Search results for

Designed by Thai architect Khun Lek Bunnag—who has garnered a reputation for building luxury resorts that highlight the natural beauty of southeast Asia (Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai; Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve)—the centerpiece of this peaceful boutique property is a 330-foot swimming pool that’s anchored by four massive gold-leaf columns and meanders through a forest-backed eight-acre garden. Vast domed and wood-covered rooms are controlled with iPads and express a fusion of modern Thai and Indian aesthetics—think sleek marble surfaces, whimsical panelled walls, and silk throw pillows. Guests are mostly couples and child-free travelers unfazed by the freestanding bathtubs that sit next to king-size beds and showers separated from sleeping areas by glass sliding doors. The many unfenced walkways over the swimming pool and other water features make the hotel unsuitable for very young children, though older kids might appreciate outdoor movie screenings.

You’d be hard pressed to find a more stylish stay downtown than The Joule. The independently owned hotel is spread out over three interconnected buildings—a classic revival-style from 1913, a former Salvation Army built in 1911, and a neo-Gothic onetime bank—which have been integrated under the direction of renowned interior designer Adam D. Tihany. His touch can also be seen in the 161 rooms and suites, each decorated with serene jewel or earth tones, contemporary furniture, hand-picked art and photography, and plenty of natural light from oversized windows. Frette bedding, glass-enclosed showers and soaking tubs, and 47-inch flat-screens equipped with Apple TV round out the comfortable digs. You’ll spy pieces from the hotel’s extensive art collection in the public spaces, as well as the outdoor sculpture garden across the street. The block-deep lobby buzzes with an outpost of Weekend Coffee (using Victrola beans flown in weekly from Seattle), a library curated by TASCHEN, and chic boutiques like TenOverSix and Traffic LA, while the popular CBD Provisions draws a local crowd with its modern Texas fare and regional drinks list. The 8,000-square-foot subterranean spa features a vitality pool, crystal steam room, and glass-walled sauna to enjoy before or after treatments, and there’s also a fitness center with a cycling studio and group classes. Two things not to miss: the original historic bank vault in the lobby, and the much-Instagrammed rooftop pool, which cantilevers eight feet off the side of the building.

I took this image the first morning I woke up at the Karia Bel’ Hotel in Bozburun, Turkey (a small, quiet town of about 2000). The Aegean Sea was like glass, so still. There was a perfect reflection of the sailboat. It was a moment!

Iconic chef Roy Yamaguchi helped popularize Hawaiian-fusion food a generation ago, but at Eating House 1849 he takes a delicious detour with dishes inspired by Portuguese, Spanish, and Filipino flavors. This “plantation cuisine” evokes the immigrant dishes served in the mid-1800s, when the state’s first restaurant—a Honolulu establishment called Eating House—opened (according to legend). Yamaguchi brings some serious chops to the table: He trained at the Culinary Institute of America before serving as executive chef in Los Angeles‘s La Serene and winning a James Beard Award. The menu shifts seasonally, according to what farmers, foragers, ranchers, and fishermen produce. Expect delicacies like a beef-and-wild-boar burger and pork lumpia with green papaya. Cap it all off with cinnamon-dusted malasadas (Portuguese doughnuts) with Koloa Rum sauce!

Located in the Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, the Saltos de Petrohué (or Petrohué Falls) is a waterfall surrounded by verdant woodland with paths to explore if you feel adventurous. You can get close to the water on a small bridge (but if you intend to, we suggest wearing shoes with a good grip). In addition to the falls, there are dramatic views of the peak of the Osorno volcano. The falls are a popular day trip so don’t expect a quiet communion with nature and instead appreciate that you are sharing the stunning sight with so many fellow travelers.

Give yourself at least a few good hours to explore the gorgeous Jacques-Cartier National Park, which sits less than 45 minutes from downtown Quebec City. Packed with trails that highlight both the peaks and the valleys that surround the Jacques-Cartier river, the park also offers guided kayaking trips, trails for snowshoeing, and even has cabins for rent if you decide to stay the night on her stunning grounds.

This 30-square-kilometer (11-square-mile) protected habitat is located in the northeastern part of Saint Martin. Walking trails traverse the varied landscape, and there’s a wooden path through the mangroves, a winding passage over the arid forest, plus multiple lakes and a beach. Among the wildlife are tropical birds as well as iguanas and sea turtles. The surrounding waters are also protected, and dive outfitters provide snorkeling gear and instruction.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park was created through the cooperation of the governments of Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. Their cooperation has united several smaller fragmented parks into a larger border-less area for wildlife to roam. Highlights include viewing predators like cheetah, hyena and black-manned lions, along with bat eared foxes, meerkats, wildebeest, and other species. One of the best camps on the South African side is Kieliekrankie. It’s an unfenced campsite located towards the middle of the park located on the top of a dune. Four self-catering cabins come with a kitchen and outdoor grill. There is a ranger on-hand to help check you in and oversee your stay in the event some curious leopards or jackals come to visit your cabin. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a big park and a lot of the roads are corrugated, so a 4x4 vehicle is strongly recommended (but not necessary). Make sure to stop at Twee Rivieren with your passport if you plan on exiting through Namibia or entering Botswana.

Fancy yourself a brave one, do ye? Aye, aye, then the Cliffs of Moher are right up your alley. Ireland‘s most popular tourist destination does not disappoint, though visiting during the middle of the day means you’re going to have to share the walking paths with plenty of other folk - most of them American visitors in their finest Notre Dame Fighting Irish t-shirts. Come early in the morning or late in the afternoon and you’ll have the cliffs, beautiful light, and ancient rock monsters all to yourself. That’s right; rock monsters. That’s one giving tourists the finger right there in the ocean.

In 794 C.E., Emperor Kammu moved Japan’s capital to Kyoto, chiefly to keep the large Buddhist monasteries in the former capital of Nara from amassing even more power than they already had. (The capital and emperor moved to Tokyo in 1868.) The present imperial palace dates back to 1855, and it’s not the buildings that stand out but the extremely beautiful gardens and park, which is the city center’s main green space. Travelers need to obtain permission to visit the palace from the Imperial Household Agency, but the park is open to all. The plum trees and cherry blossoms bloom in March and April, and all year round the park attracts joggers, cyclists, walkers, and picnickers.

A beautiful 15,000-acre park in Israel’s Negev Desert, north of Eilat, Timna Park offers visitors spectacular views of the arid desert landscape and ancient geological formations. One highlight is the copper mine at Mount Timna, which scientists and historians consider to be the world’s very first. At least 6,000 years ago, the area was mined by ancient Egyptians by order of their pharaoh, as well as by Israelites under the rule of King Solomon. Tours of the park, including highly recommended bike tours, are available daily, as is zip-lining, pedal-boating on the artifical lake, and the Timna Safari Shuttle, which leaves from Eilat.

Situated on the Lyngen Fjord, this timber lodge is well suited for boat skiing. From March through May, a skipper ferries guests to nearby islands, where they hike up peaks and ski back to the beach.

To get a feel for Kerala’s rich and layered history, head to Fort Kochi. Once a small fishing village in pre-colonial times, this area—now the historic old town neighborhood of the city of Kochi—belonged to the Portuguese for much of the 16th and 17th centuries, then to the Dutch for a little over a century, then to the British until India’s independence in 1947. For all that time, the waterside spot served as an important port along the spice route, with Chinese and Arabian traders sailing through to pick up sandalwood, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, and other local goods. Today, Fort Kochi features myriad reminders of all who have lived and worked here: the Dutch cemetery, Koonan Kurish Old Syrian Church, and the 16th-century St. Francis Church, the Mattancherry Palace (aka the Dutch Palace), colonial Parade Grounds, still-in-use Chinese fishing nets, and the painted tiled-lined Paradesi Synagogue, built in 1567 and considered the oldest active synagogue in the commonwealth. The Indo-Portuguese Museum and Southern Naval Command Maritime Museum provide more context, while Fort Kochi Beach—with its colonial-era bungalows, Arabian Sea strand, and food stalls peddling the day’s fresh catch—draws both locals and tourists. Architecture buffs will love historic sites like Thakur House, Bastion Bungalow, and David Hall, many of which can be spotted from a stroll along breezy Church Road.

This beautiful Parisian cemetery is on the Boulevard de Menilmontant and next to the Metro station Philippe August, in the 20th arrondissement. Upon entrance to the main gate, grab a map so not to get too lost. The art work on the memorials and the stories behind the names on the headstones inspire a mood of great tragedy and romance. The locals call it the la cite des morts (the city of the dead). The cemetery makes the ideal place to explore if you’ve seen a lot of Paris before and want to dig a bit deeper. Seek out the tombs of 1) Oscar Wilde (for all of those declarations and kisses left behind); 2) Georges Rodenbach, a Belgian writer and poet of the 19th century with a breathtaking tomb; 3) Victor Noir, who became more famous in death (by duel) than life. Seek the answer to the riddle of why his tomb is seen as good luck for fertility You’ll also see the gravesite of Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas, buried side by side in a testament to their love. The list of the celebrity dead goes on and includes Gericault, Piaf, Chopin, Heloise and Abelard. Even Jim Morrison. An afternoon here is guaranteed to leave you grateful for the treasures you found but weren’t expecting.

Bougainville Park is a tranquil, tropical oasis in the middle of the Papeete’s concrete jungle. Stretching from Boulevard Pomare to Rue du General de Gaulle, it makes for a lush and cool picnic (or roulettes take-away) spot. If you’re traveling with the kids there’s a playground here, and there are often floral, cultural and artistic displays on the grounds.