KATHIE LEE GIFFORD, co-host:
We're back on this
Tryday
Friday with
TODAY'S TRAVEL
and spring break getaways for every traveler.
HODA KOTB, co-host:
Whether you want to stay local or get adventurous, bring the kids or escape with just your other half,
Laura Begley Bloom
has some great trip ideas for you. She's the deputy editor at
Travel Leisure
magazine. Hey!
Ms. LAURA BEGLEY BLOOM (Deputy Editor, Travel Leisure Magazine):
Hi
.
GIFFORD:
How are you? Awfully nice to think about these great places at this time of year.
Ms. BLOOM:
Oh, don't you want a getaway right now?
KOTB:
Yes!
GIFFORD:
Yes, very much.
KOTB:
Well, we like the ones on your list. I was struck by the first one, which is
Panama
.
Ms. BLOOM:
Panama
.
KOTB:
A lot of people don't think of that right away.
Ms. BLOOM:
Great undiscovered location. Great food in
Panama
.
KOTB:
Yeah.
Ms. BLOOM:
And we've got a deal that you will not believe, $86 a night...
KOTB:
What?
Ms. BLOOM:
...at
Las Olas
beach resort
. It's 50 minutes from
Panama City
. They've got surfing, they're on 14 miles of beach.
KOTB:
Beautiful.
Ms. BLOOM:
There's a national park nearby. You can go fishing.
GIFFORD:
It looks like it's lovely. How is it so inexpensive?
Ms. BLOOM:
It's
Panama
. They, you know...
KOTB:
Gorgeous. Yeah.
GIFFORD:
Ms. BLOOM:
Nobody has discovered this yet.
GIFFORD:
Wow.
KOTB:
Wow.
Ms. BLOOM:
So now we've spread it to the world.
KOTB:
Now, the
US Virgin Islands
, another nice warm destination.
Ms. BLOOM:
Yes.
KOTB:
What do you guys like about that?
Ms. BLOOM:
We love the
Maho Bay Camps
on
St. John
.
GIFFORD:
St. John.
KOTB:
Oh. Beautiful.
Ms. BLOOM:
And these are not your average tented camps. These are up in the trees with beautiful views of the water.
GIFFORD:
St. John
's is gorgeous. Yeah.
Ms. BLOOM:
It's so relaxing. This is really a fantastic getaway and just $135 a night.
GIFFORD:
So great for families.
KOTB:
Great ideas.
Ms. BLOOM:
Really good for families.
GIFFORD:
Yeah.
Ms. BLOOM:
But also good for couples. It's really sort of a place that anybody would love.
KOTB:
OK.
GIFFORD:
OK.
KOTB:
Hawaii
is another. It's a long flight.
GIFFORD:
Hoda
's still never been there.
KOTB:
I just -- it always looks so long to get there.
Ms. BLOOM:
You're kidding?
KOTB:
If I'm going to go somewhere that far...
GIFFORD:
You've been to
China
. That's further.
KOTB:
No!
Ms. BLOOM:
Well, I've got a place for you that's absolutely worth the trip.
KOTB:
Yeah.
Ms. BLOOM:
This is the
Hilton Hawaiian Village
on the widest strip of
Waikiki Beach
.
GIFFORD:
That's been there forever. Right.
Ms. BLOOM:
It has, and it is an amazing resort. They've got 20 restaurants, and it's great for families. They do ukulele lessons, they do hula lessons.
KOTB:
Hm. Yeah.
GIFFORD:
And it's been redone, too, over the years.
Ms. BLOOM:
You can learn lei making. It has. It's a really...
GIFFORD:
So it's not an old, stodgy place at all.
Ms. BLOOM:
...lovely place.
KOTB:
Great.
GIFFORD:
Look how nice it is, yeah.
KOTB:
This next one isn't very conventional. We're talk -- what's the
Dove Mountain
? What's that area?
Ms. BLOOM:
This is
Ritz-Carlton
,
Dove Mountain
.
KOTB:
Yeah.
Ms. BLOOM:
It's in the
Sonoran Desert
. So, again, you're going to have warm weather. Great for adults, great for kids. You can go hiking. They've got an amazing tennis package for $214 a night where you have unlimited tennis. And it also includes your breakfast every day. Just a really quiet respite from the winter.
KOTB:
Is it important to start booking the flights like right away?
Ms. BLOOM:
I think it's important to book flights. They're really booking up fast, especially with spring break. Everybody wants to get away right now.
GIFFORD:
And what people should know, too, that -- is that if they do the
Arizona
one, you know, it can be very, very chilly in
Arizona
...
KOTB:
Mm-hmm.
GIFFORD:
...in the mornings and the evening. So people think it's desert so they don't sometimes pack correctly.
Ms. BLOOM:
Right, it does cool off. I think anywhere you're going it's really important to check in, to find out what's good to wear on a trip because, I mean, I've definitely been caught by surprise going someplace in June, and
all of a sudden
it starts snowing. So you never know.
GIFFORD:
Right.
KOTB:
Mm-hmm.
GIFFORD:
And also there are dress codes at certain hotels and things for different restaurants, and they -- you should be prepared for that.
KOTB:
Right.
Ms. BLOOM:
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
KOTB:
One of our last destinations you have, the last one is in
Mexico
.
GIFFORD:
Mexico
!
KOTB:
And that's a -- that's always a great spot. Guaranteed good weather.
Ms. BLOOM:
Yeah. And this is on
Isla Mujeres
, which is right near
Cancun
.
KOTB:
Hm. It's beautiful.
Ms. BLOOM:
It's a brand-new hotel called the
Palmar
, and they've got an all-inclusive rate. For $132 a person for adults, about half that for kids. And it's a fantastic option because they include all your meals. There are also kitchenettes in the room, they have laundry in the rooms. So...
GIFFORD:
Look how pretty that is.
KOTB:
Mm-hmm.
Ms. BLOOM:
...beautiful beach and a really -- also a great, quiet hideaway.
KOTB:
Perfect.
GIFFORD:
All right, great idea. Thank you very, very much.
Ms. BLOOM:
Thank you.
KOTB:
Those are terrific. We really appreciate it.
GIFFORD:
And congratulations on your marriage.
“ ”