Search results for

The Matrix Hotel, located just off Jasper Avenue, is smack-dab in the middle of downtown Edmonton, and there is no better place to stay than its Onyx Suite. The design of the hotel—stylish and modern—suits any style of traveler and most rooms have wide balconies that overlook the city. But only the Onyx Suite has a sprawling walk-out terrace with built-in barbecue, fireplace, and seating for hosting an impromptu rooftop cocktail hour. It’s all within easy walking distance of the Edmonton City Centre mall and countless other shops, plus it’s close to the city’s best nightlife when the occasion calls for a night on the town. Rooms from $195. Contact 1-780-429-2861.

There are a few great options for dining on Place St. Catherine, in Brussels. However, when people ask me where to go for great seafood in Brussels, Jaloa, and their more casual Jaloa Brasserie, are first on the list. Jaloa itself is elegant fine dining and a wonderful experience if you are looking to splurge. (Don’t miss the fresh oyster bar.) The restaurant only seats 25 people and features tasting menus of four, six or nine courses. The Jaloa Brasserie is more cosy and affordable but with the same high level of quality. The menu is a la carte with the exception of a monthly tasting menu. Both the restaurant and brasserie feature seasonal, local ingredients and have hidden terraces you can enjoy, during the warmer months.

Supposedly De Ysbreeker (‘Ice breaker’), arguably one of Amsterdam‘s most coveted café terraces overlooking the Amstel river, was formerly an inn for men who broke the ice on the river - hence, its name. Incarnations as a theater and dance hall followed before settling into its permanent role as a café/restaurant with prime people-watching real estate. When it changed ownership in 2010, it also underwent massive renovations to modernize the space. Today, it boasts a commodious interior which includes a bar, armchairs near a fireplace, a billiards table, a work space, loads of dining nooks and a concert hall in the back. Go for coffee and people-watching or a pre-dinner drink and nibbles, that’s where it shines.

Famous since its 1998 opening as the place with the dancing fountains (further immortalized in the final scene of the 2001 film Ocean’s Eleven), the 3,933-room Italian-themed Bellagio is a Las Vegas icon. There is a fantasy feel about it, with its five courtyard pools, its indoor botanical garden and conservatory that change with the seasons, its lobby-dominating Dale Chihuly blown-glass flower sculpture, and its eight-acre lake, out of which rise the fountains. Yet following a 2015 upgrade, it also feels as modern as any hotel on the Strip. The Bellagio still does a few things the old-fashioned way: Along with the expected celebrity restaurants, there is a buffet (a long-cherished Las Vegas tradition) brought up to modern standards with an all-you-can-drink alcohol option. Throughout the hotel, service is tops, shopping is high-end, the Cirque du Soleil production O draws ’em in, and—another Las Vegas tradition—a casino with nearly the area of two football fields makes it all go ‘round, which is no doubt why everybody has to be out of the pools by 7 p.m.

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.

There is a staggering amount of artwork on display here. It is said that if you stood at each piece for just one minute, it would take you four years to see everything. Created by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century, the museums have expanded over the past 500 years to their current size of more than 12 acres! Highlights include the Borgia Apartments, the Raphael Rooms, the Gallery of Maps, and of course, the sublime Sistine Chapel.

If you’d like the space and privacy of a vacation apartment but still want the service and amenities of a hotel, the Cottages & Lofts at the Nantucket Boat Basin are ideal. You’ll be whisked away from the Hy-Line ferry and taken to the wharves of Nantucket’s harbor, about as close you can get to the water without staying on a boat. Cottages and loft rooms range from studio-size to three bedrooms, all with full kitchens and private patios. A complimentary shuttle bus can take you to the beach, and bicycles can take you wherever you can’t walk from the cottages. There’s no restaurant on-site, but plenty of options are at the marina, and guests get a discount at the White Elephant’s Brant Point Grill. Children and pets are VIP guests as well: Kids get fishing and beach gear to use during their Nantucket stay, and a pet concierge will assist with stays at the “Woof Cottages.”

Set on two extinct volcanic craters 450 feet above sea level in the highlands of Santa Cruz, the extremely high-end (but still carbon neutral) Pikaia Lodge, which opened in mid-2014, is unlike anything the Galapagos has ever seen. With strict building regulations on the highly fragile islands, Pikaia, owned by a live-aboard dive yacht impresario, was the first lodge to be granted a building permit in more than a decade, and the lodge is built entirely of recycled materials. The terrain, a mix of dry savanna and tropical highland forest, was regenerated with 12,000 endemic trees and grazing habitats for giant tortoises, for which Pikaia created its own private reserve. The entire all-inclusive property is powered with portable Eolic wind generators and soundproof electric generators using clean biodiesel. Despite the ecofriendly ethos of the property, there is no shortage of all-out luxury, from the infinity pool that’s softly illuminated at night, to the cushy spa or the lounge with a 3-D HDTV screen for lectures and videos. There’s also a contemporary restaurant and a wellness center on-site, plus two slick yachts used for excursions to neighboring islands and dive trips.

If you go south along the shore, past Miraflores and Barranco, you will reach Chorrillos. While not part of many tourist itineraries, it’s a quaint, off-the-beaten-path seaside area offering marvelous ocean views and sandy strolls. It’s also great for real-deal ceviche, sold right on the beach at cute, family-owned stalls. You can’t taste fresher seafood, but since these kitchens are not the gleaming steel labs found in upscale eateries, be sure to patronize places where you see lots of locals lining up. Bird-watchers love Pantanos de Villa, a wildlife refuge in Chorrillos that’s home to more than 170 avian species.

The Court, an off-the-radar lounge bar with front row seats to the Colosseum, is the perfect place to wind down in Rome. The bar overlooks the archaeological ruins of the Ludus Magnus (the site where the gladiators trained) and offers a view of sunset over the Colosseum, the world’s most amazing arena. The cocktails are the creation of mastermind Matteo Zed, one of Rome’s top bartenders, whose tasty Rising Sun (a gin, yuzu, and matcha cocktail) may well keep you at the bar until dawn.

“Ristorante da Ivo is where George Clooney famously likes to dine, but it’s still completely charming. It’s a tiny trattoria and very expensive, but the food is stunning. The kitchen is still family-run and it feels very local, not at all pretentious. You can get dressed up or go in jeans and a jumper. Do try the baccala, which is salted dried cod that’s been soaked in milk and whipped up with olive oil. It’s creamy and delicious.”

Read about more of McAlpine’s Venice favorites.

Perched like an eagle’s nest in the lower Alps, just steps from Italy, this 1930s landmark restaurant faces a stunning rainbow of blues in the expansive view of ocean and sky just beyond its vertiginous glass walls. Taking inspiration from his own heritage and his international kitchen staff, Italo-Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco is making a name for himself for colorful cuisine that plays with contrasts of flavor and texture. Dishes often include an uncommon ingredient—the chamomile broth, for instance, or a combination of oysters, pears, and caviar; the bread served with a poem. The food is both pretty on the plate and a pleasure for the palate.

Everyone seems to be talking about Chez Nous and, frankly, it’s easy to see why. A meal here feels like dining at your most fashionable friend’s place. The restaurant is tucked away from the main drag in a beautiful Charleston single house, with a handwritten menu that changes daily, with the chef taking inspiration from the daily market as well as the cuisines of Northern Italy, Northern Spain, and Southern France. If the weather’s nice, request a table on the porch or in the courtyard.

Isola has become Milan‘s hipster hangout, so you are going to want spend a lot of time here. Best way is sleeping over, and the Isola Apartments are key. Lots of light, minimal decor and all the trappings of home, the loft apartments are great for couples with kids or other kids of third wheels.

Start your day at Deus Ex Machina, a motorcycle store in an alley full of them, whose café is the perfect spot for a cappuccino and soft scrambled eggs while you ogle the Ducatis.