The Travel Blog

Thrilling, heartbreaking, and, at times, absurdly funny, The Last Resort is a remarkable true story about one family in a country under siege and a testament to the love, perseverance, and resilience of the human spirit. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Douglas Rogers is the son of white farmers living through that country’s long and tense transition from postcolonial rule. He escaped the dull future mapped out for him by his parents for one of adventure and excitement in Europe and the United States. But when Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe launched his violent program to reclaim white-owned land and Rogers’s parents were caught in the cross fire, everything changed. Lyn and Ros, the owners of Drifters–a famous game farm and backpacker lodge in the eastern mountains that was one of the most popular budget resorts in the country–found their home and resort under siege, their friends and neighbors expelled, and their lives in danger. But instead of leaving, as their son pleads with them to do, they haul out a shotgun and decide to stay. On returning to the country of his birth, Rogers finds his once orderly and progressive home transformed into something resembling a Marx Brothers romp crossed with Heart of Darkness: pot has supplanted maize in the fields; hookers have replaced college kids as guests; and soldiers, spies, and teenage diamond dealers guzzle beer at the bar. And yet, in spite of it all, Rogers’s parents–with the help of friends, farmworkers, lodge guests, and residents–among them black political dissidents and white refugee farmers–continue to hold on. But can they survive to the end? In the midst of a nation stuck between its stubborn past and an impatient future, Rogers soon begins to see his parents in a new light: unbowed, with passions and purpose renewed, even heroic. And, in the process, he learns that the "big story" he had relentlessly pursued his entire adult life as a roving journalist and travel writer was actually happening in his own backyard. Evoking elements of The Tender Bar and Absurdistan, The Last Resort is an inspiring, coming-of-age tale about home, love, hope, responsibility, and redemption. An edgy, roller-coaster adventure, it is also a deeply moving story about how to survive a corrupt Third World dictatorship with a little innovation, humor, bribery, and brothel management.From the Hardcover edition.

Price: $7.12  $17.12

The 3rd Edition of Resorts: Management and Operation is a summary of almost 30 years of thought, analysis, and research into the field of resort management written from a business viewpoint yet takes into account the unique structure of resorts. The text is divided into three sections. Each section has a philosophical basis for the inclusion of the subsequent principles and practices.The first section covers major types of resorts: those that are mountain-based, beach-based and golf/tennis based. Two chapters are devoted to each of the various resort types. The first chapters of each resort type focuses on development issues with the impact on operations noted throughout. The second chapter in each resort type deals with guest profiles and management issues. The second section highlights what makes managing a resort different from managing a 'regular' hotel. The final section features a newly expanded chapter on spas, pools, and indoor water parks along with individual chapters on specialty resorts, cruise ships and casinos, reflecting the importance of these types of properties.

Price: $52.00  $62.00

Ultraluxe. A byword for comfort, where the ambience is comprised of carefully crafted interiors, unrivalled amenities and superlative service; in which the most discreet of staff attend to their guest’s every wish - in locations ranging from the international hot spots of Paris and New York to far flung villages in Cambodia, to exclusive island paradises and private villas in the Gulf offering the ultimate in spa treatments. From safaris to snorkelling to rural retreats, here is a selection of only the very best from around the globe.Lavishly illustrated and written by an expert in the field, this is a book for the seasoned traveller in search of the latest destinations, for the adventurous looking for ideas for their next journey, for the design savvy who want cutting–edge accommodation in the world’s most prestigious cities, for interior designers and hoteliers looking for fresh inspiration, and for those who simply want to dream.

Price: $25.58  $35.58

Hip Hotels: City didn't just identify a trend, it led it. This revised edition reflects that, introducing around a dozen stunning new hotels (all of which have opened since first publication) and at least three new city destinations (Delhi, Marrakesh and Tokyo). New hotels include One Aldwych, a superb example of the new contemporary luxury; The Manor, Delhi, an amazing piece of fifties modern architecture originally built as a hunting lodge; Blakes, Amsterdam, Anouska Hempel's latest venture that brings her Asian-inflected minimalism to a superb piece of Golden Age Dutch architecture; and The Establishment in the heart of Sydney, which houses not just a hotel but the city's hottest bar, nightclub, restaurant and sushi bar, taking the hotel-as-destination concept to a whole new level. The book also has a new updated cover and a new contents spread.

Price: $2.87  $12.87