Search results for

Once a peninsula connected to mainland St. Thomas, Hassel Island became an island when the Danish government, the colonial power running things in the Virgin Islands at the time, separated the two, the better to improve water circulation through St. Thomas harbor and stop the spread of cholera and malaria. These uncommon beginnings to its status as an “island” are par to the course of Hassel Island’s entire history, though. For a small landmass (135 acres), Hassel has seen more than its fair share of wars, pirates, one rather infamous murder, and various other notable historic events. History buff that I am, of course, I’m fascinated by Hassel Island, especially since it wasn’t until about 10 years ago that any effort was ever made to make its historical treasures accessible to the public! The National Park Service administers Hassel Island these days, so you’ll want to get with them to gain access to the island, as well as info/maps on hiking trails to the various historic points of interest. Active excursions combining kayaking, hiking, and snorkeling in and around Hassel Island can also be arranged via Virgin Islands Ecotours.

North of the Yangtze, it’s all about wheat instead of rice. Named after China’s northeasternmost region, this beloved chain serves hand-rolled wheat dumplings stuffed with savory pork or fresh veggies and boiled until the center is juicy. As delicious as the pork jiaozi are, the vegetarian dumplings might be the real stars: Try the tangy mushroom and bok choy dumpling or the green pepper, cilantro, and white cabbage. Warning: Prices here are scandalously cheap, so you’re probably going to order...a lot. Locals also love the stir-fried eggplant and potatoes (di san xian) and smashed chicken (xiang su ji).

If you visit in the autumn, watch out for the falling apples on the outdoor terrace of this old fondue chalet in the center of the medieval village of Gruyères. Salads are fresh heaps of greens, bouillon is served with or without egg, and platters of AOP-protected (Appellation d’Origine Protégée, or Protected Designation of Origin) dried meats arrive on cutting boards. But since Gruyères is home to Switzerland’s first luxury product, Gruyère cheese, opt for heavy stuff like croûte au fromage (an open-faced grilled-cheese sandwich), gooey raclette served with boiled potatoes, Alpine macaroni and cheese, quiche gruyèrien, and moitié-moitié fondue, made with pungent vacherin and Gruyère cheeses and best washed down with Swiss wines like chasselas. In the winter, don’t miss the fondue vacherin, served melted in its original tree-bark packaging, or the chestnut vermicelles atop a bed of meringue and Gruyère double crème.

Cobá holds what remains of a large pre-Colombian Maya civilization located on the Riviera Maya. Lesser known than Tulum, the name Cobá means turbid (cloudy) waters—probably having to do with the five cenotes (underground rivers) in the region, which played an important role in agriculture during the development of this region. At one time the city is believed to have had 50,000 inhabitants. Much of the area is still unexcavated, although recent excavations unearthed a stele, which is unique to the Maya world, as it is covered in hieroglyphics. A restored ball court confirms that the popular ball game was practiced here. Bloodletting rituals traditionally followed Maya ball games at Cobá and slaves were forced to participate. This differs from what was practiced at the later site of Chichen Itza, where the captain of the winning team was beheaded after the game.

Sustainability is the name of the game at h2hotel in downtown Healdsburg. The building is certified LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council and has a living roof of grass and succulents that filters rainwater to reduce the impact on Healdsburg’s storm-drain system and neighboring Foss Creek. Inside the 36 rooms, sensors turn off lights, fans, and air conditioners when guests leave, and the bamboo flooring is layered with fair-trade, chemical-free rugs. Even the way the hotel approaches in-room beverages is green; instead of plastic water bottles, guests are given recycled glass wine bottles to refill at water stations around the property (there’s at least one on each floor). The hotel isn’t only eco-friendly; it’s swanky, too. Out back, along Foss Creek, a lap pool is an inviting spot to spend a hot and sunny afternoon. In the lobby, the bar at Spoonbar! Restaurant still turns out some of the tastiest craft cocktails in town. All overnight stays include complimentary breakfast and access to the hotel’s collection of Public bikes. There’s also a free yoga class for guests every Sunday morning. Be sure to see the on-site Hand Fan Museum, a passion project for Pam Sher, the matriarch of the family in charge. Also make time for a meal at Oaxacan restaurant Mateo’s Cocina Latina across the street (chef Mateo Granados is married to the owner of the hotel).

A shared love for southern Italian comfort food and a chance encounter in the supermarket drew chefs Antonio d’Alaimo and Ciro Genova into this gastronomic venture. The Italian duo, known to everyone as Ciro and Tony, personally welcome every guest to their small dining room. The menu features, among other things, veal marsala, snapper in wine sauce with fresh tomato and laurel, and tortellini Alessandro (pasta stuffed with chopped ham and cream). A wide-ranging wine list and tempting dessert menu help round out the evening.

While in Italy, you won’t want to miss the medieval hill town of Erice. One of the best things to do while there is take the funivia, or cable car, from Trapani up to this hilltop town for a thrilling 10-minute ride. First Trapani telescopes into view, followed by the harbor and the salt pans to the south, with their sheets of salt in various stages of evaporation, and then the blue mounds of the Aegadian Islands out at sea.


After the ride, enter the city gate and follow the vertical, cobblestone streets to the crest of the hill and the ruins of Castello di Venere, a 12th-century Norman castle. Walk the castle walls for stunning views of Sicily’s north coast, as cove after cove of deep blue water disappears into the horizon.


Once done, head down to the heart of the hill town to explore its small shops and restaurants, such as Ceramica Ericina, which sells traditional handmade Sicilian ceramics. Pieces range from plates and serving dishes to wall decorations, and most are Majolica ceramics, which use a unique enameling process to create brilliantly painted designs.

Built in the 1920s by a Croatian businessman, Palacio Astoreca underwent two years of refurbishment and restoration before opening its doors as a boutique hotel in 2012. The work was carried out to a meticulous degree, maintaining the original parquet floors, and adding splashes of color with art deco furniture and modern art, including one piece by Switzerland’s Frédéric Clot. The stucco-and-brick mansion rises up from the streets of Chile’s port city, Valparaíso, like a piece of red-and-white confectionary.

A statement staircase winds up to the 23 rooms, some of which have stand-alone bathtubs. And the basement level is home to a small spa with an open-air, wood-fueled hot tub set alongside a living wall. The reception level and entrance hall open out onto a terrace where lunch, tea, and cocktails are served, allowing guests prime views over the hilly city and Pacific Ocean. There are quiet corners for those seeking a solitary moment, including a library and a piano bar, which comes to life in the evenings with live music.

The gallery, boutique, and tearooms of Morocco’s most famous living artist, Hassan Hajjaj, is an essential stop for any art lovers staying in the city. Tucked away down a narrow alley behind the Rahba Lakdima (otherwise known as the Place des Épices), it’s like stumbling into a jewel box filled with pop-art treasures. Hajjaj made a name for himself with a series of photographs titled Kech Angels, which depicted local girls on mopeds dressed in eye-popping robes. The collection has been exhibited all over the world in such illustrious venues as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Institut des Cultures d’Islam in Paris, but nowhere beats enjoying the work on home turf. While you’re there, treat yourself to his iconic recycled home and fashion pieces, such as a sardine-can lantern, a pair of babouches (Moroccan slippers) cut from a flour sack, or a stool from an oil drum. And if you hang around for a pot of mint tea in the courtyard, you might even meet the man himself.

In a city packed with new construction, this Art Deco landmark remains a fixture of the Huangpu River—just as it has for more than eight decades. A favorite of visiting celebs and dignitaries, the Fairmont Peace Hotel is divided into North and South buildings. Complete with a copper-sheathed roof, Italian marble floors, and Lalique glass artwork, the 1920s North building—known as Sassoon House for its British businessman owner Sir Victor Sassoon—was once home to the Cathay Hotel; guests included Charlie Chaplin, George Bernard Shaw, and Noël Coward, who completed Private Lives here. The 1850s Renaissance South Building, formerly the Palace Hotel and once the tallest structure on Nanjing Road, was occupied by the Japanese during World War II. The two buildings combined to become the Peace Hotel in 1965, operating continuously until closing in 2007 for an overhaul of the exterior, interiors, lobby, and guest rooms by Hirsch Bedner Associates.

Today, Art Deco influences and romantic flourishes are evident throughout the 270 rooms and suites, many of which boast Bund views. Fairmont Gold rooms come with private check-in and lounge access, while the each of the opulent Nine Nations Suites is named for a different country and features corresponding décor. The Dragon Phoenix and Cathay Room serve Shanghainese–Cantonese and European cuisine, respectively, and the legendary Jazz Bar takes you back to a 1920s-era private club. After a day spent exploring the city or shopping along nearby Nanjing Road, take refuge in the Willow Stream Spa, which has 11 treatment rooms and a skylight-lit pool.

Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar may be a global tourist trap, but isn’t nearly as rage-inducing as the squawking group tours inside the Grand Bazaar. Here, a remnant of authenticity lives on in this 17th century building, created by commission for Sultana Turhan Hatice. Visually-arresting piles of spices and Turkish delight, and rows of pushy men, make for a wild afternoon of souvenir shopping and colorful conversation. Inside the Ucuzcular stall the sellers are friendly and happy to let you browse. A bag of “love tea” ensures romance in a pot. In that vein, on my way through the bazaar, a man trotted up to me and said, “Excuse me. I think you dropped something...” I looked puzzled. He smiled and theatrically clutched his chest, "...my heart.” He probably does that for all the Westerners, but I pretended it was as real as the magic in the spices.

Barista Parlor introduced artisanal coffee to Nashville when it opened its lofty, art-filled space in a former auto repair garage in 2012, serving top-notch small-batch roasters from around the country such as Counter Culture, Intelligentsia, and Stumptown. Two local outposts later, the company has evolved into a roaster-retailer, importing and roasting its own coffee beans for the first time. Try the zesty, fruity Daredevil or the cocoa-inflected Golden Sound while you take in the interiors, which pay homage to Tennessean talent: Doughnuts come from nearby bakers including Five Daughters Bakery in Franklin, and an enormous pixelated mural of a ship by Nashville artist Bryce McCloud covers the back wall.

For many scuba divers, one of the most iconic spots in the Bahamas is the underwater area where a cargo ship and a prop airplane were used in underwater scuba scenes for Sean Connery–era James Bond movies. Located off the coast of New Providence, the dive site is simply called the Bond Wrecks because both can be explored in a single dive. The first is a mock-up of an airplane that was used as the Vulcan bomber in the movie Thunderball, while the other is a 90-foot Tears of Allah tugboat used in Never Say Never Again, which sits upright and intact in about 40 feet of crystal-clear water.

El Farallon clings to the cliff-side above the Pacific’s crashing waves. So close is the surf that a light sea spray may even help salt your fish (not that it’s needed). Presented market-style on ice, the day’s catch is displayed for diners to select for their meal. A banquet of soups, appetizers, sides, and sauces complement the simple freshness of the sea-to-table main dish. Illuminated only by candles, stars, and the rising moon, the dramatic setting is ripe for romantic celebrations and surprises.

San Juan’s Condado neighborhood is Puerto Rico’s version of Miami Beach. It’s a great place for beach-lounging and people-watching, with a multitude of bars, cafés and resorts along the sand. Be aware that the water can get rough in places, so use caution when swimming. La Ventana al Mar Park sits right on the beach, and the footpath along the jetty offers great views up and down the waterfront.