WHY NOT LEARN FALCONRY?
Vermont resort offers unique instruction,
We used to laze on the beach on our vacations. Now with all the buzz about “experiential tourism,” we’re looking for authentic, genuine experiences on our travels. We want to learn something on our holidays (and brag to our friends about it later). At the Woodstock Inn & Resort in Vermont, guests can get a quick lesson in falconry, in the company of six Harris’s hawks, a falcon and an owl. Prices start at $50 (all prices U.S.) per person for observers and $95 for participants. The Woodstock Inn also offers organic gardening classes, fly-fishing lessons and golf. See woodstockinn.com. Caribbean, European cruises on sale MSC Cruises “All-In” deal comes with up to $600 (U.S.) in shipboard credit for Caribbean and European cruises. And on some itineraries, kids ages 12 and under sail free. The All-In promotion applies to select 2016-17 Caribbean sailings, and select summer 2016 Europe sailings. One option, a seven-night Caribbean cruise on the MSC Divina, sails out of Miami to Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Cozumel and Nassau. Another possibility, a weeklong Mediterranean cruise on the MSC Magnifica, departs from Venice and calls at Turkey, Greece and Croatia. The booking window runs July 6-17, 2015. See msccruisesusa.com. Adventure in the South Pacific Youth travel specialist Contiki is offering savings worth up to $369 per person off South Pacific trips to Australia and New Zealand. The deal expires July 31 and trips must be prepaid in full. More than 20 itineraries are available. New for 2015, the seven-day “Fire ’n Ice” itinerary visits Auckland and Queenstown and offers optional bungee jumping and skydiving excursions. Contiki also has the 11-day “Outback Adventurer,” the 10-day “Sun Seeker” to the Great Barrier Reef, the 16-day “Kiwaiana Panorama” (travelling to just about all of New Zealand) and the 25-day “Big Walkabout” from Sydney to Darwin. See contiki.com. Barbados getaways The Crane’s “Summer is Here” package comes with a 35 per cent discount off regular rates. The deal must be booked by July 15, 2015 for travel through April 14, 2016. Black- out dates are Dec. 24, 2015 to Jan. 3, 2016. The Crane sits on the southeast coast of Barbados and offers stays in the island’s oldest continually operating resort, with an original hotel that dates back to the late 1700s. Guests staying for a week also qualify for resort credit worth between $80 and $350 (all prices U.S.) per room, per stay. See thecrane-
.com. Best buy of the week Anguilla is known as a high-end resort destination but there are deals here too. Several locallyowned inns and B&Bs on the Caribbean island offer reasonable rates, especially for summer. Allamanda Beach Club is home to two of An- guilla’s most popular casual restaurants, Gwen’s Reggae Grill and Zara’s. It also has overnight rates from $110 (all prices U.S.) per night. See allamanda.ai. Other smaller properties include the apartment-style Royal Palms (from $185; see royalpalmsanguilla.com), the Anacaona Boutique Hotel (from $150; see anacaonahotel.com) and the nineroom Lloyd’s B&B (from $99; see lloyds.ai). Island information can be found at ivisitanguilla.com. Kathryn Folliott is a Toronto-based freelance writer. Prices quoted are subject to change and availability. Follow @KathrynFolliott.