Jetsettersblog

New Mexico landowners and the Department of Game and Fish are working together to provide New Mexico hunters more opportunities to pursue game on private land across the state, including more than 102,000 acres available just in time for the Sept. 1 opening of dove season.

The 5-year-old program is funded by $4 Habitat Management and Access validations required with every hunting and fishing license. This year, 19 landowners have enrolled in the program to offer public dove hunting.

“This program is great for dove hunters because some of the best dove hunting is around water tanks and agricultural fields on private land,” said Aaron Roberts, coordinator of the Open Gate Program. “At the same time, it benefits the landowners by putting some money in their pockets and keeping the birds off their crops.”

Participating landowners are paid for allowing hunters or anglers access to their property or for allowing access across their property to landlocked public land.

Lease agreements are negotiated individually and can vary according to property descriptions, easements and hunting opportunities.

Statewide, landowners have enrolled more than 105,000 acres for dove, quail, turkey, waterfowl, javelina and deer hunting, and some angling.

A list of Open Gate properties, including maps and rules is available on the Department Web site, www.wildlife.state.nm.us  under “Events and opportunities.”

Information about the program also is available by calling Aaron Roberts at (505) 476-8043.

The Department is always looking for new acreage to enroll in the program.

Interested landowners can contact Roberts at (505) 476-8043 or

aaron.roberts@state.nm.us

Beginning in 2011, Solmar Hotels & Resorts will offer visitors to Los Cabos, Mexico a once-in-a-lifetime experience with the opening of their latest venture – Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa.

Slated to open in February 2011, Grand Solmar Land’s End will be a world-class resort set against one of the most stunning backgrounds in the world – the iconic ‘El Arco’ of Los Cabos.

Designed by renowned, Texas-based architectural firm HKS (Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Atlantis Paradise Island Hotel) the resort will feature old world architecture carefully detailed with modern style and grace to blend harmoniously with its remarkable natural setting.

To celebrate this exciting grand opening, Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort is offering a special package to travelers – from now through February 28, 2011, guests who book a stay at Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort for travel from February 1 to April 30, 2001 will receive a 50% discount on room rates and up to $400 USB resort credit. The following is required:

minimum 4-night stay

Resort credit only applies to those guests who reserve the All-Inclusive Meal Plan option

Resort credit is per suite, per say and is applied as follows – $300 USD applied towards to total cost of the All-Inclusive Meal Plan; $60 USD applied towards a beach side spa treatment; $40 USD applied toward mini-golf located on the Playa Grande Resort property

Stretching along the destination’s most exclusive stretch of coastline just mere steps away from “Land’s End” is the beautiful collection of Solmar Hotels & Resorts. Benefiting from a deep-rooted history of hotel development in Los Cabos, Solmar Hotels & Resorts is the vision of Don Luis Bulnes, who opened his first resort on Playa Solmar in 1970.

The launch of Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa marks the fifth resort within the collection owned and managed by this principal pioneer in Los Cabos tourism.

Solmar Hotels & Resorts website www.solmar.com

MAMMOTH CAVE, KY.-While all of the U.S. national parks offer something special, the end of summer and fall is the perfect time to visit some of the more unique options.

With children back in school, fall provides fewer folks.

At the end of summer head to the northwestern corner of Lake Superior to Isle Royale National Park.

With binoculars at the ready, watch migratory birds head south and listen for the cry of the loon and gray wolf.

Days can be spent enjoying the views from Isle Royale Lighthouse, on the lake trying to catch a big one on a fishing charter, or learning about the natural history of the park on ranger-led hikes.

Relax over dinner at the Greenstone Grill at the park’s premiere accommodations, Rock Harbor Lodge. Don’t wait too long, the lodge and park close in mid-September ahead of the area’s extreme winter weather.

Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park boasts the longest explored caves in the world, but above ground trails for hiking and horseback riding are lined with an array of reds and golds.

As oak and hickory leaves slowly fade from green to orange and yellow visitors can inhale the crisp autumn air.

Visitors can take a kayak or canoe down the Green and Nolin Rivers or search the trails for hidden waterfalls. After spending the day taking in the colors or exploring the history and natural wonders of the caves, guests can retire to one of Mammoth Cave Hotel’s quaint cottages or lodge rooms. Spend this fall in our nation’s true treasures, the national parks, and remember the beauty and enchantment our country offers.
www.foreverresorts.com

Derek Galon and Margaret Gajek are home and garden aficionados of a very unique breed.

They have decades of art photography, art history and research expertise between them, sharing a love of fine architecture and landscaped gardens. They’ve also devoted much of their lives to traveling the world in search of the most unusual and spectacular creations made by mankind.

In their latest book, Exotic Gardens of the Eastern Caribbean, – they turn their considerable talents on to some of most beautiful gardens in the world – they’ve uncovered some of the greatest botanical treasures people will ever experience in the Eastern Caribbean.

Open up the pages and they’ll let you experience the sumptuous eye-popping adventure tour of the most colorful and lush gardens in the eastern Caribbean.

You get to see up close and personal the exquisitely landscaped properties on a number of selected islands of the West Indies: from the big Barbados, lush Grenada, and St. Lucia, to the smaller and less visited St Vincent.

They take great pleasure in sharing what they’ve learned about the diversified life-styles exemplified by a range of home gardens: From small, humble backyard gardens in villages of the Caribbean, to heritage houses with extensive landscaped gardens, to fascinating botanic gardens, to multi-million-dollar mansions surrounded by sumptuous tropical gardens, and finally, to amazing, vast exotic gardens created by renowned landscape designers.

It’s a display of fascinating samples selected from the wealth of styles and plants abounding in the region.

Here are samples of 28 fascinating gardens they selected from the incredible spectrum of abounding in the region.

Montreal Gardens, St. Vincent Island

An easy 30 minute ride by taxi or a tour minibus from Kingston, capital of this island.

Right in the heart of St Vincent Island, at the end of a road in the foothills of the volcanic mountain range, lie the amazing Montreal Gardens.

The setting is absolutely magnificent, resembling a panoramic painting: the garden sits on a mountain crest, with sweeping vistas of the Atlantic coast and lush forested slopes as the backdrop.

The soothing sound of waterfalls visible in the distance, mixed with the rustling of leaves and the trills of bird song, are the only sounds you can hear.

This over 7-acre garden is under the care of its eminent designer, Timothy Vaughan, who came to this magical spot by chance while on vacation in 1992.

“It was one of the most poignant experiences of my life to see this place in the morning sun, with the mountains in a haze of mist”, he recalls his first impression. “The whole design for the garden just came to me in that one thrilling instant”.

With an illustrious career in England and France as a landscape architect specializing in restoring historic gardens for over thirty years, Timothy found designing Montreal gardens challenging but extremely rewarding.

“You can’t make a garden like this without loving it”, he stresses. This love must have been really powerful, for, combined with the magic of the surroundings, it has flowered in a manifestation of pure, unrestricted creativity, producing a true work of art.

The terracing slope, sparkling with color, is perhaps the most painterly part of the garden, where bright splashes of colorful plants are arranged as on canvas of an Impressionist painting. Like thick brush strokes of paint, bright foliage plants create a vibrant surface.

The final mixing of colors occurs in the eye of the viewer. Although the effect looks as though achieved spontaneously, it involves careful planning. Viewed from a distance, the whole picturesque effect is even more spectacular.

Welchman Hall Gully, Barbados

Located in the center of the island, easily accessible by taxi or with a tour. Only 5 minutes drive from Hunte’s Gardens.

Gullies in Barbados are preserved pockets of tropical forest, capsules of conserved time that escaped the sugar cane plantation boom and the vast agricultural changes it brought to this island.

Their intricate network extends over 150 km in length across Barbados.

One of the most beautiful and pristine is Welchman Hall Gully.

It was formed as a result of collapsing caves, and the intriguing limestone formations at the entrance bear witness to it.

Two hundred years ago it used to belong to a plantation owner who was a Welshman (hence the name), who started an orchard here.

Descendants of those original fruit trees are still there, planted against a background of lush tropical forest of over 150 native and naturalized plants, some of which are endemic to Barbados.

Today the future of the gully rests in the energetic hands of horticulturist, Debra Branker, who is leasing it from the Barbados National Trust. A highly qualified professional, she gave the place a new life by establishing a native plant restoration project, with the object of collecting, propagating and reintroducing native plants to the gully.

If you are lucky you may meet one of the gully’s Green Monkeys, who come to feed on their favourite food, bananas. Brought in by the first settlers from West Africa, these monkeys are a source of delight to the local school tours, frequently visiting the gully to experience hands-on local flora and fauna.

You are in the middle of a mysterious forest, where tall clumps of bamboo make clicking sounds as they swing in the wind, where trees wrap their roots around limestone boulders, and Bearded Fig trees look as if they were marching, extending their hairy branches and trunks down into the forest floor. The Portuguese sailors who came here centuries ago were so impressed by those unusual fig trees that their description – Los Barbados (the bearded ones) – stayed to become the name of the island.

There’s more to see and learn in Exotic Gardens of the Eastern Caribbean.

Exotic Gardens of the Eastern Caribbean

By Derek Galon and Margaret Gajek

List $37.95 US $44.50 CAN

Hardcover 288 pages

ISBN 978-0981327914

BAR HARBOR, Maine- Highway 1 follows the coast from Portland through adorable New England towns to Bar Harbor. The ocean flashes past the passenger windows and leaves in goldenrod, rust, and ruby are on the driver’s side. Est. distance 160 miles

Stop: Quaint farm markets offer local produce and flowers along the way- perfect for a quick lunch.

Stay: There are many beautiful B&Bs here, as well as private cottages, boutique hotels, and campsites.

Chiltern Inn is a romantic B&B located on an historic Victorian estate and includes sophisticated touches. Moseley Cottage Inn is a former summer home for a 19th century Boston Banker and now offers 9 cozy rooms.

Eat: Looking Glass Restaurant has extraordinary views of Acadia National Park and Frenchman’s Bay on a hilltop at the site of May Roberts Rinehart’s old estate. For something different than typical Maine seafood fare, try Havana, which boasts one of Maine’s best wine lists.

Play: See Acadia from sea or sky take a bi-plane/glider or kayak/sail boat tour for a different view. If visiting September 25/26 check out over 35 artists at Art in the Pak, or October 23 enjoy a Victorian Evening at the Seal Cove Auto Museum.

www.barharborinfo.com

Hôtel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square to offer the inimitable style and service Groupe Germain loyal guests covet with its new downtown Toronto location.

Toronto, ON: Hôtel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square – a new 167-room Boutique-hotel – brings Groupe Germain style to guests at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Square.

This is the company’s second hotel in the city and its fifth Le Germain Boutique-hotel across the country. Guestroom, meeting and event reservations for Fall 2010 and beyond are welcome now.

Steps from Air Canada Centre, a glimmering glass-and-metal facade fronts the 75 Bremner Boulevard address.

Architecturally eye-catching, the street view hints at the striking interiors created by LeMay Michaud Architecture Design in harmonious Le Germain style.

In the main lobby, natural ash wood combined with crystallized glass distinguishes the reception area.

Leather-clad columns and metallic tile flooring are lit by a dramatic window wall. Precision acoustic panels ensure an intimate atmosphere within a grand setting.

Warmth, comfort and sophistication result.

On storeys above, the grand corridors are anchored by an elliptical glass column transcending the property’s core. Hôtel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square guestrooms range in size from 400 to 1,500 square feet.

Each is defined by detail: inspiring ergonomic workspaces; complimentary Wi-Fi; windows that open; glass enclosed rainfall showers; luxurious Frette linens and goose-down bedding.

From an eco-engineering perspective, the building incorporates responsible energy features such as low-E windows to provide maximum light with minimum heat loss, dual-flush toilets in all guestrooms and domestic hot water heating from HVAC heat rejection.

For business and special occasions, contemporary meeting and event facilities include up to 4,600 square feet of venue space with high-quality finishes and flooded with natural light. Unique group offers will combine business and pleasure, taking advantage of the cutting-edge technology and the proximity to some of the world’s best events. With the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and the NBA’s Raptors as neighbours, Hôtel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square’s concierge will have exclusive, advance access to some of the hottest tickets in Toronto.

“We are excited about the opportunity to align with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment on several initiatives within this development,” says Groupe Germain Co-President Christiane Germain.

“Our companies share a history of nurturing and rewarding guest and fan loyalty alike. We look forward to combining our strengths to introduce this unique, discreet hotel experience amid the downtown excitement brought by Maple Leaf Square.”

“The doorstep access to spectacular sport and event facilities, major downtown attractions as well as Union Station, combined with a deep array of amenities within Maple Leaf Square, guarantees our guests not only convenience but rewarding moments and memories.”

“Expect authenticity,” says recently appointed General Manager Paul de La Durantaye who also oversees the original Toronto boutique-hotel, Hôtel Le Germain Toronto on Mercer Street.

“Our staff is genuine and intuitively understands our guests’ service needs. Recruitment is currently under way to attract the best combination of Groupe Germain expertise with new external talent to fill more than 90 positions available.”

Hôtel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square is offering introductory rates starting at $229 per night plus taxes including deluxe continental breakfast, based on single occupancy.

Advance reservations are now available online at www.germainmapleleafsquare.com  or by calling 416 649 7575 or toll-free 1 888 940 7575.

About Groupe Germain

A family-owned Quebec company, Groupe Germain owns and operates Le Germain Boutique-hotels – in Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto and Calgary – as well as two “no-frills-chic” ALT Hotels in Montreal’s Quartier DIX30 and Quebec City. Groupe Germain is renowned for the impeccable hospitality and style it brings to its Boutique-hotels.

www.groupegermain.com

Here’s the low-down on where to go for, say, -110° saunas, outdoor mountainside Scandinavian dips, spiritual connections to the land…

If it’s serenity you’re seeking, Canada has no shortage of spots where you can get your Zen on.

In recent years, health and wellness spas have made it even easier. With offerings as simple as guided meditation and as brag worthy as a -110° C (-166° F) cold sauna, there’s something here for anyone looking to improve her, or his, mental, physical or spiritual wellbeing.

While many offer the typical spa treatments you’ve come to know and love (massage, aesthetics, water therapy), even these treatments often come with made-in-Canada twists that capitalize on local environs.

Two recent happenings have made the spa seeker’s goals even easier to achieve: Leading Spas of Canada came out with a quality-assurance program that allows spas to earn the distinction; and the Canadian Tourism Commission launched an international guide to Canadian spas, highlighting some of the most unique options in the country.

While big cities like Toronto, ON, Montréal, QC, and Vancouver, BC, have the top-notch day and resort spa treatments, places further afield (Ontario’s cottage country) often offer the best chances at truly escaping the buzz of life.

For top-of-the-line, health-changing visits, start with a visit to KurSpa, Canada’s newest (and at 3,716-sq-m or 40,000-sq-ft, biggest) European-inspired spa, at Sparkling Hill Resort in Vernon, BC. Visits can team you with a physician, physiotherapist or registered massage therapist, who will work with you to design the most effective treatments for whatever’s ailing. Read more about Sparkling Hill.

At The Health Hills Ranch near 100 Mile House, BC, anti-aging and medi-spa offerings include programs to help you stop smoking and recover from an operation or accident.

Or become a horse whisperer with an experience aimed at teaching you stress relief through working with horses. Read more about Health Hills.

At Elemental Embrace, an Ayurvedic spa in Brighton, ON, eco-friendly takes on a whole new meaning with leech therapy treatment.

That’s right, live leeches help cleanse your bloodstream.

And at Tami’s in Montréal, QC, you can dip your tootsies in a bowl of fish for a pedicure like no other.

The use of water in health and wellness spas is also gaining in popularity.

At the EURO-SPA in St-Ignace-de-Stanbridge, QC, “sanitas per aqua” (health through water) is a theme that takes you through a variety of baths and saunas.

In Whistler, BC, you’ll find Scandinave Spa, where outdoor hot baths, cold plunges and Nordic and thermal waterfalls offer health benefits, plus killer views. Scandinave Spa also operates in Montréal and Mont-Tremblant, QC, plus Blue Mountain, ON. Read more about Le Scandinave.

If you’re really trying to get away, Canada’s vast outdoors combine with luxurious spa offerings for the perfect pampering package.

Where mountains, lakes and oceans meet in British Columbia, retreats are plentiful. Favourites include remote, fly-in King Pacific Lodge (an award-winning luxe resort in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest that is accessible by floatplane and offers the possibility of finding a bear or two between treatments) and Wickaninnish Inn near Tofino, where storm watching is revered and Ancient Cedars Spa treatments provide a spiritual connection to the land.

Further north, the Yukon lets you to enjoy the great outdoors with your treatments.

And the Prairies have options as well.

At Calgary, AB’s Santé Spa—Canada’s first medical spa—medical consultations and aesthetics combine for transformative visits.

Your hardest part? Deciding where in the country you want to start your rejuvenation.

video:
Ancient Cedars Spa at Wickaninnish Inn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGXH6NKsnVM

Ste. Anne’s Spa: Canada’s Best Spa in Grafton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2yntV9iujg

Rest & Relaxation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfHHn60E5_M

Temple Garden Mineral Spa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQzIELxHwsg

Capture the beauty of New York City by walking the Brooklyn Bridge

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY,  — www.WalkingToursManhattan.com has added the Brooklyn Bridge Walking Tour, one of the 7 wonders of New York City, and it’s proven to be very popular choice for New York food walking tours.

This tour is different from the others; they made the start time at 5pm. It’s not too hot at that hour, and you’ll get to capture the beauty of the setting sun over the magnificent Manhattan skyline.

And to make this famous sightseeing experience even better, they added great food from Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, a thin-crust beauty from a coal-fired brick oven.

Plus, gourmet ice cream for dessert from the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. The is called the Brooklyn Bridge Sunset Food Tour.

The tour begins in Lower Manhattan as we pass historic City Hall and the Mayor’s Office in City Hall Park.

The walk across the Brooklyn Bridge takes only 25 minutes, but you’ll stop midway overlooking the East River, taking in the Statue of Liberty, Governor’s Island, and the Manhattan Bridge.

With boats cruising in the East River below, you’ll hear about the bridge’s illustrious beginnings over 127 years ago, and the history of the Roebling family, the bridge’s engineers.

As you approach Brooklyn you’ll see the beautiful newly opened Brooklyn Bridge Park, right on the waterfront, and the spot where you’ll be enjoying gourmet pizza.

Close-by is the Fulton Ferry Landing, and notice the railing around the pier, words stamped into the metal offer an excerpt from a Walt Whitman poem, “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.”

See historic buildings that were built for manufacturing and storage in the late 1800′s that today are used for residential living and were purchased as condos.

After dinner stroll back to Manhattan with the lovely views of the skyline leading you back to the meeting place. If time is a concern for you, other faster options for returning to Manhattan are the ferry, a taxi, or a nearby train.

See the real New York with local foods and sightseeing all-in-1 NYC walking tours.

Brooklyn Bridge Sunset Food Tour is 2 hours, costs $33.00 and food is included in the tour price.

Tours are available; Tuesday 5PM Thursday 5PM Sunday 5PM

Surfersvillage have released the ‘First in Surfing News’ iPhone app.

It is aimed at surfers, the surf-industry, and lifestyle enthusiasts. The app launch coincides with one of the most exciting years ever in professional surfing. It may also be downloaded to the iPad.

Available to download for free on the Apple App Store, the tool helps surfers, surf-Industry personnel, surf-media, and lifestyle entusiasts keep up to date with the latest news in surfing from around the world.

The Surfersvillage iPhone App is the first and only app dedicated to Surfing News.

Regional Surforecasts links are located at the bottom of every news article.

Live event webcasts may be viewed by following ‘live webcast’ links in event reports.

The Surfersvillage First in Surfing News iPhone app launch version features:

FREE download to users

Content includes:

- International Surfing News
- Surf-Industry News
- Worldwide ASP News
- Regional Surfing News from;
- Africa
- Australia
- Brazil
- Europe
- Hawaii
- USA

Free download

For generations, much of the US’s traveling public has been forced to use cars, buses or airplanes to travel — even to nearby cities. But this year,

Washington opened the door to what may be a historic turning point in regional travel, suggests CNN

“The Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded US$8 billion among 31 states to begin developing America’s first nationwide high-speed intercity passenger rail service,” the site says.

What might that accomplish? Convenience for frazzled rush hour drivers but there are other benefits as well, say supporters, which include:

—Cut back the US’s dependence on foreign oil.

—Reduce climate-changing pollution.

—Trigger economic development all across the US.

—Travelers will have more choices as they move around the country.

“Soon, Americans might find themselves rocketing along ribbons of rails at 200 mph in sleek, painted passenger cars — never stopping until they arrive at destinations awake and refreshed,” says CNN.

“High-speed rail in America is long overdue and President Obama understands we can’t build the economy of the future on the transportation networks of the past,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo.

The US has long lagged Europe and other areas of the world in train mass transit. But funded by the federal government’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, new dollars represent a historic investment in the country’s transportation infrastructure.

It will help create jobs and transform travel in America, according to a US Department of Transportation official.

Despite these promises from the government, high-speed rail comes with its share of opponents, who say it is too expensive and won’t save energy. Some even question if it will ever be built.

A report from the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) also highlights potential issues with high-speed rail plans in the United States.

“Passenger rail service, especially services at higher and high speeds, will require new safety rules, constant public capital investment and operating subsidies, and balance with freight rail service and the rest of the national transportation system — and currently only some of these elements are in place,” according to a GAO report.

The United States Conference of Mayors, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and America 2050 — a coalition of regional planners, scholars and policy-makers — back high-speed rail plans. The U.S. High Speed Rail Association is also among the supporters.

“Experts in the oil industry have been saying for a number of years now that there is not enough oil left in the ground to continue our current level of consumption, not to mention no way to meet growing demand, and we can expect half as much oil available to us in the next 20 years,” said Andy Kunz, president and CEO of the rail association.

“If we are to continue economic development and prosperity, we will need to greatly reduce our daily oil consumption, and high-speed rail is the only possible solution that can scale up to meet the growing demand of American mobility while greatly reducing our oil consumption,” said Kunz.