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Once a grand harem, this luxurious riad in the medina’s Andalusian Quarter is as enigmatic as its past. Interiors are peppered with worldly artifacts and contemporary furnishings, but all blend harmoniously with traditional handwoven rugs, bejmat tiles, and ornate lanterns. Seven lavishly chic suites are equally full of character: vintage Moroccan wedding shawls and antique Berber wardrobes offset modern amenities like high-end organic toiletries, walk-in rain showers and sunken stone tubs, and terraces wreathed in rose bushes and lush greenery. No less romantic is the hammam, complete with vaulted ceilings and graceful columns. There are also plenty of charming corners to settle into with a mint tea and homemade pastries, be it in the serene library courtyard, the umbrella-dotted rooftop lounge, or the hotel’s elegant crystal-chandeliered restaurant.

Step into a little slice of Santa Fe bliss at the BODY of Santa Fe which functions as a multi-purpose yoga studio, spa, shop with organic clothes, and vegan cafe with raw options (try the green juice, chocanana smoothie, or ginger tea) for an optimal calming and healthful experience.

A hip hangout for conscientious locals, The Potting Shed provides a stylish setting for their sustainable dining and drinking. Simple, organic, local, fair trade and fresh. Does it get any better than this? Throw in live music on Thursday nights and it’s easily the best spot—for taste, ambiance and well-being—in town!

White Rabbit has caused a clamor among Santiago foodies for its stripped-down approach to good, wholesome food. Using all organic ingredients on a short but sweet menu, this is the kind of food that your soul craves. Mac n’ cheese with black truffle oil and a touch of smoked pancetta. Classic steak tartare. Artisan fresh mozzarella in a Caprese salad. A gooey chocolate brownie for dessert, or even baked Alaska! All served in a small, modern restaurant with a young, cool crowd. Reservations essential. Antonia Lopez de Bello 118, Bellavista Phone: 56 (2) 2503 4246

Santa María del Coro is San Sebastián‘s token beautiful European church. It has the quiet, sunlit beauty that one comes to expect in European churches. It also is the site of several of the city’s unique celebrations, organ concerts, and the iconic San Sebastián, pierced with the famed arrows.

Imagine someone has gone to all the area thrift stores and taken the best pieces out and saved them just for you. That’s essentially what Clothing Warehouse has done at their Little Five Points store. Organized by item and by color, they have a great selection of gently used cowboy boots, 70s dresses, soft t-shirts and accessories.

Grand Turk’s oldest church was built in 1823. Set inland on the edge of Town Pond in the capital, the whitewashed building was constructed by the island’s Bermudan settlers. After a refurbishment that welcomed an organ to the loft, the red-roofed church was rededicated in 2011.

When Southern Ocean Lodge, the flagship property of Australian hotel brand Baillie Lodges, opened in 2008, it was Kangaroo Island’s first true luxury lodge, known for its cinematic spot atop grass-covered limestone cliffs, with curved guest suites facing the namesake seas. Surrounded on three sides by national parks, Southern Ocean Lodge connected travelers with Australia’s powerful natural landscapes. Then in early January 2020, wildfires consumed more than half of Kangaroo Island, reducing the ecological paradise to sandy hills and blackened branches. Southern Ocean Lodge was a casualty of the blaze.


As AFAR’s Katherine LaGrave reported in her feature on the island, rebuilding began in earnest in February 2022, with the goal of becoming more sustainable: “The new lodge will use 25 percent less energy than the original lodge, and diesel fuel consumption will be halved. There will be rainwater harvesting, reliance on a hybrid solar-and-battery system, and elevated boardwalks to minimize impact on the health of coastal plants. Smart landscaping will create a sort of buffer around the lodge.”



Along with the new sustainable choices, the lodge has replicated the footprint of the original property, with 25 guest rooms slightly reoriented to optimize sea views. A new ultra-premium suite, the Ocean Pavilion, has up to four bedrooms and bathrooms (or two separate suites) with an outdoor terrace and private pool. And the ever-popular main lodge still has a Great Room with a suspended fireplace and a deck with a plunge pool that juts toward the sea.

The Chez Panisse of Santa Fe has been helmed by the same Berkeley-bred chef-owner since the 1970s. While the restaurant isn’t for New Mexican food purists, the local dishes are solid and range from classic renditions to enchiladas gussied up with griddled organic tofu, spinach, and zucchini.

The terraced organic garden that steps down the hillside in front of the Stanford Inn (above Mendocino Bay) provides some of the vegetables and herbs for the innovative cuisine in the hotel’s Ravens’ Restaurant. A stroll through the farm, with a visit to the donkeys and horses and llamas, helps work up an appetite for the vegetable-based whole-food meals that raise the bar on all-vegan fine dining. Innkeeper Jeff Stanford puts his ethics on the plate: Vegan for both health and philosophical reasons, Stanford collaborates with certified nutrition consultant Sid Hillman and the Ravens’ chefs to create dazzling meals, including one of the most innovative and tempting brunch menus I’ve ever encountered. The Inn, a large boutique hotel with panoramic ocean views, an organic farm, luxury amenities, and a bookstore and wine shop, gains additional points for being dog-friendly--even in a special dining area.

The ancient Hawaiians revered mantas in very high regard. With up to 25-foot wingspans, these majestic sea creatures feed on some of the sea’s smallest organisms: zooplankton. Strap on a snorkel to watch them dine at night, doing slow, gape-mouthed barrel rolls as they swallow copepods, mysid shrimp and arrow worms. The two most popular Big Island sites—off Kona International Airport and near the Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa—have suffered overcrowding lately, which is terrible for both the rays and the people who love them. Try Jack’s Diving Locker for a scuba descent and Eka Canoe Adventures for snorkeling, after checking out guidelines from the Manta Pacific Research Foundation.

Many of the Smoky Mountains’ earliest tourists came here to shop from local craftsmen, popularized by the Pi Beta Phi women’s fraternity that chose supporting these mountain folk artists as their cause. In 1912, the women established a public school for the local children, evolving into the Arrowmont School of Arts of Crafts that persists today. Centuries-old trades continue to be passed down, and visitors will find woodworking, basket weaving, ceramics, and metalworks created in the same manner they have for generations. An organized eight-mile loop road includes stops at 120 artists’ studios and workshops, many with live demonstrations. Travel it at your leisure, or break it up over several days as you discover this thriving remnant of the culture that shaped Southern Appalachia.

A 15-minute walk from Langkawi’s beaches, the Temple Tree resort redefines “home-stay.” Guests sleep in authentic Malaysian heritage houses—including a century-old Chinese farmhouse, a colonial-style bungalow, and a 1940s-era Malay home—that were disassembled at their original sites and rebuilt on the hotel grounds. Now updated with modern amenities, the structures are appointed with local antiques such as money boxes and birdcages. Don’t miss the resort’s lagoon or its eponymous Chinese temple, built around a tree tied with colored ribbons. As a feel-good bonus, some profits from the hotel benefit owner Narelle McMurtrie’s animal rescue organization.

This appeared in the March/April 2010 issue.

Described as serving eco-Bavarian delicacies, Milchhäusl is a rare find. The 100% organic, hearty local specialties at this charming park-side outpost are in high demand. You’ll find them near the main entrance to the English Garden—perfect after you’ve worked up an appetite exploring.

If you happen to be meandering through Budapest, and have the urge to do a little sightseeing, St. Stephen’s Basilica is definitely a sight to see. The structure is named in honor of Stephen, the first king of Hungary. Apparently, his right hand is also housed here, but fortunately I did not come across it during my explorations. What I did come across, and what will greet you upon entering, is a dazzling array of multicolored marble columns that soar to the heavens. What is not carved in relief on the walls is gilded in gold on the ceilings. The intricacy of the floor and the meticulous attention to detail will almost make you forget to look up. Ah, but when you do, what a sight to behold! The dome of St. Stephen’s is probably one of the more awe-inspiring views in Budapest. Natural light spills in from the etched windows to illuminate the works of art that seem to float above you, all while being surrounded by an inordinate amount of gold leaf. The visual masterpiece almost makes you want to clap - it makes you want to give King Stephen a hand.