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Why we love it: A stunning eco-resort where style meets sustainability

Highlights:
- Villas attendants who double as adventure concierges
- A treehouse-style spa
- A reputation for balancing nature and luxury

The Review:
An award-winning boutique resort, Secret Bay serves exquisite style, service, and seclusion just a 10-minute drive from Portsmouth on Dominica’s northwestern coast. The luxury property has no communal spaces, beyond the decks, beaches, a riverside yoga pavilion, and the Zing Zing restaurant. Instead, guests retreat to six elegant villas and bungalows, fully stocked with their choice of goodies. Conceptualized by Venezuelan architect Fruto Vivas, villas fuse high design, local craftsmanship, and sustainably sourced materials like Guyanese hardwood. Guests can look forward to plunge pools, gourmet kitchens, pillow hammocks, and furniture carved from red cedar, along with high-tech touches like Apple TVs and Sonos Bluetooth speakers.

Committed to sustainability, owner Gregor Nassief helped site Secret Bay’s villas to preserve the rainforest and oversaw construction of the entire resort without any heavy machinery. The property also plants vetiver to strengthen its cliff location and has applied to create a marine reserve in the waters below, where parrotfish flit among the coral. Explore them with the complimentary kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, snorkeling gear, dry bags, and GoPros on offer, or head to the treehouse-style spa, which gazes down on the cove and offers treatments like massages with custom-blended local oils. Guests can also opt to create their own culinary masterpieces or have the chef’s choice delivered by their attendant, who also serves as their housekeeper and adventure concierge.

Over the next few years, Secret Bay will slowly expand to 50 villas, hidden among the neighboring 27-acre valley and ridge. In the meantime, swim to the resort’s waterline cave or paddle a kayak to the soft, golden Secret Bay beach. Though open to the public, like all Dominica’s coast, the beach sees very few visitors, meaning you might very well be the only one there.

This industrial-chic eatery has a covered patio and floor-to-ceiling doors that welcome good weather inside, all overlooking the ocean on Dominica’s east coast. Pagua Bay puts a strong emphasis on seasonal, farm-to-table fare—a commitment made trickier by Hurricane Maria’s destruction in autumn 2017. Still, the restaurant continues to serve reliable American fare with Caribbean twists, including ceviche, goat tacos, chicken Creole, and mahi-mahi salsa. Wash it all down with a frosty beer or coconut rum punch.

Located just across the street from the main library for Humboldt University, this hipster cafe is a great place for a cup of coffee or a light lunch. With free Wi-Fi (though no power outlets) it’s a good place to do a bit of work or read a book.


You won’t find many tourists in here, despite being just blocks away from the always tourist Friedrichstrasse. It’s a perfect little escape. And the coffee is excellent too!

This unpretentious and welcoming old-fashioned restaurant is a favorite with locals and tourists alike, and many guests are regulars. The elegant interior design features traditional linens on tables and modern art on brick walls, and the dining space is split into multiple small rooms as well as an outdoor patio. The food is local, with a selection of Venetian classics such as Canastrelli scallops and grilled orata fish (bream) with zucchini sauce. The pasta is homemade, and beyond fish and seafood, there are plenty of meat choices. The wine list is carefully curated by one of the owners. Service is friendly and efficient.

The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul overlooks the bends of the Bosphorus from a superb central location just a short stroll from Taksim Square. Classically styled rooms come with feather beds and 300-thread-count linens. Turkey’s famed Iznik tiles add splashes of Ottoman splendor to the marble bathrooms, where guests scrub away a long journey with gorgeously scented Asprey bath products.

A key destination for spa fans, the spa includes the city’s first exclusive Turkish bath made especially for couples. With its finger on the pulse of the luxury spa scene, the hotel is also home to Istanbul’s first outdoor spa-terrace, where sightseeing-weary guests can relax in Jacuzzis, indulge in a massage, or simply sunbathe beside the pool while soaking up the city views.

Food lovers can tuck into sun-drenched Mediterranean flavors at Atelier Real Food and join Istanbul’s in-the-know crowd for a lazy brunch here on Sundays. Close to both Taksim and the chic shopping district of Nişantaşı, yet still an easy 15-minute journey by public transit into the heart of the historic district, the Ritz-Carlton allows guests to experience the best of both old and new Istanbul.

It’s easy to see why Jade Mountain is consistently ranked St. Lucia’s most romantic hotel. Rising high above the sea and offering an unparalleled view of the Pitons, the hotel features adults-only rooms with an open concept (the so-called “sanctuaries” are missing a fourth wall), equally dramatic alfresco baths, and private jewel-toned infinity pools with otherworldly vistas. (The resort was also the backdrop for a season finale of The Bachelor.) James Beard Award–winner Allen Susser prepares the food of love in the on-site restaurant using ingredients cultivated in the resort’s private organic farm, and a rotating schedule of weekly classes, from rum tastings to a tandoori cooking lesson, encourages shared experiences. Guests also have access to the rendezvous-worthy beaches and spa of sister property Anse Chastanet, located just down the hill.

Located in the wine-growing region of Oberbergen, this long-running restaurant earned a Michelin star way back in 1969—and has held firmly to it ever since. Owner Fritz Keller’s family has been producing and importing wines since the 19th century, and Schwarzer Adler is very much an oenophile’s spot, with a list that spans around 2,500 labels (including bottles from the Keller estate as well as other European wines, with a focus on Burgundy and Bordeaux). The Francophile menu—designed by long-standing chef Anibal Strubinger (who continues to support the team alongside new head chef Christian Baur)—perfectly complements the wines, with dishes like liver pâté, lobster, and poulet Bresse with black truffles. Adding to the food’s classic feel, the dining rooms are old-fashioned and intimate, with wood-paneled walls and vintage tiled stoves. Service is friendly and efficient, and there’s a small terrace for dining outdoors in nice weather.

After years of development, San Antonio’s revived Pearl Brewery district is now a hotbed of activity, with an array of restaurants, shops, and residential buildings, plus an outpost of the Culinary Institute of America housed in a former 19th-century brewery. At its core is the 146-room Hotel Emma, set in the complex’s former brew house, and named for the wife of the original brewer. Envisioned by noted design firm Roman and Williams, the décor melds salvaged items with lots of rich woods, buttery leathers, and handwoven textiles, resulting in spaces that are warm and cushy. Adding to that cozy feel are higher-level rooms that feature claw-foot tubs or fireplaces, a bi-level library stocked with over 3,700 tomes, and the clubby Sternewirth Bar, which serves potent cocktails in an old fermentation silo. Food is also a focus here—in addition to Chef John Brand’s Supper, serving farm-fresh New American fare, and Larder, a café and gourmet market set in the former fermentation cellars, the hotel offers a Culinary Concierge to help connect guests to the best of San Antonio’s booming food scene.

Noma, consistently ranked as one of the world’s best restaurants, closed in 2016, but its impact on dining in Copenhagen has been profound. Many chefs who worked there have since launched their own restaurants, including two who opened Bror. It’s a small space with big ambitions—expect astonishing food made from the best local produce. The five-course menu costs 625 kroner ($100), with wine pairings an additional 450 kroner ($72). There are also some memorable snacks. Don’t miss the bull testicles with tartar sauce or the cod head with cabbage wrap.

Qibao, in Chinese, means ‘seven treasures’. And a treasure it is. The closest water town to Shanghai, it holds both the charm of an ancient, canal-traversed village as well as one of the most famous food streets in Shanghai. Head to Qibao Old Street for a culinary tour de force. And while you shouldn’t leave without sampling the Hai Tang Gao (rice cakes with a red bean filling) or--if your nose can handle it--the stinky tofu, there’s more to this little water town than the snacks. Round out your cultural venture with a shadow play show, a trip to the Qibao Temple or even a cricket fight. How to get here: Jump on Line 9 to Qibao Station and take exit 2 to reach the old town.

El Charro sits in a converted set of historic houses & buildings a block off Tucson’s old town district—the same location where it began serving food in 1922. We had lunch here, at a big old wooden table in a warmly decorated dining room. Ask to be seated inside, or else in the garden, if the weather’s amenable. It’s a bit cold and dim in the front of the restaurant. I had an amazing vegetarian burrito, stuffed with roasted veggies, avocado and a green corn tamale. The others went for the excellent chimichangas, reputedly invented here (you can read the story on the menu). The special-brewed beer, an amber, was great, the salsa verde addictive, the decor a great talking point.

Barba offers a fresh take on fast food, serving tasty items like octopus and shrimp burgers, anchovy sandwiches, and fried calamari, all made with today’s catch. Located on a small side street off Stradun, the shop is tiny and friendly—the perfect pit stop during a day of Dubrovnik sightseeing. Snag the prime table by the front window and watch the rivers of people entering town through the Buža Gate as you eat. Then, be sure to contribute to the restaurant’s growing collection of wooden forks, on which customers from all over the world write messages commemorating their travels.

After strolling Storm King Art Center or DIA Beacon, Tarry Lodge is the perfect stop on your way back to New York City. Mario Batali opened it up as a neighborhood restaurant for the Port Chester crowd and a go-to for out-of-town Manhattanites who love his Italian comfort food. Don’t miss the clam, chili, and oregano or pistachio and goat cheese pizzas. Waits can be long so if you’re trying to beat traffic just get take out from their curbside service.

Touting itself as “killer burgers and manly drinks,” Urban Stack is an upscale bar food restaurant that just happens to be LEED certified. Choose from one of their signature burgers, with selections like standard beef burgers, alongside lamb, chicken, turkey and veggie patties. Urban Stack also prides themselves on their bar, which leans heavily on bourbon and, of course, “Tennessee whiskey.” Try the Dixie 8, made with Chattanooga Whiskey. The renovated Southern Railway Baggage Building is the best place to enjoy a cocktail in Chattanooga.

The warm, handsome dining room at Terra is situated high enough for sweeping Santa Fe sunsets and glorious mountain silhouettes. Helmed by chef Andrew Cooper, the food is contemporary American and Southwestern, from tortilla soup to pan-seared scallops to a zesty green chili braised short rib. After your meal, visit the mod, circular outdoor fire pit and wind down with a nightcap. The cool inside bar has a great wall of old black-and-white photos, including one with visiting actor and cowboy Robert Redford.