Search results for

Boasting some of the best views in Kauai, this dreamy eatery serves up spectacular sunsets alongside splurgeworthy lunches and dinners. Start with the signature Monkeypod Mai Tai: A potent blend of Old Lahaina rums and orange curaçao, graced by honey foam. Then try the Thai-inspired coconut crab cakes, followed by the oven-roasted Jidori chicken with goat-cheese polenta or the wasabi-crusted fish with passion-fruit beurre blanc. Vegetarians won’t go hungry either, thanks to dishes like coconut corn chowder sweetened with local lemongrass and slow-roasted beets with tomato-cilantro salad and tempura asparagus. Often voted the island’s top restaurant by Honolulu Magazine, Beach House has also won a steady streak of awards from Wine Spectator.

The only building on sheltered Apantima Bay, this funky beach bar with rooms is one of the reasons the tiny island of Antiparos has suddenly become fashionable. Hanging with the skimpily clad in crowd doesn’t come cheap: If you’re not staying in one of the nine quietly chic suites, you’ll have to fork out handsomely for a sun bed. The payoff is chilling under juniper trees with a detox smoothie, idly watching athletic beach babes paddleboard into the sunset. There’s an alfresco massage and yoga pavilion; a stylish boutique where you can pick up caftans, scents, and sandals; and a 26-foot bar for sundowners and tuna burgers with wasabi mayo.

Affectionately called the First Lady of Waikiki, this grande dame opened in 1901. Its gracious architecture harks back to the sugar-plantation era and wraps around a courtyard anchored by a massive banyan. Pull up a chair under its spreading branches—or else a seat overlooking the ocean—and enjoy island-inspired fine dining. East meets West here with appetizers like Kona abalone bourguignon, tempura asparagus with Parmesan custards, and twice-cooked octopus with macadamia romesco. Entrée standouts include the miso salmon and Korean-fusion Beach Bim Bop starring fiddlehead ferns, kimchi Brussels sprouts, and Ali’i mushrooms from Hawaiian grower Hamakua. Save room for its tour-de-force finale: A “dessert tree” with small bites of everything from macarons to red-velvet cheesecake.

Anguilla’s most social beach is full of local flavor. From visiting boats to residents who flock here for the best island-style bar-and-nightlife atmosphere—home to Johnno’s, Elvis’ Beach Bar, and the Pumphouse—there’s never a dull moment on Sandy Ground’s long, soft strand. The water here is calm, making it an ideal stretch of sand for families as well. Sandy Ground is also the site of Anguilla’s August Monday, the most important day of the summer carnival season, when the entire country seems to be in the same location to celebrate J’ouvert: some folks on the beach, some on boats blasting music. By 1 p.m., the August Monday sailboat race kicks off—the first round of qualifying for the final carnival boat race at week’s end.

One of the most popular souvenirs from Turkey, and one which will last a lifetime and beyond if you buy a high-quality one, is a hand-woven kilim or carpet. While you may find a wider selection of carpets in Istanbul, Black Sheep Carpets in Selçuk has a reputation for selling excellent carpets at fair and honest prices, without any high-pressure sales tactics. A visit here is not only a shopping opportunity, but also a chance to learn about Turkish culture and crafts from the store’s knowledgeable owner and staff.

The Black Sheep Bistro, or BSB as the proprietors call it, is an upscale and modern restaurant that features a globally inspired menu. It’s one of the few establishments in Panjim (also known as Panaji) that can rightfully call itself farm-to-table: Most of its ingredients are sourced within a 100-mile radius. Menu favorites include clams and Goan chouriço, osso buco, and crabmeat ravioli. Housed in a traditional Portuguese-style building, BSB has an extensive wine list with an internationally trained sommelier to make pairing recommendations. Cocktails are available, too, with wacky names and taglines like “Hakuna Ma Vodka: It means no worries for the rest of your night!” Check out the menu during the monsoon time, when the wet season’s produce transforms what is available.

Umm Bab Family beach, is located 80 miles west of Doha. Umm Bab Beach is part of a vast natural reserve called Alreem natural reserve. The beach is also known as “Palm Tree Beach” because of the small cluster of palms at the end of the road alongside the small pier. The beach is ideal for camping with young ones because it has its own fenced beach area for families, toilets and kids’ playground, the water is shallow and the beach is very private, without being off the beaten path. To get there, drive west on Salwa road for about 60 miles until you see the sign for Umm Bab. You’ll have to drive north into the town and then south to the beach. N25 12.401 E50 46.067

These scenic black-sand beaches are worth planning a trip around.

Though it’s been catapulted to stardom by a thousand colorful Instagram posts of milkshakes, Black Tap is more than an ice cream parlor. Styled as a New York burger joint, the menu includes 13 different burgers, from the Texan—topped with aged cheddar, crispy onions, and beef bacon—to the falafel “burger” with hummus, feta, and tahini. The cocktail selection includes the bourbon-based Kentucky Made with cucumber and mint. The main event, though, is the milkshake—the vanilla, chocolate, and Nutella concoctions are so popular that even Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan has stopped by for a taste. Black Tap is in the five-star Jumeirah Al Naseem Hotel.

This deep, steep canyon literally hides beneath the state’s surface, though the main park entrance is just 12 miles east of Montrose, Colorado. For two million years, the Gunnison River has been working at the earth here, resulting in a “vertical wilderness of rock, water, and sky” that has been designated as a National Park since 1999 (it was known by the Ute and protected as a National Monument for many years before that as well). There are several entrances to the park and three choices of campgrounds, some of which accept reservations, the rest first come, first served. South Rim Campground is probably the most accessible, family-friendly choice, while North Rim is the more remote. Always ask if the local astronomy club will be setting up, to take advantage of some of the blackest skies in America. Also consider a boat tour of the upper Gunnison River and fishing in its Gold Medal Trout waters.

Black Pig is one of the most creative tattoo parlors in the capital. Known for its bold and classic styles, the parlor, which collaborates regularly with guest designers and artists, is run in part by Luke Satoru, an expat New Yorker and a founding member of the Bukruk urban arts festival. Visitors seeking other styles can drop by the studio in Charoen Krung, one of Bangkok’s hippest neighborhoods, to discuss their favored designs with the resident team of experts.

In Singapore, black and whites refer to the colonial-era bungalows of that color combination built here by the British for married officers and civil servants. The oldest date back to the 1890s and the newest to the 1940s. About 500 or so survive today, and most are owned by the government and rented on a monthly basis. Naturally, clusters of black and whites were built near military installations, from Tanglin to Sembawang, Portsdown Road, and Alexander Park. The higher your rank, the larger your house; some are quite grand. The white paint was used for its cooling properties and the black trim contains creosote to ward off termites and other insects. To see a string of them, from the Tanglin Mall (at the junction of Tanglin, Grange, and Napier roads), walk south about a half a mile along Tanglin Road and you’ll witness several on the left side of the road.

St. Vincent’s first all-inclusive resort immerses guests in the destination and signals the future of the Caribbean-owned brand.

Save yourself the long-distance flight with these stateside beaches.

The Sandía Mountains rise to over 10,000 feet behind Albuquerque. From the top, the view over New Mexico is unparalleled: on a clear day, your eyes can take in eleven thousand square miles--almost one-tenth of the state! The quickest way up is the fifteen-minute ‘flight’ on the Sandia Peak Tramway, ascending from high desert to alpine evergreen forest. Swiss-designed, this aerial tramway has one of the longest spans in the world. Hiking, winter skiing and mountain biking are all available at the top, as well as a restaurant--a steakhouse two miles above sea level. (Prices are what you’d imagine at this altitude.) In case you’re wondering why this mountain range is called “Sandía,” which means ‘watermelon’ in Spanish--at sunset, the mineral content of the granite crags glows pinkish-red; along with the green of the conifers, the profile is reminiscent of a cut watermelon...