On a recent trip to three of my all-time favorite places I practiced yoga…everywhere. Normally my trips, whether for work or pleasure (this was both), are a departure from my normal routine. For sure travel is meant to be a break from the ordinary but why miss out on the extraordinary parts of the ordinary just because we’re on the road.

With this in mind I set out to maintain some of the same practices that help me feel happy and balanced when I’m at home in St. Paul, e.g., yoga, exercise, meditation and food. Yoga was the easiest of these to integrate into the jam-packed days of big-city travel and exploration. Waking up at 6 or 7 and going to bed at mid-night or later and in between meandering around these magnificent urban cathedrals, yoga is a great way to stay balanced while integrating so many new experiences.

In Barcelona, I practiced yoga in two studios – Yoga Studio Barcelona (www.yogastudio.es) and Happy Yoga (www.happyyoga.com) both located adjacent to the Placa Universitat about a five minute walk from Placa Catalunya. I would very much recommend both of these studios. For those of you who like vegetarian food, there is a simple but quite good vegan place called Veggie Garden at 3 Calle Dels Angels, very near both of these studios (try the great smoothies).

In Paris, Elite’s apartments are on the left bank in the St. Germain neighborhood so that is where I tend to spend most of my time. Oddly there seem to be more yoga studios in Barcelona than in Paris and there are more studios on the right bank in Paris, than near our homes on the left. Fortunately, I was introduced to a studio on the left bank Rasa Yoga (www.rasa-yogarivegauche.com), where we enjoyed a couple of different class types. By far my favorite was the Ashtanga class with Malena, a sexy Argentinian who glided as easily between English, Spanish, French and Sanskrit as she did across the floor of the yoga studio.

New York is home to my favorite yoga teacher, Sri Dharma Mittra; true spiritual teacher and gentle man. (www.dharmayogacenter.com). Dharma has been teaching yoga for over 40 years and I find this community to be welcoming warm and inspirational. Can’t say enough about what an amazing experience it is to visit and practice with this group of yogis!

Besides the yoga we enjoyed a rocking good time with our friends in Paris at the timeless Chez Castel, a private club so exclusive it doesn’t even have a website, facebook page or sign at the door. We also crashed the Paris marathon on Sunday morning for a few miles as well as David Lynch’s new club, Silencio. So the trip wasn’t all yoga, meditation and veggies!

Returning from my recent trip to Barcelona, Paris and New York City, I’m again struck by the unique opportunity to be inspired that travel offers us. Exposure to new ideas, people, perspectives, experiences are the reasons that those of us who love to take our journeys on the road just cant stop travelling.

For a lot of people, Steamboat Springs means skiing, hot chocolate, and winter fun. And in their defense, the skiing truly is fantastic – and kids ski for free! But for the select few that have had the privilege to experience the hot springs, that’s where the real magic is. The hot springs were actually what gave Steamboat Springs its name – before construction quieted the springs, they made noises like a steamboat coming down the river.

We really wanted to take advantage of the Hot Springs during our stay in Steamboat, and had two very different options to take try while we were there. The larger of the two springs is the Old Town Hot Springs in the Steamboat Springs Health and Recreation Center. Located in the heart of downtown, the facility is open to the public and features eight hot springs pools. This is a great kid-friendly option, with water slides, climbing features, and more of a “water-park” feel. There is also a locker room, snack bar and fitness center, which makes it easy to change and store all of your stuff.

My personal favorite, however, was the Strawberry Park Springs. About seven miles from downtown Steamboat, the Strawberry Park Springs are a little bit smaller, and significantly more rustic. I would recommend scheduling a massage during your time that you spend there – the hot springs will only enhance the benefits. Strawberry Park Springs seeks to place an emphasis on the beauty of the natural surroundings, and as a result there is limited heat and electricity on the property. If you plan to go at night, pack a flashlight! You won’t be able to enjoy the mountain scenery, but the stars are amazing.

Back in town, I was pleasantly surprised to discover the quality of the restaurants and service in Steamboat. Steamboat in general is an incredibly friendly place, but the quality of the staff was better then I have experienced anywhere else. We ate out most nights – some of our favorites included the Mahogany Ridge Brewery and Grille, Mazzola’s Italian Restaurant & Lounge and the Bistro CV. At the end of the day, it was a pleasure to return back to the Cimarron Chalet. The Chalet was the perfect place to enjoy family time- big enough that we were able to be close, without feeling crowded. And on top of that, the concierge staff and amenities made it feel like we were staying in a four-star hotel. After the experience – I can’t wait to go back!

If you’ve ever tried to go hunting for lobsters, you’ll quickly find that it isn’t as easy as reaching down and scooping them up. On my last trip to the Turks and Caicos, I was out snorkeling in the water behind our villa, and had discovered that there were tail lobsters hanging out after low tide. A number of years prior, on a trip to the Bahamas, I had learned from a local gentleman that the only way to catch lobsters was to hook them. If you aren’t careful, they will quickly bury themselves into whatever rock they were hanging out on, deep into a hole that may not be the smartest to stick your hand into.

I decided that I would quickly run into the house and make a hook from a coat hanger, some tape and a stick. When I got back, my hook (quickly made and poorly constructed) promptly fell apart in my effort to hook the lobsters. During all the commotion, I managed to disturb an octopus that had been lolling about near the lobster’s rock. Curious, I hooked the octopus and brought him in to take a better look. After examining the octopus, and releasing him back into the water, I swam away in pursuit of more lobsters when I felt something akin to a kidney punch slam into my side.

The octopus had returned! Octopuses are fairly aggressive by nature, and I had clearly managed to offend this one that was repeatedly ramming its head into my side. To avoid getting hit again, I reached out and grabbed the octopus at which point he promptly wrapped himself around my hand. Since I couldn’t dislodge him, I stood up (the water that I had been snorkeling in was only about waist deep) to better attempt to pry him off. At that point, my wife, who was standing around the corner, made her way over to see why I had been splashing around and making such a fuss. When she discovered the octopus on my arm, she quickly called our six other friends down to the dock.

Given the situation, I was more then inclined to fry the whole thing up for supper, but kinder hearts prevailed and the octopus (after inking me several times) was finally set free. Although he had lost a couple of tentacles, once he was back in the water he still made a show of indignantly zooming away from me in three fell swoops. At that point, since I had neither lobster nor octopus for my dinner, I went back inside to reinforce my hook. When I returned with the Cadillac edition of lobster hooks, my lobsters (probably scared by the octopus) had unfortunately, vanished.

Paris in the spring….I’d heard so much about it; in the movies, from friends…well you know. So when my job sent me to Paris I can admit my slightly introverted personality was a bit anxious about the trip. How would I get around, EUROS instead of dollars? – Hmmm, and what about the language barrier when I’m standing lost in the middle of the city!

Well from the moment we met the cab driver things were looking up. His English was excellent and he was so proud of his heritage as he told us all about Paris during the drive from the airport. Paris is LOVELY, from the consistency of the architect, to the beauty of the parks and the cleanliness of the city. The continuity of the cities ebb and flow relax you as you navigate your way through the city. You can walk for miles and never run out of old churches, statues, parks, museums and a never ending list of wonders.
 
There are a lot of stairs and a lot of walking, but then that gives validity to the enormous amounts of food you eat. Foods that are so outrageously rich you have no choice but to consume vast amounts and try as many as possible. Try the Loic Raison Cidier Breton – it is a delightful Cider Ale and ranks up there with the almond croissant from Gosselin Bakery, the Beef Bourgeon at a small side street cafe or the café crèmes at any of the many bistros.
 
The Arc de Triumph, Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum are everything and more than you’d expect. Landmarks unlike anything I’ve ever seen and are overwhelming in their design and beauty.
 
I’ll go back again soon – maybe with my daughter. I now understand why she threatened to move there when she studied abroad for three months.
 
Go to Paris!
 
Laurie Flum

Congratulations! Every year, FlipKey and Trip Advisor have the privilege of recognizing our leading vacation rental management clients – folks that go above and beyond within the vacation rental industry. This year, based on the wonderful reviews from your past views, we would like to recognize Elite Destination Homes as one of those excellent companies.

We are very proud to have such high quality vacation rental management companies represented on FlipKey and TripAdvisor. As a token of our appreciation, we would like to present Elite Destination Homes with this TripAdvisor ‘Rated Excellent’ award.

We welcome you to proudly display this award in your office. We know you are committed to providing outstanding service to your guests – and that’s something we think everyone should know!

It’s been a pleasure having the opportunity to highlight your great rentals and excellent guest services on both FlipKey and TripAdvisor. I look forward to continuing to help educate travelers about your great service and bring more bookings to your rental properties.

Congratulations and thank you for using FlipKey.

David Kornblith

Myself and 6 others rented the space for a 2 night and 3 day retreat for Sonoma State Summer Orientation. As we were driving up to the estate we weren’t sure what to expect. We saw lots of country, some farm animals, and some beat up property. Once we actually reached the estate we were wowed. Our jaws literally dropped. We were met by two lovely ladies who gave us a grand tour and explained everything. Needless to say, the place was gorgeous. 5 Queen beds, massive, kitchen, huge rooms, wrap around porch, washer, dryer, heat lamps, and some area to get outdoors and explore. It was more then was expected and was a pleasant surprise. The location allowed for my group to truly bond and do it comfortably. I can not recommend this place enough and we are highly considering using the estate again for our next summer retreat. Just do it. You won’t regret it.

Adam B., TripAdvisor Review

We hope to get back in the near future. Great family vacation for our family. First time to go west instead of east, really nice.

- W.T., TripAdvisor Review

I really can’t say one negative thing about our stay. Everything went smooth – from the time that we first communicated our interest in staying at Palmilla to the time we got to the airport to go home. I would definitely recommend this to a friend and would stay here again!

- Ashley, TripAdvisor Review