travel

One of the best things about our stay at the Valhalla Resort Hotel in Helen is the view of the Blue Ridge mountains. We enjoyed it from our fourth-floor room, the Roof Top Sky Bar lounge and the Caledonia restaurant.

I made my own room key. After checking in on an iPad, I headed to our high-design, high-tech room in Public, a new Ian Schrager 367-room hotel on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Embrace the New South with a trip to South Eden Plantation, which sits on 38 acres in Thomasville, Georgia. While the plantation was established in 1825, its most recent incarnation as a boutique hotel opened for business in 2014. It features restaurants, guest cottages, the original stables, a pool house and the Showboat Theatre.

It’s not your childhood treehouse. Le Petit Chateau, one of two adorable treehouses in Candlelight Forest in Chickamauga, Georgia, has 1.5 bathrooms, accommodations for six people, coffeemaker, deck with gas grill, comfortable seating area and Wi-Fi. The second treehouse, Sophie’s Roost, has the same layout.

“Paddle twice on your left. Now get down in hot tub position,” our guide instructed. We crouched down and hit the rapids, delighting in the cold water splashing in our raft.

Everyone should shower with a tree. I did during a recent stay at the Elements Treehouse near Chattanooga created by treemaster Pete Nelson to creatively launch the Dove Men+Care product line.

St. Thomas has a long-standing place on my bucket list. If it’s on yours too, jump on this offer for 15% off and a $25 resort credit per day at Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort. This 470-room resort overlooks Charlotte Amalie Harbor in downtown St. Thomas. Use promo code D59.

In 2004, the International Air Transport Association began pushing airlines to issue electronic tickets. Prior to that, most passengers received their tickets through the mail from a travel agent or from an airline ticket office.

My favorite part may have been watching the sunset over our city. We were on a one-night staycation at The Crowne Plaza Atlanta Midtown, a perfect weekend getaway where we enjoyed a glass of wine and dishes like ahi tuna and salmon in Next, the hotel restaurant, and relaxing in our spacious guestroom.

After touring historic homes and riding Milly the sightseeing trolley, it was relaxing to enjoy a glass of wine and snacks in one of the parlors of The Antebellum Inn in Milledgeville, Georgia.

For our next early-morning flight from Atlanta, I vote to stay at the new Renaissance Atlanta Airport Gateway Hotel. We visited this new property at a fancy opening party last week that included live music, imaginative cocktails with names like Pilot’s Choice, and a station to customize your own sleep mask.

Say goodbye to roaming fees and SIMs. Getting a portable hotspot that will work in 100 countries is as easy as swiping your credit card in the Atlanta airport.

Club Med is on sale, y’all! Get up to 50% off at eight Club Meds in the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Mexico and Florida. Some of these all-inclusive resorts have free upgrades, while others are offering an airfare credit of up to $400. Book these deals by June 21 for travel through December 22.

We’ve rented beach houses for years, but it’s never been easier than with Sunset Reflections by Natural Retreats for a recent stay in Cape San Blas, Florida. What sets this company apart is its Xplore team, travel experts who know the destination and share their first-hand knowledge.

The bicycle turns 200 this year. Celebrate by hitting one of the traffic-free, scenic trails in our Georgia State Parks.

Bang! Another miss. “Get just ahead of the clay,” Skip, our patient instructor said. We were literally having a blast shooting clays during the “Annie Get Your Fun” weekend at Barnsley Resort.

Whether you’re a solo traveler or bringing your entourage, you can customize a room at NYAH in Key West to sleep all of you. Its BYOR™ (build your own room) system allows you to configure your room for up to six people, with a king, sofa or bunk beds. Each bed has its own charging station and locker.

I doubt I’d grow tired of the beautiful beach, nightly shows, 24-hour room service, exquisite interior spaces, selection of food at four restaurants and adults-only atmosphere at IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Paraíso. But a stay at this all-inclusive in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, allows you entry to four neighboring sister resorts.

Forever known to me as the place with the best Bloody Mary on the planet, High Hampton Inn in Cashiers opens its doors for its 95th season the last weekend in April. Check out the spring packages, which include four nights for the price of three, good through June 1.

Food choices have exploded at Hartsfield-Jackson the past few years. One of the newest is Chicken + Beer on Concourse D, opened in November. Hometown hip-hop artist Ludacris named this southern comfort restaurant after his third studio album.

Grab your girlfriend and head to Barnsley Resort for the two-night “Syren Shooting & Spa Package.” Get a shooting lesson at SpringBank Sporting Club with the Syren shotgun, designed for women. See how many of the 50 targets you can each hit. Then head to the spa and enjoy a treatment with the $100 spa credit.

Book now for sailings on Disney Cruise Line in Summer 2018, including a few new options. The 7-night voyage in the British Isles now includes a visit to Cork, Ireland, for the first time.

In celebration of Disney’s premier of the live-action adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” March 17, HomeAway has teamed up with Disney to give away a stay in a castle.

I love bike tours: exercise, fresh air and a guided tour all in one. In New Orleans, we found Free Wheelin’ Bike Tours and selected the Queen of the South, one of five tours this highly rated company runs.

George Vanderbilt had 22,000 books in his library at his home, Biltmore in Asheville. An exhibition of costumes from movies based on some of those books will be on display there from February 10-July 4. Designed for Drama: Fashion from the Classics features more than 40 costumes throughout the 250-room home, including a gown from “The Portrait of a Lady.” Admission to the exhibition is included in general admission price.

A popular place for families to catch parades is on St. Charles Avenue near Napoleon. Viewing ladders are lined up like wooden soldiers, providing the perfect vantage for catching coveted spears, plush and beads. From princesses to cowboys, kids in costumes capture the spirit of Mardi Gras — as well as the throws.

With its large rainforest, gorgeous beaches and historical sites, St. Kitts is one of my favorite Caribbean islands.

How we love to collect frequent flyer miles. Approximately 7% of flights are booked with points or miles.

Have an encounter with a Na’vi shaman at the end of the Na’vi River Journey where guests will travel down a sacred river in a bioluminescent rainforest. That is one of the expeditions slated to open this summer as part of Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, inspired by James Cameron’s movie “Avatar.”

Now bustling with the activity of 18 restaurants and cafes, 14 retailers and a twice-weekly farmer’s market, the Pearl in San Antonio was, until recently, a brewery abandoned since 2001.