Search results for

Sitting on the edge of the Bering Sea, the village of Unalakleet is, of course, stunning in its stark beauty. But the off-the-road-system village also offers plenty of surprises, including damn good pizza. Even full-on pizza snobs won’t thumb their nose at the thin-crust pies coming out of the ovens. The price of the pizzas is kind of a killer (it costs bundles to get foodstuffs shipped out there, so any restaurants have to charge a bundle to make a buck), but the payoff is dandy. Crust that has the right amount of crunch and tenderness. Proper cheese bubbles! And a light, bright tomato sauce. Chow down and then go explore this marvel of a town.

La Fosca is one of the most popular beaches around Palamós. It’s a five-minute drive or a 20-minute walk north of the town’s marina. The sandy interior of the cove is divided by a rocky promontory in the middle, while the ruins of the Castle of San Esteban de Mar are at the north end of the bay. During the busy summer months, there are ample services available at La Fosca, including lifeguards, seaside restaurants, bathrooms, showers and beach-chair rentals.

Across New Zealand you’ll find weekend farmers’ markets packed with vendors of artisanal products and organic fruit and vegetables, as well as innovative food trucks providing tasty options for breakfast or lunch. Held in the leafy surrounds of Christchurch’s historic Riccarton House, this Saturday-morning institution attracts gourmands from across the city. For travelers, it’s a great place to try cheese and salmon from around the South Island, sample craft beer from local breweries, and stock up on baked goods for on-the-road picnics. Must-visit stalls include Sausage Sisters (for hearty pork-and-apple-sausage rolls) and Utopia Hot (for freshly baked waffles with seasonal fruit).

The Hardest Hard is a quintessential St. Lucian food stop. Set under an almond tree off La Toc Road, this restaurant, with a zinc roof and a blue and yellow exterior that matches the Piton beer bottle, has a windowless interior that may put you off—until you notice the crowds of locals who flock here at lunchtime. Order from the changing menu of home-cooked dishes like fish Creole, goat peleau, grilled pork chops, pigtail bouillon, and pumpkin soup, all served with a healthy dose of side dishes, including rice and plantains. Fresh juices are available daily, as are desserts. The atmosphere is friendly and lively, and you’ll likely be so full you’ll need a nap afterward.

Watching the sun set on Jamaica‘s west coast is a bona fide activity. The island’s red skies are a sight to behold. I have yet to experience a better Caribbean sunset than in Jamaica. From Montego Bay all the way to Negril--famous for having the best--to Whitehouse, get your camera and Red Stripe ready for the last hours of daylight. You won’t lack for choice of seafront bars or scenic spots--from the trendy Pier One in Montego Bay to the wooden shack watering holes along Negril’s West End cliffs. Wherever you end up, there’s a very good chance you’ll get hooked on this daily sunset viewing routine.

Gonçalo Alves and his wife, Marta Fonseca, spent eight years turning an abandoned chicken farm on Portugal’s wild Costa de Prata into their dream retreat. “We wanted a big house to share with people,” says Alves. Their hotel, located a 45-minute drive north of Lisbon, is a whimsical escape with a hippie vibe. Each night Alves and Fonseca invite guests to join them for wine and traditional folk music around a bonfire. The architecture is modern, but the interiors have a fashionable flea-market feel. Inside the 10 rooms and four villas you’ll find bedding, rugs, and light fixtures from Morocco and India, driftwood-frame beds, and fireplaces that hang from the ceiling. Doubles from $345. 351/2-6193- 6340. This appeared in the October 2013 issue.

Being in a busy Asian capital like Taipei can easily make your stress levels skyrocket, leaving you in need of a serene haven. With its futuristic interior (even the massage tables give off a soothing glow), AWAY Spa puts a fanciful spin on a spa experience that is literally “out of this world”. But if the spa interior is ethereal, the treatments are entirely tactile—the AWAY Spa masseurs combine rigorous Asian beauty techniques with Western approaches for a unique range of treatments. In addition to the fundamental massage and facial treatments, AWAY offers options such as slimming beauty treatments with contouring bandages, skin-whitening illuminators, and even daring snake serum facial peels for men. The day before my stay at AWAY, I’d done a grueling 4-hour waterfall hike. After a quick consultation, I was booked for the Body Refuel, a massage incorporating techniques previously reserved for elite athletes. An hour in the spa room with an experienced masseuse and a prime view of the city worked its magic on my aching muscles. I soaked off the last bit of my soreness in the spa’s tranquil CHANGE room, equipped with a sauna, stream room, and a range of hot tubs. Next time I over-indulge at the hotel brunch buffet downstairs, I’ll be heading up to AWAY for that body-slimming bandage treatment. Double and single rooms are available—visit the AWAY Spa website to book an appointment.

Perched on a not-so-lonely nude beach on the northern end of Sauvie Island is an enigma. Well above waterline lies a 30-foot orb that piques the imagination and challenges explanation. The “spaceship” origin is not interstellar but certainly presents itself as other-worldly. The craft is actually a ferro cement experimental boat built around 1970 just upriver. It was designed as a self-righting sailboat and carried a local family on adventures for a couple decades before it got away. Now covered in moss and graffiti, it sits as a testament to Oregon innovation and exploration. To do some of your own exploring of this mysterious craft, take Reeder Rd out to where the pavement ends at a spot called Collins Beach, aka the nude beach. (Yes, if you venture out in summer, you will see naked people.) There’s a parking area (permit required) and trails down to the beach. Sitting up in the trees, just above the sand, sits the stripped-out hulk of a dream. The tri-hulled beast looks more like a lifeboat than a spaceship, but alien nonetheless. Be careful climbing around if you decide to explore inside. The rusting steel framework is losing its cement skin in places and can be dangerous. Cycling to the site is a great way to spend an afternoon on the island and get a great workout in the process.

Try something different and experience wildlife on board a traditional Icelandic schooner operated by North Sailing Húsavík.The crew is fun and very knowledgeable. They take you to Lundey, the Puffin Island, as well as the traditional whale watching areas. While on the tour we saw over 10 humpback whales, a few Minkey whales, dolphins, puffins and other arctic birds including Northern gannets which are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, with a wingspan of up to 2 meters. It was a gorgeous day too. It was an unforgettable experience and something I would do again and again. At the end of the trip the Captain is offering hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls.

Aroos Damascus (which translates as “the Bride of Damascus”), on Al Muraqqabat Road in Dubai’s old Deira district, is an ode to Syrian cuisine. The lively atmosphere and great food draw a diverse crowd of South Asians, Filipinos, and locals looking for an alternative to enclosed malls and expensive restaurants. Platters of assorted appetizer, and entrees of kebabs, steaks, kibbeh, fatoosh, and flavorful Arabic pizzas (manaeesh) are served all day (and until late in the evening) inside or on the patio.

Gold Leaf cofounder Sonya Kemp worked at design collective SoLo in Solana Beach before fulfilling her lifelong dream of opening her own boutique. Now, she stocks her store with everything from kitchen utensils to kids’ toys, drawing inspiration from Zakka (a Japanese and Scandinavian movement that elevates everyday items). Shop for handblown glass lamps from France, midcentury modern furniture from Tijuana, and vintage clutches and jewelry. Then head next door to the Rose, the boutique’s neighbor here in the Historical 30th & Fern commercial center, for a glass of wine.

The splendid neoclassical church of San Felipe Neri (commonly called “La Profesa”), whose present structure was completed in 1720, is a gem in Mexico’s bustling downtown that many visitors never see, with a balanced, harmonious main chapel in sober stone and glossy gold tones. Even fewer visit the church’s picture gallery, called the Pinacoteca, home to one of the city’s most complete collections of colonial-era religious art, imposingly arrayed in a handful of high-ceilinged chambers that seem not to have changed a whit since viceregal days. No such thing as gilding the lily here.

If you’re sheepish about nudity, turn back. But, if your birthday suit is your favorite thing to pack, then Orvis Hot Springs—in Ridgway, Colorado—just may be your dream Telluride spot. Here, eight al fresco pools sit in the foothills of the San Juan Mountains. Ranging from 65 to 112 degrees, the pools are naturally imbued with relaxing lithium, providing the perfect escape from the stress of daily life. After a rejuvenating soak, round out your afternoon of pampering with a visit to the sauna, or a shiatsu massage in a yurt.

One of Cozumel’s traditional Mexican markets, Plaza Confetti is a must-stop shopping spot for visitors. Here, you can find jewelry, textiles, pottery and other souvenirs to take home for family and friends. Don’t be afraid to haggle for the price you think is fair; vendors treat bargaining as a sport of sorts.

Esperanza, an Auberge Resort, sits on the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, offering guests exceptional views of the Sea of Cortéz. Each of the hotel’s 57 rooms faces the sea and Esperanza’s private beach but also offers access to four separate swimming pools. Hotel staff keep guests as busy as they want to be with a full schedule of activities, some of which are the usual Baja resort suspects like yoga lessons and cooking classes. A number of options are quite unique, however—book a master tequilero to teach you about the fine art of tequila appreciation, or take classes in Spanish, salsa, painting, and more. Guest rooms are gorgeous, with an earth-tone color scheme and fine, locally made handicrafts as decorative accents. Bathrooms in the casitas look out onto water, while villas have full kitchens and dining rooms.