Search results for

The lifeblood of modern Istanbul is the two-mile-long pedestrian street Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Avenue), running from Taksim Square to the Tünel train station. It’s equal parts touristy and local, commerce and culture, and strolling down the avenue to shop, dine, or just socialize is a favorite pastime of many Istanbullus. (The beloved red-and-white tram is out of service for the foreseeable future while the street gets some much-needed maintenance.) Though many complain about encroaching international chain stores and shopping malls taking the thoroughfare’s distinct character away, there are still plenty of gems if you follow the backstreets and duck into the historic passages. Don’t forget to look up: Many of the art nouveau and Ottoman-era buildings house rooftop cafés and businesses above street level.

Part of the Auberge Resorts Collection, Solage is one of Calistoga’s top lodging options; the trio of overnight accommodations, spa, and Michelin-starred restaurant practically force guests to unwind and relax. The experience starts in the 89 studios and suites, which are built like stand-alone cabins and are furnished comfortably. Most have private patios; larger rooms and suites have private backyards (some even have sunken hot tubs); all have in-room showers lined with rocks that feel great on bare feet. With three geothermal pools, the on-site spa is second to none in the Napa Valley. The property’s signature treatment, dubbed the Mudslide, revolves around mineral-enriched mud that guests are encouraged to slather all over themselves and later incorporates a session in a soaking tub and time in a sound chair. Elsewhere on the property, at the Solbar restaurant, chef Massimo Falsini gives farm-fresh cooking a Mediterranean twist. The Monterey black cod in coconut-turmeric brodo is a crowd pleaser. Another must-order: the Macallan 18 butterscotch pudding, made with aged scotch.

Who knew Malta was so pretty? Well, I suppose the people who live there knew. I didn’t. There was, to be fair, a lot I didn’t know about Malta, including that the national language is actually Maltese, which sounds like no Mediterranean language you’ve ever heard. But one of the most unexpected delights were the narrow streets of the capital city, Valletta. The closed balconies that jut from almost every house are a major feature; they’re the first thing you see as you walk down Republic Street, the city’s main thoroughfare, where they are painted a uniform dark green. Meander away from the shops and into some of the smaller residential streets, and you will be rewarded with a wider palette. Bright reds and yellows, cornflower blues, pastel greens, and dusky pinks—it’s like something out of a fairy tale. Go feast your eyes.

Unlike most people who arrive at the property fresh off a plane and short cab ride, I showed up after spending an hour searching for waterfalls on horseback in the Samana wilderness. Basically, I was tired, smelly, dirty… And by no definition sublime. The moment I walked into the shady, chic reception area, everything changed. I was immediately relieved of my bulky, mud-splattered belongings by practiced staff and my newly emptied hands were then wrapped around a fresh coconut. At first, you might think the stylish surroundings would clash with such local, earthen niceties, but you’d be wrong. Sublime makes an art out of weaving local and luxury together in almost every aspect of their experience. In the three-story main building, 50 one- and two-bedroom Suites (16 for guests, the rest privately owned) form an arc around the property’s centerpiece: a sheltered and soothing pool area that’s a mix of interconnecting canals, larger pools for swimming, beds wrapped in billowing fabrics, grassy expanses and simple walking paths. This place is truly Sublime!

Hillside Farmacy is a farm-to-table restaurant in Austin built around a pharmacy theme. While it may sound odd, the execution is brilliant, with incredible food and wonderfully eclectic design. The restaurant space was formerly the home of a 1920s pharmacy owned by Austin‘s first African-American pharmacist. The decor features authentic apothecary items (from a different 1920s drugstore)—a vintage collection of medicine bottles, antique cash registers, tin ceilings, and wooden cabinets. But it’s the “F” in the deliberately misspelled Farmacy that nods to the emphasis on simple, fresh food. The restaurant works with local food purveyors and regularly changes the menus around the highest-quality seasonal ingredients. Local cheese, homemade pate, artisinal breads and pastries, raw bar, charcuterie are all available here. Dishes include bangers and eggs, buttermilk bisquits and gravy, and bison tartare. Other perks include an old fashioned soda counter and a shaded outdoor patio. If I were a local here, this would definitely be one of my favorite go-to places.

If you love art in all its many forms, the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston is a ‘must-see’ destination. They have a great collection of Impressionism and Asian art works, from Monet and Van Gogh, to Chinese furniture and Japanese paintings, as well as the Egyptian collections. In addition, their newly opened west wing contains many stunning pieces of American art. Besides the arts, there is a cafe, a restaurant, gift shops of course, and a mini cinema for special shows. To get there: The MFA has its own subway stop called, what else, the MFA. If you drive, there are parking garage options as well. You can easily spend half a day here—or more!

I love the wines of Mendoza, Argentina, but I wanted to marry the wines of Catena Zapata when I had the chance to drink them whilst overlooking the green vineyards backdropped by the soaring, snowcapped Andes peaks. The wines of Catena are mostly big reds made from malbec or cabernet, and they make some chardonnay and sauvignon blanc as well. The winery is fashioned after a stepped Maya pyramid and is furnished with state of the art equipment. Wine tours last about an hour and a half and finish at the tasting room, where you can purchase bottles of wine. Catena Zapata and the rest of the Mendoza region wineries are only open by appointment, so be sure to have a day’s worth of wine tours booked in advance for your itinerary. Be sure not to skip over the city of Mendoza, as there are many wine tasting rooms featuring wines from the region and selling limited releases and other rarities not readily available at the wineries.

Each evening as the sun sets, Stone Town’s Forodhani Gardens park transforms into an open-air food market. Skip the fish kebabs and head straight to the vendors selling urojo, a thick mango-and-tamarind soup served alongside chickpea fritters, boiled potatoes, cassava flakes, chutney, and as much hot sauce as you dare. Follow it up with hand-pressed sugarcane juice with ginger and lime.

Wealthy New York heiress Mable Dodge Luhan was a lifelong patron of the arts. D.H. Lawrence and Georgia O’Keeffe were among many artists and writers invited to stay at her house in Taos. These days, the picture-perfect adobe lodge (built in 1918) operates as a bed and breakfast-cum-art retreat. Hone your painting skills on a five-day course or bed down in “The O’Keefe Room” on the second floor, where Georgia slept during her frequent visits. —By Edmund Vallance

Iceland’s largest and most famous geothermal spa lies around an hour outside Reykjavik, quite close to Keflavik Airport. With a dramatic setting amidst large black lava boulders, the steam-filled, creamy-blue pool area is a striking and surreal sight. The Blue Lagoon has been open since the 1980s and today draws some 700,000 visitors a year. The pools are actually created by heated seawater that flows from the adjacent geothermal power station. The waters allegedly cure all manner of skin-related ailments (eczema, psoriasis), but whether these claims are true or not, it’s certainly an atmospheric place to unwind, with very comfortable (99 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures. The complex includes a small bar that dispenses healthy juices and beer, as well as a spa area for massages andbeauty treatments, and a very good restaurant; there’s also an upscale hotel if you wish to stay overnight.

The Grand Hotel Tremezzo has been the summer home for Europe’s jet set since opening in 1910. Over the past five years, the Como-based De Santis family, which has owned the lakefront hotel since 1975, has ushered the grande dame into the modern era by building eight rooftop suites, expanding the spa, and adding a hammam. Marble bathrooms and champagne-stocked minibars make the rooms feel fit for aristocrats, but the hotel is far from buttoned up. Guests can splash around in one of three pools, including one that actually floats on the lake. Locals join guests at Saturday beach parties. From $420. This appeared in the October 2015 issue.

What began with Azul y Oro—chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita’s high-end university “refectory”—is now a multi-restaurant group famed for an almost museum-like reverence for traditional Mexican cooking in all its infinite variety. The downtown iteration, called Azul Histórico, is a gorgeous space in the courtyard of a 17th-century colonial palace (once inhabited by descendants of the Emperor Montezuma) and is now one of the Centro’s most sought-after tables, terribly romantic beneath its tree-and-candlelight canopy. Menus are seasonal and themed—often focusing on cuisine from Mexico’s regions and states—and are sure to present some delicacies even most Mexicans never knew before. Ask questions and swing just beyond your comfort zone. Out-of-towners and locals alike love the flair with which dishes emerge from the kitchen, in extravagant, eye-catching Mexican pottery.

This unusual contemporary art museum is located in a series of dimly lit caverns and tunnels built into the side of a cliff in Berriedale, a Hobart suburb. Inside, mind-bending installations include a stinky model of the human digestive system that poops daily at 2 p.m. Founder David Walsh, a professional gambler turned art maverick, displays more than 400 edgy works from his private collection. The new Pharos wing that debuted in late 2017 is heavy on light spaces by James Turrell. MONA also stages two standout annual festivals: Mona Foma (which stands for Festival of Music and Art, sometimes further shortened to Mofo) in January, curated by Brian Ritchie of the rock band Violent Femmes, and Dark Mofo, the disturbing winter version held in June.

Haleakala, a huge and dormant shield volcano, forms more than 75 percent of Maui’s landmass. As such, it pretty much demands you ascend its slopes and peer into its crater—the island’s very soul. Legend claims the demigod Maui snared the sun here, freeing it only after it swore to inch more slowly across the sky.

The 38-mile, two-and-a-half-hour drive up Haleakala climbs from sea level to 10,023 feet through several different ecological zones. One of the most popular ways to experience the volcano remains cycling down from the summit at sunrise. Do it yourself if you’re confident, or join a guided tour (Skyline Eco-Adventures offers one that includes a zip-line ride). Once you’ve mastered the motion—and the 21 switchbacks along the road—effortless downhill freewheeling rewards you with unsurpassed views of the island. If you’d rather savor the vistas from a lofty perch, drive to the top for the sunset or book an overnight at one of the park’s wilderness cabins, accessible only by hiking trail.

The cafés that line the streets of Paris make an easy option for a quick lunch. But not all cafés are created equal, and you don’t want to end up at one that heats up frozen meals and drowns salads in industrial vinaigrette. Follow the crowd of locals to a café you can count on: Café Varenne. Every afternoon, the red leather booths fill up with gallery owners, stay-at-home parents, politicians from the nearby government offices, and shoppers from Le Bon Marché. Favorite dishes here include a tomato tartare with crayfish on a bed of green beans, and grand-mère’s roast chicken; at dessert, the lemon meringue tart is hard to resist.