One block from the main street of Ojai, California someone with a big heart is the innkeeper of a historic home turned into an elegant bed and breakfast. Her name is Kathy Hartley. Her goal is to pamper guests while they're staying in one of seven individually decorated rooms or the 1,000 sq. ft. cottage in the garden backyard. Kathy discovered a forlorn 1874 house in need of a little love called the Moons Rest Inn. The teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing purchased the inn and renovated it to be a comfortable bed and breakfast filled with antiques and local art. Located one street away from the hub of Ojai with it's art galleries, shops, and farm to table restaurants, she changed the name to the Lavender Inn and incorporated a small spa on the property. Throughout the year, couples reserve a room for a peaceful respite…

Charles Darwin described the country Belize in his 1842 book, Coral Reefs of the World, as “the most remarkable reef in the West Indies.” Snorkel and diving enthusiasts appreciate the 1,000 different live species, with 500 types of fish and 100 different varieties of coral. Belize has the South Water Caye Marine Reef, the second largest barrier reef in the world. Stepping into the pleasant 83 degree water, the visibility is at least 100 feet. Belize borders Guatemala, Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. This Northern Hemisphere diving area has atolls and hundreds of mangroves and coral sand islands. It’s home to one of the world’s largest populations of threatened West Indian manatees, endangered sharks and marine turtles. When two American divers and nature enthusiasts traveled to Belize in 2000, they fell in love with the beauty of the beach town, Hopkins. They enjoyed meeting the people in this English-speaking nation.…

We can usually tell whether we will like a hotel by the greeting we receive when we first arrive. If the staff is prepared for us and happy to see us, it usually means they are content, well-trained, and they will take good care of us. The reception we received at Maison 557 in Siem Reap, Cambodia was cordial and welcoming. Jeff, the innkeeper, warmly greeted us when we walked through the hotel’s front gate, and he was there to help with our bags and offer us a welcome drink. He asked about our backgrounds and interests and then escorted us to our room. We felt like we had arrived at a friend’s house. We were in Siem Reap to explore the nearby temples and ruins at the Angkor complex. This former capital city of the Khmer empire is vast – extending over 75 square miles – and to do…

I was feeling like a Purdue Chicken, trapped in the four walls of my concrete New York apartment, stacked over countless others. Yes, there’s a beautiful vista outside our wall of windows...but I felt contained. Trapped. Sitting at my computer, absorbing who knows what toxic rays, with only an occasional foray into the kitchen for coffee and a snack or a bit of yoga in front of the flat screen oversized TV, I was feeling achy and depressed--too frequently. Not quite as restricted as the chicken, perhaps. And eating a better diet. But not breathing fresh air. And not getting real exercise. The thought of negotiating the elevator and then NYC traffic with my bicycle or pounding the concrete walkways (even if they were in Central Park or along the Hudson) was not appealing enough to get me outside on a clammy autumn day. What to do?! Why not get…