Search results for

Not since the Atlantis Paradise Island opened in 1998 has there been this much hype about a resort in the Bahamas. After years of on-again, off-again setbacks, Baha Mar officially debuted in summer 2017, with the launch of the 1,800-room Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, the first of three hotels on the 1,000-acre beachfront development. Accommodations come with floor-to-ceiling windows, marble baths, and balconies overlooking the ocean or lake fountain, but the grounds are the main attraction here. Over-the-top amenities include a gleaming 100,000-square-foot casino, the largest in the Caribbean, as well as six swimming pools (one has a swim-up aquarium “cave”), a Jack Nicklaus Signature 18-hole golf course, and a guests-only beach club. There’s no shortage of food and beverage options with 18 restaurants and bars, though celeb hotspot Katsuya, designed by Philippe Starck, is the frontrunner. You’ll find even more restaurants and shopping next door at the resort’s sister properties, SLS and Rosewood.

St. Vincent is home to several volcanic beaches, with dark, sometimes black, sand that’s especially striking against the pounding Atlantic surf on the island’s east coast. The Grenadines, on the other hand, have soft, white-sand beaches, surrounded by aquamarine, turquoise, and deep-blue waters.

A trip through Austin’s shops and boutiques will send you home laden down with great vinyl, used and new books, and top-notch vintage western wear, but you may be surprised by local designers, too, showing off their stuff, from fashion to housewares.

Jordan is home to a lot more than epic historic sites. Lesser-known but definitely deserving of wider exposure is the country’s collection of nature reserves, where you can splash through rivers, find oryx in the desert, go bird-watching in hidden green oases, or even hike through canyons on the back route to Petra.

Lisbon contains all of the usual international brands, especially along Avenida da Liberdade, but it is also said to be the least expensive of the major European cities. If you seek authentic souvenirs and goods, you’ll find unique local wares in the Feira da Ladra flea market or the shops of the central Bairro Alto district. Bring home jewelry, wine, cork products, leather, or traditional Portuguese delicacies.

Provence may be known for its sleepy villages, Roman ruins, and endless fields of lavender, but it’s also home to Europe’s Grand Canyon, a famed antique market, and a moving Holocaust memorial. Come for the impressive restaurants and delightful hotels, stay for the truffle hunts, cooking classes, and small-but-mighty museums.

The county of Fife and the northeastern district of Angus are both a short distance from Edinburgh. Fife boasts royal connections and the iconic St Andrews Links, while Angus is home to the up-and-coming city of Dundee, which has recently emerged from its postindustrial strife to become a hub of innovative art and design.

Alternative new venues underscore Hanoi’s status as the nation’s capital of understated hip. Hanoi has pop-up cafés in the homes of artists, cafés that strike the right balance between quality coffee and youthful atmosphere. Also, tucked-away you will find Hanoi’s bars and music venues purveying heady cocktails, and soundtracks covering all bases from Thai funk to hip-hop beats sampled from scratchy vintage Vietnamese records.

Known for its pink-sand beaches, pastel cottages, and rum swizzles, Bermuda is also home to some of the best hotels in the world. From a sleek glass box overlooking the Atlantic Ocean to a colonial-era manor nestled within lush gardens, the selection here is rich with possibilities.

Scottsdale has been a resort destination since the 1920s when painter Jessie Benton Evans turned her adobe home into a tearoom and guesthouse known as the Jokake Inn. You’ll find many of the world’s big-name brands here, along with a collection of smaller, independently owned properties.

Home to stunning parks, wilderness areas, and national forests, Southern Utah offers an otherworldly landscape for the adventurous traveler to explore. In every season, this dramatically beautiful part of the world will leave you breathless.

With designer boutiques offering leather, jewelry, fanciful underthings, and stylish menswear, and housewares stores with ultra-hip designs for the home, and shops and markets hawking antiques, vintage goods, and wine, you’ll be spoiled for choice in Buenos Aires.

The sustainably designed andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge on the edge of the NamibRand Nature Reserve captures the raw beauty of the world’s oldest living desert. The otherworldliness of the environment has been consciously translated into every aspect of the experience. The off-grid design factors in the extreme climate and harsh elements, and the desert’s forms, colors and textures are reflected in sculptural stone and steel lines that give way to soft, organic shapes. Throughout, glass walls slide away to amplify the big-sky views. The 10 guest suites are self-sufficient, solar-powered private retreats, each generating ample energy to run on photovoltaic power for everything from the AC and the deep swimming pools to the water harvesting and recycling systems.


Activities include climbing the world’s highest dunes at Sossusvlei or e-biking along gravel trails to caves with rock art by the desert’s earliest inhabitants. Back at the lodge, dishes that reflect Namibia’s cultural history include venison and Kalahari truffles and fresh seafood from the Atlantic Ocean. With close to zero light pollution, the Namib is one of the best dark sky locations in the Southern Hemisphere. The best way to end any evening is in the lodge’s observatory. You can also fall asleep counting stars, thanks to a skylight above your bed.

Montreal is famous for its music scene, and not just because of exports like Arcade Fire, Halfmoon Run, Grimes, Stars and, yes, Celine Dion. There is an inordinate number of bands here, and enough people interested in seeing live music to fill bars, clubs and concert halls literally every day of the week. The scene is vibrant and enthusiastic, running the gamut from world-class electronic music (this is the birthplace of the Mutek festival) to renowned classical music, and everything in between.

Bavaria’s capital may best be known for Oktoberfest, but it offers more than good beer. To experience Munich in style, book a stay at Bayerischer Hof. This five-star 19th-century hotel, commissioned by King Ludwig I, commands an imposing position on Munich’s Promenadeplatz. The Mandarin Oriental Munich puts visitors in striking distance of the Bavarian Opera House, the Marienplatz, and the Maximilianstrasse. For fancy digs close to Oktoberfest action, stay at the Sofitel Munich Bayerpost.