The idea of staying in a thatched hut on a tropical beach has nearly universal appeal—the beauty of it, the seclusion, the connection to nature, the lack of televisions and telephones and hectic bustle of life, the napping in hammocks to the sound of the waves, the perfect beaches and swims in the ocean . . . what’s not to like?
Well, for one thing most thatched huts don’t have indoor plumbing. Or outdoor plumbing. Or electricity. Or a bed devoid of sand bugs, to say nothing of a private whirlpool or a location near a superb spa and romantic restaurant.
For a stay in a thatched hut that doesn’t feel like you are taking part in an endurance contest or an episode of Survivor there’s the Kona Village Resort on the northwest coast of Hawaii Island.
Continue →
This is the second of our two part overview of Thailand’s best islands. Continue on to read the whole article or click on one of the specific “best island” categories:
Continue →
A bamboo outhouse is a one-minute walk away. At night the path is lit by Tiki torches.
At the end of a winding 52-mile drive through the rain forests of Maui, Hawaii sits the peaceful, idyllic village of Hana. And there, in a forest reserve, is a sort of green Eden: the Hana Lani Treehouses.
Continue →
“Affordable” and “Caribbean” are not necessarily contradictions in terms.
To find cool hotels, relaxing beach resorts and luxurious bed and breakfasts in the Caribbean at an affordable price try these tips:
Look at the smaller establishments. They don’t get the press the big resorts do, but they sometimes provide much better value. A good Caribbean guidebook can be an invaluable friend in finding the high value hotel gems.
Check out the less developed areas. In Jamaica, for example, there are lots of great, inexpensive hotel and resort options outside of the major Negril, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay tourist centers.
Decide what’s most important to you and try to find a hotel without a lot of frills you won’t use. If you don’t care about using a spa, for example, you can save money by staying in a resort without one.
Shop around. A superb website for finding great deals on resorts, as well as on cruises and vacation packages, is Cheap Caribbean
.
.
And, most of all, read on. The resorts below are among Spot Cool Stuff’s favorite affordable Caribbean digs. Each has rooms in the high season for less—and in some cases much less—than $150 a night . . .
Continue →
There are other treehouse hotels in America but none are as dramatic as Cedar Creek. Here, 200-year old trees literally grow through the kitchen, bedroom and living spaces of the five-person bed & breakfast suite. Coolest of all is the observatory tower, which is more than 100 feet (30 meters) above the forest floor and reached via a suspended walkway and the “stairway to heaven” that spirals around a giant Douglas fir.
LEARN MORE & BOOK 
| READ | FLY THERE
Continue →
