Search results for

Karlsplatz, the city center nicknamed Stachus after a pub Beim Stachus, is home to local life and history, making it the perfect place to start exploring Munich. Around this central hub you’ll find that farmers’ markets, historical interest points, and traditional life come together for a wonderful mix in Bavaria’s largest city. When one thinks of Munich, Octoberfest is usually the first thing that comes to mind, and while it is an amazing event, Munich offers much more.

Find great St. Lucian soul food right in the heart of Gros Islet at a traditional pastel-colored house turned restaurant. Generous meals—pork chops, fresh fish, lamb chops, curried goat, corn, rice and peas—are cooked and grilled outdoors and served up at picnic tables in front or on a side garden terrace. The food is plated as artfully as in more upscale establishments. Don’t skip the rum cocktails or the homemade dessert of the day. The place gets busy quickly, so arrive early for both lunch and dinner service—particularly on Friday nights when Gros Islet fills up for its weekly fish fry.

Québec’s hotels range from repurposed historic buildings in the Old Port to country retreats and grand dame properties overlooking the St. Lawrence. Unique amenities (like fireplaces, restaurants helmed by notable chefs, complimentary cars) are also de riguer.

Dating back to 1843, this massive museum has grown and modernized over the years, especially with the addition of the Neue Staatsgalerie (New State Gallery) in 1984 and a modern hall specially built in 2002. Spanning some 96,875 square feet of exhibition space, the collection focuses on early Swabian panel painting and 19th-century Swabian Neoclassicism, but also includes modern pieces like Oskar Schlemmer’s Figurines for the Triadic Ballet, Matisse’s famous Back Series, and a Joseph Beuys room that was installed by the artist himself. Other highlights range from Dalí’s Raised Instant and George Grosz’s The Funeral to Miró’s Bird with a Calm Look. Opt for a guided tour to ensure you see everything, then visit the museum shop and the Fresko café-restaurant. Note that, on Wednesdays, you can visit the permanent collection for free.

Just a short ferry ride away, St. Kitts’ sister island is perfect for a day trip to climb Nevis Peak, sip a Killer Bee at Sunshine’s Beach Bar, or visit the birthplace of U.S. founding father Alexander Hamilton.

Stallmästaregården began its life as a somewhat rural stablemaster’s farm. This was before Queen Kristina decided, in 1645, that she wanted to host her midsummer festivities here, at which point the stablemaster rapidly transformed the farm into an inn. Now, despite being within the city limits, Stallmästaregården feels like a rural retreat, flanked as it is by the expansive Royal Haga Park and scenic Brunnsviken Bay, in addition to its own verdant gardens. A painstaking restoration and redesign has left the onetime farm still rustic and homey, true to its 17th-century inn background, while simultaneously infusing it with healthy doses of both midcentury and contemporary Scandinavian design. The true star is the restaurant, an unpretentiously stylish destination that serves gourmet Swedish cuisine to discerning locals and out-of-towners against a picturesque natural backdrop. But the best part comes when everyone goes home and the inn is left to the guests.

The county of Fife and the northeastern district of Angus are both a short distance from Edinburgh. Fife boasts royal connections and the iconic St Andrews Links, while Angus is home to the up-and-coming city of Dundee, which has recently emerged from its postindustrial strife to become a hub of innovative art and design.

It’s easy to see why Jade Mountain is consistently ranked St. Lucia’s most romantic hotel. Rising high above the sea and offering an unparalleled view of the Pitons, the hotel features adults-only rooms with an open concept (the so-called “sanctuaries” are missing a fourth wall), equally dramatic alfresco baths, and private jewel-toned infinity pools with otherworldly vistas. (The resort was also the backdrop for a season finale of The Bachelor.) James Beard Award–winner Allen Susser prepares the food of love in the on-site restaurant using ingredients cultivated in the resort’s private organic farm, and a rotating schedule of weekly classes, from rum tastings to a tandoori cooking lesson, encourages shared experiences. Guests also have access to the rendezvous-worthy beaches and spa of sister property Anse Chastanet, located just down the hill.

Uncorking Switzerland’s Secret

James Beard Award–winning chef Gavin Kayson returned to his Midwest roots in 2014 to open Spoon and Stable. Here, he uses techniques learned from around the globe to transform the Heartland food that he grew up eating into an upscale experience, all inside an actual old stable.

The Maria Islands—Maria Major and Maria Minor—off the southeastern coast are among the region’s most pristine environments. You can visit the protected wildlife reserve via a 20-minute boat ride from Pointe Sable. On Maria Major, a verdant trail leads you past a variety of unusual tropical flora and fauna, most notably the habitats of six rare native reptile species. Look for St. Lucia’s whiptail lizard and the racer, a nonvenomous grass snake that might appear from a rock crevice. Snorkeling off the beach is part of the experience, too, as the island’s waters are rich with coral reefs. The reserve, a birder’s paradise most of the year, is closed to the public in the summertime to accommodate the nesting season of migratory birds that flock here from Africa.

In search of a flightless, sex-crazed, and rarely seen parrot in a land once ruled by birds.

Start by seeking out the country’s beer-brewing monks.

At Island Sole in Lahaina, the authentic, locally made gifts are designed to help shoppers “find their aloha.” Head here for shirts and flip-flops in tropical colors, home decor like jellyfish coasters and ukulele-shaped table clocks, and the shop’s signature longboard letters, which function as one-of-a-kind signs with customizable letters, icons, and characters attached to a wooden surfboard base. If you’re looking for some wall art, pay special attention to the palm-and-wave paintings on birchwood by Danielle Groff and the larger, laser-engraved maps of the Hawaiian Isles.

For a taste of Miami by way of St. Lucia, look no further than Sugar Beach. Set on a white-sand crescent between the Piton mountains—within a 100-acre former sugar plantation studded with shady palm trees—the resort’s white-on-white cottages have all the amenities worthy of a five-star retreat, from sumptuous Egyptian cotton linens to butler service and access to a private chef. (No wonder Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon have stayed here.) But don’t linger too long in your room. The coral reefs in the bay are home to triggerfish, turtles, and exotic sponges that can be viewed on an instructor-led dive or snorkel trip, and whale-watching, waterfall hikes through the rain forest, and adventure tours on ATVs await. If you have more leisurely pursuits in mind, the tree-house spa offers treatments using locally sourced ingredients for the ultimate in relaxation.