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If you’re shopping for a foodie friend or you want to take some of the flavors of Mexico home with you, Bottega Culinaria is a one-stop-shop for food-related souvenirs. Here, you’ll find sal de gusano (sea salt mixed with ground worms from the Mexican agave) and Ancho Reyes, a chile ancho liqueur that’s perfect for cocktails. There’s also Mexican vanilla, chocolate studded with chiles, and other unexpected treats.

Located in the town of Ocho Rios, Mammee Bay Beach is a sight for sore eyes—wide and spacious with powdery white sand and electric blue water. Even though half of this beach is private for guests of the gigantic RIU Resort, the other half is accessible to the public. Drive over to Bamboo Blu Restaurant (30 Beach Road), where you can park your car and enjoy the beach with a meal or some cocktails.

Set on a steep hillside overlooking vineyards and the Silverado Trail, Stuppa Estate Napa Valley manages to be both secluded and well positioned for exploring Napa Valley’s wineries and towns. The suite-only property has five poet-themed rooms—refreshed in 2021 by Erin Martin Design and embellished with hand-painted murals by artist Michael Duté.

Each suite is themed after a literary icon, such as Emily Dickenson, and includes a private patio, a soaking tub, and an outdoor shower—including a few oriented toward the valley. Sunset is a highlight: All rooms face west, giving guests unobstructed evening views of the valley and vineyards below.

Breakfast is a lavish spread with dishes like seasonal pancakes or shakshuka—served either in-room or on the open-air patio. A small outdoor pool and on-site spa treatments add to the quiet atmosphere, and staff can arrange private tastings at Sullivan Rutherford Estate, a boutique winery under the same ownership. Service is a defining feature; the team handles everything from sunset cocktails to dinner reservations with a level of care that consistently elevates the stay.

On the west side of Arenal Volcano, this 900-acre tropical reserve was a labor of love for owner and architect Jaime Mikowski, who spent years planting acres of native plants and coaxing the land’s natural mineral springs into a river that now flows throughout the property, spilling over into dozens of waterfalls and pools that range from 72 to 105 degrees. Spacious rooms have marble floors and streamlined furnishings; splurge on a suite, which features a private terrace and a Jacuzzi tub—a little superfluous considering all the other options for soaking in warm water here, but who’s complaining? There are also five swimming pools, one with a swim-up bar and waterslide, and a spa comprising 12 bungalows with treatments that all include, you guessed it, a dip in a thermal spring-fed tub. While the property is also open to day trippers, guests of the resort have exclusive access to Shangri-La Gardens, an adults-only lounge area with pools, cabanas, and a folliage-filled bar.

Hilo-born Sheldon Simeon realized the appeal of his soulful, heritage-based cooking as a finalist on season 10 of Top Chef. Once back in Hawaii, he opened the upscale Lineage in Wailea, where he’s earned a loyal fan base for dishes like kimchi dip, fried turkey tail adobo, and squid luau with creamed taro leaf. Cocktails here are equally creative, ranging from a mai tai made with banana milk punch, Earl Grey tea, raisins, and coconut to a cucumber vodka number garnished with huli huli chicken skin. Whatever you order, be sure to pair it with the chili pepper water, a condiment and digestive aid that’s served in a take-home flask.

Get a bird’s-eye view of Laguna and its famous sunsets at the Rooftop Lounge, which sits atop La Casa del Camino hotel. Drinks here include a lengthy list of red, white, and sparkling wines as well as specialty cocktails like mojitos in strawberry, mango, and ginger flavors. To pair with your sips, there’s a range of small bites, from barbecue meatballs with blue cheese slaw to bacon-wrapped dates and coconut-breaded shrimp. Just be sure to come prepared with sunglasses and a hat, as shade is limited, and bring your four-legged friend—the bar is dog-friendly.

Located on Buffalo’s West Side, this farm-to-table favorite comes courtesy of award-winning chefs Steve and Ellen Gedra. Here, the menu changes daily to highlight locally sourced produce and sustainably raised meat, so diners are guaranteed something new every time they visit. Dishes are simple and straightforward to let their ingredients shine, while cocktails incorporate unique spirits like lavender gin and bacon-washed bourbon. Go for dinner and pair the vegetable lasagna with a classic manhattan, or swing by at brunch for the BS Griddle sandwich, featuring eggs, cheese, hash browns, and your choice of bacon or sausage sandwiched between two pancakes.

Continental’s downstairs bar—with a marble countertop and chilies, garlic, and aged ham hanging overhead—transports diners to Spain or Portugal. Despite the old-world ambience, however, the menu and staff are young and playful. Pop in for a meatball sub and vermouth at lunch, or enjoy king-crab-stuffed zucchini flowers before moving on to slow-roasted lamb in the upstairs bistro. In either case, complement your meal with something canned—the deli’s specialty— whether it’s the seafood plate of the day or a “Cosmopoli-tin” cocktail. A whole wall of canned and jarred concoctions are also available to take home. In 2018, a second, and larger, outpost of Continental Deli was opened in the CBD.

Located at the Casa del Mar Beach Resort, this casual, indoor-outdoor restaurant starts serving breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and stays open until 10 p.m. Whether you visit morning, noon, or night, you can look forward to everything from local fish to oversize salads and hearty sandwiches. Cocktails are another specialty—in fact, the restaurant hosts happy hour three times a day with two-for-one drink offers. Other nightly specials popular with both visitors and locals include all-you-can-eat ribs on Tuesdays and karaoke on Wednesdays, made all the more fun by the breezy location and ocean views. Die-hard sports fans don’t even have to miss the game, since the restaurant tunes its TVs to whatever patrons request.

A Montreal favorite, this wine bar is known for its elegant food and drinks— and comes recommended highly by Ritz-Carlton concierge Simon Bajouk. The wine selection is vast and the staff is extremely helpful in guiding visitors to something that they like. “Trios,” aka flights, are another good way to taste through a well curated selection. (Cocktails and local Quebecois beer are also available.) The food ranges from snacks like gougeres and nuts to porcini arancini and short ribs. A dish of green beens with truffle oil and almonds was fresh, light, and delicious; the charcuterie plate was a generous offering of various local salumi.

No signs designate this speakeasy-style bar located near Dupont Circle, but rather a green light and a relief of Senator Morris Sheppard, namesake and architect behind the Sheppard Bone-Dry Act of 1917 banning booze in DC. Upon seeing the green light, enter the lobby and take an escorted elevator ride to the second floor where a 35-seat small, sexy, dark place with banquettes, chandeliers, and photos from DC’s prohibition era awaits you. While enjoying the bevy of rotating cocktails and snacks like deviled eggs with caviar and key lime pie, honor the following rule: no photography inside.

Chef Chuck Hughes’ first flagship restaurant remains one of the best good-time spots in Old Montreal, featuring a blackboard menu full of seasonal dishes and insane cocktails. The Caesar is a must-try and comes with a salad’s worth of vegetables and a whole snow-crab leg sticking out of a monster mug. After feasting on lobster salad, short ribs with cauliflower mash, or pan-fried sea scallops with carrot butter, hang out in this dimly lit joint and watch the night turn into a party, with the drinks flowing and the music thumping louder and louder as the cooks and waiters from nearby restaurants file in after their shifts.

Quinn’s gastropub specializes in meat, meat, and more meat — everything from crispy pork belly to wild boar sloppy Joes to roasted bone marrow and foie gras frites. Choose an assortment of small plates to share, or get a large plate all to yourself. The two-story restaurant feels casual but intimate, with dark wood furnishings and candles at the tables, and the lighting is romantically low. Service is cordial but leisurely, so peruse their extensive drinks list and settle in with a Trappist beer, a fine whiskey, or a craft cocktail and enjoy the Capitol Hill people-watching through their floor-to-ceiling windows.

Forget any notions you have about boring vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry milkshakes. At Holsteins in The Cosmopolitan, milkshakes are given an innovative twist, and many of them have a spirited, high-proof kick. At its roots, this is a diner-style eatery, so the menu consists of burgers and finger-friendly sandwiches, but none of these meals is made complete without a funky cool treat. Among the favorites on the menu are Drunken Monkey, Frozen Grasshopper, Black Cow Float and Cereal Bowl. If a shake doesn’t sound appealing, an incredibly extensive beer, wine and cocktail list is available.

This venue has closed.

Every time I get a chance to spend some time in NOLA, you’ll find me on Frenchmen Street, Marigny, Bywater, 9th area. This art market, while not really a hidden gem, is always worth a visit. Grab a cocktail and catch some music to loosen up and chat it up with the incredible artists and business owners selling really fun swag in the heart of The Frenchmen Street party.