Travel Apps :: Conde Nast Gold List

[trip style = luxury] Need some golden inspiration for your next trip? Conde Nast Traveler readers have chosen their best of the best hotels, resorts and cruise lines from around the world, resulting in the Gold List, and now you get to benefit from their top picks. No searching for hours on the web to find that perfect destination, it's all bundled nicely in an app! Not only can you target a specific country, browse and book Gold List hotels, but you can also build your trip based on your preferences or 'spin the globe' and see where the wind takes you.

Gold List hotels close to home Vancouver - Wedgewood Hotel & Spa, Fairmont Waterfront and Fairmont Airport Whistler - Four Seasons, Fairmont, Westin and Pan Pacific Village Centre Tofino - Wickaninnish Inn and Long Beach Lodge Victoria - Fairmont Empress

Details

• Free
• Available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad; doesn't appear to be built for Blackberry or Android

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Other Travel Apps we’ve Reviewed

• Take a Panorama
• Frommer's Travel Tools
• TripCase
• FlightAware
• Kayak
• SkyMall
• OnTheFly
• Photoshop Express Mobile
• Happy Hour Apps
• Fairmont Hotels & Resorts App
• Disneyland Apps
• Ultraviolet Rays
• Wine Touring in BC
• Air Canada
• BC Ferries Tracker
• 6 Free Camping Apps
• Epicurious
• BorderWait
• OpenWays
• TripIt
• Trip Advisor
• StayHIP
• Trip Journal
• Bug Spray
• CameraBag
• Convert Everything
• GateGuru
• Kindle for iPhone
• Packing Pro
• Skype
• World Fact Book
• AAA/CAA Savings
• Royal Caribbean
• Medical Concierge
• Near Me BC
• Postman Postcard
• 2010 Guide
• Nat’l Geo World Atlas
• hostelworld.com
• kayak first class
• flight control (game)

Africa Month :: Safari

[trip style = active & adventure]

{Editor's Note: Today is the last installment of my trip style = active & adventure getting to, glamping and going on safari in the Masai Mara. If you ever have/take the opportunity to do a safari, it's awe-inspiring and other-worldly.}

Just landing on a dirt runway that had just been cleared from herds hanging' below in Kenya's Masai Mara was momentous enough, not to mention a five-day adventure roaming sun-soaked plains, getting up close and personal with lions and watching hundreds of wildebeest and zebra race across the Mara river.

Visiting in the fall is bliss; it's just before rainy season and during the great migration when thousands of animals journey up from the Serengeti. Here's a taste of my million-times-better-than-a-zoo experience in the Masai Mara.

A Kenyan Safari {We didn't see any lions or cheetahs on our first game drive, but we did have the opportunity marvel at this orangy, just-before-sunset, shadow-effect on our Land Rover!}

{Just a regular morning in the Masai Mara... This picture is taken standing a few feet away from the rhinos---beside guards with large guns. The guards were charged with protecting the last 6 rhinos in the region. Apparently their tusks go for $100,000 on the Asian black market. Very sad.}

{Yes, I did get this close and it was ba-na-nas!}

{Love how baboon babies hang on to their moms.}

{Giraffe: towering over trees.}

{It takes two to tango.}

{Last giraffe picture, I promise, they are just so elegant and stylish, aptly sporting this season's hot camel colour.}

{Male and female zebra with not-that-big (for the region) termite mounds in the background.}

{Apparently the yoga trend has caught on in the Mara too...}

{Don't get in the way of a lion couple's lazy Sunday afternoon and their dinner. Did you know the lionesses do most of the work and the lions just sit back and wait for their dinner to be served? Reminds me of Leave it to Beaver re-runs.}

{A lioness at her best.}

{The king, on his way to a royal meeting.}

{The dainty, yet viciously powerful (male) ostridge.}

{Momma and baby elephants.}

{Words can't describe...}

{Cape Buffalo: one of 'the big 5.' This picture looks like it belongs on a 'cheer up' greeting card.}

{The Mara's version of the fast and the furious: the cheetah.}

{After waiting two hours for the timid wildebeest and zebra to cross the Mara river, the frantic crossing took place. Did I mention that large, snap-happy crocs were lying in wait, monitoring just the right moment to create a raucous? Thank goodness there was only one casualty of war... }

{Here's a better picture (that I didn't take) showing the migration scene at the crossing.}

{Heading back to the lodge...}

{A picturesque end to our safari adventure. I got goosebumps the night I saw this sunset, and still do every time I look at this picture.}

{With our Safari guides Moses and Moses, ending our search for the Big 5 (lions, cape buffalo, leopards, rhinos and elephants). Leopards, who spend a lot of time in trees, are hard to spot. We didn't see one. Oh well, as if I needed an excuse to go on safari again!}

Safari Tips

• Off-roading in a Land Rover (or like vehicle) on the uneven ground can be a semi-rough ride. An old lady I met brought a pillow with her to lessen the impact on her behind! Also, I get motion sick on any moving thing including chair lifts, yet didn't get sick despite the bumps.
• Bring a hat and sunscreen.
• There's a reason why safari-wear is khaki: it's dusty and the light colour is good at warding off the mid-day heat.
• Bring warm clothes, it can be chilly in the early morning or late afternoon when there's no sun.
• Bring a good camera, we only brought a point-and-shoot Sony digi cam and I wish we could rewind and go back with a better camera.
• All lodges offer similar game drive packages, make sure you go on an all-day game drive---a highlight in terms of seeing more territory and animals.

Related Content Africa Month :: Glamping Africa Month :: Jambo

[images by @tripstyler & @nate_fri]

Travel Trappings :: Lux Travel

[trip style = luxury]

Each of these luxury travel trappings is practical, and surprisingly, some are even affordable. Jet set in style with everything from a suitcase scooter to a monogramed iPad case...

Luxury Travel Gear Suitcase Scooter Some might argue this scooting suitcase is over the top, others may think it's the perfect remedy for walkingscooting through lengthy airport corridors after a 14-hour flight, either way, it's on the market (but having trouble keeping up with demand). You can thank Samsonite for this suitcase-come-scooter with integrated running board, handlebars and wheels.

Leather Travel Kit Although this toiletries case is a little Clint Eastwood-y, it's one of nicest rugged-meets-luxury cases I've ever seen. Adding to the whole Western appeal, it's hand-made in Wisconsin by Kenton Sorenson Leather.

Woodsy Headphones These noise-canceling headphones take it to the next level. You'll be the talk of the cabin in first class---forgive me, but I'm assuming that if you're rocking these almost $3,000 musical earmuffs, you're not sitting in economy. Don't worry, the price is worth it with Ethiopian sheepskin leather ear cup pads, bullet-proof cables and a bunch of other impressive features. 007 might be a bit jealous.

Fancy iPad Case No luxury travel gear post would be complete without mentioning something Louis Vuitton-related. Although I'd rather a vintage LV trunk, these high-end leather graphite canvas cases will ensure that even your iPad will be decked-out in LV's monograms.

See you in first class.

Africa Month :: Glamping

[trip style = glamping + safari]

{Editor's Note :: Every Friday this month, I'm featuring a different element of my trip to the Masai Mara. Last week: Getting There. Next week: Safari Time!}

The Baboon That Couldn't My face-off with a baboon only made my stay in a villa-like canvas tent more authentic...

As I was hurriedly getting ready to leave for the afternoon safari drive, I left the front zipper of my tent open. This is not a huge deal seeing as the grounds were safe and mostly secure, but that particular day a baboon decided it wanted to live in the lap of luxury too. I don't blame him (at least I think it was a 'he'), glamping is an experience.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw him fast approaching the opening in the front of my tent, and in a feat gymnastic prowess I don't normally posses, I launched myself toward the zipper and lowered it in one fell swoop. With my heart pumping and knees bruised, the baboon and I stared each other down through the tent's heavy mesh windows.

I'm not sure what would have occurred if the baboon and I had shared the canvas quarters, but I'm glad the encounter was not intimate.

Glamping In The Masai Mara {After cleaning our faces and hands with the cool towels and sipping fresh mango juice, we checked into our glamping experience by way of the lodge, pictured above.}

{Loved the lodge's rustic-meets-high-end African decor.}

{A close-up of the artwork lining the wall in the last picture.}

{Walking past the lodge's pool to get to our tent.}

{My kind of tenting!}

{View to river below from our tent's deck.}

{Neighbors lurking below our tent. I wasn't aware that hippos are funny animals, but they are hilarious. They create a symphony of grunting, snorting and whistling noises to the point where you'd burst out laughing. At night the noise didn't stop. Ear plugs came in handy once you'd had enough comic relief...}

{The sitting area inside.}

{Apparently I was really excited about glamping. The bathroom and dressing area are through the hanging beads on either side of the bed.}

{The tent's bathroom and dressing quarters.}

{About to go into dinner in the lodge.}

[images by @tripstyler & @nate_fri]

Go Long...

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It's Wednesday. You've been busy and haven't planned anything for the Labour Day Long Weekend because you: a) haven't had time b) couldn't be bothered c) think it's too expensive to go anywhere. It just so happens I can help you with all three excuses, unless you want to stay home! Here are some high/low long weekend getaways designed to get you outta town!

Long Weekend Getaways Pitch A Tent [trip style = camping] Keener campers have already reserved their campsites for the long weekend, BUT, one of my fave Vancouver Island locations, Rathtrevor Beach, still has sites available. This gorgeous beach is just below an incredible Spa (The Grotto at Tigh-Na-Mara Resort) if you want to take time away from your Coleman Cooker to relax in their large mineral pool, stand under their cold-plunge waterfall or soothe your muscles in the hot tub! PS - If you go camping, check out our 6 hand-picked free camping apps

Shop 'Till You Drop [trip style = urban] The Westin Bellevue is offering a special package for lovers of the mall and back to school shopping. Check into the hotel this friday or saturday night and get a $100 Bellevue Collection gift certificate per night and complimentary parking. Wowza!

Let Kayak Decide [trip style = spontaneous] I did a post on Kayak Explore a few months ago, and can't think of a better service to help you decide where to go for the long weekend! Just enter a few details like budget and when you want to go, and the map-based service will show you where you can fly, and for how much!

Circle Of Life [trip style = eco] Who knew a little beach community on Vancouver Island would have hanging spheres as an off-beat accommodation? It doesn't get more West Coast than this: three wood and fiberglass orbs suspended by ropes from rainforest evergreens. When it's time to descend into reality, heated washrooms and showers, a kitchenette and a small sauna await you.

Glamp It Up! [trip style = glamping] If money is no object, experience the great outdoors in style at the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort. All inclusive 3-night packages from $4,750.00 CAD include return airfare from Vancouver to the Resort, deluxe accommodation, all meals, snacks and beverages {including alcohol}, massage treatments and guided activities including fishing. PS - don't let the canvas tent-facade fool you, this remote resort has not deterred this famous couple from making the trek deep into BC's gorgeous landscape!

Planning Ahead [trip style = wine tasting] If you can't get away this weekend, why not plan ahead? Here's the perfect night away: a Harry Connick Jr. Concert at a Seattle winery! Does it get any better than this? Although the concert's on a thursday night {sept 26}, maybe you could make that your 'long' weekend?

And if you want even MORE options, check out these getaways for everyone from lux lovers to campers!