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Owner Cesare Maranza managed to bring a little bit of Italy to the middle of the Atlantic more than 35 years ago, when he opened Portofino, named after his hometown. Just a short walk from Front Street in Hamilton, you’ll feel like you’ve arrived in a northern Italian taverna. “It’s a lively and rustic restaurant,” Rebecca says, “and a great place for groups for a fun night out.” While they serve a number of hot and cold appetizers—calamari, prosciutto and melon, grilled vegetables—as well as soups and salads, Rebecca recommends that you order a pie instead. “To get better Neapolitan pizza, you’d have to keep traveling east to Naples!”

Until Toutant opened in 2015, Buffalonians were hard-pressed to find any quality Southern food in their hometown. But now, when the craving for buttermilk fried chicken hits, they head to this Downtown spot, where chef James Robert combines his Louisiana roots with a passion for seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. A bit more refined than your everyday barbecue joint, Toutant is housed in a three-story, industrial-chic space, complete with a long bar for sipping craft beers, classic cocktails, and vast selection of whiskeys. While dinner brings such delicious dishes as house-smoked sausage, pan-fried cornmeal catfish, and traditional Creole jambalaya, brunch is the real winner here. The biscuits with two fried eggs and sausage gravy are hands down the best above the Mason-Dixon Line.

Inspired by the lunar calendar, new spa treatments at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne resort on an island south of Miami Beach explore the moon’s influence on the senses. Products from Éminence’s biodynamic line utilize ingredients harvested during corresponding phases of the moon.

History is alive at this downtown property, housed in the iconic Temple Court building designed by architect James M. Farnsworth in 1881. At check-in, pause to appreciate the nine-story atrium and skylight, then head to one of the 287 fully appointed rooms, which include 35 suites and two penthouses with private rooftop terraces. Each space comes with luxurious amenities like Carrara marble-tiled bathrooms with oversized rain showers, exclusive D.S & Durga toiletries, and around-the-clock room service courtesy of chef Tom Colicchio’s Crafted Hospitality.

Should guests want to eat outside of their room, the hotel is also home to Daniel Boulud’s Le Gratin, a bistro inspired by the French chef’s hometown of Lyon, and Colicchio’s Temple Court, where classic dishes like Maine lobster and Berkshire pork chop fill the menu. Cocktail lounge Laissez Faire recently debuted with martini service and a DJ booth. Those requiring reservations beyond hotel doors should call upon the Les Clefs d’Or-recognized concierge team.

It may seem unbelievable now, given the pace of Siem Reap’s evolution, but reliably great coffee and other deli and bakery staples were tough to find before Blue Pumpkin set up shop near the turn of the millennium. Success may have changed the venture—it now has a number of outlets in Siem Reap, and several more in Phnom Penh—but the philosophy of serving simple but high-quality Asian and Western dishes remains intact. Menu highlights include generously proportioned breakfasts and sandwiches, decadent cakes, famous yogurt shakes, and a wide selection of homemade ice creams and sorbets.

It doesn’t get more quintessentially Australian than this: waking up to a symphony of kookaburras and the heady scent of eucalyptus, the sight of kangaroos roaming freely about the 7,000-acre nature reserve. You might be tricked into thinking you’d slept under the stars—if it weren’t for the four-poster bed, flicker of a warm fire, and sunrise reflected from the glittering private pool. A three hours’ drive west of Sydney, this luxury ecolodge feels worlds away, surrounded by sandstone bluffs and sweeping plains filled with leafy gumtrees and Wollemi pines. It has 40 homestead-style villas that are as eco-friendly as they are indulgent: materials sourced within a 60-mile radius, solar panels for hot water and lighting. Highlights include the Aussie cuisine, mostly grown and sourced within 100 miles of the resort (and included in the all-inclusive rate, along with a premium minibar). A fruit orchard and edible garden supplies organic herbs, vegetables, fruits, and nuts.


The most intriguing aspect of the property is an original farmhouse, built around 1832, that hosted Charles Darwin in 1836. Today, the homestead functions as a museum that highlights the Indigenous, settler, and agricultural history of the valley. The comprehensive program of activities gets guests off the homestead: There are peaks to climb, glowworms to ogle, and horses to ride. Following a landslide in 2022, Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley has faced access issues. It is temporarily closed.

The restaurateurs were aiming for an approachable French spot when they opened this brasserie in downtown’s Bank of America building in 2016—and they’ve succeeded, in spades. Here, the perfect start to both lunch and dinner is a bowl of the savory French onion soup, which features just the right amount of bone marrow. Other menu highlights include steak frites, croque monsieur sandwiches, and artisanal cheese plates for dessert. If seafood is your thing, you’ll also love the raw bar, with its spread of oysters, shrimp, and crab legs. On weekday mornings, DoveCote offers a café-style breakfast, complete with authentic French pastries and espresso drinks served in the open lobby. Every other meal occurs in the actual restaurant, which stuns with soaring ceilings, whitewashed brick walls, and a palette of soft blue, gold, and gray that feels trés français indeed.

Known for their ability to combine comfort with luxury, Dominica’s best accommodations range from oceanfront cabanas and cliffside condos to a hotel in a former military fortification and an eco-lodge on a working fruit plantation. Many focus on sustainability and adventure travel, while others highlight local art, world-class spas, and proximity to Dominica’s best beaches.

This classic Galveston seafood restaurant has been open since 1911! Gaido’s serves fresh Gulf seafood in a traditional atmosphere. Menu highlights include the bisque, snapper, and pecan pie. Photo via Gaido’s Seafood Restaurant Facebook page

On a charming corner of Greenwich Street in TriBeCa, the Greenwich Hotel is a sophisticated downtown Manhattan property co-owned by actor Robert DeNiro. Since opening in 2008, this boutique hotel has earned a reputation for its discretion (only a small sign signals the entrance), offering the type of service and privacy that attracts celebrity guests. Keep an eye out for abstract expressionist paintings by Robert DeNiro’s father, Robert DeNiro Sr., throughout the hotel.

No two of the 88 rooms are alike; the design is unfussy and pleasantly understated. Spacious bathrooms—finished in Moroccan tile or Italian Carrara marble—are a highlight of the accommodations. Start your stay with a swim in the lantern-lit swimming pool before sipping a pre-dinner cocktail in the guests-only drawing room, complete with a fireplace. The hotel is also home to neighborhood favorite Italian restaurant, Locanda Verde, from beloved NYC chef Andrew Carmellini.

Located near the National Constitution Center and Philadelphia’s historic district, Franklin Square is an urban oasis that offers fun family activities. One of the city’s five original town squares, it has evolved into a fairground with both daytime and evening attractions. Highlights include the nostalgic Liberty Carousel, a playground, fountain, and a charming Philly-themed miniature-golf course. Visitors can refuel at the popular SquareBurger restaurant. Special events include a winter holiday festival in December, when more than 50,000 lights illuminate the area. During the festival you can also do some holiday shopping, or kick back with a local brew (there’s also a hot-beverage menu just for kids). The park is open from March through December.

In 1950, two halwais—or confectioners—from the Rajasthani city of Bikaner ventured to big city of Delhi to ply their traditional snacks together. Setting up a stall in the Old Delhi Chadni Chowk market, they crafted sweet and savory treats like rasgollas (cheese dumplings in a sugary syrup) and Bikaner bhujuia (fried flour and lentil crisps), based on family recipes—and soon became so well-known that the people of Delhi bestowed them with the nickname of “Bikanervalas,” in honor of their hometown. Today, the brand has over 50 outposts across India, from the Himalayan foot hills of Dehradun and the Mumbai airport to the upscale Hyderabad neighborhood of Banjara Hills, but that Old Delhi original remains. Come for classics like till chikki (nut brittle squares with sesame seed and brown sugar), rich halwas and milk cakes, fruit-and-nut chocolates, and more, as well as seasonal choices. All of the locations are casual, but some are take-out shops only, while other serve a fast-food menu of chaat, Indian and Continental main dishes (including parathas, veggie burgers, and pizzas), desserts, and shakes.

There is a staggering amount of artwork on display here. It is said that if you stood at each piece for just one minute, it would take you four years to see everything. Created by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century, the museums have expanded over the past 500 years to their current size of more than 12 acres! Highlights include the Borgia Apartments, the Raphael Rooms, the Gallery of Maps, and of course, the sublime Sistine Chapel.

The M Spa at the Emblem Hotel is on the top two floors which means from the relaxation room, where you sip on cucumber water and admire art by local artists on the walls while flipping through a magazine, you are at eye-level with the surrounding rooftops and carved facades. But this two-floor spa also stands out for its modern clean design. The wellness area, including sauna and steam room, a Kneipp path and a Finland-inspired ice shower, is covered in white Carrara marble and warm wood. Hallways and treatment rooms feature soothing sea green walls and modern furnishings from leading designers. The full menu of treatments includes massages, facials, and rituals such as the Energetique des Alpes, which uses Alpine salt, plants, and herbs. But the highlight is the rooftop Jacuzzi (must be booked in advance) on a private terrace with views of Prague Castle and and the city’s time-shadowed rooftops.

Though less decadent than some of the medina’s more storied hotels, Riad Ahlam offers charm in spades at budget-friendly rates. With its trickling fountain and potted citrus trees, an elegant central courtyard is the setting for highly Instagrammable daily breakfasts brimming with homemade pastries and breads, fresh fruit and juices, sweet jams, and aromatic coffee; lunch and dinner highlight typical Fassi fare such as spiced tagines and vegetable couscous. Guests seeking pampering can indulge in a massage on-site, then retreat to one of eight rooms featuring colorful local textiles, traditional Moroccan lamps and lanterns, and brightly hued bathrooms with mosaic-tiled showers and shiny copper sinks. There’s also a scenic rooftop terrace, a prime perch for a cup of mint tea with a view.