Search results for

A week in and around Los Cabos provides the perfect amount of time for both extreme adventure and extreme relaxation. You’ll experience magical towns and places like Flora Farms, water sports, art galleries, and beaches beaches beaches. Take day trips to go whale watching on the Sea of Cortez. Spend nights out dining on fresh local seafood and listening to live music. So, off you go: Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo, the corridor, and the rest of the Baja California Peninsula is waiting for you.

Shopping in Guadeloupe is a thrill. On the one hand you get the best of French goods, from perfumes and beauty products to trendy beach apparel, and on the other you get Guadeloupean arts and crafts. On Grande Terre, Sainte-Anne’s artisanal fabrics will have you renewing your beach closet, while the colorful markets of Pointe-a-Pitre are ideal for stocking up on cooking spices. Guadeloupean rhum—which also comes in delicious fruit flavors—and cacao are sold island-wide, while the shopping malls house French designer brands. The best packing advice for Guadeloupe is to save plenty of luggage space.

Union Station is as stunning as it is rich in history, and continues to be a vital hub for L.A. rail, metro, and bus transport. On the outside, the building resembles an art deco riff on the old California missions; inside, the inlaid travertine and terra-cotta floors show the sort of detail work so rare in modern depots. Local tip: Settle into one of the giant leather chairs in the cavernous waiting room and immerse yourself in the city’s seedy side with Chandler’s noir classic, The Big Sleep. (Without a ticket you can’t enter the waiting room, but you can at least enjoy the Navajo patterning on the station floors.)

Despite being located just outside Reykjavik’s main center, the Hilton Nordica maintains its popularity thanks to its superb service and welcoming Scandi-mod interiors. Though working travelers tend to favor the property for its many functional conference rooms and business center, leisure visitors prefer to cozy up in a leather armchair by the fire in the plush neutral-toned lobby. The aesthetic continues in the spacious rooms and suites (the smallest is 300 square feet) with their calming, natural palettes, colorful photos of Reykjavik, and large windows that allow Iceland’s generous light to flood in; suites also enjoy separate lounge areas. The VOX restaurant serves gourmet New Nordic cuisine with an emphasis on Icelandic and Scandinavian ingredients, and the open-concept bar serves coffee, tea, and cocktails, and is a comfortable spot for lounging or mingling whether you’re coming in from a busy day of sightseeing or getting ready to hit the town.

Rhinestones, tassels, boots so pointy they’d make toes bleed...what more could you expect from Nashville‘s monument to the music that made it famous? Well, plenty more, as it turns out. The Hall of Fame contains some seriously impressive artifacts from musical history, from Bill Monroe’s Loar F5 mandolin and Johnny Cash’s iconic black suit to Webb Pierce’s car, pimped-out with silver guns for door handles and steer horns mounted on the front grille. Sprawled across several floors, the Hall of Fame misses few details as it tells the story of “hillbilly” music (although the expansive exhibit about Hank Williams is notably sketchy on the particulars of his early death). Big, bold, and shameless, this is one heck of a celebration of country music.

Seattle overflows with brilliant chefs and inspired fare from around the world, from umami-bomb Red Sea noodle soup to rhubarb-pistachio cheesecake. With influences from Europe, Hawaii, and further east, Seattle’s kitchens focus on the just-caught bounty of the Pacific, produce from nearby farms, and cuisines brought from far and wide by its diverse population.

One would be hard pressed to find a country more steeped in history, culture, and religious tradition than Israel. Once there, you’ll find a vibrant mix of modernity and antiquity, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern philosophies and practices, and dramatic landscapes. A major focal point for three of the world’s major religions, the spiritual weight and sanctity of the city is almost palpable in the winding streets of Jerusalem.

Although many travelers see Tahiti as an entry point to French Polynesia, it really is a destination in its own right. It’s different from the other islands, with a bustling capital, a lush, waterfall-studded interior that is perfect for hiking, and the best surfing in French Polynesia—possibly the world. It is also more affordable to plan a vacation to Tahiti than outer islands like Bora Bora. And you can always pop over to Moorea on the ferry for a day trip.

From beach club days to Friday and Saturday nights, Cancun and Riviera Maya serve up bars and clubs that will quench your thirst for cocktails and fun. Hotel zone mainstays, including Coco Bongo, are a party all the time. More in the mood for just hanging out, a powerful margarita in hand? Off to Bar Ranita you go. Or, if you need some liquid courage and a salsa lesson before Friday night arrives, ask the concierge to point you to La Bodeguita del Medio.

Mellow café by day, raucous party bar at weekends, Kaffibarinn is one of Reykjavík’s quintessential nightspots. Marked with a London Underground logo on the outside, it boasts celebrity associations including Blur’s Damon Albarn (who rumor has it once owned shares in the place) and filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur (director of 101 Reykjavík, among others). Open since the 1990s, Kaffibarinn certainly knows how to throw a party, especially when tables and chairs are pushed aside to create a makeshift dance floor and local DJs (and the occasional live show) make the crowds go wild.

In Los Angeles, you’ll taste everything from modern food fusions to classic diners, roadside fruit stands, and global cuisine. Look to Beverly Hills for the A-List restaurants, and head downtown for a cheap, delicious meal from one of L.A.'s signature food trucks.

The Lake House at Ferry Point on Lake Winnisquam is in Sanbornton, New Hampshire. We were staying at this B&B for a couple of days as we explored the Lakes Region. The house is over 200 years old and has been lovingly restored to its former glory. It used to be the summer home of the Pillsbury family. It is the only lake front B&B in the region and is across the road from Lake Winnisquam. The view is one of quiet beauty..the house on a rise, the point across the road with its gazebo, dock, the little sandy beach, the hills and mountains in the distance. No detail has been overlooked by John and Cindy Becker, the innkeepers. As we walked into the welcoming foyer, we were met by John who showed us around the breakfast room, and living room with its bookcases and large hidden TV. The front porch has comfortable wicker furniture in which to relax and enjoy yourself. John took us up to our room. Each room is named after an area lake. There are 9 rooms. Our room had a huge four-poster bed with a sitting area. John showed us the “Welcome Basket” of goodies...razor, tooth paste, tooth brushes, maple popcorn, buffalo sticks, candy rocks, and bottles of water. The bathroom had fluffy white towels, a blow dryer, orange scented Tarocco shampoo, condition, and moisturizer. Breakfasts are created by John and are yummy. He also has cookies available all the time. You can tell that John, Cindy, and their children love this house and enjoy their guests.

There’s an absolute gem of a hike in Yosemite National Park that anyone who loves a good winter snowshoe hike should do. It’s a seven-mile out-and-back trek from Badger Pass to the inspirational Dewey Point, which is on the south rim at just over 7,000 feet elevation. It’s hard to find a more glorious view in all of California. The joy of having only a few fellow adventurers up there with you in winter—it’s truly a treasure. During my recent visit, the packed snow meant that I didn’t even wear my snowshoes the majority of the time and instead just had on my trail running shoes. You can rent shoes at the Badger Pass recreation center, if you don’t have your own. Get out there and soak up the wild magic.

The Golden Gate Bridge is probably the most photographed site in California, but this vantage point never gets old. Explore the hollowed out fort, learn some history, and marvel at the view from the top floor.

AFAR chose a destination at random—by literally spinning a globe—and sent comedian Jorma Taccone on a spontaneous journey to Nairobi, Kenya.