February 1, 2009 KSL Travel Show

February 1, 2009
KSL Travel Show


Black Book – Fairbanks, Alaska. Dog sledding day tour, Alaskan Tails of the Trail, by Mary Shields. The first woman ever to finish the 1,049 mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. She has participated in the Yukon quest and the Hope Race from Alaska to Siberia. Mary is the author of 5 books and has been featured in a PBS documentary. www.maryshields.com


Adventure on a Tank of Gas – According to Ski Magazine, Utah’s biggest secret – Snowbasin. The best Resort in the West you have never skied. http://www.skinet.com/travel/2009-01/utahs-big-secret-snowbasin


I don’t normally recommend Hotel’s, but if you do want to stay in one, I would recommend one on the list of HOSCARS.
The red carpet was rolled out in Dublin last night for one of the budget travel industry’s most anticipated events of the year as the HOSCARS (HOStelworld Customer Annual Ratings) took place to recognise the best hostels in the world.

The winners of the coveted Hoscars were:

1. Traveller’s House, Lisbon, Portugal
2. Rossio Hostel, Lisbon, Portugal
3. Lisbon Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
4. The Riverhouse Backpackers, Cardiff, Wales
5. Greg-Tom Hostel, Krakow, Poland
6. Sitting On The City Walls Courtyard House, Beijing, China
7. Academy Hostel, Florence, Italy
8. Goodnight Backpackers, Lisbon, Portugal
9. Flamingo Hostel, Krakow, Poland
10. Mambo Tango Backpackers Hostel, Barcelona, Spain
Top Hostels by Continent: North America
1. Clarence Castle, Toronto, Canada
2. Hostel Seattle, Seattle, USA
3. Alexandrie-Montreal, Montreal, Canada
Latin America
1. HI Patagonia Hostel Puerto Madryn, Puerto Madryn, Argentina
2. Hostel Estoril, Buenos Aires, Argentina
3. Hostel Lao, Mendoza, Argentina
Africa
1. Equity Point, Marrakech, Morocco
2. Hostel Essaouira, Essaouria, Morocco
3. The Backpack & Africa Travel Centre, Cape Town, South Africa
Asia
1. Sitting On The City Walls Courtyard House, Beijing, China
2. Zhengjia International Youth Hostel, Pingyao, China
3. Eight Elephants Hostel, Taipei, Taiwan
Oceania
1. YHA Rotorua Treks, Rotorua, New Zealand
2. Dreamtime Travellers Rest, Cairns, Australia
3. Jailhouse Accommodation, Christchurch, New Zealand
Special Category Awards were also given to the following hostels:
Cleanest Hostel: Lisbon Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
Most Secure Hostel: Budapest Bubble, Budapest, Hungary
Most Fun Hostel: Rossio Hostel, Lisbon, Portugal
Hostel with Best Location: Traveller’s House, Lisbon, Portugal
Best Staff: The Riverhouse Backpackers, Cardiff, Wales
Hostel with Best Character: Traveller’s House, Lisbon, Portugal
Best Small Hostel [Max 50 beds]: Rossio Hostel, Lisbon, Portugal
Best Large Hostel [Min 500 beds]: Wombat’s City Hostel, Berlin, Germany
Most Improved Hostel: Marlborough Hostel, Dublin, Ireland
Best Hostel Chain
Wombats, Austria and Germany
Hatters Hostels, England
St Christopher’s Hostels – Belgium, England, France, Netherlands, Scotland


Who says “Any Publicity is Good Publicity”?
TRIPADVISOR'S DIRTIEST HOTELS IN THE UNITED STATES
1. Hotel Carter, New York 2. Continental Bayside Hotel, Miami Beach 3. New York Inn, New York 4. Eden Roc Motel, Wildwood, N.J. 5. Days Inn Cleveland Airport, Brook Park, Ohio 6. Days Inn Airport/Stadium Tampa, Tampa 7. Travelodge Bangor, Bangor, Maine 8. Velda Rose Resort Hotel, Hot Springs, Ark.9. Ramada Plaza Hotel JFK International Airport, Jamaica, N.Y. 10. Days Inn & Suites Gatlinburg, Gatlinburg, Tenn.

This is Hilarious, because with this list above, Tripadvisor lists the price and ability to book on line through their site.