Search results for

To experience a peaceful and private Hawaiian morning, enjoy room service in the quiet of your own with a view of the Pacific Ocean. Listen to the waves roll on shore while enjoying pancakes and tropical fruit at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows where you will feel like a Hawaiian King or Queen.

If you’re looking for a great snorkel experience accessible to Waikiki, I found Hanauma Bay a great spot. Turtles and fish galore.

Located in the town of Ocho Rios, Mammee Bay Beach is a sight for sore eyes—wide and spacious with powdery white sand and electric blue water. Even though half of this beach is private for guests of the gigantic RIU Resort, the other half is accessible to the public. Drive over to Bamboo Blu Restaurant (30 Beach Road), where you can park your car and enjoy the beach with a meal or some cocktails.

One of Cape Town’s most picturesque corners, this small fishing harbor sees boats sail in daily with their catches (often trailed by hungry seals waiting for tidbits). Recently, however, the area has also become known for its antique stores, restaurants, and shops—one of the best collections of African curios, materials, and artwork for sale can be found at Artvark, on the edge of town. Expect to see everyone from hipsters to surfers to an old couple who’s lived here for 50 years. A seaside promenade connects Kalk Bay to the colorful beach cottages of St. James and to Surfers Corner in Muizenberg, another gem of an old-world suburb that is becoming a second Kalk Bay. Don’t miss Cucina Labia, a restaurant housed in a mansion built by an Italian who wanted to create a little Venice here.

A North Bondi Beach institution since 1993, Sean’s Panaroma is known for unpretentious yet delicious fare, served in a homey dining room alongside fresh-cut flowers and views of Australia’s most famous beach. The simple chalkboard menu of entrées, mains, and desserts changes weekly—sometimes daily—based on what’s growing locally and at owner Sean Moran’s farm in the Blue Mountains (which also hosts stays). The waitstaff is tried and true, with a deep knowledge of Sean’s organic ingredients and wines. On your next visit, you might be treated to burrata-stuffed squash blossoms, a comforting arrangement of steaming mussels and perfectly seared tuna, Sean’s signature free-range herb “chook” (chicken), and a biodynamic red wine from New Zealand.

This industrial-chic eatery has a covered patio and floor-to-ceiling doors that welcome good weather inside, all overlooking the ocean on Dominica’s east coast. Pagua Bay puts a strong emphasis on seasonal, farm-to-table fare—a commitment made trickier by Hurricane Maria’s destruction in autumn 2017. Still, the restaurant continues to serve reliable American fare with Caribbean twists, including ceviche, goat tacos, chicken Creole, and mahi-mahi salsa. Wash it all down with a frosty beer or coconut rum punch.

Since Giles and Julia Fisher bought the Freycinet Marine Farm in Coles Bay, they’ve managed to increase their production from 50,000 oysters annually to 4 million, and have opened an outdoor café that serves fresh seafood to happy diners (and one very fat Labrador, who waits patiently below the picnic tables).

If you were to picture the perfect Caribbean beach, it would probably look something like Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau. Here, clear, turquoise waters lap at 2.5 miles of sparkling white sand, while palm trees, seagrape plants, and flowering bushes provide shady spots for lounging. At one end, you can walk the few yards of land that separate the Caribbean and Atlantic sides of the island. The only catch is that you’ll need a boat to reach the beach, so rent your own or book a day sail to Mayreau.

No guide to Antigua‘s beaches would be complete without including Long Bay Beach. Unquestionably, it’s one of the island’s finest beaches. The sand is almost blindingly white, like someone poured out a billion sugar shakers. The water is exceptionally clear and calm, especially at the eastern end where even toddlers could safely roam the shoreline without the fear of being barreled over by waves. There’s even good snorkeling near the beach’s reef, which you can actually walk out to! So, why don’t I love Long Bay Beach? Well, it can get a bit busy for my taste. There’s several restaurants including Mama Pastas, resorts including Grand Pineapple, and even a clutch of tiny shops selling local goods. So, if you’re like me, get here as early as possible. Maybe go for a morning run on the impressive sand. Then move on as the masses begin to descend.

One of the best spots in the Caribbean for surfing is Barbados. And if you’re not one of the best surfers in the world (like me), one of the best breaks on the island to catch some waves has got to be Freights Bay. The added bonus is that most late afternoon sessions end with a spectacular flourish as the sun sets smack in the middle of the bay.

Near the wharf along upper Bay Street, a distinctive, street-level arcade connects several historic stone buildings, which once functioned as arrowroot warehouses. For centuries, these rows of Georgian stone arches and second-floor overhangs have sheltered Kingstown’s workers, walkers, and vendors from the hot sun and occasional shower—hence Kingstown’s nickname, the “City of Arches.”

Many of Buffalo’s best hotels used to be something else, from Victorian mansions and architectural landmarks to an insane asylum designed by one of America’s most famous architects. A stay at any offers the chance to learn the city’s history while exploring what’s new and exciting in town.

The newly refurbished Sheraton Kona Keauhou Bay Resort is stylish, with a large pool and water slide. But it was the history and the view from the hotel (located off the famous Ali’i Drive) that won me over. The hotel gives you an excellent vantage point to the bay around which King Kamehameha III was born (stillborn, as legend has it). He grew up to become Hawai’i’s powerful and benevolent ruler, and sought to unite the people. He called The Big Island his home and is beloved by many. The hotel offers several notable cultural markers, including two heiau (Hawaiian temple) replicas.

Marriott property, The Jay Hotel, was the most anticipated addition to the city’s hotel scene in 2023, transforming the brutalist building that formerly housed Le Méridien into a cozy and quiet retreat. Each of the 360 rooms and suites have warm, textured, and minimalist decor that evokes calm and serenity. Adding to the oasis vibes, are some seriously comfortable beds, blackout curtains, and mini bars stocked with local goodies, such as St. George in. If you can, book a room with a balcony (a rarity among the city’s hotels), and enjoy the impressive views of the Bay Bridge and nearby Transamerica Tower.

Some may scoff at the absence of beachfront acreage, but what all-inclusive Capella Marigot Bay lacks in sand it makes up for in amenities, including a cabana-lined pool area with swim-up bar and a ferry to nearby LaBas Beach. Backed by a see-and-be-seen marina that offers some of the island’s best people-watching, the hotel features 124 luxurious rooms and suites that are studies in restraint, with dark-wood accents and four-poster beds trimmed in mosquito netting. Guests are surprised with complimentary snacks each day, from house-made plantain chips to local Piton beer, but nourishment is also in abundance at the resort’s four restaurants—think fresh-caught snapper, jerk-spiced ribs, and lionfish ceviche—and during three happy hours. Meanwhile, the celestial-inspired Auriga spa offers locally focused treatments to those less interested in the fitness center and weekly activities such as body-scrub-making workshops and zip-line tours.