Search results for

It is not quite accurate to say that this 13-room beachfront property on sparsely populated South Andros Island is off the beaten path. Sure, there are no roads to bring you here, and the only neighbors are the denizens of the 125-acre nature preserve that surrounds it, but a seaplane flight from Nassau will have you wading ashore in just 15 minutes. Once settled into their thatch-roofed private villas, guests gravitate toward the Great Room for fruity drinks, fresh-caught meals, and tall tales. While there is every kind of watery diversion, from bonefishing to scuba diving—and nature tours, too—it’s the kind of place where kicking your feet up is the most strenuous thing you’ll do all day, and where privacy is so valued that beach butlers won’t intrude unless, in one of the older nautical traditions, you raise a flag to indicate that you require food and drink.

This designer budget hotel, set in a former brothel, is the brainchild of Andre Saraiva, a graffiti artist and nightlife entrepreneur who worked with Parisian artists and designers to pull off an edgy balance of style and substance. Rooms, which are on the small side, are painted in unconventional palettes and decorated with graffiti, and curated flea market and auction finds, vary in their level of provocation, though each could double as a contemporary art gallery installation or soft-porn concept store. While traditional services are nonexistent, the hotel is perfectly located for exploring SoPi, the more upper-crust residential part of the 9^th arrondissement just south of the transvestite cabarets and tourist zones of Montmartre, where classical mansions and 19th-century buildings are being colonized by young Parisians and expats opening bars, restaurants, vintage shops, and fashion boutiques. The restaurant that occupies most of the lobby and garden is a perennial favorite among Parisians of all ages for dinner and Sunday brunch.

This oval-shaped atoll in the Tuamotu island group strung across the South Pacific Ocean some 300 kilometers from Tahiti is covered in pink and China white sand and surrounded by a jaw-droppingly beautiful turquoise, jade, and cerulean hued lagoon and is considered to have the best beaches in all of French Polynesia. Most are empty – it has a Robinson Crusoe vibe and still remains mostly undeveloped.

Beyond the sand you’ll find excellent snorkeling and even surfing in spots where the reef breaks. For scuba you’ll want to head to the magnificent Tuheiva Pass, where you’ll likely encounter sharks and manta rays. Lagoon excursions are also popular, and allow you to snorkel in the out-of-this world hued waters.

The Tikehau Pearl Beach Resort is the most exclusive place to sleep on the island, but there are also a number of excellent small family-run guesthouses right on the beach for those wanting to experience its “paradise lost” ambiance at more affordable rates.

Air Tahiti flies to Tikehau from Tahiti daily.

As you walk through Stellenbosch’s town center, you’ll probably smell the bread baking at Boschendal at Oude Bank before you even arrive at the café’s main entrance. Owned by Boschendal Farm Estate since early 2017, the local favorite is a bakery, bistro, and farm shop in one, serving seasonal dishes made from locally sourced, farm-fresh ingredients. The warm interior features cozy dining nooks, but you should really sit outside, where you can sip your matcha latte while people-watching on Bird Street. Go for breakfast and order the brioche French toast, or stop by for lunch and pair the trout salad with a glass of chenin blanc from the farm.

Almost any time of day, the Sea Point Promenade is filled with walkers and joggers, many of them residents from the apartments nearby. Though named after Sea Point, the best known of the areas the walkway fronts, the three-mile promenade begins in Granger Bay, closer to the city, then goes past the red-and-white-striped lighthouse of Mouille Point and continues to Sea Point itself (don’t miss the Art Deco Pavilion, site of many international fashion shoots), before curving around to dramatic, Riviera-like Bantry Bay. A path high above the cliffside apartments of Clifton extends for several more miles to Camps Bay. All along the promenade’s way (except along the fairly long Clifton stretch), there are restaurants and coffee shops.

Hot Summers in Johannesburg are held at bay by cool, late afternoon thunder showers. The build up of clouds throughout the afternoon, catch amazing colours as the sun goes down and eventually culminate in a lightshow of epic proportions as lightning flickers through the heavens. The afternoon that I captured the photo, I’d headed out to Suikerbosrand which is about 40 minutes from the old Johannesburg CBD. It’s a great place away from all the traffic and big buildings of the city. Once we arrived it was only a short while before the clouds lit up and we were met fortunate to witness a scene reminiscent of a beautiful artwork

The Zone is located in the leafy suburb of Rosebank, with a Gautrain station located just across the road. It has a great collection of stores, restaurants, fast food joints, drinking spots, a cinema and even an arcade with an awesome bowling alley! On one particular occasion, I met up with some friends for a Big Lebowski themed night at the bowling alley. After we’d knocked over some pins and smashed some strikes, we made our way to the froyo store a few steps away to end off the night with a bit of a sweet treat.

The COEX Complex in Gangnam is more than just a mall, convention center, and exhibition hall. It’s a few city blocks filled with cool buildings that will thrill those who have a penchant for unique architectural design. Perhaps the most iconic of the buildings in the COEX complex is the 54-story Seoul World Trade Tower. Used as a backdrop in the Gangnam Style music video, the tower is unique for its unusual ridged edge. It’s up to you whether to do a reenactment of the galloping dance while standing in front of the building. To get there, take subway line 2, and exit at Samseong (COEX) station.

It’s a weekend ritual for my cousin and his friends to pop into either The Loading Bay or Origins Roast right next door for breakfast. With a gorgeous view of the mountain, both cafés have coffee to die for and stellar food. This particular beauty of a breakfast was from The Loading Bay; banana topped with walnuts accompanied with creme fraiche, served on top of toasted rye and drizzled with honey. Both venues are open for breakfast and lunch; the Loading Bay is also open for burger night, on Thursdays, served with their famous fries (sprinkled with truffles).

Why we love it: A historic property with style to spare

The Highlights:
- Historic details like the marble lobby
- Thoughtful amenities like microfiber bathrobes, complimentary newspapers, and Gilchrist & Soames bath products
- A sophisticated on-site restaurant

The Review:
Housed in a former bank building from the 1920s, the Ambassador Hotel in downtown Kansas City is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the neoclassical property is updated with thoroughly modern amenities, but still features historic details like a showstopping lobby with marble columns, soaring ceilings, and sparkling chandeliers. Guest rooms are equally stylish, with custom furnishings, private label linens, and marble bathrooms with oversize walk-in showers, but for the ultimate luxury, book the 753-square-foot Loft Suite, which features two floors, one-and-a-half bathrooms, a wet bar, a living area, and original windows that bring in loads of natural light. When hunger strikes, head to the on-site Reserve Restaurant, where executive chef Jeremiah Lyman serves contemporary American cuisine and top-notch cocktails.

When it opened in 1969, the Fairmont Dallas set the bar high for luxury hotels, dazzling visitors with opulent interiors, a Neiman Marcus outpost in the lobby, and 11 separate kitchens. Its legendary Venetian Room hosted acts like Ella Fitzgerald, Jerry Lewis, and Ike & Tina Turner. Now an integral part of the downtown skyline, the hotel remains a favorite for a whole new generation. The 545 rooms are bright and sophisticated, with city views, marble bathrooms, and minibars stocked with organic options. In a nod to its Arts District location, the hotel hosts a unique local artist-in-residence program, and the Four Diamond–rated Pyramid Restaurant and Bar pulls ingredients from a 3,000-square-foot rooftop vegetable and herb garden for its “terrace-to-table” modern American fare. There’s no spa, but wellness is represented with a 24-hour gym and a Junior Olympic–size pool, where guests can also enjoy family-friendly “dive-in movies” and evening DJ sets in the summer.

To stay at this three-story courtyard hotel in the historical heart of the Latin Quarter is to be surrounded by intellectual giants: the ghosts of figures such as René Descartes or James Joyce, who each lived nearby, and by present-day students and teachers at the most elite universities and high schools of Paris. The youngsters’ extracurriculars—café lounging, bar hopping, and vintage record, book, and clothes shopping—give the quarter a unique mix of history and life.

Hotel des Grandes Ecoles occupies three 19th-century houses along a private cobbled passageway leading to a courtyard garden. Old-fashioned in the best sense, one of the charms of the place is that the compound feels like an escape to a French granny’s country cottage. Small by American standards, rooms done in toile or floral fabrics exude classic Gallic charm; French cotton lace and matelasse drapes the sitting tables and beds. Bathrooms are immaculate but simple, with either shower or bathtub and toilet.

A former railway hotel that first opened in 1895, this 500-acre property on Kenmare Bay hosted Charles de Gaulle and Irish hero Eamon de Valera in its heyday. Those two would be surprised at Parknasilla Resort’s current iteration, which feels somewhat American, at least in a smattering of villas and lodges with open plans and oversize suburban-home-style furniture. The rooms in the main house are more traditionally Irish, with dark-wood beds, antique china and Waterford Crystal vases and lamps, and brocade-upholstered armchairs. They’re a bit old-fashioned, but there’s something comforting about that—as there is in the obliging staff, a group with the easy, effective air of seasoned experts. They’re particularly accommodating for families, and spacious villas make the hotel a good place for vacations with young kids or a bunch of cousins; there’s even a special spa menu for kids.

Willow trees surround the hotel and 12-hole golf course; the hotel’s name comes from the Irish phrase Pairc na Saileac, which means “field of willow trees.”

It is not unusual to find an Arizona resort that looks like a water park with rooms attached, and this big Scottsdale luxury property certainly fits the description: 10 pools, 20 fountains, 45 waterfalls, and a three-story, high-speed waterslide. But what makes the Hyatt Regency unique is that guests can glide along its desert waterways aboard authentic Italian gondolas while being serenaded by professional gondoliers, who are classically trained singers. Beyond the water’s edge, there are the expected activities, such as the 27 holes of golf at the Gainey Ranch Golf Club, open only to club members and resort guests. And there are the unexpected, such as the Native American Learning Center, created to give guests insight into native Southwest culture through art, food, entertainment, and personal interaction with some of the resort’s staff. For hikers, the 24-hour Canyon Market serves up not only performance foods and gear, but also directions to the best trails.

This pub, owned by the Piedmont-based Baladin brewing company and Lazio’s own Birra del Borgo, opened in September 2009 and was quickly canonized as the best place to drink Italian beers in Rome. There are over 120 labels to choose from, ranging from well-known Italian brewers like Baladin and Birra del Borgo to more obscure producers like Lover Beer and Troll; there is also a handful of American beers such as Sierra Nevada and Brooklyn Brewery. In addition to 100 bottled beers, there are anywhere from 20-30 beers on tap. The outgoing staff is happy to make recommendations. The food menu includes salads, sandwiches, potato croquettes, pasta and homemade potato chips.