Jaunted - Tag: Islands

Waiheke: Stepping Out of Auckland and Into the Wines of Waiheke Island

EricRosen — 2011-01-10T14:21:14-05:00

All this week, Special Jaunted Correspondent Eric Rosen takes us on a whirlwind field trip to New Zealand’s Other Wine Regions. Sure, now that it’s summer down there they might be sipping on those tropical, grassy Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc’s we’re all familiar with. But as he finds out, there's much more and most if it is within an hour of New Zealand’s major cities.

New Zealand only makes about 0.5% of the world’s wines, about half of which is exported, and the majority of that is from Marlborough. No wonder we don’t know much about New Zealand wines in the U.S., so we set out to get a little education. Our first stop was just a forty-minute ferry ride from Auckland: Waiheke Island. Long a hippie hideout in the ’60’s and ’70’s, idyllic Waiheke is now one of New Zealand’s premier wine regions with 17 boutique wineries scattered across its 93 square miles, a gourmet destination with beautiful beaches, and a weekend getaway for Auckland’s affluent set.

Our Map of Airports Around the World with Free WiFi: Caribbean Edition

JetSetCD — 2010-05-19T09:30:39-05:00

With summer travel plans fully in swing and perhaps many taking advantage of low season deals in Caribbean, we're again looking at those airports leading the way by offering Free WiFi.

If you haven't checked out our comprehensive and ever-updating Airport WiFi Map, you totally should! Thanks to tips from readers and our own traveling, we're constantly adding new airports with internet, and today we've happily got 10 Caribbean additions for it! We should have over one hundred total already, all around the world.

Check out what Caribbean airports give it away for free, after the jump!

Punta Cana: Some of the Best Caribbean Plane Spotting is in Mikhail Baryshnikov's Backyard

JetSetCD — 2010-05-13T17:20:29-05:00

Typically when you talk about going plane spotting, it usually involves some stealth tactics like parking far away or camping out on a barren hillside for the perfect picture. Never do you dream that plane spotting could instead involve chilling beneath a palm tree, with a Cinnabon in hand, but it does if you're hanging out at Punta Cana International Airport in the Dominican Republic.

Since the majority of the airport is open-air and thatched-roof, you have a view of the tarmac from almost every angle, but no better place than at the outdoor viewing area. It's a quick walk away from the food court (with its Wendy's, Cinnabon, Nathan's Famous and other more local chains), but it's close enough to the gates so that you can stand out there almost the whole time before your flight without missing the boarding announcements.

So how does Baryshnikov enter the pictures? Find out after the jump!

A Beach, A Banana, And A Flight From Britain: Plane Spotting In St. Lucia

JetSetCD — 2009-11-05T17:44:22-05:00

Seeing as how it's been a little bit since last we focused on the lovely pastime of plane spotting, we decided to turn our recent Saint Lucia island experience into some useful (not to mention scenic) plane spotting advice for when you too are on the island.

Whether you're heading down on the new Jetblue flight from New York-JFK like we did, or coming all the way from London-Gatwick on the direct Virgin Atlantic flight, you'll want to get a load of the air traffic that sporadically makes its way into St. Lucia's Hewanorra airport at the very southernmost tip of the island, and here's how...

Santo Domingo: Russian Barbers Agree: The Dominican Republic is the Place to Go This Year

Victor Ozols — 2009-09-19T11:40:49-05:00

I got my hair cut this morning at a barber shop on Union Avenue in Brooklyn called Model Barbers, where Jack and Oksana work. I like going there, because I can practice my feeble Russian on them and they always correct my mispronunciations and grammatical errors. Jack and Oksana are from Uzbekistan, but they refer to the whole former Soviet Union as Russia and personally identify as Russians. No matter what bad thing happens in America, they'll remind you that things are worse in Russia. As I sit in the chair, they banter with each other in rapid-fire Russian, and I can only pick out a few odd words: rabota (work), kanyeshna (certainly), zhopa (ass).

Ischia: A Little Liquor In Your Espresso Is The Italian Way In Ischia

JetSetCD — 2009-07-22T16:44:22-05:00

Last we left off with our Summer SIgnature Cocktails Map, we were divulging our secret Venice watering hole. Well, from the north of Italy to the sunny southern coasts, this time we travel in search of good drink on the island of Ischia, a far better alternative to visiting tourist-infested Capri.

Here is a huge tip for summer Italy travel: if you're in the cities and noticing that many business are completely closed and tourist sites have more restricted hours than normal, it's because most of the month of August and some of early September is the Ferragosto, a nearly month-long vacation which causes Italians to skip town for their islands and beaches. And if it's Ferragosto, then they're indulging in the usual morning coffee, but with a special little addition of a shot of the strong liquor Grappa.

Honolulu: A New Island Off Waikiki Beach Hopes To Lure Us Out To Sea

kjb — 2009-07-01T09:22:20-05:00

If you somehow get tired of all the natural beauty that Hawaii has to offer, there’s soon going to be a new fake paradise for visitors to check out. A company called KanDoo is almost finished creating their own artificial island about 200 yards off Waikiki Beach.

KanDoo Island is really just a humongous catamaran that will serve as a water sports entertainment paradise for visitors and locals alike. The 98-ton boat will offer snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing lessons, and even jet ski trips off its “shoreline.” After a long day on and in the water, come back to the catamaran for some evening entertainment. There will be live music, nightclubs, and probably a fair share of Mai Tais. The company’s CEO wants KanDoo to be a 24/7 destination, but we’re a little skeptical that people will be swarming the place throughout the night.