Search results for

Elizabeth street cafe is the charming outpost offering French breakfast bites & creative Vietnamese plates you didn’t know you needed in your life. The menu consists of everything from ho and bun bo hue to sticky rice, banh mi, and chocolate croissant and macaroons. It’s most known for its brunch, but they also server dinner.

A short boat ride north from San Pedro will deposit you onto a portion of Ambergris Caye that feels worlds away from any town or city. Once ensconced in a private bungalow on a private beach, there isn’t much to distract the guest from complete enjoyment of the charms of Caribbean water, sunshine, and the slower pace that characterizes day-to-day life in the North Islands. Massage therapists are available, as are spa services, and a full range of excursions and activities can be arranged via the concierge. Thirteen exclusive villas are available, one of which includes a steam room and private infinity pool, while other villas either feature beach access, jacuzzi tubs, private outdoor showers, or decks that stretch over a saltwater lake. El Secreto’s full-service restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a bar is poolside in the main lodge. Rates begin around $3,000 for a three-night stay, and more information is available at www.elsecretobelize.com.

Fete Paradiso, the much buzzed about traveling vintage French carnival that has taken over Governor’s Island for the summer, features an incredible collection of extremely rare artisan-crafted carousels, rides and games. Families and Francophiles have been lining up for the 5-minute ferry from downtown Manhattan since opening weekend, which coincided with Bastille Day, to check out this whimsical weekend fair. A few of Fete’s highlights include the late 19th century bicycle carousel (one of only 2 bicycle carousels left in the world — the other, featured in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, is in France), a Chinese Dragon Carousel with a misleading name (though our daredevil 2 year old didn’t mind being whipped around fast and then backwards) and a ball-toss game with life-size caricatures of Charlie Chaplin and Edith Piaf called the Music Hall Ball Guzzler. Set to run from now until September 29th, 2013

Formerly considered East Berlin, Karl Marx Allee is one of the best places to get a glimpse of socialist history, architecture, and local life in Berlin from the past. The famous street is 89 meters wide and 2 km long and still houses some of the “wedding cake” architecture that East Germany was known for. You don’t need a guide. Save your money and simply check out the numerous (30+) plaques along the way (on both sides of the street) which provide you with history, stories, and old photos of the famous street. I suggest that you start at the Alexanderplatz U-Bahn station and walk along the north side of the street, then return along the south side—to get the full scope of the ultra-wide street.

This square is located in the oldest and one of the most typical neighborhoods in Lisbon. Yes, typical houses, old cafes, and grocery shops can still be found here. If you hear hollering out a window, don’t worry, probably it’s just someone calling a neighbor, it isn’t a fire; it’s just how things are done in the daily life of the Alfama locals. If you’d like to know more about Fado (Portuguese folk singing), visit Fado Museum. If you feel like trying to sing it, just choose one of the narrow streets and look for an old tavern. In these taverns, after some cups of aguardiente (Portuguese brandy), everyone sings Fado—usually Fado Vadio (sung by non professionals) or Desgarrada (between two singers, improvising verses that tell a fun story). Don’t expect great voices, as probably everybody is out of tune!

Longshan is not Taipei’s largest temple, but its unique beauty and proximity to the MRT have made it a very popular one. It’s an awesome place to stop by at sunset when the after-work crowd comes to worship. The temple fills with people from all walks of life praying and telling fortunes using traditional bua buei blocks. The slanting light from the setting sun highlights the smoke rising from incense urns, giving it a supernatural feel.

Anyone with an iota of interest in art will certainly visit the Prado while in Madrid. But be sure to save some time to visit another nearby museum, where there’s something wonderful to see before you even get inside. Just a 5-minute walk down Paseo del Prado you’ll find the CaixaForum Madrid, with its awe-inspiring vertical garden. From a distance, you might even think you’re looking at a mural there on the wall, but as you approach, the lush greens and earth tones come to life with varying textures that are luscious and welcoming. A masterpiece where nature is the medium!

If you only get to ride in a hot air balloon once in your life, do it over Cappadocia, Turkey. Amazing. Cappadocia is surreal when seen from any angle. The region is peppered with strange pointy stone spires that rise up toward the sky, in pastel colors and lacy cutouts. The columns are spectacular when viewed from the ground. But, floating in the wicker basket of a hot air balloon, looking across Cappadocia’s landscape, is otherworldly. The balloons are launched before dawn so that you are well underway before the sun’s rays begin to lick the mountains. When that golden orb eventually breaks onto the scene, the sight is breathtaking. In this photo, I caught the sun shining through a nearby balloon. Any photographer worth her salt is pumping adrenaline, furiously snapping pictures as fast as the camera can stand it.

The southern Placencia Peninsula is a laid-back beach destination where you’ll see a little bit of every Belizean cultural group, in addition to a healthy number of expats. The village is where the action is, a main drag lined with Creole restaurants, bistros, fruit stalls, and snack stands. North of the strip, resorts occupy the Seine Bight and Maya Beach areas, ranging in scale from boutique to large, with swimming pools and water toys. Placencia is near some of the most gorgeous diving and snorkeling in Belize, including dreamy islands for day trips—such as Ranguana Caye, Laughing Bird Caye, and the Silk Cayes.

You can find stunning tide pools all along the coast of Laguna Beach, but the ones at Wood’s Cove are unique because they’re deep enough for swimming. Part of a rocky outcropping called Cactus Point—which is also home to Orange County’s only blowhole—the pools are full of exciting marine life, from hermit crabs and sea stars to colorful sea anemones. When swimming here, just be sure to leave everything exactly as you found it. The tide pools fall within a protected area, meaning that taking shells, rocks, sand, or other objects is strictly forbidden. And keep an eye on the tides—it’s best, and safest, to visit at low tide when the risk of crashing waves is minimal.

The journey is part of the experience at Hoshinoya Kyoto, where a charming wooden boat ferries guests to the hotel’s scenic perch on the banks of the Oi River. Here, tucked away in a grove of old cypress, maple, and cherry trees, the Hoshinoya offers a respite from urban life. Rooms feature traditional ryokan elements, like onsen-style cedar baths and picture windows overlooking the misty forest outside, and the restaurant serves nine-course, kaiseki-style dinners. A few free activities, including morning stretching sessions and tea ceremonies, contribute to the hotel’s Zen-like atmosphere. Guests can also take ikebana lessons, rent kimonos, and book meditation trips to the nearby temple.

A winery with an enviable view, Tokara is considered one of the best in the region for its cabernets, sauvignon blancs, and premium olive oils. As compelling as the wines are, though, people flock to Tokara for its restaurant, led by chef Carolize Coetzee. Here, in a stunning building made of glass, steel, and stone, diners enjoy contemporary cuisine, award-winning wines, and dramatic views over Stellenbosch and False Bay. Before sitting down for your meal, enjoy a drink at the bar, which offers views of the kitchen as well as the sun setting through a picture window. Then dig into creative dishes like roasted beef with lemon-glazed shimeji mushrooms, and pork belly with carrot-ginger sauce. The menu changes seasonally, but guests can always expect a life-changing meal.

To get to know the neighborhood and its daily life, nothing beats a stroll through Alfama’s streets. It is the oldest and one of the most typical neighborhoods in Lisbon. Here you might see two women chatting at the window (well, screaming) while hanging the laundry; people sitting outside on small wooden benches or the entrance steps to old houses; and, of course, people listening to fado. The sounds of fado can come from a fado restaurant or from an old tavern (here fado is called Fado Vadio since it is sung by nonprofessionals after drinking aguardiente). On the nights of June 12 and 13, Alfama celebrates Santos Populares, when the streets are adorned with colorful little flags, the air is aromatic with smoke and smell of sardines, the beer is flowing, and music is everywhere.

When one of the world’s most famous chefs falls in love with one of France’s most picturesque villages, the result can only be La Bastide de Moustiers. After chancing upon Moustiers-Ste-Marie, Alain Ducasse promptly bought a secluded seven-room home, which he later turned into an inn and Michelin-starred restaurant. Complete with charming rooms, an idyllic garden, a shady terrace, and a serene pool area, the inn is more than worthy of an overnight, but guests really come here for the restaurant. The three- and four-course menus change depending on what’s fresh in La Bastide’s vegetable garden, but often include such delicacies as tomato sorbet, stuffed zucchini flowers, and seasonal ratatouille. Whether you sit in front of the majestic walnut fireplace in Le Salon Voyage en Asie, or amid local pottery in Le Salon des Arts Décoratifs, you’re in for a magical meal. The restaurant also features a room for private groups and a salon with a single table for couples, making it perfect for celebrating a special occasion.

In a pastel villa that presides over pine-covered slopes and the deep blue waters of the Ligurian Sea, Belmond Hotel Splendido was a 16th-century monastery before it became a cliff-side luxury hotel at the turn of the 20th century. Today, it is one of Portofino’s most iconic resorts, with 70 sunlit rooms (think herringbone hardwood floors, marble baths, and wrought iron terraces) that have hosted the Duke of Windsor, Ava Gardner, and Catherine Deneuve. You’ll get the VIP treatment while sipping champagne on a sunset cruise aboard the hotel’s Chris-Craft Corsair 36, dining on seabream ceviche at La Terrazza, or indulging in a chamomile footbath at the spa. A shuttle can run you down to intimate sister property Splendido Mare, which overlooks the central Piazzetta and is a dressed-up version of a fishing village pied-à-terre, with 16 whitewashed rooms and its own buzzy restaurant.