Search results for

Strolling down Marnixstraat you wouldn’t suspect it’s there, unless you notice a small sign near a stairwell adjacent to the Q-Park. From Nassaukade, there’s no access, but you can see the buzzing venue across Singlegracht canal: Waterkant, a tropical-themed bar and restaurant serving casual fare on the waterfront behind the twin towers of the parking garage. The brainchild of the catering team that brought popular Bukowski Bar, Café Kuijper and Maxwell to Amsterdam, Waterkant debuted to instant success in August 2014. Seemingly overnight, the trio transformed the dilapidated night shelter behind the Q-Park into a canal-side bar and restaurant perfect for a romantic date or evening out with friends. At colorful tables on an expansive terrace, you can watch boats passing by and the Nassaukade street scene over beer, snacks, lunch or dinner. Looking to Amsterdam’s colonial past, the new hotspot features a Suriname-inspired menu with specialties like peanut soup, curried duck spring rolls, fried dumplings and roti roll. If you’re starving, order the Jamaican Jerk ribs—a whopping 16 barbecued bones served with coleslaw and fries. Or blow the budget on a whole Canadian lobster for €25. Wash it all down with traditional Parbo beer or a local craft brew.

Soak up the endless horizon on this 15k tramp alongside Lake Wanaka. Why is this worth your Kiwi time? The rolling and winding track that follows the lake’s edge provides an unobstructed and ridiculous view of the snowcapped mountain tops (head over in spring for sunny skies and cool winds). Park your car in one of the lakefront car parks in town and head clockwise along the lake. You’ll pass Waterfall Creek and the small Damper Bay before you reach Glendhu Bay. The only thing that is missing here are sculptures of hobbits, dwarves, and trolls (just saying).

When hiking in parts of South Korea’s Seoraksan National Park, you won’t go thirsty. Spectacular crags all around, rustic restaurants dot some of the trails. Mountain spring water combined with rice from nearby paddies leads to fermentation...and voilà: “rice wine!’ Yeah, the milky-colored contents in the bowl look like porridge...but that chunkiness comes from the fact that the beverage is semi-frozen. Ladle some into your bowl and sample some of this very local “dong dong joo.” (If you’re familiar with Korean liquor, this is similar to ‘makkeoli.’ If not, there’s something else for you to try.) Slightly sweet, a hint of sour, and ice cold. It wasn’t my wife’s favorite, but I bottled up what she couldn’t finish--yep, the little establishment let me fill up my empty water bottle with it so I could take it ‘to go.’ Ahh, the alchemy of rice and mountains... [This particular ‘rest-stop’ for hikers is located on the trail to Biseondae in the Cheonbuldong valley. Avoid autumn weekends at all costs--the crowds are formidable.]

Located below street level, the public space Cheonggyecheon offers an easy escape from the hustle and bustle of downtown Seoul. The area is part of a massive urban renewal project in which an old elevated highway was cleared to reveal the stream below. To find the entrance, look for Claes Oldenburg’s sculpture Spring Tower, which resembles a giant unicorn horn, and from there you can enjoy a serene 3.6-mile walk that meanders past art installations, graceful fountains, and green rest areas. Duck out at any point on one of the 22 overhead bridges that cross the stream, or walk to the end of the trail and visit the free Cheonggyecheon Museum to learn more about the area.

In 2016, Ace added another link to its chain of ultracool hotels when it opened an outpost in a renovated 1928 building in the Central Business District of New Orleans. While the Ace employees here are just as edgy as their counterparts elsewhere, they temper that cool with the warm ease of New Orleans’s locals.

Guests enter the hotel through a lobby of mismatched low-slung sofas and vintage coffee tables set in conversation-friendly groupings beside a lovely and ornate wooden bar. Most of the furnishings and artwork complement the hotel’s dominant forest green hue, which itself seems to have been inspired by the color of the streetcars that trundle past on Carondelet Street. Afternoon and evening and late at night, the lobby bar is kept busy by hotel guests as well as a stream of others drawn here by the stylish vibe.

The grand koa wood staircase was shining with a new coat of oil as the focal point of the room; it’s beautiful curves lead the eye gently from the second floor down to the first floor. Men and women dressed in ornate gowns and neck-restricting tuxedos floated around the staircase receiving each other with a proper handshake or curtsy. The party was just beginning as horses pulled up to the ultra modern palace depositing people of stature out of their buggies. The year was 1882 in the island nation of Hawaii. Even though I like to live in the present, I couldn’t help but imagine the past as I was led through the Iolani Palace in Oahu. The docent painted a perfect picture of arriving at a ball in the mid 1880’s – the sites, sounds, and even the dinner entries that would be served. After the docent led tour you can have the pleasure of saying the you’ve been in the only palace in America! More Info: Iolani Palace Tour Information: Guided Docent Led Tours – Adults: $20 / Children (5-12) $6. This tour is available from 9:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Audie Tours – Adults: $13 / Children (5-12) $6. This tour is available from Monday through Saturday 11:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Be sure to check the times and costs on the website which will have up to date information and details. Get all of the details including great historical information, information on the restoration, and learn about upcoming events on the Iolani Palace website: www.iolanipalace.org.

When you’ve had enough of the hectic hustle of tourists and traffic in Times Square, seek refuge at Haven, a rooftop lounge located on the top of the Sanctuary Hotel on 47th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. The owners of this chic establishment spent a considerable amount of time in Saint-Tropez and have made an effort to make their guests feel like they have been transported there. Chill at the bar, relax under oversize umbrellas at one of their cedar tables, or go all out in an open air cabana, swathed in sheer white drapes while re-fueling with foods from their French inspired menu. You can even get your anti-oxidants while you drink by ordering a Night Sky- one of their signature cocktails made with acai blueberry vodka and fresh lemonade, garnished with a skewer of blueberries. The manager Katerina was wonderful, making sure we had everything we needed and even shaking cocktails herself to help out the busy bartenders. If you’re looking for some excitement after your rooftop recharge, Haven hosts a rotation of DJs, features events such as burlesque shows, and has a VIP area overlooking the main roof that is available to rent out. With plans to install heating and encase the rooftop, Haven will soon be able to provide the refuge you need before a show, after work, or after hours all year long.

Walt Disney World’s four remarkable theme parks are part of nearly 104 square kilometers (40 square miles) filled with entertainment. Magic Kingdom is home to the iconic Cinderella Castle and has six themed sections. At EPCOT, guests take a trip around the globe and into the future via exhibits, rides and events. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a working film, television and radio studio lot that features attractions based on favorite Disney characters. Adventures with real animals await guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The resort is approximately 90 minutes from Port Canaveral.

“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” So said local philosopher and writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a statue of whom oversees his namesake island, a wee, romantic spot in the middle of the Rhone where it empties into Lake Geneva. The island-park may be served by two bridges, but it feels like a universe of its own and is a favorite of many visitors and locals in Geneva. The tranquil tree-lined island was once a 16th-century fortification that protected the city, then the site of a bustling shipyard before finally being transformed to a peaceful sanctuary in 1832, when the Pont des Bergues bridge was constructed. (The Pont des Bergues ends across from the 1834 Hotel des Bergues, which was the first meeting place of the United Nations and is now a Four Seasons Hotel.)

Lebanese food is ubiquitous in Abu Dhabi, but Almayass restaurant at the Sheraton on the Corniche combines Lebanese classics on the menu with an array of Armenian dishes that pair perfectly. If you try one dish on their impressive list of hot mezes, be sure to make it the ras asfour bi kara, marinated veal cubes topped with a sweet-and-sour cherry sauce. Armenian cuisine is famous for its sausages, and Almayass serves a delicious sujuk maa bayd ferri, Armenian sausage fried up with quail eggs. Almayass also answers the perennial Abu Dhabi question: “Where can we go to smoke a shisha outside?” Tucked into a private lagoon, Almayass’s outdoor seating area provides an intimate environment for some after-dinner shisha and cocktails.

The first of Dubai’s extravagant palm tree–shaped artificial islands once seemed an expensive marketing gimmick; but One&Only The Palm’s prime position on the tip of the outer breakwater—plus thriving starfish and transplanted mature palm trees—make the beach here feel at once natural and private (albeit with dramatic views of the gleaming cityscape lining the mainland coast). The rooms and suites, some with their own private pools, are grouped in blocks of six or nine within sea-facing, Marrakech-meets-Miami–styled mansions with beige and dark-wood interiors and freestanding bathtubs. There is a Guerlain spa on site, and the hotel’s flagship restaurant, Stay, is overseen by Michelin-starred French chef Yannick Alleno.

If the viewing platform from the 122nd floor of the Burj Khalifa doesn’t induce vertigo, why not jump out of a perfectly good airplane at Skydive Dubai? The view of the Palm Jumeirah from 13,000 feet up will literally take your breath away—falling from that high above the ground tends to do that. If that sounds a little too extreme, give one of the biggest vertical wind tunnel in the world a go at Inflight Dubai. The tunnel, 16.5 feet in diameter, produces wind not by the inescapable force of gravity but by four 2,000-hp electric motors that let you experience skydiving without ever jumping out of an airplane. Tthe folks at Inflight Dubai opened an even bigger wind tunnel at Palm Jumeirah.

This reconstructed village is a glimpse into old oasis living. Heritage Village is a great place to see how the Emerati lived before skyscrapers. Scenes depict desert life in great detail and highlight their historic, nomadic lifestyle. Make sure you catch a performances that shows how different work was completed generations past. The Village is centrally located near Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi City.

Why we love it: A boutique hotel that puts guests in the heart of it all

The Highlights:
- Allergen-free Pure Wellness rooms
- A convenient location right downtown
- An award-winning steak house on site

The Review:

A boutique stay in the heart of downtown Boise, Hotel 43 seamlessly blends cozy charm with urban style. Works by local artist Amy Westover enliven the cathedral-like lobby (its ceiling soars to 60 feet), while vibrant drapery and bathrobe-clad teddy bears on each bed make the 112 guest rooms feel both chic and homey. If you need more than William Roam bath products and a jetted tub to feel pampered, book one of the Pure Wellness rooms, which offer purified, hypoallergenic accommodation for even the most sensitive of guests.

Hotel 43 also provides travelers with a free pass to the Boise Art Museum, plus loaner bikes for cruising to the Shakespeare Festival or farmers’ market. Come dinnertime, however, you’ll want to stay put for a meal at on-site Chandlers Steakhouse, where Kobe-style beef and fresh seafood are accompanied by live jazz each evening. In the morning, head to Metro Café for Caffé D’arte coffee, freshly baked pastries, and house-made granola, or grab the complimentary airport shuttle to catch your flight home.

When tragedy strikes—like the Paris terrorist attacks or the Parkland mass shooting—Nalu’s South Shore Grill creates mile-long leis from local ti leaves for those affected. Representatives then present the leis to the victims personally, while offering chants for healing. Oftentimes, the restaurant also creates the leis to celebrate accomplishments, like the return of the Hawaiian canoe Hōkūleʻa after its three-year, round-the-world voyage. Aside from being a beacon of humanitarian light, Nalu’s is a favorite for local dishes like poke bowls, island-style beef short ribs, and loco moco (a ground beef patty served over brown rice and topped with eggs, homemade gravy, and black lava salt). If you want to give back, order the roasted beet and goat cheese salad and 50 percent of the purchase price will go to charity.