Rental Cars
Remember Your Garmin!
Jun 14th
I have a travel tip for travelers planning to drive overseas — download the Garmin maps before your trip. I just did this before my short trip to Portugal last week. My rather inexpensive Garmin, which works perfectly in the United States, required more memory to download the maps for Spain and Portugal. This was resolved simply by going to Radio Shack for a memory card, which slips in the side. Once I entered the card, the maps downloaded and the GPS worked. I like when technology just works! The maps run you $149.
Over in Portugal, the Garmin was just as helpful as it is here. Perhaps even more so, as it negated wrong turns and pulling over to read a map; not to mention the double and triple circling in the round-abouts! Remember National Lampoon’s European Vacation?
I rented from Europcar and enjoyed my experience in a rather large Volkswagen sedan. The car was diesel and used very little fuel. I returned the car with a half tank of gas, even after all our daytrips and travel.
There will be more reports on Portugal. I enjoyed revisiting Lisbon and then driving to Evora before finally spending a few days in the Algarve. I stayed at some really great properties, including the Sheraton Lisboa, with a fantastic restaurant on the top floor and the best breakfast buffet. Hotel Convento do Espinheiro, Evora, is an historic property with a beautiful decor and terrific spa. Finally, we stayed at Pine Cliff Residences (Algarve, part of the Sheraton Algarve complex), where we had so many restaurants to choose from and great Portuguese wines.
I also played a round of golf at the Henry Cotton Golf Course, Le Meridien Penina Golf & Resort, and had a really fun round with some great golfers, including the No. 1-ranked female pro in Portugal, Monia Bernardo. Also joining us were Leonel Rio, director of golf and the resident pro of the Cotton Course, and Matthieu de Tonnac, hotel manager of the Le Meridien Penina. Great people and great fun! I will be covering the course in a GTee article very soon.
TAP is also a fine airline. TAP Executive is a superb business class, and I can see why Conde Nast UK voted TAP best airline this year. The onboard cuisine and wines were tops, and the service was gracious and friendly. I would suggest a Portuguese vacation, or a side trip, to any traveler. Don’t forget your Garmin!
– Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO
Off to Portugal!
Jun 7th
On Saturday, my family and I left for Portugal on board TAP, which has been a client of mine for so many years, it was nice to finally try their fine service. We flew from Newark and made it to the airport without any issue. The check-in and airport connection went without a hitch. On time, we were in the air and on our way to Lisbon. Last time I flew to the Portuguese capitol, I flew on TWA!
After landing, we had a little luggage issue (a passenger took off with my daughter’s identical Briggs & Riley bag). We then secured our Europcar rental and turned on our Garmin — thankfully, I had downloaded the Portuguese and Spain maps. We were at the Sheraton Lisboa in 20 minutes.
After a little breakfast and a short nap, we decided to take a half-day trip to Sintra, about 30 minutes north of Lisbon. Here, we toured the town and ended the day with a glorious drive to the top of the mountain to the Moorish Castle, which was conquered in 1147 by Dom Afonso Henriques, who drove the Moors from the region and eventually out of Portugal.
Upon our return to the Sheraton Lisboa, a wonderful place to stay while in Lisbon, the luggage had arrived from the airport safe and sound. This was cause for a celebratory dinner at the Panorama Restaurant in the hotel, located on the top floor with magnificent views of the city. A top meal was prepared by the chef, which made for a wonderful end to our first day in Portugal.
– Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO
Norway Bound, Part 3
Aug 3rd
At about 9:30 p.m., Chris Ottaunick and I made our way to Tromso Golf Club. Driving over the bridge from town, following the directions given, we made a few wrong turns but quickly recovered. We pulled into the parking lot, and there was one lone man leaving. He quickly instructed me to change from shorts into long pants due to mosquitoes. Actually, they were only bad on a few holes, and luckily, Chris brought some OFF mosquito repellent.I had played midnight sun golf in Finland, and the mosquitoes there, known as the Finnish Air Force, are killers! We had to run between shots on the last few holes, but nothing stopped them.With the Pro Shop closed, we were on the honor system for golf fees. The only problem — we did not have the pull cart handles, so in true American “can do” fashion, I made a makeshift handle from a stick. Although I had to readjust the stick from time to time, it did make a difference.Playing the course and teeing off at 10:30 p.m. was quite a feat! There was not a soul around and the silence of the natural setting, with woods and high mountains, completed our foursome.Growing grass there is a challenge, and it often needs a great deal of reseeding and expense. The enemy is the winter ice. The best winter condition is several feet of snow, which actually protects the greens from the harsh winters.When we finished playing, about 3:30 a.m., (we were playing slowly so I could take notes for an upcoming Gtee, and Chris was snap-happy with his camera), we returned to the car. A foursome had come off before us, and we chatted and had a beer (they were staying at the course, which has four bunk-style rooms for overnight guests).We returned to town and took a four-hour snooze. We played golf again that day with Ivar Schroen, the director and general manager of the Tromso Golf Club.–Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEOGlobal Traveler has joined the world of social marketing. For breaking news, special offers and much more, fan us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @Gtmag!
Gorgeous Greece
May 19th
I spent last week traveling through Greece. This was my first time in the destination and I spent the time with four phenomenal girlfriends. My escape began on an Olympic Airlines flight, which, despite negative feedback from Greek nationals, I found to be more than comfortable and accommodating.
I arrived in Athens to meet up with the girls at the Grand Bretagne Hotel. We started with cocktails on the rooftop, looking over the Acropolis. It was a mixture of ancient Greece and modern 5-star luxury. I believe every global traveler should have this experience.
The next morning took us to Crete on Aegean Airlines. We spent three nights at the Blue Palace Resort & Spa. I came down with a nasty cold there, but what an ideal spot to rest and recover.
I made it down to the beach one day, but spent the majority of my time in our private infinity pool, overlooking the sea, on the balcony of our room. As you can imagine, no one at home felt too badly for me that I had gotten sick! I also spent some time recovering in the spa, which featured a salt-water therapy pool. That certainly helped clear my congestion right up! There wasn’t a cloud in the sky on any of the days. And the peace and calm was only disturbed by the sounds of the ocean and an occasional car. The Blue Palace was a beautiful retreat, but one that felt better suited for corporate retreats rather than romantic getaways or girls’ trips!
We then had to catch a ferry to Santorini. We left ourselves 55 minutes for an hour-and-10-minute drive to the ferry. As you can imagine, it must have looked pretty funny to see five Americans racing around a Greek island in a rental car (built to fit four European adults without luggage), racing onto the dock and flagging the crew down as the whistle of the hydrofoil blew.
The driving was well worth it. We made the ferry and arrived in picturesque Santorini. Coincidentally, the cover of GT’s May issue was of the Aegean Sea. The cover was spectacular, but I strongly recommend seeing it in person. The view of white homes on cliffs, reflecting off the blue sea, was one of the most romantic, peaceful and fulfilling images I have ever seen.
Following Santorini, the girls continued on to Mykonos as I made the journey back to NYC. In Santorini, we stayed at the Vedema Resort . The hospitality, accommodations and unique charm at the Vedema has made it one of my new, all-time favorite spots!
-Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher
