A group of former Americans filed a class-action lawsuit against the United States to recover $1,900 paid through the process of renouncing their citizenship, arguing that the fee is too costly.
18.09.2023 - 14:53 / forbes.com
andBeyond (&Beyond) is an award-winning experiential travel company that has been offering some of the best African safaris, lodges and adventure trips for three decades. They are known for their commitment to sustainability and guest engagement, as well as high-levels of luxury, service and creature comforts.
While &Beyond offers itineraries around the globe, some using properties they do not own, they also have nearly 30 of their own hotels, almost all of these safari lodges in Africa, including some of the most coveted (Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Grumeti River Lodge, Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, etc.). They also moved into Chile a couple of years ago, and most recently expanded to Asia with their first lodge there, in Bhutan. The small Buddhist nation in the Himalayas has recently emerged as a new luxury travel hotspot for a variety of very good reasons (read much more about “Why Bhutan is Hot” here), and the new &Beyond Punakha River Lodge is one of the best places you can stay there.
I just got back and was one of the very first guests at the property, which soft-opened two weeks ago (early September 2023). Usually seeing a hotel this new does the property a disservice as there are always growing pains (that’s why they call them soft openings, and the spa wasn’t quite ready to open yet when I was there), but in this case the lodge is already excellent and will only get better.
While many other respected luxury brands operate small lodges in Bhutan, I found that the ones I visited seemed focused on keeping guests happy on site, but Bhutan is a really long trip to undertake just to sit around your plunge pool all day, no matter how swank the accommodations. Bhutan is a place you should go to experience the unique culture, nature, wildlife and outdoor activities - and in that regard is very much like Africa, where the &Beyond model has been proven to excel. In fact, many visitors are surprised to find that the Himalayan nation is rich in wildlife, home to Bengal tigers, leopards, snow leopards, sloth bears, black bears, civets, elephants, countless bird species including rarities, yaks, and the national animal, the rare takin, a sort of sheep/goat/antelope hybrid. There’s a riverside spot about 40 minutes from the lodge where you can see takin, and &Beyond is working with the government on plans to offer safari-style viewing of some of the other coveted wildlife, an activity largely absent right now in Bhutan.
The property was built with leaving your compound and doing activities in mind, both physically and philosophically. As a small example, the outdoor showers - always a nice luxury - were intentionally designed with doors from both the suite and the outside, so if you come back from mountain biking
A group of former Americans filed a class-action lawsuit against the United States to recover $1,900 paid through the process of renouncing their citizenship, arguing that the fee is too costly.
My family of four has been to the Legoland New York theme park for day trips, but we'd never stayed on the property before since it's only a 90-minute drive from my home in New York City.
While a large portion of the world considers Halloween to be largely for children, Americans of all ages take the holiday very seriously.
Netflix has a new documentary series—“Predators”—with incredible cinematography of some of the world’s apex carnivores, including the polar bears of Churchill in Manitoba, Canada. Churchill is known as the polar bear capital of the world (as well as the beluga whale capital) and it’s easy to see both animals in the wild on a trip to this subarctic Canadian town.
Nature lovers will be thrilled to spend as long as possible in the Atacama Desert and Tierra Atacama is the perfect luxury outpost to begin your adventure. Guests arrive via an adobe-lined path to enter a glass-enclosed lobby with spectacular open vistas. All public areas of the hotel provide views of the Andes and the imposing Licancabur Volcano. Lush foliage welcomes guests into the outdoor area where you can lounge by the pool in the daytime and snuggle up on a couch in front of a firepit after dark.
Spanning from the remote northern reaches of Nunavut to the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, the American landmass is home to a spectacular array of native flora and fauna—and all of that abundant biodiversity has given rise to a wealth of incredible drinking and dining destinations all throughout its boundaries. Whether you’re seeking fresh seafood, complex cocktails, or refined nikkei-style dishes, each of the following Marriott properties showcase the culinary splendor of their surroundings, with no shortage of high-end amenities to enjoy along the way.
As the seasons change and the weather cools, there’s something romantic about curling up at home with a cocktail to warm your bones. The assortment of fall flavors is like nothing else throughout the year, an opportunity seized upon by the world’s best mixologists.
A trusted piece of luggage is the cornerstone of any good travel uniform. Sure, comfortable shoes and a sweatshirt to keep warm mid-flight are key pieces of the puzzle, but nothing ruins a journey quite like a broken handle, malfunctioning wheel, or busted zipper. Beyond a solid structure, though, there are myriad considerations to make when finding your ideal bag: How much are you willing to spend? Are you team carry-on or prefer to check? Do you like the sleek look of a hardshell case or want the flexibility of a soft-sided piece? We used this criteria to create what we hope is a handy guide to shopping for the right luggage. Hover over the icons below for more information, and click ‘read more’ for a full review from our well-traveled team of editors and contributors.
The peak hiking seasons in Nepal and Bhutan are February to March and October to November, with clear skies and moderate temperatures. In the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, March to April and September to October offer the best weather without excessive heat. In most areas, views vanish during the rainy monsoon season (June to September). Trekking in deep winter (December to February) can be a bitterly cold experience, best left to accustomed hikers.
Brazil is a vast country, home to a treasure trove of diverse travel experiences. Enchanting rainforests, sprawling wetlands, buzzing cities and perfect beaches all make for spectacular stops on your itinerary.
Ecuador offers some of the most incredible outdoor experiences on earth, from surfing on beautiful beaches to treks through the Amazon jungle. The fourth-smallest country in South America offers experiences to rival anything in Brazil, Argentina or Chile, all packed into a small space that's easy to explore by bus, boat or plane.
Visitors to Chile have another reason to make a stop in wine country, to visit the freshly renovated and ultra-luxurious new casitas at Clos Apalta - one of Chile’s most highly-awarded world-class wineries.Previously, this French-inspired winery’s collection of four casitas held the title of smallest Relais & Châteaux property in the world; now with the of debut seven new ones and fully reimagined interiors for the original ones they usher in a luxurious new take on luxury and nature.