Search results for

The boardwalk and bike path from Will Rogers State Beach in the Pacific Palisades to Torrance County Beach in Torrance is a stretch of activity some 20 miles long. Rent a bike, roller or in-line skates, or a Segway and cruise as much of the coastline as you please. The Venice Beach Boardwalk portion is packed with characters, shops, and vendors, and is perfect for picking up a souvenir. Marvel at the strip of contemporary beach houses, including the one designed by Frank Gehry, just north of the Venice Pier, and then stroll down the pier to watch surfers and enjoy the panoramic views.

Modern luxury meets southern hospitality at the Four Seasons Hotel, where the emphasis on service means no detail is too small. Have your loafers born the brunt of marathon city tours? The hotel provides free overnight shoe shines. Want to impress the little ones? Family-friendly touches such as a mini check-in desk, kid-sized robes, and sponge letters arranged around the bathtub to spell out children’s names won’t disappoint. No one would fault you for hunkering down in your plush neutral-hued room, which couples a marble bathroom, complete with deep soaking tub, separate shower, and C.O. Bigelow products, with sweeping views of Midtown, plus one sweet feature: chocolate-chip cookie delivery before bedtime. But there’s plenty of motivation to venture out, including a spa with an interactive aroma bar, a moody gray lounge inspired by beloved Wes Anderson character Margot Tennenbaum, and Park 75, a seasonal restaurant that utilizes ingredients pulled straight from the hotel’s terrace garden.

Twelve years after Ace Hotel transformed Manhattan’s NoMad neighborhood into a destination worth visiting, the brand opened its second NYC property on the edge of Brooklyn’s residential Boerum Hill neighborhood and Downtown Brooklyn in the summer of 2021. Built from the ground up, the 13-story building features a concrete Brutalist facade designed by Roman and Williams. Inside, organic elements like green leather couches, wooden walls, and textile and fiber art pieces add warmth to raw concrete pillars and ceilings in the expansive lobby and throughout the 287 rooms.

While it’s located mere minutes from Tel Aviv’s trademark beaches, the Brown TLV Urban Hotel is decidedly city-centric. Not coincidentally, it’s also in the center of town, surrounded by an array of distinctive neighborhoods like the UNESCO World Heritage-designated “White City,” the old Yemenite area of Kerem HaTeimanim, and the seemingly endless street market that is Nachalat Binyamin. Beyond being a strategically positioned home base, however, the hotel makes for a great escape. Once you’ve explored the city on a free loaner bike, you can retreat to the rooftop hot tub, the indoor-outdoor Garden Bar, the den-like living room, or—if you’ve booked one of the Zen-inducing Relax Rooms—your private balcony, ideally after an en suite spa treatment.

Better known as the Tomb Raider Temple since its starring role in the Hollywood movie of the same name, Ta Prohm has at least as much star quality as Angelina Jolie. Cloaked in dappled shadow and locked in the embrace of the vast root systems that are still reclaiming it for the jungle, the temple is arguably the most atmospheric ruin at Angkor Archaeological Park. Construction on Ta Prohm began in 1186 C.E.; it was built in honor of the mother of King Jayavarman VII. Modern-day visitors are not permitted to climb onto the crumbling galleries of its 39 towers due to safety concerns. Nevertheless, picking a route around the various structures, close courtyards, and narrow corridors sprouting with lichen, moss, and creeping plants is one of the most enthralling experiences at Angkor.

This hotel is on our list of The 11 Best Hotels in Chicago.

Designers Lisa Simeone and Gina Deary of KTGY Simeone Deary Design Group oversaw the original design of the Parisian-inspired Waldorf-Astoria Chicago in 2009, and the pair was once again brought in to breathe new life into this 215-room Gold Coast gem. Rooms are now bright white, well-lit, and include pops of uplifting magenta. Before you hit any of them, however, there’s much to entice at street level. Enter from the circular driveway and marvel at the Swarovski chandelier, modeled after a vintage brooch, along with the herringbone wood floors and black-and-white pinstriped stone. Don’t miss the Peacock Lounge and its secret sister, Bernard’s Bar, an intimate craft cocktail and champagne boîte, which is virtually unknown even by city denizens (which means you can always find a seat). Its Scottish and equestrian themes are almost as anachronistic as the Mansard roof and circular driveway, which just adds charm to this newly beloved Chicago hotel.

The guest rooms feature oversize headboards and abstract floral bedspreads, while bathrooms are a marvel of marble. For something more, splurge on either the new 1,800-square-foot Astoria Suite or the redesigned 2,400-square-foot Presidential Suite, both of which will have you feeling you’ve been transported to a Parisian pied-à-terre (the latter’s primary bedroom features a fireplace).

Why we love it: A high-design hotel that merges Old World Lisbon with the modern traveler’s needs

The Highlights:

• Suites that feel more like elegant apartments than hotel rooms
• Natural light and intricately restored ceiling art in event spaces
• Exceptional spa facilities and products

The Review

The second property from Spanish hotel chain H10 offers an oasis amid Lisbon’s city center. Set on a cobblestone street just off Avenida da Liberdade, the restored One Palacio da Anunciada is in a 16th-century palace a short walk from restaurants, cafés, and Bairro Alto nightlife, yet it avoids the clamor that normally comes with such a convenient location.

When revamping the hotel interior during construction, designers and architects preserved as much of the original structure as possible while adding sleek modern touches. Case in point: Upon entering the lobby, guests will see a magnificent marble staircase ahead and an understated library with wireframe bookshelves to the right. Event spaces such as the board room feature intricate crown moldings and ceiling art reminiscent of the classical period, plus large windows that flood the rooms with natural light.

Large windows fill nearly every space with natural light, from the marble-filled lobby to the spa’s indoor pool to the 83 guest rooms. Suites feel more like elegant apartments than hotel rooms. Custom hand-painted ceramics decorate the walls, while gentle lighting and soft edges abound in the bedrooms. On the perimeter of the hotel’s idyllic courtyard and gardens are the exceptional spa and O Jardim Wine Bar, a spot for Portuguese wine and tapas.

While “haughty” may be be a little extreme, this imposing building, Paris‘s City Hall, stands very proudly, indeed, in the heart of the 4th arrondissement’s Marais district. Not only does Hotel de Ville serve as seat of Paris‘s government, but, its grand front square is often the site of a sundry list of community and commercial events.

Dozens of artists from a myriad of backgrounds and cultures—American, Texan, Mexican, Latin American—sell their work at the San Angel Folk Art gallery in San Antonio. The gallery is stocked with paintings, ceramics, paperwork, textiles, glass, and sculpture, and visitors can easily spend the better part of an afternoon viewing the exhibits and browsing the wares. With such a diverse breadth of art, there’s a piece to appeal to every collector’s tastes. Image of tin art by Chris Ake courtesy San Angel Folk Art.

You’ll want to arrive early at Sitka & Spruce to allow time for browsing the other shops inside Melrose Market: Calf and Kid’s artisanal cheeses, Rain Shadow Meats’ sausages and steaks, Glasswing’s home decor, and Marigold & Mint’s fresh flowers. At Sitka & Spruce, chef Matthew Dillon features a rotating menu of hyper-local Northwest cuisine in shareable small plates and mains. The artfully arranged charcuterie platter is a must-try, and don’t skip the bread — the Columbia City sourdough loaf with whipped butter is a local favorite. Just want a snack? Try Bar Ferd’nand next door, also co-owned by Dillon, for a glass of wine and simple bar snacks, or take home a bottle.

If you love antiquing or if you’re just searching for a Mexico City souvenir with a bit of history behind it, it’s hard to imagine a more pleasant way to spend a Saturday morning in the capital than visiting Plaza del Angel, a giant antique market with dozens of galleries, located in the Zona Rosa. You can visit during the week, too, but on Saturdays, temporary vendors join those who have permanent spaces here to sell all sorts of wares, from postcards and pictures to religious relics, furniture, books, magazines, and handcrafts.

When the Last Bookstore debuted in 2005, the name was meant to be ironic. Now, in a world of Kindles and iPads, digital books (or at least digital bookstores) are the norm, and brick-and-mortar establishments such as the Last Bookstore are a dying breed. That hasn’t stopped this Downtown L.A. icon from growing. The shop still buys, sells, and trades new and used books and vinyl records just as it did when its doors first opened over a decade ago, and it shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. Come in to browse the store’s impressive collection, to hang out for an afternoon, or to catch author talks and more. The Last Bookstore puts on some killer events, and past speakers have included the cast of Portlandia, How to Kill a City author Peter Moskowitz, and Holocaust survivors. Oh, and they occasionally give away free concert tickets on their Instagram account, so it’s worth a follow even if you’re not a die-hard bookworm.

The Rome Cavalieri, like the Hassler and St. Regis, is synonymous with five-star luxury in Rome. The hotel, opened in the 1960s, channels a Versailles-meets–Dolce Vita vibe, and given its unbridled opulence, it’s a top destination for honeymooners and jet-setters seeking the ultimate comforts. Its location atop Montemario, a hillside residential district north of the Vatican, offers spectacular views of the city from various terraced levels and many of the rooms. The very location, affording such panoramas, is also a drawback for travelers wishing to be in the thick of it all, so the Rome Cavalieri is best suited to those who relish spending significant time in the hotel rather than out on the town.

There are plenty of appealing amenities for guests who choose to stick around the property. The outdoor pools, the finest in Rome, are set amid lush gardens. The pool area doubles as a sort of private club for local elite and is ripe for Italian athlete and celebrity sightings. Back inside, the lobby and rooms are sumptuously furnished and feature antiques and original works of art.

Years ago when Mexico City’s southern neighborhoods were in fact small, independent cities, the quarter known as San Ángel Inn was a sylvan getaway for well-heeled urbanites. No longer an inn, the area’s namesake—a former Carmelite convent from the eighteenth century—persists as an iconic, country-club-style restaurant and lounge. Its venerable walls, gardens, and fountains call up colonial gentility and ward away the urban chaos just outside the door; strolling mariachis are the sole “disruption.” Sip what many believe is the city’s best margarita amid an impeccable, songbird-serenaded garden.

This used to be a hacienda, but it was turned into a restaurant almost 50 years ago. The food is phenomenal and the margaritas are famous—in fact, they’re my favorite thing on the menu. There is always a band or a pianist playing.

Barranco, one of the city’s most beautiful neighborhoods, awash in character, is known for an artsy vibe and gorgeous colonial buildings. Cross the Puente de los Suspiros (Spanish for “Bridge of Sighs”) and follow the Bajada de los Baños to the seaside. Explore the side streets and duck into cute cafés and art venues, including the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC). The gallery-shop Dédalo, in particular, is ideal for combining coffee, snacking, shopping, and art viewing. Visiting another Barranco landmark, the belle epoque Hotel B, provides a quick trip back to a time of elegant architecture. Splurge for a smart cocktail on the rooftop bar to linger a little longer.