Fans of the Chamber-sponsored business travel tours hold onto your hats! We have two amazing trips planned for 2010.

Have you ever wanted to stay in a castle in the Swiss alps? Tour operator Premier World Discovery has an exclusive relationship with the Montreux Palace, a five-star historic hotel build in 1906 and located on the shores of Lake Geneva. We’ll stay there six nights and take a tour of Geneva, do some wine tasting in the Rhone Valley and visit the beautiful capital city of Bern. Probably the most exciting aspect of this high-end vacation is taking a train excursion on the Golden Pass Train from Montreux to Gstaad.

Then from Gstaad, we’ll travel to Gruyeres, a charming hilltop town famous for a 12th century castle. While there, we’ll visit a Swiss-cheese dairy and taste the finished product. The trip is scheduled for April 1, 2010, and includes transportation to and from LAX, your roundtrip airfare and 10 meals for an all-inclusive rate of $3099.

In November, it’s off to Costa Rica for eight nights. We’ll take a coffee plantation tour and sample fresh Costa Rican coffee, then learn about the history, cultivation and operation of the coffee bean at this working farm. Then, it’s a jungle cruise on the Rio Frio through the world famous Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge.

We’ll also visit the Arenal Volcano National park, one of the 10 most active volcanoes in the world. Next it’s a look at the cloud forest conservation project at Selvatura Park and discover firsthand the natural beauty of the majestic Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. We’ll also visit an Orchid Garden and biological reserve and stop at the picturesque Sarchi Artisan Village, known as the cradle of Costa Rica’s craftsmanship. This trip leaves November 3 and its all-inclusive rate is $2599.

You can request more information by contacting the Chamber at 489-1488. Happy Trails!