FX Excursions

FX Excursions offers the chance for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in destinations around the world.

Bucket List Blooms: Best Places to Witness Spring Blooms

by Aoife O’Riordan

Mar 22, 2023

© Discovering Belgium

Daily

With spring on our doorstep, the world prepares to see bursts of color, from bold bluebells to vibrant cherry blossoms. While every destination welcomes spring, these places not only see beautiful flowers blossom but also celebrate these blooms with festivals and floral-themed offers from local hotels.

Whether you’re a fan of tulips or wildflowers or daisies, here are some cities ready to welcome visitors to experience spring blooms for themselves:

guest room suite

© Hotel Amigo

Where to Experience Bluebells

In Brussels, Belgium, lies an indigo forest that erupts into shades of purple and blue every spring. This forest, Hallerbos, located 25 minutes from the city center, begins to see green, wild hyacinths turn to bluebells in mid-April. The forest’s website updates daily during the spring season to track the bluebells’ blooms. Fans of these blooms can extend the bluebell experience at Hotel Amigo, located next to Grand Place outside of Schaerbeek. Here, the concierge team can arrange a private chauffeur to visit the forest. Back in the hotel, guests can enjoy relaxing in a botanically inspired room, where bright colors, wooden sculptures and modern furnishings make for a pleasant experience.

Where to Experience Cherry Blossoms

What better place to see the cherry blossoms than in their original home? In Tokyo, Japan, the city transforms into a sea of cherry blossoms from late March to early April. Since the eighth century, viewing cherry blossoms has been an important pastime in Japanese culture, and Tokyo offers many spots to witness the blooms, including Meguro River, Yoyogi Park, Rikugien Gardens and Ueno Park. For a bird’s eye view of the blossoms, stay at Park Hyatt Tokyo, located at the top of a 52-story tower. In addition to personalized services and top-class gourmet dining options, the hotel also boasts 360-degree views of the city and Mount Fuji.

guest room

© Thompson Seattle

Where to Experience Tulips

Head to Seattle, Washington, this spring to see native flora come alive. In April, the city hosts the iconic Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, where fields of colorful tulips and daffodils awe the more than 1 million visitors. Soak up every minute of tulip season with a stay at Thompson Seattle, where the building’s sleek, glass façade offers views of Puget Sound. Head to the restaurant’s rooftop cocktail lounge to enjoy city and waterfront views.

Cassia

© Cassia Hotel

Where to Experience Medicinal Flowers

The cassia flower has long been reported to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, as well as a form of natural hair care, coloring and conditioning. In Jerusalem, Israel, visitors can learn about the biblical roots of cassia, in which it is believed to have served as an essential oil and core ingredient in anointing oil. At Cassia Jerusalem, a property named after the same flower, guests can see the beautiful flowers hanging from trees surrounding the property.

Graduate Tucson

© David Mitchell Photography

Where to Experience Wildflowers

In Tucson, Arizona, the Sonoran Desert transforms into a painter’s palette of wildflowers. Hike one of its trails in April to witness Mexican gold poppies, desert bluebells, paper flowers, owl’s clover and more. Through April and until June, a visit to the desert also promises sights of desert plants in bloom, such as saguaro, ocotillo, barrel, prickly pear and cholla cacti. Graduate Tucson serves as the perfect hub to enjoy Arizona’s wildflower blooms. Its rooftop bar, Moonstone, features cocktails inspired by the natural flora, with drinks like The Bluebell (vodka, pineapple rum, lime and pineapple) and The Desert Rose (tequila, Cocchi Americano, lemon, strawberry and rose water).

Introducing

FX Excursions

FX Excursions offers the chance for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in destinations around the world.

#globility

Insta Feed
Sponsored
Jun 1, 2023

Protected: MORE TO TRAVEL

There’s more to travel than just getting there.

Hit the High Notes in Nashville

Nashville’s once-modest skyline continues to evolve as its luxury market grows. Lavish hotel properties are added to the landscape while acclaimed chefs stake claim in the robust culinary scene and premier cultural offerings round out the city’s repertoire.

April/May 2023
May 31, 2023

Festivities Draw Crowds to Celebrate Awareness and Acceptance

An estimated 1 million people pack Times Square to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve, but the NYC Pride March draws the largest annual crowd for the city, boasting 2.5 million spectators in a normal year and more than 5 million during 2019’s WorldPride celebration. Pride events flood the Big Apple for the entire month of June, as they do in several cities across the country, bringing marches, symposiums, performances, parties and more to venues citywide.

eFlyer Reviews
May 31, 2023

Homer and Janet by Homer Review

The Marais District, covering swaths of Paris’ 3rd and 4th arrondissments, has a distinctively gritty glamour that reveals it to be one of the city’s great incubators for new French food, fashion and lifestyle trends. It is here Moïse Sfez took on the challenge of creating street food establishments Homer in 2017 and Janet by Homer in 2022, doing it in such a way they both transcend the novelty of being regional American comfort food offered at stylized lunch counters matching up with New England lobster shacks and New York delis. Overwhelming local response and Sfez winning the 2018 Lobster Roll World’s Championship title in Portland, Maine, solidified him as a Paris restaurateur and one of France’s hottest culinary stars.

Plan Your Escape to Arizona

Indulgent escapes are made even more enjoyable by fast, easy access — and that’s what Arizona offers. Quick, non-stop and direct flights to one of two international airports put all the luxury of The Grand Canyon State within easy reach.

eFlyer News
May 31, 2023

Air New Zealand to Introduce Skynest Sleeping Pods on Ultra-Long-Haul Flights in 2024

Starting September 2024, Air New Zealand introduces its new Skynest full-length sleeping pods on its ultra-long-haul routes. The new feature will begin on routes between New York and Chicago.

April/May 2023
May 31, 2023

Review: InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown

ARRIVAL/CHECK-IN: Shortly after 1 p.m., our Uber driver delivered my husband and me to the drive-up entrance of the Wilshire Grand building, the tallest building on the West Coast and home to InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown. Attentive valets greeted us and directed us to the dedicated elevator, which whisked us up to the 70th-floor lobby. Though it was early afternoon, our room was ready, and the desk staff checked us in quickly and directed us to the elevator to our 53rd-floor room. We strolled past several comfortable seating areas and a large bar and lounge, tastefully adorned with understated holiday décor. All were wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows, affording stunning views of the sun-splashed city and the ocean beyond.

What Business Travel Looks Like Now From Those Who Know It Best

Pack your bags, traveling for business is making a comeback — and the role of the corporate travel manager is more important than ever.

April/May 2023
May 31, 2023

Review: Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza

ARRIVAL/CHECK-IN: After an early-morning departure from the East Coast followed by several flight delays and a long Uber transfer from LAX, I was quite happy to finally arrive at the circular driveway of Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza. Entering the glass doors into the light-filled lobby, I was immediately greeted by a pleasant aroma in the air and no line at the check- in desk. Check-in was speedy, and individually packaged baked goods and water awaited arriving guests.