The Soundtrack to your Summer
Summer just wouldn’t be the same without the wide variety of music festivals offered all over the world. From folk, bluegrass, and country to pop, rap, and rock and roll, there seems to be a music festival for everyone. No matter what type of beat you may prefer to jam out to, music festivals are the perfect way to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. Turn up your favorite tune and check out five of the music festivals we are most excited for this summer.
1. Telluride Bluegrass Festival
Telluride Bluegrass Festival. ( Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telluride_Bluegrass_Festival)
June 21-24. Telluride, Colorado.
One of the most popular and well-known Bluegrass festivals in the United States, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival returns for its 39th year. Set in the beautiful town of Telluride, CO, when you aren’t rocking out to the fiddle, you can also go hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, or enjoy one of the many hot springs.
2.Wanderlust Festival
June 21-24 Bondville, Vermont. July 5-8 Copper, Colorado. July 26-29 North Lake Tahoe, California. August 23-26 Whistler, British Colombia.
Not your average music festival, Wanderlust combines yoga, adventure, music, and meditation to create a once in a lifetime experience. Featuring a variety of musical genres, from reggae to electronic, Wanderlust is sure to provide a unique experience for your body, mind, and ears.
3.Reggae Sumfest
July 15-21. Jamaica.
It’s hard to imagine a better place to go to a Reggae music festival than Jamaica. The hometown of Bob Marley has become well-known for its annual Reggae festival. If you need a break from jamming, Jamaica also has some of world’s most beautiful beaches and golf courses.
Caribbean Sea Jazz Fest 2011. ( photo from http://www.caribvacationsguide.com/events-and-festivals/caribbean-sea-jazz-festival-2011/)
4. Caribbean Sea Jazz Festival
October 5-6. Aruba.
Featuring some of the world’s highest acclaimed Jazz artists, such as Chaka Khan and Randy Brecker, the Caribbean Sea Jazz Festival is not one to be missed. While you’re there, also check out incredible snorkeling, fishing, and diving that Aruba has to offer.
5. Electronic Daisy Carnival
June 8-10. Las Vegas, Nevada. August 18. Puerto Rico.
America’s largest dance music festival, the Electronic Daisy Carnival is not for the faint of heart. The EDC features seven stages, theatrical performances, and music that will keep you dancing until dawn. Luckily, Las Vegas provides plenty of pools to recuperate at and Puerto Rico has some amazing beaches for when those dancing feet can dance no more.
Whatever your musical preference might be, there is sure to be a summer music festival with the sound that is just right for you. With all the different festivals, you are sure to find the soundtrack to your summer.
Safe Travels,
The VacationRoost Team
Awe Inspiring National Parks
VacationRoost employees are given days off to get out and enjoy the outdoors! See what our Destination Expert Ashley Green did with her “outdoor days.”
This past weekend I was able to take advantage of 2 outdoor days and enjoy the beautiful weather with a visit to Zion National Park. Keep in mind that I have lived in Utah my whole life and this was my first trip to Zion. I can’t believe how beautiful and amazing this park is. I was in total awe!
Growing up in Utah, I never really realized what brought people here for vacation, other than skiing. The day we went to Zion made it all clear. The hiking is great and the sights are unbelievable. There are a lot of trails for biking as well. If you are looking for a more laid back activity they offer bus tours with frequent stops so that you can get out and take pictures. It is a great place for summer vacation.
I cannot wait to get out this summer and exploring more of the wonderful sights!
- Ashley Green, Destination Expert
Our own travel guru Amy Ochoa just returned from an epic dive trip to Belize. Here she chronicles her trip in a three-week blog installment. Check out her third blog on how to successfully cross the Belize-Guatemala boarder to visit the largest Maya ruin in the world in just one day.
Visiting Tikal in one day? No problemo.
One of the coolest things Dan and I did while in Belize was cross the border into Guatemala and tour the largest Maya ruin in the world, Tikal. We needed a special permit to cross the border with our vehicle, which we requested a few days before our arrival through our car company, Crystal Car Rental. We were told they were the only car rental agency that could get this permit, which costs about $20 USD. We headed out from Santa Elaina around 9AM and drove the 20-25 minutes to the border from our hotel.
We were hounded by men offering to exchange the Belize dollar into the Guatemalan dollar as soon as we stopped the car. Unsure of whether or not we needed to exchange money we held them off and headed into the office. We went through customs and immigration and paid the $30 USD per person fee and were on our way. We chose to exchange about $200 USD before crossing the border just in case, but I am still unsure of whether or not it was necessary. In Belize the US dollar is widely accepted, but we never had the need to find out in Guatemala.
Once across the border we drove through a large car wash looking structure, which sprayed vehicles with pesticides and our windows were down. WHOOPS! We parked the truck near the office buildings and a man came up to the vehicle and offered to take us through the immigration process on the Guatemala side of the border. (And what a process it is…)
Ground beef and potato tostada with salsa and avocado – surprisingly delicious!
We had to stand in line at 5 different areas and pay fees at each. The man took us from line to line and told us what paperwork and fees we needed to pay at each. We tipped him about $6 USD and it was worth every penny.
It took us about 45 minutes to get through the entire border process from start to finish. Once we were on our way we stopped at the first border town we came across and stopped for a bite to eat at one of the food carts along the main road. This is where I had the best tostada of my life. Note to self: ground beef and potatoes with salsa and avocado. Yummy.
We were rushed on time so we ate quickly and hit the road again. We had about an hour and half drive to Tikal from the border. The drive was beautiful and the landscape was very different from its bordering country, Belize. Once we arrived at the entrance to Tikal we were stopped and required to pay the entrance fee of 140Q or $20USD per person. We were also talked into using a guide named Able who accompanied us on our visit through the Maya site.
Our guide jumped in the truck with us and we drove the 20 mile road to the entrance of the ruins. Able had a slight drinking problem and required more beer than the information he provided was worth, but he did get us from the entrance to the main temples and back in 2 hours, so I’ll consider the $25 USD fee a tip. Tikal is only 7% unearthed and we saw about 50% during out 2 hour visit. The temples and landscape were amazing. We saw monkeys, birds and other ant eater looking animals just walking the trails.
Sitting atop a Maya temple is a surreal experience.
After a few hours we needed to head back so we could get back to Santa Elaina before nightfall. Once back at the border we handed in a few pieces of paperwork and were back on the Belize side of the border much quicker than on the arrival end of things. Tikal was worth the long journey. If I go back I would spend the night in the nearby city, Flores, so I could spend more time in Guatemala and Tikal without feeling so rushed. I’ve also heard the sunrise over Tikal is AMAZING!
- Amy Ochoa, Marketing Team
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Cliff Jumping, Caves and 4-Wheeling in Belize
Our own travel guru Amy Ochoa just returned from an epic dive trip to Belize. Here she chronicles her trip in a three-week blog installment. Check out her second blog on how to pack in a day’s worth of site seeing even with some bumps (literally) and detours along the way.
Our adventure begins in our somewhat trusty 2-wheel drive truck.
Dan and I are not the best at waking up early while on vacation, or at least we started out that way. So, when we wandered into the common area of the lodge we met the owner, Bart, who had to laugh when we told him we were headed to Tikal. He advised us that the trip would take about 8 hours and we were leaving too late and would be on the roads at night outside of town, which is not recommended. So, instead he told us to try for Tikal the following day and for the day we should travel near the lodge up in the jungle to some of his favorite sites: Barton Waterfall, Rio Frio Pools and Rio Frio Cave. He drew us a map and we were on our way.
We drove on a bumpy dirt road for about an hour through 3-4 small villages. We made a wrong turn in the town of San Antonio, which led us to some off road fun, for Dan. However, once we made it about 20 minutes into the jungle we (I) decided to turn around since we had not seen another soul and the road was much more than our rented 2-wheel drive truck could handle.
Barton Waterfall; Dan scopes out the cliff jumping options.
Once we made it back to town and re-read the signs we switched and headed the other direction on a dirt road that seemed slightly less bumpy (slightly). Soon we came to signage for the waterfall and parked next to a few other cars in an open field. We headed on foot to what looked like a small path leading into the wilderness. We passed a few people on the way to the waterfalls, which were only about 8 minutes from where our truck was parked. There was an area off the trail that had a steep incline, but very manageable. We found 3 boys playing in the water and 2 women relaxing in the sun. We quickly stripped down to our swimming suits and waded into the water towards the falls. The area felt safe and secluded. We climbed up the slick rocks to a cliff about 20 ft high and dived into the pool below. I’ve always wanted to say I’ve been cliff jumping in the jungles of Central America. Check!
Due to the rain we left and headed to our next destination, which was the Rio Frio Cave. We had not seen pictures of any of these destinations, so we were unsure of what to expect. The cave was about 20 more minutes into the mountain. The dirt road led us to a small and almost ghost town like village with about 40 deserted homes that were falling apart. We followed a sign that led us into the jungle and off the main road towards the cave. We stopped at a sign that showed us we had reached the trail head that would take us to the Rio Frio cave – hike is an hour long round trip. We were a little nervous about the length of the hike so we chose to continue in our truck to what looked like a small parking lot and second entrance to the cave. This lot, which included an outhouse, led us about 100 yards to the entrance of the cave. The cave was unbelievable. We expected a small cave and instead discovered a cave that was almost 300 ft high and 400 ft across with a large entrance from our opening and a small entrance at the back, which the previous trail leads visitors to. The cave was dark once you left the main entrance and without flashlights it was difficult to navigate even with the small opening. We could not believe that no one else was there. We had a huge cave all to ourselves.
Dan looks dwarfed by the Rio Frio cave (translation: Cold River cave).
The cave was about an hour from the largest Mayan Ruin in Belize called Caracol. We didn’t think we had enough time to make it before sundown and had seen signs that suggested the need for military escort to see the ruin, so once we finished exploring the Rio Frio Cave we started our trek back to the Maya Mountain Lodge. As we were driving I began looking through the Lonely Planet guidebook I had been referencing during the trip. I discovered a hotel in San Ignacio called Cahal Pech, with an incredible view and so Dan and I raced back to try and catch the sunset. We made it just in time. The views of the valley from the restaurant were fabulous and the food was great. I had a perfect mudslide to drink and after a day of cliff jumping and cave exploration it was the perfect view with the perfect dessert.
- Amy Ochoa, Marketing Team
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Belize: The Beginning
Our own travel guru Amy Ochoa just returned from an epic dive trip to Belize. Here she chronicles her trip in a three-week blog installment. Check out the biggest surprise from her first night spent in Belize.
After 4 months of planning and 6 weeks of scuba certification my boyfriend, Dan, and I finally arrived at Belize International Airport. Once we made it through immigration we headed across a small parking lot to pick up our car at Crystal Car Rental. Crystal was the only car company we could find that allowed us to take our vehicle over the Guatemala border where we hoped to visit the largest Mayan Ruin in the world, Tekal.
Welcome to Belize!
We picked up our 2-wheel drive ford truck and headed to San Ignacio where we would be spending the next 3 nights. San Ignacio is located about 2 hours from Belize City and about 20 minutes from the Guatemala border. There are only a few highways in Belize and locating the Western Highway was easy. We stopped at a grocery store on our way out of the city. I had to laugh when Dad attempted to talk to the cashier in Spanish and found out that the young woman did not speak Spanish, only English. We realized that every sign was in English. Later we found that Belize citizens speak many languages, but English is their first language and they are part of the British Commonwealth. The Queen of England was even on the Belizean dollar.
As we headed on the Western highway towards San Ignacio we did not see many cars along the way. However, we did almost crush a turtle that was slowly making its way across the road. We also passed the Belize Zoo, which famously houses many rare jungle animals found in Belize. We chose to pass up the small Zoo so that we could make it to San Ignacio before it was dark.
Along the way we passed through many small villages with only a speed bump to slow us down. Soon we arrived in Santa Elena the town bordering San Ignacio and separated by a small river running through the two towns. Our hotel, Maya Mountain Lodge was located on the jungle side of Santa Elena about a block from the main road that ran through the small town.
Our cottage at the Maya Mountain Lodge. Hammocks are essential for any Central America vacation.
We arrived at our lodge just as guests were eating dinner, which is provided by the lodge for a fee of about $30 USD per person. We were escorted to our cottage by a young man also named Dan who became a great tour guide during our stay. The lodge consisted of 8 small studio style cottages and a lodge containing 10 rooms. The accommodations were moderate, but exactly what Dan and I were looking for.
After unloading our bags we grabbed the truck and headed into town for dinner. We quickly realized that Santa Elaina and San Ignacio were much smaller than we had thought with a much quieter nightlife than we expected. We stopped at the largest restaurant we could find called Hode’s Place. We ate fish and chips and drank a few “Panty Rippers”, which would soon become our favorite drink in Belize. The food was good and eating outdoors on the patio was the perfect way to end our first night in Central America!
- Amy Ochoa, Marketing Team
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Boston Marathon Runners Discouraged Because of Warm Weather – Does this Mean its Lobstah Roll Time?
When the Boston Athletic Association adopted the slogan “THIS IS NOT A RACE, it is an experience” for this year’s Boston Marathon people knew something was up. Those actually in Boston knew exactly what was up – extreme warm temperatures hit Boston this past weekend and most of New England. Hot enough that the Boston Athletic Association, the organization that puts on the marathon, discouraged anyone without marathon running experience from participating in the marathon.
The warm weather was not the best news for runners, but for travelers and people looking forward to days by the pool this is wonderful news. With an early spring and possibly earlier summer arrival, New England is a great place to vacation in the upcoming months (also known as “mud season”) if even just for a quick weekend getaway. Flowers are blooming, there is a slight chill in the air that wards off humidity, and days are longer. Another great thing about most New England destinations is coastal location. Water might not be warm enough for an ocean swim, but sailing does not discriminate against water temperature this time of year.
Favorite destinations during summer are favorites during late spring as well. Newport, Rhode Island, Nantucket, Massachusetts, Hartford, Connecticut, and Stowe, Vermont are a few popular destinations that come to mind for the quintessential New England vacation. Do not forget about Boston. It is great starting point for any New England trip and this time of year is fun, because the city is buzzing with baseball fever.
Next time you think of heading south this spring remember that springtime in New England has a little bit of something for everyone.
Safe Travels,
VacationRoost Traveler
Beautiful Vacation to Puerto Vallarta
My wife, myself and 2 other couples recently traveled to Puerto Vallarta where we stayed at the Marea Baja villa. We booked the reservation through Mexican Destinations powered by VacationRoost and they took care of everything! Noe was our driver and picked us up right on time after arriving and took us straight to the villa about 20 minutes away. He gave us some information about Mexico and Puerto Vallarta on the way and helped us get excited about our trip. Our first impression upon arriving at the villa was that this place is amazing! It was open and airy and beautifully decorated. Jesus the house man and Toni, the Mexican Destinations concierge, greeted us at the door and led us down the steps to the house. The entrance to the villa is very inviting with flowers and foliage all around. As we walked in the house and took a quick tour, my wife’s first comments were “this is my new happy place!”
The house has three beautifully decorated bedrooms on the second floor with large tile bathrooms and balconies to enjoy the ocean and warm breeze. There is authentic Mexican artwork on every wall and interesting sculptures throughout the house. The first floor has a large, modern kitchen, dining area that looks over the pool to the ocean, entertainment room with HD TV, DVD, internet and the outdoor patio and pool. The outdoor patio has plenty of lounge chairs for enjoying the sun and a beautiful infinity edge pool for cooling off with spectacular views. And if you’re feeling more adventurous, you can head out the side door, down a few stairs and you’re right on the beach, just a few steps from jumping into the ocean.
Mexican Destinations offered their driver, Noe, to take us on a private tour of Puerto Vallarta where we were able to see all of the famous sites: the downtown boardwalk and beach, the old town church with the bells ringing, the flea market, a yummy ice cream shop, a drive through the “Beverly Hills” area of PV with large multi-million dollar homes owned by celebrities, and then to the Mismaloya beach where the famous Elizabeth Taylor movie “Night of the Iguana” was filmed.
We spent about 4 hours with Noe and he spoke perfect English the whole way while explaining all about the history of PV, upcoming developments and some of the exciting things that are happening there right now. It was a wonderful tour and we really enjoyed seeing and experiencing all of Puerto Vallarta.
When we arrived back at the house, Jesus and Julia (the villa chef) had prepared quesadillas with chips and freshly prepared guacamole and pico de gallo salsa along with Mexican horchata. We spent a few hours just lounging on the patio enjoying the snacks, the pool and the gorgeous Puerto Vallarta weather. The views from the patio are unbelievable and that’s when you really start to feel like you’re on vacation! The men in our group ventured down into the ocean for some swimming while the ladies got some sun on the patio chairs. The private beach is secluded and empty, which is nice for relaxing. We saw a few other couples come out and wander around, but mostly it was just us.
At about 6 PM, Jesus set the dining table and called us in for dinner. The table was lit with candlelight and there was a warm ocean breeze blowing in the open air dining room. First on the menu was a delicious avocado salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Second was the main course of chicken fajitas with rice, guacamole and refried beans. Third was a light and fluffy caramel flan that provided a perfect finish to the meal. This was by far the best meal of our trip and we are grateful for Mexican Destinations for helping set this all up for us. The atmosphere was romantic and inviting and as I write about this vacation, I’m reminded of how much I wish I was there instead of back here in my office. The staff was wonderful and Toni even brought in flowers for our wives to make it extra special! It was truly the perfect vacation spot for our group and certainly the highlight of our trip to Mexico. If we ever travel back to Puerto Vallarta, my first thought will be to stay at Marea Baja!
- Jeremy Griggs, VacationRoost Controller
