Search results for

Though better known for its high-quality, wide-ranging craft beer menu, Mapacho, in Aguas Calientes, merits culinary attention, too, regional suds or no. Lunch and dinner choices are varied and delicious with choices like trout ceviche and osso buco, as well as a wide selection of Peruvian favorites like lomo saltado (a Peruvian beef stir-fry). The atmosphere is casual; service top-notch. Arrive early or late to snag a coveted river-view table.

One of my favorite dive sites on the west coast of Puerto Rico is Crashboat in Aguadilla. This shore dive is easily accessible for all levels of diving, and you’re guaranteed to see something amazing on this artificial structure. Crashboat is named for this once Air Force based marina, where the “crashboats” would deploy to retrieve the crashed planes from training sessions of Air Force pilots. It was later abandoned and turned into a recreational area for locals and dive enthusiasts. Scout the pilings for seahorses, frogfish, octopi, and lionfish. At maximum depth of 30 feet, find a sunken base where bigger fish like to hide. Bring your flashlight to scope out the interior. Not a diver? No problem. Enjoy the sandy beaches, reggaeton music, and aromas of delicious Puerto Rican food all day long. One entire side of this recreational park is lined with street vendors selling food, handicrafts, and drinks. Want that true Puerto Rican vibe? Want to see how the locals relax on a weekend? Crashboat is your place. But if you’re not interested in the crowds, come here in the morning on a weekday. I dive here regularly, and I avoid crowds by diving early. Enjoy!

This industrial-chic eatery has a covered patio and floor-to-ceiling doors that welcome good weather inside, all overlooking the ocean on Dominica’s east coast. Pagua Bay puts a strong emphasis on seasonal, farm-to-table fare—a commitment made trickier by Hurricane Maria’s destruction in autumn 2017. Still, the restaurant continues to serve reliable American fare with Caribbean twists, including ceviche, goat tacos, chicken Creole, and mahi-mahi salsa. Wash it all down with a frosty beer or coconut rum punch.

The open-kitchen, low-key vibe at El Mercado is Rafael Osterling’s take on the traditional cevichería, but he offers some modern twists guaranteed to keep taste buds active and delighted. The restaurant’s name—Spanish for “The Market”—alludes to a commitment to constant communication with providers, ensuring that only the freshest ingredients make it to your table. Though El Mercado is justly hailed for ceviche, there is much more on the menu, including a wide variety of tiraditos, causas, sushi, grilled meat and fish, chaufa (fried rice), pastas, and Osterling’s rendition of other Peruvian comfort foods. Along with cuisine grounded in what’s found at farmers’ markets, catch-of-the-day specials are wide-ranging and likely to be winners.

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.

Why we love it: A peaceful eco-lodge on Dominica’s “wild” southeast coast

Highlights:
- A “barefoot luxury” vibe
- Proximity to the beach
- Villas surrounded by a working fruit plantation

The Review:
An agritourism pioneer, Citrus Creek blends hospitality with a tropical fruit plantation on Dominica’s rugged east coast. In building the resort, owner Hervé “RV” Nizard repurposed parts of his 20-acre farm in Taberi, adding a dozen self-catering cottages and villas. Ranging from one to three bedrooms, the accommodations include a safari tent and a stone tree house. Focused on nature, Citrus Creek trades TVs for rainforest hikes and a swimming pool for plunges in a pristine river. The property also lacks air-conditioning, but shade trees and prevailing winds keep it comfortable year-round and help maintain a “barefoot luxury” vibe.

Each room has a kitchen, stocked with breakfast goodies like tea, coffee, bread, butter, jam, and honey. For those who would rather dine out, a cafe offers half-board plans and operates every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (or later with reservations). Take your dinner on the veranda overlooking the river, choosing among French-Caribbean delicacies like onion pie, caramel pork, grilled lionfish, and smoked marlin quiche. Other on-site perks include a tour desk, car rentals, and, soon, a pier set within the jungle that will be equipped to welcome sailboats.

Set tight in the jungles around Hotel Casa Chameleon, at Las Catalinas, the restaurant Sentido Norte is 45 minutes from the Guanacaste provincial capital, Liberia. A hilltop restaurant helmed by Costa Rican chef José López, it showcases a mix of local tastes and other modern classics, from sunrise until sunset daily. French toast with plantains, and ceviche punta penca (shrimp, octopus, and avocado) are current top orders; don’t miss the liquid enchantment on offer at the bar, perfect for sunsets, and aguas de sapo, a sweet, spiky pop made with guaro aguardiente.

It’s the chef who has carte blanche at this aptly named eatery, which feels more like an intimate dinner party than a restaurant. There’s just one seating each evening (except Sunday and Monday) for 14 guests, who each take a spot along the curved bar facing the open kitchen. Chef Dennis then prepares and plates a five-course tasting menu before diners’ eyes, with dishes changing nearly every night. Expect anything from ceviche as an appetizer to seared beef tenderloin for a main course, plus creative desserts. Note that Carte Blanche cannot accommodate vegans or vegetarians.

Definitely the coolest restaurant on the block, Model Milk, housed in a former dairy building, does eclectic fine dining in a rustic-hip setting (think exposed brick, and uncovered light bulbs dangling from salvaged wood). There’s nothing stuffy about Chef Justin Leboe’s menu of foie gras with smoked maple, and bacon-like steaks of Broek Acres pig with crushed edamame, apple, fennel, and celery. The best deal is the $35 prix fixe Sunday Supper, a full four-course meal served family style. While the menu varies, it doesn’t stray far from its soul food theme: romaine with chipotle and Stilton cheese, prawn ceviche, braised duck coleslaw, buttermilk fried chicken, plank-grilled mackerel, risotto-like jalapeño-cheddar grits, Mexican green beans, and hot and creamy potatoes. Besides the price tag, the best part is the blueberry shortcake for dessert.

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.

With its striking white facades and terra-cotta rooftops, you might mistake Cap Maison for a Mediterranean villa on the Costa Brava. However, this all-inclusive resort set on a former sugar plantation on St. Lucia’s north coast offers more than meets the eye. The pastel-hued interiors are matched by the sunny dispositions of the superb staff, who cater to every request, whether it’s finding a shady spot by the terraced pool area, booking a paddleboarding excursion off the private beach on Smuggler’s Cove, or arranging for the house yacht to take you to the neighboring island of Martinique for the day. Don’t miss the sunset views at the Cliff at Cap restaurant, where locally sourced dishes like reef conch ceviche and passion fruit soufflé are topped off with some of the resort’s house-made rum.

Arriving at Viceroy Los Cabos (formerly Mar Adentro) is like getting a glimpse into the future of hospitality. Linked by a seemingly boundless plane of water, a series of minimalist white cubes—housing a rooftop bar, spa, world-class fitness center, movie theater, and more—rises from the desert landscape like a mirage, the work of Mexican architect Miguel Angel Aragonés. The view is memorable at Nido, a ceviche restaurant that sits under a nestlike dome of twigs. Equally striking are the 104 modernist guest rooms. Unlike the region’s traditional stucco and terra-cotta haciendas, they’re serenely spare, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Sea of Cortez and tablets that guests can use to create their own lighting concept.

Especially after its recent $35 milllion refurbishment, Four Seasons Costa Rica sets the standard for service and luxury in Costa Rica’s burgeoning luxury resort market. Its location is unmatched: perched atop a narrow isthmus, overlooking beaches on both sides, at the very tip of the Papagayo Peninsula. Three swimming pools form the hub of action, spanning the width of the peninsula; on one side of the enormous main pool is an adult pool leading to serene Playa Virador on the Pacific, while the busier family pool leads down to Playa Blanca, where most of the water activities happen—snorkeling, stand-up paddling, kayaking. There’s also an 18-hole Arnold Palmer–designed golf course that’s been tamed from the surrounding jungle. Guest rooms have marble baths, and outdoor terraces or verandas, while the larger suites (one- and three-bedroom) include their own pools. For light dining options, try the ceviche offerings poolside at Bahia or Italian seafood at Pesce. For a splurge, head to Caracol at the golf course for steaks and lobster tail.

Colombian fashion designer Silvia Tcherassi took the design world by storm when she transformed a 250-year-old mansion in the center of Old Town Cartagena into a contemporary refuge that honors both past and present. Mansion Tcherassi’s seven rooms blend fashion-forward decor (think sparkly gold throw blankets) and original features such as restored stone walls and private balconies, but the vibe is much more understated, with ethereal fabrics, soft colors, and natural wood, in the 42 neutral-hued rooms at sister property Tcherassi Hotel & Spa. You can order fresh-caught seafood and icy raspaos (traditional drinks made with fruit and condensed milk) at the restaurant, while carpaccios, pizzas, and ceviches are on the menu on the rooftop lounge; the Italian restaurant at the mansion extends to a cozy patio facing a plunge pool and vertical garden made with thousands of local plants. After a day spent exploring Old Town’s historic buildings, relax with a Chinese medicine–inspired treatment in the spa, or take a dip in one of the property’s four pools.

The first thing guests notice as they approach the 600-acre Rio Perdido ecolodge is a large wood-and-steel rotunda that, from a distance, resembles a flying saucer, an award-winning design that houses the resort’s open-air restaurant, bar, and spa. The bungalows are just as stylish: 30 prefabricated cubes are suspended on seven pylons (no trees were cleared during the building process) and feature an airy, modern aesthetic, with twin rolling beds, brass fixtures, and terraces with hammocks sited for gentle breezes. Larger suites are moodier and more romantic, with walls of singed wood and volcanic-stone floor tiles. Soak in the property’s natural springs, which are heated by the activity of nearby Miravalles Volcano, then choose your own adventure. If you’ve worked up an appetite hiking, tubing, or canyoneering, the restaurant serves satisfying Costa Rican casados (rice dishes) and ceviches, which guests can arrange to enjoy from a platform that sits 160 feet above the river that gives the property its name.