Bangladesh Itineraries; Wellness in Mexico

Most cruises base their appeal on traveling overnight to offer more daytime in port. But Celebrity Cruises is flipping the script on a series of new Caribbean sailings that will include overnight port stays. The company previously announced two such itineraries and is expanding them to a total of 43 sailings in 2016 and 2017.

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The Celebrity Reflection.

Every Caribbean cruise 10 nights or longer will offer an overnight in port. A special series of optional nighttime excursions, called Evenings Around the World (from $45), include nocturnal carriage rides in Cartagena, Colombia; a tasting at a winery in Willemstad, Curaçao; and a sunset small-boat cruise with live music in Aruba. Using the ship as a hotel, passengers can freely use the extended hours to independently explore night life in the ports. Fares for cruises that include the overnights start at $898 per person.

Just in time for fall color season, the new Field Guide hotel in Stowe, Vt., will open Thursday, positioning itself as a base for exploring the surrounding Green Mountains. The 30-room rustic-chic hotel, which occupies the site of the former Ye Olde England Inn, features wood-plank walls in the bathrooms, wallpaper with bird prints, mounted cardboard animal heads and chairs upholstered in plaids. Three of the units are cottages with their own kitchens. Communal spaces include fireplaces in the lounge and on the outdoor patio. A restaurant will open later in winter. Rooms from $139, including breakfast.

Bangladesh by boat

Silversea, the luxury small-ship cruise line, says it will be the first ever to call at Bangladesh. In 2017, the 120-passenger Silver Discoverer will visit three Bangladeshi ports over four days during a 16-day sailing from Sri Lanka to India. In Chittagong, excursions will explore the lake country around the city, including a visit to the Rampahar-Sitapahar Wildlife Sanctuary and a cruise on Kaptai Lake. Elsewhere in the country, the ship will stop at Maheshkhali Island, using Zodiacs to reach small, untouristed communities on the rural island. It will also visit the Sundarbans, coastal wildlife reserves that protect one of the world’s largest mangrove forests and are a Unesco World Heritage Site. The trip departs Feb. 11, 2017, and fares start at $11,750 per person.

Wellness suites in mexico

If the sun, sand and margaritas aren’t relaxing enough, guests of the Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit in Mexico can check into one of 12 new wellness suites set to open at the Pacific coast resort late this month. The two-story, 1,750-square-foot suites come stocked with fitness equipment including a stationary bicycle and dumbbells, aromatherapy kits and soaps made from local plants. At check-in, guests will receive a massage on the terrace overlooking the ocean. A crudité-filled minibar will be maintained within the suite, and the shower head emits water charged with vitamin C said to regenerate skin. All-inclusive rates start at $333 per person in standard rooms and $512 in the specialty suites.

The hotel group also plans to add two similar spa suites at its sibling adults-only all-inclusive Casa Velas in nearby Puerto Vallarta by the end of November.

Halloween comes to grand hotel in Mackinac

The icon of Mackinac Island in Michigan, the seasonal Grand Hotel. has always closed before Halloween. This year for the first time in 129 years, the 1887-vintage hotel will celebrate a ghoulish conclusion to its season with a special “Halloween at the Grand” weekend, Oct. 30 to Nov. 1.

The hotel will create a Haunted Trail for explorers, hold a pumpkin-carving contest, serve breakfast with a Bloody Mary bar and station psychic mediums in a tearoom for guest readings. The centerpiece Saturday night Halloween party includes a costume contest, live music and free beer and wine. Rates start at $949 per couple for the weekend, including most meals.

Guests can extend their stay another evening, but no later; the hotel will close for the year on Nov. 2 with the ceremonial bell ringing that marks the season’s end.

-NY Times


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