Alaska Airlines will fly its largest summer schedule this season and is boosting flights to some of America’s most popular national parks in the process.
20.05.2024 - 21:17 / forbes.com / Emerald Coast
“Nicaragua? Wow. Why?”
That was most people’s reaction upon hearing my family’s latest travel plan. The answer was simple. Why not? Nicaragua may not be an obvious choice for some travelers, but from what I had heard, those who make the trip are justly rewarded, and were we ever.
I can’t speak to the experience of traveling the country, because I didn’t. I can’t speak to the political climate, because there’s a lot I don’t know. What I can speak to is the beauty, warmth and natural wonder that is Rancho Santana - a 2,700 acre ranch nestled along the country’s southwestern Pacific coast. My family spent five days there surfing, swimming, horseback riding and sliding down sand dunes. While you can do these activities elsewhere, at Rancho Santana, there’s a distinct feeling of discovery and wonder. It is, in all senses a hotel, but at times feels more like a utopian community we happened upon, which is kind of the point.
“Rancho Santana is a remote, unique, true resort community,” says Luke Maish, chief executive officer at Rancho Santana. “It’s not just a hub for tourism, hospitality and for welcoming vacationers, but many people live here as well. They retire here. Families come down here seasonally and spend a few months in the winter or summer. With people living here on site, it creates a foundation for a true social dynamic, where they make connections and friendships year after year.”
“Rancho,” as the locals call it, was founded in 1997 by a group of American surfing enthusiasts drawn to the region’s incredible waves, wide beaches and curving trails that line its dramatic coastal bluffs. In partnership with the Nicaraguan family that owned the land, they forged a self-sustaining community that would marry its earthly beauty with a surfer’s way of life.
But a rustic retreat, it is not. Rancho Santana is steeped in luxury, from its white Spanish Colonial buildings with arched doorways, wrought iron details and colorful tile-work, to the manicured courtyards that offer ocean views from every perch. Since its inception, Rancho Santana has added accommodations, restaurants and recreational facilities, but its development is guided by a mission of sustainability and community. Its founders invested in local education, healthcare and economic development to ensure that the ranch’s benefits extend to local Nicaraguans, as well.
In that spirit, Rancho Santana employees nearly 800 people, making it the second largest tax payer in the province of Rivas. It operates a property management company that cares for more than 100 homes, 45 condominiums and 17 casitas. There’s a team dedicated to its four restaurants, plus countless nature guides and surf and wellness instructors. It operates its own electrical and
Alaska Airlines will fly its largest summer schedule this season and is boosting flights to some of America’s most popular national parks in the process.
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At the foot of Scafell Pike, England’s highest peak, and at the northern end of one of the Lake District’s most dramatic valleys is the National Trust campsite at Wasdale Head (basic grass pitch from £38 for two nights). As well as standard pitches there are heated camping pods, three tipis, a bell tent and campervan pitches. Great Gable and Pillar, two other famous fells, are a walk away. The location, at the foot of the mountains, with Lingmell Beck flowing past, is brilliant and there are enough facilities to make life easy but not detract from the camping feel. We haven’t climbed Scafell Pike yet, but even without doing that there was still enough for a good active trip.Emma
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The Get Swept Away Summer Event Series is underway at Couples Swept Away in Jamaica. This series aims to reimagine romantic getaways with a combination of entertainment, tranquility, and discovery at one of the most sought after all-inclusive resorts in Negril. Couples Swept Away is located directly on the world-famous Seven Mile Beach, home to soft white sand and water so clear you can watch small fish swimming. The resort is the perfect backdrop for this extraordinary series with beachfront suites, fine dining, a luxurious spa, and plenty of sporting activities at the largest fitness complex in Jamaica.