This past May, acting on little more than a few days' notice, we decided to fly to Iceland for what essentially was a long weekend. This island nation sits on the Arctic Circle and had been on my bucket list for years, though honestly not very high up on it. Interestingly, when we spoke with friends about our trip, I was astounded at how many had Iceland high up on their respective lists.

If you're already a fan of villa vacationing for its flexibility, privacy, value, and room to spread out and really settle in, we applaud your travel savvy. If you haven't yet tried this popular way of living like a local, we encourage you to give it a go, and here are a few reasons why.

To misquote Shakespeare, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," and that's how we feel about the rebranding and subsequent name change of the London-based Belmond portfolio of hotels, resorts, and safari lodges--valued partners in The Hideaways Collection ^®. Formerly Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., the Belmond name was introduced in March 2014, further supporting the global collection's ongoing commitment to superb quality and unmatched guest experiences.

Here's a secret worth sharing. In the burgeoning river cruise market, there's a relatively unknown (at least to North Americans) German line that's quietly been providing its guests with good value and superb cruising experiences on the rivers of Europe for more than 14 years. But its anonymity is about to change. A-Rosa now is being represented in North America by David Morris International, a firm whose execs are no strangers to heading up luxury cruise lines. Among them is Executive V.P. Marilyn Conroy, who recently chatted with Hideaways about the philosophy and attractive offerings of this little-known river cruise line, which we've recently welcomed into The Hideaways Collection^®.

They made it look so effortless on the TV series, The Love Boat--that is, getting married at sea, perhaps spontaneously after a quick on-board romance. But in real life, it doesn't work quite that way. A wedding at sea can require hours of preparation, mounds of paperwork, and an unflagging sense of humor. But the rewards are well worth it, according to Doris Price Lerner and her new husband, Norm Lerner, who recently said "I do" on the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Spain, aboard the quintessentially romantic sailing vessel, Sea Cloud II, of Sea Cloud Cruises^THC.