Get Married at An All-Inclusive Resort

All-inclusives are a good deal if you're looking to book a trip where you don't want to rack up extra dollars on your meals and alcoholic beverages.  There's definitely a peace of mind that comes with your vacation when you know your meals and drinks are included. All-inclusives are also a great option for cost-effective weddings. Your guests will be glad to know how much they will have to pay up front and everyone can eat, drink, and get totally trashed, without limits.

My friend Carolyn and her husband got married at an all-inclusive and it was basically a wedding, honeymoon, and a vacation with close friends and family in one. If you're short on time or want to kill three birds with one stone, I totally recommend it.

Here are two all-inclusives I recommend due to their contribution to sustainability.

#1) Turkoise: Club Med's Turks and Caicos All-Inclusive

Turkoise, Club Med's Turks and Caicos All-Inclusive (starting at $US150++/night) offers 290 rooms in two-story bungalows.  The resort has held a Green Globe Certification since June 2010 and is one of the best destinations in the world for water sports and scuba diving.

Located on the northeast side of the island of Providenciales in the Caribbean Sea, this adult-only (18 years and older) is located on a white sandy beach that lines the entire length of the resort next to a calm and clear turquoise sea.

Activities at the property include adventure sports such as a flying trapeze (yes, you read correct: a flying trapeze), biking,  cardio-tennis, yoga, fishing, hiking, scuba diving (at an extra cost), sailing, snorkeling and more.

A golf course is within range and guided tours of the island are available.

In order to ensure the protection of the area's coral reefs, the property has a responsible scuba diving program in partnership with the organization Beautiful Oceans.

This all-inclusive is the only resort on the island to buy locally-produced table wine (white, red, and rose) and bottles are reused. This reduces transport-related emissions and provides local jobs. It also makes the recycling of glass bottles possible, since there is no available waste treatment on the island yet.Also, through their sustainable purchasing policy, they avoid the purchase of endangered species, especially fish.Club Med also supports Provo Children's Home, a home for abused children, where they teach the children about the environment and recycling.In full support of the environment, Club Med organizes Earth Day activities in the local village and participate in the island clean-up with other hotels and local children.

#2) Palace Isla Mujeres Resort in Mexico

I really enjoyed the feel of Palace Isla Mujeres Resort, an intimate couples-only all-inclusive a short boat ride away from Cancun. It offers 62 beautiful and luxuriously appointed accommodations with double jacuzzi baths offering island, pool or ocean views and balconies, a well-stocked mini bars, 24-hour room service where you can order whole bottles of wine (both red and white if you want), wireless internet and free phone calls to mainland United States, Canada and Mexico (a huge plus!).

The property also offers a fitness center, beach volleyball court, pool volleyball, ping pong tables, and table games.

You can also take part in the daily planned activities such as theme parties, contests, live performances, as well as trips to to the nearby turtle preserve. Daily Spanish lessons are also offered for those who want a quick lesson.

Relaxing and energizing spa services are also available in four spa cabins (including a wedding one) at an additional cost. Spa treatments are not included in the all-inclusive plan at Isla Mujeres Palace, although two 25 minute massages are included if you book a Concierge Level Room.

Another perk:  Guests at Palace Isla Mujeres will also have day access to the other larger Palace Resort properties in the Cancun area (Beach Palace, Moon Palace, Sun Palace) where you can enjoy the pools and the activities offered there for the entire duration of your stay.

You can also enjoy the infamous nightlife of Cancun a short boat-ride away.

The Palace Resorts was the first group member globally to join EarthCheck – the environmental sustainability program and has implemented new systems to monitor eco-friendly approaches to operations, conservation measures and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). They are also certified under the Meso American Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI), which awards companies which protect the region’s natural landscape through sustainable hotel operations.

Palace Resorts created the Palace Foundation, which supports the land and people of Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Jalisco and Nayarit in México and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

The luxury amenities of the Palace Resort Isla Mujeres plus the private intimacy of this property starts at $US375+/night.

Why Hula Hooping is Good for Your Soul

After resurfacing from a week-long surf, here's some wisdom I picked up.

Hula hooping is good for your soul. Here's why:

1) It encourages you to shake the stress (that you made up in your mind, btw!) out of those stagnant hips. With or without music.

2) It keeps you focused on the moment so you don't have anxiety about the past or the future.

3) All the laughter that comes with this activity sends massive amounts of dopamine to your brain and the brains of all around you.

4) You realize that you don't control the hula hoop and the hula hoop doesn't control you. You are in it together. You are ONE, and it's beautiful, even if it's just for these few precious moments.

5) The movement required to hula a hoop around your navel has a surrendering, calming, centering effect. Like rocking a baby to sleep. Or spooning with someone you love.

6) You feel DAMN GOOD if you successfully keep the hula hoop moving even for 20 seconds.

7) And if you do get out of the groove and drop that thing, all you got to do is pick it up and give it another shot.

8) If you've had enough dopamine, you can pass it along for someone else to try and STILL get high from just watching them.

Enough said. When you get bogged down by the things happening around you that you can't control and need to get realigned, just pick up that hula hoop and hula your way back to happiness.

Pass the wisdom. Pass the love. <3

Skinny Dipping in the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica with Bioluminescent Algae

At Playa Tamales near Puntarenas, Costa Rica, the waves glow at night.  Not by any lights or any help from modern technology.  Natural algae that produce dinoflagellate luciferin live in the water and light up when provoked.  And my crazy yoga instructor friend Leslie Bishop Hunter was happily provoking them.

"Take off your clothes!" she screamed into the darkness. I couldn't make out where she was, only that her voice was coming from my left, near the sound of the waves.

There was hardly any moonlight to guide my path towards the waves and Leslie’s happy screams. Only the glow of the bioluminescence in the crashing waves, a spectacular light show of glowing plankton that lit up the waves in middle of this otherwise dark night.

The bluish green glow of the waves was the only thing that I could see. That and the phosphorescent glow of the water surrounding Leslie's aura.

I wanted to go in, but I left my swimsuit in my room at the nearby Blue Osa Yoga Sanctuary and Spa and I didn't want the saltwater to damage the dyes on my polka-dotted beach dress.

The glowing waves still beckoned.

I tread carefully over the pebbled beach towards Leslie's splashes. I didn't want my feet crushing any nocturnal beach creatures and any of the varieties of crab that scuttled along the shore.

From where I was, I could see Leslie making angel wings with her arms in the water. Her waving arms and kicking legs surrounded with a confetti of lit algae. I too wanted to bask in the splendor of the provoked phytoplankton. After a short internal debate over whether I should join her happiness, I decided.

Off came my dress and I ran happily over the pebbled beach into the waters of the Osa Peninsula and let myself be surrounded by the midnight glow of the bioluminescence algae.

[VIDEO] Authentic Paella in NYC? Check out Socarrat Paella Bar in Soho

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ifBPYbyM_Q?wmode=transparent&autohide=1&egm=0&hd=1&iv_load_policy=3&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&showsearch=0&w=500&h=375] Crave paella? Check out this place in Soho I went to with a Spanish friend to test its authenticity.

Socarrat Paella Bar 284 Mulberry St (at E. Houston) http://socarratpaellabar.com

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

Driving on the Crazy Mexican Roads!

Video : On the Road to El Salto Canyon I risk my life driving over precarious Mexican roads to a hidden canyon and spill juicy tidbits about my shameful driving history.  Video produced by Brandon Li and Patricia Serrano. Field Producer: Arthur Kanegis.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH2F_lkRHbg?hd=1]

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Finding Baja Fishermen to Fish With in Puerto Nuevo Lobster Village

Video: Puerto Nuevo Part I I go to Puerto Nuevo, the famous lobster village of Baja, to check out the sea crustaceans and end up trying to find a fisherman to take me fishing. Video Produced by Brandon Li and Patricia Serrano. Field Producer: Arthur Kanegis.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGeY568AlVI?hd=1]

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[VIDEO] FOUND! A Fisherman to Take Me Fishing in Baja, Mexico

Video: Puerto Nuevo Part II Not letting treacherous waves get in the way of my craving for fresh fish, I seduce a Baja fisherman into taking me on his boat for a taste of what he does everyday. Video produced by Brandon Li and Patricia Serrano. Field Producer: Arthur Kanegis.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Awj_kaHJs?hd=1]

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