Alaska: The Midnight Sun in Denali

For as long as I can remember, my heart has been set on Alaska to experience the midnight sun. This year, our stars aligned and granted us the chance to witness this on summer solstice. The anticipation had been building all day as we indulged in backcountry ATV rides and white water rafting. But nothing could have prepared us for the incredible evening that awaited us.

As the sky began to turn shades of pink and orange, we eagerly set out to explore the town of Talkeetna under the never-ending light of the midnight sun. Our initial plan was to find the perfect spot for photos, but our curiosity led us down winding roads and we ended up at 49th State Brewing.

With a beer in hand, we anxiously watched the clock tick closer to midnight, we were relieved to see that it was a clear sky - a rare occurrence in Alaska. And then it happened - at exactly midnight, the sun still shone brightly in the sky, casting an orange and pink glow over everything in sight. We piled into our rental van with heads swiveling in every direction, trying to take in every moment of this extraordinary experience.

Total Solar Eclipse in a Pilatus PC-12

Earlier this year, on April 8th 2024 - I had an opportunity to fly from New Jersey to Buffalo, New York in a private Pilatus PC-12 to experience the path of totality.

Having never done this before, I did a bit of research and picked out my gear. For this trip, I would be taking photos with my trusty Sony a1; the Sony 100-400 GM lens and a solar filter. 

I also wanted to capture the experience of the flight. For that, I had a Leica Q2, a DJI Osmo Pocket 3 and a GoPro Hero 12. Along with a lot of batteries. A lot. 

Given the excitement of the flight, I got to Teterboro Airport nearly an hour before departure and after checking in - grabbed a few snacks and drinks before the flight.

A good friend of mine was piloting another aircraft from the same company and kept texting me updates as the flight path changed due to ATC restrictions and environmental factors.

After a quick briefing, we took off around 1:25pm. Our destination had changed from the Buffalo region to a waypoint called PATTA.

As we climbed higher into the sky, the excitement onboard was palpable. Everyone was eagerly anticipating a memorable flight.

The pilot announced that we were approaching PATTA and would soon be entering the path of totality.

As we crossed into the path of totality, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The sky started to darken, almost as if night was falling upon us.

I quickly grabbed my Sony a1 and started capturing the stunning view outside. The sun had turned into a black circle with a fiery halo around it.

The whole experience felt surreal - like being in a completely different world.

The view from above was unlike anything I had ever seen before - a mesmerizing combination of light and darkness.

After about 3 minutes of being in the path of totality, we exited back into daylight. But the excitement onboard continued as everyone shared their photos and experiences from this once-in-a-lifetime event.

As we made our way back to New Jersey, I couldn't stop smiling at how lucky I was to have witnessed such an incredible natural phenomenon from high up in the sky. It was an unforgettable experience that I will cherish for years to come.

Once we landed back at Teterboro Airport, there were cheers and applause from all passengers for our successful flight. As we disembarked, I couldn't help but feel grateful for this amazing opportunity and the memories I had created.

A Week at the Conrad Maldives

In 2017, my wife and I celebrated our honeymoon in the Maldives and it is a trip that we still fondly remember. Not only did it offer us infinite beauty in every direction, the hospitality of the Maldivian people left us humbled.

As our son was turning 1, we wanted to do something special for the grandparents, aunt and uncle - so we decided to splurge and booked 4 villas at the Conrad Maldives.

My wife and I spent a lot of time planning the trip over a period of 6 months and coordinated with the hotel in advance - not knowing if we were going to be able to go until a month prior - thanks to COVID spikes every few months.

After making dining, diving and spa reservations for each of the days we were there - the time came to finally pack our bags and head to the airport.

Upon landing at Male airport - we were greeted by the Conrad representatives and were escorted to the sea plane lounge. We were the first ones there and were offered cereal, coffee and some other pastries from the limited breakfast menu. We also spent some time finishing up all the resort paperwork for all the rooms to ensure that there was no billing confusion upon arriving at the resort.

Approximately 2 hours later, it was time to board the sea plane and fly to the resort. The sea plane flight from Male to pretty much any resort has to be the happiest flight on the planet - the excitement is palpable.

After 30 minutes, we landed at the resort and were immediately introduced to our island host - Shiraz. He introduced himself and mentioned that he would be in charge of all 4 villas. While we did reach before check in time, a beach villa was already prepared for us - before our complimentary upgraded villas were ready.

The beach villas are the base villas at the Conrad Maldives. However, our jaw still dropped when we walked in for the first time. There’s just something special about the Maldives.

After settling in, we ordered some lunch and a few minutes later, got word that our Grand Water Villa is ready and that they would deliver our meals to the new room. We packed our bags and took the buggy over to our new room. While the beach villa definitely led to dropped jaws, I’m fairly certain our jaws reached the floor when we saw our new home for the next week - it was absolutely incredible and huge! A living room, a separate bedroom, a large changing area / bathroom and a beautiful outdoor deck with an unparalleled view.

As the rest of the family slowly arrived, every was excited for the week ahead. During our stay, Shiraz, our host made sure that everyone was taken care of - that everyone got to their dining reservations and other appointments on time and that we were kept in the loop about special activities.

The first night, we were invited to the General Manager’s reception - which featured a cotton candy sunset with cocktails and canapés. Every night after that, we were at the free happy hour for elite members. While it was only for an hour, the drinks and cocktails were free-flowing into the 50% off happy hour. We made sure to attend each and every single one.

Every morning, we truly enjoyed our elaborate breakfast with fresh foods, juices and a large variety of food options.

Every sunset, we would spend some time in the hot tub and watch the sun set into the horizon - while dipping into liquor and beer bottles from the mini bar.

And every evening, we enjoyed delicious meals at each of the restaurants that the island had to offer.

On our second to last day, we had booked a boat to celebrate our son’s first birthday. Not only did the crew go above and beyond in terms of their effort - but in terms of their hospitality.

And on the very final evening, we moved to the Grand Beach Villa and were once again impressed as to how special every room at the property feels.

All in all, we flew back home incredibly thankful for the opportunity and cannot wait to return in the very near future. This truly was the trip of a lifetime - we enjoyed every sunrise, we had fun on every dive, we ate some incredible meals and enjoyed the company of everyone close to us after a long time.

A huge and humble thanks to Shiraz and the entire Conrad Maldives team for truly making this one of the most memorable trips we’ve ever taken.

Cancun - Hyatt Ziva All Inclusive Review

I’ll be the first one to admit - I was not a huge fan of all inclusive resorts. They felt like vacations in a box. But, after our trip to Cancun - I can admit that my opinion of all inclusive resorts has completely changed.

My wife, son and I flew down to Cancun from Newark this past weekend. Our goal was to take celebrate our honeymoon in the sun, before the harsh reality of winter came knocking on our doorstep. The flights were relatively inexpensive as was the hotel.

Upon landing, we got in our rental car and drove 30 minutes to the resort. Unfortunately, our suite wasn’t ready just yet - but the hotel was kind enough to provide us with a complimentary room so that our son could take a nap. A short while later - we got a message indicating that our suite was ready and that someone would be along shortly to move our bags.

As soon as we got to our suite - we were in awe. The hotel had decorated our suite and even had a bottle of champagne, a small dessert and balloons in the bedroom. This trip took a whole new turn.

For the 3 days that we were there, we had one of the most relaxing weekends that we’ve had in a very long time - it was heavenly to not carry around a wallet everywhere. Everything was included - including alcohol and room service. We dined at a handful of hotel restaurants - including the dedicated dessert one and had drinks the entire day - starting at breakfast to the swim up pool bar.

We didn’t need to leave the hotel once and the staff was amazingly accommodating to various food allergies. They even accommodated the various custom requests that we had for our son’s food prep and it was correct every single time - truly - a huge accomplishment given the scale of the operations.

We spent our days in the pool and on the beach just spending time together.

For some reason, the simplicity of it all just made it an incredibly relaxing experience and I can’t wait to visit again and try some of the other all inclusive properties.

Review: qualia, Hamilton Island, Australia

As we await the world to re-open, this is a brief review of qualia on Hamilton Island.

In 2014, I had an opportunity to travel to the Great Barrier Reef. As we touched down in Hamilton Island, I was in awe of the stunning beauty of the island. At that time, I could not afford to stay on the island and instead had to stay on the mainland - nearly a 2 hour boat ride away. Little did I know, we would be back on Hamilton Island in 2019.

We decided to splurge and stay at qualia. I had heard a lot about the resort via various trip-reports and was really looking forward to our trip.

After booking the hotel via American Express, we got a few follow-up emails leading up to the trip so that we could plan excursions and other activities. My wife and I decided to book two diving trips along with a helicopter tour of the region.

The resort had also coordinated a pickup from the airport - a mere 10 minute drive away - and had refreshing towels and drinks waiting for us in the vehicle.

After being escorted to the hotel, we were given a brief overview of the islands: no motorized vehicles, other than golf carts and hotel vans.

Qualia entrance

Once we reached the hotel lobby, we were offered champagne and were given an overview about our room, the resort’s features and how to make the most of out of our stay in paradise. Not only was the hotel lobby awe-inspiring, the employees were incredibly passionate as they explained some of the benefits of the property: free yoga classes, fresh breakfast every morning, free mini-fridge replacements, in-room plunge pool, and a golf-cart to go around the island in style.

qualia living room

qualia living room

qualia plunge pool

qualia plunge pool

bath with a view

For the most part, our daily itinerary was the same: early morning breakfast, a day excursion, sunset and dinner.

Every morning we’d head out for breakfast and genuinely looked forward to it - despite the early wake up calls. Everything was freshly prepared and the views were unbeatable - an endless view of the Great Barrier Reef.

For our excursions, we had booked two diving trips, one helicopter flight and a day on Whitehaven Beach. Each and every excursion was amazing - despite the long boat rides. Unfortunately, our dives were a bit underwhelming given that a huge portion of the Great Barrier Reef was bleached and we didn’t get to see much underwater.

Bleached coral - Great Barrier Reef

When we didn’t have a day-trip planned, we simply relaxed and enjoyed the pool in the afternoon. qualia offers its guests an absolutely beautiful pool with quite a few activities, including kayaks and paddle boards by the ocean. This is another thing that makes the resort just so stress free - you don’t have to worry about discussing money before each and every basic activity.

qulia pool

In the early evening it seemed as the entire island would gather at the same point to view the sunset with their cocktails and cheering on the vibrant sky. It was a fun experience that we had the privilege of experience nearly every single day that we spent on the island.

Sunsets on Hamilton Island

For dinner, we had most of our meals in town and surprisingly - every meal was able to be billed back to the resort - which continued to enhance our seamless experience on the island. From pizza to proper sit-down meals, we enjoyed our peaceful evenings. Every night when we would return back to the room, housekeeping would have the room setup for a tempting bath and different chocolates and scents every night.

We’ve been fortunate enough to travel to so many incredible destinations and resorts all over the world - but this is one of the very few times we really looked at extending our stay - it is just that good. We can’t wait to go back.

Whitehaven Beach