Search results for

One of the best strolls through Venice begins in the neighborhood of Arsenale and finishes on the Island of Sant’Elena. Walk along the main drag of Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, a street full of shops and colourful local life until it dead ends. Make a right on to Viale Giuseppe Garibaldi where a monument to the streets namesake stands. From here the streets become very quiet. Follow Viale Giuseppe Garibaldi to the end and turn left onto the Fondamenta San Giuseppe. This is a mostly residential area where you see laundry hanging from pastel painted houses and hear small fishing boats tapping against the sides of the canal. Make the first right off the Fondamenta and get lost in the twist of back streets here until you come upon the Via XXIV Maggio. From here, look for signs pointing to the Church of Sant’Elena, a beautiful 12th-century monastery on the island.

Much more than just a restaurant or smoothie stop, Choice Health Bar is a culinary fusion of food, lifestyle, and positivity. This small restaurant in the Lahaina industrial park serves fresh kale salads and heaping acai bowls. The place is a favorite hangout for island locals from surfers and paddlers to vegans. Just because it’s healthy, don’t think the food will taste like cardboard. Creative concoctions pepper a menu that is constantly being reinvented, and you’d never expect that a quinoa quiche could possibly taste so good. Locals also love Choice for the laid-back atmosphere and powerful, positive vibes. A sign on the door informs all patrons that this is officially a “bummer free zone,” and instead of simply “super-sizing” your meal, you can “make it epic” with ‘superfoods’ like kale and cacao. Consistently voted as the island’s top pick for healthy, vegan cuisine, Choice is the absolute best spot on the West Side for infusing your body with nutrients.

You are lucky the sun only rises and sets once a day on Hawaii—otherwise, you’d spend all of your time transfixed by the horizon. Hike to the leeward (eastern) side of any island on a clear evening and train your eye over the ocean in search of the “green flash,” an optic phenomenon in which a green sliver of light hovers in the wake of the setting sun. (On Oahu, the remote Kaena Point is a good spot to see the flash.) Sunsets on Kauai, “The Garden Island,” make the beauty of the coastal surroundings even more poignant. If you rise early and tackle the Lanikai Pillboxes trail on Oahu or summit the volcano at Haleakala National Park on Maui, you’ll experience an unforgettable morning as the sun rises over the ocean for a new day.

La Isla de Guilligan (Gilligan’s Island, though not the one from the television show) is a popular hangout for Puerto Rican locals. I myself am only home for several weeks a year and I still go once or twice every year. The island is sometimes isolated and sometimes crowded. It boasts snorkeling (I’ve spotted many anemones, fish, crabs, starfish, and barracudas), calm water perfect for floating and swimming, and several trees from which you can jump into the water. It’s off the coast of Guanica, and there are two ways to get there. Either take a ferry (call 787-821-5706 for more information) or rent a kayak from Mary Lee’s by the Sea. If you choose to do the latter, you might want to take your kayak to Isla Ballena (see my highlight “Kayaking and Snorkeling and Hoping for Whales”). This tends to be a day trip, so I suggest you have some food. You can either pack up your own or, if you take the ferry, place an order before embarking and tell them when you’d like to have it delivered. There are picnic pavilions that you can claim if it’s a calm day or you get there early.

Many Caribbean islands (Anguilla included) are made primarily of limestone. Over many thousands of years, caves often form in this type of rock speckling the islands with tons of little caves to explore. On Anguilla there are plenty to explore, but the hike to the Iguana Cave is particularly pleasant. It starts on the quiet and isolated sands of Katouche Bay Beach just past the Masara Resort. It’s pretty much due West of the capital of The Valley and very easy to find. The only awkward part is the very steep road that descends the last mile toward the shore. There you should find a gap in the sea grape trees. Staying on this path will take you past a salt pond, through a forest crawling with hermit crabs, up an old stone staircase, through a grove of cactus, past the occasional red-footed tortoise, and finally to the cave. Going at an easy pace, the hike clocks in at around 45 minutes up and 45 minutes back. For the most part, it’s pleasant and I highly recommend it as a way to break up a bounty of beautiful beach days.

One of the more relaxing evenings away from home was spent at the Outrigger Hotel in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. I checked in with no problems and was even upgraded to a partial ocean view room! I had enough time to mosey on through town to grab some dinner and watch the sun sink to the ocean (complete with a green flash). The hotel was comfortable and situated next to a beach filled with a all sorts of fish and sea turtles. Snorkeling at Kahaluu Bay Beach Park, right next door to the hotel in the morning was one of the best snorkeling experiences I have had in Hawaii. The water was clear and the marine life was over-abundant! Sitting at the beach bar in the evening with live music and the sound of the surf was enough to relax the body and soothe the soul for a great night of sleep! If you are local, make sure to book their Kamaaina rate. **Unfortunately, the Keauhou property has closed. However, the Outrigger has several other properties on the Big Island.

For a reasonably priced Island eatery, Kona Canoe Club has pupus (appetizers), salads, sandwiches, burgers, fish & chips, and several local entrees. The location is phenomenal for sunset and every dish is served with aloha!

Designed by Fuster + Architects, an award winning firm located in San Juan, Puerto Rico, El Blok takes its visual cues from the surrounding light, land and sea. In addition to being a playful structure, it is highly functional and built to withstand storms and hurricanes (a big plus anywhere in the caribbean!). It is located at the beach, at the start of Esperanza’s sleepy malecon, with its low-key seaside huddle of restaurants, bars, and stores, most of them back open after hurricane Maria’s devastating sweep of the island.

I loved my room, one of the spacious corner suites. The way the space captured the light was uncanny, every time I got back to my room, a new play of light beams and shadows was waiting for me. The restaurant downstairs serves up amazing food, hands down the best I had on island. Executive Chef, Carlos Perez. brings to the table a delicious, fresh take on Puerto Rican cuisine, centered around their bayahonda mesquite fired grill and Rotisol rotisserie. Just don’t expect much of a breakfast at the hotel. I took a short walk each morning to some cafés nearby, to grab a coffee and omelet. El Blok’s rooftop bar was ‘the’ place to hang in the evenings with locals and travelers alike, while listening to amazing music. When we were there, the duo Más Que Dos was playing and it made for an all around perfect sunset.

El Blok currently has 22 rooms and is adding another 11, slated to open in summer 2019. We were warned about construction noise between 8am and 2pm, but I can honestly say it didn’t interfere at all with my stay. It’s of course when you’re supposed to be out and about anyways, exploring the island!

Rates start at $140 per night plus tax.

A heartfelt thank you to Discover Puerto Rico (@DiscoverPuertoRico) for 3 days in beautiful Vieques and a fun stop-over in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

All I could say to myself at the Hotel Christopher was: “I don’t ever want to leave this place.” It was just before the Christmas invasion of celebs and sycophants to the tiny island of Saint Barthélemy or St. Barths. For a confirmed curmudgeon, even I was surprised by my response: I loved every moment at the Zen-like Christopher. Between the infinity pool overlooking the Atlantic and our oceanfront room, where we listened endlessly to the breaking waves and enjoyed daily views of the setting sun, nirvana was never far. Pool boys and girls, servers and greeters, all accessorized in Hermés orange, created an atmosphere of sophisticated yet relaxed luxury. One afternoon, with a glass of the hotel’s signature ice tea in hand, I overheard a fellow guest whisper into her phone, no doubt in response to, “What’s the hotel like?” “Dynamic and tranquil,” she responded. Indeed, since the hotel is located just 15 minutes by car from the island’s capital, Gustavia, we had no problem to-ing and fro-ing “downtown” -- whether to catch a bite, do some shopping, or just people (and yacht) watch. The picture-perfect beaches of Saline and Gouverneur are an even shorter drive from the hotel. But back to the Christopher -- which is what my husband and I said to each other every few hours. Frankly, if we hadn’t gotten married two years ago, we would have done it there. As it was, we were celebrating our anniversary; curmudgeon or not, I can’t imagine a more perfect spot.

Thanks to renovations following Hurricane Irma, the Christopher now features several large villas as well as a newly designed restaurant.

The tattoo art form was invented in the Islands of Tahiti, and today many Polynesians sport beautiful work of art tattoos as symbols of their personal identities. If you’d like to remember your trip with a tattoo of your own, there are many options on Tahiti. In Papeete, pay a visit to Manao Tattoo. The artists here offer a number of traditional Polynesian patterns as well as creative original designs.

Coasteering is the latest craze in Greece‘s adventure tourism, and it’s especially popular on the Pelion Peninsula. Coasteering refers to navigating the coastline by climbing, rock scrambling, and swimming. It’s definitely for the braver, more physically fit individuals, but the unique views experienced of the wild and rugged Pelion coast is definitely worth it. Even if you end up just exploring the Pelion coast, you’ll be surprised to see it’s an awful lot like being in the Greek Islands.

Most people come to the tiny town of Ioannina to cruise Lake Pamvotida -- the town’s most popular landmark. You’ll find yourself on a small island in the middle of a beautiful fjord, where the water is smooth as glass and your surroundings are spectacular. Ioannina itself is an intellectual city, known particularly for its university. Several famous poets and novelists call this place home, and the city often runs several arts-related events year round.

Guadeloupe’s outdoor markets are an important part of daily life and a sight for sore eyes. Fragrant cooking spices compete with colorful bottles of homemade rhum, women in traditional madras head ties smile at passersby, zouk music or gwo-ka drums blast in the background, and the calm Caribbean Sea is the backdrop. Saint-Anne Market, on Grande-Terre Island, is a favorite. It borders a beautiful white-sand beach, steps from a row of casual restaurants and bars.

Along the southern coast, Treasure Beach is about as peaceful as Jamaican beaches get. A few well-known guesthouses and resorts are located in this fishing community, but you’ll probably see more locals than tourists around, especially when compared with the rest of the island. The black-sand beaches, teeming with shorebirds, are attractive, and happily there’s not much to do but catch the breeze, mingle with local families, and enjoy fresh seafood.

Along with the beautiful scenery, parents will appreciate the many amenities that make Bermuda’s beaches the perfect place for beach bums of all ages. Lifeguards, gentle water, and nearby facilities are always a welcome sight for parents of small children. Clearwater Beach, on the eastern end of the island, has clear, shallow water and a 36-acre public park with restrooms and a playground. Picnic facilities, shade trees, and gentle water make Shelly Bay a good choice for the smallest of surfers, swimmers, and shell seekers. Horseshoe Bay Beach has lifeguards, showers, restrooms, and a nearby café. John Smith’s Bay, Elbow Beach, and Somerset Long Bay are more great beaches for families with kids.