable art with “David” in Florence, “The Last Supper” in Milan and Michelangelo’s famous frescos just outside Rome. And everyone knows the best pizza in the world is found in Naples. Even if you only have seven days, it’s enough time to sample the universe the Italians created

Days 1-2:
Fly into Rome early and take trains. You can hit all the highlights in the capital city in 48 hours if you move like a Roman – swift and confident. Explore the ruins of the Forum east of the gigantic Colosseum. With 80 arched entryways and room for 55,000 people, the Colosseum tour ticket costs $17 just so you can feel swallowed by its sheer magnitude. If you stay until evening, the massive Colosseum lights up, softening the structure where so many unwillingly sacrificed their lives. If you move on, grab some gelato and head to the Trevi Fountain where you need a few coins. Turn your back to the fountain, make a wish, and with your right hand throw a coin over your left shoulder. Two coins result in a new romance, three in marriage. But you should wish for a good night’s sleep because Day 2 is an all-day walking tour at Vatican City. Start at St. Peter’s Basilica – make sure you climb to see Michelangelo’s panoramic dome close up. Make your way to the Sistine Chapel, the residence of the Pope, and fulfill a lifelong dream by finding the “Creation of Adam”. Eat a quick, delicious pasta or pizza meal and head back. Five more jam-packed days await!

Days 3-5:
Florence and Pisa. Catch your train in the morning and be prepared to be amazed by afternoon. Florence is hands down one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. Explore this “City of the Renaissance” saving plenty of time to see the Uffizi Gallery which houses a few famous bodies of work including Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” and some da Vinci originals. But the real body you should be concerned with is David’s. Michelangelo’s perfect male specimen stands front and center under the dome at Accademia Gallery. Head to dinner and drinks and call it a night. Before you leave Florence, however, stop in the Duomo, the city’s great domed cathedral. Take a half day and hop on a quick train to Pisa. There is not much more to see there besides the leaning tower so you don’t need a whole day. Avoid the relentless souvenir vendors and go straight to audio tour and consider buying a ticket to the top (small children not allowed). The structure seems to always be under construction – it continues to sink at a rate of 1mm a year. It’s not likely to fall over while you’re climbing it. It’s been standing at an angle since the 12th century.

Days 6-7:
There is no better place to spend the home stretch than the romantic city of Venice. As soon as you get off the train, take a vaporetto (water bus) through the Grand Canal to the city center. Don’t worry about getting lost in the canals and tiny passages that connect the city’s sections – that is part of the fun. Make your way to St. Mark’s Basilica (with floor to ceiling mosaics inside) and St. Mark’s Square, a tourist crossroads inhabited by pigeons. Next to the Basilica is the popular Doge’s Palace. The hefty admissions price is worth it simply because taking a tour of the palace is the only way to walk on the famous Bridge of Sighs. The bridge is an enclosed white overpass that once connected the new prisons to the interrogation room in the Palace. You can skip the tour and see the bridge and get a good picture when you pass under it. Make sure to sample Venetian food in one of the romantic outdoor restaurants and remember, a foul smell sometimes wafts from the Venetian canals, especially after a hot day. However, no bad smell can spoil the romance of the Rialto Bridge. It is the oldest and most popular, dating back to the end of the 16th century. Several boutiques line the bridge which connects to the Rialto Market where you can shop for souvenirs. You can view the bridge by land, but I recommend you flag down a gondolier. As you float under this remarkable icon, seal your romantic Italian moment with a kiss.

Krisha Chachra is Vice Mayor of Blacksburg, a regular columnist and author who has traveled to over 50 countries in 6 continents and reported and hosted shows for public radio and television. Her columns are taken from her journals and personal insights from traveling nationally and internationally throughout her life. Her book about returning to Blacksburg, Homecoming Journals, may be found in local bookstores.

Originally published in NRV Magazine

Recently the world tuned in to see Brazil host the World Cup and got a glimpse of the lush rainforests, the mighty Amazon and the crowded, golden beaches. The largest South American country boasts a landscape as diverse as the look of its people. Tourists are attracted to the laid-back attitude the Brazilians seem to possess,and the idea of sipping sugar cane caipirinhas while lounging by the azure water. If you fall in that category, most likely you’ll end up in Rio de Janeiro.

As if this city needed to win more points for popularity, it will bring in even more onlookers when hosting the 2016 Olympics. It is easy to see why people love to come to Rio; the place is simply stunning. Gorgeous beaches kissed by lazy, clear waves invite visitors to hang out all day and try an impromptu massage by a professional who will help you relax right on the sand. Rio is filled with trendy restaurants, pumping nightlife, and silver skyscrapers that complement the forest-clad cliffs standing vigil over the city. Rio de Janeiro, or January’s River, is the second largest city in Brazil and is occupied by the country’s wealthiest and poorest citizens. This dichotomy plays itself out along the streets where posh cars owned by the rich are parked in front of groups of locals who make their living betting on “Futevolei” or beach volleyball. The players use impressive aerial kicks only legal in soccer to get the ball over the net. As awe-inspiring as the city is from block to block, the real way to see Rio is by air.

Growing up in the Northern Hemisphere, I always resigned to celebrating my January birthday indoors – usually crossing my fingers that it wouldn’t snow on the day of my party. So when I had the opportunity to cross the Equator and be on the beach for once on my big day, I didn’t hesitate. The two world famous beaches – Copacabana and Ipanema – basically converge at the Sofitel Hotel where I stayed. Every day I would walk the beaches, watching the confident locals – of all shapes and sizes – flaunt their bronze-based bodies without a care in the world if anyone was looking. I must have stood out as wearing too many clothes because a man approached me and asked if I had any interest in hang gliding. I’d never given it much thought, but I figured since it was my birthday and the first time I’d ever spent it on a beach, anything I tried would add to the newness of the day.

The man, who worked for an adventure company with a stand nearby, made me sign a waiver – right there on the beach – before hustling me in his car. Before I knew it, I was zooming up a mountain, switching back and forth on the curvy road as I silently second-guessed my decision to do this and felt a pang of instant regret. Much to my relief, we reached our destination only to be greeted by several other tourists who, like me, had all been suckered in by fast-talking salesmen on the beaches miles below. The man hitched me to his oversized kite, harnessed me on to his gear and told me we had to move fast before the wind changed. I asked him what I needed to do and he looked at me blankly, “RUN!” With that, we took off and sailed over the cliff.

Down below, Rio opened herself to us. We floated over Sugarloaf Mountain hanging out solo in the sea looking majestic and boasting one of the best places to see the sunset in the city. Later I would take a cable car up there and dance the night away to a Brazilian band that played in an open air pavilion by the restaurant at the top of the mountain which gets its name because it looks like a mound of refined sugar.
The wind took us over the water where my companion – on whom my life depended – pointed out the city of Neteroi across the Guanabara Bay from Rio. That’s where the locals go to shake it, he told me. I made a mental note and once on land, I took a bus over the bridge to witness street parties on full display with samba dancers who moved their bodies to music in ways I never knew possible.

Just as I thought we were venturing too far out to sea, the wind turned our glider back to the shore and that’s when I saw it for the first time: Christ the Redeemer – the famous statue that stands 100 feet above Mount Corcovado. As the chaos and liveliness of a vibrant city continued on below, I couldn’t help but focus on his calming, open arms that seemed to welcome me to the sky we shared. A sense of peace and belonging came over me – I knew I had made the right choice to hang glide that day. Turning a year older had never felt more freeing; not only was it summer on my January birthday, but I was literally flying high in Rio.

Originally published in NRV Magazine