Search results for

A bucolic resort in the Virginia Piedmont, the Boar’s Head Resort is as deeply rooted in Virginia as its owner and neighbor, the University of Virginia. The land has hosted travelers since 1759, with the original Birdwood mansion dating to 1830. A short drive from downtown Charlottesville, Boar’s Head has plenty to keep a visitor occupied without even leaving the property, including an 18-hole golf course, a full-service spa, a fitness center with squash and tennis courts, and three swimming pools. The resort has 175 rooms spread over 573 acres; suites feature a seating area and balcony or patio, and some have fireplaces. Dining options range from healthy café fare (necessary fuel for all those tennis matches), to a grill overlooking the golf green, to an elegant meal in the restored Old Mill Room. The Blue Ridge mountains are renowned for their fall foliage, but visit in summer for fewer crowds (and UVA students) and the English-inspired grounds and gardens in full bloom. Be sure to ask for details on arranging a hot-air balloon ride over the countryside to appreciate all of historic Virginia.

Go shopping at Villagio Mall, an opulent Venetian-style shopping mall traversed by water canals and a fleet of gondolas offering rides to the shoppers. The Mall is inconspicuously partitioned into two sections: one geared to cater to middle class patrons which resembles an elegant shopping mall in the USA, and the exclusive side with high-end boutiques (Cavalli, Roles, Versace, Louis Vuitton, etc), French restaurants and designer jewelries, all under a lavish glass dome and flanked by balconies evocative of an old Italian town.

Reserve an outside table at this popular enoteca, located on a quiet piazza around the corner from the crowded Ponte Vecchio. You can order a predinner snack or, better still, cobble together a full meal from the selection of crostini with delicious toppings like truffle sausage and melted cheese or spicy ‘nduja sausage. Other menu highlights include the antipasti platters of cheese and mixed cured meats. The staff can help you choose from the wine list, which focuses on small producers. (If you want to expand your wine expertise, guided tastings are also available here.)

The Botanical Garden was established in 1600, but moved a few times before settling on its current central site in 1870. The beautiful grounds are particularly noteworthy for the extensive complex of historical glasshouses. There are 27 in total, ranging from the grand Palm House that dates from 1874 to a specially cooled greenhouse used for growing arctic plants. It’s very much a working garden, used for scientific research, but for visitors it’s a beautiful—and free—spot to spend an afternoon.

Witness the destruction wrought by Mt. Vesuvius nearly 2,000 year ago at the archaeological site of Pompeii. The ancient village was frozen in time beneath a blanket of hot ash during an eruption in 79 C.E. Among the ruins that have been uncovered are buildings that shed light on aspects of ancient life both grand and mundane, from the temples, the coliseum and homes with fine frescoes, to public baths, chariot-rutted streets and grain stores which now hold plaster casts of the people who perished that fateful day.

This unusual contemporary art museum is located in a series of dimly lit caverns and tunnels built into the side of a cliff in Berriedale, a Hobart suburb. Inside, mind-bending installations include a stinky model of the human digestive system that poops daily at 2 p.m. Founder David Walsh, a professional gambler turned art maverick, displays more than 400 edgy works from his private collection. The new Pharos wing that debuted in late 2017 is heavy on light spaces by James Turrell. MONA also stages two standout annual festivals: Mona Foma (which stands for Festival of Music and Art, sometimes further shortened to Mofo) in January, curated by Brian Ritchie of the rock band Violent Femmes, and Dark Mofo, the disturbing winter version held in June.

With more than 250 acres of grounds, the New York Botanical Garden manages to fit a number of different landscapes and experiences into its garden walls. The garden was established in 1891, the inspiration of Nathaniel Lord Britton and his wife, Elizabeth, who returned from a trip to England determined that New York should have its own equivalent to London‘s Kew Gardens. They found backing among New York society and created one of the country’s leading research institutions that also happens to be an ideal place to commune with nature right in the city. The rose garden designed by Beatrix Farrand is a highlight, while an abundance of azaleas reaches their peak in May. In all there are some 20 different gardens, including one dedicated to native plants, a rock garden, and a wetlands trail. The conservatory, constructed in 1902, is the largest in the country and includes 11 different climatic zones. When the last of the fall foliage has fallen from the trees, the conservatory hosts the popular annual Holiday Train Show (from the end of November to mid-January).

The Coronado Bridge links San Diego to Coronado Island—and the present to the past. In the span of just 2.12 miles, you’ll travel from the digital age to a century when “electrified” hotels were practically unheard of. When the Hotel Del Coronado debuted in 1888, its electric lights and telephones made a sensation—as did its resplendence. In 1892, a young guest named Noel proclaimed in a letter to her family back east that “the red and the white between the bluest sky and the bluest water is like a beautiful dream in a fairy story.” Legions of A-listers have checked in ever since, as a who’s who of vintage portraits attests. But while a stay here is delightfully nostalgic—featuring bike rentals, beachside cabanas, and evening clambakes—the 757-room hotel doesn’t live entirely in the past. Take advantage of its upscale spa, spin classes on the beach, and restaurants serving updated takes on coastal cuisine along with creative cocktails. In the historic Victorian Building Suites, you’ll find modern coastal-chic interiors, streaming TVs, and, of course, Wi-Fi. The Beach Village Suites include additional modern luxuries—like a Sub-Zero fridge and dedicated concierge to help you fill it.

If visiting a miniature version of a country the size of a postage stamp makes no sense to you, stay away from Madurodam, a top tourist attraction in Den Haag featuring historic Dutch towns, ports, canals, roads and monuments re-created on a 1/25 scale. On the other hand, if you fancy learning about the history of a nation that would be underwater were it not for Dutch ingenuity, by all means visit this interactive park that tells the story behind the battle against water, as well as many historic venues that still exist in Holland today.

My ideal habitat is a warm day on a tropical beach. I’m also a sucker for beauty in all its most unusual forms (part of the reason I’m on the Board of Burning Man). So, when I heard about the Harbin International Ice & Snow Festival in northeast China (Manchuria meets Siberia: that just sounds frozen!), my initial reaction was, “How far would I travel and how cold would I get all in the name of experiencing an aesthetic phenomenon?” So, after 90 degree humidity in Malaysia, two planes delivered me to this cursed, desolate part of China (20 degrees below zero). Amidst the Siberian wind gusts and short days of daylight, Harbin is a revelation, a place where the light of collective aesthetic joy is experienced by 800,000 visitors annually for the Ice & Snow Festival (90% from China as this is one of the country’s top winter destinations). Oddly, I kept having Burning Man flashbacks...night being preferred over day due to the psychedelic visuals enhanced by the dark, the fact that thousands of artists (15k in Harbin) labor 15 days around the clock to create something out of nothing only to know that these beautiful structures will either melt (Harbin) or burn (Burning Man), and, finally, the sense that no picture or video can capture the sensory overload of being surrounded by spectacle. Think: “You had to be there.” Remember the spectacle of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony? I heartily recommend this trek that takes place late December through February.

Haleakala, a huge and dormant shield volcano, forms more than 75 percent of Maui’s landmass. As such, it pretty much demands you ascend its slopes and peer into its crater—the island’s very soul. Legend claims the demigod Maui snared the sun here, freeing it only after it swore to inch more slowly across the sky.

The 38-mile, two-and-a-half-hour drive up Haleakala climbs from sea level to 10,023 feet through several different ecological zones. One of the most popular ways to experience the volcano remains cycling down from the summit at sunrise. Do it yourself if you’re confident, or join a guided tour (Skyline Eco-Adventures offers one that includes a zip-line ride). Once you’ve mastered the motion—and the 21 switchbacks along the road—effortless downhill freewheeling rewards you with unsurpassed views of the island. If you’d rather savor the vistas from a lofty perch, drive to the top for the sunset or book an overnight at one of the park’s wilderness cabins, accessible only by hiking trail.

Montréal’s main artery, rue Ste-Catherine, runs for seven miles along the length of the city. From its origins as a dirt road lined with farmhouses and orchards, the street today is now a thoroughfare passing through a number of neighborhoods. The best-known stretch runs roughly from rue Guy to rue Aylmer, where La Baie department store stands. This is the heart of the city’s busy downtown shopping district, with a mix of familiar international brands and only-in-Canada department stores and shops. Continuing east, the street passes through the Quartier des Spectacles before forming the main street of Montréal’s Gay Village. There, it is closed to cars in the summer, and patrons of bars and restaurants spill into the streets.

Perhaps the most picturesque street in Old Quebec, the Rue du Parloir is a tiny lane that connects the Convent of the Ursulines to the main Rue St Louis. As with most cities, come early in the morning or late in the afternoon to find the street nearly empty!

Crowds may swarm upon it daily from sunrise onwards, but exposure hasn’t dulled the impact of the largest religious monument in the world. Commissioned by King Suryavarman II in the 12th century as the centerpiece of the mighty Khmer empire, the structure is inspired by Hindu sacred design and is estimated to have taken around 30 years to build. The biggest surprise upon visiting might be learning that the vast complex of spires, moats, frescoes, cloisters, and balustrades was constructed in such speedy fashion. You won’t be alone while witnessing it, but sunrise over the iconic temple remains one of the essential experiences in Southeast Asia. A return in the afternoon when the camera-toting hordes have dispersed is also advisable.

It may be only 22 miles west of San Juan, but Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve feels a world away. The resort has a spectacular location on a three-mile stretch of beach on Puerto Rico’s north shore, where Clara Livingston once ran a sugar plantation—and Amelia Earhart visited before departing for her fateful world tour. In 1958, Livingston sold the property to Laurance S. Rockefeller, who turned it into the first of his legendary Rock Resorts. Known for his green streak, he designed the hotel to respect the local beauty, mandating that buildings could not be taller than the surrounding palm trees.

The Ritz-Carlton—which reopened in October 2018 after a meticulous restoration following Hurricane Maria—pays homage to that original vision. Here, every room is beachfront, with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors that disappear into ocean views, plus deep soaking tubs, outdoor showers shaded by gardens, and either spacious balconies or private plunge pools. As part of the property’s renovation, rooms were refreshed with a color palette that amplifies the natural beauty just beyond the doors. Additionally, the grounds showcase 3,000 new plant species, the spa is offering new locally inspired treatments and cuisine, Encanto Beach Club Bar & Grill features a refreshed dinner menu, and the Positivo Sandbar debuted an omakase and ceviche bar directly on the sand. There’s even an entirely reimagined signature restaurant, Coa, which serves farm-to-table fare cooked on the grill. Still standing strong on the verdant, 1,400-acre grounds are the five 18-hole championship golf courses. The biggest challenge is pulling yourself away from the luxury of the resort to tee up a shot.