Latest news with #FoodandWineFestival
Telegraph
01-04-2025
- Telegraph
Why Riviera Maya should be your next holiday destination
Margaritas at sunset, palm-fringed beaches, cooling dips in azure waters: picture the perfect break on the Caribbean coast and your mind's eye may well have created the Riviera Maya on the Yucatan Peninsula of south-east Mexico. This 83-mile-long swathe of palm-fringed sands is lapped by tumbling turquoise waves and stretches all the way down to the border with Belize. Admittedly, if you're travelling as a family, a couple, solo or with a group of friends, it's all too tempting to spend long lazy days on the beach at your hotel – and you'd want to leave plenty of time for that. But this is a part of the world that's crammed with other things to see and do. So, where do you start? Well, the dramatic ruins of Tulum are some of the most impressive you'll see – and not just in the country, but anywhere in the world. Teetering on a cliff edge overlooking the sea, the ancient ruins offer a fascinating insight into Mayan culture – and there's even a beach for a refreshing swim after you've dipped your toe in ancient Mayan history. Next? Head on to Calle Sol Oriente in boho Tulum town, where you can pause for photos taken in front of vibrant street art depicting sea turtles, jaguars and flowers, while checking out the stalls and picking up a locally made souvenir or two. If you prefer to immerse yourself in nature you're in the right place: tours through the mangroves give you a chance to soak up the serenity of this part of the world, listening to birdsong and the gentle lap of water as you go. Or for something a little livelier, this is a part of the world that's packed with fun events, from the annual Riviera Maya Jazz festival in November to the Food and Wine Festival in September. But travel here at any time of year and you'll be spoiled for drink and dining options, from toes-in-the-sand bars for tasting tequilas and street stalls serving up zingy tacos to juice cafes and candle-lit fine dining. And travelling with British Airways Holidays comes with benefits that include low deposits, Atol protection and generous baggage allowances. All this is assuming you can stray from your hotel, but that may well be trickier than you think, with several luxurious Melia hotels to choose from. One option is Paradisus La Perla - Adults Only - Riviera Maya, a super-sleek adults-only stay that's just a 45-minute transfer from Cancun International Airport. Surrounded by mangrove forests and strung along the beach, it feels remote and exotic, yet it's minutes away from buzzy Playa del Carmen, with its shops, cafes and nightlife. The all-inclusive element of your stay means that you'll have delicious food and drink on tap in the six restaurants, from authentic lip-tingling Mexican favourites like tacos to ice-cold local beers and smoky mezcals and cocktails. The Reserve offerings (an adults-only upgrade offering even more exclusive services and amenities) give you the chance to try incredible cultural experiences as part of your stay, from a Mayan shaman ritual to swimming in pristine cave pools known as cenotes. Your Reserve benefits also include a destination concierge to arrange excursions and reservations and to ensure your every whim is taken care of while you revel in the romantic touches of the resort – think double sun loungers slightly submerged beneath the pool at the front of your suite, plus hammocks and Bali beds, or a a relaxing morning in the spa to ease you into your day. If you long for a sun-soaked holiday with your family then try Paradisus Playa del Carmen instead. It's a haven for all ages, not least because it's also a speedy transfer from the airport – an essential after a long international flight. Palm-fringed sands and mangrove, the option of swim-up rooms and numerous pools with shaded cabanas and corners make the perfect play areas, as does the waterpark with its slides, splashing buckets and fountains. If your children are keen on making friends and you need an hour or two (or more) to yourself then the excellent kids club for ages one to 11 is just the place, and there's a teen room too. During the day they'll have their pick of toys and activities, while extended opening hours mean you can opt for a meal out without your kids as company, or if they're with you then the choice of eight restaurants – with international and Mexican cuisine – means they'll be happy with their meal choice. And when they're happy, you're happy too. British Airways Holidays packages include a generous baggage allowance for each customer and come with full Atol protection for complete peace of mind. Secure your Melia holiday to Mexico with a low deposit and enjoy flexible payments until you fly*. *Based on two sharing. Full balance due seven weeks before departure. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
ECU School of Hospitality hosts Food and Wine Festival
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — ECU's School of Hospitality hosts its annual Food and Wine Festival Friday. It starts at 6:30 p.m. and is designed to bring students, faculty and professionals together to raise money for ECU's School of Hospitality Leadership Scholarship Fund. All ticket sales will go toward the fundraiser and are $75 each. Guests will be able to enjoy 12 small plates of food and wine pairings. The event will take place in the Grand Ballroom in the Health Science Campus Student Center and is projected to end at 8:30 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
First ever Food and Wine Festival in Lahaina supports community
MAUI COUNTY (KHON2) – Businesses want to spread the word that Lahaina is open and has places who need your support after the wildfires devastated the community in are doing that by debuting a Food and Wine Festival in Lahaina. Co-owner and Wine Director of Hana Hou Hospitality, Caleb Hopkins and owner of Coco Deck Kitchen and Bar Lahaina Executive Chef, Alvin Savella, joined Wake Up 2Day to share more about this inaugural event in Lahaina. They told KHON2 they wanted to honor the awesome history of food and wine on Front Street. Hopkins said Chef Savella and he were working a booth at the Kapalua Food and Wine Festival when Hopkins asked Chef, 'Could we do one of these to showcase Lahaina?' Chef Savella said, 'Can brah.' HTA's 'Umeke programs support Hawaiian culture They've partnered with the Lahaina Action Committee to create a festival that will include the entire town. As Lahaina rebuilds and grows, so will the festival. They're long-term dream is a festival that has dozens of wine dinners covering all restaurants and price points so everyone can be involved. Rather than have an exclusive event with just a few extremely high end events, they want to include the whole community. The festival takes place from February 19-23, 2025. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news For more information you can click here: or Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I spent so much money at Disney World waiting for the magic to happen. The magic happened in mundane moments, not by buying things.
Visiting Disney World is one of my core childhood memories. I took my daughter when she was 9 years old, expecting her to love it. I spent so much money, and it still felt like I wasn't doing anything right. Visiting Disney World in Orlando was one of my most magical childhood memories, and I couldn't wait to share the experience with my 9-year-old daughter Ruby. So this past October, after countless hours spent scrolling Disney travel blogs riddled with pop-up ads and thousands of dollars invested in airfare, hotel, and park tickets, we entered the gates of the Magic Kingdom. I knew I had made a mistake within an hour of being at the park. I kept waiting for the magic to happen, hoping that my child would delight in the roaming characters or that we'd collectively gasp at the site of Cinderella's castle. Instead, we weaved through seemingly endless lines only to zip through animatronic dioramas, feeling sick of $15 fried pizza sticks in the 90-degree heat. It seemed that despite our extensive research and massive monetary investment, I was still doing it all wrong. I didn't purchase the $40 plastic Disney MagicBands and was fumbling to find our tickets at each entry point. I failed to properly reserve Tiana's Bayou Adventure on the Lightning Lane app. The fireworks show I'd hyped would require us to buy three $180 tickets for "Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party." And to top it all off, I took my claustrophobic child on Space Mountain, forgetting that it simulates the feeling of plummeting into a dark abyss. I'd hoped that this day would be full of snapshots from the montage of my life as a parent, but instead, I left the "most magical place on earth" feeling like a misfit mom who had been ripped off. We spent the next two days pressing our sweaty faces against plexiglass to look at Animal Kingdom's sleeping pygmy hippos and waiting in line to "embark on a culinary adventure across six continents" at Epcot's Food and Wine Festival. From photo packages to enchanted princess meet-and-greets, there was an opportunity to upgrade our experience at every stop. Turns out, I'm not alone in paying top dollar for nostalgia's sake. Parents are going into debt to take their kids to Disney parks. Disney parks continue to be the most visited theme parks in the world, but their rising prices are out of reach for many families. By the time we staggered out of Epcot wearing $35 sparkly mouse ears, I had thrown all of my boundaries in the garbage alongside our Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar wrappers. I feel fortunate that I could take paid time off of work and go on a costly vacation, but the price of trying to fit in with a congregation of besotted Disney families in their customized t-shirts was greater than I'd anticipated. On the last night of our trip, I called my mom from our hotel room to better understand her Disney parenting experience. "Isn't it great?" she asked wistfully when we got on the phone. "I think it's changed quite a bit since I was a kid," I said, trying not to yuck her yum. "It feels really different than I thought it would, and we're all a little overwhelmed." As I listened to her reminisce about my love for scoring character autographs as an 8-year-old and the way my dad would carry me across the park at the end of the night because my scrawny legs were too tired to walk, I realized that perhaps the magic looks different for everyone. Watching my daughter chase lizards across the Wilderness Lodge lawn as a rainbow stretched across the sky and seeing my husband spin around in a fiberglass teacup are moments that I'll always treasure. Laughing deliriously over takeout on the hotel couch isn't a family memory featured on Disney blogs, and it doesn't require a VIP ticket, but it's where we found our spark. The fantasy of parenting rarely matches reality. Disappointments like birthday tantrums and COVID-19 Christmas morning fevers happen, and I'm learning that this job requires the ability to humbly roll with the punches. I will forever cherish what Disney meant to me as a child, and I value the wisdom I have gained that our family doesn't need to spend a small fortune to experience true magic. Katie Nave is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Her work has been published in HuffPost, Newsweek, Elle, Business Insider, and Glamour, and she is the content lead of Bend Health, a company focused on the mental wellbeing of families. Read the original article on Business Insider
