The ceremonial opening of the world's first Ski-In, Ski-Out Starbucks; photo courtesy of Squaw Valley

It seems like there are Starbucks everywhere… except when you need one. Like at the middle of the mountain when you’re skiing and you want cappuccino that doesn’t come from an instant hot chocolate machine. And that’s why I’m in awe of the world’s first ski-in ski-out Starbucks, which opened on Saturday in Squaw Valley, CA.

The best part of this Starbucks is that it has a takeout window — that’s what makes it truly ski-in ski-out. Therein lies the brillance. You can get a drink or a snack without removing your skis! I hate having to take off my skis, prop them up against the fence along with my poles (have them fall down and possibly knock over other people’s skis) only to walk with that awkward gait that ski boots give you. I always feel like I’m going to fall, especially when I get inside and the floor is wet and slippery. I’ve often though that the hardest part of skiing is not what happens on the actual mountain but dealing with all that gear… But at least a dose of caffeine makes it a little easier!

Incroyable Almande and Framboise Macarons

Although Laduree, the world-famous macaron purveyor, opened their first U.S. location in April, it took me until this week to walk to the mere mile from my home in Manhattan. The good news is that by the time I got there, the lines had died down because all of the true macaron lovers had already made their pilgrimage to the Parisian macaron mecca on Madison.

Instead of ganache, the filling inside the new Incroyable Almande has the texture of a marshmallow.

But the even better news is that I was just in time for a new flavor that was introduced to commemorate their 150th anniversary: Incroyable Almande. Take that, early adopters!

The Incroyable Almande’s shell is nearly the same color as the  standard pistachio macaron, but it has a subtle almond essence instead. What really distinguishes the incroyable almande from the rest  is its filling — it’s has a spongy, marshmallow texture and taste.

Hard to choose, but I managed...

While I was excited to have the opportunity to sample the latest flavor, I liked the other macaron I bought much better. The pink Framboise was as delicious as it looks: a raspberry shell filled with raspberry jam. (Laduree sells jam and some other treats too, but it’s most macarons.) Ganache is actually the most classic filling, but I didn’t have any of those.

So yes, I managed to limit myself to two. That’s because visiting the beautiful Laduree store is part of the experience, and I wanted an excuse to return soon! There are 13 flavors, giving me plenty of reasons to go back. Being in the store transports you instantly to Paris from NYC, just like how the macarons are transported instantly from NYC to Paris. OK, maybe not instantly, as these delicate desserts face a seven-hour plane ride from France. Amazingly, new batches are flown in every other day or so. It’s a Francophile’s dream, but a locavore’s nightmare. But for a true taste of Paris, it’s very convenient (864 Madison Ave., at 71st street) and affordable ($2.70 per macaron). Unfortunately, it could also be addictive…

The Panama Canal; all photos by Laurie Carr

Panama is on the Hottest Destinations List for 2012 for the New York Times, Travel & Leisure and National Geographic Traveler. So when Laurie Carr, who blogs at Elements of Decor, told me she went there for her New Year’s holiday, I was very excited to hear all about it and gain some insight as to why Panama is so hot right now.

What a sloth!

Laurie’s blog is all about “interior design with an international flair” and she finds lots of inspiration from her travels — especially from this most recent one to Panama, where she delighted in “vivid colors, exquisite and unspoiled flora and fauna and an uplifting, peaceful environment.” And I find a lot of inspiration from Laurie, as she and her husband brought their three kids ( ages 4, 7, 9) on this adventurous trip to the Bocas del Toro region in northeast Panama.

The archipelago of Bocas del Toro, consists of six densely forested islands including Isla Bastimentos Marine National Park. “Think palm-fringed islands, white sand beaches, pristine Caribbean water, mangroves, rainforests and an extensive coral reef ecosystem everywhere on the archipelago. Low-key development helps preserve the authenticity and laid back atmosphere of the area,” says Laurie.

Of course, that is quite a contrast to Panama City, where Laurie and her family spent the first night and the last night of their vacation. They managed to squeeze in an excursion to the famous Panama Canal where they saw the huge ships pass through the locks. (The already massive Panama Canal is currently in the early stage of a multibillion-dollar expansion.) This is one attraction you absolutely can’t miss.

Dolphin Bay Hideaway in Isla San Cristobal

The Carr family needed to spend at least one night in Panama City both ways because they were flying in direct from JFK and then wanted to go onto the tropical paradise of Bocas del Toro, which requires a one-hour domestic flight, and the timing didn’t work to do the flights on the same days.

And once they got to the center Bocas del Toro, their hotel on the Island of San Cristobal required a 20-minute boat ride from the trendy yet laid-back Bocas Del Toro town that attracts young wealthy Panamanians looking to get away from it all.

This wasn’t your typical relaxing beach vacation, Laurie warns. “This is a destination is for nature lovers who enjoy insects, bird watching and are not afraid of mosquito bites and poisonous frogs.” The Dolphin Bay Hideaway is indeed hidden away, a small rustic resort where they spotted a sloth, toucan, boa constrictor, tarantula, eagle, capibara, caiman and tons of birds. There are about 900 bird species and it seemed like a fair amount of them hung out in Isla San Cristobal.

And, yes, she did all of this (fishing, touring a cocoa farm, snorkeling, night-hiking in the rain forest) with three kids. But she says they’re easy to travel with: “They are used to traveling on airplanes, they love snorkeling, boating and seeing animals and plants etc. They’re adventurous with food as well.”

Read more about Laurie’s trip on her blog, Elements of Decor.

Stephen Cloobeck makes a speech just before the world premiere of his episode of Undercover Boss.

How do you get a big-time hospitality CEO to repair an air conditioner (with his own hands), scrape paint off the ceiling, work the booking center and man the front desk? Put him on the CBS reality show “Undercover Boss,” in which the boss poses as a trainee who’s new to the field.

Stephen J. Cloobeck, CEO of Diamond Resorts International, a large timeshare group (200 branded and affiliated resorts with over 27,000 guest beds in 28 countries), invited some of the travel media to watch the world premiere of his “Undercover Boss” episode, which kicks off the 2012 season.

Cloobeck, who said he put up $5.5 million of his own money when he acquired the publicly traded Sunterra Corporation to turn it into the privately-held Diamond Resorts International, was willing to do manual labor to get a different perspective on how his properties are operating.

Central Casting couldn’t have come up with a better CEO. Cloobeck is as intense, driven and passionate as they come — he told us that he wants to be “the greatest hotelier ever” and that “the sky is the limit worldwide.” But this polished, charismatic and somewhat intimidating personality still has enough quirks to make for great TV. One of the most entertaining scenes occurs early on, when his bodyguard places a flashlight and a panic alarm on Cloobeck’s night table right before he rests up for his first assignment: a maintenance man at a newly acquired Sedona resort.

Cloobeck confirmed that the show is completely unscripted and that he made all of his own decisions. The latter is especially easy to believe because I don’t think there’s anyone who could tell this man what to do. The employees do seem very well vetted, as they’re articulate, hard-working-but-down-on-their-luck folks. In this economy, finding people who are struggling isn’t too hard. But these employees open up about their hardships and really tug at the viewers’ — and Cloobeck’s — heartstrings.

The episode will air on Sunday, January 15, 8pm ET, on CBS. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that the end was very heartwarming. At the end of each show, the CEO meets with the employees he worked with and reveals who he is. (Cloobeck succeeds in not blowing his cover despite the fact that a photo of him with an explanation of “The Meaning of Yes” is at every front desk within the entire chain.) Then he rewards each person for being so nice to him and so committed to their jobs. He even pays off one guy’s entire mortgage! That, in my opinion, puts him one step closer to his goal of being the greatest hotelier ever.

All five lists chose London!

The predictions for what will be the hottest destinations of 2012 are out! Conde Nast Traveller and the Travel Channel have each offered us 10 prospective hotspots, Travel & Leisure has given us 12, National Geographic Traveler has given us 16 and the New York Times has named a whopping 45 potential locales. There’s a lot of overlap among the lists, which is a good sign that the experts have gotten it right. I took a look at all four lists and compared them, so you didn’t have to… Here’s my take on what will be the hottest of the hottest, plus a few that are probably not too hot at all.

London: London, one of my all-time favorite cities, is always a hot destination in my book. But it made it onto all five lists this year for one big reason: The 2012 Olympics. There’s a reason to go to London if there ever was one (or to fervently avoid it if you don’t like crowds and don’t care about the games). Travel Channel offered another fantastic reason to go to London: The Warner Brothers Studio London Tour, aka the Harry Potter set. Get ready to explore Hogwarts in the spring!

Panama: Panama is clearly having its moment in the sun, and it’s a very sunny place to begin with. The New York Times led with Panama, National Geographic Traveler praised its Soberanía National Park and Travel & Leisure told us that Angelina Jolie has been sunbathing at Pedasi beach. Is it going to be the new Costa Rica?

Burma/Myanmar by Jeremy Willinger

Burma: Only two lists chose this one (CNT and NYT,which calls it Myanmar), but this is a good example of a place that is walking the fine line between undiscovered and discovered —for now.  Now that people are no longer afraid to go there, Burma is experiencing a real tourism boom. The existing hotels are fully booked, and this may lead to construction of more hotels in the incredibly well-preserved Rangoon district, says eTurboNews.com. So like everything else, get there while it’s stil good.

St. Vincent: Two words: Buccament Bay. This five-star all-inclusive is definitely going to be the hottest family vacation for those who can afford it. Not only is it a gorgeous property, but you can take lessons at the Liverpool Football Club Soccer School, Pat Cash Tennis Academy, the Harlequin Performing Arts Academy. Rates include a flight in the hotel’s plane from Barbados. Travel & Leisure and the New York Times both listed this one.

Oman vs. Abu Dhabi: What’s the hottest Middle East destination? The experts are divided on this one. Conde Nast Traveller, Travel & Leisure chose ultra-modern Abu Dhabi for its new museums (branches of the  Guggenheim and Louvre) and chic hotels, like the Yas Viceroy.  Travel Channel and National Geographic Traveler prefer Oman because it’s retained its charm amid its growth. So why not go to both this year? They’re pretty close!

File These Under “Really?”
If you go to any of these, let me know… They’re not on my list for 2012!

Bentonville, Arkansas: T&L picked this one because Alice Walton, the young heir to the Walmart fortune, just opened a massive museum, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. But I still don’t think that’s going to lure people to Arkansas… Maybe if you’re in driving distance?

Oakland, California: The NYT puts this as #5. OK, I guess Oakland has experienced a resurgence, but there are so many great places around San Francisco (Half Moon Bay, Napa, Palo Alto, etc.) that I’d be hard-pressed to tell someone to devote too much time to Oakland during their stay.

Space: This was a bold choice from both the Travel Channel and the New York Times. Most people only barely tolerate flying in a conventional plane, so I doubt many will be willing to venture into this scary rocket. Plus it’s frightfully expensive and I’d sooner blow my budget at one of Sir Richard Branson’s other ventures on the Travel Channel list: Necker Island.

Most Christmas trees are cleared out by New Year’s Day, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that Sarasota’s Ca D’Zan, the mansion where America’s most famous circus family lived, was still decked out for the holidays this week. And why not? The 36,000-sq-foot Venetian palace, which sits on the Sarasota Bay as if it were a cleaner, bluer version of the Grand Canal, certainly isn’t short on space. They can leave the Christmas decorations up for as long as they want.

Christmas 2011 at Ca' d'Zan Mansion

Yesterday was my first time inside Ca d’Zan, which means “House of John” in Venetian dialect and was built for John and Mabel Ringling in 1925. Twice before, I had visited The Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, FL, which  consists of several buildings that includes Ca D’Zan. The first time I went to the museum, in February 2009, I was very taken with the dramatic exterior of Ca d’Zan but it was too late in the day so they had stopped admitted visitors.

So I wrote this post, focusing on the amazingly intricate Tibbals Miniature Circus that’s housed in another building. The second time I went to The Ringling Museum in February 2011, I spent all of my time in the main art part, totally taken by Ringling in Bloom, an innovative exhibit where floral designers created arrangements to match the masterpieces. Three times is a charm because yesterday I finally made it inside Ca D’Zan.

I didn’t take a guided tour, so I just walked around the ground floor, where I found plenty to see — and photograph.

The Tap Room at Ca D'Zan: How cool would it be to have your own bar? No need to go out...

Formal Dining Room: Check out the ceiling!

The Breakfast Room: an airy, elegant alternative to the formal dining room.

Grand Court: Another view of the magnificent grand court, also seen up top with the Christmas tree.

The Grand Staircase: This marble staircase may not be that exciting, but it's interesting to note that it was one of the first of it's kind in Florida.

The exterior of Ca D'Zan: A partial view. I see Moorish influences as well as Venetian, do you?

Close-up of the Ca D'Zan tower -- amazing detail!

Ca D'Zan's dock on Sarasota Bay has such a beautiful pattern.

This Gilded Age mansion could easily compete with the Newport, RI, mansions. It would also fit right in with the mansions in Sintra, Portugal, about which I’ll be posting soon. Seems like I can’t get enough of historic mansions these days!

Akaroa, NZ, by Amanda William

Even if I traveled 365 days a year, which I certainly don’t, I still couldn’t go everywhere I wanted to go. I mean, that would only be like 365 places max, and even then I’d be really rushed. Luckily, I can count on my fellow travel bloggers to traverse the globe in search of the coolest destinations, and then photograph and write about them. Here are the 16 coolest places that I missed this year… Maybe I can get to them in 2012?

Akaroa, New Zealand: Amanda Williams of A Dangerous Business was instantly charmed by this French-influenced town in coastal New Zealand.

Astana, Kazakhstan: Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil of The Planet D drove (yes, that’s right, drove) from London to Mongolia for their epic adventure, The Mongol Rally. The route was full of surprises, including the very modern capital city of Kazakstan.

Bahrain: Anne-Sophie Redisch of Sophie’s World visited the Qala’at al-Bahrain, which has been inhabited for 4,500 years.

Brisbane, Australia: In addition to taking advantage of the surf and sand, Chris Walker-Bush of Aussie on the Road participated in his first-ever Zombie Walk in Brisbane.

Colonia, Uruguay: During her two-week stay in Buenos Aires, Abby Tegnelia of The Jungle Princess found that a day trip to this quaint port town was the perfect respite from the bustle of the city.

Caye Caulker, Belize: Cameron and Nicole Wears of Traveling Canucks savored some well-deserved down-time and savored the sunsets in Belize’s laid-back Caribbean hideaway, Caye Caulker.

Chang Mai, Thailand: Dave Dean of What’s Dave Doing? has found plenty to like about Chang Mai, including the Thailand International Balloon Festival.

Dahab, Egypt: Michael Hodson of Go, See, Write stopped into this little beach town on the Red Sea that’s known for its outstanding diving.

Havana, Cuba: Marina K. Villatoro of Travel Experta decided to explore Havana, Cuba, as her break from Guatemala, and was pleased to find how much there was to see.

Isle of Man: Gary Arndt of Everything Everywhere goes everywhere, so of course he wasn’t going to skip the Isle of Man, which has one of the coolest names ever.

Nagano, Japan: The clear highlight of Nagano for Shirlene Lim and Jeremy Ng of Idelish was Jigokudani Monkey Park. What could be cuter than snow-covered snow monkeys?

Sofia, Bulgaria: Abigail King of Inside the Travel Lab made Sofia her second stop on her #IronRoute train trip from Berlin to Istanbul.

Tenerife: Cailin O’Neil of Cailin Travels went to Tenerife in the Canary Islands and it confirmed her love of Spanish food.

Timor Leste: Theodora Sutcliffe of Travels With a Nine Year Old explored the diverse landscapes of this young nation (it was a Portuguese colony until 1975) with her son.

Tyrol Zugspitz Arena, Austria: Keith Jenkins of Velvet Escape took a breathtakingly beautiful hike in this Alps wonderland.

Sapa, Vietnam: Jeremy Jones of Living the Dream says this Northern mountain destination is the go-to spot for trekking, rice terraces, and visiting local tribal villages — but beware of the rain!

All travel buffs are secretly jealous of Santa Claus. Who wouldn’t to travel around the globe in a single night, in a flying sleigh led by nine reindeer. The speed! The comfort! And no baggage restrictions! Plus, he gets to see all of the world’s best Christmas decorations. With Rudolph leading the way, here’s a preview of the Christmas lights Santa will be seeing in Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, Victoria, Manchester, Washington, Budapest, New York and Paris.

Christmas comes to Placa Catalunya in Barcelona; photo by Barcelona.Cat

The World's Largest Floating Christmas Tree in Rio de Janeiro; photo by Beckstei

Charter Garden in Hong Kong; photo by Ding Yuin Shan

The Empress Fairmont in Victoria, Canada, gets colorful for Christmas; photo by Nick Kenrick

Santa aka "Zippy" overlooks the Christmas Market in Manchester, England; photo by Zawtowers

The National Christmas Tree in Washington, DC; photo by Elvert Barnes

Budapest's Basilica; photo by Zsolt Bugarszki

The tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City; photo by Mark Sardella

A very fashionable Christmas tree in Galeries Lafayette Paris; photo by Lunembule

Our Peugot 308, parked in Sintra, Portugal

Lisbon and Seville. Seville and Lisbon. Perhaps they aren’t the two most natural city combos, like London and Paris or Vienna and Prague. But when I was planning my trip in October, they seemed like the perfect pair, and I was right. Lisbon and Seville were just a four-and-a-half-hour drive apart, which sounded great since we were traveling with a 10-month-old and wanted to avoid another plane ride (NYC-Lisbon is enough!) and couldn’t fathom dealing with all of our luggage and baby accessories on the train. The ideal solution was a Lisbon car hire.

Well, a lot of places are four-hour (or less) drive from Lisbon, so why else did we want to go to Seville? We figured it would have better late autumn weather, and we were right, as it was high 70s and mostly blue skies. We wanted to eat tapas. And we wanted to see the Alcazar. Three pretty good reasons to start, and we found a lot more to like about Seville.

Gorgeous October beach day in Albufeira, Portugal

So even though Seville sounded like our idea of a good time, driving with a 10-month-old is pretty much no one’s idea of a good time. Especially not the 10-month-old’s. We needed a roomy four-door car, so we could easily get the baby in and out of the backseat, where I would also be sitting to entertain him. We also needed an automatic, as opposed to a manual stick-shift. Everyone in Europe drives stick, but being American we wanted automatic.

It’s not easy to rent an automatic, four-door car rental in Europe, and we were searching for this week-long rental only about 10 days in advance of needing it. Fortunately it was ArgusCarHire.com to the rescue! Their booking engine searches 550 of the world’s top car rental suppliers and 22,000 worldwide locations, which is just what you need when you need to find a reasonably-priced automatic car. They connected us with a black four-door Peugeot 308 automatic from Auto Jardim.

Seeing Cristo Rei from the 25 de Abril Bridge

On our fourth day in Lisbon, my husband went to the airport to pick up the car. We had free parking at our Lisbon apartment rental, which was very convenient — not to mention unusual. We weren’t planning to drive to Seville until the next day, but we were so excited to have a car that we had to go somewhere. So we decided to take a fun day trip to Cascais, the Hamptons of Lisbon. Having a Peugeot felt pretty cool in itself because they’re not very common in New York.

The next day it was time for the big drive to Seville, and it was pouring. There are two routes you can take from Lisbon to Seville: a faster, major highway route or a scenic, slower mountainous route. Because of the baby, we had planned on taking the faster route, but the inclement weather confirmed that this was the right choice. We drove due north for 234 km on A2. There’s not much to see there, and because the baby was sleeping we didn’t even stop for three hours, until we were on the Algarve Coast.

At that point, we were so hungry that we decided to get off A22 (the main Algarve highway) in search of food. October is the off-season in the Algarve so we were worried about finding an open restaurant, especially as it was 4pm  and we wanted lunch. We headed to Faro and ended up in the Forum Algarve, a nice open-air mall that we would have enjoyed more if it hadn’t been raining. It then took us about an hour to get to Seville.

Four days later, we took the same route from Seville to Sintra (as Sintra is just 30 minutes northwest of Lisbon) for our final leg of the journey. But there was a big difference this time: the weather. It was a gorgeous 80F day! So we planned a stop that was a little more exciting than the mall… We went to the beach at Albufeira, which is one of the most popular beaches on the Algarve. With its rock formations, golden sand and turquoise water, it’s easy to see why. We walked along the beach and enjoyed having it mostly to ourselves. I would love to come back and spend a week there.

The next three-and-a-half hours to Sintra were very uneventful, until we got onto the 25 de Abril Bridge (which reminds me of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco). I finally got a good view of Cristo Rei, the statue of Christ the Redeemer that overlooks the Tagus River. I could barely see it on the way to Seville because the fog was so thick. But this time, I got a great view and even a photo (see above). And I was able to tick one more Lisbon landmark off my list.

Comped But Never Compromised: I received a complimentary car hire from ArgusCarHire.com but I am free to write whatever I want.

Meeting Cinderella; photo by Jill Martin Wrenn

It’s hard enough to gather the family together during Thanksgiving week, but what if you have to coordinate with a few princesses too? Frequent Travelogged contributor Jill Martin Wrenn explains how during the holidays she scored one of the toughest dining reservations at Disney World: Cinderella’s Castle. (Check out more of Jill’s Disney tips.)

Getting my family on the Magic Kingdom rides was only part of the challenge of experiencing Disney World during Thanksgiving week. Finding seats at Disney restaurants between noon and 2 PM was not easy either. To avoid the crowds that converged on the park’s fast food offerings, we tried to time our visits outside of prime dining hours. We also made reservations online for sit-down dinners on the Walt Disney World Resort Dining and Reservations site before we traveled.

Because we only planned our trip about two weeks ahead of time, many of the resort’s restaurants were already booked. That meant that we had Thanksgiving dinner at 4 PM. The meals with costumed Disney characters were full by the time I tried to reserve one, but because I wanted to take my daughter to Cinderella’s Royal Table, I kept trying.

The restaurant inside Cinderella Castle offers the opportunity to dine with several princesses, including the castle’s namesake. My daughter is starting to outgrow her obsession with all things princess, so I figured this would be my last chance to impress her with a restaurant filled with royal impersonators.

I searched the website over several days, trying different mealtimes. I also reduced the number of people in our party, cutting my husband and two sons loose (I suspect my husband was relieved).

And finally, after several days of trying, I scored a reservation for two people at Cinderella’s Royal Table at 2:40 PM the Friday after Thanksgiving. Like many options at Disney, it was expensive, but well done. For the nearly $100 price tag, we each got a three course meal, but it was hard to focus on the food. My daughter got to meet an array of princesses, pose for a picture with Cinderella, and have chicken nuggets presented to her on a plate shaped like Mickey Mouse’s ears.

The icing on the cake was the candle in her ice cream: if you tell your server that it’s your daughter’s birthday, they will light a candle and sing, “Happy Birthday, Princess.” Judging from the number of candles and birthday songs we witnessed, there was either an inordinate number of young girls celebrating late November birthdays, or a lot of savvy parents who realized that there is no extra charge for the candle and the song: just one more photo opportunity of a very excited child.