Finding a Mediterranean cruise isn’t difficult. All of the big-name cruise lines have Med cruises, and they range from inexpensive to luxe. But you’re also generally on a ship with hundreds or even thousands of other cruisers. AdventureSmith Explorations offers a more intimate experience with its small ships, some with as few as 38 guests. Smaller is also better in this case because it means being able to squeeze into ports where the big ships can’t go (read: no glut of other cruisers). Small ships sometime carry big price tags, but not always. AdventureSmith, for example, has an eight-day Dalmatian coast cruise on the 38-passenger M/V Infinity that’s priced from just $1,425 per person, double occupancy. Among ancient areas visited in Croatia are Split, Korcula, Mljet, Dubrovnik, Vis, Hvar and Bol. Unlike your traditional cruises, this one doesn’t include dinner most nights. While that drives up your cost a bit, it also lets you sample the local cuisine in various ports. Info: 877-620-2875, http://tinyurl.com/zxgovwa
How airports stack up
Tampa International Airport was named best large airport in the U.S. in a ranking from AirportXP, a mobile insights platform from Phoenix Marketing International. The ranking is based on reports from more than 170,000 travelers sharing their experiences at the country’s 250 busiest airports. Rounding out the top five in the large airport class were Salt Lake City International, Charlotte/Douglas International in North Carolina, Chicago Midway International and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International. Among medium airports, Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Neb., was ranked first, and Bellingham International in Washington state was tops for small airports. Check out the rankings at http://tinyurl.com/gn4ycdu.
Grace Bay, the luxe way
Lists picking the best this or best that are totally subjective, of course, but they can turn you on to hidden gems. TripAdvisor’s 2016 awards recently picked Grace Bay in the Turks and Caicos as the best beach in the world. If you’d like to weigh in on that with your own rating, you might want to check out specials being offered by The Somerset on Grace Bay, whose accommodations range from 1,400-square-foot, one-bedroom villas to 5,300-square foot, five-bedroom penthouses. Naturally, accommodations like this don’t come cheap. Regular rates for the smallest villas are $650 a night, but promotions such as the Grace Bay Getaway can bring that down to $553. The $10 Nights at the Somerset package gives you every fifth night for $10. A one-bedroom villa, by the way, can accommodate two adults and two kids 12 and younger and comes with a gourmet kitchen. Among free resort amenities are bicycles, infinity edge and reverse-current lap pools, a fitness center with a steam room, in-room Wi-Fi, snorkeling equipment, kayaks, Hobie Cat sailboats and more. Info: http://tinyurl.com/jdqmmwt
Phil Marty is a freelance reporter.
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