Spring break was approaching, and the plan was to head to Mumbai to see my husband’s family with our two daughters, Meenakshi, 16, and Amrita, 11. We hadn’t all visited together since before the pandemic and were long overdue to meet Mahir’s 86 year-old mother, who lived alone and was more like a mother to me than any “in-law,” and his recently widowed sister, along with her 16 year-old son.
Instead, we all ended up in Bhutan.
Mahir’s mom had told me for several years that how she wanted more than anything in her old age was to travel with her family all together in what may be our one last time as a clan and remarked how many Indians were now vacationing in Bhutan.
I had long read and written about the country’s alluring landscapes, luxury hotels, abundance of culture and endearing locals, and it was a destination on my must-visit list. Now, the opportunity had come.
And so off the Vora’s went in our tight group of seven and recently spent a week there and saw and packed in so much. In an auspicious stroke of luck, we were together for mom’s 87th birthday for the first time ever, and oh, what a way to celebrate.
I reveled in every moment and soaked up every wonder as did we all, and just when I thought that the best had come, another hike, attraction or setting swept in and usurped the last.
Located in the eastern Himalayas, Bhutan has a population of around 700,000 and is roughly the same size as Switzerland. The landscape features towering mountains, lush valleys and meandering rivers and is divided into four regions: central Bhutan, southern Bhutan, northern Bhutan and eastern Bhutan plus five main valleys: Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey and Bumthang.
Travelers fly into the airport in Paro, the main gateway into the country and head off from there.
We started in Punakha, about a three-hour drive away, with a stay at the Six Senses, one of five spectacular resorts that the upscale brand has in Bhutan.
Nestled on a hill, it’s a showpiece of a place that checks off all the boxes and then some: it features the most delicious food and has a staff that can accommodate every request and create dishes to your specifications, and boy, do I have more than a few. I ate fresh salads and vegetables, simply prepared pristine fish and tasty gluten-free grains including warm and soft freshly baked buckwheat and rice breads.
Others Vora’s indulged in burgers, pastas and pizza, traditional Indian vegetarian cuisine and composed Western entrees.
More plus points: the large have to hit spa, some of the best service I have ever encountered and huge accommodations. We were fortunate enough to be upgraded to the more than 3,000 square-foot three-bedrooms villa. It’s a boon for families and larger groups and comes with
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As a travel writer constantly on the move, my adventures have taken me to the far corners of the globe, from the rugged terrains of Tanzania to the mountains of Bhutan. Yet amidst my travels, one constant remains: the search for that seamless trip to and from the airport.
Birds are a big thing in Oman’s Musandam Peninsula. As you walk along, it’s not unusual to catch sight of the flick of a sapphire-blue tail, the glimpse of scarlet-red feathers cloaked by a wing or the pop of banana-yellow on a crooked beak. It’s as if the sky has reacted in rainbow protest to the dusty beige of Oman’s landscape. Here, you wake up to a cacophony of twittering and cooing: Indian Rollers, Bulbuls and Sunbirds forming a dawn chorus.
Passing over the Atlas Mountains in 1925, the French military photographer Marcelin Flandrin spotted a Barbary lion walking through the sand. Flandrin had flown the route often enough to realize that the sighting was uncommon. He took a picture, which he published as a postcard sold to travelers visiting Casablanca.
With its daily sunshine, miles of wide golden sand beaches, lush green forests, brightly colored buildings, buses, tuk tuks and smiling people, the island of Sri Lanka richly deserves its title as “Pearl of the Indian Ocean.” And it also seems fitting that Time magazine described the country’s first luxury wellness retreat, Santani, high in the Dumbara mountains above the town of Kandy, as “one of the world’s 100 best places.” Following its launch in 2018, Santani Wellness topped the “best spa” lists of the world’s lifestyle press, including Vogue, Tatler, Conde Nast Traveller and Forbes.
Online travel agency MakeMyTrip has announced a new exclusive charter service between Mumbai and Bhutan. This service is a part of its holiday packages and the exclusive charter will depart once a week.
Having expanded the hotel brand to include residences and private jets, the Four Seasons is now looking to conquer the seas with its new yacht collection. Last week, Four Seasons Yachts unveiled renderings of its first vessel—built in collaboration with Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings Ltd and the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri—which is set to launch in 2026. The first voyages will take passengers throughout the Caribbean and will soon expand to destinations along the Mediterranean. The 14-deck vessel (inspired by Aristotle Onassis’ Christina O) will feature 95 suites, a saltwater pool and al fresco dining.
Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) aimed for 300 hotels by 2025-26. But the parent company of Taj Hotels reached this goal two years early. The hotel group now has 309 hotels by the end of the 2023-24 financial year.
In order to get the most bang for their buck and to free themselves from the hassles of flying, an increasing number of travelers are choosing to explore the beauty and wonder that lie just a short distance from home. Also, the ongoing chants of “Are we there yet?” from youngsters become a lot more tolerable when driving a manageable distance. The following destinations are ideal for travelers in various parts of the U.S. looking for the budget-friendly convenience of “in your backyard” vacations.