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Enjoy private candlelit dinner at Zamas

The main draw at this Australian-run spot is the convivial and bohemian atmosphere. Housed in a stunning 1920s colonial villa in a quiet part of the Old Quarter, the cafe has a rustic, warm vibe. While items from the simple menu can be hit or miss at other times of the day, the breakfast offerings are exemplary and the coffee is right on the money.

There’s no shortage of architecturally-interesting museums and performance spaces in Spain but few come by their intrigue as honestly as Matadero Madrid (which was once the city’s abattoir). Built in a neo-Moorish style, the sprawling center hosts all kinds of creative endeavors today, from a Bicycle Film Festival to concerts to design exhibitions.

North of the harbor on Lavender Bay, Clark Park is an ideal spot for a picnic away from the bustle. On the western end, curious visitors discover the garden Wendy Whiteley created from a landfill. 5- to 10-minute walk from Luna Park. This appeared in the August/September 2013 issue.

Oftentimes the trick with food trucks is finding them. There are a number of them in Boulder, and they can often be found at the Rayback Collective food-truck park. But if there’s a standout among them, it’s Farm and Smoke, owned and operated by brothers Matt and Alex Wallace —and it’s worth seeking out. While their menu is known to change from time to time, the constant is the mouthwatering smoked meats in dishes like the Smokehouse Slider and smoked chicken wings. And to balance out all the meat options, they also provide delicious salads and a mean jalapeño mac-and-cheese.

The Twin Cities’ diversity is displayed with full fanfare at this vibrant, internationally focused market of food, grocery, and craft vendors from around the world. Favorites include East African dishes like the camel burger and sambusas at Safari Express, Middle Eastern gyros at Holy Land, Korean staples like the kimchi fried rice and bibimbap bowls at Rabbit Hole, and Mexican tortas at Manny’s.

Old San Juan offers historically and culturally significant experiences including a walk through 500-year-old forts, visits to UNESCO sites, historic churches, museums, the second oldest cathedral in the Americas and Ponce de Leon’s mansion. Cobblestone streets and pastel buildings are perfect for exploration during the day and variety of restaurants and shops make for a complementary evening.

Koreans are masters of skin care, and Korean beauty products are sweeping the globe. One of the most popular beauty brands is a label called Skin Food. The brand takes natural ingredients such as celery, broccoli and coconut (basically a salad for your face) and turns them into cleansers, toners, masks and makeup. Add to that colorful packaging, affordable prices and lots of free samples, and you’ve got yourself a must on your shopping itinerary for your trip to Seoul. Skin Food and other beauty stores aren’t hard to find—they can be found in almost every mall, subway station and shopping district of the city.

A new member of The Set hotel group, the Lutetia reopened in the summer of 2018 following a four-year renovation led by noted architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Now, the original Art Nouveau–meets–Art Deco structure provides a backdrop for 184 enlarged rooms and suites, each with wood paneling, handblown Murano glass, and Carrara marble. The seven signature suites, which include two penthouses, also boast perks like private balconies and 360-degree views of the city. Enjoy a drink in the sophisticated Bar Aristide (with its two smoking rooms and cigar sommelier) or the chic Bar Josephine (named for actress and dancer Josephine Baker, another hotel regular), then find sanctuary in the glass-roofed Le Saint-Germain salon and its adjacent courtyard. L’Orangerie restaurant serves casual fare with a healthy, organic twist, while the sleek Lutetia Brasserie offers gourmet menus from three-Michelin-starred chef Gérald Passedat. Continue the indulgence at the brand-new, 7,500-square-foot Akasha Spa, with six treatment rooms, a pool and Jacuzzi, and a state-of-the-art gym.

Uluru, or Ayer’s Rock as many know it, is one of the most recognized landmarks anywhere in the world. This strange giant rock in the middle of the Australian Outback has long kindled imaginations, going back millennia. It may be an important tourist site today, but it also holds immense cultural value for the original inhabitants of the area, something I learned all about on the very unique Anangu Tour of Uluru.
In the Pitjantjatjara language, anangu means person or human being, and the tours are designed to teach newcomers about the native peoples. The tours are given in the Pitjantjatjara language, with interpreters translating for the guides. It’s not that the guide didn’t know English, he certainly did, it’s that they want visitors to hear the nuances of a language most of us have never before encountered.
The walk around the rock was an enlightening experience, learning all about traditional culture and the extreme importance Uluru holds in the Tjukurpa or Dream Time. Tjukurpa is Aboriginal law, culture, history, and their worldview all bundled into one. It is expansive, impossibly ancient and much of it is shrouded in mystery, transmitted only to certain people at particular times in their lives. To be a part of that was a humbling experience.

One of the most insightful ways to understand a culture is through its food. Several schools, like F&C Academy, offer affordable classes in English that can conveniently be booked online. Through demonstrations and hands-on practice at kitchen stations, students learn how to prepare traditional Korean dishes like bulgogi, mandu dumplings, pajeon pancakes, kimchi, japchae noodles, and bibimbap rice bowls. Classes are often limited to small groups and are led by knowledgeable instructors who explain the history and origin behind each dish. (Even vegans have choices: The Korean Temple Food Center by Anguk Station offers weekly courses taught in English by monks who often harvest and ferment many of the ingredients used in class.)

This hotel is on our list of The 11 Best Hotels in Chicago.

Set directly across from the Art Institute of Chicago, this former members-only men’s gymnasium is now the Chicago Athletic Association, which is part of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection. Enter at street level off Michigan Avenue and walk toward the back to find a staircase that leads to the old swimming pool, now a venue for parties and pop-up concepts. Take the nearby elevator to the restaurant, Cindy’s, easily the best rooftop scene in the city, with highly Instagrammable terrace views overlooking Millennium Park, the swooping Frank Gehry–designed bandshell, and Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate (aka the Bean).

Park yourself in the second-floor lobby and hang with locals as they tap away on their laptops and sip lattes by the two oversize fireplaces. Walk through that expansive by Roman & Williams–designed room, where light beams in through ornate stained-glass windows, and you enter a warren of table games and darts, all festive and typically open to the public. There’s also the secret six-seat bar, the Milk Room, a relic of Prohibition, and the James Beard Award–winning Cherry Circle Room—a sexy, dark restaurant with a circulating martini cart and a meat-centric menu.

Upstairs in the 1893 landmark, 240 guest rooms reflect the building’s former life, with gym horses as foot beds, working fireplaces in some rooms, plasterwork ceilings, ornate carved wood wainscotting, and a clubby vibe. Some of the rooms are rather small, but the location is hard to beat, and the cozy, wintry ambiance makes it a popular (and fun) place to spend a weekend. And because the CAA keeps an eye on its water conservation, sources its food locally, and adheres to strict recycling standards, eco-conscious travelers can feel good sleeping here.

What we love: A true five-star stay in the heart of a booming city

The Highlights:
- Diverse on-site dining options
- Spacious rooms with thoughtful details like sink-side ring holders
- The best hotel spa in town

The Review:
Thank Tilman Fertitta—the billionaire visionary behind the Landry’s Inc. restaurant group, the Houston Rockets, and numerous entertainment and hospitality ventures—for Houston’s only AAA Five Diamond hotel. Determined to give his booming hometown the luxury hotel “it deserves,” Fertitta oversaw every detail of The Post Oak’s creation, from choosing the art (you’ll find pieces by Frank Stella, Robert Motherwell, Donald Sultan and others, many from Fertitta’s own collection) to working with the designers and adding useful touches to the rooms (like sink-side ring holders and shaving mirrors in the showers). The 250 rooms and 20 residences are spacious and sophisticated, crafted with top-quality materials and furnishings (Fertitta estimates that about $1.5 million was spent per room, and it shows). All have showers and tubs, tablet control systems, and original photography on the walls; residences have full kitchens and dining rooms. For added perks, book a room on the Concierge Level and gain access to a food-and-drink-stocked lounge that overlooks the surrounding Uptown neighborhood.

As befits a restaurateur of Fertitta’s level, there are several drinking and dining options on site, including the locally inspired Bloom & Bee, Mastro’s Steakhouse, Willie G’s Seafood, H-Bar, Craft F&B for wood-fired pizza and pub grub, and Bouchee Patisserie for homemade sweets. When you’ve inevitably indulged in a meal or two, work it off on the hotel’s 20,000-square-foot wellness level, which includes a state-of-the-art gym and a spa with treatments both decadent (like pampering two-hour rituals) and high-tech (facials performed using the latest machines). If you really want to visit like a VIP, know that the hotel also features a helipad on top of the building, a pet salon, a 30,000-bottle-strong wine cellar that hosts private dinners, and a two-story auto showroom lined with Roll-Royces.

Among the increasingly trendy streets of the Upper Marais, this intimate hotel offers a refreshingly low-key place to unpack. Named for the classic Francois Truffaut film, and set in a former precious metal factory, Jules & Jim has a low-fi artistic bent. The ground-floor lobby and bar—both set off a central, glass-roofed courtyard and garden—feature a rotating collection of works by local painters, photographers, and graphic artists, as well as residential-style seating and bookshelves lined with bric-a-brac. Spread over three structures, the 23 rooms range in size; the “Jules” options in the main building are the smallest and best for solo travelers, while the “Hi-Macs,” “Sous Les Toits,” and “Duplex” accommodations work better for two guests or longer stays. Some categories include perks like terraces, sofa-beds, Nespresso machines, and views of Montmarte, but all come with Bluetooth sound systems, free Wi-Fi, rainfall showers, and access to 24-hour room service (note that there are no mini-bars or fridges).

Wine is an integral part of life on the Dalmatian Coast, a region with many indigenous varietals; a visit to Dubrovnik shouldn’t go by without a glass of local wine. Tucked away on Palmotićeva Street off the main Stradun, D’Vino offers cozy interiors as well as atmospheric seating at tables set on the narrow thoroughfare outside. Try a glass of something new from the impressive selection of local producers—the knowledgeable staff can help guide you in choosing one. D’Vino features several tasting experiences that highlight the region’s star wines: the Konavle Valley’s refreshing Malvazija, potent Plavac Mali reds from the Pelješac Peninsula, and Korčula Island’s fruity Pošip whites. Pair the wines with a platter of prosciutto and Croatian cheeses for a wonderful welcome to Dubrovnik and its wine region.