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The hike up Cerro de la Gloria in General San Martin Park is a steep 45-minute trek but worth the panoramic city views. Make sure you bring lots of water and go early in the day before the weather is too hot and the views too hazy. At the top, you’ll also be rewarded with an impressive bronze monument honoring the Army of the Andes led by Argentina liberator General San Martin, a battalion he marched from Mendoza to Chile to free the country from Spanish rule. The memorial was built to commemorate the Argentina Centennial of 1910. If you’re too tired to climb back down, you can take the public bus, but will need exact change to ride (check current price at the tourist office).

Chilean wine is having a moment, with vintners discovering the myriad terroirs in the country spanning over 10 latitudes from the Pacific to the Andes--with over two dozen grape varietals. Many of the most avant-garde projects are small producers making garage or even underground wines alongside the reference wines. Enter Santiago Wine Club. The owners, two wine-loving friends (one French, one Chilean), teamed up to bring these inspiring wines to their loyal patrons in Barrio Lastarria. Arranged by valley, their are obscure, fun, serious wines for everyone. Owners are usually at the store and know their wines well. Perfect for any wine lover or drinker to take a bottle home--or drink while in town. Rosal 386, almost corner Victoria Subercaseux, Barrio Lastarria Phone: 56 (2) 2632 6596

Most people have heard of the Kuekenhof tulip gardens of the Netherlands, but few know about the even larger Arcen Gardens in the south of the country, near Venlo. This massive, 42 hectare, garden complex is on the grounds of the 17th century Arcen Castle. The gardens begin in a traditional formal style, with roses, hedges and statuary. But it doesn’t end there. As you wander through, you encounter gardens designed to resemble Japan, Italy, Thailand and more. There are woodland gardens and tropical gardens (inside an enormous greenhouse). There is a small on-site zoo featuring ring-tailed lemurs, plenty of children’s activities, mini-golf and a large cafeteria. In fact, you could easily spend an entire day and still not see everything. Arcen opens for the 2013 season on April 26th.

The Chuzenji Temple in Oku-nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, was originally founded in 784 by a Buddhist monk known as Shodo-shonin and is located on the shore of Lake Chuzenji, which is approximately 1,300 meters above sea level. In the middle of the Meiji and early Showa periods, many European embassies built vacation houses around the lake, lending a unique atmosphere to the environs. There is something to do or see all year round here: cherry-blossom viewing in the spring, bird watching, marine sports and hiking in the summer, autumn colors in the fall, and the Snow and Ice Festival as well as cross-country skiing and ice skating in the winter. You can either rent a car or catch a bus from Tobu-nikko Station, about a 40-minute ride.

My Irish friend, Aedín, and I were driving from Galway to Westport when suddenly she veered off the main road. “There’s a great beach down this way, I think,” she said to me. I was up for anything, seeing her country for the first time. We came upon one beach, “This isn’t the one,” she said. I thought it was beautiful, but she knew what she was looking for. Then we arrived at this beach, which I nicknamed “Aedín’s Beach”. We were the only ones on that beach. As my friend walked down the beach, I watched her as she got lost in the beauty of the landscape: the feel of the warm sun on our skin, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, the smell of the salty air, the taste of salt and sand on our lips and the sight of a desolate beach against the green pasture land dotted with white sheep. I took this one shot of her. It is one of my favorites from this trip.

Formerly Meliá Hotel Doha,
The Meliá Hotel Doha is the first five-star Spanish hotel in the country. It is brand new and home to “Aceite,” a restaurant offering traditional Spanish tapas, and also to the award-winning restaurant “Signature” by Sanjeev Kapoor. It offers all the amenities a regular five-star hotel does with a posh twist called “The Level,” an exclusive floor reserved for guests looking for a new level of refinement. From personalized check-in and check-out in a private lounge, to a pillow menu, free ironing, limousine transport to and from Doha, and a menu of room aromas, The Level takes care of every detail. The best thing about all this pampering is the price. Rooms at The Level are less than $200/night under the Special Promotion Campaign.

Cemeteries don’t often end up on a traveler’s “must-see” list - unless they are going to Vienna. The massive Zentralfriedhof, or Central Cemetery, isn’t actually centralized. In fact, it lies far to the south of the city. With over 300,000 internments and around 495 acres, it’s one of the world’s largest cemeteries and the final resting place for a who’s who of Austrian cultural icons. Most notable are the final resting places of Vienna’s greatest musicians, including Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Strauss I & II, and even Falco. Architect Adolf Loos, sculpter Fritz Wotruba, and a crypt of Austrian presidents also make for a fascinating look at the country’s more well-known residents. The grounds also hosts the Art Nouveau Dr. Karl Lueger-Gedächtniskirche (Memorial Church), a Russian Orthodox Chapel, and burial grounds for Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist faiths. The cemetery is easily reached by S-Bahn and bus. Buses also travel between the sections, as do horse-drawn carriages.

To say that Lucy Bar + Restaurant is inside the very cool Bardessono hotel in Yountville is not quite right as the separation between outside and inside is almost indistinguishable in this contemporary space. Jeff Vandiver, one of the designers of the space, said he wanted to stay as far away from wine country kitsch as possible—and he succeeded, swapping the standard old vines and wine-barrel decor with steel beams and blown glass. A wall of doors and windows open to a patio, garden, and a reflecting pond. Lucy is one of the few places to get a good breakfast in town, and takes advantage of the friendly Napa climate by including seating on the patio. Much of the menu comes from their own garden or from local purveyors (a commitment that aligns with the hotel’s LEED Platinum certification), so the menu is seasonable and changing.

According to a popular saying in Holland, “Money is earned in Rotterdam, divided in Den Haag and spent in Amsterdam.” To see where financial division happens in the Netherlands, head for the country’s seat of government: The Hague or Den Haag, as the Dutch call it. Den Haag is a cultured city with just under 500,000 people―less edgy than Amsterdam but more sophisticated than Rotterdam. Amsterdam may be the capital of Holland, but you’ll find the Dutch Parliament, Supreme Court and Council of State in Den Haag. In addition to being the seat of government, the Netherlands’ third largest city (after Amsterdam and Rotterdam) also is the locale for 150 international courts, foreign embassies and international organizations. As home to the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court, it’s among six major cities that hosts the United Nations, along with New York, Vienna, Geneva, Tokyo and Nairobi.

If you’re interested in architecture, design, or Islamic art, Doris Duke’s Shangri La is for you! Don’t be fooled by the simple facade; the interior of the home as well as the views from the gardens are spectacular! Islamic art from all over the world (including entire rooms transported from other countries and a Mughal Garden modeled after the Pakistani original) awaits you. The living room opens completely on one side to a lawn overlooking a magnificent ocean view, and the dining room was created to feel like an Islamic tent! Shangri La is a truly unique experience! (Tickets are limited and usually sell out, so be sure to reserve your space in advance).

Next time you travel to Israel and interested in an exceptional and different dining experience, I highly recommend to check the new website of EatWith, to book a dinner with locals. EatWith is a global community (started in Israel) that invites you to dine in homes around the world. Connect with amazing hosts, share stories and unforgettable experiences, and enjoy delicious homemade cuisine. In Israel, you can choose between having a local dinner in the Galilee and enjoy the local home made fresh cheese, lunch in an ecological farm, or dinner in an amazing loft in Tel Aviv. The options are wide, the locations are all across the country and the food options vary. This is a great opportunity to try Israeli food, see how the Israeli are hosting their guests, mingle with locals, and meet other people who want to have a different meal experience.

Founded in 1971 as the first women-owned and operated community center in the country, the San Francisco Women’s Centers has been working to guarantee a safe space and reliable social services for women and girls in the city. And since 1979, they’ve done it from the Women’s Building—or El Edificio de Mujeres—in the Mission, a women-led community space advocating self-determination, gender equality and social justice. Through education, cultural arts activities, and economic services (all available in both English and Spanish), the Women’s Building helps more than 20,000 low-income women and their families every year. Looking to take part? Visit the website to see their list of events, rental spaces and equipment, and volunteer opportunities.

I can think of worse places to be stuck than Bozeman, Montana. And when my flight was recently cancelled, stranding me there for two days, I decided to venture downtown and check out Plonk Wine Bar. Plonk is a term that refers to a poor quality wine. But the 600-plus bottle wine list here was full of surprising selections, like the Celler Cal Pla Black Slate—a blend of Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a bit of Merlot and Syrah from Spain‘s Priorat region. Equally impressive are Plonk’s cocktail and craft beer selections. I snagged a seat at the bar, took in the cowboy-meets-wine country ambiance, and ordered a glass of Torrontes from Argentina. The bartender suggested I pair it with a decadent dish of seared scallops with foie gras and braised short ribs. It was exactly what I needed to make my travel frustrations disappear.

Last April, I spent a morning hiking along the San Pedro River, just NW of Bisbee, AZ; the caterpillars were astoundingly abundant. When I stopped, I could hear them munching on leaves all around--a surround-sound of crunching, the aural fecundity of spring. Between Sierra Vista and Bisbee, the high grassland highway slowly slopes down to this cottonwood-lined river--one of the few free-flowing rivers left in the Desert Southwest. This ribbon of forest stretches from the Mexican border up towards the lower-elevation desert, providing a flyway for migrating birds and even habitat for the occasional jaguar (very rare). In the late 1980’s, this area was made a National Conservation Area, and it’s a nice shady walk in what can often be sun-blasted country.

When the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel first opened for business in 1912, Beverly Hills was just a suburb of Los Angeles, and the hotel provided a place for people to stay when looking at parcels of land to live on in the area. But as the city of Beverly Hills developed, the hotel—nicknamed the Pink Palace—became a perennial favorite among the Hollywood set ranging from Golden Age stars like Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe to modern day celebrities like the Kardashians, Saweetie, and Mark Wahlberg. Today the hotel is run by the global luxury hotel group Dorchester Collection, and the famous cursive sign, whose font was created by architect Paul Revere Williams, one of the few Black architects at the time in L.A., still greets guests upon arrival.


The 210 guest rooms in the main building and 23 bungalows sit on 12 landscaped acres. The guest rooms feature midcentury modern–inspired design, some of the most comfortable hotel beds in the game, and marble bathrooms. They include a dreamy one-bedroom, Rat Pack suite in the Crescent Wing that was a favorite of Frank Sinatra; it’s decked out with a full bar, grand piano, and a patio. Each bungalow is unique: Some are themed after famous former patrons. The Marilyn Monroe bungalow is resplendent with touches of pink while the Howard Hughes is aviation themed and features dark woods and forest greens.



The Beverly Hills Hotel feels like an urban resort, with a 19,000-square-foot spa, an iconic pool and lounge area decorated in a Barbie-esque pink, a bar, and three dining options. The poolside Cabana Cafe is best for soaking up those Southern California rays (the McCarthy chopped salad is especially popular), while the Polo Lounge is said to be a favorite among Hollywood executives. The Fountain Room Coffee Room, famous for its pies, cakes, and breakfast options, was where Geffen Records signed Guns N’ Roses onto its label.