Destinations

Intrigued by Ancient Greece? Plan your Cruise Around UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Destinations, Greece / 7 minutes of reading

Greece is known for fabulous beaches, quaint villages, great food and thriving cities. But no trip to the Greek Isles is complete without exploring its history as the birthplace of Western civilization some 4,000 years ago. UNESCO includes 19 places in Greece on its list of World Heritage Sites, and many of them are part of our Greek Isles and Adriatic cruise experience.

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Coastline of Rhodes

The Colossus of Rhodes – One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Destinations, Greece / 3 minutes of reading

Anyone who’s ever had knee trouble can sympathize with the Colossus of Rhodes. Built of bronze and standing 110 feet tall, the Colossus of Rhodes statue depicting Helios, the Greek God of the Sun, towered over Rhodes’ Mandraki Harbor 2,000 years ago. It symbolized Rhodes’ victory over Cyprus. Architect Chares of Lindos designed the statue

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What It’s Like: Sailing the Islands of Greece on Wind Spirit

Destinations, Greece / 19 minutes of reading

And soon we were being guided to Wind Spirit where she stood waiting, docked, just back from a previous voyage but shipshape and awaiting her new and eager voyagers. It’s not a big ship. It only has about 130 cabins. But it’s a sleek, tight sailing vessel with six sails that would soon be unfurled.  

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Aerial view of Elba

Wildlife Found on Elba – Part of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park

Destinations / 3 minutes of reading

Pasta, pizza, historical sites and Italian leather goods are more apt to be on travelers’ reasons for visiting Italy than seeing wildlife. But for Windstar’s guests on the Yachtsman’s Harbors of the Rivieras  cruise, a weeklong trip visiting small ports offers time to slow down and chase butterflies, or watch dolphins play in the surf.

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What It’s Like: In French Polynesia, Try a Post-Cruise Stay on Marlon Brando’s Private Island

Destinations, Small Ship Cruising, Tahiti / 8 minutes of reading

As soon as I catch a glimpse of Tetiaroa, I understand why Marlon Brando fell head over heels for this South Pacific paradise more than 60 years ago. From the window of a twin-engine airplane, I gaze down at the colorful atoll and see 12 lush, tree-covered islets encircling a shimmering turquoise lagoon. The scene

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What It’s Like: Our Year-Round Mediterranean Cruise on Star Legend

Destinations, Mediterranean, Onboard Windstar / 20 minutes of reading

When Windstar announced last fall that it would be extending its Mediterranean season to year-round (from spring/summer/autumn), the first thing I wondered was this: How would a cruise in November–early March be different from one during the traditional April–October time frame? How would the new timings materially change the experience?

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Choose Your Adventure: In Santorini, the Wonderful Indulgence of Sailing the Caldera

Destinations, Greece, Mediterranean / 7 minutes of reading

Volcanoes are not something I am normally drawn to as I am to, say, a Caribbean beach or a Parisian café. And swimming in the crater of one wasn’t exactly on my bucket list. But I am drawn to adventure and to stories. As we were looking over the various excursions offered aboard Windstar’s “Treasures of the Greek Isles” cruise, “Sailing the Caldera” appealed to me.  The description — plunging into the green sulfur waters and a Greek lunch served on board — was alluring. The Atlantis mystery made me think that other stories like it would bubble up from the bottom of the caldera’s sea floor.

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A park in Barcelona at sunset

What to See In Barcelona

Destinations / 32 minutes of reading

Barcelona has it all – beaches, a collection of fantastical Anton Gaudi works including perhaps the most incredible church you will ever see and thousands of years of history. To that you can also add a food scene which many would say is unrivalled in Europe, world-class museums and galleries and an atmosphere of extreme

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Dispatch from Iceland: Volcano Travel

Destinations, Northern Europe / 4 minutes of reading

Today, active volcanoes are carefully monitored and eruptions can be predicted well in advance, allowing people in places like Iceland and Italy to live, for the most part, without fear. Travelers can also, as I did, enjoy both an inner journey, as they contemplate these lands and their histories, and the actual journey, as they visit and see them for themselves.

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This May Surprise You: Winter Can Be the Most Magical Time to Cruise in the Mediterranean

Destinations, Mediterranean, Onboard Windstar / 5 minutes of reading

Visiting Italy, France and Spain onboard Star Legend earlier this year was unexpectedly magnificent. I say unexpectedly because I learned then that this part of the Riviera has, for centuries, been a winter haven for northern Europeans. I get it now. The late winter week was pleasantly cool, I loved the calmer-than-summer ambience, there was

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