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Founder’s note from the September/October 2011 print issue of AFAR Magazine.

Both South American countries claim the spirit as their own—but who’s right?

From a lakeside view, Afar writer reviews the first five-star hotel to open on Lake Como in a century.

From beers at open air bars in beach towns to craft beers and cocktails on dance floors in San Jose, Costa Rica’s bars serve up good times. There’s plenty of live music to pair with whatever you’re drinking (and plenty of new friends to make among locals and tourists at dance clubs) so go, have fun and enjoy Costa Rica’s spirit of pura vida.

Costa Rica isn’t known as a shopping destination but there are some excellent gift shops and galleries around the country. Don’t miss the Central Market in San Jose or farmers markets in smaller towns. You can think of the fresh fruit you buy as your souvenir of the day.

The beaches and inland regions of Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province are known not only for their jaw-dropping natural beauty and wildlife, but also for their delicious eats, laid-back nightlife, myriad outdoor adventures, and surprisingly good shopping. Here are some of the many reasons this stretch along the Pacific Ocean is known as the Gold Coast.

Montreal’s coolest neighborhood is also it’s most sought-after; as a kind of love child of Brooklyn, Shoreditch, and Sodermälm, Plateau Mont-Royal is inherently hip and has been setting trends for well over two decades now. Quirky shops, colorful buildings with twirling iron staircases, and third-wave coffee shops are among Plateau Mont-Royal’s most popular things to do, as are having picnics in Parc Laurier and designer shopping on Montreal’s iconic Boulevard Saint-Laurent.

Spend your days in Costa Rica going from national parks to open air restaurants. Along with some of the best rice and beans in Latin America—they show up at breakfast, lunch, and dinner—there’s plenty of seafood and other proteins. Local ingredients include seafood, corn, beans, and root vegetables so you’ll see a lot of them on Tico tables. And the culinary scene is expanding quickly so expect flavors from Asia and Europe in the mix too.

Bicerin tastes like a sweet sip of Italy.

Founder’s Note: Learning AFAR

A former art historian who now runs the family-owned cooking school in Palermo shares her favorite food destinations in Palermo.

Embrace a rustic, woodsy vibe at these timber lodges such as the Fairmont Le Château Montebello in Quebec.

Imagine the best hotels in Montana, and you’ll imagine nights under starry skies in luxury tents, ranches of the Old West, and boutique inns and Victorian manors. Montana’s best hotel options are unique and exciting, with each offering a glimpse of a different aspect of life in the Mountain West. From glamping it up in some of the most rugged terrain in the USA to five-star trappings at world-class ski lodges, Montana’s hotels are as unique as they come.

Where else but Montana can you shop inside a tepee for elk antlers one day, and browse for souvenirs with your feet in a bubbling hot spring the next?

Loosen your belt buckle as you roll into this beloved Yellowstone gateway town, and enjoy a taste of Montana (and a craft beer or two) before your road trip continues.