Search results for

Barcelona’s skyline is on full display at the Mandarin Oriental Barcelona’s posh rooftop terrace. Soak up views of Gaudí’s La Sagrada Familia and Casa Batlló while sipping a pisco sour and feasting on fresh ceviche and sushi from the Peruvian-inspired menu created especially for Terrat by acclaimed chef Gastón Acurio. Sample a variety of tiradito (spicy raw fish) and maki—the colorful Chalaco Maki, with fried prawns, shrimp ceviche, avocado, and sweet potato in a peppery rocoto sauce is a standout. Terrat is open seasonally from April to October; non–hotel guests can enter after 6 p.m. Tip: Book a table reservation for sunset hour; the sun sinking behind the surrounding mountains is a spectacular sight. If the weather isn’t cooperating, the hotel’s ritzy Banker’s Bar is a great spot to splurge on a cocktail.

On the weekend, market days in Pointe-à-Pitre are like an outdoor celebration, with gwo-ka drumming on the streets leading to the markets. Browse the attractive stalls brimming with spice-filled bags at the Spice Market before checking out the arts and crafts and madras textiles and moving on to fruits and vegetables at Marché de la Darse on the waterfront. Take a break at a nearby café afterwards, and relax some more to the sound of the drums.

The oldest wooden home still standing in Nassau, Balcony House is named for the long, second-floor balcony that stretched across the front of the home. Historical maps suggest that the house could date as far back as the late 18th century, during an era called the Loyalist period, and in the mid-1800s, this house was the residence of Stephen Dillet, the Bahamas’ first-ever black member of the House of Assembly, as well as a justice of the peace and inspector of the Nassau Police. Today, Balcony House has been restored into a museum where guests can climb the beautiful mahogany staircase and explore the rooms decorated with period furnishings. Admission is free, and donations are accepted.

There are now 35 locations of Eataly, the massive Italian food hall, around the world, with 18 of them in Italy itself. The New York City one at Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street, which opened in 2010, was the first in the United States (it’s been joined by others in Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles, as well as by a second outpost in Manhattan, near the World Trade Center site at 101 Liberty Street). For connoisseurs of all things Italian, this is a must-visit—or, more accurately, a must-shop and must-eat stop. Covering more than 50,000 square feet, Eataly NYC Flatiron includes five different restaurants (plus occasional pop-ups) offering opportunities to graze on antipasti, fish, pizza, and other dishes. A popular rooftop beer hall is open all year round (thanks to space heaters and a retractable roof). While you will want to eat your gelato on the spot, there are also a number of stores where you can buy gifts from biscotti to olive oils to take home a little bit of Italy via New York.

Every day at noon at the Plaza de Armas (also called Plaza Mayor), trumpets blare, drums pound, and cymbals crash as the guard changes outside the presidential palace. Enjoy the Spanish fanfare like a local: from a plaza bench with an ice cream cone. The Plaza is also the site of festivals, concerts, and the much-loved annual National Pisco Day when the fountain spouts free high-proof grape brandy for all.

Michael and I take the lead up a scree-choked stream draining from the Gangjam glacier. Two hours of climbing through talus brings us to ice-blue seracs rising like frozen waveforms from the mottled glacier. An hour further, in the cirque beneath the black wall of Kailash, we begin to sink up to our knees in sun-softened snow. Michael’s altimeter reads 17,500 feet, and above us, the mountain’s north face rises in a 4,000-foot vertical thrust of glazed rock, capped by a treacherous overhanging white cornice. Jaws gone slack, we lift our eyes in awe toward the Throne of Shiva. “How about it, bro? Break out the crampons?” “Jesus! I am not seeing a good route on that wall,” Michael replies, and we both laugh. Kailash remains one of the few legendary mountains on this planet left unclimbed—out of reverence. “And look at that freakin’ cornice!” Michael adds “Nevé ice for sure. Like frost on a windowpane. Won’t hold your points for shit.” There were rumors, nearly a decade ago, that the legendary Austrian mountaineer, Reinhold Messner had surreptitiously planned to bag Kailash, a task which he certainly had the skill and resources to accomplish. But when Messner saw the Precious Snow Mountain for himself, he realized what a desecration it would be to set crampons on its face or boots on its summit. He’s since become a vocal proponent of keeping Kailash off-limits to climbers in perpetuity.

The precariously leaning, step-gabled houses that were joined to form this elegant dining room date back to 1614, and many of their original interiors remain intact, with beautiful delft-tiled walls, wood beams, and wide-plank floors. The restaurant’s name, which translates to “the Silver Mirror,” serves locally sourced ingredients, such as Zeeland mussels, North Sea shrimp, and Dutch beef, with a contemporary flair; the award-winning wine list includes some 225 bottles from around the world. Order à la carte or try one of the tasting menus, which run from four to seven courses and are priced from €49.95 to €79.95 (about $60 to $95) without wine.

You can’t come to Mexico without eating at least one, or 20, tacos. The Mexican staple has an addictive quality, especially with its many preparations at the legendary Tacos Gardenias in downtown Cabo San Lucas. This no-nonsense, frills-free taqueria has been around for more than three decades, perfecting family recipes that go beyond what you might expect. This being Baja, of course there are fish and shrimp varieties. Moving along, you’ll find shredded chicken, beef, carnitas (braised pork), cactus, chicharrón (fried pork rinds), and cochinita pibil (slow-roasted pork) iterations. There’s no wrong time to eat a taco, of course, so Gardenias opens early, at 8 a.m., with all the toppings on hand to get you eating.

In the daylight, tacones (high heels) can be dangerous on cobblestoned streets, but during a night on the town, they’re great for dancing. San Miguel offers something for everyone’s taste. Salsa lessons can be enjoyed at places like Hacienda Guadalupe. Live music, at clubs like VC & Friends and on rooftops like Quince or Bond’s 007 Gin Bar, brings out everyone’s best Travolta moves. The younger set opts for the dance floors at El Grito and Mint, where the velvet rope amps up the Manhattan factor. That said, what happens on the dance floor at Cent’anni (pictured here)—even after a comforting Italian dinner—tends to be much more impromptu, lively, and festive.

The city’s most emblematic daily flea market occupies a couple of old hangars on the road to the Palmeraie. Design-loving Marrakchis and their Western counterparts have haunted it for years, looking for bargains with which to decorate their homes. One section is dedicated exclusively to ancient cedarwood doors and wrought-iron windows—all of which can be shipped for a price—but it’s the smaller shops that offer up the real gems. Every time La Mamounia has been renovated, for example, much of its furniture and accessories end up at Souk el Khemis; it’s said locally that nearly everyone has some piece of memorabilia or other from the hotel in their home. These days it’s rather less reliable in terms of finding something fabulous, and prices have increased as traders have gotten wise to the desirability of tulip tables and chairs, butterfly chairs, and cowry-shell lanterns. But those prepared to dig deep and haggle hard are still likely to come away with a gem or three. Indeed, the main problem with spending a morning at Souk el Khemis is the ensuing need to buy a house to put it all in.

At the palace’s heart is Peristil, an imperial square flanked by two colonnades where Emperor Diocletian once addressed the public. Towering above the square is Split’s landmark, the 57-meter-tall belfry; climb up to take in stellar views over the town. The adjoining St. Domnius Cathedral is housed in an octagonal structure which was once the emperor’s mausoleum (which is rather ironic considering he was a persecutor of Christians).

Visitors to this modern Russian River Valley winery receive a personal greeting and a glass of sparkling wine as they walk up—an appropriate welcome for a relaxed-yet-sophisticated few hours. Most tastings take place in the comfortable and airy Estate House, where all guests enjoy seated tastings under soaring wood ceilings, or outside, on one of three patio terraces overlooking 13 acres of vineyards. Some tastings feature only wine; others incorporate a tour and food and chocolate pairings. Winemaker Heidi Bridenhagen specializes in bordeaux-style varieties, which means she only makes chardonnay and pinot noir. Year after year, the wine earns high scores from experts, and the winery garners accolades for mixing estate-grown grapes with some of the best fruit the Russian River Valley has to offer from farming families such as the Duttons, Sangiacomos, Martinellis, and Bacigalupis. The highlight of the in-person experience is the view; the Estate House sits atop a hill, offering visitors panoramic vistas of Sonoma County in just about every direction. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Mount St. Helena, more than 40 miles east. On gray days, you can look into the fog—the natural feature responsible for keeping temperatures cool and making Russian River wines so good.

Located on the West End of Oklahoma City’s Film Row, 21c Museum Hotel—a 135-room boutique hotel, free contemporary art museum, and home of Mary Eddy’s Kitchen x Lounge—occupies the former Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant.

Local is the ethos at The Craft House. Commissioned by the government in 1982, the store offers a dizzying array of hand-crafted products, though the dolls, straw work, pottery, and leather goods are the best bets. No matter what you choose, you can rest assured that you’ve purchased an authentic souvenir—everything here is made on the island by artists who trained in the store’s educational program.

Located just two miles north of Port Elizabeth, on an 18th-century sugar plantation and working sea salt farm that overlooks Spring Bay, Firefly Bequia has all the sophistication of its sister accommodations on tony Mustique. Scattered along the hillside to maximize ocean views, the four suites and one two-bedroom cottage are outfitted with king-size four-poster beds, indoor-outdoor showers, and rattan ceiling fans that recall the island’s colonial past. Though it’s a five-minute walk to the beach, you’ll spot the remnants of the plantation’s original sugar mill, a croquet lawn and swimming pool, and the hotel’s resident goats along the way. Upon your return, a cocktail in the stone bar, where green bananas hang like chandeliers, is just the thing to ease you into a star-filled night.