Search results for

Continental Europe’s largest shopping department has been supplying well-heeled Berliners with fine foods and upscale fashion for over a hundred years. Eight floors specialise in different goods, but the two most impressive are the ground floor and its ‘Luxury Boulevard,’ which features stores by the likes of Chanel, Bulgari and Tiffany & Co., and the sixth floor’s food hall, where regulars and visitors alike can be found perched at the champagne and oyster bars. More modestly-priced meals and some impressive views can be found in the glass-ceilinged cafe-restaurant on the seventh floor.

Standing in the Piazza Santa Croce, a statue of Dante looms over the square from the corner. Florence, where Durante degli Alighieri’s journey through hell, purgatory, and paradise was to begin but not end. In 1829 a tomb was built for him in the Basilica of Santa Croce—the largest Franciscan church in the world. The tomb has remained empty ever since as Dante’s body lies in Ravenna.

This little private church is probably the most photographed stop in Oia. Our rented house was right next to it but lower on the steps so we could see lots of people getting lots of photos. Married couples would take their photos next to it, photographers were offering workshops that included this spot. I woke up at 5.30AM to wonder when nobody else was around. Best time of day to walk around this very busy tourist destination.

Why we love it: A business hotel offering upscale comfort and unconventional charm

The Highlights:
- Elegant guest rooms with dashes of whimsy
- A pet-friendly policy
- An on-site art gallery with original paintings and historic images

The Review:
A 10-minute drive from Buffalo Niagara International Airport, this swanky property is named for Frank and Dolly Reikart, a vaudevillian couple who became the nearby town of Amherst’s “first family of hospitality” in the 1900s. A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, it won “Hotel of the Year” from its parent company, JW Marriott, in 2018. The 92 guest rooms and 12 suites blend classic decor with distinctive style. While no two are alike, each one features some mix of wood and leather furnishings; a neutral palette of white, beige, and brown accented by bold blue; and 50-inch flat-screen TVs wired for streaming content. Guests can also expect complimentary bicycles and a warm welcome for pets, though a surcharge does apply if you want to bring your furry friend.

When not in your room, explore the lush, campus-style grounds; work up a sweat in the club-style fitness center; or browse the on-site gallery, which features original paintings by local artist Peter Fowler. There’s also the Main Lobby restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the Fireside Lounge for drinks. Should you be traveling for work, know that Reikart House especially excels as a conference host, thanks to its fully equipped executive boardroom and new Jazzboline Restaurant and event space, which includes a lounge, restaurant, and ballroom—and draws its name from the guitar-like instrument invented by the hotel’s namesake, Frank Reikart.

Rooftop pizza restaurant Mambo Italia is a great place to go with friends or to listen to the live music regularly playing here. There’s a covered indoor area with colourful chairs and mismatched tables in case the weather turns, but on a sunny evening grab an al-fresco table and watch the traffic streaming by below. Best items on the menu are, of course, the pizzas. There’s a creative range of options the team here have dreamt up, or you can simply create your own.

Blackbird Caye Resort is the gateway to the stunning Belize Barrier Reef, but so much more than a stopgap hitching post for scuba nerds. Stretched across two miles of palm-fringed beach on the windward side of the Turneffe Atoll, Blackbird is set against a backdrop of more than 4,000 acres of untrammeled jungle, mangrove forests, sprawling lagoons, and migratory bird habitats. Many guests come to Blackbird to get under the water and at the reef – some of the best diving sites in Belize are a short five or ten minute boat ride from Blackbird’s dock – though this isolated island paradise has plenty to offer visitors looking to stretch their land legs. 18 ocean-view cabanas, each with its own private balcony and hammock, hold dominion over the Caribbean Sea. The Poolside Bar is a great place to unwind after a hot day in the sun, while the gallant High Tide Bar, with at least two feet in the sea at any one time, offers an excellent happy hour and complimentary snacks, including island fare like lion fish fingers, ceviche, conch fritters, and fried grouper. One of the top dive resorts in the world and a postcard-perfect island paradise, Blackbird is at once home away from home, and your own secluded hideaway. Photo Finish: Nikon D800 | 24-70mm f/2.8 lens | Aperture f/7.1 | ISO-640 | Shutter 1/30 sec.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art—or, commonly, the Met—is one of the world’s great museums, alongside the Louvre, the British Museum, and a handful of others. It would be easy to devote an entire week’s visit to the museum alone, and realistically you probably won’t get far beyond a few exhibitions and galleries at one shot. The Costume Institute’s temporary shows are always popular, while others will (like the museum itself) focus on a range of regions and periods—at any one time there may be temporary exhibitions on an Italian Renaissance painter, miniatures from Mughal India, and Polynesian carvings. The Temple of Dendur, a roughly 43' x 21' x 16' temple that dates to around 15 B.C.E. and was given by the government of Egypt to the United States in 1967, is one of the museum’s most photographed (and Instagrammed) works. The 34 period rooms, including a 12th-century cloister, English parlor and a Shaker “retiring” room, are among the museum’s other highlights. On summer evenings, site-specific installations make the rooftop terrace is a favorite place for drinks. The general admission of $25 for adults, $12 for students, and $17 for seniors is a suggested one for New York residents, as well as students from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Whatever you pay also includes same-day entry to The Met Cloisters.

Including more than 500 different vendors, the Santa Marta Market (Mercado Público) is a lively and colorful experience. You can wander among the exotic fruits and vegetables in one row of stores, see meat and poultry vendors in another and find gifts and clothing in a third section of the market. Even if you don’t find the perfect souvenir, exploring the market provides a glimpse into daily life in Santa Marta.

It’s diminutive, to be sure, but “Little Grape Island” has a big claim to historical fame: Christopher Columbus landed here in 1502, anchoring his ships for repairs. Since then, a lot has happened (and been rumored to have happened) on this now-uninhabited island. It even once served as a quarantine site during a leprosy outbreak. Today, it’s an easy and interesting day trip for beach lounging, surfing and hiking. Take a boat over to the quiet spot and play modern-day explorer, keeping an eye out for colorful bird and fish species.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park was created through the cooperation of the governments of Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. Their cooperation has united several smaller fragmented parks into a larger border-less area for wildlife to roam. Highlights include viewing predators like cheetah, hyena and black-manned lions, along with bat eared foxes, meerkats, wildebeest, and other species. One of the best camps on the South African side is Kieliekrankie. It’s an unfenced campsite located towards the middle of the park located on the top of a dune. Four self-catering cabins come with a kitchen and outdoor grill. There is a ranger on-hand to help check you in and oversee your stay in the event some curious leopards or jackals come to visit your cabin. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a big park and a lot of the roads are corrugated, so a 4x4 vehicle is strongly recommended (but not necessary). Make sure to stop at Twee Rivieren with your passport if you plan on exiting through Namibia or entering Botswana.

La Glorieta attends to those attracted to tango’s drama but who eschew slick, three-hour dance extravaganzas in downtown cabarets. Free and open to the public, this gazebo, in a plaza near Belgrano’s Barrio Chino, transforms on weekend evenings into an open-air gathering place for tango dancers—young and old, experienced and rookies alike. If you’re looking to learn the dance’s steps (as well as its complex etiquette), go early for classes (5–6:30 p.m.) before the dance floor opens. Dancing goes on until 11 p.m. and is canceled on rainy nights.

To reach this state park off the north end of Captiva Island, you’ll need to travel by private boat or Captiva Cruises ferry. Once there, though, you’ll find 2,400 spectacular acres, including nine miles of pristine beach perfect for shelling and swimming. Keep your eye out for manatees and dolphins, which are often spotted in the surrounding waters. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even pitch a tent or rent a primitive cabin and spend the night in the real Florida.

In an age of Hollywood blockbusters and cineplexes (even in Europe), true art-house cinemas are a dying breed; Művész on the Pest side of the city keeps the faith with a wide variety of international and vintage films shown on four screens. English films are shown with Hungarian subtitles. Alongside that are film festivals as well as a foyer with delicious old cozy sofas, magazines and books, fish tanks and wall sculptures, even arts and crafts to buy. On top of it all, the cinema houses a bustling retro cafe that attracts culture vultures beyond the usual cinephile audience.

Ascona, on the shores of Lake Maggiore, has swaying palm trees and a mild climate, and is Switzerland‘s lowest-lying town (643 feet above sea level). The lakeside promenade (Lungolago) offers a Mediterranean feel with streetside cafés, warm breezes, and diners clinking wineglasses—all with a backdrop of historic 19th-century merchants’ houses. The town, a former fishing village, has become an upscale resort town—known for its water sports as well as some of the best hotels in the country. Ascona’s old town center, the Borgo, is a warren of charming alleyways and chic boutiques.

It’s no surprise that the opening of this beloved gastropub back in 2007 coincided with Orlando’s rise as a culinary hot spot. While its owners James and Julie Petrakis have not stopped opening other ventures around the city (including at Disney Springs), this local favorite—known for its Cask & Larder beers and sophisticated Southern fare—has hardly waned in popularity. Start with the charcuterie platter (a spread of rillettes, dried sausage, and salami), then choose from favorites like shrimp and grits and the enormous Pub Burger, which comes topped with caramelized onions and buttermilk blue cheese. Whether you come for happy hour, dinner, or something in between, expect a lively atmosphere that’s perfectly suited to groups.