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The carefully curated inventory of this shop across from the Hotel le Sirenuse is pretty much perfect, starting with a line of signature scents, L’Eau d’Italia, which evokes the magic of Mediterranean summers. Among your sublime choices are drinking glasses with swirls of color, made by the famous Venetian glassblower, Carlo Moretti; plates handmade in Milan by the owner’s sister, Costanza Paravicini; sophisticated beach cover-ups, the chicest bikinis, and bespoke swim trunks. In short, beautiful things sold in a beautiful space in one of the most beautiful destinations in Italy: Be prepared to want every single item.

The whisky bug has hit Seoul hard, and the past few years has seen an explosion of the fine amber liquor making its way from the bucolic Scottish Highlands to the bustling streets of Seoul. Sangsu-ri is single handedly responsible for the whisky education of hundreds of Seoulites, the bar shelves stocked with favorites including Glenfiddich, Macallan and Glenmorangie. The owner, a passionate whisky lover, spent three months biking through Scotland on his quest for the perfect dram, and brought his knowledge (and a few bottles) back to serve up in Seoul. B1, 86, Dongmak-ro, Mapo-gu

The ever-colorful Jaffa Flea Market, in operation for more than 100 years, inhabits a portside neighborhood of alleyways, covered walkways, and outdoor verandas. Wander the endless market streets to find restored antiques and handicrafts, Judaica and Persian tiles, as well as designer boutiques and art galleries. Even if you don’t buy a thing, it is the perfect spot to sample local fare. Once the sun sets, and the vendors head home, a food scene springs to life—a wonderland of twinkling lights with dozens of trendy restaurants, bars, and chic cafés. (The flea market is called Shuk Hapishpishim in Hebrew.)

Specializing in fine art, this bright, beautiful gallery shows works that range from Shirley Marais’s playful ceramics to the misty, impressionistic beach paintings of David Chen. Standouts include the exuberant mixed-media pieces of Australian artist Anthony Breslin. He often mounts objects like darts, pencil sharpeners and toothpaste tubes onto his cartoony canvases, which are a hit with kids and collectors alike.

When it comes to sleeping options in Barbuda, private guesthouses are a popular option. One excellent choice is Barbuda Cottages. On a calm and gorgeous sweep of isolated beach at Coral Group, on the south coast, are four traditional wooden Caribbean cottages built right on the sand, next to one of the best beach bars in Barbuda, Uncle Roddy’s. The water in front of these chic, upscale self-catering cottages is also awesome for swimming as it is very safe and calm and there are rock pools to explore. A good family option, the newly constructed, eco-friendly beach houses are owned and run by Barbudans and offer one or three bedroom options. The cottages are located a 15-minute taxi ride from the village where the ferry pier and airport are – if you’re going to cook for yourself (recommended for most meals) stock up in town before heading to the southwest coast.

Take San Francisco’s defining features—its booming tech industry, its creative heart, its killer restaurant scene—and squeeze them into a 100-year-old building in a neighborhood undergoing a sea change. That’s Hotel Zetta. The dynamic property, which re-opened as Hotel Zetta in 2013, couldn’t be more, well, San Francisco.

In the lobby, there’s a chandelier fashioned from recycled sunglass lenses, a front desk made from reclaimed wood, and a two-story Plinko board (an interactive art piece) that descends from the Playroom. About that: The Playroom caters to the work-hard, play-hard set. A shuffle board, a pool table, and video games (both current and retro) spark friendly competition. A classic London telephone booth lets guests order room service or video chat. Modern amenities continue in the rooms. Desks built from kitchen butcher blocks encourage standing while working. A G-Link docking station facilitates wireless streaming from tablets and smartphones to flat-screen Samsung Smart TVs, which come pre-loaded with complimentary Internet service, apps and HD channels.

The art? A blend of analog and digital. Art in the guestrooms include work by Nick Gentry. He made an original work as a compilation of floppy disks. Then, the work was photographed and screenprinted as a giclee on a canvas for the rooms. Downstairs, two new ventures from famed Bay Area restaurateurs Anna Weinberg, James Nicholas and Chef Jennifer Puccio (of Marlowe and Park Tavern) ensure the young and hungry are adequately fueled.

We weren’t quite lucky to see the snowcapped covered mountains in the lovely lakeside village of Pokhara since we visited during monsoon season. But it was a perfect way to start our introduction to the area and cross over to the trail leading up to the Peace Pagoda. Pay a few ruppees, pack a picnic lunch and guide yourself around the serene Lake Phewa.

Salar de Uyuni, located in the Daniel Campos province of Bolivia, looks like it belongs on another planet. Stretching for more than 4,050 square miles—a little smaller than the state of Connecticut—it is the world’s largest salt flat, formed when several prehistoric lakes dried up 25,000 to 10,000 years ago, leaving behind hexagonal patterns of salt on the otherwise featureless surface. When nearby lakes overflow, or the area gets rain, a thin layer of water covers the expanse, transforming it into a massive reflective mirror that makes for jaw-dropping, dreamlike photos.


The natural wonder has served as a valuable source of salt and lithium for Bolivia, and it has long been a hot spot for tourism in South America. There’s even a hotel built out of salt bricks: the Palacio de Sal. If you’re planning a trip to witness the surreal beauty of the Salar de Uyuni salt flat, here’s what you need to know.



To see Salar de Uyuni’s breathtaking mirror effort, visit during wet season, from December to April—but be aware that when it gets too rainy, it can be hard to get around and you might not be able to access certain areas. May to November is the dry season, which means temperatures are colder, but the ground is harder and you can drive across the land more easily.



The ideal month to visit is May, when the seasons transition from wet to dry and you’ll have a good chance of seeing the salt flats both dusty and reflective.



Salar de Uyuni sits near the point where Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile meet, so tourists tend to come from three different starting places.



The town of Uyuni in Bolivia is the most popular place to embark on tours of the salt flats. The small town is so close to the flats, you can easily take day trips. If you’re traveling from La Paz to Uyuni, you can take a one-hour flight or an eight-hour overnight bus.



San Pedro de Atacama in Chile is another well-known starting point for tours of the salt flats, but because it’s about 200 miles away, most tours are three days long.



If you’re coming from Argentina, look into multi-day tours operating out of Tupiza, Bolivia, a good base less than 60 miles over the Argentinian border.



Tour operators in the region offer shared or private tours. Shared tours are more affordable, but they don’t offer much flexibility when it comes to your schedule. Also, most shared tours are led by Spanish-speaking guides, while private tours can offer English-speaking ones.



Many tours of the salt flats also go to other attractions in the area, such as the Polques hot springs, the Atacama Desert, and high-altitude lakes like Laguna Colorada. Look into tours originating in San Pedro de Atacama and Tupiza for itineraries that include these destinations.



Salar de Uyuni is located nearly 12,000 feet above sea level, so you might experience altitude sickness symptoms such as nausea and headaches and should plan accordingly.



To enter Bolivia, travelers must have a tourist visa, which costs $160 for U.S. citizens, and a yellow fever vaccination certificate if they are traveling from a country with risk of yellow fever.

Home to warehouses and bustling trolley stops in the 1920s and ’30s (with the warehouses becoming artists’ studios and storage facilities in the ’70s), these few blocks in South Dallas’s Oak Cliff neighborhood were designated a National Historic Landmark in 199O—right around the time the area was experiencing a decline. In the new millennium, however, there’s been a revival: Today the area’s brick buildings and charming former homes hold over 60 independent shops, restaurants, bars, cafés, and galleries. Grab a coffee or glass of wine and browse the tomes at the Wild Detectives bookstore, shop for furniture and local artwork at Neighborhood, and find unique gifts and design items at Bishop Street Market and We Are 1976. Foodies also flock to top spots like Hattie’s for Southern low-country–inspired fare; the much-acclaimed (and often hard to reserve) Lucia for Italian fine dining; Eno’s Pizza Tavern for thin-crust pies; Tillman’s Roadhouse for Texas- and Southwest-flavored favorites; and the legendary Lockhart Smokehouse for pit BBQ. Save room for artisan sweets from Dude, Sweet Chocolate (which has garnered national acclaim) and a slice of fresh-from-the-oven pie from Emporium, where the menu changes seasonally. With the area now firmly enjoying “features on travel TV shows” status, and private residences still lining the side streets, parking here can be tricky—especially on the weekends, or during a festival or one of the regular wine, art, or jazz nights.

Berlin is surrounded by lakes, and the star of the show is undoubtedly the Wannsee. Its waters lap at the Grunewald Forest and are dotted with yachting clubs and interesting cultural sights such as the House of the Wannsee Conference (where the Nazis planned the Final Solution) and the former villa of impressionist painter Max Liebermann, which exhibits his work and has a lovely garden café overlooking the lake. Nearby is the Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island), a former royal playground that’s now a pleasant park accessible by ferry. The most popular destination in summer, though, is the Strandbad Wannsee, a half-mile-long sandy beach jam-packed with locals and visitors.

Martinique can be busy in places—that’s the price you pay for paradise, I suppose—but Les Salines Beach can be yours and yours alone if you’re one of the early risers. One of the most iconic stretches of sand on Martinique, Les Salines is enjoyed by many revelers during holidays and peak season, but few folk arrive early in the morning—when the sun is still soft, the surf gentle, and the sand all your own.

The ire of Mount Kilauea reforges the world before visitors’ eyes. Nicknamed “the World’s Only Drive-In Volcano,” it’s produced serious lava every day since 1983 with no signs of stopping. Pele—the fire goddess who lives here, according to Hawaiian lore—is on a roll. Occasionally the lava flows spill into the sea, releasing stunning plumes of steam. Don’t miss the petroglyphs, lava tube, lush rain forest, and more than 150 miles of trail, including the four-mile Kilauea Iki loop. The drive here from Kona or Kohala can take two and a half hours, a bit of a long day, so consider reserving accommodations in the town of Volcano. You’ll have plenty of time to explore this otherworldly landscape, and even see the lava glowing in the dark!

The beaches at Mykonos are party beaches, where you swim in the day time and dance at the night time. During the day time, it’s sunny and calm, the water is crystal blue and clear. People usually sitting by the beach or swim. At the night, it’s a total opposite - the loud music and crowd, the dance and the drink. The beach never sleeps.

Do you like discovering new spa treatments? I do too. Here is one I discovered at The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort in Mexico, called Flotation Therapy; and as far as I know their Remède Spa is the only place in Mexico that you can try it. For those who have not visited Riviera Nayarit, it is a stunningly beautiful beachfront enclave of upscale villas and hotels overlooking the Pacific Ocean.


The Flotation Therapy spa treatment utilizes a state-of-the-art float pod which creates a relaxing, zero-gravity feeling, giving you a completely neutral environment without distraction. Executive spa director at the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort Remède Spa, Alejandro Ortiz says of this treatment, “We consistently offer our guests the most exclusive and unique spa treatments and we’re proud to offer a new level of relaxation to our guests.” Flotation therapy or “floating” is the newest addition to the Spa’s abundant list of wellness offerings.


And just what does it do for you? Apparently the flotation pod is a powerful wellness tool providing a wide range of benefits, including supporting creativity, muscle recovery, and joint pain relief, among many others. Here’s what “floating” is. Ten feet of water is infused with 1,000 pounds of Epson salt-so now you are buoyant and floating. The water is heated to match the surface temperature of your skin to create an environment where the senses gently float away.

Right now is the perfect time to go to Mexico because the temperatures are mild yet the days are sunny, and the summer crowds have not yet arrived. And don’t forget the St. Regis brand is noted for their stellar St. Regis Butler Service so you can live it up like a queen (or king). And this St. Regis, the Punta Mita is also a culinary star with “Carolina“ the only AAA Five Diamond restaurant of Mexican cuisine when you want to wear your hi-heeled sandals, and the beach-y casual Mary Mita Boat Bar & Bistro right on the sand Riviera Nayarit where flip-flops will be just right.

The bright colors and floral patterns that adorn Lisa Corti fabrics are inspired by her childhood in Ethiopia and her lifetime of travel to India and Asia. The inventory is extensive, with housewares, women’s clothing, children’s wear, and ceramics. Each handmade item reflects Italian design sensibility and craftsmanship. At her shop in the Sant’Ambrogio district, you will find hand-blocked tablecloths, bedspreads, and pillows alongside blue Jaipur tiles and ceramic serving bowls. Beach lovers can savor multicolored caftans and strappy sandals in the same riot of colors and prints.