Search results for

Nature may have spent 12 million years creating the rock formation that is the centerpiece of this 1,300-acre Hilton Curio Collection resort in the foothills of the Sonoran Desert, but late-coming humans have done a commendable job of adding the finishing touches. Although the Boulders, with its casita accommodations blending into the landscape, its championship golf courses, and its upscale shops, is as luxurious as any resort in the Scottsdale area, it’s also where guests are most likely to feel they are truly in the desert. An early-morning walk along groomed paths, when the first rays of light are turning the landscape golden, is as likely to produce the sounds of woodpeckers or owls calling from their nests in saguaro cacti as it is the whack of a ball against club or racket.

Just 10 minutes from downtown Orlando, in village-like Winter Park, the Alfond Inn has a unique legacy: The boutique lodging was created to provide income for scholarship funds at neighboring Rollins College, one of Florida’s oldest liberal arts schools. If helping students isn’t reason enough to book a stay, the hotel offers lots more incentive. A skylit domed atrium in the Spanish colonial–inspired main building draws your eye to a rotating collection of artwork curated by Cornell Fine Arts Museum, and pet-friendly guest rooms are simple and cheerful. While the hotel is not a full-fledged resort, it offers guests plenty of opportunities to linger. Fire pits and rocking chairs are dotted around the property, and shaded areas for loungers enhance the rooftop pool’s already undeniable appeal. Hamilton’s Kitchen restaurant serves modern Southern cuisine paired with wines selected by an award-winning sommelier. And shops, wine bars, and independent boutiques like Rifle Paper Co. line the town’s Park Avenue, a few blocks away. You can also take a pontoon boat tour for views of many of the Mediterranean-style mansions along the waterfront. Perhaps best of all, Disney and Universal theme parks are only a half-hour drive away.

This property hits the sweet spot for Yosemite lodging—it’s conveniently located in the heart of the valley, is more affordable than the Majestic, and has better views than any other accommodation, looking directly out to Lower Yosemite Falls. All 241 rooms, spread among 15 two-story buildings, were recently updated to include TVs, mini fridges, phones, coffee makers, and Wi-Fi. While not air-conditioned, they come with fans and some even have patios or balconies. There are also four larger family rooms, complete with a king bed and two bunk beds. The lodge has its own pool, gift shop, and outdoor amphitheater, where rangers and naturalists give presentations during warmer months, as well as two restaurants. The more formal Mountain Room features soaring ceilings, waterfall views, and dishes like lobster beignets and grilled pork mole, while the Mountain Lodge—popular with the valley’s climbers—serves beer, cocktails, and a small but tasty bar menu, which can be enjoyed either inside by the double-sided fireplace or outdoors on the deck. There’s also a food court, which is slated for a complete makeover in the spring of 2018.

Medellín’s urban renewal, following decades as one of the world’s murder capitals, has drawn international attention. Perhaps nothing symbolizes the revival more than the Metrocable, a system of cable cars that connect the city center to steep hillside neighborhoods that were once reckoned to be the city’s most dangerous. Grab a ride on Line K up to Santo Domingo and treat yourself to spectacular views. Once on the ground again, take a short wander around the neighborhood for a taste of the real Medellín and its friendly residents (known as Paisas), and see the small shops and the beautiful library whose original benefactor was the government of Spain. From Santo Domingo, another cable car continues to Parque Arví, an expansive nature reserve and weekend escape favored by overheated locals.

This urban icon started as a hippie food truck housed in a surf shop parking lot on Vancouver Island. It has since blossomed into three restaurants, two burrito bars, a taco joint, and two food trucks, located everywhere from Hastings-Sunrise and Yaletown to Gastown and the Financial District. Chef Stefan Hartmann, who once ran a Michelin-starred restaurant in Berlin, now captains these elevated spots along with founder Jason Sussman. Expect nuanced options like chorizo-kale, pork al pastor with pineapple, and chicken with pickled vegetables, all on soft wheat tortillas for six to seven dollars. Also noteworthy are the meat-free dishes like “vegetable scrapple”—a delicious fritter of squash and chickpeas, topped with herbed tomatoes. And don’t overlook the octopus tostada—Tacofino not only sources seafood sustainably but also participates in Vancouver’s Climate Smart program and is working toward being a zero-waste business.

You don’t know you need a paperweight shaped like a dumpling until you see it. Hidden behind sliding doors on an unassuming street corner in Shanghai‘s Jing’an District, Spin is the best place in the city to buy modern Chinese ceramics. The shop works with artists in Jingdezhen, China’s porcelain capital, to make original, limited-edition works of art at competitive prices, from a small porcelain and wood display table to delicate celadon-green teacups and dainty chopstick rests shaped like chili peppers. Spin ships worldwide at a reasonable cost, so you don’t have to worry about lugging a vase the size of a small child through Asia.

From the moment you touch down on the grounds of the 135-acre working cocoa farm, a stay at the Fond Doux feels like a step back in time. It begins in your suite, one of 15 cottages that have been lovingly restored by owners Lyton and Eroline Lamontagne in the colonial style, with traditional gingerbread trim, four-poster beds, and pastel walls. Though some cottages have private plunge pools, you’ll want to make your way to the cascading main pool, which overlooks a verdant rain-forest glen. If all this sounds a little sleepy, don’t fret: A free shuttle is available to whisk guests to nearby Sugar Beach, and frequently rotating minibuses pass the hotel on their way to restaurants and shops 10 minutes away in Soufrière.

Despite its name, within this mall are shops selling all manner of electronics, watches, clothing, handbags, suitcases, and, of course, jewelry, including hundreds of pearls in every conceivable shape, size, and color. You can buy jewelry already on display—necklaces, earrings, brooches, bracelets, etc.—or choose your pearls and have something custom made. Unless the design is very complicated, a pearl necklace or bracelet made to your specifications can generally be done on the spot or within an hour or two. Hongqiao Market is a popular place for buying souvenirs, especially tea sets, calligraphy scrolls, paper fans, and chopsticks. Bargaining is essential here, particularly for jewelry. Note that there is a market of the same name and style in Shanghai.

Only 10 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi—but a world away in spirit from the city rush—St. Regis Saaydiyat Island looks like a Mediterranean palace but feels like pure Abu Dhabi. The impressive architecture blends luxe finishes like calacatta marble, chisel-edge stone, and petrified wood with a golden color palette that’s offset with views of the turquoise waves of the Arabian Gulf (look close enough and you might even catch a dolphin swimming in the distance). Indulge in a pampering session at the Iridium Spa, go for retail therapy in the property’s shops, or hit the greens at the Saadiyat Island Golf Club. If that sounds like too much exertion, you might prefer to simply lounge in a cabana near one of four pools while sipping an Arabian Snapper, a classic Bloody Mary made with zaatar spice.

The Saguaro Scottsdale is among the handful of downtown Scottsdale hotels that embrace the urban Southwest vibe. Although it began life as a 1970s chain motel—evident in its blocky structure and the compactness of most rooms—this now-hip address has blossomed into the visual equivalent of desert wildflowers at the height of a wet spring. Especially striking against the desert tan that coats just about every other structure in Scottsdale, both outside and in, are a riot of colors that go beyond orange and purple and pink and yellow to such wildflower shades as California Poppy and Red Desert Globemallow. Just as vibrant is the Saguaro’s pool-party scene, aided, no doubt, by water temps chilled or heated as the season dictates. A complete redo of the Saguaro’s rooms in January 2017 gave them a modern Southwest vibe (think pastel-colored prints of cacti and desert-hued furnishings), but not so much that guests will be asking the concierge where to shop for cowboy boots (which would be Saba’s, just down the street, in Old Town).

Dar al Masyaf is a tranquil boutique hotel at the end of a white-sand beach, away from the package-tour and convention crowds. It’s located within the sprawling Madinat Jumeirah complex of seaside resorts and a shopping souk modeled after a traditional Arabian walled city. It’s all set next to the Persian Gulf coastline within a Venetian-style network of man-made canals. Rooms, served by butlers, are accessible by footpath and electric dhow and occupy 29 two-story courtyard houses with the same traditional wind tower architecture and calm vibe of the resort’s shared Talise Spa. Closer to the resort water park are the seven freestanding Malakiya villas, with huge marble bathrooms and fully equipped kitchens for family life. Getting in and out of the resort grounds, whose more than 50 bars and restaurants are a Dubai nightlife beacon, can mean negotiating a madhouse traffic jam of taxis and high-end sports cars. But thankfully, noise does not penetrate the rooms. The palm-backed beach is large enough for guests to find private space, and evening terrace views of wind tower lights reflecting in the canals can be enchanting.

If it’s not wintertime or you can’t get tickets to see the Maple Leafs play, then the next best way to experience Canada‘s game is by visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame. Situated in downtown Toronto, the museum is located on the lower floor of the Brookfield Place shopping center. It’s a short walk from the CN Tower and other attractions. (If you’re driving, you’ll need to find either metered parking or a parking garage, as there is no designated parking lot for the museum itself.) The Hall of Fame itself contains displays about historic moments in the game’s history, iconic jerseys and memorabilia from players, interactive games for children, and a room where the entire family can get up close with the Stanley Cup trophy.

Chef Franck Dangereux (formerly of La Colombe, a celebrated Cape Town institution) runs the Foodbarn Restaurant out of a lovely old barn in the village of Noordhoek. Here, you’ll get all the flavors of a fancy restaurant, without the fuss. You may dine on artistically presented dishes like pépé goat cheese beignets, but a glance around the revamped space, with its rustic-chic decor and colorful knickknacks, will remind you that you are, in fact, feasting in a barn. At night, the place transforms into a tapas bar.

While many cities have rivers, few take advantage of their waterways quite like San Antonio does. One of the city’s most popular tourist attractions, the River Walk runs along the San Antonio River and features both quiet stretches for jogging and livelier areas lined with colorful bars, restaurants, and shops. For an immersive experience, take a boat tour and learn more about San Antonio’s history and architecture.

A stroll of St. Kitt’s capital, whether started at Port Zante Marina or the centrally located Independence Square, is an entertaining way to learn more about the island’s past. While the French named Basseterre (it means “low land”), the British are responsible for the town’s most recognizable landmark—the green, cast-iron Berkeley Memorial Clock in the center of the Circus, where several streets intersect. Make sure to visit the area, as well as Independence Square, St. George’s Anglican Church, and the Old Treasury Building, which now serves as the National Museum of St. Kitts. Along your walk, you’ll also find duty-free shops and local boutiques, plus a lively produce market by the waterfront if you come on the weekend.