AMPR’s President & CEO Andria Mitsakos spends more than 80% of her time on airplanes. When it comes to quick getaways, she knows that jetting away on just one flight means avoiding missed connections and long layovers.
 
Here are her Top Five favorite “one flight wonders”:
 
JAMAICA
Flight time from New York: 3hr 50min
Flight time from Miami: 1hr 40min
Accommodations: Geejam, a new, seven-room retreat where jungle meets beach.
Website: www.islandoutpost.com
Insider’s tip: Most don’t know that tourism in Jamaica originated in Port Antonio at the turn of the 19th century. Spend the day jet skiing along Portie’s wild coastline. Stop off at its seven beaches. Take a dip in the real Blue Lagoon.
 
NASSAU
Flight time from New York: 3 hours
Flight time from Miami: 1 hour
Accommodations: Marley Resort & Spa, just 16 rooms and run by Bob Marley’s daughter, Stephanie
Website: www.marleyresort.com
Insider’s tip: Get off the plane, and into a taxi and head straight to Good Fellows organic farm and market. Loads of fresh sandwiches, salads and other items are made right on the premises, in addition to an international array of gourmet items. Perfect for a beach picnic.
 
ST. MAARTEN
Flight time from New York: 4 hours
Flight time from Miami: 2 hours 50 minutes
Accommodations: Rent an apartment in Aquamarina, the island’s most chic real estate development.
Website: www.aquamarinasxm.com
Insider’s tip: Flights back to NY and Miami are generally in the afternoon, and the airport is five minutes away from Aquamarina, so on your departure day, get up early, check-in for your flight and then head back only 45 minutes prior to departure time. Another beach day earned!
Double insider’s tip: Hop a ferry to nearby Anguilla or St Barth. St Maarten is a great jumping-off point for the region.
 
BARBADOS
Flight time from New York: 5 hours
Flight time from Miami: 3 hours 30 minutes
Accommodations: The House, Barbados’s boutique hotel answer to the laid back for the jet set.
Website: www.eleganthotels.com
Insider’s tip: Needn’t go far for an amazing meal. Daphne’s, located adjacent to The House, is one of the most coveted restaurants in the Caribbean. Princess Diana frequented its London counterpart. 
 
PARIS
Flight time from New York: 7 hours 40 minutes
Flight time from Miami: 9 hours
Accommodations: Rent an apartment steps from Place Vendôme with Welcome2france.com; always less expensive than the city’s leading hotels.
Website: www.welcome2france.com
Insider’s tip: On Sundays, everything in Paris is closed, so head to Le Marais, a neighborhood in the city’s Jewish quarter, where everything is open. Book a gomage (body scrub) and steam at Les Bains du Marais. Jet lag: cured.

Forbes has come up with a slideshow of the 13 top skylines. Some are expected (Chicago, New York, Sydney, Paris). One is completely unexpected (Pittsburgh, which was a surprise, but in fact, the skyline is lovely).  One seems slightly wrong (Dallas, a little dull, I think). And one is just plain wrong (Dubai, proving that size isn’t everything). And kudos for showing the San Francisco skyline from an unexpected angle.

I thought I’d have a lock on this list; I’m more of a town aficionado then a city-girl, and it is my home country, after all, but I only got nine out of twenty. I haven’t explored the eastern seaboard as much as I’d like and this beautiful slideshow makes me want to head east.

The selections: [Read more →]