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Zurich West is trendy, diverse and the ideal shopping hot spot. Im Viadukt is Zurich’s first covered market with over 50 vendors peddling everything from local wine and liquors to fabulously smelly cheeses. Gerolds Markt is lovely and houses seven independent boutiques, but the coolest store in Zurich, possibly the world, is Freitag. Here individually designed cult messenger bags are sold in 19-stacked shipping containers.

Brussels’ largest gourmet supermarket, Rob, is well worth the trip outside the city centre for dedicated foodies. This market is filled with all of the finest grocery items from around Europe. This is where locals go to buy hard-to-find ingredients and where expats go to find their favourite tastes of home. There are vast meat, seafood, cheese and deli counters and the bakery is a pastry-lover’s dream. Rob stocks chocolate from all of Brussels’ top chocolatiers for the ultimate in one-stop Belgian chocolate shopping. The wine selection here is beyond compare. Everyday wines and spirits can be found in the main shop but if you’re looking for something really special, descend into the basement. Here you will find a dedicated wine cellar with sommeliers on hand to help you choose the perfect bottle. If your tastes run to high-end whiskeys, vodkas, cognacs and the like, there is also a dedicated shop just for you. It’s kept under lock and key and if you have to ask the prices, it’s best to move along. Visit on a Saturday when the shop demonstrators are active and you can taste your way around Europe.

This hotel is on our list of The 11 Best Hotels in Chicago.

Often rated the best hotel in Chicago since it first opened in 2001, the Peninsula Chicago keeps its reputation by offering the finest high-end Chinese cuisine in the city and easily one of the top hotel spas in the Midwest. The Magnificent Mile mainstay has 339 spacious guest rooms and suites, outfitted in an understated style with floral motifs by artist David Qian. Thoughtful details include soaking tubs with hands-free televisions, a table for two set beside a window with a view, and linens custom created by Pratesi.

No stay would be complete without a meal at the Shanghai Terrace, where chef de cuisine Elmo Han earns accolades for his modern interpretations of Shanghainese, Cantonese, and Sichuanese classics. During the warmer months, you can dine (or just have a mocktail) on the actual terrace, the whole of Chicago displayed before you. Also required: an afternoon at the 15,000-square-foot Peninsula Spa, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, facials using Biologique Recherche products, and an Olympic-size pool and sun deck.

Twenty-four hours before check-in, be sure to request “Peninsula Time,” which allows guests to access their rooms as early as 6 a.m. and stay as late as 10 p.m.—a lifesaver for international or early-bird travelers. And eco-conscious travelers take note: The Pen recently received Gold Status from EarthCheck, its second consecutive Gold Status award.

Don’t expect spice in El Salvador; like its Central American neighbors, this country’s food isn’t spicy hot. It does, however, tend to the heavier side, with dishes like pupusas—thick corn tortillas stuffed with a variety of fillings—common on menus. Restaurants range from casual to formal to downright atmospheric, such as inside a volcano! As for drinks, look for homegrown coffee, locally brewed beer, and a traditional corn-based drink called atol.

Cape Town is located in the Cape Floral Kingdom, and is a biodiversity hotspot. The peninsula is dotted with public parks and nature reserves for everyone to enjoy. The best time of year to visit is during the springtime, when the fynbos and flowers are in bloom. In the peak of summer, hot and dry conditions can lead to wildfires on the mountains, so be sure to check with the SANParks website for the latest conditions.

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.

Tourism is down, prices are up, social services are disappearing, and the government is bankrupt. Which means it’s a good time to get to know Seychelles.

Former interior designer and gallery owner Elisabetta Capei now presides over this shop near St. Peter’s Church. It specializes in artisan handmade Swiss and Italian chocolates. Among her highlights are chocolates by Reichmuth von Reding, a little-known producer whose super-smooth, velvety-tasting bars are made with single-origin cacao beans and are conched for up to 72 hours. In the back of the shop, there’s a small counter with just eight stools for drinking Elisabetta’s hot chocolate, which she whisks herself, making just four to five liters a day.

Formerly Belcampo.

Each of the 16 rooms at Copal Tree Lodge is a spacious villa-style suite set on the edge of the jungle, which gives a sense of privacy and peacefulness. Guests shouldn’t be surprised to see coatimundi, agouti, and other wildlife while showering in the spa-style bathrooms with their floor-to-ceiling windows. Tile floors, comfortable beds wrapped with gauzy mosquito nets, and private verandas are standard in every suite, as is Wi-Fi and complimentary laundry service, and the hotel has a pool and a restaurant/bar. The numerous outdoor activities include exploring Copal Tree Lodge’s chocolate trail and kayaking or canoeing on the Rio Grande River at the base of the property; various trips can be organized off-site, too. The hotel is closed from mid-September to late October.

An amateur baker apprentices with a Paris boulanger and learns the secret of artisan bread.

The perfect souvenir for the food-loving traveler? Slim bars of chocolate wrapped in paper patterned with groovy midcentury designs. Or a pale blue box tied with a satin ribbon, holding a treasure of pralines, caramels, and squares of dark chocolate. Vestri is a family-run establishment that has been turning out delicious chocolate creations for more than 30 years. The clan owns its own cocoa plantation in the Dominican Republic, which ensures the quality and ethical sourcing of its products. The shop also sells modern confections like white chocolate with salt and sesame, as well as sweets based on ancient Florentine recipes. Take decadence to the next level and indulge in a scoop of creamy gelato affogato, drowned in hot chocolate, while you shop.

Hawai‘i is the 50th state, but really it’s its own planet. Soar above hot lava in a helicopter, surf waves as tall as your house, or take a music lesson from a member of the Ukulele Hall of Fame! These are just a few of Hawai‘i’s top attractions.

From refined and stylish hotel bars to rustic neighborhood tascas popular with students and workers, we’ve rounded up Lisbon’s best places for sipping port, beer, tea, coffee, and vinho. We’ve found the best bars, cafés, and terraces to drink in this hilly Portuguese capital.

Somewhere between a hip designer’s loft and a rock star’s party pad, the Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles is located in the Spanish Gothic–style United Artists building built in 1927 for actor and producer Mary Pickford and her team of silver screen stars. The hotel was painstakingly designed to showcase both historic and contemporary artistry, from Noguchi lamps and Pendleton blankets in loftlike rooms to original art deco floors and hand-drawn portraits of famous Angelenos on the restaurant’s walls.

Whether you choose to spend your evening at a humble pub or at a bespoke cocktail lounge at one of the city’s finest hotels, London offers drinkers far more than a pint of bitters. Find the scene you seek, be it classic or newly minted, at one of these favorite London bars.