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When travel is stressful enough, skip cooking and feast at one of these hotels instead.

A subversive band of Portland chefs has a new grocery store: the ocean. You’re going to want to taste what they’re cooking up.

Overview

Overview

Napa’s finest restaurants run the gamut from roadside burritos and barbecue to Michelin-starred dining rooms serving the inventive cuisine of celebrity—and soon-to-be celebrity—chefs. Whether you opt to eat at a picnic table with a view of a vineyard or a formal table set beside a firepit on a moonlit patio, get ready for a taste of this wine- and produce-rich region. You’ll quickly discover the reasons that chefs move here: fresh ingredients paired with local wines, a divine climate and stunning scenery, and the community’s willingness to welcome creativity in the kitchen.

Not far from Kelowna driving along Lakeshore Drive and passing aging vines of lush with grapes for harvesting, sits the goats of the Camelis Alpine Goat Cheese Artisan. Exiting the vehicle you hear the playful singing of goats in the distance sensing the arrival of someone new. On a fall day the blue Okanagan Lake and the autumn colours create a visually robust cornucopia and you can’t do anything but drink it in. The gift shop is similar to an old fashioned western candy store as the entire building is a converted farmhouse. To my right is a display of local olive oils and vinegars. To my left is an enticing display of house made goat cheese gelato and before me is an array of goat cheeses that I didn’t know existed. From goat cheese with delicious ribbons of mouldy blue, a goat cheese that mimics a camembert and a yogurt cheese ideal for spreading there is a cheese to match all tastes. Open from May 1st - October 31st.

Inakaya East is a high-end Japanese restaurant specializing in robatayaki (“fireside cooking”), which is a form of traditional Japanese barbeque that originated in Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan hundreds of years ago. At Inakaya (which also has sister establishments in another location in Roppongi (Inakaya West) and Manhattan (Robataya New York)), two chefs are sat upon a raised platform surrounded by a veritable cornucopia of the freshest seasonal vegetables, meat and seafood and the customer simply points to what they want. The chefs then pick up the desired ingredient or ingredients using a giant wooden paddle, grill it on a charcoal grill in full view of everyone, and then slide the prepared dish off of the paddle directly in front of the ordering diner. The end result is a very festive and boisterous atmosphere (the staff and chefs constantly welcome customers with a customary “Irasshaimase!” and shout orders to each other) with absolutely stunning food—the simplicity of the presentation belies the unparalleled quality and flavor of the ingredients. Such delicacies do not come cheap, however—expect to pay from 15 to 20,000 yen per head for dinner and drinks (they have lots of excellent sake as well).

About an hour outside of Cape Town, Babylonstoren is one of South Africa’s oldest werfs, or farmyards. In 2010, Karen Roos, a former editor at South Africa’s Elle Decoration, reimagined the property as a fantasy farm stay with an eight-acre garden that grows 300 varieties of fruits and vegetables. Guests are welcome to help the head gardener prune and plant, and to join the chef in his daily harvest. Some of the 13 laborers’ cottages that have been rebuilt as guestrooms feature kitchens for those who want to pick and prep their own meals.

Artisanal Cornucopia is both art space and concept store, curated entirely by owner Elif Sallorenzo. Sallorenzo has an eclectic eye for design and fashion, and introduces Rome to pieces by established designers like Aquazzura to emerging, one-of-a-kind artisans like Giulia Barela and Benedetta Bruzziches. Her shop has a “salon” vibe: You’ll want to spend time getting to know Sallorenzo in the hopes that she’ll impart her some of her innate sense on you, or just give you straight-forward suggestions.

This eco-friendly property is unlike anywhere else in the Caribbean. A 400-acre working farm built within a sustainable community on Mount Liamuiga, the low-key luxury resort has St. Kitt’s requisite gingerbread trim and banana-plant landscaping. Here, however, signs tell guests when the fruit is ripe enough to pick—even the golf course is designed to be harvested. Belle Mont’s 84 clapboard cottages have open-air baths and wrap-around verandas that look out on the neighboring islands of Saba and St. Eustatius, but the resort’s real draw lies in its six farm-to-table restaurants, where guests can enjoy global takes on West Indian specialties (think papaya lamb stew and wine-braised pork with coconut, pumpkin, and chocolate) under the stars.

The most traditional of Fes’s two main shopping streets is a cornucopia of carpet vendors, leather babouche makers, Berber jewelry sellers, fondouks spilling over with handmade pottery, and much more besides. The trick here is to sort the wheat from the chaff and get some proper bargains. Among the myriad carpet shops, a favorite is Kilim Berber where the charming Youssef sells an affordable collection of top-quality Beni Ouarain, Azilal, and Boucherouite rugs. Take a gander at the wares of the Fondouk Tazi, which has an excellent range of traditional Fes pottery as well as groovier striped collections. Keep strolling downhill and you’ll see wooden buckets trimmed with brass items meant for the hammam (but which look just as stunning in a modern bathroom); aim to wind up at the Henna Souk, where you can stock up on traditional cosmetics and toiletries from Ahmed and Mohammed—who can also give you a crash course in how to use them.

It might be the handpainted Venetian chandeliers, but Quattro elevates the concept of a ski resort restaurant. This is a level of cuisine and ambience you’re more likely to find in New York or San Francisco. On chef Jeremy Trottier’s menu, the prix fixe fare changes seasonally, with certain favorites, like rigatoni pecorari and risotto, always available. Though Araxi and Bearfoot Bistro lead the party charge during Whistler’s wildly successful Cornucopia festival every November, always check the schedule to see what Trottier is stirring up during this wine and food extravaganza.