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Alfajores are the specialty of Camilia Sweets at the Lake Mary Farmer’s Market. Two friendly sisters from Peru are happy to share a delicious bite of culture with samples of all-natural, freshly-baked artisan cookies. The delicate cookies, dusted with powdered sugar, come in flavors like dulche de leche and coconut. Fill a bag or box with a dozen alfajores for later. Find their aqua-and-pink booth at the Lake Mary Farmer’s Market in Central Park, at Lake Mary Boulevard and 4th Street. The market is held every Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.(weather permitting).

For visitors, Carytown, located near the downtown hotels and the Museum District, is the preferred place to shop. This several-block stretch of West Cary Street is full of independently owned shops and restaurants, as well as the historic Byrd Theatre, a 1920s movie palace showing recent and classic films at bargain prices. A few notable shops are Mongrel, an all-occasion gift shop with a great selection of Richmond- and Virginia-themed items, World of Mirth, a colorful, kitschy toy store that’s fun for all ages, and Eurotrash, featuring fashion-forward European women’s clothing for all styles and budgets.

From a members-only beach club in the 1960s, The Dunmore has evolved into a 16-room boutique stay whose spirit and decor evoke that era. Local interior designer Amanda Lindroth oversaw a major renovation when the hotel’s current owners bought the property in 2010. Wicker and rattan furniture, patterned prints, and spaces that are as much outdoors as indoors create a look that is somewhere between late British colonial and timeless Bahamian. Although the landmark sits on Harbour Island’s Pink Sands Beach, a pool with an airy pavilion adds to The Dunmore’s reputation as a place of amiable gathering. After a day of sunfilled fun, head to the on-site restaurant, where chef Cindy Hutson, one of the region’s rising culinary stars, prepares modern twists on island delicacies—think grouper curry with lychee and grilled pineapple and banana fritters with rum caramel.

La Dolce Vita is a charming, Italian cafe & restaurant in the trendy Park Road, known for great restaurants and high-end boutiques. It’s sometimes known as “that cafe with the eiffel tower” because despite being now an Italian place, it is still built around a replica of the eiffel tower and one of the roofs is a replica of the glass pyramid of The Louvre. It was formerly, as you may have guessed, a French cafe called Savoir Faire. I always get a savoury breakfast when I’m out but today I had an unusual pancake craving - these are some of the best pancakes I have ever had! Delicious vanilla bean gelato topped thick fluffy pancakes, surrounded by a variety of berries. Super yum! Unfortunately I was halfway through before I thought to take a photo! ‘Dolce’, as its known to locals, is a popular spot for the friendly owner who likes to chat with customers and dish out life advice and the relaxed atmosphere - unlike many restaurants, you’ll never feel pressured to leave once you’ve finished your meal. A little slice of Europe in the heart of Brisbane! Note: It also goes off on soccer nights, especially during the soccer world cup - all of Park Road has a street party!

In recent years, this pretty neighborhood, located just five minutes north of downtown Orlando, has become a dining, shopping, and entertainment destination in its own right. Edgewater Drive is lined with restaurants, shops, and offices, while the surrounding residential areas feature historic bungalows, Craftsman-style homes, brick streets, and lakefront views. Favorite eateries in the neighborhood include Jade Sushi & New Asian and K Restaurant, which is nestled in a cute old house. While there isn’t a college nearby, the area gets its moniker from streets named after famed universities like Princeton, Dartmouth, and Harvard.

The lines are long (expect to wait at least an hour) at this young barbecue joint tucked inside the Dallas Farmers’ Market—but the tender, perfectly smoked meats are worth the wait says Daniel Vaugh, barbecue editor of Texas Monthly. “They have incredible brisket and giant beef ribs,” he says. Watch for a brick-and-mortar outpost slated to open this spring—menu standbys like bacon-and-chile-flecked mac and the “trough” meat-sampler, pictured here, are sure to make an appearance.

Facing the Arabian Sea and the Gateway of India monument, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel blends Moorish, Florentine, and Indian architecture. The historic palace wing reopened in 2010 with 243 new rooms and 42 suites, including one that houses the sitar on which legendary Indian musician Ravi Shankar composed his Concerto No. 1. George Harrison checked into the Taj in 1966 to take lessons from the maestro.

Gaa is located directly opposite Gaggan, Bangkok’s most famous eatery, which was named the best restaurant in Asia in 2017. The brains behind the venture is Garima Arora, former sous chef at Gaggan and chef de partie at Noma. A native of Mumbai, Arora doesn’t shy away from her Indian roots. They are balanced, however, by international influences, including prominent Thai flavors. As you would expect from someone with her pedigree, Arora gives full rein to her creativity throughout the tasting menus (10 or 14 courses), with dishes such as grilled pork ribs marinated with split-pea miso and served with chopped shallots, spring onions, and pomegranate seeds showcasing her talent.

The resplendent Raffles Hotel reopened in late 2019 to great fanfare after two years of restoration. Originally built in 1887 as a 10-room hotel, it now features 115 suites with oriental carpets and teak floors to complement four-poster beds and colorful Peranakan-tiled bathrooms. An in-room tablet controls everything from the mood lighting to calling your butler for a glass of bubbly. All have a private veranda to enjoy balmy evenings outside.




The building was declared a national monument in 1987, so the façade has changed little, but the hotel’s food and drink concepts have been revamped with a focus on marquee restaurant collaborations with the likes of Jereme Leung (yi) and Hawaiian-born Jordan Keao (Butcher’s Block). Not forgetting Singapore’s rich food culture, the hotel offers a self-guided Raffles Singapore Hawker Food Trail video hosted by hawker champion and Makansutra founder KF Seetoh. Raffles also offers an exclusive private tour of the Intan, a home museum filled with more than 1,500 objects from Peranakan culture.





The famous Singapore Sling continues to be a draw at the evocative 1920s Malayan-style Long Bar and its peanut shell-covered floor. The iconic drink now has sustainable twist: the hotel plants one native tree in the Kalimantan or Sumatran rain forest for every 25 Singapore Slings ordered.

For years, the easternmost section of the Marais, one of the city’s most beloved districts, was a sleepy, underdeveloped neighborhood. That all changed for L’Arsenal in July 2022 with the arrival of the design-driven SO / Paris, located at La Félicité, a massive urban revitalization site overhauled by British architect David Chipperfield. The hotel occupies one side of the 1960s-era complex (which includes the Terroirs d’Avenir green market and bakery and the Atlas art gallery). The design from Paris-based architects RDAI is retro-futuristic, with rounded couches and soaring ceilings, while decorative touches are nods to the neighborhood (the tiles of the hotel entrance mimic cobblestone streets).

One of the most beloved Vietnamese eateries in Saigon, SH Garden has lovely views of a pretty part of the city, but it has earned its following with dishes that celebrate the flavors of all the country’s regions, from north to south. Situated on the rooftop of an old colonial edifice at the intersection of Nguyen Hue and Le Loi streets, around the corner from the Opera House, it surveys a pretty part of the city with plenty of other colonial buildings nearby. Named for its owners Son and Ha, the restaurant doesn’t compete with the higher-price-point options in the city and instead serves good old mom-style cooking.

Tucked into the hilly northwestern corner of Jordan, Umm Qais (or ancient Gadara) commands grand views of the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights from the edge of its plateau. It was here that Jesus is said to have performed the miracle of casting demons out of men and into pigs. The town has existed since the Hellenistic period, but is best known for its Roman ruins, which once sat along a prosperous trade route. Many ancient streets and buildings are still intact, as are several Ottoman-era stone houses, which remained occupied all the way until the 1980s. Grandest of all the ruins is the black basalt theater, located along the wide Decumanus Maximus that still holds its original paving stones. Visitors should also be sure to check out the small museum in what was once the home of the Ottoman governor, as well as the celebrated restaurant in the old Ottoman school. In recent years, Umm Qais has become a pioneer of community tourism in Jordan, and it’s even possible to take cooking classes, nature walks, or tours with a local beekeeper after enjoying the ancient ruins.

Of all the accommodations in Maui’s tony Wailea resort community, the 22-acre, waterfront Fairmont Kea Lani may be the most family-friendly of the bunch thanks in large part to its all-suite-and-villa setup. The property’s 450 guest rooms are some of the biggest on the island—the smallest suites start at a generous 860 square feet, while the two- and three-bedroom beachfront villas weigh in at 1,800 square feet and up. All cater to families, with separate sleeping and living areas, entertainment systems, furnished outdoor space (for lounging and dining), sleeper sofas, and some type of kitchen facilities, while villas encourage group gatherings with plunge pools and BBQ grills. Both adults and kids will love the deep-soaking tubs, too. Elsewhere, three indoor and three outdoor pools provide space for fun when kids’ club activities (among them volcano building, hula lessons, and tide pool excursions) aren’t on the agenda. Grown-ups can also amuse themselves with activities like outrigger canoe journeys, cultural programs, tee times at three nearby championship golf courses, and locally inspired treatments at the Willow Stream Spa, which offers dedicated fitness and wellness programs. Fuel your adventures at the five on-site restaurants, including the seafood-focused Nick’s Fishmarket Maui (with its 2,000-bottle-strong wine cellar) and the award-winning Kō, where the flavors are inspired by Hawaii, the Philippines, Korea, and beyond.

Travelers incorrectly believe that the street food sold at stalls around Pub Street in the Old Market quarter is authentic. It’s not—not the fruit shake sellers, nor the Nutella pancakes. There is one exception and that’s the ubiquitous sugar cane juice sellers that you see here as well as at local markets, backstreets, and the riverside every afternoon and evening. Follow your ears. Expect to hear the sound of the long pieces of cane being crunched through the crusher or the sounds of swarms of bees buzzing around. The juice will be served in a plastic cup or plastic bag with a straw. If you struggle with the drink in a plastic bag idea, as many foreigners do, then point to a cup. It’s nearly always served over ice and the ice is nearly always safe, thanks to the French who established ice factories across the country during French colonial rule. However, if you’ve not been in the country long or have a weak stomach, skip the ice, just in case. Sometimes Cambodians will add extra sugar to their drinks. Watch carefully and say no if you see the vendor reaching for some, as it’s sweet enough. It’s a terrific thirst-quencher if you’ve been out in the blazing sun all day – and a fantastic pick-me-up if you’re starting to feel that heat.

Every Wednesday and Saturday, a farmers market sets up in Union Square in New York City. On the west side of the square, by 16th Street, is an orchard stand which makes the best apple cider donuts in the entire world. Breezy Hill Orchard is always there with many different types of apples, pears, pies, baked goods and - best of all - apple cider donuts. A bag of three will only cost you a few dollars. Coupled with a cup of hot apple cider, it might just be the most perfect breakfast. Pull up a seat on one of the many benches in the park and gaze up through the towering trees as donut crumbs tumble down your chin.