Search results for

Close to the Haitian border on the Dominican Republic’s northwestern coast, this white-sand beach, which is part of Montecristi National Park, sits below an 800-foot-high limestone mesa. Hike a rough stretch through rocks to the beach and you’ll find clear water but strong currents—these waves are not for children, and even excellent swimmers should be very cautious. Shipwrecks from the colonial days draw experienced divers to nearby Isla Cabrita, while empty sands attract Dominican families on weekends. Playa El Morro is almost completely off the tourist radar and all but deserted on weekdays.

On the Dominican Republic’s northern coast, near the tip of the Samaná Peninsula, this unpopulated Atlantic beach stretches three miles from Cape Samaná to the cliffs of Cape Cabrón. To get here, you’ll need to take a four-wheel-drive vehicle or a boat charter from the small fishing village of Las Galeras, but once you arrive, you’ll find a nearly empty stretch of sand. The west end of the beach features calm waters ideal for swimming and snorkeling, while the east end has great waves for surfing. You’ll also find spots to rent kayaks, snorkeling gear, chairs, and umbrellas, as well as a few food vendors serving rice, beans, and seafood cooked over an open-hearth fire. This is the place to go when you want to get away from the crowds.

Remote and difficult to access, this three-mile beach on the Dominican Republic’s southwestern Caribbean coast (15 miles from Pedernales and close to the Haitian border) is also blissfully uncrowded. Playa Bahia de las Águilas, which translates to “Bay of Eagles,” can only be reached via a four-wheel-drive vehicle on an unpaved road, or a 15-minute speedboat ride from the little village of La Cueva at Cabo Rojo. Once there, however, you’ll discover a pristine beach, bordered by rocky cliffs and free of any hotels or restaurants—the beach is located in the Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve, so building is forbidden. Turquoise water laps the white sand, while well-preserved coral reefs wait just offshore. Don your mask and snorkel to see starfish, sand dollars, and maybe even a manatee. Also remember to bring water and sunscreen as there’s virtually no shade, and pack lunch or plan to eat in nearby La Cueva.

From the porte-cochère entry at the Westin Puntacana Resort & Club, you’ll catch an inviting first glimpse of coconut palms, manicured grass, and a long swimming pool that seems to end at the sea. The view only gets better upstairs, where all 200 rooms—including 16 suites—offer swoon-worthy ocean vistas. On the hottest of days, the high-ceilinged, open-air lobby is a great place to hang with a cold one while catching the ocean breezes. When it’s cooler, have lunch by the pool or at the beachside La Palapa, and plan for dinner at the open-air Brassa. As a guest at the Westin, you also have access to Puntacana Resort & Club’s eight restaurants, two golf courses, tennis center, Six Senses Spa, aquatic center, and Grupo Puntacana Foundation activities.

Designed by Oscar de la Renta, who was also a guiding force in the original vision for Puntacana Resort, Tortuga Bay Hotel has 13 freestanding villas comprising 30 suites, each with Frette linens, a kitchenette, and a balcony or terrace with views of the Caribbean or La Cana Golf Club. Hotel guests landing at Punta Cana International receive fast-track passage through customs, pickup by a private driver, personal concierge check-in, and keys to a golf cart for getting to the resort’s Oscar de la Renta Tennis Club, two golf courses, and Six Senses Spa.

Located at the Westin Puntacana Resort & Club, this open-air restaurant specializes in grilled meats and seafood but also offers several delicious pastas. The executive chef hails from Peru, which explains why the menu includes a traditional ceviche with sweet potato garnish, along with a few other Peruvian dishes. Look forward to everything from grilled rib-eye and salmon to penne with chicken and prosciutto, and be sure to save room for desserts like lemon pie and flan.

Named for a Dominican-style fishing boat, this open-air restaurant and bar in Punta Cana’s elegant Marina Estates sits on a wooden deck built over the water. Whether you’re seated under the thatched palm roof or the open sky, you’ll have perfect views of the marina as you dine on fresh seafood like grouper ceviche and grilled Caribbean lobster. Also available are Mediterranean-inspired dishes such as caprese salad, spaghetti with pesto, and glazed lamb shank, as well as an extensive list of international wines.

One of the world’s best beaches according to UNESCO, this beautiful palm-lined stretch of golden sand 40 minutes north of Punta Cana is known for its top-rated surf school and its oceanfront restaurants that serve delicious, Dominican-style fish plates. Catch some waves at one end of the beach, then swim in the calm water at the other, where fishing boats loaded with red snapper and lobster pull ashore. Mid-beach, you’ll find food and drink stands alongside activity concessions, from buggy rides in the dunes to stand-up paddleboarding, horseback riding, and surf lessons.

At this luxury collection of six historic homes—some from the 16th century—guests can book a bedroom or an entire house, all within blocks of Santo Domingo’s most important attractions. You won’t find out which room or home you’ll be staying in until your arrival, but you’re sure to be pleased. Located in the heart of the Zona Colonial, the casas are exquisite. Two were part of former convents, one was a monastery, and another was once the private home of a famous Dominican fashion designer. Each one features unique decor and its own courtyard, and five of the six have private swimming pools. Upon check-in, you’ll receive a loaner iPhone to communicate with your house butler and the round-the-clock concierge team, who can help arrange excursions like culinary tours in the Old City and visits to one of the Caribbean’s largest organic cocoa producers.

A UNESCO World Heritage site, this hotel was the home of Hispaniola’s first governor, Nicolás de Ovando, and one of the first colonial structures built at the top of cobbled Calle Las Damas (the first paved street in the Americas). Built in 1502 and connected in 1974 during a reconstruction ordered by then President Joaquín Balaguer, the three stone buildings retain their original coffered ceilings, massive arches, tile floors, and brick and stone walls. In addition to 92 rooms and suites, including a dozen Imperial Club rooms overlooking the Ozama River and Don Diego Harbor (Room 4015 has a particularly stunning view and gorgeous bathroom), you’ll find a lovely reading nook, gourmet restaurant, lobby mojito bar, and tranquil garden, which features herbs and fruit trees used by the hotel kitchen.

Just east of Guayacanes, this six-mile stretch of sand is a favorite of beach bums, with calm waters at one end of the cove and big waves at the other. Busier than Playa Guayacanes, Juan Dolio also offers more food and drink options, plus glass-bottom boat rides and parasailing. For an authentic slice of Dominican life, stop by on Sunday, when local families come to picnic and swim in the warm Caribbean water.

Don’t let the name or menu fool you. This is neither a bakery nor the wings and burgers joint the menu might have you think. Rather, it’s a lively bar in the otherwise quiet city of Launceston that attracts vegans and meat eaters alike. Vegans and “vegos” come for the shrub burger (with fried pumpkin, eggplant, and vegan lemon aioli) or the veggie enchiladas. Carnivores swear by the “sanga” (sandwich) with slow-roasted pork shoulder doused in whiskey barbecue sauce and topped with coleslaw and apple peach chutney. An Aussie craft beer or Baileys and butterscotch espresso martini on the side patio, strung with faux ivy, isn’t too shabby either. The best times are had on live music and DJ nights, when the bar buzzes late.

This rustic barn turned tasting room, museum and shop highlights Tasmania‘s apple- and cider-producing heritage, while also serving as the home of Willie Smith’s Organic Cider and Charles Oats Distilling. It offers a delicious food menu, too, featuring the stars of southern Tasmanian produce (Huon cold-smoked salmon, Spring Bay mussels, Summer Hill bread) plus cider pairings. A hive of activity year-round, the Apple Shed really heats up in the Austral winter, when you can sip spiced cider (Willie Smith’s Original plus ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and pimento) during live music on Fridays as well as the first Sunday of the month. Better yet, come for the Huon Valley Mid Winter Festival: a pagan-inspired weekend of music, merriment, and wassailing—scaring nasties out of the orchard to ensure a bumper autumn crop.

Following the lead of mixed-use space Deus ex Machina in Camperdown, Rising Sun is a motorcycle workshop cum café and restaurant built for the Newtown community. That means garage space with tools and repair bays for members as well as regular workshops (one just for women), art events, and a public night ride on the last Tuesday of the month. Then there’s the rustic-chic café that whips up Asian-fusion cuisine that’s as rootsy and beautiful as the bikes. Come in the morning for breakfast ramen—bacon, roasted tomatoes, and a fried egg floating in bone broth—and a Japanese twist on a bloody mary. Then return for creative tapas and share plates in the evening complemented by a stellar list of Australian beers and wines.

When it comes to safari experiences, South Africa is filled with luxury lodge selections. But what sets Jaci’s Safari Lodge, and the adjacent Jaci’s Tree Lodge, apart is their location in off the radar Madikwe Game Reserve (Big Five territory), their amazing hospitality and their perfectly on-point style. Magnificent Madikwe is located in the North West Province, on the border with Botswana, and the southern edge of the Kalahari Desert’s famed red sands. It’s a stunning landscape for a safari that looks quite different than what you find in the reserves like the luxe Sabi Sands around Kruger National Park and is just as accessible. Arrive via car on paved roads from Johannesburg in just about 4 hours or hop on a quick hour long scenic flight with the excellent Federal Airlines that will take you to an airstrip about 15- minutes drive through the park from the lodge — you’ll be greeted by a safari vehicle and on the way may just encounter a herd or elephant or pride of lions as we did.

Upon arrival at Jaci’s Safari Lodge you’ll be greeted by the beyond friendly and professional staff and offered a welcome drink in the gorgeous, vibrantly colored lounge and dining room area while your luggage is whisked away to your tent or suite. Jaci’s Safari Lodge offers six vintage posh Tented Suites, two privat eFamily Suites and two ultra luxe Starbed Suites, which have the option of sleeping al fresco under the stars listening to the sounds of nature — a rhino was just below us against the fence when we stayed making noise as he stomped and munched. But if sleeping al fresco isn’t for you, don’t worry as the Starbed Suites are in proper glass, steel and concrete structures with interior bedrooms completely closed off from the outside. There are more options at the adjacent Jaci’s Tree Lodge, which offers eight Treehosue Suites on custom wooden stilts connected by raised walkways that appear to float above the ground.

The food here is delicious and Madikwe Game Reserve is a hidden secret among South African parks and filled with dozens upon dozens of big cats (so many they had to remove a number of lions over the years) as well as two packs of rare wild dogs and a healthy rhino and elephant population. The guides are amazing and the bush dinners truly special. They even have a program that allows you to rent high end Canon DSLR cameras for your safaris that will bring out your inner wildlife photographer — we used these and the experience was a highlight of the trip.