Travel briefs

Travel briefs

18th century-style coffeehouse opening at Colonial Williamsburg

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — Don’t expect soy lattes or Internet access for your laptop, but your next visit to Colonial Williamsburg could include a stop in a coffeehouse.

Visitors will be able to experience an 18th century-style coffeehouse when R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse opens Nov. 20 on Duke of Gloucester Street at the historic site.

Free coffee, tea and hot chocolate inspired by 18th-century recipes will be served in demitasse cups at R. Charlton’s. Costumed re-enactors will discuss with visitors how the consumption of these drinks related to colonial society, hospitality and political issues of the day, including trade and taxes.

R. Charlton’s, named for coffeehouse proprietor Richard Charlton, was a real establishment in the 1760s, frequented by politicians, gentry and others. The China tea imported from England, West Indian coffee, chocolate from the Caribbean rim and high-style cuisine placed the establishment a cut above other local taverns. Patrons gathered there for social gossip, political discussion and the latest news from England.

The coffeehouse was even the site of a protest against the Stamp Act of 1765, in which England imposed taxes in the colonies on newspapers, pamphlets and legal documents. That protest will be incorporated into Colonial Williamsburg’s programming, debuting for one episode at the Nov. 20 opening and becoming a regular scene for visitors in the spring.

The coffeehouse recreation began as an excavation by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. A Victorian home had been built on the foundation where the original coffeehouse stood, and Williamsburg’s archaeological studies of the site began in 1995 after the home was purchased by Colonial Williamsburg and moved to a new location outside the historic area.

Some pieces from the coffeehouse had been repurposed inside the Victorian home, and thousands of artifacts were unearthed at the site, enabling historians and artisans to reproduce for R. Charlton’s the look of everything from furniture to coffee cups. Shingles, nails and even paint were handcrafted by workers from Historic Trades, an interpretive department at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. The planning, design, construction and endowment of R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse was funded by a $5 million donation from the Mars Foundation.

Hotel rates down 8.8 percent this year, another 1.8 percent next year

NEW YORK (AP) — Hotel room prices are expected to drop a total of 8.8 percent in 2009 compared to 2008 and will continue creeping down in 2010, though at a much slower rate, according to the 2010 lodging forecast from PricewaterhouseCoopers Hospitality & Leisure Practice.

“It is expected that the steepest declines in ADR (average daily rates) have passed, but that year-over-year ADR levels will continue to decline, resulting in a 1.8 percent decline” next year, PricewaterhouseCoopers said.

A 3.2 percent increase in the number of hotel rooms this year added to the hotel industry’s problems, PricewaterhouseCoopers said, expanding supply just as consumer demand weakened and further hurting the ability of hotel operators to maintain stable pricing.

Many new hotels, including a number of luxury projects and high-end renovations like the Fontainebleau in Miami and the Roosevelt in New Orleans, have opened during the recession as projects that were planned before the downturn came to fruition.

Occupancy levels for 2009 are expected to decrease 8.4 percent over the previous year to 55.2 percent, PricewaterhouseCoopers said, meaning that hotels in 2009 will be on average just over half-occupied.

The number of hotel rooms available is expected to continue to grow next year but so will demand, leading to a slightly higher hotel occupancy rate for 2010 of 55.8 percent, the report said.

That’s still seven percentage points below the long-term average for the industry of 62.8 percent occupancy.

While the decreases have resulted in lowered revenue for the hotel industry, they’ve been a boon for consumers looking for travel bargains, as hotels have slashed rates and offered deals in order to lure guests.

CruiseCritic site to provide live, interactive coverage of megaship Oasis first cruise

NEW YORK (AP) — If you’re curious about what it’s like aboard the world’s largest cruise ship, check out the live, interactive coverage that CruiseCritic.com will offer from Oasis of the Seas later this month.

Three staffers from the Web site, including its editor, Carolyn Spencer Brown, will be blogging, tweeting and answering questions from the public when Oasis makes its first U.S. sailing.

The short cruise to nowhere, designed to show the vessel off to travel agents and media, departs Port Everglades, Fla., Nov. 20 and returns Nov. 22. CruiseCritic.com’s online coverage will begin Nov. 19.

“We’re covering everything we can think of, morning, noon, night, and even the middle of the night,” Brown said. “We’ll be tweeting and putting up photos and videos. Whether you’ve been on a cruise or not, this ship is really special and we want people to get excited about it.”

Five times larger than the Titanic, the $1.5 billion ship from Royal Caribbean Cruises departed Oct. 30 for the U.S. from Finland, where it was built.

With 2,700 cabins, Oasis can accommodate 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew members. Staterooms include loft cabins with floor-to-ceiling windows and 1,600-square-foot luxury suites with balconies.

The ship has more amenities and activities than many land-based resorts and vacation destinations, including an ice rink, a small golf course, four swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts, a youth zone with theme parks, nurseries for children, a 750-seat outdoor amphitheater and an indoor theater that seats 1,300 guests.

Oasis also features seven “neighborhoods” — parks, squares and arenas with special themes, including a boardwalk area, a mini-Central Park and a tropical environment with palm trees and vines.

Nearly 40 percent larger than the industry’s next-biggest ship, Oasis was conceived years before the economic downturn caused desperate cruise lines to slash prices to fill vacant berths. Royal Caribbean is charging more for cruises on the Oasis than for ships with similar Caribbean itineraries, betting that the public will pay for the novelty.

Not everyone thinks megaships are a good idea. Legendary travel writer Arthur Frommer has railed against them, saying they diminish the travel experience and that they might as well never leave port. Others have criticized the big ships for flooding ports of call with thousands of people at once.

But Brown said that Oasis and other megaships are creating a younger audience for the cruise industry. “This is the ship of the future,” she said. “That’s what this is all about — it will appeal to a younger generation, and if you appeal to younger people, they’re going to come and cruise forever.”

She added that “we’re not recommending this as a ship for people who are older and want a quiet experience.” But she noted that the cruise industry offers many options for different types of travelers: “If you don’t like the big ships, pick a small one.”

You can follow CruiseCritic’s Oasis coverage — including a trivia quiz — at www.cruisecritic.com. Or check out Facebook.com/CruiseCritic or Twitter.com/CruiseCritic. Questions or comments can be sent to oasis(at)cruisecritic.com.

Outside magazine’s best ski resorts from Alaska to Vermont

NEW YORK (AP) — Outside magazine’s November issue scopes out the best ski resorts in North America, from Alaska to Vermont.

For the deepest snows, Outside lists Alta/Snowbird in Utah, Jackson Hole, Wyo., Alyeska Resort in Alaska and Silverton Mountain in Colorado.

For the apres-ski party scene, the magazine recommends Breckenridge in Colorado, Whistler-Blackcomb in British Columbia, Park City, Utah, and Aspen/Snowmass in Colorado.

For fresh powder without the crowds, Outside mentions Powder Mountain, Utah, Jay Peak in Vermont, Bridger Bowl in Montana, and Crested Butte in Colorado.

And on the magazine’s “editor’s choice/Best in Class” list were Revelstoke Mountain Resort in British Columbia, Steamboat in Colorado, Taos in New Mexico and Mammoth Mountain in California.

Lonely Planet offers new Vancouver guide in Encounter series

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A new guide to Vancouver is just out from Lonely Planet’s pocket-sized Encounter series.

The $15 paperback comes with a detachable map and a section on the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Among the area highlights described in the guide are Stanley Park, artsy Granville Island, Gastown bars, West Side beaches, the annual Bard on the Beach (Shakespeare) festival, and South Main Street’s (SoMa) hipster shops.

Other new titles out this fall in Lonely Planet’s Encounter series are “Washington,” ”Goa Beaches” and “Napa & Sonoma.”

The publisher has also just released an updated fourth edition of its guidebook to British Columbia and the Yukon Territory with sections on Vancouver, Vancouver Island and Whistler.

Adirondacks: Stargazing parties, holiday events

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — If the Adirondacks fall off of your vacation radar once summer ends and autumn’s foliage fades, you might be surprised to hear that hotels, lodges and attractions stay open year-round in places like Lake George, Saranac Lake and Lake Placid.

Stargazing is a popular activity in the region, thanks to clear night skies unaffected by city lights. The Adirondack Loj in Lake Placid is planning a Meteor Mania event starting at 10 p.m. Nov. 17, when experts are forecasting a meteor shower will take place. The Loj will also have a telescope available for viewing Jupiter.

On Nov. 28, Lake George will host a “Lite Up the Village” party with caroling, a visit from Santa and tree-lighting in Shepard Park. Melody Lodge in the village of Speculator hosts the Great Adirondack Snowdance Dec. 5 beginning at 5 p.m. with a bonfire, buffet, fireworks and family fun.

In Lake Placid, the Holiday Village Stroll takes place Dec. 11-13 with a free ice skating party at the Olympic Center, Santa’s arrival by fire truck, free classic holiday movies playing at the local theater, shopping promotions, strolling carolers and a tree-lighting. Several hotels are offering Village Stroll packages, including the High Peaks Resort, the Golden Arrow, The Pines Hotel and The Mirror Lake Inn. For skiers and snowboarders, Whiteface Mountain is tentatively scheduled to open Nov. 27.

Snowy Range Ski Area gearing up to open in Wyoming

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — The Snowy Range Ski Area is scheduled to open in late November this year.

The Medicine Bow National Forest announced that the downhill slopes 30 miles west of Laramie will open under the management of the First National Bank of Wyoming.

The bank took control of the ski area last year when its owners sunk too far into debt.

More than 20,000 people per year visit the ski area, which is located on Wyoming Highway 130 near the mountain town of Centennial.

The ski area is scheduled to open Nov. 28.

Grandfather Mountain in NC to be run by nonprofit

GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN, N.C. (AP) — A mainstay of western North Carolina tourism is making a transition from attraction to a portion of a foundation.

Grandfather Mountain has announced that the attraction famous for Mildred the Bear and the Mile High Swinging Bridge is now an arm of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation.

The park was originally a family-owned business. The late Hugh Morton opened it in 1952, and one of the most popular attractions was a black bear named Mildred who’d been adopted from a zoo. The park still has a wildlife habitat where visitors can see eight black bears.

The Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation is a nonprofit corporation established to preserve Grandfather Mountain, operate the nature park in the public interest, and participate in educational and research activities.

All proceeds from the sale of attraction tickets and souvenirs will be reinvested in the mission of the foundation.

Fans of VisitNH Facebook page get monthly tourism, travel discounts

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The New Hampshire tourism department has started offering special deals to fans of its Facebook page.

More than 1,500 people have registered as fans of the VisitNH page on Facebook since it was created in late July. Starting this month, they’ll be rewarded with travel and tourism discounts. The first deal is 50 percent off midweek accommodations at the Church Landing inn on Lake Winnipesaukee in Meredith.

The Division of Travel and Tourism Development has been using the page to post photos, videos and other information about the state.

Tourism downturn leads Bahamas resort to close

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — A Bahamian hotel operator has closed one of his resort properties as the recession slashes occupancy rates across the vast archipelago.

The 50-room Royal Palm Resort & Suites was closed in early November by hotelier Mario Donato, and guests with reservations were moved to the Xanadu Beach Resort & Marina on Grand Bahama Island, which Donato also owns, according to Xanadu spokeswoman Tiffany Anderson.

The closure comes as tourism struggles in the region.

Earlier this year, the Four Seasons Resort Great Exuma in the Bahamas and the Nikki Beach Resort & Spa in Turks and Caicos both closed down.