iExplore

July 2009 Archives

One of Spain's many colorful fiestas is the Rioja Wine Festival that takes place from the 23rd of September in Logrono. It will be a night and day spectacular with masqueraders wearing monstrous heads, fireworks, music, festoons of bunting and bright lights, not to mention fine wine and tapas to make the party go with a flow!
WineFest.jpg
For aficionados of wine, this celebration of the vine is not one to be missed. Great wines are created with patience, passion, knowledge and the hard work of generations. Providence, too, plays its part, so the annual celebration is not just an expression of thanksgiving but a part of the heritage that fills your glass! Live the festival and love the wines of Rioja!

la-rioja-wine-region-1.jpg
We are offering a 5-day two-center tour. After you have been met at Bilbao Airport we will whisk you away to Haro, about 55 miles from Logrono for the first two nights. You will stay at a 4-star hotel about which one of our happy clients wrote:

I really liked the hotel in Haro- very charming and comfortable. As for the food- it was amazing! I really enjoyed the tapas tours in Logrono even in the crowded streets of the festival- we would not have been able to do that without you.


After Haro, the next two nights will be at a 3-star boutique hotel in Logrono where traditional hospitality and contemporary chic meet in a building of classic dignity near the cathedral and the gastronomic temptations of Calle Laurel.

Your tour will include a visit to the Dinastia Vivanco Museum, which tells the story of winemaking, introductions to pre-eminent traditional and avant-garde winemakers and the joys of their wines. You will visit the hilltop fortress town of Laguardia and feast on food widely regarded as the best in Spain. All this, and still time to enjoy the festival!

As you can imagine, the Rioja Wine Festival attracts visitors from around the world, so it's very important to book early. Wait too long and you could miss the fun!






antarctica.jpgEach month the team at iExplore enjoys looking at the top destinations booked by our customers in the previous month.  For an unprecedented fourth month in a row, Antarctica has been the top sold destination for our customers.  It is no wonder, as Antarctica is truly an awe-inspiring destination.  Chris Bach, an iExplore customer and CNN Reporter recently wrote about his experience on an iExplore Antarctica Expedition.

There are three destinations that make the Top Ten list nearly every month and June was no different for Egypt (#3), Peru (#7) and China (#9).  Our customers always gravitate to the World Wonders and the Pyramids in Egypt, Machu Picchu in Peru and The Great Wall of China are hard to beat.

Also popular this past month were safaris.  We saw several bookings for safari experiences in both South Africa (#2) and Kenya (#4). Lastly, we were excited to see one of iExplore's all-time leaders, the Galapagos Islands, return to the monthly list in spot #10.  The full Top Ten list for June bookings is listed below.

    1. Antarctica Expedition
    2. South African Safari
    3. Pyramids of Egypt
    4. Safari in Kenya
    5. Exploring Alaska
    6. Adventure Down Under
    7. Ruins of Machu Picchu
    8. Cultural Exploration in Russia
    9. The Great Wall of China
    10. Galapagos Islands Cruise

 

 

Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for iStock_000000475932Small.jpgWe were recently invited to a destination wedding in Sonoma, CA and immediately decided to go! Several years ago we took a week long trip to the Napa Valley and had a wonderful time, and have wanted to return ever since. We are excited to explore Sonoma--and have had fun planning our trip.

The wedding takes place at Sebastiani Winery, a beautiful family owned vineyard that will make an idyllic setting for a wedding. The day before the wedding we plan to spend tasting and touring at several other boutique vineyards. We plan to start our day with a bit of sparkly at Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves and then move onto a private barrel tasting at Kosta Browne--a very small producer whose wines receive rave reviews. My husband is excited for lunch at Taylors Refresher's--an old school style burger stand in St. Helena. In the afternoon, we will head to Merry Edwards for a private tasting. Merry was one of the first female winemakers in the Napa Valley and she is a well known and respected winemaker.

Our day will conclude with dinner at The Girl and The Fig--a french country bistro, with what else...more wine!

 

About this Blog

This blog is written by the travel experts at iExplore, the leading resource for adventure, experiential and luxury travel. Founded in 1999, Chicago-based iExplore offers high-quality, made-to-order, privately-guided tours to over 100 destinations worldwide. Please visit the iExplore trip finder to find your next adventure!

You can also follow us on Twitter. We are @iExplore.

Advertising Partners

RSS Subscription

Blogroll