Search results for

Azul de Oaxaca Hotel + Galeria is among the numerous lodging options in the city’s colonial Centro neighborhood, but the aesthetic of this hotel tends more toward the contemporary, even though it is housed within one of the city’s typical 18th-century buildings. Respect for the centuries-old style is evident in the preservation of the building and courtyard. Rooms, though, are decorated with contemporary art and furnishings. Guests can enjoy a number of common areas, including a library, chapel, gallery and gift shop, patio lined with tall cacti, and rooftop terrace bar. On Sundays, guests are invited to enjoy local specialties, including quesadillas, at the on-site restaurant, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week.

LockCha offers traditional tea service and vegetarian dim sum in a stunning colonial-era building with elegant furnishings, carved wooden panels, and framed calligraphy on the walls. When it first opened in 1991, it was a simple tea shop, but over the years, it evolved into a haven for tea lovers and connoisseurs, and an important player in the revival of the traditional Cantonese teahouse. From the start, LockCha’s discerning founder, Mr. Wing-chi Ip, did things differently from other shops, buying his tea directly from farmers and focusing on unblended, pure, single-harvest tea. This attracted attention and loyal customers. Today, LockCha not only sells more than 100 different teas but also designs and sells tea wares—teapots, cups, canisters, and so on. There are also concerts every Saturday night, and tea and calligraphy classes on weekdays.

This recently restored 18th-century Federal-style home and gardens was owned by General George and Katherine Marshall from 1941 to 1959, a time where he would experience his most illustrious achievements. One of only five men to receive the rank of Five-Star General, he was architect of the Normandy invasion during World War II, served as Army Chief of Staff, Secretary of Defense, Special Ambassador to China, and as Secretary of State created the Marshall Plan, the post-World War II economic rehabilitation plan for Europe for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Tours of the home are provided where 90% of the furnishings, personal effects, and memorabilia are original belonging to the Marshalls’ such as Chinese paintings from friends General and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek.

Shopping is a hobby for some of the incredibly rich and maybe famous who sail into Monaco‘s harbor. The Pavillons Monte Carlo is an otherworldly shopping center where Madame can dress from head to toe starting with a tiara! More down to earth luxury budgets may be satisfied at Le Dressing consignment shop. Très design souvenirs can be found in the gift shops at the Nouveau Musée Nationale de Monaco contemporary art museums and the Monaco Yacht Club. Foodies will find their pleasure with the Pavé du Rocher, a sweet available at the official supplier to the Prince, bakery Mullot. Check your change as you go, you may be one of the lucky few to receive a rare Monaco-designed euro. The most modest budgets can have their passport stamped at the tourist office as a free keepsake of their visit. Photo (tiara) : Sylvia Sabes Photo (pavillons) : Palais Princier/ Monte Carlo Société des Bains de Mer

The flavors and textures of a banh mi—crispy, chewy, spicy, sweet, tangy with ingredients of mayonnaise, pâté, pork (or sometimes chicken or tofu), pickled vegetables, cilantro, and chili, all piled into a crusty baguette—help to explain the allure of this iconic Vietnamese sandwich, and why it’s been successfully replicated at restaurants around the world, from New York to Sydney. Hoi An has many fine banh mi sellers, but among the top two are undoubtedly the holes-in-the-wall Madam Khanh (or Madam Queen) on Tran Cao Van Street and the always-busy Banh Mi Phuong on Phan Chu Trinh, popularized by Anthony Bourdain in his program No Reservations.

London is home to some of the world’s top restaurants and greatest chefs, as well as a diverse ethnic culinary scene and a seemingly endless supply of gastropubs and pop-ups. So throw away tired cliché’s about British food and embrace the best foodie experiences in London. Sample the culinary delights of East London, explore traditional and trendy markets and support the emerging farm to table scene with these excellent restaurants and foodie experiences that visitors to the city won’t want to miss.

From the morning’s first jolt of espresso through the evening’s final sip of Tuscan wine, your tastebuds will be happy and engaged the whole time you’re in Florence. You’ve come to a city where cooking pasta is a fine art and where lunch at a tripe stand can be followed by the creamiest gelato you’ve ever tasted. Let others stand in line to see Michelangelo’s David—you’ve got another meal to eat.

A boom of new restaurants, especially along 14th Street, has made eating in D.C. more satisfying the ever. Case in point: Ryan Ratino’s Bresca, which shakes off any notions of capital city stodginess with its thrillingly unusual flavor combinations. Among the Michelin stars and celebrity chefs, you’ll find a global culinary perspective, from Ethiopian to Western Thai to Greek. D.C. also continues to champion local seafood and maintain tradition at its taverns.

With more than 400 shipwrecks and its fair share of coral reefs, St. Kitts is a favorite of the scuba set. To try your hand at the hobby, consider staying at Bird Rock Beach Hotel, which houses one of the island’s most popular dive operators. Here, guests can charter a boat to nearby Devil’s Cave and swim among barracuda, lobsters, and nurse sharks, then retire to one of 46 tropical-hued rooms overlooking the sea. Less adventurous travelers can visit the on-site dolphin park, sunbathe on the private beach, or simply sip rum punches from the pool’s swim-up bar. Hotel staff is also happy to arrange off-site activities like catamaran cruises, rainforest treks, and volcano crater tours.

Also known as the Reunification Palace, this Vietnamese landmark was constructed on the site of an old French-colonial governor’s residence. It has a remarkably varied past; it housed Japanese officials during World War II and was later the home of the president of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The imposing, broad, angular building played a seminal role in Vietnamese history: It was here on April 30, 1975, in an episode that came to be known as the Fall of Saigon, that a North Vietnamese army tank smashed through the gates, symbolically ending the Vietnam War. A tour of the palace is a step back decades in time—you’ll encounter grand, formal rooms used as banquet halls, reception rooms, and government offices. You can also navigate through basement tunnels and former bunkers.

A stunning combination of rock formations, pristine beaches, sloping mountains, and the glittering East Vietnam Sea surround this dreamy resort—so it’s no surprise that many of its key activities revolve around nature. Depending on the season, scuba diving, mountain hiking, and sailing are big draws, but you can enjoy sunset cruises, kayaking, beach yoga, and early-morning fishing excursions with the chef any time of year. Excursions to Nha Trang, the countryside, the Cai River mud baths, and more can also be arranged, but there’s plenty on property to keep guests occupied—not least the spacious villas, many of which are set along the cliff tops or beach and feature private pools. The Six Senses brand (which also oversees a sister Vietnamese property in the Con Dao marine park) highlights wellness, holistic living, and sustainability, and you’ll find plenty of evidence of that here, from the local organic produce used in the restaurants and bars to the traditional therapies and integrated wellness programming offered at the spa. Other can’t-miss activities include a private dinner in the mountain-set wine cave and an aerial yoga session—but maybe not in that order.

Why we love it: An art-filled property that could only exist in Boise

The Highlights:
- Themed guest rooms that look great on Instagram
- An award-winning Italian restaurant
- An impressive art collection that lends a local feel

The Review:
Some upscale hotels feel impersonal, but not the 110-room Inn at 500 Capitol, which approaches interior design with refreshing whimsy. Its 57 themed rooms highlight various hobbies and interests, from the “Flicks Room” with movie star portraits and velvet ropes, to the “Best Friend Room” with dog sculptures and wildlife art. Even the “Standard” rooms are anything but, thanks to gas fireplaces, private balconies, and daybeds built beneath picture windows overlooking the Boise skyline. Hotel staff restock each room’s complimentary snack bar as it’s depleted, and more goodies await in the lobby, including complimentary beer and wine.

Making the inn even more desirable is Richard’s, the on-site restaurant run by Boise icon and James Beard–nominated chef Richard Langston that serves masterful renditions of classic Italian pastas and meats paired with Idaho-grown produce. The hotel also doubles as an art gallery (owner Brian Obie is an avid collector and painter in his own right), with a rotating array of works on loan from the Boise Art Museum, plus permanent pieces by Boise artist JanyRae Seda in the lobby. The kaleidoscopic chandelier that hangs above the entryway and the colorful sconces that fill the hotel are the work of another local artist, Filip Vogelpohl, while the stand of sculpted trees outside—a collaboration between Boise artists Ken McCall, Mark Baltes, and Leslie Dixon—turns the hotel’s doorstep into a city landmark.

The Shanghai Race Club, built by the British in the 1800s, is a lingering reminder that horseraces were once held here, just south of Nanjing Road. Opened to the public in the 1950s, this green refuge charms with landscaped traditional gardens and a reflecting pond with fish and pink lotus blossoms. It’s also a prime spot for people watching. Locals turn up to do tai chi exercises, play cards, and scope out the Marriage Market. Parents hoping to attract a suitable spouse wait under colorful umbrellas pinned with notes listing each child’s age, occupation, family values, and even zodiac sign. Photo by Ira Smirnova.

What started as a hobby by Fred Koehler and his wife back in 1975, has turned into something that we all now reap the benefits of. Lynfred Winery was founded in 1979 in Illinois, of all places. Urged by some to take his talents to California, Fred refused to leave his roots and set up shop in Middle America. Over the years Lynfred has produced some award-winning vino, some of which you can sample in their tasting room in Wheeling. Grab a glass or a bottle and make yourself comfortable on the grassy lawn outside, or settle into a comfy chair in the tasting room/wine shop inside. Varietals range from Pinot Grigio to Viognier all the way to Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Grapes are sourced from all over, with an abundance from California, and even a few from Washington and Chile as well. A visit to Lynfred Winery is the perfect way to while away a couple of hours over a nice glass (or two) of wine.