The Breakaway Travel Blog
The Ultimate Guide to Luxury Escapes with Breakaway
If you are enticed by the idea of activity with a touch of luxury, then Breakaway Adventures' 2011 collection of carefully crafted walking and cycling choices should be right up your street!
Here are our Top 10 favorites:
In the fashionable Swiss resort of Davos, Breakaway walkers stay at the elegant C19
Hotel Meierhof. Highlights include an indoor swimming pool and brand new wellness center (saunas, steam bath, whirlpool and mini gym) as well as exquisite cuisine, fine wines and complimentary wine tasting.
This scenic cycling holiday explores the sun-drenched, highly sophisticated northern Italian region of Piedmont. Here you'll stay in a fabulous
range of hotels, including a country house and a beautifully restored C19 family villa, complete with its own frescoed chapel. Gastronomic menus are included throughout.
Ever thought about exploring the Portuguese Beira - an outstandingly beautiful, and totally undiscovered, region of magnificent mountains, lush gorges, turquoise lakes and pretty white villages unchanged over the years? Our base for the week, the 24-room exclusive 4-star
Convento de Belmonte is pretty special too and offers sweeping valley views from the candle-lit dining room.
Staying in a fabulous collection of 4-star hotels throughout, this independent hotel-to-hotel walking tour explores Slovenia's stunning Triglav National Park, and the Julian Alps that border Italy and Austria. It's a postcard-pretty region of charming mountain villages, thundering waterfalls and meadows carpeted with orchids, narcissi and blue gentian. The final stretch takes you to beautiful Lake Bohinj - a great place to relax at the end of your week.
Nestled between the olive-studded trees and vineyards of south-west Tuscany, the luxurious
Agriturismo Acquaviva offers panoramic pool, tennis, exquisite cuisine and wine from its private vineyard. Many of the walks follow the ancient Etruscan pathways that link immaculately preserved medieval villages with fortified towns and ancient woodlands. The great art cities of Pisa and Siena are easy day trips.
Re-designed for summer 2011, this gentle 8-night bicycling tour explores Catalunya's beautiful unspoiled coast, taking in olive groves, citrus orchards, pretty villages and colorful fishing ports. Accommodation highlights include a turn-of-the-century beachfront hotel in Palamos and a C14 gothic castle now a gastronomic boutique hotel overlooking the Emporda plains.
This extremely popular cycling tour is a glorious mix of breathtaking cycling,
fantastic hotels - all with panoramic pools - unbeatable wines, and the option to visit the great art cities of Florence and Siena. It does sell out quickly, so early booking is strongly advised.
Surging from the Atlantic Ocean, Madeira is like a giant botanical garden with tropical flowers, plants and birds from all over the world. Breakaway guests stay for 7 nights at the luxurious 5-star
Quinta da Bela Vista, one of the most exclusive hotels on the island, offering heated swimming pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, tennis and established gardens. There are two fine dining restaurants, and a complimentary shuttle service (8 mins) is provided to and from Funchal.
Best known for its millionaire yachts and stunning Mediterranean coast, Sardinia's wild and beautiful interior is just as spectacular. This twin center walking week starts in the heart of the island's countryside, exploring the shepherds' huts, traditional villages and tranquil valleys, before heading down to the deserted white beaches of the Gulf of Orosei. Throughout you'll stay in 4-star hotels, with high comfort levels, and great regional cuisine.
New for 2011, this circular independent walking tour follows a clockwise loop around the spectacular Cap de Creus peninsula. Highlights include the white fishing village of El Port de la Selva, the chic and arty harbor of Cadaques, and the sun-kissed bay of Roses, perfect for gentle swimming. You'll also explore the largest protected nature reserve in the region,and the only one in Spain which incorporates a marine reserve.
Order our NEW 2011 brochures to find out more about our extensive range of walking and bicycling tours in Europe and beyond. Call us today on 1-800-567-6286 or visit our website at
Labels: bicycling tours, cycling tours, Europe, France, hiking in Spain, hiking vacations, travel Italy, Walking vacations
Request our new 2011 Europe Cycling and Walking Holidays brochure
We're pleased to offer a new independent inn to inn walking tour in Italy on the stunning
Cinque Terre coastline and Liguarian Riviera for 2011.
Arguably the finest hiking in Europe: dramatic stepped cliffs, terraced coastal paths and emerald seas. Where you'll stay is special too, each with its unique style and character: an elegant 1920's Liberty style villa in
Rapallo; a lovely family-run hotel in
Levanto (homemade cakes for breakfast in the flower garden!), and a converted C17 Franciscan convent, with panoramic dining terrace, in
Portovenere.
If cycling is your preference, the
Emilia Romagna region of Italy
beckons! Best know as the gastronomic capital of Italy -
parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar and
Parma ham all come from here - the pancake-flat country lanes makes this a perfect choice for families or first-time cyclists.
For something a little bit further afield, why not consider Syria - rich with the history of 5 spectacular UNESCO sites, including Damascus, Aleppo and
Palmyra. New for 2011, this fully
guided walking and sightseeing tour includes undemanding walks let by our expert local guide, whose passion and knowledge for his homeland brings history alive at every turn!
There's more on offer from a new guided walk in Valencia to cycling in Portugal. We can help you select a tour that fits perfectly with your ability and budget. Just give us a call or email!
Labels: August last minute travel Italy, biking tours, Cinque Terre, cycling tours, Europe, France, mountain hiking in Spain, Portugal, Spain walking tours, Syria
Vélo Paris!
20,600 Vélo (bikes) are now available on virtually every street corner of Paris for short term rental. Easy to use kiosks, with instructions in English, allow bikes to be taken and returned quickly. Now you can travel the streets of Paris like a local (just be sure to take your own helmet!).
Labels: bikes, France, Paris
Air France Makes the Skies More Friendly
Don’t put away that cell phone just yet on your next flight over France. You may soon be able to talk with friends and family or whomever you desire while flying the friendly skies. AirFrance, with partner OnAir, are launching a trial of inflight voice calls in what is the first full mobile phone service onboard a commercial aircraft.
The trial started several months ago, allowing passengers to send and receive unlimited SMS text messages and emails, including attachments. The company recently added to that the ability to make and receive up to six simultaneous calls. The service is activated above 3000 metres and is charged according to your phone company’s agreement.
Air France, founded in 1933, operates 1,700 daily flights with a fleet of 393 aircraft, including 134 regional aircraft operated by its subsidiaries Britair, CityJet and Régional.
Labels: air travel, France
Which Trip Suits Your “Taste”?
Food is a big part of many Breakaway Adventures trips from sidewalk cafes, to elegant sit-down meals to picnics overlooking beautiful views. But when sorting through all of our tours, many of which are centered around food and wine, which do you choose?
Those looking for the finest of the fine are a perfect fit for France. Our favorites include Brittany for seafood, the Lot and Dordogne for its rich, powerful menus -- foie gras, confit de canard and world-famous truffles -- and Provence where the air is heavy with the scent of wild herbs, garlic and lavender.
If home-cooked meals are a little more your style, consider Italy. Known for their straightforward menus relying on fresh, seasonal and local produce, Alto Mugello, Chianti, and Piedmont offer the most gastronomic options. You've also got some fantastic wines here, including full-bodied Barolo's, Barbaresco's and Dolcetto's.
If the meal is all about getting to know your fellow diners, try Spain, Greece, Turkey and North Africa, where mealtimes are very much a social occasion with many dishes served to share. You have tapas in Spain, mezze in Greece, and Turkey and fragrant tajines in Morroco with lots of choice for vegetarians too. And, wherever you visit in the Mediterranean, you'll come across wonderful outdoor markets selling sun-ripened fruits, colorful vegetables and pungent spices.
We’re certain with all these choices you can find just the right fit for your palate – the hardest part is choosing which to try first!
Labels: africa, food, France, italy, Spain, wine
Save on Your Next French Adventure
Dying to wander through the French countryside, but finding the price a bit too steep? We’ve got the answer. We’re offering 20% off the per person price on several of our walking tours to France.
The tours include:
- The eight-day Valleys & Volcanoes Walk in the Massif Central region of France, departing on May 18. This tour is based in the traditional mountain village of Les Estables and offers views of the Alps, Mont Blanc and Mont Ventoux.
- Our eight-day High Pyrenees Walk, near the Spanish border of France, departing on May 31. This independent tour is an ornithologist’s dream – you’ll see eagles, vultures and grand tetra set against a backdrop of high peaks, mountain streams and passes, lush meadows and picturesque villages.
Just think, you can put that extra money toward next year’s trip or save it to purchase some special mementos of your French getaway. Contact us now to book one of these money-saving adventures.
Labels: France, france walking
New Tours for '08
Planning your vacation for 2008? Now is the time! And we’ve got lots of new tours you can choose from.
New for this year include more than 20 tours from Africa to Portugal. We won’t go through them all (you can visit our Web site to see the complete list), but some of the highlights include:
- Back Roads of Provence Cycling – A self-guided cycling tour that takes you past the Gothic Popes’ Palace in Medieval Avignon, the Greco -Roman Arles, as well as forests, vineyards and olive groves.
- Wicklow Way (Ireland) – Stroll along the Wicklow Way, Ireland's oldest way marked trail that goes from Marlay Park in Dublin to Clonegal on the borders of Wicklow and Carlow, covering a distance of 127 kilometres.
- Hills of Hungary Walk – An independent walking tour through Baroque towns and past Ottoman ruins, castles, caverns and war graves with optional extra nights in Budapest.
Our new 2008 brochures are also available. If you’d like one, send us your information here and one will be on its way to you very soon.
Labels: France, Hungary, Ireland, New, tours
Lighting up Abroad
Gone are the days of enjoying a delicious croissant, cup of coffee and cigarette at sidewalk cafés in France. As of Jan. 1, cafes, restaurants and nightclubs joined a nationwide ban on smoking, just 11 months after smoking was banned in workplaces, schools, hospitals and shops throughout the country. Even though the country is trying to become more health conscious, it’s going to be a difficult habit to break for France’s estimated 13.5 million smokers. But with a hefty fine, 450 euros (about $645 dollars), the French will have to find a way to quit.
This ban comes six months after Great Britain decided to make its pubs smoke-free and four years after Ireland banned smoking in public spaces, the first to take such a stance in Europe.
Read the full
article.
Labels: France, Great Britain, smoking
