Bacalar is a hidden gem in Mexico, reachable from the new Tulum airport

Tiny Bacalar has been a rising star since Mexico listed it as one of its Pueblos Magicos, or Magic Towns, in 2006, recognizing spectacular features such as its Lagoon of Seven Colors. In 2021 it received its first luxury eco-resort, an adults-only outpost of Habitas that surveys the brilliantly hued Lake Bacalar from its A-frame tented cabins. But now the town is easier to visit, thanks to the new airport in Tulum. Get to Bacalar’s cenotes and jungles before the town becomes as popular as its northern neighbors. The local swimming holes are some of the biggest in Mexico; they’re more like small lakes than the caves you’ll find farther up the riviera, with Cenote de la Bruja — the Witch’s Cenote — being a favorite for its deep midnight-blue waters.

Bloomberg News

There is arguably no living filmmaker with a more idiosyncratic and easily identifiable visual style than Wes Anderson: insistent axial compositions, obsessively curated interiors, pastel hues, far-flung places and a distinct sense of preciousness. “Accidentally Wes Anderson: Adventures” is a hybrid photography book and travel guide to sites far and wide that seem, well, Andersonesque. The book includes some 200 locations in 50 countries, from familiar destinations (Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna) to the more remote (Mikladalur Church on the Faroe Islands). ”Some of these look imaginary, and apparently look like I made them up, but I didn’t,” Anderson writes in the foreword. All, you can be sure, are cute.

Dallas Morning News

Great Wolf Lodge’s newest location lands in Naples, Fla., with a 92,000-square-foot water park, a 62,000-square-foot adventure park and a 500-room resort. It’s one of the brand’s 22 indoor water park resorts nationwide, including one in Bloomington, Minn. ”We’re not a hotel with a pool. This is like a Six Flags inside,” said Jason Bays, general manager of Great Wolf Lodge South Florida. Florida’s first indoor water park, which features 12 slides, three pools and two water play zones, will be kept at a constant 84 degrees. The chain has a nearly 30-year history that began in Wisconsin Dells.

Orlando Sentinel

Chelsea Dickenson, a British cheap travel expert, wants a roomy airplane seat without paying for it. So she tries her luck with Check-In Chicken, a gambit that involves delaying check-in until the airline has no choice but to assign you a premium seat. ”I’ve tried this hack on over 10 flights and the success rate is pretty high,” said Dickenson. Early in the check-in process, an airline will allocate the least desirable economy seats to solo passengers and to groups of travelers that it splits up, Dickenson explained. Once the carrier has run out of bad seats, it will free up the better options, such as ones toward the front or with extra legroom. Passengers who check in closer to their departure time can often scoop up these coveted seats.

Washington Post