Carole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog, page 81

Things to Do: The Make House, Portland, Oregon

The Make House  1732 NE Alberta St., (503) 754-1892.  This little house has been converted into a common work space for artists and designers.  The “living room” is a shop displaying and selling their wares, and the “dining room” holds an amazing vintage silk-screen machine that is used to print on paper and fabric. 

Things to Do: The Grotto, Portland, Oregon

The Grotto  8840 NE Skidmore St. (at NE 85th Ave./Sandy Blvd.), 6 mi. E of downtown, (503) 254-7371.  Daily 9am-6:30pm, to 8:30pm in summer.  Free; elevator:  $4, 65+ $3, 6-11 $2.50.  This Catholic shrine is set amid a 62-acre botanical garden.  It is a place of peace and solitude for all religions.  The outdoor main altar and cave--services are held here daily--are on the entrance level with a visitor center, gift shop, and trail leading past the Stations of the Cross.  On the upper level reachable only by an elevator, the cliff-top Meditation Chapel provides a panoramic view of the Columbia River Valley, the Cascades, and Mount St. Helens and has comfortable seating for rest and reflection.  Also on that level are manicured gardens, religious artwork, a labyrinth, and the Servite Monastery (not open to the public).



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image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: Ah Cacao, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Ah Cacao  5th Ave./Constituyentes, 984 803 5748.  Daily 7:15am-11:30pm.  Reputed to be the best coffeehouse in town, this is where chocoholics come for goodies prepared from the best chocolate, vanilla, and coffee.  Rich, spicy 70% Mexican chocolate is offered in pastries, ice cream, and drinks.  Try the popular dairy-free, spicy Chocolate Maya--the chocolate equivalent of espresso--or an exquisite soft brownie.  Seating includes an open-air patio and a cool little glass box in the back with a.c. and jazz. 



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image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Things to Do: Xcaret, near Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Xcaret (pronounced “ISH-kah-RET”)  Puerto Juarez Hwy., 3 mi. S of Playa, 984-206-0038.  Tours .   Free parking.  This eco-archeological park displays sea life as well as scale models of the area’s major ruins.  You can see local wildlife up close, snorkel and swim in a manmade lagoon and underground river, and sunbathe on a child-friendly shallow beach.  Swimming with dolphins or sharks is available at additional charge.  The park also has a botanical garden, a mushroom garden filled with pods that bring to mind those seen in the film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” a butterfly enclosure, a Maya museum, and a replica Maya village.  Inside Hacienda Henequenera, a folk art museum is set up as if a family is living there.  Food is good, especially at the buffets.  The evening folklore show in the Grand Tlachco Teather is very well done and includes a Maya ball game (called pok-ta-pok); dining while watching is an option.  Vino de México Wine Cellar promotes the culture and history of Mexican wine.  Here you can taste wines from the first winery in Mexico, which is also the oldest in America.  (Mexico had the first winery in the New World, in Baja California—Casa Madero, opened in 1597.  There are 87 wineries in Baja, and 3 wineries in Guanajuato.)



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images c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Great Sleeps: Blue Diamond Riviera Maya, near Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Blue Diamond Riviera Maya  Km. 298.8 Carretera #307, 10 min. N of Playa, 984-206-4100. 128 suites + 5 beachfront casitas; 2 stories.  Minimum stay 5 nights.  Adults only.  All-inclusive.  all-adult, all-suites.  This 36-acre hideaway features a white sandy beach and is surrounded by lush tropical jungle.  First up on the long side lane from highway to sea is the gigantic open-air reception palapa--which just might be the world’s largest and, with its expansive polished marble floors, certainly is one of its most beautiful.  Then comes the spa, a cenote, and the room complexes--each with a unique courtyard.  Finally come a few lagoon units and Ambar restaurant, the oceanfront units, a pool, the beach, and two more restaurants.  Golf carts act as taxis.  One of the all-inclusive amenities at this tranquil boutique property is world-wide free calls!  The spectacularly beautiful and spacious spa is constructed with typical local white limestone blocks throughout and features the latest fitness machines (in fact, the Yucatecan limestone and zapote wood used throughout the property are the same materials the Mayas used to build their temples).  Treatments are a mix of Maya and Asian, and all guests get a complimentary temazcal experience.  Sedate Ambar restaurant features haute cuisine and a spectacular namesake chandelier made with giant slices of local amber.  Slightly livelier Aquamarina has a lovely water view and sometimes mariachis sing at lunch.  Special dinners are prepared for French, Italian, and Lebanese nights, and sometimes a cook-out occurs on the beach with shrimp and lobster.  Rooms are large and luxurious, with marble bathrooms accented by tiny iridescent tiles and with glass-enclosed his/hers Swiss showers with sunflower heads looking out to the jungle.  Call a butler to fill the room’s exterior plunge pool (though the water can be quite cold).  The walk-in closet has its own air circulation system so that your clothes stay dry in the moist air.  Top-of-the-line casitas have private beach access and rooftop infinity pools.  This was formerly the Mandarin Oriental. 







More things to do in the Riviera Maya.



image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Great Sleeps: Blue Diamond Riviera Maya, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Blue Diamond Riviera Maya  Km. 298.8 Carretera #307, 10 min. N of Playa, 984-206-4100. 128 suites + 5 beachfront casitas; 2 stories.  Minimum stay 5 nights.  Adults only.  All-inclusive.  all-adult, all-suites.  This 36-acre hideaway features a white sandy beach and is surrounded by lush tropical jungle.  First up on the long side lane from highway to sea is the gigantic open-air reception palapa--which just might be the world’s largest and, with its expansive polished marble floors, certainly is one of its most beautiful.  Then comes the spa, a cenote, and the room complexes--each with a unique courtyard.  Finally come a few lagoon units and Ambar restaurant, the oceanfront units, a pool, the beach, and two more restaurants.  Golf carts act as taxis.  One of the all-inclusive amenities at this tranquil boutique property is world-wide free calls!  The spectacularly beautiful and spacious spa is constructed with typical local white limestone blocks throughout and features the latest fitness machines (in fact, the Yucatecan limestone and zapote wood used throughout the property are the same materials the Mayas used to build their temples).  Treatments are a mix of Maya and Asian, and all guests get a complimentary temazcal experience.  Sedate Ambar restaurant features haute cuisine and a spectacular namesake chandelier made with giant slices of local amber.  Slightly livelier Aquamarina has a lovely water view and sometimes mariachis sing at lunch.  Special dinners are prepared for French, Italian, and Lebanese nights, and sometimes a cook-out occurs on the beach with shrimp and lobster.  Rooms are large and luxurious, with marble bathrooms accented by tiny iridescent tiles and with glass-enclosed his/hers Swiss showers with sunflower heads looking out to the jungle.  Call a butler to fill the room’s exterior plunge pool (though the water can be quite cold).  The walk-in closet has its own air circulation system so that your clothes stay dry in the moist air.  Top-of-the-line casitas have private beach access and rooftop infinity pools.  This was formerly the Mandarin Oriental. 







More things to do in the Riviera Maya.



image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Great Sleeps: Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, Bellagio, Lake Como, Italy

Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni.  95 rooms.  Built originally as a palatial private villa in 1830, this spectacular property was converted to a hotel in 1872.  It has been owned and operated by one of the oldest hotel families in Europe since 1916.  My family had a magnificent corner room with three windows overlooking the lake.  Waking up each day was like opening a new gift as the color and feeling of the three-window view changed.  My teenage daughter was set up on a comfortable cot in a private dressing alcove, closed from the main room by a thick door.  Sheets were real linen (wonderful in a warm climate), ceilings were very tall, and nights were blissfully quiet.  All this plus suede-lined elevators and a divine breakfast room, too! 



images c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Sights to See: Zion National Park, Utah

Zion National Park  62 miles S of Cedar City, (435) 772-3256.  $25/car/7 days.  The landscape leading into Zion is filled with mesas and buttes.  At the south entrance, where most people enter, a visitor center provides orientation.  An efficient free shuttle runs over the park’s famous red roads from April through October (when parking restrictions are in effect), providing a 6-mile scenic ride along its deep canyon floor as well as access to trailheads.  Located at the intersection of three separate ecosystems, this stunning park has more than 900 plant species (some are unique to the park).  Famous formations include The Watchman, a 2,400-foot-high monolith standing guard at the south entrance, The Great White Throne, and the hanging gardens of Weeping Rock grotto.  At the end of the road at the Temple of Sinawava, many people stop to frolic in the shallow river or to hike Riverside Walk--an easy paved path that leads deeper into the canyon and features nearly 2,000-foot-high canyon walls on both sides.  A path beyond the end of this trail leads to the Narrows of the Virgin River, a gorge that is 16 miles long and up to 2,000 feet deep and sometimes only 20-30 feet wide; hiking it is a major adventure (flash floods are a concern, so fall is the best time to experience it). 



See a live webcam focused on Zion.  



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image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Great Sleeps: Red Mountain Resort, Ivins, Utah

Red Mountain Resort  1275 E. Red Mountain Circle, in Ivins (near St. George), (877) 246-4453, (435) 673-4905.  82 rooms, 48 villa suites; up to 210 guests.  1 indoor pool, 1 outdoor pool; 3 hot tubs.  3 meals/day included.  Pets ok.  $230+/person/night (no minimum); no surcharge for singles; high season is Sept-Nov.  This highly rated spa resort is set on 55 acres abutting a beautiful red-rock canyon.  The modern terra cotta-colored, pueblo-inspired compound consists of low-rise buildings that blend in nicely.  Everything you need to relax, renew, and rediscover your passion for adventure awaits.  Morning hikes through the surrounding crimson rocks and in nearby Snow Mountain State Park lure hikers of all levels.  I took one hike along Anasazi Ridge to see an impressive group of petroglyphs,



image and video c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers



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and another one that led to a reputed vortex where we laid down our yoga mats on a warm flat rock and meditated to the sound of a flute being played by our multi-talented guide.  Healthful cuisine reflects a focus on fitness, and the well-prepared meals are presented with an artful eye.  A staff member says, “We don’t advocate deprivation.  Individuals should be empowered to make their own choices.”  A nutrition key to calories is provided for each item along with information regarding which is gluten free, dairy free, kosher, vegetarian, or vegan and more.  Lunch and breakfast are self-serve, while dinner is selected from a menu.  Fresh fruit and both hot and cold drinks are always available between scheduled meals.  Rooms are simple but comfortable, each with a deep soaking tub; more expensive villas are also more spacious and luxurious.  Sagestone Spa operates within a geodesic dome and offers a menu of health and beauty treatments as well as some mineral cures (many incorporate native therapies and indigenous plants unique to southern Utah).  Separate men's and women's areas have saunas, steam rooms and lounges.  An assortment of yoga, fitness, and personal discovery classes are scheduled throughout the day in a Wellness Center, and personal trainers are at the ready to create custom workouts.  Many activities are included in the basic price, while others are additional.  A large spiral labyrinth is spectacular to walk at dusk.  Trips to the nearby national parks and monuments—Zion, Bryce Canyon--can be arranged, and golf, tennis, and stables are nearby.   Bike rentals are available, and addictive hammocks are scattered throughout the grounds.  Guests do become very fond of the property, and many return annually. 

Great Sleeps, Good Eats, & Sights to See: Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Bryce Canyon National Park  79 miles E of Cedar City, (435) 834-5322.  $25/car/good for 7 days.  Not a true canyon, Bryce is actually a series of ravines carved from limestone with red rock spires--known as hoodoos--left behind.  The Fairyland Overlook, located just outside the park entrance, is one of the best viewing spots.  Thor’s Hammer--the park’s tallest hoodoo--is best viewed from Sunset Point and can be seen up close by hiking a short way down the steep, echoing Navajo Loop Trail.  There are many more spectacular view points at the top, and many more trails that wind down into the dramatic canyon leading through the multicolored rock formations.  Shuttles are available.  An elevation of around 8,000 feet and lack of city lights makes Bryce famous for good star-gazing. 



●The Lodge at Bryce Canyon  (877) 386-4383, (435) 834-8700.  114 rooms.  Open Apr-Oct.  Restaurant (B-L-D; $$).  Built in the 1920s by Gilbert Stanley Underwood--the same architect who designed Yosemite’s Ahwahnee Lodge and Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Lodge--this atmospheric  park lodge is furnished with replicas of its original hickory-wood pieces.   A row of rocking chairs on the long front porch invite resting.  Rooms are in two-story motel-style buildings and in cabins.  The lodge dining room has a rustic-yet-refined dining room, in the style of the 1930s, and serves a tasty menu.  When I ate there recently I dined on a strawberry and greens salad with goat cheese, beef short ribs braised for 6 hours in chipotle barbecue sauce, and a gorgeous fresh fruit tart with cream Anglaise.



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images c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers