World Tourism Blog

Lebanon: Tiny country offers layers of history and remnants of many civilizations

Lebanon has been conquered and colonized many times over in the last three millennia. Among the famous invaders: Alexander the Great, Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and the Muslim warrior Saladin.

Others include Persians, Romans, Egyptians, Christian Crusaders, Ottoman Turks, the French and English in World War I and, more recently, Israelis. Lebanon’s rival Christians and Muslims also upset the peace, most notably in the 1975-90 civil war.

Many invaders left monuments and other remnants of their civilizations that can be visited in day trips from Lebanon’s urbane capital, Beirut. You can go east to the Roman ruins at Baalbek, north to the Crusader-era Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles that looms over the city of Tripoli, south to the much fought-over Beaufort fortress, or northeast to the towering Cedars of Lebanon, and be back in Beirut in time for dinner. Lebanon is a tiny country — 135 miles long and about 50 miles wide — and all of these sites are within 60 miles of Beirut.

The National Museum in Beirut is a good place to get a picture of the parade of conquerors who’ve marched in and out. Artifacts run from prehistoric stone tools to statuary, coins, jewelry and mosaics from the bronze and iron ages, the Greek and Roman eras, and Byzantine and Arab rule.

Jabail-Byblos, 22 miles north of Beirut on the Mediterranean coast, offers an example of how archaeological sites in Lebanon often contain layers of history as one conqueror supplanted another. Here you will find a variety of ruins from the Persian, Phoenician, Greek, Roman and Crusader eras. The sarcophagus of a king, Ahiram, who died around 1000 B.C., has an inscription in Phoenician linear script, the father of alphabets. But there are also Byzantine-era mosaics from 2,000 years later.

Another example is Beaufort Castle, 47 miles southeast of Beirut, which sits atop a cliff about 2,000 feet above sea level in southern Lebanon, commanding a view into both Israel and Syria. The Crusader king Fulk seized the fortification in 1139, Saladin took it back for the Muslims in 1189, and the Israeli army captured it from Palestinian guerrillas in 1982.

By G.G. LaBELLE

A massive complex of Roman ruins at Baalbek, near the Syrian border, is just 55 miles east of Beirut, but getting there takes about two hours on a zigzag road over a mountain range and across the Bekaa Valley.

Megacities of the World: a Glimpse of How We’ll Live Tomorrow

On a teeming street in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum, amid a colorful swirl of sweet lime carts and red-clay pottery, Pastor Bala Singh brings an assortment of buckets to retrieve his daily ration of water. The indoor spigot he uses provides water only three hours a day. It is the only source for the six small homes on his street, and each family has 30 minutes to fill its containers.

Pastor Singh is not complaining, though. Things are greatly improved from when he first immigrated to Dharavi — the most crowded part of one the world’s most crowded cities. “The roads were muddy,” he says from his second-floor office, above the popping sizzle of a man welding, sans protective gear, downstairs. “Now they put down bricks.” Singh ministers to a small congregation that meets above the church-sponsored kindergarten where his wife has taught for 17 years. Though relatives have begged him to come home to Tamil Nadu, 700 miles east, he has no plans to leave.

“Three times I tried to go back to my native place,” the pastor says, explaining that there were no jobs there. “I don’t want to live here … but God’s plan is different.”

Singh’s migration to the city, a combination of divine impulsion and the simple need to work, is part of what could be called an epic trend affecting billions of people worldwide. Sometime in 2007, for the first time in human history, more people began to live within the cacophonous swirl of cities than in rural hamlets or on countryside farms.

It’s a fundamental shift that may be altering the very fabric of human life, from the intimate, intricate structures of individual families to the massive, far-flung infrastructures of human civilizations. In 1950, fewer than 30 percent of the world’s 2.5 billion inhabitants lived in urban regions. By 2050, almost 70 percent of the world’s estimated 10 billion inhabitants — or more than the number of people living today — will be part of massive urban networks, according to the Population Division of the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

These staggering statistical trends are driving the evolution of the “megacity,” defined as an urban agglomeration of more than 10 million people. Sixty years ago there were only two: New York/Newark and Tokyo. Today there are 22 such megacities — the majority in the developing countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America — and by 2025 there will probably be 30 or more.

Consider just India. Though the country is still largely one of villagers — about 70 percent of India’s 1.2 billion inhabitants live in rural areas — immigration and internal migrations have transformed it into a country with 25 of the 100 fastest-growing cities worldwide. Two of them, Mumbai (Bombay) and Delhi, already rank among the top five most populous urban areas.

In the “developed” countries of the West, this trend had been building since the Industrial Revolution, which sparked, relatively quickly, the exponential growth of cities seen today. The quest for “efficiency” and the corresponding divisions of labor generated technological innovations that obliterated the need for farm laborers and local artisans. This drove populations from the country to the city over time and transformed the plow and the hoe into mere tools for backyard gardeners.

Today, on average, 3 out of 4 people living in modern industrialized states are already building their lives within an urban area — a ratio that will jump to more than 5 in 6 by 2050. By contrast, today in the least-developed regions of the world, more than 2 out of 3 people still eke out a living in a rural area. For these people, even the slumdog existence in places like Dharavi can offer more opportunities than their villages ever could. And within these developing regions, according to UN-HABITAT, cities are gaining an average of 5 million new residents — per month.

“Most of these [urban immigrants] couldn’t earn cash in their rural situations,” says Chuck Redman, director of the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University in Tempe. “There’s not as much of a cash economy there, but they still want cash to buy radios and mobile phones or TVs — or even send their kids to school, which costs money in many of these countries.”

Call it the lag of modernity: The changes wrought by industrialization began slowly 200 years ago, accelerated through the 20th century in the West, and now are spreading exponentially around the globe. Many observers see great promise in this urbanizing trend: The efficiencies of cities can cut energy consumption up to 20 percent, transportation costs for goods and labor can drop significantly, and entertainment industries can thrive when millions live together. In other words, cities are giant cash machines, the primary locus of economic growth.

“Some companies look at this as a huge opportunity,” says Fariborz Ghadar, director of Penn State’s Center for Global Business Studies and the author of a book on megacities. “We’re going to build roads, we’re going to build buildings, and [tech companies] love this because you can put the Internet in concentrated cities much more efficiently.”

Yet, as megacities evolve in the developing world, many groan under the weight of a sudden, massive, and unprecedented demand for services never seen in the West. The basic necessities of clean water, of sanitation systems to remove megatons of garbage and human waste, of transportation systems to shuttle millions of workers, not to mention the need for electrical networks, health-care facilities, and policing and security, are, simply put, creating one of the greatest logistical challenges ever seen in human history. And this is even before factoring in the challenges of climate change, terrorism, and the preservation of human dignity.

By HARRY BRUINIUS

By 2050, 7 out of 10 people will live in megacities, offering the benefits of concentrated living but also some of the biggest public-works challenges in human history.

The walls and floors will come alive on Disney’s latest cruise ship.

Over 20 pieces of moving artwork will line the decks of the Dream, which launches early next year, while two interactive floors will keep kids on their feet in the ship’s youth areas.

The new interactive experiences were unveiled during a recent press demonstration at the headquarters of Walt Disney Imagineering, the company’s creative design team.

The 22 pieces of “enchanted art” will be showcased on LCD screens encased in glass and surrounded by a frame housing speakers and a camera that can detect when a cruiser is in front of it. For example, if a passenger is looking at a photo of Walt Disney on the beach in Rio de Janeiro, the characters from “The Three Caballeros” may zip through the landscape.

“This is a great opportunity to do something special,” said principle concept designer Greg Butkus. “We’re really empowering our guests of all ages to interact with the art on every deck of the ship in way that hasn’t quite been done before on this scale. … We can truly say no two pieces of art will be the same.”

The art, which also features images from classic Disney films, can also be transformed into Nintendo Wii-like motion-detecting mini-games as part of a shipboard scavenger hunt. Barcode technology is used in the game that will employ cruisers to search the decks for a Disney villain who nabbed either pieces of artwork or puppies from “101 Dalmatians.”

In the ship’s youth areas, children will be encouraged to step, jump and pound on two interactive floors featuring games with characters from such Disney films as “Bolt,” “Tron” and “Princess and the Frog.” Glowing pads around the floor’s perimeter are used to detect weight and control what happens on 16 screens planted within the interactive floor surface.

The designers also flaunted a revamped version of Animator’s Palate, a restaurant aboard Disney’s two other ships. The new 700-seat eatery will be themed to an animation studio that comes alive during dinner with “Finding Nemo” characters on several LCD screens surrounding the restaurant, similar to the “Turtle Talk with Crush” theme park attraction. Commercial Loan Workout.

The family vacation has changed from the days when kids in the back of the station wagon pestered their parents in front with the unending refrain, “Are we there yet?”

Experts say these days the family getaway often encompasses three generations, and when it comes to calling the shots, it’s the kids in the driver’s seat and the grandparents with the bankroll.

“We are seeing more multigenerational travel — the parents, their children and their parents,” said Mike Weingart of Travel Leaders, a Texas-based travel agency.

“When planning a traditional family vacation, the decision maker or requestor is the child,” Weingart added, “and grandparents pick up the tab.”

Multi-generational means multi-tasking, according to Marcia Hurley of San Francisco-based Rascals in Paradise, which specializes in customized family travel.

“Consumers are looking for their kids’ enrichment as well as their own relaxation,” she said. “So a family in Costa Rica will combine beach time with a visit to the local plant-and-bug expert, or they’ll commune with marine turtles while in Akumal Bay, Mexico.”

Peter Yesawich, CEO of Ypartnership, a travel marketing company, has been studying family travel for over 20 years. He says multi-generational travel is the fastest growing segment of the industry.

“The incidence of travel with children is now higher than the incidence of households with children,” Yesawich said. “No other segment has reflected that growth.”

Yesawich says that’s because an aging population has resulted in more grandparents, just as parents’ work habits have become more frenetic.

“In 60 percent of households both parents are working. They have compelling parental guilt,” he said. “Yearning to spend more time with the family becomes more pronounced.”

He agrees that children hold the reins. “They’re empowered to drive a lot of decision making. We estimate that kids play a very instrumental role in one out of every two family vacations.”

So it comes as no surprise that the industry is scrambling to entice youngsters with all manner of childish things. Norwegian Cruise Line is spending more than $20 million to enhance its island in the Bahamas with more family-friendly activities, according to CEO Kevin Sheehan.

And it has partnered with Nickelodeon so little cruisers can rub shoulders with their favorite cartoon characters, like Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants.

“The characters will be on the ships,” he said.

Sheehan added that the industry is exquisitely attuned to kid power.

“I heard recently of a father who had booked a cruise to Alaska, but the kids didn’t want the cold weather, so he’s booking a trip to the Caribbean instead.”

Once known for its singles scene, these days Club Med is all about family.

“Before 2000 few resorts catered to families. Now families are the majority of our clientele,” said spokesperson Kate Moeller.

Amenities include baby gyms for infants, circus and cooking schools for older kids, and for those hard-to-please teens, their own lounge.

“We’ve built themed hangouts in the middle of our resorts,” Moeller said, “Staff supervised, but no parents allowed. We’ve noticed that if the teen isn’t happy the parents can become pretty miserable.”

Hurley says the options for kids are endless.

“Behind-the-scenes zoo visits, a gladiator school in Rome, making pizza from scratch, so many choices,” she explained. “I haven’t found one in Spain that teaches them to tilt at windmills but I’m looking.” Commercial Loan Workout.

A congressional subcommittee has approved a 1,000-room Army hotel at Fort Lee in Petersburg, Va., according to a coalition of businesses opposed to the military lodging center.

The House Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee gave the green light to the seven-story, on-base hotel earlier this month, Linas Kojelis of the Hospitality Coalition said Friday. He said the subcommittee’s Senate counterpart will now take up the matter. He said he expects a tough battle but a “fair hearing.”

The coalition of hotel developers and small business owners considers the military hotel a swipe at private investors who have poured money into the Petersburg area expecting a bonanza from Fort Lee’s vast, $1.4 billion expansion.

The lodging industry has invested $125 million alone in more than 1,000 new rooms, Kojelis said.

Despite the setback, he said, “The membership is holding firm.” The coalition claims 180 businesses.

The $120 million hotel would be the largest built by the Army’s Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command. It serves as a sort of Marriot for the military, providing lodging and vacation destinations around the globe for service members and their families.

The Army and others involved in the expansion contend they never specifically encouraged hoteliers to build so many rooms. Local and military projections have played down the economic impact of building the lodging center, which was scaled back from an earlier 1,700-room proposal. They contend the expansion will greatly benefit the local economy.

When the Fort Lee expansion is completed in 2011, the base 25 miles south of Richmond will house once-scattered elements of the military — from Texas to Maryland — on nearly 6,000 acres. The post’s daily population, including families, is expected to double to 40,000.

The House subcommittee delivered its verdict in a two paragraph letter to an undersecretary of defense. A committee staffer did not immediately return a telephone message left by The Associated Press.

Kojelis complained that the Army has stubbornly refused the coalition’s invitation to discuss the impact of the hotel with the business people who will be harmed the most. He said the coalition will continue to press for official projections on the need for hotel rooms once the expansion is completed.

Fort Lee’s public affairs office also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Commercial Loan Workout.

The Caribbean is eternally appealing, but now even more so with new nonstop flights, plum hotels springing up on emerging islands, and unheard-of bargains at pricey hideouts. From well-trodden sands to blissfully obscure isles, here are the top Caribbean islands to check out this year.

Anguilla

Exclusive Anguilla, with its powdery white-sand beaches, gourmet restaurants, and refined resorts and villas, has long been the quiet Caribbean island alternative to St. Barts.

The last 12 months have brought the debut of the slick Viceroy Anguilla (the brand’s first Caribbean outpost); a major makeover of stylish Cap Juluca; and the expansion of the spa at CuisinArt Resort & Spa. At the same time, the global recession has crimped the return of visitors to Anguilla’s shores.

The result? Off-season rates plummeted by more than 50 percent at some hotels, a trend expected to continue this year. For those who have their hearts set on high season (lasting until April), hotels are adding loads of perks (champagne at Viceroy, upgrades at Cap Juluca) in lieu of lowering rates.

Value: It’s all about location at Ku, an all-suite boutique hotel with a happening bar scene on Shoal Bay, one of Anguilla’s best beaches. While the 27 shabby-chic rooms could use an upgrade, they’re quite spacious, especially the top-floor quarters with pitched West Indian roofs. Request a room away from the bar to sleep in peace.

Splurge: Along Rendezvous Bay, the 93-room all-white CuisinArt Resort and Spa, owned by the kitchen-gadget company of the same name, evokes a tropical Santorini. Highlights include the spa, two Mediterranean restaurants serving homegrown fare, and a delightful beach bar with frosty cucumber-and-sage martinis.

Antigua

Versatile Antigua has a bit of everything: historic forts, picturesque harbors, 365 beaches, and several sumptuous hotels. Nearby lie the Caribbean islands of Montserrat and Barbuda, ideal for day trips.

Jumby Bay, on a 300-acre island 2 miles off the coast, happens to be one of the Caribbean’s most reachable private-island resorts. The storied retreat is fresh off a revamp that yielded a new open-air spa, an oceanfront infinity pool, 40 redesigned guest rooms, and two fresh restaurants. Continental and American Airlines fly nonstop to Antigua from several East Coast cities, and a private catamaran deposits guests right at the resort’s dock.

Value: Notable newcomer hotel Sugar Ridge opened in late 2009 on a hillside overlooking Nevis and St. Kitts. Its 60 well-appointed rooms are furnished with seaview balconies and most have canopy beds.

Splurge: Colonial-style rooms at Jumby Bay feature four-poster beds, wraparound terraces, private courtyards, and outdoor showers. Its new spa offers five private treatment rooms and dreamy massages in a hammock.

British Virgin Islands

The pristine BVI has long attracted yachties and royalty to its turquoise waters, thanks to posh resorts like Rosewood Little Dix Bay, Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island, and Peter Island. This February, Branson is rolling out Necker Belle, a 105-foot, four-cabin catamaran available for charter. A three-person submersible is provided for an extra fee.

Nearby, the private island resort Scrub Island is slated to open on April 2 after several delays. On Tortola, two notable villas recently became available for rental, which bring the pricey region into reach: U.S. politico Lester Hyman’s art-bedecked, three-bedroom private estate, Arundel Villa, and the elegant three-bedroom Frenchman’s Paradise.

Value: The Frenchman’s Paradise villa sleeps up to six people and features a gorgeous chef’s kitchen, an open-air living room, and a pool with sweeping views. Visitors can add amenities, such as private spa services, a la carte.

Splurge: The 100-room Rosewood Little Dix Bay opened in the 1960s on Virgin Gorda and its perfect strip of beach has hardly changed since. Look forward to spacious rooms (spring for the newer Rosewood Junior Suites), a cliffside spa, and three excellent restaurants.

Curacao

True, Curacao has historically trailed its sister Caribbean islands of Aruba and Bonaire when it comes to attracting vacationers, largely because oil refining and financial services, rather than tourism, dominate its prosperous economy.

Yet clearly some repositioning is afoot: Four new resorts have opened here in the past year alone, including Renaissance and Hyatt Regency hotels; Lodge Kura Hulanda & Beach Club unveiled a tree house “mansion”; and the Avila Hotel introduced 68 more rooms.

In November, American Airlines added a second daily flight to Curacao from Miami. Before the secret gets out, go and explore its capital of Willemstad, where dozens of brightly colored Dutch colonial buildings comprise a UNESCO-protected district.

Value: Newer hotels may have arrived, but Hotel Kura Hulanda Spa & Casino (not to be confused with its sister Beach Club property), whose 80 unique rooms are housed in historic Dutch colonial buildings, still offers the island’s — if not the Caribbean’s — most memorable overnight.

Splurge: The 350-room Hyatt Regency Curacao Golf Resort, Spa and Marina, opening April 20 on a sand-trimmed natural preserve, will constitute the island’s first full-scale beach resort. Expect an 18-hole Pete Dye-designed golf course, three pools, and a full spa.

Dominican Republic

In the last decade the Dominican Republic has probably built more resorts on its shores than any other Caribbean island, but not all of them are the mass-market, all-inclusive type that catapulted the island to sun-and-fun fame in recent years.

A recent trove of small hotels is putting that reputation to rest, which is good news for U.S. beachgoers seeking a classy island escape close to home. The biggest rainmaker these days is the intimate Peninsula House that debuted two years ago on the Samana Peninsula, a less-developed area known for its exquisite beaches and small fishing villages.

This season its new neighbor is the Balcones del Atlantico, an all-suites RockResort property opening this February with a thatched-roof beach club perched over the sea. Further east, trailblazer Puntacana Resort & Club isn’t idly standing by: This year it debuts two golf courses, including a Tom Fazio creation with six oceanfront holes.

Value: The island’s only Small Luxury Hotels of the World member, the 50-suite Casa Colonial Beach & Spa Resort near Puerto Plata, still impresses some six years after its launch. Book 15 days in advance to save as much as 40 percent.

Splurge: The family-owned, art-filled Peninsula House, set in a Victorian mansion high above the beach, offers just six junior suites and warm, impeccable service.

Grenada

This southern Caribbean island last made U.S. headlines in 1983 when Ronald Reagan ordered an invasion to quell a Marxist coup. Since then, mostly Brits have trod its 50-odd beaches, making it a great choice for American sunseekers who would rather not run into their neighbors on the sand.

A nascent resort-spa crop is one reason to visit now; three luxe options have debuted here over the past two years. Other attractions include Grenada’s capital, St. George’s, which cascades down around a handsome port known as the Carenage, and the island’s bustling markets, where one can purchase some of the dozen-plus domestically produced spices.

The island is also home to the Caribbean’s oldest waterwheel-powered distillery, River Antoine Rum Distillery, whose namesake Rivers Rum is a doozy 152-proof libation too flammable to bring home by plane.

Value: Above-average gratis perks, like spa treatments, one-tank dives, and even archery and fencing lessons, come standard at adults-only LaSource, a 100-room resort on Pink Gin Beach.

Splurge: Boho-chic LaLuna has 16 large one- and two-bedroom cottages, each outfitted with a plunge pool. Guests can meander between beachfront yoga classes, an open-air lounge for watching sunsets, and a fab new Balinese spa. Its superb Italian restaurant is also a draw.

Jamaica

Those who’ve steered clear of Jamaica because of its spring break vibe should reconsider. Last fall, JetBlue, Delta, US Airways, and AirTran launched nonstop flights from various U.S. cities (including New York, Phoenix, Atlanta, Orlando, and Baltimore), making this Caribbean island more accessible than ever. Book a cheap fare, ignore the captain’s exhorter to “race to the beach!” and deplane to one of the island’s distinctive boutique hotels.

Island Outpost’s legendary Goldeneye, Ian Fleming’s onetime private estate, will reopen later this year with 11 new cottages and a beachfront restaurant. Several cool cliffside resorts in Negril provide a laid-back alternative to the Montego Bay fray further up the coast.

And the oft-maligned city of Kingston is experiencing a makeover, centering on the aptly named New Kingston neighborhood northwest of the downtown. Here the capital’s first new hotel in 40 years, the smart 107-room Spanish Court Hotel, opened in June with a hip rooftop bar.

Value: Offering one of the best lodging deals in the Caribbean, Negril’s

Rockhouse presents 34 thatch-roofed units and a new spa in a terrific cliffside setting.

Splurge: Check out Kingston’s new scene from the plush vantage of Strawberry Hill, a 12-cottage compound run by Island Outpost on a former coffee plantation in the Blue Mountains beyond the capital.

St. Lucia

If recent happenings are any indicator, St. Lucia is poised to become the region’s new culinary darling. Last year the hacienda-like Cap Maison welcomed award-winning chef Craig Jones, whose résumé includes stints at several British Relais & Choteaux hotels and St. Lucia’s Royal Rex. Jalousie Plantation, which will be rebranded Tides Sugar Beach by the year’s end, just tapped the chef at Tides Riviera Maya to helm its formal restaurant.

Both The Landings and Jade Mountain recently added innovative agritours that allow guests to work on local farms and join fishing trips. In March, the British chocolatier Hotel Chocolat will open an eponymous six-room hotel on its 265-year-old working cocoa plantation. Thanks to a slew of nonstop flights from the U.S., weekending gourmands can sample this Caribbean island’s burgeoning table by lunchtime.

Value: At the Cocoa Palm 83 casual West Indian-style rooms lie within walking distance of Reduit Beach and offer one of Rodney Bay’s top lodging values. The best (and most expensive) “swim-up” suites have French doors that open right onto a pool.

Splurge: A decadent six-night Peak to Beach package combines three nights at the legendary Ladera Resort overlooking the Pitons and three nights in an oceanview villa at Cap Maison.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Before St. Vincent served as the setting for “Pirates of the Caribbean”, this remote island and the whole Grenadine chain was primarily known only to sailors and seclusion-seeking rock stars. Indeed, Mick Jagger and David Bowie discreetly frequent the exclusive Grenadine isle of Mustique.

These days, however, the even prettier, quiet island of Bequia is on the rise, thanks to buzz about newcomer Firefly Plantation Bequia and the halfway complete Bequia Beach Hotel. Canouan Island already boasts a sprawling, superluxe Raffles resort that evokes the South Pacific.

And lush St. Vincent is touching up its popular sights like the panoramic Belmont Lookout and the canopied Vermont Nature Trail. What’s more, JetBlue’s new nonstop flights to Barbados, the unofficial gateway to the Grenadines, makes them (somewhat) easier to reach.

Value: Overlooking Bequia’s spectacular Friendship Beach, the Bequia Beach Hotel has already opened two restaurants, a pool, six villas, and 25 colonial-style rooms and suites, many of them with handsome four-poster beds.

Splurge: On the private island of Petit St. Vincent, or PSV, Petit St. Vincent Resort has 22 stone-clad one-bedroom cottages, all blissfully unplugged. For every guest there are two friendly staff members. Request cottage No. 6 for utter solitude and an outdoor shower.

Vieques, Puerto Rico

Since embracing tourism in 2003 after decades as a U.S. naval base, the tiny island of Vieques (6 miles off the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico) has been the most accessible “uncharted territory” in the Caribbean.

With Vieques harboring more than 40 miles of unspoiled sand and the Caribbean’s largest wildlife refuge, its small hotels and casual restaurants have attracted easygoing, eco-minded tourists.

Thus the W Retreat & Spa, Vieques Island, due to launch this spring, is sure to stir things up. This marks the urban brand’s inaugural Caribbean island foray. Secondly, the W will host Alain Ducasse’s first Caribbean restaurant, Mix on the Beach, a major culinary coup for the W. So if you’re the sort to despair of a place being “discovered,” plan a last before the new regime arrives in May. Otherwise, be among the first to sleep in W’s new digs and get a table at what may be the most gourmet beachside restaurant this side of St. Tropez.

Value: One of the Caribbean’s most architecturally arresting hotels, Hix Island House has 13 spare, solar-powered loftlike apartments, with kitchenettes, indoor-outdoor living spaces, and dramatic cutout vistas.

Splurge: On the island’s north coast, the 157-room W Retreat & Spa, Vieques Island is accepting reservations for dates after May 1. Set on two private beaches, the hotel will introduce boldly designed rooms (most with ocean views), a glitzy infinity pool, an outdoor fire pit, and an oceanfront spa. Commercial Loan Workout.

A spring snowstorm that whipped though Colorado left the state a slushy mess Wednesday, with thousands stuck at Denver’s airport or left without power or schools.

The heavy snowmaker dumped more snow than even some spring break ski vacationers bargained for.

“We were supposed to leave yesterday,” said Jenny Gossow of St. Louis, who missed a flight out of Denver after a family spring break ski trip to Telluride, Colo. Gossow, along with her husband and three children, spent Tuesday evening snoozing on blue mats Denver International Airport provided for an estimated 5,000 stranded travelers.

“We got a deck of cards, crayons, some books, and we’re just hanging out trying to sleep — but only the 2-year-old has been able to sleep,” Gossow said Wednesday morning. Gossow played card games with her son while her two daughters were crafting a fort out of the sleeping mats.

The snowstorm was no surprise for Colorado residents; March is the state’s snowiest month. But the storm that piled about 9 inches of mushy snow in Denver — and up to 23 inches in Denver’s western suburbs — shut down business for many. Dozens of school systems canceled classes, and state lawmakers in Denver declared a snow day and shuttered the House and Senate.

At Denver International Airport, hundreds of flights were grounded. The airport’s three busiest airlines — United, Frontier and Southwest — together canceled nearly 160 arrivals and departures Tuesday.

The cancellations left fliers camped out in hallways and even napping in the airport’s interfaith chapel.

“It was horrible, but what are you going to do?” said Greg Kinder of Great Falls, Mont., who spent Tuesday night on the chapel’s floor after missing a connection. “They say we’re on a different flight today, but you know, until I’m through security and getting on that plane I won’t believe it.”

Most major ski areas reported 5 to 7 inches of new snow. Eldora — just west of Boulder — reported 18 inches.

The storm boosted the mountain snowpack, which accounts for much of Colorado’s water when it melts during the warm months. As of Wednesday, the snow totals were below average in the northern half of the state and roughly average in the south.

Xcel Energy said about 7,500 customers, mostly in the Denver area, were still without power Wednesday morning. About 45 crews were working to restore power by 5 p.m. About 36,400 customers lost power at various times after snow started falling Tuesday, Xcel Energy spokesman Tom Henley said.

Barbara Foley, 70, of Englewood rode the bus to work Wednesday in downtown Denver after she woke up to find about a foot of snow on her car. She was happy the bus arrived on time, with a driver in a good mood.

“I told the driver, ‘You’re just as good as the mailman,’” she said. “He said, ‘No, lady, we’re better.’”

In the mountains, U.S. 6 over Loveland Pass was briefly closed for avalanche control and because of hazardous conditions. Farther west, Colorado 65 near Grand Junction also was closed for avalanche control.

By lunchtime the snowstorm had moved to southeastern Colorado and was headed east into Kansas and north Texas. Farther south, the system was expected to bring thunderstorms Wednesday night in Dallas. Commercial Loan Workout.

In booming Beijing, remnants of ancient China are tangible in the Forbidden City. In Hong Kong, skyscrapers symbolize one of the world’s most successful economies. And in Macau, across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong, gambling generates more revenue than in Las Vegas.

In one trip, I visited all three places — sampling history on the mainland, the fruits of capitalism in Hong Kong, and the glitzy casinos of Macau — and experienced three very different Chinas.

For me, it was a personal journey as well as a vacation. My family left China in 1949, first for Taiwan and then the Philippines. I wasn’t sure what to expect and whether or not they would accept me. I’m Chinese, but I act like a foreigner culturally. I speak my provincial dialect of Fujianese, but not Mandarin, the official Chinese language. (I also speak Tagalog, the Filipino language.) My family was part of the Chinese diaspora that left the mainland more than half a century ago. We are the overseas Chinese, living in foreign lands in our own communities, a people without a true home.

Often during my visit, someone would start talking to me in Mandarin. I know some Mandarin (I studied it for years but forgot most of it), so I would say, “I don’t speak Mandarin. I speak English.”

Despite this, I was surprised at how much I felt at home in China, and I felt proud of the country’s economic development. This, I felt, was the future for our people.

But like most visitors, I wanted to see the country’s history, too. I spent my first full day in China there at the Badaling section of the Great Wall, the same place visited by President Obama.

The wall resembles the writhing body of a dragon hugging China’s hills, mountains and grasslands. Parts of the wall date back to the first century BC and it was built and rebuilt over two millennia to keep out invaders. At 3,500 miles long, it’s longer than the United States is wide.

The Great Wall is in the mountains, an hour outside Beijing. I joined a tour group to see it, reserving ahead online for about $30 ($20 less than reserving through a hotel). The tour included lunch but the guide detoured us to jade and silk factories where prices gouge unwary tourists — a common practice among local operators. An alternative is to take a cab, but make sure to negotiate a price with the driver before leaving.

The Forbidden City is located in the middle of Beijing, surrounded by concentric circles of roads, across from Tiananmen Square, easily accessible by subway.

Built in the early 1400s, the Forbidden City was home to 24 emperors in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The imperial dynasty ended with Puyi, who ruled from 1909 to 1911 and was portrayed in the movie “The Last Emperor.” It is called the Forbidden City because commoners weren’t allowed in until 1925.

As the world’s largest palace complex, it spans 7.8 million square feet, or about 135 football fields, with over 8,700 rooms. The Forbidden City is divided into the southern Outer Court, where emperors conducted state affairs and elaborate ceremonies, and the smaller Inner Court where they lived. It is believed that in the Inner Court heaven and earth met, and yin and yang — opposing yet linked cosmic forces such as dark and light, male and female — are united.

Dragons were the symbol of the Chinese emperor. On the Nine Dragon Wall on the eastern perimeter, dragons are depicted in colorful glazed tile, and giant versions of the smaller dragon carvings are found all over the palace complex. Commercial Loan Workout.

An extra 300,000 tickets will be available for the London Olympics, bringing the total to 8 million, and organizers promise that venues will be “packed to the rafters” in 2012.

While tickets won’t go on sale until next year, organizers set up a Web site Monday, for fans to indicate which events they would like attend. The information will help organizers gauge the demand and set ticket numbers and prices accordingly.

Tickets will go on sale by lottery in the spring of 2011.

The process got off to a fast start, with 40,000 people registering in the first four hours, reinforcing organizers’ hopes that the Olympics will be sold out.

“It’s absolutely our ambition to have this full,” London organizing committee chief executive Paul Deighton said. “It seems to me what we’ve got on offer here is a spectacular proposition. We’re really hoping to get there.”

Ticket prices and availability won’t be announced until later this year after the sports competition schedules and venues have been set.

Deighton said the London organizing committee, or LOCOG, would uphold its promise of making the games “accessible and affordable.”

“We will stand by what we always said: There will be millions of affordable tickets available to the British public,” he said in a conference call with reporters. “Our commitment is to have our venues packed to the rafters with sports fans.”

After problems with empty seats at the 2008 Beijing Games, London is considering shorter competition sessions and a ticket-return policy similar to that used at the Wimbledon tennis championships.

Along with the extra 300,000 tickets for the Olympics, an additional 500,000 will be made available for the Paralympics, which will have 2 million tickets available.

Of the total 10 million tickets, organizers said 75 percent will be sold directly to the public in Britain and the European Union.

“Anyone who signs up will be in pole position for our (lottery) of tickets,” Deighton said. “We expect people to be more interested in tickets for some events than others. There is no fairer way for people to get in line for those tickets than by public (lottery).”

Of the remaining 25 percent, 13 percent will go to sports federations, national Olympic committees and foreign fans; 8 percent to corporate sponsors and rights-holding broadcasters; and 4 percent to hospitality package buyers.

Olympic tickets will be sold for about 630 sessions in 26 sports over 16 days.

Monday’s initiative was aimed mainly at the British public, although people from abroad can also register on the Web site. Foreigners can only get into next year’s lottery if they are from the European Union.

Most international tickets will be allocated through individual national Olympic committees. Deighton said national committees will put in their applications next fall, with tickets also going on sale in those countries in the spring of 2011.

Some local politicians and media have already raised concerns about how many tickets will be allocated to sponsors, officials and other VIPs.

“The key issue is simple: How many people will be ahead of the average Londoner in the queue for Olympic tickets?” Dee Doocey, chair of the London Assembly’s economic development, sport and tourism committee, said last week.

Deighton said fewer than 1 percent of the tickets will go to “prestige hospitality” customers.

LOCOG, which has a private operating budget of $3 billion, has forecast raising $565 million from ticket sales. But Deighton said he considers that figure on the “lower end” and expects to surpass that total.

Extra tickets have been freed up due to modifications at some venues and planned changes in some competition schedules. Beach volleyball, which had single sessions lasting up to five hours in Beijing, will be broken into more and shorter sessions in London, Deighton said.

Monday’s ticketing announcement came the day after the close of the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver.

“We’re up next,” Deighton said. “We’re officially the next Olympic host city. There is nothing in front of us on the runway.” Commercial Loan Workout.

In a desert oasis beside a roaring river, the handsome young Chilean reaches for my hand to help me over the rocks. He smiles. “Gracias,” I say.

It’s not a dream. The longhaired, 29-year-old Chileano is Max Vera, our guide on a challenging uphill hike along the canyon floor. We scramble over rocks strewn along a sandy trail, large “fox tails” and cacti that are 12 feet high with needles so sharp that local Indian women use them to sew and knit. We’re in the Atacama Desert in South America, walking along the River Puritama. Our goal: seven pools of hot springs.

My daughters Reg and Mel and Reg’s boyfriend, Dan Foldes, are hiking behind us, bemused at my attachment to our guide. Whenever we get hot here in the Atacama, we seem to come closer to the coolness of the river. At points we push large green plants apart to find the trail — truly an oasis in the desert.

Though the Atacama region, less than two hours by air from Santiago, Chile,  is one of the most visited in the country, Americans have yet to discover it. This despite the spectacular desert landscape, the chance to hike to an ancient village, taste a llama kebob (you’ll see them everywhere here) or head to the top of a volcano (18,000 feet) or to the highest geyser field in the world — El Tatio (14,190 feet) — to watch Chilean flamingos at sunset over the Atacama Salt Lake. “Ninety percent of the days here are like this,” Max says pointing to the sky. “Blue sky. No clouds.”

“I just don’t think Atacama has hit the U.S. market yet,” says Chris Purcell, manager of the wonderful 32-room TierraAtacama where we are guests. The hotel is located in San Pedro, a sleepy town of just 4,000, which is getting new life as a tourist destination while retaining its charm — quaint sand streets, pedestrian walkways, open-air restaurants and bars fashioned from old storefronts. (We love the local’s favorite Cafe Adobe with a round fireplace in the middle of the restaurant.) Our guide Max Vera is a member of the hotel’s stellar staff.

San Pedro and TierraAtacama are 1,000 miles north of Santiago and weren’t impacted by the earthquake. Chile is a country with a history of seismic activity. The country’s preparedness, including its strict anti-seismic building codes, the rapid emergency response from the government as well as the help from a number of organizations can be credited for managing the situation and minimizing the damage, officials said.

“Chileans are a resilient people and we are hard at work to get the country back on its feet quickly, said Pablo Moll, executive director of Turismo Chile. “We look forward to continuing to welcome travelers and are making every effort to making them feel safe and secure.”

While at the moment, the Department of State strongly urges U.S. citizens to avoid tourism and nonessential travel to Chile, it is important to remember that as you consider where to travel in the coming year, regions like the North Desert and Patagonia in the south need our business and support in the months to come.

As for the TierraAtacama, Chris Purcell says it goes out of its way to cater to families and will entertain the kids if they are too young for some of the more strenuous excursions like climbing to the Toco volcano. Indeed, at dinner one night (king crab salad followed by filet with mushroom risotto) several families with kids laughed and joked. We’d seem them earlier in the hot tub, too.

At the hotel, we are happily ensconced in desert-like casitas, which boast outdoor and indoor showers. There is a spa and a pool overlooking the desert and mountains with seating areas around the outdoor fire pits, ideal for cuddling and especially welcome in the chill of the desert night. (Massages are welcome after all that exercise.) I love that the tiny resort — like others here — are all-inclusive ($900 for two nights) so your meals, guides, transportation and activities are all part of the deal. (Check the Website for deals that include kids and teens up to 17 free deals and summer packages with Portillo Ski Resort (www.skiportillo.com), which is owned by the same family. American-owned Santiago Adventures, www.santiagoadventures.com, can help you plan.)

I can’t think of a better spot for an adventure with teens or grown children. Chile, after all, is a stable, safe country that is attracting many American students studying abroad and the weather here is pleasant all year. Jim Harbell, who is from Toronto, tacked on an extra week here with his 21-year-old daughter Charlotte after the rest of the family went home. “It is so cool. You feel like you are in the middle of nowhere with all of the comforts,” he said as he finished a first-rate lunch that included goat cheese empanadas, grilled salmon, lentil salad and a mousse made with cherimoya — a local fruit.

The atmosphere is conducive to making new friends, whatever your age. We meet a music producer and his wife from Brazil who are grandparents, a couple on their honeymoon from the Netherlands, a young woman traveling on her own from London, some British farmers and at the hot springs, a suburban New York couple traveling with their two twentysomething kids. The young bartender entertains us all with his magic tricks.

“We get bored on beach vacations,” says 24-year-old David Held, traveling with his parents and sister. We met at the end of our hike. “What is the point of travel if you aren’t going to see something?”

My adventure-loving gang would certainly agree. The place where we hope to cross the river to the hot springs — our destination — is so high that we climb higher and higher until we find a spot where a small rudimentary bridge has been constructed at a much narrower point.

Those hot springs — spectacular pools, one after another — are a welcome sight after our three-hour trek, which required a gain of elevation from 8,000 to 9,000 feet. Just as welcome are the snacks our guides have waiting — everything from wine to smoked salmon to cheese and olives. A lot better than granola bars and water, that’s for sure. Commercial Loan Workout.