For the past two decades, Niseko Village, a ski resort on Japan s northern-most island of Hokkaido, has been dominated by powder pilgrims happy to forgo off-slope luxuries for adrenaline-spiking runs and endless backcountry options. However, a whirl of activity, including the opening of the Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono in December and the launch of Eleven Experience itineraries in 2019, suggests that change is in the air. Especially promising for broadening the resort s appeal with international travelers is the new Higashiyama Niseko Village, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, which began welcoming guests late last year. Located at the foot of Mount Niseko Annupuri, with views of Mount Yotei, the hotel has made getting to the slopes easier by letting guests rent gear, book lessons, and buy lift passes in the lobby as well as giving them priority access to the high-speed gondola that leads to 70 runs and 2,191 acres of skiable terrain. But the property also encourages clicking out of your binding
Deep Snow at Deplar Farm From Deplar Farm. A truck appears from underneath the snow cover. Photo/Þorsteinn Guðmundsson Vala Hafstað “We have a lot of snow, but the old men say we haven’t seen any snow yet,” Þorsteinn Guðmundsson tells Morgunblaðið . He works for Eleven Experience, the company that operates the Deplar Farm luxury hotel in Fljót, Skagafjörður, North Iceland. Þorsteinn Guðmundsson. Þorsteinn was busy clearing snow from the buildings and equipment on Tuesday. The company owns the farmland Stóra-Brekka, where snowmobiles, four-wheelers and buggy cars are stored. The snow in that area was quite deep.
My New Orleans
01/21/2021
You met at the bike shop. Not the most romantic place for love at first site, but you adored the way she’d gotten the grease from her bike chain incongruously on her upper lip as if she had a moustache. She liked how your muscular quads looked in bike shorts. (She didn’t tell you that right away, but later when it mattered.) Naturally, your first date was a bike ride. Once you decided to get married, you had no doubt that a bucket list vacation on two wheels would be the plan. Then, the pandemic hit, and you trained at home on your Peloton. No offence to the trend but pedaling indoors didn’t quite measure up. Besides, you wanted to ride together. Luckily, a slew of companies and resorts understand your yearnings. They’re offering safe options for bike-loving couples to honeymoon worthy destinations. Here are a few
How the super-rich will holiday in 2021
From an audience with the Pope to whale tagging in Norway, the ultra-wealthy are busy planning their next escape
1 January 2021 • 7:00am
Explore the Solomon Islands in 2021
Credit: David Kirkland
While there’s been much talk of travel bucket lists since Covid hit this year, it’s hard to imagine this really applying to the seriously wealthy. But given the on-off legality of travelling for everyone since March, even those with limitless budgets are now bursting to get away and let’s face it – we’re pretty much all craving the same thing: a hassle-free holiday that feels private, restorative, exciting and as Covid-free as it’s possible to be.