The Insider's Club: August

The most complete GUIDE to the INSIDE

The Insider’s Club

August 2017

Hot Spot of the Month

Alaska

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Explore: Alaska

Explore: Alaska Written by Damien Martin

It’s hard to fathom the vastness of something almost two and half times the size of Texas. Not only does Alaska cover that much land area, it has more coastline than the rest of the U.S. combined. It’s home to Denali, the highest peak in North America. It is really, hugely big.

So it boggles the mind to think of all the incredible things you see cruising the Inside Passage and realize you’re just scratching the surface of Alaska.

“If it’s your first time to Alaska, you should see tidewater glaciers and mountains and fjords,” said Gwen Horchover, senior sales manager for Entree Destinations Alaska and a Juneau native. “Try to do a combination of ocean and inland.”

Yet with all that space, only about 5 percent of the land is accessible by road, so you’ll inevitably find yourself in a plane or a boat, Horchover said.

With so much room to roam, the Great Outdoors in Alaska is that much greater than everywhere else.

“Alaska is about the Great Frontier, the last bastion of Wilderness,” said Lesa Bain, vice president of North America sales for Lindblad Expeditions,

which runs Alaska itineraries from May into September focusing on active adventure and seeking out wildlife aboard National Geographic expedition ships. Instead of spending a day in port like on a traditional cruise, you might find yourself walking in the footsteps of a bear or kayaking point-to-point, voyaging through archipelagos so rich in biodiversity as to rival the Galapagos.

In Glacier Bay, you’ll be joined onboard by a native Tlingit interpreter telling the folklore of the area and a National Park Service ranger on the lookout for puffins, Steller sea lions and mountain goats as glaciers calve all around.

In Haines, the adventure capital of Alaska -- a hard-earned title if there ever was one -- you can float down the Chilkat River as bald eagles soar overhead.

Lindblad’s Wild Alaska itinerary places an emphasis on visiting state forests, where longer hikes and mountain bike rides are allowed than in national parks.

“Instead of seeing Alaska, you actually get to feel Alaska,” Bain said.

Horchover is eager to point out that while cruise season is reserved for the warmer months, Alaska sparkles in the winter too. “We had phenomenal Northern Lights last year thank to clear weather,” she said. The best time to witness them is usually late February to the third week of March, since the weather is not so cold around the spring equinox. The area around Fairbanks is the best for spotting the aurora, Horchover said. She does recommend shorter trips in the winter, lasting four to five days, because of the extreme weather conditions. Any time of year, “it’s all about adventure, as much as your body will allow,” she said.

A scenic train ride from Anchorage (nearly 8 hours) or Talkeetna (a little over 4 hours) brings you to Denali National Park. There, canoeing, fishing and hiking abound, and you can journey by bus about 95 miles into the park to watch moose, bears and wolves, or by small plane to the north face of Denali, whose peak tops 20,000 feet.

Taking Horchover’s advice and mixing water and land, you can choose from such Entree shore excursions as heli-dog sledding in Skagway and Juneau, feasting on fish you caught on the beach near Ketchikan and bear viewing in Ketchikan and Juneau. A particular thrill is watching humpback whales performing bubble net feeding, an astounding bit of teamwork in which the whales encircle a school of fish, blowing bubbles underneath them to force the fish upward.

With the underwater video equipment on the Lindblad/National Geographic ships, you too can do some underwater exploration.

“There’s cool-colored biodiversity in the colder water,” Bain said, “and you can see the 360-degree view of where you’re going, not just above, but below the water.”

Now that’s really going beneath the surface.

Alaska:

Where you should stay

Winterlake Lodge

Situated on the western edge of the Alaska Range, Winterlake Lodge settles you into wild and rugged mountains, glaciers, and the historic Iditarod trail.

Winterlake lodge nestles on fifteen acres along Mile 198 of the Historic Iditarod Trail.

The lodge sits on 15 acres overlooking Finger Lake where we land by float plane in the summer and ski plane in the winter. The property offers five individual guest cabins, a central main lodge, gardens, sled dog lot, and a sauna house. The hand built, knotty pine guest cabins provide luxury and cozy space to rest and rejuvenate after a day’s adventure.

Wolverine Mountain, behind the lodge, offers quick access to spectacular and varied hiking trails with access to view points of Mt. Denali, migrating birds, wildflowers and berries that are difficult to see in other locales.

Winterlake Lodge is the starting point for adventure, float and fish our favorite nearby rivers, land on surrounding glaciers, hike wild flower meadows and summit ridge lines in the Tordrillos. We offer daily exploration opportunities.

For all lodge guests we offer complimentary massage, yoga classes, daily cooking classes, cheese tastings, and personalized service.

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Tutka Bay Lodge

Tutka Bay Lodge sits at the entrance to a splendidly rugged seven-mile fjord at the southern end of Kachemak Bay, near Homer, Alaska. The Tutka Bay area offers rugged coastlines, deep fjords, dramatic mountains, quiet beaches, old growth Sitka spruce forests, and amazing tidal fluctuations.

Situated on an eleven-acre property, Tutka Bay Lodge offers a main lodge, six private guest accommodations, a sauna, hot tub and boat house – all connected by a boardwalk. The large deck offers seating as well as an area for helicopter landing.

We offer guided Alaska adventure activities such as deep-sea fishing for salmon and halibut, freshwater fishing, bear viewing on Katmai Peninsula, ocean kayaking and hiking our unique trail system. Our award-winning cuisine and lodge amenities such as complimentary massage and yoga, afternoon wine tastings and cooking classes offer relaxation and rejuvenation.

The lodge offers an array of activities to introduce you to the Kachemak Bay marine community. In addition to tidepooling and other marine-based activities, we often visit the nearby villages of Seldovia and Homer for art galleries and cultural exploration. Walk down the boardwalk to the acclaimed Cooking School at Tutka Bay, where you create a three-course meal from one of eight global menus.

Tutka Bay Lodge is located nine ocean miles from the charming seaside community of Homer, Alaska, along the Kachemak Bay. Access to the lodge is by a 25-minute water taxi south across the bay from Homer. Along the way, you might observe various shore and water birds, sea otters, sometimes orcas, humpbacks and other marine mammals.

North Face Lodge

North Face Lodge is a traditional north-country inn, perched on a tundra plateau, with views of Denali and surrounding mountains. North Face Lodge is 1.5 miles from Wonder Lake via foot path or road.

Modern guest rooms are joined by a common veranda, leading to the lodge’s sitting room, fireplace, dining area, and library. Our fifteen small, well-appointed rooms each have an en-suite bathroom and electricity. On cool, crisp mornings, enjoy a game of chess by a crackling fire in the lodge’s living room, or choose a book from our library of natural history and Alaskan literature. A spacious outdoor patio, with spectacular views of the Alaska Range, beckons one outdoors.

Homesteaded by former park superintendent, Grant Pearson, in 1957, the lodge occupies a portion of the original, five-acre homesite. Thirty years later, the Cole family recognized the land’s coveted status and acquired the property to protect it from unchecked development. Today, the renovated lodge maintains a purposefully intimate size.

Crystal Creek Lodge

Crystal Creek Lodge is located 5 miles East of King Salmon, Alaska. This world-class Bristol Bay fishing lodge is an award-winning Orvis Endorsed Lodge, consistently demonstrating its exceptional fishing, facilities and commitment to excellence in service. The guided field program at Crystal Creek Lodge is about variety.

Our guests fish for Rainbow Trout, char, grayling and salmon. They will either fish the Naknek river, which runs past our front door, or fly out in a sea plane to visit hundreds of miles of surrounding area rivers and streams. We also feature bird hunting and a wide variety of adventure and nature related activities.

Welcome to the land of dreams: the Katmai region of the Bristol Bay area and the greatest freshwater river and stream fishing in Alaska, if not the entire earth. Perhaps we should say: welcome to the land of reality.

Bristol Bay rivers have the largest Pacific Salmon runs on earth. The rivers and streams of Katmai are infused with wild Alaska Rainbow Trout and grow some of the largest Trout on earth. The Naknek River, home water of the lodge, grows trout upwards of 30 inches. Arctic Char and grayling also inhabit these waters in prolific numbers, and the combination of salmon, trout and char make for a fishery of intense productivity and diversity. Guests can experience the bears of Katmai National Park and also walrus lounging on the beach.

Since 1988, Crystal Creek Lodge has fulfilled countless dreams in its history, yet the concept is constantly tested and crafted by Dan Michels and his staff of dedicated men and women, people who share the vision of consistently delivering the finest Alaskan luxury fishing vacation possible. Our mission statement for our Alaska Fishing & Adventure Lodge is: “Inspirational Alaskan Adventure, Exceptional Hospitality�. Time afield is precious and essential to the spirit. A vacation is about rejuvenation. You might as well have the best.

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World Travel Experiences

Family Package

Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, Florence Valid for Travel now Through 31 Dec 2017

Experience Includes: • 20% off a second room for children when booking the first room at standard rates.

• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability • Daily full breakfast for up to two in-room guests • Welcome amenity in room upon arrival • $100 USD equivalent Spa Services credit to be utilized during stay (not combinable, not valid on room rate, no cash value if not redeemed in full)

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Book in Advance Grace Santorini

Valid for Travel now Through 31 Oct 2017

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Winter Escape 2017

Treetops Lodge & Estate, Horohoro, New Zealand Valid for Travel now Through 31 Oct 2017

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• Winter Special Rate NZ$1162 per couple per night on The Fireside Love Menu & Two Night Luxury Wilderness Adventure • Winter Special Rate NZ$3486 for 2 adults and 2 children on The Family Wilderness Adventure (3 nights) • Winter Special Rate NZ$4236 for 2 adults and 2 children on The Ultimate Hobbiton and Middle Earth Adventure (3 nights)

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The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, Miami Valid for Travel now Through 30 Sep 2017

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• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability • Full Breakfast daily for up to two in-room guests, served in Restaurant ($50.00 credit per person) • $100 USD equivalent Spa Services credit to be utilized during stay (not combinable, not valid on room rate, no cash value if not redeemed in full, excludes spa products) • Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability • Complimentary Wi-Fi

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Summer Package Available Through the Fall Six Senses Laamu, Laamu Atoll, Maldives

Valid for Travel now Through 21 Dec 2017

Experience Includes: • • • • • •

Daily breakfast 40% off our Best Available Rate Daily dinner at Longitude Unlimited wireless Internet connection 50% Off Transfers (Not included in the villa rate) Complimentary Wi-Fi

Tech News:

Travel Tech

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Netflix downloads

Netflix members worldwide can download series and films at no extra cost. While many members enjoy watching Netflix at home, often they also want to continue their Stranger Things binge while on airplanes and other places where Internet is expensive or limited.

Just click the download button on the details page for a film or TV series and you can watch it later without an internet connection.

Many of your favorite streaming series and movies are already available for download, with more on the way, so there is plenty of content available for those times when you are offline.

Peak Design Everyday Messenger Bag Peak Design partnered with renowned adventure traveler/photographer Trey Ratcliff to create one bag that adapts to your gear and lifestyle, no matter where you go or what you’re carrying. In doing so, Peak Design reimagined nearly every aspect of the classic messenger, from the MagLatch closure, to the origami-inspired FlexFold dividers, to the weatherproof expandable protective shell and hyper-adjusting internally padded seatbelt strap. Dedicated Capture clip attachment points and front access panel are designed for lightning-fast photography, drone, and everyday gear access. This bag is for creatives, travelers, commuters and everyone in-between.