Search results for

For something beautiful, unique and quintessentially Chinese, you’ll want to pick up a yak-wool knit from Shokay. This incredible social enterprise works with yak farmers in Western China to teach them how to harvest the finest down from their yaks. From here the wool is sent to a group of trained spinners who work their magic, turning the down into the most luxurious, soft yarn. Further transformed into elegant wraps, scarves, jewelry, hats, mittens, throws and pillows, Shokay’s collection offers perfect locally-made, ethically-sourced, beautiful gifts to take home. Store Location: InShop, 1605 West Nanjing Road (Just above JingAn Temple Metro Station, Line 7/Gate 10). Tucked back on aisle “D”, you’ll find Shokay’s pieces in an open space boasting a collection of Shanghai-based designers and labels. And for a true adventure, SHOKAY has transformed its knitting cooperative on Chongming Island into an open textiles workshop. Just over an hour away from Shanghai, the creative space welcomes visitors to spend the afternoon relaxing, joining in knitting classes, or custom ordering hand knit pieces from yak down. For more information, visit their website.

Imagine waking up in an opulent cream- and café-colored boutique bedroom with regal gold gilding. Picture a leisurely morning with a hearty Turkish breakfast on a rooftop terrace with views to Topkapi Palace, the Aya Sophia, and Bosporus Bridge. Sounds divine right? Well it is—because that’s what life has to offer when staying at the White House Hotel in Sultanahmet. The 22-room Ottoman-style hotel with modern comforts is close to some of the best restaurants in town, the Sultanahmet tram station, and all the major tourist landmarks of Old Istanbul. General Manager and Owner Harun Çadırcı and his team are onsite to provide personalized services that have earned them awards. Complimentary transfers from Ataturk Airport are available for stays of three nights or more, and if you’re celebrating a special occasion, be sure to let the hotel know so they can recommend restaurants and activities to make your stay extra special. The hotel has standard double rooms as well as luxury superior, triple, and family rooms available. Check their website for more details.

Founded in 1971, the Wood Dale Historical Society is dedicated to the preservation of the history of this quaint Illinois town. One such monument to their efforts is the Adolph and Esther Rosenwinkel farm that was donated to the society back in 1982. The farmhouse itself was built in 1840, and the room pictured above is located in a second house on the property built by the same family in 1922. This structure features 10 rooms, and a full basement, which you can wander through during your free self-guided tour of the grounds. Start in the kitchen and work your way through the various rooms and nooks in this enchanting historical wonderland. All the rooms have themes ranging from the 1920s through the 1940s, complete with displays of fashion and interesting accessories of the times. The proprietors that I met were lovely, and took the time to show me around the entire place. So if you’re in the area, stop on in and meet Judi and Dennis, as they’d love to show you around the place. The Society doesn’t currently have a website, but please call 630-595-8777 for information, donations, and upcoming events.

Wobbly floors, a crooked staircase, dusty books, an old piano, and a few hundred years of character mix together in the beating heart of old Dublin, the Temple Bar. I spend more than half of every year on the road, calling in at one hotel and the next, and I’ve been lucky to have spent time at some fabulous hotels and holiday homes. This joint at No. 25 Eustace St. is near the top of the list. From the Irish Landmark Trust website: “The Irish Landmark Trust saves heritage buildings throughout the island of Ireland that are at risk of being lost through neglect or inappropriate use; conserving and restoring these buildings so they can be let as holiday homes.” The next time you’re in Dublin with your family or a large group, forget about calling in on modern digs, and check out No. 25, or one of the other heritage properties managed by the trust. It was a beautiful experience, and I can’t wait to check in again. Next time I plan to visit an old lighthouse, fort, or country home.

When waterways in the Netherlands freeze into glittering paths, overjoyed residents take to the ice. Visitors can buy or rent a pair of noren (traditional long-blade skates) to glide across town or take part in one of the country’s dozens of tochten, organized tours or races held throughout the nation’s 2,200 miles of canals. Check the local newspaper or the website Schaatsen.nl for route announcements. Ice skating along the frozen lanes also provides a chance to marvel at how the canals have shaped the landscape. Because a quarter of the Netherlands lies below sea level, the Dutch have relied on drainage systems to keep their heads above water. Skate the molentocht, or mill tour, in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kinderdijk (pictured) to see 19 windmills that once pumped water from the lowlands into the surrounding reservoirs. The historic village about 15 miles from Rotterdam is a peaceful setting for one of the country’s favorite winter pastimes. If you travel to Kinderdijk to skate the molentocht, reserve a room at the Pincoffs Suite Hotel in Rotterdam. Stieltjesstraat 34, 31/(0) 10-297-4500. This appeared in the November/December 2012 issue.

Eataway is so much more than just dinner. Started in Kraków but quickly spreading to other cities, countries, and even continents, the creative concept involves local people cooking for guests in their homes. Interested parties simply book and pay in advance via the Eataway website, then receive directions to their dinner with their confirmation email. Meals vary greatly, so it’s up to you to browse the options and choose one that suits your needs, whether that’s pierogi the way your grandmother used to make them, or a sophisticated feast made by an aspiring chef in their own kitchen. Offerings also go beyond Polish food, as Eataway’s network of cooks includes expats like Mira from Korea and Sheuli from India, who prepare their national specialties extremely well. Besides the fact that the food is always delicious and authentic, it’s very reasonably priced—you can typically enjoy a three-course meal for around 50 to 130 Polish zlotys. Above all, you’ll meet interesting people and get a glimpse of real, local life. Eataway’s creator, Marta, remains at the heart of the community, serving “happy meals” from her home in Kraków.

L’Osteria is known for its lively atmosphere, mouth-watering pizzas and pastas served in modern and urban surroundings. It’s timeless classic Italian cuisine. Portions are a good size and the prices are reasonable. As a result it’s always full, so make a reservation before going. There are three locations in Munich.

The Indochine Hotel is a great haven in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, making your initial landing in Vietnam pillow soft. It’s a small, family run inn that caters to casual and business travelers. The location makes walking to a lot of the sites in Old Saigon an easy exercise. They are happy to arrange a pickup at the airport upon your arrival, eliminating the negotiating and direction exchanges at the terminal curb. The rooms are spacious and pleasant. Security is reassuring and there is a lift. The ATM and convenience store next door makes establishing a stash of cash and treats just steps away. Pricing varies depending on the room and season, but it is a great value no matter when you stay. The included breakfast has Asian and Western offerings, all fresh and individually prepared to order. Staff are skilled in a variety of languages and generous with directions and recommendations. The website is sparse but inquiries get a quick response. Coming from the US, you’ll be so spaced-out from jet lag when you arrive, you won’t appreciate how good Indochine really is until you’ve left. If you want a welcoming introduction to Vietnam, make Indochine your first stop.

Only in Berlin could a hulking, aboveground World War II‒era concrete bunker, right in the center of the city, be turned into an art gallery. The structure—too bulky to be blown up after the war—was transformed in 2008 by collector-curator Christian Boros, who lives in a penthouse on top of the building. After extensive renovation, the lower floors house the Boros Collection, around 500 works of art spanning sculpture, installations, paintings, and photography. Works change every couple of years but always feature big international names such as Damien Hirst, Olafur Eliasson, Elizabeth Peyton, Wolfgang Tillmans, Manfred Pernice, Ai Weiwei, and Michel Majerus. You can view the collection only on weekends, as part of a guided tour; book an appointment via the website.

Brooklyn has become a dining destination in recent years, with dozens of restaurants preparing local, organic, and sustainable American dishes—and others serving everything from Korean bibimbap and Scandinavian specialties to Ethiopian stews and Mexican tacos. The borough has an overwhelming abundance to choose from, but Smorgasburg makes it easy to graze and sample a variety of Brooklyn’s dishes. From the beginning of April to the end of October, food trucks and stalls representing around 100 restaurants and other establishments set up at East River State Park, in the Williamsburg neighborhood, every Saturday; on Sundays, you’ll find them farther south, in Prospect Park. The largest weekly open-air food market in the country, it’s popular and draws thousands of visitors, but don’t be deterred by the crowds: Much of the fun is the people-watching and the general festival-like atmosphere. Even if you aren’t visiting New York in the summer, it’s worth checking out the Smorgasburg website as they sometimes have smaller off-season pop-ups, including the Winter Flea & Holiday Market.

Being in a busy Asian capital like Taipei can easily make your stress levels skyrocket, leaving you in need of a serene haven. With its futuristic interior (even the massage tables give off a soothing glow), AWAY Spa puts a fanciful spin on a spa experience that is literally “out of this world”. But if the spa interior is ethereal, the treatments are entirely tactile—the AWAY Spa masseurs combine rigorous Asian beauty techniques with Western approaches for a unique range of treatments. In addition to the fundamental massage and facial treatments, AWAY offers options such as slimming beauty treatments with contouring bandages, skin-whitening illuminators, and even daring snake serum facial peels for men. The day before my stay at AWAY, I’d done a grueling 4-hour waterfall hike. After a quick consultation, I was booked for the Body Refuel, a massage incorporating techniques previously reserved for elite athletes. An hour in the spa room with an experienced masseuse and a prime view of the city worked its magic on my aching muscles. I soaked off the last bit of my soreness in the spa’s tranquil CHANGE room, equipped with a sauna, stream room, and a range of hot tubs. Next time I over-indulge at the hotel brunch buffet downstairs, I’ll be heading up to AWAY for that body-slimming bandage treatment. Double and single rooms are available—visit the AWAY Spa website to book an appointment.

Since it was constructed at the top of Telegraph Hill in 1933, Coit Tower has been an integral part of San Francisco’s downtown skyline. Named after a 1920s patron to the city’s firefighters—but not designed to resemble a firehose, as the urban legend goes—Coit Tower’s observation deck will give you 360-degree views out over San Francisco, including the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Entrance fees range from free (children four and under) to $7 (adult non-residents); visit the website for all prices. Coit Tower is open from 10 am to 6 pm May through October and 10 am to 5 pm from November through April.

Close to Miami’s busy center, but set back from it, the Mandarin Oriental, Miami enjoys a quiet spot and the designation of the only hotel to sit on Brickell Key, a small island connected to Brickell Avenue by a bridge. This location gives the Mandarin Oriental a sense of both exclusivity and privacy; it also means that rooms offer some pretty incredible views of Biscayne Bay, the city, and one of Miami’s causeways. And what rooms they are; with 13 different types, expect a variety of choices with respect to layout and amenities. Standard in every room, though, are oversized tubs, large flat-screen televisions, Illy espresso machines, luxurious linens, and Carthusia toiletries. Turndown service is also included, as is the guest’s choice of newspapers, delivered to the room each morning. Mandarin Oriental, Miami does not have beachfront access, but it does have a pool. Finally, although the hotel doesn’t go out of its way to advertise the freebie, Wi-Fi is complimentary for guests who set up an account on the hotel website.

You’ve made it to the splendid isolation of Ulleung-do island’s north shore...Now, where to sleep? “Chusan Ilga Pension” is one of the island’s best choices: above the waves, on a clifftop beneath a volcanic peak, with a granite Buddha overlooking the greenery to the west and a fishing village just down the steep road to the east... This is rustic comfort: the floors are heated in the traditional Korean manner, the timbers are exposed, but the double-paned windows can either shut out the roar of the sea or let in the salty breeze, as you wish. Downstairs is a restaurant that serves the local seafood and mountain vegetables. There are several buildings on this clifftop, but the one with the restaurant offers three rooms with balconies almost directly above the sea; ask for one of these. To get here: take the coastal road from the port where you disembark from the ferry. You can’t get lost--there’s only one coastal road. Go counterclockwise around the island. Once you reach the north side, look out for the Elephant Rock in the sea and Songotsan peak on your right. Soon you’ll see a sign for Seongbulsa Temple, pointing up an almost immpossibly steep road. Start climbing and after the first bend, Chusan Ilga will be on your right. (The website is in Korean only, but the central tourist office in Seoul can phone for you; you’ll have to wire money through a Korean bank to confirm your room.)

Part of the ‘Leading Hotels of the World’ group, Gleneagles is a destination in and of itself for visitors to Scotland. From their website, “Set within the gentle beauty of 850 acres of Perthshire countryside, this five star [resort] is home to three championship golf courses, a sparkling, award-winning spa and an exhilarating array of outdoor activities.” Fancy learning Falconry? You can. Anxious to become an accomplished equestrian? You can do that too. Want to golf in the footsteps of greats like Jack Nicklaus or Adam Scott? Of course, you can do that as well. Fancy a full day being pampered in a spa? ESPA can sort you out. Don’t know how to make traditional Scottish ‘tablet’ or Christmas Pudding? One of the accomplished chefs can teach you with a cooking demonstration in the grand kitchen. Even those who love to shop, and can’t fathom a trip without a few luxury brands, will find the arcade inside Gleneagles well-stocked to please. Built in the decade where Art Deco was all the rage, today’s Gleneagles still exhibits much of its original architectural detail as well as furniture and lighting. Yet modernity and old world details mix reasonably across guest suites as well as common areas to give the hotel a balanced, elegant feel that’s both welcoming and jaw-dropping at the same time. Be sure to leave time for a meal at the Andrew Fairlie-helmed restaurant on site which is one of only eleven restaurants in the UK to have two Michelin stars.