magazine | Lifestyle | Health & Wellness

15 Cannabis Travel Experiences to Start the Year on a High Note

photo: Adam Szafranski

Whether “puff, puff, pass” is your daily mantra or you’re simply canna-curious, the legalization of marijuana in nine states has thrust the green right into the mainstream. With at least a half dozen more states voting on legalization this year as well as the Czech Republic, Spain and Portugal joining Holland in decriminalizing personal use, marijuana tourism is the latest in luxe, bespoke travel experiences. While there’s still plenty of red tape surrounding cannabis consumption, Pandora’s box of proverbial (and literal) pot has opened up significantly to travelers looking for a sativa infused sojourn.

Can you imagine imbibing a cannabis cocktail at your next “high” end dinner party? How about touring the “Napa Valley of Weed” on a girls weekend away? We’ve culled the coolest in cannabis travel experiences and put together a handy dandy dank list of locales sure to sate-iva your “highest-end high.”

Reporter: Katie Bush | Location: Madison on Park

Photo:Nathan Mueller

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Cannabis Infused Cocktails at Madison on Park

San Diego, California

Head down south for a high-end night out at Madison on Park. Sip the Mr. Nice Guy, priced at $18, made with cannabidiol oil, or CBD. Cold-pressed from the cannabis plant, CBD oil has little to no psychoactive effects (which means it won’t get you high) and is touted for it health benefits, from helping to ease anxiety to providing pain relief. Created by Bar manager Danny Kuehner, the Mr. Nice Guy is a mix of mezcal, CBD oil, matcha, pineapple, coconut milk and lime. If this isn’t your winning weed combo of ingredients, there’s also an optional $5 CBD oil add-on to any of the cocktails on the Build Your Own Old Fashioned menu.

Photo:Kenton Waltz

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Serra Dispensary, the Modern Druggist

Portland, Oregon

Still think a trip to a dispensary means a long, dark hallway, neon mushroom posters and beaded curtains? Say hello to Serra, designed as a greenhouse, it’s hands-down one of the most stunningly designed dispensaries we’ve ever seen. The brand's flagship space is located in a historic building in the Old Town area of Portland, which was built in 1889. The owners describe it as "an experiential and curated cannabis retail space that rethinks, redefines, and sets the bar for progressive pot culture.”

Photo:maeandmany

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Legendary Cannabis Coffeehouse Culture in Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam is and always will be a mecca for travelers on a pot pilgrimage. Since 1976, when Dutch lawmakers pioneered a new approach to soft drugs, pragmatic tolerance has been de rigeur for the Dutch. There are over 250 coffee houses in Amsterdam, all licensed to sell the sticky icky. Over 2 million tourists a year visit Amsterdam and these legendary cannabis coffeehouses, just to (legally) sit street-side and smoke a sweet treat. Check out all the beautiful group getaways in Amsterdam and book your room blocks online →

Photo:Maria Orlova

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Jupiter Hotel: First Cannabis Friendly Package Deal

Portland, Oregon

The Jupiter Hotel is a boutique hotel centrally located in SE Portland, Oregon. High on design aesthetic with a fair price, even Architectural Digest has taken notice. It’s also the first hotel in Oregon to offer a cannabis-friendly package to guests in collaboration with Dope Magazine. The deal includes a Munchie kit, vape pen, copy of Dope Magazine as well as a discount to local dispensaries. While there is no smoking in the rooms or cannabis in the packages, they sure do make it easy peasy to enjoy the squeezy.

Photo:Lord Jones

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First In-House Hotel Dispensary: Lord Jones at the Standard Hotel, Hollywood

West Hollywood, California

Per usual, Hollywood is at the forefront of the cannabis cultural shift. For the most perfect group getaway, book your buds at The Standard in Hollywood and come 2018, experience the first brick and mortar in-house hotel dispensary in collaboration with the lauded, edible sophistication of Lord Jones. We’ve heard this also means weed-infused, travel-sized bottles of shampoo and CBD chocolates placed on guest pillows.

Photo:Marianne Brown

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Weed Bars at Weddings

Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon and Washington

For those of you set on sativa at your wedding, you’ll need to travel to Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, where marijuana bars are a thing and even Grandma is puff, puff, passing the ganja. Couples can hire wedding planners who specialize in cannabis coordination, bow tie–clad “budtenders” to man the open marijuana bar and even high-end transportation companies that come complete with a joint-rolling concierge. And for those who just need a little inspiration, there are whole websites dedicated to the art of creating a chic, cannabis-infused event.

Photo:The Travel Joint

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My 420 Tours: Completely Curated Cannabis Experiences

Denver, Colorado

While you may not find this information on the Colorado State Board of Tourism’s website, cannabis tour operators have sprouted up in the Mile High City. My 420 Tours offers classes from “Sushi & Joint Rolling” to “Cannabasics Sommelier” or pack up your pals for a weekend and dig a little deeper into a completely curated cannabis experience. This includes 420-friendly hotel stays, Grow & Dispensary tours, the previously mentioned classes as well as cannabis cooking.

Photo:Daniel Hennessy

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Nipton, CA: First Town Owned by a Cannabis Company

Nipton, California

Just 60 miles south of Las Vegas, American Green, the largest publicly traded cannabis company in the U.S., bought the town of Nipton for $5 million dollars in 2016. The company plans to start by bottling water (from a nearby aquifer) infused with CBD, the cannabis component linked to relieving pain and inflammation. And from there, American Green hopes to attract like-minded companies to set up shop — CBD and mineral baths, dispensaries, artist-in-residence programs, culinary events and bed-and-breakfasts — "to complete the charming small town experience."

Photo:Nativ Hotel

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Nativ Hotel: First Cannabis Friendly Hotel in the U.S.

Denver, Colorado

Hotel California may be a “lovely place with a lovely face” (and the first state to legalize marijuana), but Colorado’s home to the first hotel with specific accommodations and design details for smokers or as they call it, a “feast for the senses.” Nativ Hotel—located in the LoDo (lower downtown) neighborhood of Denver—has dreamy little details like living plant walls, a Stereo Lounge in the hotel’s basement, a coffee bar featuring CBD infused lattes, an in-room system that can mix 800 different drink combinations, and more. Better yet, half of the hotels 16 rooms have weed-friendly balconies (no smoking in the rooms themselves). Don’t take our word for it, ask Drake and Justin Bieber, both guests of the hotel in the past year.

What Happens in Vegas Stays in a 420 Condo, Steps From the Strip

Las Vegas, Nevada

As if “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” isn’t good enough for your next girls weekend… why not indulge your senses a bit more and stay in a luxury condo, right off the strip, where cannabis smoking is encouraged but cigs are banned? Those are definitely some high house rules we can get behind. Luxurious amenities include a VIP Check-in Lounge, VIP Nightlife Host, Hot Tub & Sun Deck, Year Round Pool, Palms Recharge Spa Access and of course, access to local dispensaries.

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Photo:Traveling DAB

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Traveling DAB (Doing Activities Better)

Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington

Touted as the “first recreational cannabis travel company in the world,” they’re committed to “doing activities better” while guiding the budding marijuana enthusiast or hardcore connoisseur on the 420 adventure of their dreams. Think hand-crafted, bespoke smoke experiences ranging from one-on-one glassblowing demonstrations, touring cannabis and cultivation farms, canna coffee shop hopping or concerts & festivals in the know with the grow. All enjoyed legally and responsibly of course.

Photo:Bud and Breakfast

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State of the Art B&B

Ibiza, Spain

Thanks to the advent of Bud and Breakfast the Mary Jane loving man/woman-about-town can book a B&B style home away from home curated with cannabis in mind. We happen to think this particular choice in Ibiza, Spain is on the “high” end of the style sector. Within walking distance to the beach, it’s stocked with cannabis and a vaporizer to use indoors while soaking in either of the two private Jacuzzi tubs or recharging in the home-theater-like living room.

Photo:The Opulent Chef

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Cannabis Meets Haute Cuisine with The Opulent Chef

Named one of the Top 10 Cannabis Chefs in the country, Michael Magallanes is the founder of The Opulent Chef, who hosts cannabis infused private dining experiences, pop up dinners and private workshops in the Silicon Valley and northern California. Imagine a dank culinary delight for the senses at your next dinner party or pack up your pals for an elevated bucket list pop up dinner experience. Or better yet, progressive companies looking for a safe and legal way to host an out-of-the-box holiday party should look no further than The Opulent Chef’s cannabis-infused cuisine. Take a peek at these picturesque California vineyards, where pop-up dinner parties under the stars would be perfection (cannabis dinner party permission required, of course).

Photo:CHOKO Club

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Cannabis Social Clubs of Spain

According to Kush Tourism: “The cities of Spain are blessed with what they call “Cannabis Social Clubs.” These Clubs offer cannabis consumers a place to purchase and consume cannabis for both recreational and medicinal purposes. With over 700 clubs in the Catatonia region alone, they allow members to use and sell marijuana within the confines of the clubs. Many of the clubs play live music and create entertaining atmospheres to enjoy Spain’s world famous strains of cannabis.”

Photo:Paz Arando

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Uruguay: First country to Completely Decriminalize Cannabis

Besides the beautiful beaches, haute cuisine, hip shopping and extensive vineyards, Uruguay made headlines in December of 2013 when it became the first nation in the world to legalize marijuana completely. The nation's powerful cartels were decimated, and the nation set the price of cannabis so low that anyone could afford it. The cartels were run out of business. While it’s illegal for visitors to purchase pot, they can certainly accept gifts or share a smoke with a Uruguayan friend.