Enchanting Epirus: the mountains and monasteries of Greece’s wild north

To celebrate their 20th anniversary this year, Atlanta residents Jessica and David Goldberg booked an Oceania Cruise. The voyage started in Greece and dropped them off in Israel on October 4, where they planned to spend the next week exploring. 

Visitors to Athens Greece will soon have to add one more destination to their must-see list: The Ellinikon which, among other things, will be home to Europe’s largest coastal park, virtually doubling the amount of greenspace in Athens. Greece is a nation festooned with monumental sights and ancient classics so it’s hard to imagine anything new in this bastion of antiquities, but Ellinikon will have plenty of new to offer visitors. In addition to a 500-acre coastal park, the development will be joined by a beachfront Mandarin Oriental hotel, 50-story residential tower, two shopping malls, a sports complex, casino, and a marina designed to accommodate mega-yachts. Just 25 minutes from the Athens airport and only 20 minutes from the Acropolis and the center of Athens, the Ellinikon’s reinvention of the Greek coastline promises to be transformational to the Riviera and to Athens.

The U.S. State Department issued on Thursday a “worldwide caution” to Americans traveling abroad as the war between Israel and Hamas stokes tensions globally. Americans were advised to “stay alert in locations frequented by tourists.”

My husband and I got married this summer and we put most of our wedding expenses on reward credit cards, earning enough points to cover fights and hotels for our Greek honeymoon. 

Coffee table books are my achilles heel. I live in a modestly-sized apartment in Boston where space comes at a premium, but I will never deny myself the joy of a beautiful travel-inspired tome. I’ll collect them until my shelves are full, until they serve as impromptu nightstands, until every kitchen cabinet overfloweth and, yes, until they cover my coffee table itself. I simply can’t stop collecting them, and the books given to me by others are especially nostalgic—is there any gift more elegant?

Several blocks away from The Dolli in Athens’ central Plaka, visitors encounter the ruins of Hadrian’s Library and the Roman Agora before climbing the hill up to the Acropolis. Guests of The Dolli, though, have an easier time if they want a glimpse of the Parthenon’s splendor: they can take a table at the rooftop restaurant or sit in or by the infinity pool, both with straight on views of this iconic temple. It’s one reason to stay at this new boutique hotel, a part of Grecotel Hotels & Resorts, which opened officially in January and one reason owner Mari Daskalantonaki selected this site. But it’s not the only advantage of being in residence here.

Several blocks away from The Dolli in Athens’ central Plaka, visitors encounter the ruins of Hadrian’s Library and the Roman Agora before climbing the hill up to the Acropolis. Guests of The Dolli, though, have an easier time if they want a glimpse of the Parthenon’s splendor: they can take a table at the rooftop restaurant or sit in or by the infinity pool, both with straight on views of this iconic temple. It’s one reason to stay at this new boutique hotel, a part of Grecotel Hotels & Resorts, which opened officially in January and one reason owner Mari Daskalantonaki selected this site. But it’s not the only advantage of being in residence here.

There are many reasons to love Chicago, the nation’s third largest city sitting on Lake Michigan and beloved for its iconic skyline, deep dish pizza, Italian beef and top-notch museums. These days however, with more travelers feeling stressed, lonely, and anxious (a recent World Travel Protection survey noted only one third of business travelers are happy traveling for work), finding relaxing activities and sleeping well has never been more important.

Southern California has a distinctive atmosphere. Sun, beach, ocean, and no shortage of experiences that get you out into all three make any trip to the state memorable. That’s seen perfectly in Oxnard at Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Beach, a Curio Collection Hotel by Hilton.

Climate change is warming up the spring, lengthening the summer, and drying out soil and vegetation, leading to more frequent, destructive wildfires. This year alone, wildfires have left at least 98 dead on Maui, forced mass evacuations from several Greek islands, and raged across Canada, forcing an entire city to evacuate and fouling the air across North America. If you’re traveling in this environment — especially if you’re planning a trip to the outdoors — how can you stay safe? Here’s how to prepare yourself, and what to do in case of an emergency.

The Mediterranean region has it all — amazing food and wine, famous historical and cultural landmarks, scenic seaside towns and gorgeous island beaches.

My first experience sleeping in a cave hotel was many years ago in Santorini, in one of those typical whitewashed hotels dug into the volcanic rock. Once used as inexpensive dwellings, the island's volcanic terrain allowed the inhabitants to carve rooms into the earth without foundations, with vaulted ceilings and narrow entries enforced with limestone. They were also warm in the winter and cool in the summer and provided high resistance to earthquakes.