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Yu Garden is a must-go place in Shanghai, especially you like architecture. It is such a peaceful place to go, even in the rain... This dragon rooftop is inside the Yu (Jade) Garden in Shanghai. The dragon looks toward to the sky, and about to fly into the cloud. The whole body of the dragon last the entire wall.

Between the rugged coastline of the Banks Peninsula and the snowcapped peaks of the Southern Alps, the Canterbury Plains, formed by mountain rivers, make up one of New Zealand’s most fertile regions. The aerial view of the patchwork of green farms intersecting at Charing Cross has become an iconic New Zealand image. The plains are traversed by the TranzAlpine train, a scenic rail journey sweeping from Christchurch to Greymouth on the South Island’s west coast, taking in Arthur’s Pass National Park, the glacial Waimakariri River and many of Canterbury’s hill country farms.

Rebecca Walker embarks on a spontaneous journey to Bulgaria, guided by locals she connected with both virtually and in real life.

If anything’s endemic to Orange County it’s surfing—there are 40 miles of coastline here, after all. It’s not hard to find passionate practitioners of the sport, but doing is one thing and teaching is very much another. For newbies or even intermediate surfers looking to get back on a board, La Vida Laguna’s approachable, confidence-boosting instructors are the surest way to success. In private and semi-private lessons, their goal is to ensure that their surf pupils—starting from age eight—stand up on a wave, of course, but they also want to create more ocean advocates in the process. Wave safety and selection plus etiquette training are part of the lessons, along with pop-up drills, positioning, and gentle pushes at Thalia Beach, which has consistently calm waves for beginners. Guides also lead stand-up paddleboard lessons, hikes, and kayak adventures (expect frequent sea life sightings), tailoring and combining experiences upon request. Appointments are necessary and can be made on the phone, online, or at the company’s historic Craftsman bungalow in downtown Laguna. Local tip: For fewer surfers in the water, book a couple lessons on weekdays during the winter season.

In partnership with the Four Seasons Rancho Encantado, the new groundbreaking equestrian program EQUUS practices a decade-old field known as equine integrated learning. The theory is that, as our animal companions since ancient time, horses can teach us about us—participants spend quiet time moving among horses in a corral, interacting with them, and reacting to them, and, through this, learn about nonverbal communication and setting boundaries, thus gaining confidence, inspiration, and strength. At these stables in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, guests harness the power of the herd to gain (often very emotional) insights into themselves.

Yes, Angelina on the Rue de Rivoli (around the Tuileries Garden and the Louvre) is a tourist spot, but it is still one of the best places in Paris for hot chocolate. Their menu of pastries and other small dishes is good, but don’t miss out on the hot chocolate. It is also a fun place to people watch, as there is a mixture of tourists, diplomats and government workers, and grandes dames who frequent the cafe to get their sweet tooth fix. Sit as table 11 (3rd from the back against the mirror) and you’ll sit where Coco Chanel took her hot chocolate nearly every day.

“What better way to understand yoga than to travel to its birthplace?” says Katie Christ. Two years ago, the food stylist put her life in San Francisco on hold to spend two months studying at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune, India. “It was the biggest luxury I have ever allowed myself.” Katie had been practicing Iyengar yoga, a style of hatha yoga that focuses on alignment and uses props like blocks and belts, for more than 10 years when she decided she wanted to study in India.

She applied to RIMYI, where the venerable B.K.S. Iyengar (above), the founder of Iyengar yoga, occasionally teaches with his son and daughter. “It’s not for the faint of heart,” says Katie. “There’s no music. No incense.” RIMYI requires each applicant to have eight years of Iyengar experience plus a letter of recommendation from his or her yoga teacher. Acceptance can take up to two years. The year before she attended, Katie traveled to Pune for two weeks to experience life in the city.

That first visit happened to coincide with B.K.S. Iyengar’s 90th birthday. “I had no Indian garb appropriate for the festivities, so I went shopping, and in one afternoon I saw so much. A woman making a rangoli, a traditional folk art design, let me try to draw one with colored powder on the street. At the market I saw a man whose sole job was to peel garlic bulbs. I tasted the most amazing chai, made by a chai wallah who used pliers to crush fresh ginger into a pot of milk with tea leaves and ground spices. I knew I wanted to stay. [On my second trip] these experiences would become part of my everyday routine.”

The institute doesn’t provide housing, so Katie used her first visit to find a flat to rent for her two-month stay. “I had the perfect commute: a 10-minute walk through a public garden where I would watch teens flirting on benches and women in saris and sneakers taking their morning power walks.” Classes were held six days a week: two-hour sessions led by a member of the Iyengar family and three hours of open practice each day, and an hour of pranayama (controlled breathing) once a week. “In open practice, I experienced incredible generosity from students who were advanced teachers,” says Katie. “If someone recognized that I was struggling, they would come over to help me achieve better alignment. Several times Geeta Iyengar [the daughter of B.K.S. Iyengar] called out to give me specific instruction.

I felt incredibly fortunate, considering there were up to 120 students in a class.” When she wasn’t in class, Katie and her Australian neighbors, all senior Iyengar teachers attending the institute, would hit the markets and seek out the best chai, Indian sweets, and chappals (sandals). On Sundays they took trips to sights like the ancient sculptures and paintings in the Ellora and Ajanta caves. Katie felt her body becoming stronger and her head becoming clearer with each passing day. “The goal of yoga is to calm the chatter of the mind. When I arrived I had tons of chatter,” she says. “After practicing so intensely every day for two months, the chatter became a murmur.”

From $450 for a one-month program, not including meals and accommodations. 91/(0) 20-2565-6134, bksiyengar.com. This story appeared in the January/February 2012 issue.

This Upper East Side legend opened its doors in 1930 and, since then, has offered big-city accommodations to a legion of luminaries, from John F. Kennedy and Ingrid Bergman to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The hotel’s famed restaurant Café Carlyle is where much of the action—and longstanding history—exists, having consistently hosted top talent like Woody Allen, Alan Cumming, and Rita Wilson since opening in 1955.

Commissioned in 2006 by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, Royal Mansour is like a medina within the city’s Medina. Fifty-three private riads, each three stories high, feel like mini-palaces, with open-air courtyards and on-call butlers. Every detail is an homage to Moroccan craftsmanship, down to the gorgeous zellige ceramic tiles, intricately carved woods, and molded plasterwork created by local artisans.


From April onward, access to a pool is essential to your enjoyment of Marrakech—and canny entrepreneurs have ensured there’s something for every budget. The city has some mega-luxury treats within walking distance of the medina, like the poolside pavilions at the Royal Mansour’s Le Jardin and the pool that launched a thousand photo shoots at La Mamounia. Expect to spend upward of $80 just to get in. There are also plenty of accessibly priced options a little out of town. The top of our list are the ultra-deep, black-tiled, 115-foot long twin pools at the Beldi country club, where $40 gets you a pool pass, a sun lounger beneath the olive trees, and a slap-up barbecue lunch. It gets busy, though, so if you’re after something a little more serene, book a car to take you out to the Jnane Tamsna in the middle of the Palmeraie, where gloriously scented gardens and five serene turquoise pools are hidden away among the date palms. Pool access, including a three-course lunch that fuses Moroccan Mediterranean with more fiery Senegalese flavors, is about the same price. Out at the Fellah Hotel, up-close views of the mighty Atlas Mountains can be soaked up from a shabby-chic poolside terrace over lunch (not included) while rubbing shoulders with the foundation’s artists in residence. Pool access costs $22.

Why we love it: An all-American dude ranch where guests can play cowboy in luxury

Highlights:
- A superb riding program that brings over 150 horses to the mesquite corral each morning
- Luxury amenities like an outdoor pool and spa to balance out the adventure
- Regular dining events like private-chef dinners and barbecues

The Review:
Founded in 1868, this Tucson guest ranch sits below the Rincon Mountains, overlooking the rolling foothills of Saguaro National Park. It’s often ranked among America’s top resorts and wedding destinations—and for good reason. Not only does it deliver Southwestern charm in the form of pink adobe architecture, but it runs one of the nation’s top horseback-riding programs, with everything from team penning and mountain adventure rides to the signature “Harmony with Horses,” which teaches interspecies communication. The ranch also offers a host of other activities, including yoga, hikes, mountain biking, photography courses, and naturalist-led walks to explore the desert’s edible and medicinal plants. There’s even a kids’ day camp for ages four to 12 with tennis, arts and crafts, swimming, and more.

Rooms here feature exposed beams and brick, punctuated with dark wood furniture and pops of Southwestern fabrics. Each has a desk, coffeemaker, and small refrigerator, while the biggest suite also includes a fireplace and sleeps up to six. When guests start feeling saddle sore, they can rejuvenate with a full-body massage in the spa, or grab a prickly pear margarita at the Dog House Saloon. For a full meal, head to the on-site restaurant, which serves Southwestern cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or attend one of the specialty dining events held each week, including private-chef dinners and cowboy cookouts.

The first in Fiji to introduce overwater bures (traditional huts made of wood and straw), adults-only Likuliku Lagoon Resort continues to set the standard for romantic luxury. At the all-inclusive property on Malolo Island, about 15 miles west of Viti Levu, couples who spring for one of those accommodations enjoy sun-bathed views over a sparkling marine reserve from the teak deck or oversized soaking tub; at night, fish are drawn to lights under the hut and are visible through glass panels inset in the floor.

Back on the beach and closer to the restaurant and two bars (one located on a small island in the lagoon), there are 35 beachfront bures, including 18 split-level deluxe bungalows that feature private plunge pools and secluded courtyards with outdoor showers. Activities like snorkeling, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, and sailing are complimentary; more adventurous types might also request arrangements for diving and fishing trips, island-hopping tours, sunset cruises, and visits to a local village.

Yep, you read that right: There is a Pirate Supply Store in the heart of the Mission! In their words: “We are a ragtag group of miscreants who sell pirate supplies in order to benefit the free programming that happens at our writing-tutoring center at 826 Valencia, and in classrooms all over San Francisco.” Cofounded by author David Eggers, the non-profit organization 826 Valencia (which is their address, not coincidentally) teaches writing to teachers and students all over the Bay Area. Chapters of 826 have also been founded in seven other cities around the country. The Pirate Supply Store—if you’re still baffled by this, they do indeed sell pirate supplies like hooks and eyepatches—is just one part of the 826 network, with other chapters having similarly quirky stores, such as Brooklyn’s Superhero Supply Co., Los Angeles’ Time Travel Mart, or Washington, D.C.’s Museum of Unnatural History. The Pirate Supply Store is open every day from noon to 6 p.m.

A magical alpine lake on the South Island is Lake Pukaki, crystal blue and turquoise. Oftentimes in the morning it’s so still it reflects a perfect mirror of the clouds. One of many glacial lakes in the area, the best view is from the southside, when on sunny days you can see all the way to Aoraki-Mount Cook, New Zealand‘s highest peak. Though not as developed as other lakes on the South Island, it’s worth at least stopping by for a photo or two on any road trip.

Located just footsteps from the hustle of Columbus Circle, Mandarin Oriental New York serves as the ultimate urban escape. More than 240 rooms and suites showcase stunning views of Central Park, the Hudson River, and the Manhattan skyline, while carrying their own perks within (Diptyque amenities, cherry wood furnishings, walk-in showers). The 14,500-square-foot spa feels like a true getaway in the heart of the city, with a tea lounge and a number of treatments ranging from Jet Lag Cure to Thai Foot Therapy.

The MO Lounge offers dramatic park views and an all-day menu with American cuisine centered on sustainable local ingredients. Come evening, MO Lounge’s hand-crafted cocktails paired with Central Park vistas are perfect for impressing out-of-towners.