Search results for

It may not look like much and there’s certainly no need to dress up. But despite its humble appearance on the posh Brouwersgracht, Swieti Sranang serves up some of the best—and most affordable—Indonesian and Surinamese food in town. Owned by Henk van de Weerd and Juliet Chang, the tiny hole-in-the-wall reflects Amsterdam‘s immigrant influences with Indonesian and Surinamese-inspired sandwiches, snacks, rice, roti and bami/nasi specialties. Swieti Sranang is the perfect source for casual lunch or dinner fixings. Pick up a few Indonesian sandwiches, a bag of banana or cassava chips, a few loempia and kip sate sticks, and you have the perfect ingredients for a canal-side picnic. All dishes are lovingly prepared by Chef Juliet, who was born in Indonesia and raised in Suriname. Most sandwiches and snacks are priced under €3, while main meals are €9 or less, making it easy for two to fill up for about €20. You can sample a few selections from the menu on the new Jordaan Food Tour, (http://www.eatingamsterdamtours.com/jordaan-food-tour/), offered Tuesday through Saturday, beginning at 11am.

Swimming and snorkeling around Xtabi (pronounced “X-tah-bee”) Resort’s underwater caves are a unique experience and a well-kept secret from first-timers. While it’s a great place to stay, overshadowed by places like Rockhouse Hotel, you don’t have to be a guest to enjoy this “meeting place of the Gods” as the name describes. You’ll want to have lunch at the casual, outdoor restaurant first--choices are excellent and include club sandwiches to jerk chicken (even if a tad pricier than from the street grills). After lunch and a rest, change into your swimwear and make your way carefully down the steps until you reach a sandy cove entrance into the sea, beside caves and jutting rocks. Splash in and come out on the front side of the cliffs, where there are ladders to exit or enter as well, if you’re feeling a bit timid. A laid back environment, gorgeous waters--just a tad more jade-colored on this end, for some reason--and underground caves ideal for photo ops make Xtabi a great spot to spend the afternoon. When you tire, climb back up to sip on a Dirty Banana and sunbathe on one of the platforms beside splashing waves.

A beautiful drive through the mountainous west coast past the bayside city of Mayaguez opens up to windy roads lined with banana trees. Your destination is the coffee town of Maricao—a small, unassuming city that plays host to festivals, coffee tours, and aquaculture. Also the home to the hidden gem of Salto Curet waterfall. To get down to your starting point, a car with 4x4 is preferred but not always necessary (Going during the rainy season? Drive a truck or SUV). You’ll park in a vacant lot at the bottom of a hill and follow the trail over a river and up the mountain. You’ll eventually reach an abandoned ranger station; at that point you’ll turn left and trek up river. Just a short distance later is the isolated waterfall. Take a swim in the cool water, or hunt down the even smaller trail off to the left that takes you up the rocks to the higher and more roaring waterfall above. This is my most loved waterfall site. It’s secluded and never sees many guests at one time. Bring your camera and a waterproof bag, as it’s likely you will be caught in the rain. It is a rainforest, after all!

For its much-anticipated first outpost outside London, the hip Hoxton boutique hotel brand—named for the trendy hipster neighborhood of its first hotel—chose five 17th- and 18th-century townhouses (including a former mayoral residence) on the canals of the Dutch capital. The brand has a formula that works, but rather than impose its signature style on another city—colonial-style, if you will—the designers have done it the other way around, imposing the buildings’ architectural styles and the city’s aesthetic on the brand. Original parquet floors, beamed ceilings, and wood paneling infuse the midcentury leather furnishings, geometric mirrors, and creatively patterned subway-tiled bathrooms with a Dutch feel, while the turquoise of the canal outside is reflected in the paint. Two rooms have original ceiling frescoes, and five have (non-working) fireplaces. In the ways that count, The Hoxton is true to its brand, such as bespoke toiletries, a scenester restaurant, a trendy bar, and its signature daily breakfast bag with a banana, granola, and orange juice.

Astoria’s Cannery Row has enjoyed a resurgence as a tourist destination for Oregon Coast visitors. As the former state capital clings to the Columbia River with the determination of a stubborn child, dwindling fishery and logging economies give way to opportunities. Bridgewater Bistro pairs perfectly with the new vision for the city’s future. With wonderful water views in a historically inspired space, the Bridgewater is an open and welcoming environment with two levels of seating. Summer sends patrons out on the expansive deck shadowed by the Astoria-Megler Bridge. The menu is focused and locally sourced. Our party started with the Bloody Mary oyster shooters and moved through the salad selection, pausing to peruse the extensive wine list. Local craft beers and specialty cocktails provide plenty of drink options. The main course was split between the fresh salmon and the steak offering, and both were prepared with inspired seasoning. Staff are friendly and professional with a genuine commitment to the work they do. The views have a tendency to distract from the food at hand, but those dishes find a way to hold their own in the competition for a diner’s attention. Combine value, quality, and service in Oregon’s NW corner for a memorable dining experience at the Bridgewater.

This is one of the smallest cafés in the city, which is appropriate as it’s downstairs from the smallest hotel, with just one room. The café is equally tiny and appealing, created by a man who’s worked as a set designer with Danish TV and thus knows a thing or two about atmosphere and pleasant, inviting spaces. Central Café may be small, but it’s impossible to miss: Look for the huge sign on top of the roof. It feels more like a little corner of Paris than Copenhagen—just the place for a café au lait if you can squeeze in, as well as sandwiches, croissants and pastries, and their signature banana split.

From a members-only beach club in the 1960s, The Dunmore has evolved into a 16-room boutique stay whose spirit and decor evoke that era. Local interior designer Amanda Lindroth oversaw a major renovation when the hotel’s current owners bought the property in 2010. Wicker and rattan furniture, patterned prints, and spaces that are as much outdoors as indoors create a look that is somewhere between late British colonial and timeless Bahamian. Although the landmark sits on Harbour Island’s Pink Sands Beach, a pool with an airy pavilion adds to The Dunmore’s reputation as a place of amiable gathering. After a day of sunfilled fun, head to the on-site restaurant, where chef Cindy Hutson, one of the region’s rising culinary stars, prepares modern twists on island delicacies—think grouper curry with lychee and grilled pineapple and banana fritters with rum caramel.

Just 12 miles north of Santa Fe, this picturesque spot is perfect for table-side, made-to-order guacamole and a cold margarita (or two) on a spacious, relaxed scenic patio full of flowers and stunning high-desert mountain views. You might not want to leave.

The 20 de Noviembre market has a variety of food stalls where you can sample many Oaxacan specialties, but carnivores flock to the one corridor that’s known as “El Pasillo de las Carnes Asadas” (the grilled meats aisle). Follow your nose to find it: smoke and the smell of meat grilling are thick in the air. You can select the raw meat that looks best to you and have it grilled to your specifications as you watch on. Find a spot at one of the long tables with benches and order salsa and guacamole to accompany your feast. Buy some tortillas from one of the passing vendors, and enjoy!

To many gastronomes, the subtle flavors and spicing of Khmer cuisine makes it one of Southeast Asia’s great food secrets. That’s certainly the view of French chef Joannes Riviera, who has taken inspiration from Cambodia’s unsung culinary traditions to create one of the region’s biggest restaurant success stories. Cuisine Wat Damnak has received numerous accolades since opening for business in 2011. Using only the freshest local produce (think juicy tropical fruit, bamboo shoots, and fish from nearby Tonle Sap), Riviera devises regularly changing tasting menus that burst with creativity. Recent hits include a fish sour soup with green banana and rice paddy herb, and a duck confit curry with fresh rice noodles. Dinner is a steal at just $27 for five courses or $31 for six.

Dutch restaurants are not renowned for their customer service. But at Yumi Sushi off Max Euweplein, you control when and what you’re served because you fetch your own selections from a rotating conveyor belt. Plates are color-coded according to price and the bill is calculated by counting plates. At €2.25‒6/plate, you can rack up quite a bill if you’re not careful. But the food is fresh and delicious (nothing stays on the belt for more than two hours), and you can be in and out quickly if time is an issue. The concept is not new, but it’s especially nice in Amsterdam, where hospitality personnel are paid more than servers in America, thus typically don’t exert themselves for tips. Here, you’re on your own at the bar, where fresh offerings come around immediately after they’re prepared by Dutch and Asian sushi chefs as you watch. The interactive component adds to the fun. The sleek, contemporary restaurant is adjacent to Leidseplein, so you have an overview of the people parade through big windows that keep the place bright. It’s not the most gezellig dining option in this bustling area, but it’s a great spot for a fast, no-frills (if somewhat pricey) meal. At tables, €12–40 menus come with miso soup, rice, dumplings, 12–40 pieces of sushi, and fried bananas with ice cream—a better deal than the rotating sushi if you don’t mind the chef’s selections. Hot dishes like chicken yakitori, breaded shrimp, gyoza dumplings and grilled asparagus also can be ordered at the bar.

Banana production is Santo Tomás de Castilla’s marquee industry. Production of bananas for the Chiquita company began in the region in the 1870s. Today, it packages more than 3 billion pounds of bananas a year. A visit to the plant shows how fruit is selected, washed and packaged for consumption.

Sunday brunch at Perry’s is not your usual run-of-the-mill affair. Yes, there is an all-you-can-eat buffet bar filled with typical brunch fare. Yes, there are the usual boozy drinks to go with your brunch meal. Yes, there is music piped over stereo speakers. But this is far, far, far from an ordinary brunch because it has fabulous drag queens to entertain you while you eat! Perry’s Drag Brunch is among D.C’s most loved institutions. There are two seatings each Sunday and they don’t take reservations. The line forms outside around 9am for first seating which is at 10am. Make sure you’re in that line. As soon as the doors open, ask to be seated toward the center of the room—the bad seats are on the periphery. A split second after you get to your table, throw your stuff down and RUN to stand in the buffet line. After you get your food, then flag your waiter down to get your drinks. At about 11am, the show will begin. The drag show features queens that are campy and witty, and the show is raunchy and HILARIOUS! Perry’s Drag Brunch is definitely not for the timid, though! You may get called out, and next thing you know you’re a part of the show. Whatever happens, you can be certain your friends will have captured the moment on their smartphones and before the red blush leaves your face, they will have already posted it up on Facebook! It’s all in good fun! Just remember to bring along a wad of $1 bills for tips. The ladies do work hard for the money!

Why we love it: A grande dame of the Gulf Coast with a glamorous history and luxurious amenities to match

The Highlights:
- A spot on the National Register of Historic Places
- Family-friendly amenities like watersport rentals and a kids’ club
- A stunning spa with a rooftop terrace overlooking the beach

The Review:
Known to many as the Pink Palace, The Don CeSar is a beachfront icon. Real estate scion Thomas Rowe built the hotel in 1928 as a tribute to his lost love, turning it into a popular destination for such acclaimed Gatsby era figures as Clarence Darrow and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Following his death in 1940, the U.S. Army purchased the hotel to be used as a hospital and convalescent center for airmen returning from World War II, but let it fall into disrepair after the war. Thanks to locals, The Don was saved from the wrecking ball in 1971, reopened as a full-service resort in 1973, and added to the National Register of Historic Places just a year later.

Today, the hotel continues to preside over the windswept dunes of St. Pete Beach, drawing guests with promises of ocean views and epic sunsets. The setting is so iconic, in fact, that movies like Once Upon a Time in America feature scenes with The Don in the background. The 241 contemporary rooms and 36 suites boast coastal charm, with crisp white linens and louvered windows accented by pops of turquoise and peacock blue. Two outdoor heated pools, a private beach, a game room, and complimentary bicycle rentals keep families entertained, while an 11,000-square-foot spa caters to couples seeking romance. When hunger strikes, guests have their pick of everything from a casual cafe, traditional beach bar, and nostalgia-inducing ice cream parlor, to a poolside grill and award-winning restaurant serving local produce and seafood.

Some dispute that okra originates from West Africa but there’s no denying that the word okra is of Western African origin. Okra soup and banku is a traditional recipe from western Africa and is most popular in Ghana. Banku is made from partially-fermented ground maize and grated Cassava. We met the Okra Lady in Mallam Atta market (also known as Malata market). If you want a true local market experience, you’ll find it here. In the three hours we were there we didn’t see any other tourist and you won’t find African masks or other tourist handcrafts at this market.