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The Oriental Plaza, located in Fordsburg, just west of the old CBD, is home to many an Indian store owner who specialise in beautiful exotic fabrics and other clothing items and related trades such as tailoring. That’s not to say that the Plaza is limited to those items, as there are spices and curios too, amongst other things. It is a favourite shopping destination amongst locals who are looking for designer fabrics and good deals on those items. While you’re resting from all the price haggling, you can enjoy a good curry or some samoosas or any number of Indian dishes from one of the stores inside the plaza, or venture out and find one of the many restaurants nearby.

Brussels has a number of African influences due to the influx of African immigrants from former Belgian colonies. A great example is the number of African restaurants in town. We ate at KoKob (pictured), an upscale, trendy Ethiopian restaurant. As is tradition in Ethiopia, we ate with our hands from a shared plate using a spongy crepe-like bread to scoop up meats and vegetables. We washed down the meal with St. Georges, a popular Ethiopian beer. Definitely a fun, unexpected experience.

Why we love it: A secluded safari camp offering Old World luxury and connections to the local community

The Highlights:

• An ideal location for witnessing the Big Five and Kenya’s famous wildebeest migrations
• Classic safari style that recalls Out of Africa
• Access to bush walks, hot air balloon safaris, community excursions, and other unique activities

The Review:
Romantic and luxurious, this tented camp transports guests to the Kenyan safaris of the 1920s and 30s. On the edge of the gorgeous Masai Mara, the secluded property was completely renovated in 2018 and now comprises two camps, each with nine tented suites featuring polished wooden floors, en-suite bathrooms with indoor and outdoor showers, and copper bathtubs with views of the night sky. Classically elegant, the tents also come with private wooden verandas overlooking the vast, game-filled plains; personal butlers who attend to every whim; and thoughtful details like handcrafted artifacts, map-inspired wallpaper, yoga mats, and a butler hatch for delivering morning coffee or tea.

Elsewhere on site are two swimming pools; a common sitting area outfitted with leather Chesterfield sofas and fine antiques; a state-of-the-art gym with views of the Mara; a massage room; a gift shop stocked with local handicrafts; and a stylish bar for Kenyan coffee and top-shelf gin. Of course, guests are really here to see the Mara’s magnificent wildlife, and while they can spot several animals on site, they also enjoy twice-daily game drives, as well as night excursions and bush walks (permitted because the lodge is on a private concession). Additionally, guests have access to breakfast and sundowners in the bush, Maasai talks and fireside dances (much of the staff is from the local Maasai tribe), the educational WILDChild program for kids, and visits to nearby schools or villages for an authentic look at life in the African bush.

There are a handful of appealing options in the West Loop, but the most exciting is the Hoxton Chicago, whose laid-back lobby is filled daily with locals and guests working, meeting, dining, drinking, or hanging out with a coffee. Part of the socially focused Hoxton hotel group that launched in London’s East End in 2006, this 182-room hotel has become the West Loop’s top rendezvous spot for meetings (unless you’re a member of nearby Soho House), but upstairs is just as enticing. We love “Flexy Time,” which allows guests to check in and out whatever time of day they like, so long as they book directly through the hotel website.

One of the best coffee shops in the city, the Haas “Collective” (haas means “rabbit” in Afrikaans) has grown organically over the years to include not only coffee, but also design, art, and advertising. Formerly located in an old slave home in the Bo Kaap, Haas now takes up a refurbished colonial building in the city, where you can also have light meals at the plush yet relaxed venue. Selected artworks for sale include must-have gilded African bowls by Michou.

A Sunset Strip retreat that blends high design with sustainable practices

• A sustainable design that employs reclaimed timber, recycled carpeting, and lush native greenery
• Healthy extras like yoga mats, kombucha, and local snacks in every room
• Four separate dining options serving California cuisine and craft cocktails, plus a lobby farm stand with fresh fruits

After a brief stint as The Jeremy, this Sunset Strip property opened as L.A.’s first 1 Hotel in May 2019 with a strong focus on sustainability. As soon as you drive up to the valet (which offers electric charging stations), you’ll be enveloped by a biophilic world of plants, reclaimed wood, and rough-hewn granite. The reception desk is made from a massive tree that fell in Mendocino, while the cozy lobby is filled with wood and linen-covered furniture made locally by J. Alexander. Also on the ground floor is a farm stand with fresh produce for the taking; 1 Kitchen, which serves sustainably sourced California cuisine among tables that resemble sliced trees; and Goodthings, a retail shop selling Earth + Element pottery, organic cotton clothing, and a selection of all-natural face serums and tonics.

The 285 rooms feature earth tones, floor-to-ceiling windows, multiple plants in volcanic rock planters, and unfinished wooden wardrobes filled with hangers made from recycled paper. Guests can also look forward to extras like yoga mats, comfy cotton robes, and minibars stocked with kombucha and local snacks like Fat Uncle Farms Cajun-Flavored California Almonds, plus all-natural dog bones and candles with the hotel’s signature scent. Bathrooms have deep marble tubs and full-size bath products—no single-use plastics here. Elsewhere in the hotel, the heated pool features a plant-filled deck with plenty of loungers and views of downtown, while a fitness center by Performix, a rooftop bar, and an organic garden with a beehive offer more places for guests to gather. From $518

A compelling reason to be in Cape Town on a weekend morning (especially Sunday, if you want to eat your way through the food-focused Oranjezicht City Farm Market, too) is the dynamic Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill in up-and-coming Woodstock. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., hip locals and tourists alike weave their way through what can only be described as an abundance of all things artisanal—edible, wearable, and otherwise. The most jam-packed part of the market is usually the massive tent lined with vendors specializing in mushrooms, bread, paella, pizza, honey, cakes, cheeses, and craft brews. It’s a veritable smorgasbord, so wear your stretchy pants, and work it off afterward by strolling the other section devoted to micro-merchants selling baby moccasins, brightly colored swimwear, offbeat home accessories, recycled brass jewelry, and more.

Located in the heart of the Cape Winelands, Terbodore Coffee Roasters imports beans from 13 countries, but also sources coffee from South Africa’s countryside. Stop in to try the roastery’s famous flavored coffees, or go for breakfast and pair a perfectly made flat white with sweet corn fritters and homemade granola.

The sustainably designed andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge on the edge of the NamibRand Nature Reserve captures the raw beauty of the world’s oldest living desert. The otherworldliness of the environment has been consciously translated into every aspect of the experience. The off-grid design factors in the extreme climate and harsh elements, and the desert’s forms, colors and textures are reflected in sculptural stone and steel lines that give way to soft, organic shapes. Throughout, glass walls slide away to amplify the big-sky views. The 10 guest suites are self-sufficient, solar-powered private retreats, each generating ample energy to run on photovoltaic power for everything from the AC and the deep swimming pools to the water harvesting and recycling systems.


Activities include climbing the world’s highest dunes at Sossusvlei or e-biking along gravel trails to caves with rock art by the desert’s earliest inhabitants. Back at the lodge, dishes that reflect Namibia’s cultural history include venison and Kalahari truffles and fresh seafood from the Atlantic Ocean. With close to zero light pollution, the Namib is one of the best dark sky locations in the Southern Hemisphere. The best way to end any evening is in the lodge’s observatory. You can also fall asleep counting stars, thanks to a skylight above your bed.

While Cape Point is not, in fact, the southernmost tip of Africa—as is often claimed—it is generally accepted that the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet somewhere between here and the real tip, Cape Agulhas. Still, Cape Point is about as dramatic as you can get, with the land falling steeply away on three sides, the wind whipping around the cliffs, and the ocean churning below. The road to the point, at the end of a drive from Cape Town, goes through 20 miles of nature reserve full of baboons and antelopes. For those who don’t want to walk up to the lighthouse, there is a funicular, but to reach the point itself, you’re going to have to hike.

Continental Europe’s largest shopping department has been supplying well-heeled Berliners with fine foods and upscale fashion for over a hundred years. Eight floors specialise in different goods, but the two most impressive are the ground floor and its ‘Luxury Boulevard,’ which features stores by the likes of Chanel, Bulgari and Tiffany & Co., and the sixth floor’s food hall, where regulars and visitors alike can be found perched at the champagne and oyster bars. More modestly-priced meals and some impressive views can be found in the glass-ceilinged cafe-restaurant on the seventh floor.

Lebkuchen Schmidt is one of Germany‘s most famous gingerbread makers and prides itself on its “exquisite quality” and secret recipe. Lebkuchen Schmidt is committed to the tradition of the good old baking craft, while at the same time continuing to refine and create new taste sensations on the basis of the traditional recipe. Modern day gingerbread may now include almonds, walnuts, creamy nougat, fine cocoa, selected spices, soft melting chocolate and other fine ingredients. Not only is the gingerbread tasty, it also looks pretty in one of the collector’s items tins it’s wrapped in.

You might hear Long Street before you see it—this bustling artery is the heart of Cape Town, home to some of the city’s most popular restaurants, bars, and boutiques, all within a few blocks’ radius of the Grand Daddy Hotel. Built in 1895, this landmark building has been transformed into one of the city’s quirkier havens, though it somehow manages to walk the fine line between campy and classy. It’s a spot that’s beloved by tourists and locals alike (don’t be surprised to stumble onto a local fashion shoot in the gilded Daddy Cool bar).

Behind the stately gray exterior lies a whimsical world: snuggle into crisp white sheets in one of the 26 colorful rooms or suites, or settle into a stylishly appointed Airstream in the rooftop trailer park. And speaking of the rooftop: there’s no better place to take in the view of Table Mountain presiding over the city.

When the Evok Collection opened Brach inside a former postal sorting facility in 2018, the hotel was an instant hit. Now, this residential corner of the posh 16th arrondissement is the cool rendezvous spot for in-the-know Parisians. The energetic vibe starts with the design, courtesy of Philippe Starck’s famous melange of styles—an African mask here, a sculptural lamp there. This warmth infuses the 59 guest rooms, done up in a marvelous mix of marble, leather, and wood. The city’s glitterati rub shoulders at the popular (and family-friendly) brunch and covet memberships at the next-level sports club, styled as a 1930s boxing club, complete with a 72-foot pool. Come summer, the rooftop terrace turns into a trendy hangout with 360-degree views of the city from the vegetable garden and henhouse. Take a dip in the terrace’s Norwegian bath, cocktail in hand, and you’ll see why Brach is the darling of the district.

Parreirinha is a favourite amongst Portuguese South Africans living in Johannesburg and serves some of the best seafood around! A small, former jail is the home of the restaurant, which makes use of one of the jail cells as one of the dining rooms. As you walk into the restaurant you’re welcomed with a tavern like ambiance and entering the court yard you’re treated to a sea of neck ties hanging from the rafters... remnants of an old tradition that required patrons to leave their ties behind. The tradition no longer applies these days as there’s simply no more space, but if you feel like you want to leave a tie behind as a sign that you’d been there, then they’ll gladly take it off your neck! The food at Parreirinha is quite simply amazing! Heck, even the Protuguese bread rolls are divine! On this occasion I shared a Seafood kebab, meant for one, with my friend and we were both definitely full as the last scraps made their way into our bellies. If you’re stuck on something to choose, I’d highly recommend something with prawn. The prawns are great! If you’re not looking for a meal, you can always take up a spot at the bar and enjoy the drinks on offer.