Search results for

It’s fun to imagine that Xcalak, a sleepy coastal village south of Mahahual on Mexico’s Costa Maya, is what the entire Caribbean coast of Mexico looked like before the creation of the Cancún megaresort in the 70s. No Spring breakers, no cruise ships, no thumping beachside clubs, no big hotels. Just white sand and palapas, palm trees and pelicans, hammocks and fishing boats. Just you in secluded relaxation away from it all. Several clean and basic hotels are located on the old coast road and fresh, cheap seafood is abundant at local favorite Toby’s. Dive and snorkel trips can be arranged at XTC Dive Center (www.xtcdivecenter.com), located about 300m north of town.

Dieppe Bay is ringed by black sand—a reminder that St. Kitts was formed by volcanoes. It’s also the site of the first European settlement in the eastern Caribbean, a French colony established in 1538 that was destroyed by the Spanish just two weeks after its founding. Beyond its historic significance, however, Dieppe Bay is simply a peaceful, palm-lined beach on the north end of the island. An offshore reef keeps the water calm for swimming and snorkeling, and Arthur’s restaurant is nearby for when you’re craving some fresh fish and vegetables.

Superlatives abound at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown. The 73-story structure is the tallest building west of Chicago and, at 889 rooms, the largest InterContinental in the Americas. Opened in 2017, the hotel was also downtown’s first LEED Gold Certified building for Building Design and Construction. All that record setting is matched by a big personality and plenty of luxury, too. Inspired by architectural historian Reyner Banham’s book Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies, the hotel features light fixtures based on schematic maps of L.A.’s freeways, hand-painted murals, and billboard-style headboards with city scenes.

Club Level suites are stocked with Le Labo Santal 33 amenities, customized with guests’ names. And on the 71st floor, bathrooms are cheekily decorated in Marie Antoinette and cowboy themes. The Versailles-inspired restaurant La Boucherie is an American steakhouse with a French twist. In the restaurant’s VIP Starlight Booths, diners enjoy wine-paired chef’s tasting menus along with jaw-dropping views. Another restaurant, Sora, is the place for intimate Japanese omakase. Be sure to order the 1100 Feet—an original blend of liqueurs reflective of L.A.’s confluence of cultures—at Spire 73, the Western Hemisphere’s highest open-air bar. Pro tip: Book the Presidential Suite, and you’ll be rewarded with another kind of epic view—an infinity bathtub that fills from the ceiling.

Inishmaan is one of the Aran Islands of the west coast of Ireland—one of the most unspoiled spots in the country—and Inis Meáin restaurant uses the good things that come from the pure earth and sea around it. The garden and greenhouse grows salads, herbs, and vegetables, while the fish is wild caught from the Atlantic, and meat is homestead reared. The restaurant has large windows overlooking the ocean and island and seats just 16 guests for a four-course dinner. The menu changes nightly, based on what’s available and in season, and each dish prepared by chef and native son Ruairí de Blacam has just two elements, a unique dining experience indeed. Open from April to the end of September.

While the waters of the massive Great Salt Lake are too salty to sustain anything more than algae, brine shrimp, and brine flies, the wetlands on its north and east shores are critical habitats for millions of migratory birds, making it a top-notch bird-watching destination. There are three state parks adjacent to the lake, including the Great Salt Lake Marina, where you can launch sailboats and kayaks. And if the water level is low enough, you’ll be able to see the famous Spiral Jetty, a 1,500-foot-long art installation made of salt-encrusted basalt slabs.

Junkanoo is one of the Bahamas’ most colorful traditions, a more than 200-year-old street celebration and parade, like Carnival with a Bahamian twist. It takes place during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. But visitors can learn about Junkanoo any time of year with a stop at the Educulture Junkanoo Museum on West Street in downtown Nassau. The museum’s exhibits highlight the history of the celebration, along with examples of the elaborate costumes, music, and dances that take place during the events. There’s also an interactive element, with visitors invited to make masks and learn how to dance to Bahamian music. The Educulture Junkanoo Museum is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Following a complete overhaul of a deteriorating multi-tenanted building two miles west of Osaka Castle, Rock Star Hotel opened in December 2013. Its stark white entrance belies vibrant interiors that showcase rock ‘n’ roll art, expanding on the owner’s belief that art is hope. Each room has a killer Geneva sound system, comes in generally dark and moody tones, and is themed after an iconic global rock artist or group. These include the Jam, Prince, Guns ’N Roses, the Beatles, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, and Kiss. Small details, like room keys shaped like guitar picks, further reinforce the overarching theme.

Thermal springs dot the countryside just north of San Miguel, some as close as a five-minute taxi ride away. Newest—and closest among them—is the Spa at Los Senderos (pictured above), with an adjacent sandy lakeshore for a day-at-the-beach facsimile. In fact, this is a wider residential and ecological project that includes vineyards and organic orchards. Older spas like La Gruta, Escondido Place, and Taboada merit daylong excursions, with lunch being served while you recline in your chaises longues. And the Mayan Baths, with an underground rock-walled grotto complete with candles and piped-in music, can make for a romantic evening, even including a buffet dinner. (That said, double-check the somewhat irregular schedule.)

Once the center of commerce in Charleston, the City Market is now the heart of tourism. Although its location near the cruise terminal can make it feel like a kitschy open-air market in the Caribbean, the tackiness is part of its charm. Yes, you’ll find Christmas ornaments painted with Rainbow Row and enough cutely packaged pralines to give you a stomachache, but you’ll also see Gullah artisans weaving the finest examples of sweetgrass baskets available. Peak season brings 140 different merchants, and weekends include live music and food vendors. The market’s a requisite stop for any visitor and a one-stop gift shop for loved ones back home.

It’s hard to go wrong with Italian food in Boston’s North End, but one surefire way to go right is to turn left from the door of the Paul Revere House and slip inside the historic town house that’s home to Mamma Maria, an unmissable fine-dining restaurant facing North Square. Settle into the serenely elegant dining room overlooking the square to feast on classics like terrine of suckling pig, veal osso buco, Tuscan-style rabbit pappardelle, and a wide selection of seafood dishes from local waters. The uninitiated may mutter a “mamma mia” at the prices, but for Northern Italian in the North End, Mamma Maria rules the house.

The Arabian Oryx Sanctuary, also known as Al-Maha Sanctuary, is the only breeding place in Qatar for the Oryx, a small antelope considered country’s national emblem – such as the symbol of the national airline, Qatar Airways, and as the mascot of the 2006 Asian Games. These creatures were once on the verge of extinction, but now the sanctuary breeds the Arabian Oryx in captivity, producing 75-100 calves each year. A visit to this sanctuary will let you appreciate these elegant, milky-white antelopes, with their curved horns, large hooves for treading across the desert, and their short, sparse fur. At this sanctuary you can also see small gazelles. The sanctuary is located on the Dukhan Highway, about a half-hour drive west of Doha. Visitors are welcome at the center if they just want to see the oryxes, but must make arrangements to visit through a tour company should they wish to explore the grounds.

The name Fred Segal—and especially the logo—encapsulates L.A. style. Since the early 1960s, it’s been where Angelenos shop for their denim-heavy wardrobes and, in more recent history, where such trendsetting SoCal brands as Juicy Couture, J Brand, and True Religion got their start. These classics and many others line the walls of the iconic Melrose shop, but the 2017 opening of a 13,000-square-foot retail space on Sunset Boulevard started a new chapter. Along with its core seasonal collections, the shop holds 10 brand-specific shops-within-shops, along with pop-ups that change from day to day. The result is a space that feels like a high-fashion bazaar. Channel your inner treasure hunter and dig in for a long while—you’ll be rewarded with finds from AMO Denim, Seeker, Hartel, Levi’s, Marie Veronique, CAP Beauty, and Dita Eyewear. The whole selection is carefully curated to give shoppers something unique, whether it’s a vintage Comme des Garçons piece or an entire collection straight from Libertine’s runway. Must-do: Grab a coffee at Fred Segal Café by Tartine (which is so appealing for lunch that it causes an uptick in shoppers around noon each day) and snap a photo in the living room swing, with the entirety of downtown as your backdrop.

The tiny Flaming Buoy Filet Co. is located down a residential street (walk or come by cab—you won’t find parking), so it feels removed from the crowds along Duval Street. From the simple menu, popular items include the appetizer trio plate (small servings of lobster macaroni and cheese, grilled shrimp with spicy lime chutney, and a caprese salad) and any of the fish specials. A lot of regulars choose the lobster macaroni and cheese as an entrée, too. Dine outside on a porch strung with twinkling lights, or opt for inside the mellow and air-conditioned dining room or at the bar. Reservations are strongly recommended, even in the off-season.

If shopping is on your agenda, be sure to stop at Mongoose Junction, at the north end of Cruz Bay where North Shore Road heads out of town. The open-air mall is small but attractive, made of local stone and mahogany and landscaped with tropical plants. Mongoose Junction is packed with art galleries, restaurants and boutiques selling locally made clothing and jewelry. Before you leave, check out St. John Scoops, which makes almost 100 flavors of ice cream and sorbet (like mango, passion fruit and salted caramel) and serves them up in hand-rolled waffle cones. Delicious superfood smoothies are on the menu, too.

To see how one family worked out their idea of living in paradise, head to the James Norman Hall Museum (La Maison de James Norman Hall). Hall was the coauthor of the book Mutiny on the Bounty, and with the book’s bounty, he bought a swath of Tahitian beach and built his dream house. Captain Bligh had been sent to Tahiti to collect breadfruit to be transplanted in the West Indies where it was hoped it would prosper as a food source for sugar plantation workers, so don’t miss the breadfruit trees planted here. (If you’ve not tried the fruit, it tastes like a cross between a grapefruit and a pineapple. Delicious.)