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Forget Google Maps: You’ll quickly locate this venerable tapas bar in El Poble-Sec by the line out the door. With standing-room-only space for just 20 people, this sliver of a spot fills up fast—and stays that way until closing time. In a room lined floor-to-ceiling with bottles of wine, liquor, and pricey vinegar, you can sample a dizzying variety of tapas and montaditos (small bites served atop slices of bread). Many of the ingredients—namely the mussels, sardines, and tuna—come from cans, which sounds suspect, but Spanish conservas (tinned food) is actually of the highest quality. The cheeses—all fresh—are also top-notch.

The first Tasmanian winery to achieve biodynamic certification has a new restaurant and tasting room that doubles as a biodynamic wine information center. Sample limited-edition bottles such as the Settebello single-block pinot noir at the cellar door, or order your favorite vintage alongside a rustic Italian dinner at farm-to-table Osteria.

Every October, wine-lovers in Brussels rejoice because they know the MegaVino expo is coming. For one full weekend, the Brussels expo centre plays host to over 300 exhibitors presenting wines from around the world. Exhibitors are organised by region and at the 2012 edition, wines from 32 different countries were available to taste and purchase. For the cost of your 10-euro admission, you receive a tasting glass and a catalogue of available wines (so you can be sure to track your favourites). It’s the perfect environment to discover new wine regions and new domains from your old favourite regions. And, being Belgium, of course there is great food available, so you can enjoy a meal between tastings.

In 2016, Ace added another link to its chain of ultracool hotels when it opened an outpost in a renovated 1928 building in the Central Business District of New Orleans. While the Ace employees here are just as edgy as their counterparts elsewhere, they temper that cool with the warm ease of New Orleans’s locals.

Guests enter the hotel through a lobby of mismatched low-slung sofas and vintage coffee tables set in conversation-friendly groupings beside a lovely and ornate wooden bar. Most of the furnishings and artwork complement the hotel’s dominant forest green hue, which itself seems to have been inspired by the color of the streetcars that trundle past on Carondelet Street. Afternoon and evening and late at night, the lobby bar is kept busy by hotel guests as well as a stream of others drawn here by the stylish vibe.

Why we love it: A plush beachfront resort, nestled on a stretch of scenic bluffs just north of central Santa Barbara

The Highlights:
- Two pools with unobstructed ocean views and the sweetest of casita-style cabanas
- Angel Oak, an upscale steakhouse that it is a destination unto itself, complete with killer cocktails and a 12,000-bottle wine cellar
- A new Jean Michel-Cousteau-curated educational program offering naturalist-guided hikes, animal-themed activities, and even the chance to learn video production à la Cousteau

The Review:
Set along two miles of pristine Pacific coastline, this Spanish Colonial–style resort has a distinctly regal feel, which is only amplified by its perch high up on the coastal cliffs of northern Santa Barbara. The 358-room property—which includes 23 sprawling suites—joined the Ritz-Carlton portfolio of hotels in 2017, and the recent updates and enhancements can be felt throughout, including in the freshly remodeled main lobby, bar, and ocean-view terrace.

While there is plenty to do in Santa Barbara proper, guests may be inclined to stay put at the oasis that is the Bacara. With everything from a new, 42,000-square-foot spa and perfectly situated salt-water pools with ocean views, to five on-site restaurants and a robust schedule of daily activities for guests of all ages, you could easily spend an entire weekend lounging at this luxurious resort. It’s hard enough just leaving the rooms, all of which feature an outdoor patio or balcony, an ocean or garden view, addictively comfortable beds, deep-soaking tubs, and decor that feels both rustic and contemporary.

A beach-view breakfast at The Bistro is a must, as is a decadent dinner and cocktails at the property’s sleek steakhouse, Angel Oak. Enhance your stay with Club Lounge access and you really won’t have any reason to leave. The newly opened lounge includes light breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and evening hors d’oeuvres service, along with wine, beer, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages.

When you think of a chocolate factory, a hip and airy space in the heart of one of the city’s hottest neighborhoods may not spring to mind. But therein lies the surprise that is Dandelion Chocolate: part factory, part café, part boutique, and located in the heart of the Mission. Like beans for coffee and grapes for wine, Dandelion brings the idea of single-origin sourcing to each bar it creates. Rather than add strange ingredients to alter the flavor of the chocolate, Dandelion uses just two ingredients—cocoa beans and sugar—which allows each bean’s unique flavor and terroir to shine. Drop in for hot chocolate (with handmade marshmallows) or a chocolate dessert created by Dandelion’s pastry chef, shop for gifts, and take a twirl through the factory, where beans are roasted, cracked, sorted, winnowed, ground, and tempered before being molded. Each bar is wrapped by hand in gorgeous paper and ribbon and affixed with a label that tells a story about the cocoa bean’s origin. For a deeper dive into chocolate, Dandelion has a schedule of classes for adults and kids, and even leads trips to cocoa farms.

Located in the heart of Bordeaux’s historic district, Vins Urbains draws oenophiles and wine novices alike with more than 250 wines on offer at any time of day. Here, owners Jan and Christelle will guide you through their handpicked vintages, sharing anecdotes about the wines and their makers as they go. Beyond wine, the boutique specializes in produits du terroir like sardine rillettes, white truffle tapenade, and artisanal cheeses, so order something to pair with your wine. Also note that the vaulted cellar downstairs can accommodate groups and special tastings should you want to bring friends or family for a special occasion.

Cavas Wine Lodge is the quintessential romantic retreat. Located on a secluded vineyard in the heart of Mendoza’s wine country, the peaceful property offers 17 very private villas, which appear to have grown organically amid the 55-acre working vineyard. The boutique hotel is named after its 3,000-bottle wine cellar, where the in-house sommelier hosts complimentary wine tastings each evening. There’s also a tranquil spa, delicious restaurant and, during the February through April harvest, an array of exciting activities at the lodge.

The hotel’s dynamic husband-and-wife owners, Cecilia Diaz Chuit and Martin Rigal, personally attend to guests with a warmth that permeates the entire experience. Designed for romantic getaways, each villa has a secluded sun deck with a panoramic view of the snowcapped Andes Mountains, plus a wood-burning fireplace and a private plunge pool.

In 2019, Tenaya Lodge became a particularly attractive option for families when it unveiled the Explorer Cabins, 50 two-bedroom cabins for groups of up to six people traveling together. The cabins include a living room with sleeper sofa and fireplace, a partial kitchen (with a fridge, microwave, and sink), and a private deck. Some have bunk beds, and some are pet-friendly as well. The Explorer Clubhouse is a common space for these cabins with grab-and-go breakfast and evening wine and charcuterie.


The cabins are about a half-mile from the main Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, a 353-room property near Yosemite’s South Gate. Families can also stay in the property’s collection of cottages, with the cottage suites featuring a bedroom with a queen-size bed and a separate living room with a sleeper sofa. Or they can opt for a room or suite in the main Tenaya Lodge.



Wherever they’re resting their heads, they will have access to the main lodge and its restaurant, and outdoor and indoor pools, the latter being key for colder weather. There’s also a family game room with air hockey, foosball, and Skee-Ball, plus a pool table, Pac-Man arcade game, and ball pit. On-site family-friendly activities include guided nature walks, ice skating (an outdoor ice rink opens on the property in late November for the winter season), and seasonal offerings like an Elf on the Shelf scavenger hunt, gingerbread-making workshop, and breakfast with Santa for the holidays. Tired parents can book a treatment at the on-site Ascent Spa for a bit of calm and stress relief.

Located in converted historic townhouses amid the winding streets of Copenhagen’s lively Latin Quarter, Hotel SP34 opened in early 2014 as an homage to the neighborhood and to mid-century Danish design. Each room is outfitted in clean-lined furnishings and muted tones, all meant to evoke Sankt Peders Stræde, the historic street on which the hotel sits, and give guests the feeling of living in their own Danish home, in a true Danish neighborhood. In the lobby—home to a stylish bar and lounge that serves coffee, beer (including the hotel’s own Brøchner Organic Lager), and wine throughout the day—the first thing guests see is a bicycle, a tribute both to Copenhageners’ favorite mode of transportation and to the renowned Sögreni bike shop down the street. The hotel contributes to the neighborhood’s vibrant nightlife scene with two restaurants and four bars, as well as the longtime favorite Din Nye Van café and music venue; being at the heart of it all only adds to that Copenhagen-local experience.

It’s hard to believe that this iconic property once consisted of just two 17th-century “caves” that had been used to store wine when it launched in 1985. Today, the family-owned hotel has 17 rooms spread out over five floors, all of them with terraces or balconies and jaw-dropping views of the caldera and brilliant blue Aegean. The rooms were completely refurbished in 2015—followed by the public areas and infinity pool in 2017—favoring clean, contemporary lines, white-washed walls, and luxury that envelops you without distracting from the stunning scenery; several rooms feature heated plunge pools, while one has a free-form “river pool” that runs through it. A poolside bar serves lunch and snacks, but you shouldn’t miss dinner at sister property Canavas Oia Suites, just a short walk away. For a truly unforgettable experience, you can even charter the hotel’s yacht for a sunset tour.

For guests at the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, there’s no mistaking that they’re in the High Sonoran Desert of Southern Arizona. There are the saguaro cacti, the cooing quail in early morning, the black-velvet skies at night, and, rising directly behind the resort, the Tortolita Mountains, whose granite boulders are inscribed with graffiti-like messages that have been there for a thousand years. Visitors so inclined can get equally lyrical about the 27-hole Jack Nicklaus–designed golf course, the 17,000-square-foot spa and fitness center, the three swimming pools, or the dishes made visible in the open kitchen of the resort’s main restaurant, the Core Kitchen and Wine Bar. The pervading feeling is that this is a place people have been coming to for refuge, rest, and replenishment for a very long time (since before 2000 B.C., according to some experts).

The terraced organic garden that steps down the hillside in front of the Stanford Inn (above Mendocino Bay) provides some of the vegetables and herbs for the innovative cuisine in the hotel’s Ravens’ Restaurant. A stroll through the farm, with a visit to the donkeys and horses and llamas, helps work up an appetite for the vegetable-based whole-food meals that raise the bar on all-vegan fine dining. Innkeeper Jeff Stanford puts his ethics on the plate: Vegan for both health and philosophical reasons, Stanford collaborates with certified nutrition consultant Sid Hillman and the Ravens’ chefs to create dazzling meals, including one of the most innovative and tempting brunch menus I’ve ever encountered. The Inn, a large boutique hotel with panoramic ocean views, an organic farm, luxury amenities, and a bookstore and wine shop, gains additional points for being dog-friendly--even in a special dining area.

The Wine House Hotel of Quinta da Pacheca is the ideal retreat in the Douro, where peace, tranquillity, elegance and comfort are just some of the adjectives to describe the unique facilities prepared for you. Inserted in a 51 ha. (126 ac.) farm full of vineyards stretching down to the Douro, the Wine House Hotel Quinta da Pacheca is an intense and soulful hotel that surprises for its history, combined with an innovative and sophisticated style.


The main building is a typical 18th century house that was completely restored respecting its traditional architecture and original values. The common spaces and its fifteen unique rooms benefit now of a modern and avant-garde image, with sober and elegant features. This is a boutique hotel totally devoted to gastronomy and wine tourism, where well-being and comfort are omnipresent values and where vineyards and wine play a crucial role.


Quinta da Pacheca is the poster child of an ancient winery being adapted to the modern demands of the modern wine traveller. The main houses in the centre of the estate was recently renovated into a chic - boutique - luxury wine hotel. It very elegantly mixes some modern and contemporary elements in a way that one can understand that the owners never lost touch with the Quinta’s heritage. The restaurant is proudly served by Chef Carlos Pires, a man from the interior Northwest of Portugal (Trás-os-Montes - my favourite part of the country) so traditional bold Portuguese flavours are in the main driver in an elegantly plated menu.

From the marble-and-walnut bar at Hudson Yards to the atrium-style indoor pool to the mid-century modern accents in every room, the Hilton Frankfurt City Centre combines streamlined German design with signature Hilton amenities to ensure optimal comfort for every guest. Nestled alongside a city park a few steps from a metro stop, the hotel is an excellent starting point to explore Frankfurt and its surroundings.