Stephanie Serino's Travel Blog

You are invited to join like-minded travelers who share a passion for food and wine. We have partnered with Bon Appétit magazine to create a travel program for epicurean enthusiasts. Delve deep into a culinary adventure through invitation-only experiences such as: hands-on cooking classes and wine and food pairing dinners. The Bon Appétit Travel Series kicks off with two enriching voyages aboard the six-star, all-suite Seven Seas Mariner . In addition to our exclusive Bon Appétit experiences hosted by distinguished culinary experts, your value-packed cruise fare includes almost everything imaginable: roundtrip airfare; unlimited shore excursions; all beverages including fine wines, beer and premium spirits; reservation only restaurants at no additional charge; all onboard gratuities and more! Bon Voyage & Bon Appétit!

This time of year always brings out romantic stories and travel promotions of all sorts. Here are few to inspire you. * Kimpton Hotels " Rub the One You're With " offer is a perennial favorite including a private in-room massage class for two so you can bring the romance home. *Princess Cruises' Department of Romance has sponsored a Romance Summit this week on board the Crown Princess, hosted by "Love Boat" Captain Gavin MacLeod. I love planning romantic getaways any time of year, and have a treasure trove of suggestions for ways to wow your partner. Click here for Romance in the South Pacific . Click here for Romance in Mexico . Click here for Romance in the Caribbean . Click here for Romance in Hawaii . Click here for Romance in Europe .

The New Year has brought another wave of fee hikes from airlines. Delta, Continental, United, American, and US Airways have all increased checked baggage fees. Yes, they are obnoxious, but consider that air fares are lower now than they've been in the last ten years. Here is a handy chart of the current Airline Fees . Here is a link to Luggage Limits with detailed baggage allowance information. Hope you enjoy this piece from Smart Money by Kelli B. Grant with good travel advice .

One of the highlights of my trip to the Mayan Riviera of Mexico was the excursion to the Tulum ruins . We opted for Amstar ’s “Tulum Express” tour, a small-group tour with a maximum of 12 passengers. It cost around $60 per person, which included all transportation and entrance fees. Secrets Silversands is near Puerto Morelos, about 15 minutes drive from the Cancun Airport, so it was about an hour to Tulum (a little more due to construction). The van picked us up at the resort at 8:00 am, and we returned at 1:00 pm. There were only seven of us in the group. The road is very good but not particularly scenic. There is still a lot of development and construction going on in this area. The parking lot is a distance from the ruins, with a mediocre craft market. A trolley takes you to the ruins for a small fee (included in the tour) or you could walk. Tickets are required to enter the ruins, and there is an additional fee for video cameras (digital cameras and cell phones with video capab...

Here is the view from our Junior Suite at Secrets Silversands on the Mayan Riviera. This morning we're going to explore the ruins of Tulum. Flights from Ithaca on US Airways went pretty well, and the resort is just 15 minutes from the Cancun Airport. The room is very nice, complete with jacuzzi tub and marble shower. Meals have been good, especially the chicken mole. Gotta make time for the spa. I will report in detail soon!

The CityCenter development in Las Vegas is HUGE. They say you'll either love it or hate it but I still can't decide. CityCenter is very grey and the contemporary architecture is very different from the rest of the Strip, but it is sexy. The public art like this eraser by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen (I hope) and Henry Moore's 'Mother and Child" are nice additions. Right between Bellagio and Monte Carlo on the Strip, the location is excellent. Hoards were pouring into Crystals , the mega-mall (correction: "Retail & Entertainment District"). The Mandarin Oriental was having a grand opening celebration which prevented me from snooping. Pedestrians are justifiably outraged by the design, which forces them to walk the equivalent of three city blocks (complete with huge flight of stairs) to keep their driveway free of human obstructions. Perhaps when construction is completed, they'll implement a better solution. I admit to loving the mo...

They have definitely decked the halls Vegas-style at MGM Grand in Las Vegas! The conference was great, I learned a lot. A highlight was the 'Speed Dating' sessions where I met with over 75 representatives from hotels, cruise lines and tour operators in a single afternoon! It was also nice to meet my new colleagues from FROSCH . With 45 locations in 12 states, this huge company still feels like a family business. After the New Year, we will complete the transition by changing logos and email addresses (I'll keep you posted).