by Editor | May 1, 2006 | Latin America, Nicaragua, Simon and Baker Travel Review
A country rich in unspoiled natural beauty and friendly people, Nicaragua is still often overlooked by foreign visitors wary of its turbulent past. In fact, Nicaragua has been a peaceful democracy for well over a decade, and has now made the development of tourism a national priority. The country, the largest in Central America (50,000 square miles, slightly smaller than the State of New York), boasts the greatest expanse of primary rainforest north of the Amazon basin and the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua. With its abundant wildlife and spectacular scenery, Nicaragua has been thriving to capitalize on these natural assets to emulate its Costa Rican neighbor and become an eco-tourism haven. To this end, 84 nature preserves have been created, protecting more that seventeen percent of the country’s landmass.
by Editor | May 1, 2006 | Latin America, Nicaragua, Simon and Baker Travel Review
The outstanding natural surroundings of the Morgan’s Rock Hacienda and Ecolodge, combined with the luxury of its accommodations and the friendly service provided by its ever attentive staff, should earn the resort high rankings by any standards. However, what made Morgan’s Rock unique was the success of its creators in translating their commitment to nature conservation, reforestation and community development into a retreat of exceptional architectural and esthetic quality.
by Editor | May 1, 2006 | Costa-Rica, Latin America, Simon and Baker Travel Review
The Lapa Rios Ecolodge has garnered so many awards and accolades in recent years that I approached it with high expectations; these were promptly exceeded! No words or trophies could have prepared me for the breathtaking reality of Lapa Rios. The site was spectacular. Perched high on the tip of Costa Rica’s remote Osa Peninsula, the resort discretely blended into a private nature preserve that spread over 1,000 pristine acres of one of the last remaining lowland tropical forests in Central America. The main lodge, built at the top of a 350-foot ridge, housed the reception area, restaurant and bar. From there, 16 private bungalows were strung through the lush tropical vegetation along a sloping 500-yard long path of steps and bridges that connect three ridges. Like the main lodge, all the bungalows were built exclusively of local materials, topped by high pitched roofs thickly thatched with Suiita palm and casually decorated with comfortable bamboo furniture. Each bungalow featured a private deck and patio, complete with outdoor shower, and a sumptuous view of the forest canopy rippling down to the gentle waters of the Golfo Dulce. Fifteen miles across the gulf, the rolling hills of the mainland fade in the distant haze.
by Editor | May 1, 2006 | Costa-Rica, Latin America, Simon and Baker Travel Review
This tiny nation, with its remarkably diverse topography and natural treasures, was a pleasure to visit. With a landmass of just under 20,000 square miles, approximately the size of the West Virginia, or Denmark, it stands out as a premier tourism destination in Latin America for travelers drawn by its intense biodiversity. After experiencing some of the highest rates of deforestation on the planet in the 1960’s and 1970’s, Costa Rica engineered radical measures in the past two decades to reverse this alarming trend. One quarter of its land has been set aside for national parks and nature preserves. The country can now boast to being host to a startling five percent of the world’s biodiversity, including more than 800 recorded species of birds, 200 species of mammals, and 900 kinds of trees. Costa Rica attracts over one million foreign ecologically-minded tourists per year.
by Editor | Feb 1, 2006 | Simon and Baker Travel Review
For Egyptian antiquities fans like us, who have not traveled to Egypt to see the pyramids and artifacts in person, “Tutankhamun & the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” provided a glimpse of Egypt’s fabled history and its famous treasures in an easy to follow, well organized and agreeable setting near our home. King Tut’s tomb, discovered in 1922, and the treasurers in it had drawn our attention for years. We have seen numerous Egyptian exhibits in various museums including the British Museum, Louvre, The Metropolitan Museum and most recently this dedicated exhibit and remained fascinated.
We arrived at 8:30 a.m. to find the parking lot filling, tickets sold out until 5 p.m. and a short line to enter. We walked outside the building from the entrance through a roped walkway up stairs and more walkways to the entrance.
