Search results for

Golf and sunshine are the main magnets that draw visitors to Palm Springs, but a 10-minute ride will take you up into a snowy evergreen forest. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway climbs up to a mountain wilderness at 8,500 feet (2,590 meters). The Swiss-built tram floats over Chino Canyon and is the only rotating tram car in the Western hemisphere. From the top, look out over the irrigrated grids of Palm Springs and the other Desert Cities of the Coachella Valley, which descends to below sea level. Across to the northeast, beyond the San Andreas Fault, are the low mountains of Joshua Tree National Park. A network of hiking trails branches out from the tram chalet into the San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, which includes the highest peaks in Southern California. (Winter weekend crowds can be crazy; you’ve been warned.)

It might be a part of the Colorado River—a man-made reservoir carved out of the river in 1960—but everyone calls the body of water bisecting Austin Lady Bird Lake. On hot summer days, scores of walkers and joggers move along the lakeside paths through nearby Zilker Park, but you can also take to the water by canoe, kayak, water bike, or stand-up paddleboard. You can’t swim here, but the left fork (heading west) in the river will take you to Barton Springs Pool, a popular Austin hangout, where you can splash in the water to your heart’s—and body temperature’s—delight.

“Ready!” I grip the bar tightly and lean forward. “Set!” I bend my knees and my heart starts racing. “HUP!” Before I have time for doubts, I take a deep breath, and jump off the platform. The next 40 seconds are a pure adrenaline rush as I soar through the air on a flying trapeze—a thrilling introduction to my first class at the satellite Trapeze School N.Y. in the Navy Yard district of Washington, D.C. I try to stay calm and oriented as my teacher yells instructions to swing my legs and lift my knees up to hang from the bar. This simple move is the foundation for many tricks that we six beginners in the class get to practice many times. By the end of the two-hour class, I’m already doing flips into the net and performing basic catches with one of the instructors. I start to wonder if my childhood dreams of joining the circus are possible after all. Class is over, I’m tired and my legs already ache from the climbs up the ridiculously long trapeze ladder (for me, the scariest part of the class). The school’s motto was right: “Forget about fear. Worry about addiction.” The school offers a variety of trapeze, aerial, trampoline, and acrobatics classes for adults and children.

Despite being just a 40-minute drive away from the airport, the Mandarin Oriental is located in the heart of Hong Kong’s Central district, surrounded by major business hubs, the thriving art scene, and cultural sites.

Inside the 432 rooms and 67 suites, the decor nods at the hotel’s Chinese heritage, and there’s high-speed Internet and an interactive entertainment system. A SMART lighting system and pillow menu make sure you have a restful night’s sleep, and butler services are on hand as well. For an ultimate indulgence, the stunning 3,843-square-meter presidential Mandarin Suite provides a stay that you will never forget.

You’ll have to spend quite of time in Hong Kong to work your way through the hotel’s many gastronomic offerings: 10 on-site restaurants, including three with Michelin star accolades, will satisfy every craving. Meanwhile, the award-wining spa specializes in traditional Chinese medicine therapy to ease post-travel muscles. A 24-hour indoor pool and fitness center allows you to keep to your exercise routine while away from home.

The Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, is truly representative of contemporary luxury, and has remained one of the most iconic hotels in Hong Kong for over 55 years.

Opened in 1932 in the historic Royal Khmer compound, this landmark hotel was the first luxury lodging in the area, catering to well-heeled adventurers intent on visiting the storied ruins of the temples at Angkor. Everyone from Charlie Chaplin and Charles de Gaulle to Jackie O and, more recently, Angelina Jolie have slept within its dramatic, art deco walls. Just a short walk or tuk-tuk ride to central Siem Reap, the hotel, now part of the Raffles collection, features 15 acres of manicured gardens with more than 20,540 species of tropical plants, making it a relaxing oasis after a day spent exploring the temples. Following a major restoration by David Grace Designs in 2019, the 119 rooms, suites, and villas—some set in the original main building, others overlooking the garden or pool—are now a vision of French windows, hardwood floors, and marble bathrooms with Italian tiling and oversized rain showers. Some have added perks like furnished terraces, high ceilings, or four-poster beds. Elsewhere in the hotel, features like the 1929 metal-and-timber elevator, art deco black-and-white tiles, and classic conservatory have been refurbished but maintained.

The large central swimming pool is ringed by loungers, while the tucked-away spa has a sauna, Jacuzzi, and six treatment rooms for excellent, regionally inspired therapies. Both in-house and outside guests frequent the six drinking and dining options, which include the legendary Elephant Bar, the elegant Restaurant Le Grand (serving both Western and Royal Khmer cuisine), and the completely renovated Apsara Terrace, which offers a dinner-cum-cultural dance show three or five nights a week, depending on the season. The on-site gallery and boutique showcase high-quality local goods.

This national park is an ecological preserve with upland watersheds, mangrove forests, and estuarine and marine environments that support threatened and endangered species. The park also includes the Columbus Landing Site, a National Historic Landmark that is the only known place where members of a 1493 expedition led by Christopher Columbus (his second voyage) set foot on what is now United States territory. Columbus and his men met a tribe of Caribs here, so it was the first documented encounter between American Indians and Europeans.

Completed in 1614, Johannisburg Palace is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Germany. Located along the Main River, the immense, four-winged complex served as the second residence of the archbishop-electors of Mainz until 1803. Today, it’s home to innumerable cultural and historical treasures, including a unique collection of cork architectural models called Bringing Rome Across the Alps. The State Gallery displays early German and Dutch paintings, with a special emphasis on Lucas Cranach the Elder, while the Princely Apartments offer a fine array of neoclassical furnishings. In the Palace Church, modern technology brings the Renaissance altar to life in a new way, using light and sound installations to highlight the 31 alabaster sculptures and almost 150 relief figures. Also not to be missed is the Palace Museum, showcasing the history of Aschaffenburg, as well as the gardens, where the fruit trees and flower beds are particularly splendid in summer.

Dating back to 1843, this massive museum has grown and modernized over the years, especially with the addition of the Neue Staatsgalerie (New State Gallery) in 1984 and a modern hall specially built in 2002. Spanning some 96,875 square feet of exhibition space, the collection focuses on early Swabian panel painting and 19th-century Swabian Neoclassicism, but also includes modern pieces like Oskar Schlemmer’s Figurines for the Triadic Ballet, Matisse’s famous Back Series, and a Joseph Beuys room that was installed by the artist himself. Other highlights range from Dalí’s Raised Instant and George Grosz’s The Funeral to Miró’s Bird with a Calm Look. Opt for a guided tour to ensure you see everything, then visit the museum shop and the Fresko café-restaurant. Note that, on Wednesdays, you can visit the permanent collection for free.

Built between 1715 and 1718, the Baroque Karlsruhe Castle served as the residence of the electoral princes and grand dukes of Baden for more than two centuries. Designed by Jakob Friedrich von Batzendorf, the palace exterior is especially pleasing—not least because it was planned as the focal point of the city, with streets radiating out from all sides like wheel spokes (which in turn inspired Pierre L’Enfant, planner of Washington, D.C.). The castle also features picturesque pavilions and ornate wings, but for many the real highlight is the Baden State Museum inside. Opened in 1919 and generally regarded as the best in the region, the museum spans pre- and early history, with exhibits on the Ancient Greek and Roman eras as well as sculptures from the Middle Ages, a particularly celebrated art nouveau collection, and an impressive range of 17th-century Ottoman handicrafts.

The history of the palaces and streets and artwork of Florence comes alive during this multimedia theater performance, acted out (in English) in a small baroque church. The show tells the story of two feuding Medici siblings—the last grand duke of the dynasty, Gian Gastone, and his sister, Anna Maria Luisa—and the patto di famiglia, or family pact, that bequeathed the family treasures to the city-state their forebears had ruled for hundreds of years. Long before there was reality television, there was family drama, Florentine style.

The largest of Tanzania’s state-administrated national parks, Ruaha is home to the Great Ruaha River, imposing baobab trees, and one of the greatest populations of elephants in any African park. It has few lodges and therefore few tourists. It is also wilder than its close neighbor, the Selous Game Reserve, and boasts a truly authentic safari experience. Night driving is not permitted, nor are walking safaris, generally, due to the large number of elephants here. But hidden away on the Jongomero River in the remote southern area of the park is the Jongomero Camp, which is both fantastically luxurious as well as truly one with its surroundings. It is possibly the best camp in the whole of Tanzania, and its guides are second to none. In addition to the breathtaking campsite itself, it offers “fly-camping” trips on which the adventurous traveler can spend the night under the stars.

The Statue of Liberty may be the most iconic sight that comes to mind when one thinks of the history of immigrants in New York, but not far from it in the harbor is another important landmark—Ellis Island. Until the Supreme Court ruled in 1875 that authority to regulate immigration belonged to the federal government alone, various states had implemented their own policies. After the federal government took over the processing of immigrants from New York State in 1890, some 12 million immigrants would pass through Ellis Island until it closed in 1954 (for 30 years, however, beginning in 1924, it was used only as a temporary detention center for immigrants who had issues with their paperwork). By one estimate, some 40 percent of Americans have at least one ancestor who entered the United States through Ellis Island. The historic site is today operated by the National Park Service, and ferries depart to the island from Battery Park (as well as from Liberty State Park in New Jersey). Visits include the Main Arrivals Hall with its displays recounting the immigration experience; temporary exhibitions are located on the second and third floors of the building. Statue Cruises is the only operator authorized to visit Liberty Island and Ellis Island—their cruises include stops at both, though entry to the statue and the immigration museum require separate tickets purchased on each island.

From the 16th to the 19th century, drovers were the men responsible for leading cattle out of the rugged Highlands to the markets in nearby towns and cities. Today, they serve as the inspiration for the Drovers Inn, a hotel and pub just north of Loch Lomond. Nestled near the banks of the River Falloch, the property offers a rustic setting for filling meals, frosty pints, and drams of malt whisky. Come for bar-food favorites like steak-and-Guinness pie, fish-and-chips, and venison casserole, and stay for the live musical acts that play every weekend. As the inn has been in operation for some 300 years, tales of various hauntings are part of its appeal.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC)—new home for both the National Library and National Opera, designed by Renzo Piano and financed to the tune of €630 million—is a wonder to look at, walk through, and relax in. The library and opera are state of the art; the 42-acre grounds include a salt-water canal where you can learn to sail or kayak, fantastic playgrounds and fountains to keep kids entertained, and the Great Lawn where free concerts, open-air screenings and festivals are staged year-round. Take advantage of the center’s location and drink in the 360-degree views of the city and sea from the Lighthouse, a glass-walled lookout and terrace shaded by a vast solar panel that powers most of the sustainably minded complex. This neighborhood is, after all, called Kallithea, which means “wonderful view.”

Hernán Cortés built a summer home here on top of the ruins of a pyramid. Over the next few centuries, Mexico City‘s political and economic elite and movie stars--and even the Shah of Iran--took up residence in this town. Cuernavaca--with its stately mansions and haciendas and blooming gardens--became known as Mexico City’s more glamorous and beautiful sister. Nowadays, an ever-increasing population means Cuernavaca has lost some of the mystique from its heyday, but its lovely gardens and Spring-like climate (and the fact that it is only an hour south of Mexico City) still make it a perfect getaway from that bustling megalopolis. Be sure to check out the Palacio de Cortés and Jardin Borda while you’re there. The former is Cortés’ old digs, and it now houses the Museo Regional Cuauhnáhuac, which, over two floors covers Mexican history from pre-Columbian times to present. The latter is a grand Versailles-inspired mansion and garden which will give you a wonderful view into how Mexico’s aristocracy lived in the 18th century.