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One of Austin’s top boutique hotels—and among the first in the trendy East Austin neighborhood—the Heywood Hotel feels more like an achingly cool designer friend’s house than a hotel, and in the best possible way. The husband-and-wife team renovated and expanded upon a 1920s Craftsman bungalow and outfitted each room with his handmade furniture, and art and textiles by local artisans. They also added the most comfortable beds they could find, Kevin Murphy’s Kakadu plum hair products, and Internet jukeboxes (a necessity in music-loving Austin). No, there isn’t a restaurant, or even a bar, but there’s a front porch and a courtyard patio where you could eat local snacks, sip beers, or try “Heywood blend” coffee. Complimentary bicycles are available, and a team of local experts on staff who have an endless supply of suggestions for drinking, dining, and exploring in the up-and-coming neighborhood—just like a friend would.

If you go south along the shore, past Miraflores and Barranco, you will reach Chorrillos. While not part of many tourist itineraries, it’s a quaint, off-the-beaten-path seaside area offering marvelous ocean views and sandy strolls. It’s also great for real-deal ceviche, sold right on the beach at cute, family-owned stalls. You can’t taste fresher seafood, but since these kitchens are not the gleaming steel labs found in upscale eateries, be sure to patronize places where you see lots of locals lining up. Bird-watchers love Pantanos de Villa, a wildlife refuge in Chorrillos that’s home to more than 170 avian species.

On the first Saturday of the month, locals shop for vintage apparel and antique home decor at this flea market.

Few visitors venture to Duncans Bay, a small town in northern Jamaica, halfway between Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. But its public beach, called Fisherman’s, is one of the best for a local vibe. The scenery is straight out of an old Caribbean postcard: kids play in the distance, colorful fishermen canoes rest on shore, and a ramshackle bar along the wide golden sands attracts the usual neighbors. Show up mid-afternoon, when the grill and some background music get started, while the waves splash and the sun prepares to set. The slow rhythm of this area, away from the resorts, vendors, and tourist trails, will make you want to stay for hours. No problem—there are local guesthouses a stone’s throw away.

A favorite with the locals, especially government workers at lunch, this place is always packed, and with good reason. For $10 or less for an authentic and delicious lunch special (with a drink), this place is a steal. Try the asopao de camarones (shrimp soup with vegetables and saffron rice) with a side of tostones (mashed and fried plantains) and ask for the local hot sauce, pique, a smoking mixture of habañero peppers, black peppercorns, spices, and oil and vinegar. Service is reasonably fast and the waiters are friendly, but certain times of day (12-1pm weekdays, and 6-8pm on weekends) can be impossible for getting a table. Reserve ahead, or be prepared to wait in the plaza nearby.

When Freehand launched in Miami at the end of 2012, it became a welcome alternative to the city’s glitzy hotel scene. The retro-inspired, summer-camp-style hotel is housed in a 1930s building outfitted with vintage furnishings and wood paneling by New York design firm Roman and Williams. Laid-back activities (art classes, yoga) encourage mingling, while the Broken Shaker cocktail lounge has become a local hangout and earned two James Beard Award nominations.

Freehand Miami bills itself as “a hostel for a new generation of travelers.” Indeed, a visit here confirms that it’s very far from the stereotypical dingy hostel. In fact, were it not for the shared rooms, the Freehand would likely fall into the “boutique hotel” category.

Room decor includes vividly colorful modern art and Mexican blankets, and free Wi-Fi is available. There are also private rooms that come with work desks and flat-screen TVs. The complimentary breakfast is popular with guests and includes Cuban pastries and locally roasted Panther coffee. Evenings are well-spent at the hostel’s on-site bar, the Broken Shaker, which in 2014 was listed #22 on Drinks International’s World’s 50 Best Bars list. It specializes in inventive “garden-to-glass” cocktails, which blend familiar spirits with unique homemade bitters and ingredients that aren’t usually found in cocktails, such as green bean juice.
One could argue that the stylish, affordable hotel trend was actually ushered in by a pop-up craft cocktail bar in the courtyard of a defunct historic hotel just north of the South Beach fray. Five years later, The Broken Shaker is a permanent fixture of Miami Beach nightlife and the anchor of The Freehand Miami, a hip hotel-cum-hostel with both private and shared rooms designed by Roman & Williams in a subtle nautical theme. It’s also home to 27 Restaurant serving seasonal farm-to-table fare inspired by Miami’s melting pot of cultures. Perennially popular amongst locals, it should be at the top of every traveler’s list. The concept’s proven such a hit that they’ve recently opened hotels in Chicago and L.A. with New York on the horizon.


What was once a pop-up bar, The Broken Shaker is now a permanent fixture at the Freehand Miami. The James Beard Award-nominated bar is located in the high-end hostel on South Beach serving up a selection of handcrafted cocktails. The bar itself is a tiny room by the pool with a 1950s Havana look. You can grab your cocktail—made with elixirs, syrups and infusions using herbs and spices from the onsite garden—and drink it in the bar, or head outside to the pool and nestle into one of the lounge chairs. Away from the hustle and bustle of South Beach, The Broken Shaker offers a more intimate setting than the lavish pools at high-end hotels in the area.

This open-air, oceanside Creole restaurant snuggles behind a grocery store in Calibishie, a bijou town where locals, expats, and tourists mingle. While the short ribs steal the spotlight, there are also Caribbean favorites like yam, fried plantains, and goat curry. Top any dish with local hot sauce made from Scotch bonnet peppers (available for sale in the adjacent bodega). The gazebo offers stunning views of the water and Red Rocks, but avoid it on windy days when the sea spray kicks up.

Explore 10,000 years of India’s history, culture, architecture, and spirituality on over sixty acres of manicured grounds. Akshardham is an elaborate Swaminarayan temple complex that features an IMAX theater, musical fountains, sunken gardens, and the Mandir with over 20,000 statues of India’s religious personalities. The main shrine of the temple houses the statue of Lord Swaminarayan. Be sure to experience the 12-minute boat ride that highlights over 10,000 years of India’s heritage, including inventions, discoveries, and the world’s first university of Takshashila. The musical fountain echoes Vedic sentiments and prayers, and the Hall of Values features an audio animatronic show. Note: Akshardham is closed on Mondays.

This hotel is on our list of The 10 Best Hotels in Canada.

Originally opened in 1927, Vancouver‘s Hotel Georgia was the celebrity haunt of everyone from Elvis and the Rat Pack to Errol Flynn and Katharine Hepburn. The hotel closed in 2006 for a multimillion-dollar restoration project and reopened as the Rosewood Hotel Georgia in 2011. Elvis may have left the building, but the old-school glamour remains—with a modern twist. The spacious rooms glow with a soft palette of warm gold, vanilla, and cocoa. Rain showers, heated marble floors in the bathrooms, and fine linens add to the hotel’s luxury appeal. The wood-paneled lobby buzzes with guests and locals en route to the acclaimed Hawksworth restaurant. The hotel has a large private art collection and there are pieces on display from founders of Canada’s modern art movement and famous international artists; the reverse-perspective Patrick Hughes piece opposite the reception desk is fantastic—walk back and forth to see the painting “move.” At the gleaming bar, guests can try the Hotel Georgia cocktail—a modern take on the original Prohibition-era recipe.

A Montreal favorite, this wine bar is known for its elegant food and drinks— and comes recommended highly by Ritz-Carlton concierge Simon Bajouk. The wine selection is vast and the staff is extremely helpful in guiding visitors to something that they like. “Trios,” aka flights, are another good way to taste through a well curated selection. (Cocktails and local Quebecois beer are also available.) The food ranges from snacks like gougeres and nuts to porcini arancini and short ribs. A dish of green beens with truffle oil and almonds was fresh, light, and delicious; the charcuterie plate was a generous offering of various local salumi.

Café Café got its beginnings as a coffee roaster and then went on to become a coffee shop offering different blends of organic coffee from a few regions of Oaxaca. They hope to encourage the consumption of locally produced quality coffee, and they also function as a gallery, providing a space for local artists to display their work. The company has a project to support the education of young indigenous women. Order a suspended coffee: the coffee shop will match the amount you pay, and the funds will go to the Fondo Guadalupe Musalem which provides scholarships for young Oaxacan women to pursue their education.

The Bean Counter is a locally owned café in the heart of Georgetown. This small, cozy eatery with chartreuse walls is a neighborhood favorite. Stop by for a quick breakfast or come for lunch, when you’ll find a nice selection of soups, salads, and made-to-order sandwiches and wraps. If you want to do like the locals, try the laudable Cuban sandwich. In the afternoon, the Bean Counter is the perfect place for a cup of freshly brewed organic, fair-trade coffee and a homemade cookie. Order at the counter and then slip out through the narrow side alley to enjoy the secret garden in the back.

This unassuming little restaurant in a small strip-mall in a commercial neighborhood consistently rates as a local favorite for both the Hispanic and Caucasian populations here. It’s no frills— your meal will be served on paper plates; they serve beer but no other alcohol— but service is quick and efficient. Serving lunch and dinner, El Chubbie’s (as locals call it due to the generous portions) specialties are the homemade salsa bar, the carnitas, tamales and street tacos. Park City is not zoned to allow food trucks—this is the closest you’ll get to those freshly concocted eats.

Move over, canvas safari tent; Tanzania has a new lodging option, this one in the form of a space-alien-looking dome. Set back from the famous Ngorongoro Crater and its plethora of lodges, the Highlands domes’ wild, remote, forest-edge location is one of the key selling points. The accommodations were custom-built to make it easy to take in incredible views. Asilia, the safari outfitter that owns these dwellings, prides itself on the authenticity of the experience, so trips to visit local Maasai communities are low-key and varied, with a different village visited each day. At more than 7,500 feet above sea level, evenings are chilly, but each dome tent is fitted with a high-output woodstove to keep guests cozy all night long.

Why we love it: A historic property full of local details that make guests feel at home in Minneapolis

The Highlights:
- Prime location in the trendy North Loop
- Site of one of Minneapolis’s best restaurants, Tullibee
- Local literature, artwork, and spirits in every room

The Review:
A former farm implement warehouse, the Hewing Hotel has a rustic yet refined sensibility. Located in the heart of the North Loop, just a short walk from some of Minneapolis’s best restaurants and shops, the property mixes exposed timber and brick, tall ceilings, and original industrial elements with high-end finishes, creating an environment that’s at once local and luxurious. Available in five different layouts, the 124 rooms, including 14 suites, are individually designed with exposed wood, metal, and brick accents, plus local details like books, artwork, minibars, and Faribault Woolen Mills throws that speak to Minneapolis. Should you be traveling with your pet, simply pay a $75 fee and you’ll find their name written on a chalkboard alongside those of other furry guests, all under the heading “V.I.Pets,” as well as a treat-stocked bowl in your room.

Although Hewing guests are surrounded by one of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods, they’ll want to save at least one night for dining at the hotel’s renowned restaurant, Tullibee, which serves rustic Nordic cuisine alongside craft cocktails, local beers, and house-made sodas. For something more casual, head to the Rooftop Bar & Lounge for drinks and city views. Also on the roof is a pool and Nordic-inspired sauna, though guests may be more inclined to visit the Hewing Spa, where they can enjoy a range of massages, plus add-on services like wraps, scrubs, and face masks. When you want something more active, head to the 24-hour fitness facility, stocked with treadmills, stationary bikes, and elliptical trainers; the yoga studio, which offers weekly classes through Gem Life Yoga; or the front desk, where you can rent a custom Handsome bicycle to explore the city.