Verzasca River

The Verzasca is a Swiss 30-km long mountain river originating at Pizzo Barone and flowing into Lake Maggiore. It is known for its clear turquoise water and vibrant colored rocks, as well as its treacherous currents. The Verzasca Dam is a few kilometers upriver from this lake.

Baobab Avenue

The amazing baobab (Adansonia) or monkey bread tree can grow up to nearly 100 feet (30 m) tall and 35 feet (11 m) wide. Their defining characteristic: their swollen trunk are actually water storage – the baobab tree can store as much as 31,700 gallon (120,000 l) of water to endure harsh drought conditions.

Baobab trees are native to Madagascar (it’s the country’s national tree!), mainland Africa, and Australia. A cluster of "the grandest of all" baobab trees (Adansonia grandidieri) can be found in the Baobab Avenue, near Morondava, in Madagascar.

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

The Waitomo Glowworm Caves attraction is a cave at Waitomo on the North Island of New Zealand, known for its population of glowworms, Arachnocampa luminosa. These glowworms are found exclusively in New Zealand and are around the size of an average mosquito. This cave is part of the Waitomo Caves system that includes the Ruakuri Cave and the Aranui Cave.

Library at Strahov Monastery

It isn't often the splendour and perfection of architecture has the opportunity to house a collection of books as rare as they are valuable. But such is the case in the Library of the magnificent building which is the Strahov Monastery. The monastery can trace a brave and resilient history all the way back to 1142 when no less a personage as King Vratislav II decided that the approach to his Castle headquarters would be well served by having a cloister along its route to add a little gravity and serenity to the area. When the - impossible to pronounce quickly - Premonstratensians settled in and made the cloister, or monastery, their own he was well pleased. Like all important buildings that adorn a city its fortunes rose and fell down the centuries alongside those of Prague in general, but today just like all those years ago the Premonstratensians are still to be found in this tranquil and astonishing place.

The Library of Strahov, of which we will speak of in detail here does not have, nor ever did have books, which go back to the very origins of the monastery. It did however contain an impressive collection accumulated during the late years of the sixteenth century and early seventeenth century the fruits of the labours of Abbot Questenberg and his successors. However the lengthy and very destructive Thirty Years War which had Swedish forces stationed in and around Prague for long periods meant that when the Swedes got around to plundering and pillaging the monastery they carted most of the collection back to Sweden, the Abbot's entreaties and his Swedish sounding name notwithstanding. New attempts were made after the Peace of Westphalia 1648 to build up a repository of sacred and non-theological books in the monastery and from 1679 onwards this was performed with exceptional care and diligence. With an eye to any further disruptive invasions many books were put in storage in basements and by and large hidden from view. But with the strengthening of the monastery's defenses not to mention the entire building's massive overhaul to resemble the Baroque masterpiece we see today the books were ready to be carefully dusted down and placed on sturdy shelves in the newly constructed Library Hall. Library rules were drawn up, strict in the extreme, books were permitted to be taken down and consulted only by the most deserving and so it was that a great aura built up around them. To be prefect of the Library was a position of no little prestige among the Premonstratensians and many a monk coveted it passionately.The acquisitions of more and more books especially in the second half of the 17th century and throughout the 18th century meant that the ever expanding library required another mighty hall (the Philosophical Hall). This was at the end of the 18th century.

Rácz Hotel & Thermal Spa

The spa adjacent to the hotel uses local thermal water in its 16th-century Turkish baths and Habsburg dynasty pools. The ambience will plunge guests back in time, with the added advantage of fully restored spaces. Saunas, pools, 21 rooms for massages and traditional treatments…enough to relax the day away! Don’t forget to visit Buda Castle, just a 10-minute walk away, before returning to one of the 67 rooms and suites for some well-deserved rest.

Jalousie Plantation

Our luxury St Lucia resort is set within over 100 acres of lush rainforest on the site of an 18th Century sugar plantation, the lushly landscaped grounds sweep down to the stunning white sand Sugar Beach and the glimmering Caribbean Sea. The plantation's luxury villas and villa suites, and luxury Sugar Mill rooms boast elegant plantation styling, four-poster beds, luxurious Egyptian cotton linens, personalized butler service and every modern amenity for a pampering stay. Each of our St Lucia resort's villas and villa suites affords spectacular views of the Pitons or the Caribbean sea.

The indulgent, world-class Rainforest Spa, a full PADI dive facility, sumptuous waterfront dining, and chic bars and lounges ensure the quintessential St Lucia resort vacation experience, all close to the isle’s top tourist attractions.

Offering space enough for families and honeymooners alike, The Jalousie Plantation Sugar Beach, St Lucia is the premier choice among Soufriere hotels for discerning travelers seeking seclusion and tranquility amid unsurpassed natural beauty.

Yadis Ksar Ghilane Campement

A luxurious camp for your excursion in the Sahara.

A welcoming sight awaits you in the Tunisian desert - nestled in the shade of a private oasis - Yadis Campement Ksar Ghilane ushers you in to this hospitable land of colours and contrasts, spices and scents.

The permanent tents are made of stone and canvas - reminiscent of traditional Bedouin dwellings. Yadis Campement's location at a former Berber castle (ksar) features a restored watchtower that offers guests breathaking views of the Great Eastern Erg desert dunes.

Camp Yadis Ksar Ghilane is surrounded by its own desert oasis near the other saharan oases of Ksar Guilane; southeast of Zaafrane in southern Tunisia. The camp is also near a hot spring (swimming possible) and beverage outlets.

60 comfortable tents pitched in a star formation around the swimming pool and observation tower feature:

Air conditioning and heating with individual control.
Double bed or twin beds (with mattresses and bed linen that you would expect to find in a hotel).
Possibility of additional third and fourth beds for families (with 1-2 children under 12 yrs).
Private bathroom with hot running water, shower and toiletries (hairdryer on request).
Living room with wrought iron furniture.
Traditional floor coverings.

The main restaurant serves typical cuisine of the south of Tunisia (such as briks and lamb dishes cooked in a stone oven) and Mediterranean cuisine. Breakfast, lunch and Dinner is available at set times but flexibility is provided according to guest arrivals/departures.

At the bar you can expect a variety of cocktails and drinks throughout the day in a unique setting that overlooks the pool.

The outdoor swimming pool, fed by a nearby spring, has sun loungers with mattresses and parasols (towels on request).
Entertainment can be provided by folklore groups on request.
For wellness, there is the nearby thermal spring and massages.
Camel trekking, horse riding, dune drives and a visit to a Roman fort (3 km away) are also possible from the campsite.
Motorbike hire is available from a company nearby.

Booking Office Bar and Restaurant

The fantasy of time travel is simply a daydream one never expects to embark upon. But as you step into the stately venue of the former ticketing headquarters for London’s St. Pancras Rail Station, murmurs of hurried travelers beginning their journeys linger in the air and you begin to believe time travel is possible. The grandiose new resident occupying the former booking office of the British railway services transports you back, far back, to a time when travel was a luxury and preparation for it was a social experience. The appropriately titled, Booking Office Bar and Restaurant in the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, is an architectural statement of British heritage and history. Gothic arched windows frame the dramatically high ceilings while the 100ft marble bar spans the length of the palatial cathedral-like hall. Rich, stylish furnishings and dark wood décor are the backdrop to the show stopping centerpiece of the room, the original ticket booth, magnificently restored and a true testament of the respect taken during restoration, celebrating both the ephemeral lifestyle of a jet-setter and the legacy of English traditions.

The unique appeal of the Booking Office is reflected in the clientele, a revolving door of diverse guests ranging from business suits to fashionable socialites all with varying purposes and schedules. Patrons can arrive fresh from their Eurostar journeys and nibble on a selection of bar snacks, like haggis bon-bons and modern interpretations of time-honored British recipes. The drinks menu, a declaration of praise and admiration of the Victorian era, features an array of bespoke and seasonal cocktails with contemporary novelties such as Billy Dawson’s punch, served in hand made copper punch bowls. Continuing down the path of reverence to English heritage, there is an abundance of wines, ales and ciders sourced from local and historical breweries. Afternoon tea can be enjoyed on the outside seating area overlooking the platforms of St. Pancras Station.

A ubiquitous café echoing the transient spirit of its patrons, the Booking Office Bar and Restaurant is not just a passage until your next destination, it is your destination.

Pigeon Hole Cafe

Pigeon Hole is as much a social scene as a café. You go there expecting that you will know many of the customers - and that is partly because the place is always crowded with regulars who return again and again for Emma's great coffee and Jay's perfectly-pitched food.

This café would be right at home in New York's Lower East Side or the 11th in Paris. It is quite small with less than 20 seats inside and a few more on the footpath outside. It sits on the fringe of the city in a residential area where people walk to work, stopping in here for their first fix of coffee for the day.

Saturday morning is a real buzz with regulars and visitors claiming tables here from early in the morning. The tables turn over regularly so there is rarely a long wait.

Dishes for the day are chalked on a blackboard on the wall. There are usually three or four breakfast dishes and a similar number of lunch offerings.

Pigeon Hole is famous for its panini which anchor both the breakfast and lunch menus. The fillings tend to vary from day to day but you can usually be assured that the sought-after breakfast panino filled with long-cooked onions and gruyere cheese will be available.

Two other long-time favourites at breakfast are the house-cooked baked beans and the baked eggs with onions and jamon. There is also a comforting dish of yoghurt with fruit and crunch from nuts such as pistachios. A recent addition has been a flavour-packed dish of baked eggs with taleggio and parsley and preserved lemon. The interplay between the tang of the preserved lemon and the punch of the cow's milk cheese from northern Italy form a perfect backdrop to the richness of the perfectly baked eggs.

At lunch there is always a soup and a savoury panino available. We fondly remember a chicken, carrot and trofie soup which consisted of shreds of chicken, circles of carrot and the rolled pasta swimming in a very good stock, punctuated with green flecks of parsley. The trofie is a pasta that is hand-rolled and twisted to form short, tapered shapes that are ideal for a soup.

We have also enjoyed a panino stuffed with meat balls and slathered with grated cheese. The flavour packed into this parcel was amazing.

Jay has increased the bread production now, working as a baker at night and a chef during the day! Every morning the shelves now groan with his flavoursome loaves of perfect bread which you can buy any time of day. The sourdough loaves are particular favourites and you can be assured that they are the 'real deal' with no shortcuts taken.

Gelateria dei Gracchi

Gracchi looks spare—clinical even. But a just-delivered crate of wild strawberries fragrantly reassures you. So does Gracchi’s pistachio gelato, considered Rome’s best. It’s alive with the flavor of fresh-roasted Bronte nuts from the slopes of Mount Etna. The gelatiere, Alberto Manassei, is a Neoclassicist whose fruit flavors follow the seasons and whose chocolate-and-rum frozen sensation draws on pure fondant (not just the usual cocoa powder).

Le Jardin des Biehn

First La Maison Biehn in Provence - now Le Jardin des Biehn in Fez. Catherine and Michel Biehn lovingly restored the summer palace of a Moroccan Pasha in the heart of the old Medina of Fez. Their boutique hotel, an authentic riad set in a large Andalusian garden, welcomes you with nine suites, a restaurant, a hammam and spa, a sophrology centre, and a gallery space where Michel Biehn displays his collections of antique textiles and costumes.

After 30 years spent scouring the globe for rare and exquisite objects, antiques collector Michel Biehn retreated to Fez’s ancient medina to open a small hotel in a restored riad that once served as a pasha’s summer palace. The result: the highly curated Le Jardin des Biehn (doubles from $140 to $200), whose nine guest rooms are an intoxicating whirl of textures and patterns. A crimson armoire from Sichuan is displayed near a concubine’s chair from Beijing; a wall-size Uzbek tapestry sets off an 18th-century mirror from Persia. Tying it all together are Moorish architectural details, including a courtyard framed by Moghul archways, walls overlaid with mosaic tiles, and a garden that provides many of the ingredients for the hotel’s Fez Café. Hicham, one of the chefs, moonlights as a maker of leather babouches (from $30), crafting them to order in hues ranging from ocher to pale blue. Guests are also welcome to peruse the Islamic textiles (from $180) in Biehn’s on-site gallery—where, for a price, you can begin a collection of your own.

Le Sirenuse

The San Pietro may be flashier, but nothing beats archrival Le Sirenuse for traditional, dignified luxury. In 1953, two years after it opened, John Steinbeck described it as “an old family house converted into a first-class hotel.” More than half a century of overexposure later, that impression remains at this storied hotel, now in its second generation of Sersale family management. Nearly all the rooms in the poppy-red, 18th-century villa, with museum-quality antiques and hand-painted ceramic-tile floors, have a private balcony or patio overlooking the bay. Diversions include an alfresco champagne-and-oyster bar, a pool and Aveda spa, and a vintage wooden speedboat for tooling up and down the coast in 1950s-starlet style. The Neapolitan menu at the restaurant, La Sponda, was devised by Don Alfonso, southern Italy’s first chef to garner three Michelin stars (for his restaurant in nearby Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi).

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a double arcade in the center of Milan, Italy. The structure is formed by two glass-vaulted arcades intersecting in an octagon covering the street connecting Piazza del Duomo to Piazza della Scala.

The Galleria is named after Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of the Kingdom of Italy. It was originally designed in 1861 and built by Giuseppe Mengoni between 1865 and 1877.

The street is covered by an arching glass and cast iron roof, a popular design for nineteenth-century arcades, such as the Burlington Arcade in London, which was the prototype for larger glazed shopping arcades, beginning with the Saint-Hubert Gallery in Brussels (opened in 1847), the Passazh in St Petersburg (opened in 1848), the Galleria Umberto I in Naples (opened in 1890) and the Budapest Galleria.

The central octagonal space is topped with a glass dome. The Milanese Galleria was larger in scale than its predecessors and was an important step in the evolution of the modern glazed and enclosed shopping mall, of which it was the direct progenitor. It has inspired the use of the term galleria for many other shopping arcades and malls.

In the central mosaic there is a depiction of the bull from Turin Coat of Arms. The tradition tells that if a person put its right heel on the bull's genitals and turn on himself three times, this will bring good luck. This practice causes damage to the mosaic: a hole developed on the place of the bull's genitals.

The Galleria connects two of Milan's most famous landmarks: The Duomo and the Teatro Alla Scala, but the Galleria is a landmark in its own right.

El Garzon

Our restaurant is enhanced by the romance and taste of fire, our food is cooked on a old Andean technique called “infiernillo” (little hell) were we cook in between two wood fires, on different sized iron griddles, that go to the table with the sizzling delicacies. The result is very special, with the added flavors of simplicity; olive oil and fresh herbs from our garden are the added luxury to our food.

A classic Wood oven were we bake our breads and desserts is the last step of this restaurant that reaches as close as possible to our soul of south-American produce and history.

Knife & Fork

According to the knife & fork website it “is a restaurant that minimizes its impact on the environment and maximizes its impact on local economy by sourcing nearly all ingredients and materials from extremely local growers and suppliers.

The menu offers only seasonal and sustainable dishes that reflect the traditions and culture of the mountains or North Carolina.”

The restaurant is run by a husband and wife team, Chef Nathan Allen and his spouse Wendy. They opened knife & fork restaurant in July of 2009 after both leaving careers in Los Angles. Chef Nate studied at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. He was on the opening culinary team of the James Beard Award winning Chef, Suzanne Goin, in her restaurant AOC (achieving “Most Popular Restaurant” – Los Angles/Zagat 2005-2006). He followed that up by working as a chef to many elite patrons for about five years. Wendy worked as a restaurant manager at high profile restaurants learning the ins and outs of the administrative side of managing a dining room.

Half of the dining room in knife & fork
Together they make an incredible team that covers all the bases. Both consistently refer to what they think the guest is looking for when they come to the restaurant. The guests don’t even have to come in the door to get a sense of a different style of restaurant. Wendy leaves several tables set without table cloth for those customers that feel more comfortable going without. Anticipating the guests’ needs and how they will dine doesn’t just happen. It comes with experience, knowledge, forethought and the willingness to work hard to make it happen for the guest. This team does it.

The two dishes I tried were fascinating studies in the use of local ingredients with a very few exceptions. Starting with a prosciutto wrapped rabbit livers skewered atop chili popcorn and pralines drizzled with reduced balsamic. The farmer who provides the rabbit provides all that he raises for knife & fork. I’m not the fondest of liver to begin with but the ingredients melded together to raise the bar for me. I could still taste the rich earthiness of the rabbit liver but it was rounded out by the prosciutto and balsamic. The pralines and chili popcorn added a sweet and spicy element to the dish to make it even more fascinating. When Chef was asked why he added a drizzle of olive oil to the plate. He said that he anticipated the diner to get just a little of the olive oil on each bite as we negotiate the bite and ingredients on the fork adding another hint of flavor.

The second dish was the crispy pulled pork with corn shoots and sautéed mustard greens and red Russian kale. This appeared more like a salad when it arrived with the pulled pork under the greens. The first item I tried was a corn shoot and it offered that sweet light corn profile that is so refreshing. The pork was prepared so that it was all crispy adding a nice texture to each bite. The greens added a bit of spice and the corn shoots gave their touch of sweetness giving the dish a more complete appeal for the senses.

In the two dishes the following ingredients were not from around these parts: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chili spice and prosciutto. Chef Nate almost seemed apologetic that he acquired the pork from about an hour away and the popcorn from South Carolina. There is a true farm to table mentality at knife & fork that is hard to come by even in this local food haven of Western North Carolina. Nate and Wendy take their business serious and their passion is obvious.

I highly recommend taking the time to visit knife & fork. There are just over 40 seats, they do take reservations and walk-ins and they are closed on Mondays. I understand the Sunday Brunch is wonderful but also very busy. It is much easier to get in during the week.

Taj Safaris

Taj Safaris invites you to experience the unparalleled beauty of the Indian jungle. With its towering, ancient trees, enchanting chorus of forest birds, and herds of gentle chital, this is a travel experience unlike any other. Enjoy twice-daily jungle drives, conducted in the comfort of an open 4x4 safari vehicle, direct from our unique and luxurious safari lodges - Mahua Kothi in Bandavgarh National Park and Baghvan in Pench National Park, Banjaar Tola in Kanha and Pashan Garh in Panna

This is an unforgettable opportunity to glimpse some of India's most prized fauna and flora in their pristine surrounds. Test your spotting skills as our naturalists take you on exhilarating game drives. Lookout for the shy sambar (large forest deer), identify the lodges' ten unique Star Birds, journey through ever-changing habitats and, if luck is on your side, catch a glimpse of India's most famous and endangered predator, the Bengal tiger!

Golden Rock Inn

The hillside plantation inns in Nevis may lack in sand and sea, but they more than make up for it with lush tropical surroundings, luxurious pampering, fine dining and sweeping vistas of the coastline below. It’s a fine combination for romance, which was readily apparent to me when we stopped in for a quick visit to one such hillside plantation inn called The Golden Rock Inn.

A former sugar plantation dating back to 1801, The Golden Rock Inn extends across 100 acres of pristine Nevisian hillside in the Gingerland section of the island, so named for the crop that once sustained the area. It’s enough room for a sprawling mega-resort, but there are just seven cottages here, plus a fine restaurant, a spring-fed swimming pool, and one of the most special room accommodations in all of the Caribbean.

Six pastel cottages containing 11 rooms tucked into the sides of a lush green hill. Early mornings and cocktails taken at sunset on the terrace of the Golden Rock Inn are perfection. A generous panorama from the dining pavilion takes in the hills and the distant ocean.

Falaknuma Palace

One of the finest palace in Hyderabad, Falaknuma Palace, located in Falaknuma, 5km.from Charminar, built by Nawab Vikar-ul-Ulmara, the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad. An Italian architect was designed this palace and the foundation for the construction was laid on 3rd March 1884. The palace took 9 years to complete the construction, totally made with Italian marble and it covers a total area of 9,39,712-sq-metre. It was purchased by Nizam VI in 1897 and was used as a royal guesthouse has a commanding view of the entire city. It was sure that the Falaknuma palace was gifted to the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mehboob Ali Khan by the generous Nawab. Falaknuma houses a large collection of rare treasures collected by the Nizam including paintings, statues, furniture, manuscripts and books. The Jade collection of the Palace is considered to be unique in the world.

One of the highlight’s of the palace is the state reception room, whose ceiling is decorated with frescoes and gilded relief’s. The ballroom contains a two-ton manually operated organ said to be the only one of its kind in the world. This apart the palace has as many as 220 lavishly decorated rooms and 22 spacious halls. The palace has some of the finest treasures collected by the Nizam.

The famed dining hall of the palace could seat 100 guests on a single table. The furniture is also very aesthetic. The chairs are carved rosewood with green leather upholstery. The tableware was made of gold and crystal to which fluted music was added. The ground floor of the palace houses the living quarters. The marbled staircase leads to the upper floor. It has carved balustrades which supports marble figures with candelabra at intervals. On the walls of the landing are excellent oil paintings of the Asaf Jahi family, past ministers and notable personages, the whole forming a very interesting historical picture gallery which adds greatly to the imposing effect of the staircase.

Since the palace was the private property of the Nizam family till very recently, visitors weren’t allowed. Occasionally, however, the venue is opened for public view. The Taj group has taken over the palace now and it has been converted into a 5-star hotel.

Hotel Dario

Charming hotel with a colonial atmosphere, completely refurbished, in a neoclassic building of the early nineteenth century, catalogued as a building of historic interest.The Hotel offers an intimate and peaceful atmosphere. Housed in beautiful grounds, with a swimming pool, gymnasium, business centre and truly excellent facilities, the hotel is the perfect place for an unforgettable stay.

Located in the historic centre of Granada, in the Calle de la Calzada, the hotel is just 100 meters from the Parque Central and only a few minutes away from the Great Lake of Nicaragua, or Lago Cocibolca, as it is also known, with excellent views of the Cathedral and the Mombacho volcano.

What the Dickens?

The new generation of traders is raising street food drama to new heights – with costumes and scripts. Three old school friends founded What The Dickens to revive iconic British fare – dressed in cravats and cuff links, and riding round on a Victorian tricycle. "We're not trying to do anything theatrical" says Dominic Rose. "We just do what we do. We're three well-dressed gents larking about. And that just happens to include an element of performance."

Some days Adam and Michael will serenade the crowd on ukeleles while Dominic serves up home-smoked bacon and devilled kidneys. Other days, the friends will just banter – "and we'll try and flog people a bit of kedgeree off the back of it" says Dominic. "But we always wear ties. That's quite important. And Michael wears his brown bowler – the less formal version of the black bowler. He couldn't get away with black – this isn't the bank."

Tsurunoyu Onsen

Tsurunoyu Onsen is one of eight hot-spring baths that belong to Nyutou Onsenkyo which is located near the foot of Nyutou san(1478m). Tsurunoyu Onsen is one of the oldest hot spring resorts of Nyutou Onsenkyo. Tsurunoyu Onsen dates back to 1638 and 1661 when the second lord of Akita Yoshitaka Satake and Iwashiro Kameda visited Tsurunoyu Onsen for therapy respectively. Visitations by the general public began to be recorded during the Genroku era (1688-1704).

Tsurunoyu Onsen derives its name from the fact that a local hunter saw a crane (“Tsuru” in Japanese) healing its wounds in the spring.

W Retreat Koh Samui Lounge

What happens after beach blanket bingo? Welcome to not your ordinary Lounge. Watch the action unfold in the spirit of a literary salon, where you'll meet, greet, flirt, play, sip and savor in this modern playground that is electric eclectism perfected. If you’re up for watching the sun go down in a stunning display, settle into a chic lotus-shaped sunken seat, part of a spectacular circular water feature that puts you in the center of our panoramic views of the islands and seascape. Come alive when you light up your night on lounges and daybeds under over-scaled lamps, where you’re always close to the bar constructed of large, raw cut local quarry stone. Worked up an appetite? Kitchen Table is just downstairs. Work calling? WIRED Business Center is just upstairs. Sensualize. Romanticize. Maximize. Politicize. Socialize. Sensationalize. Play specially designed board games for hours of retro pleasure, or get a cyber-rush with complimentary High Speed Internet Access. Our Lounge is your living room. You won't want to miss a thing. And you won't have to.

The Powder Room

If it’s not over the car dashboard or on the loo, it’s in front of a steamy mirror that’s to be shared by hordes of squawking irritants.

Need a smarter spot in which to powder your nose?

Do it at The Powder Room, the new salon from The Powderpuff Girls. Renowned for their on-site party makeovers, the 1950s pink uniform-clad glamourettes have opened a stand-alone beauty parlour in Shoreditch, and it’s a gem of a place.

Book in for a makeover (In a Jiffy), manicure (Busy Bee, Time to Linger) or blow-dry (Make Him Look Twice) and you’ll be served tea and cakes throughout. Prices start from £10 and though the salon is currently open only on weekends (with bookings taken on Fridays), it’s also available for private hire.

Consider it a mighty pretty pit stop for your next quick fix.

Old San Juan

Old San Juan is located on a small and narrow island which lies in the north coast, about 35 miles (56 km) from the east end of Puerto Rico, and is united to the mainland of Puerto Rico by the three bridges. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and to the south by San Juan Bay or "Bahia de San Juan" which lies between the city and the mainland. On a bluff about 100 feet (30 m) high at the west end of the island and commanding the entrance to the harbor rise the battlements of Fort San Felipe del Morro, in which there is a lighthouse.

The "Caño de San Antonio" lies also in South Coast and extends to the Southeast where the island of Old San Juan connects to the mainland through Santurce by three bridges, "Puente Dos Hermanos" (Ave. Ashford), "Puente G. Esteves" (Ave. Ponce de León) and "Puente San Antonio" (Ave. Fernández Juncos).

The city is characterized by its narrow, blue cobblestone streets and flat-roofed brick and stone buildings dating back to the 16th and 17th century when Puerto Rico was a Spanish possession. Near Fort San Felipe del Morro is the Casa Blanca, a palace on land which belonged to the family of Ponce de Leon.

One&Only Palmilla

Renowned as Mexico’s premiere destination spa, the One&Only Spa at Palmilla offers an expansive programme of ancient healing techniques combined with cutting-edge therapies. Pampered guests choose from a rich menu of Massage Therapies, Wellness Experiences and One&Only Palmilla Signature Rituals for an unrivalled journey of personal rejuvenation and renewal.

Renowned as Mexico’s premiere destination spa, the One&Only Spa at Palmilla offers an expansive programme of ancient healing techniques combined with cutting-edge therapies. Pampered guests choose from a rich menu of Massage Therapies, Wellness Experiences and One&Only Palmilla Signature Rituals for an unrivalled journey of personal rejuvenation and renewal.

Follow a meandering path through tropical gardens to a hidden door opening onto a secluded private villa. Each of the 13 private treatment villas offers a beautifully appointed air-conditioned massage pavilion and open-air garden. Double villas are designed to share the experience with a friend or loved one, and many include rain showers, Mexican day beds and whirlpool baths as well as private vanity.

At One&Only Spa, every detail is an important part of the experience and every sense is indulged, from the rituals that accompany each treatment to the exclusive premium natural products using the finest ingredients. Our team of highly skilled ESPA-trained spa professionals have been handpicked to deliver optimum results in every treatment.

To get the most out of your spa visit, we recommend you follow the Hydrotherapy Circuit beginning with an outdoor rain shower and hot water pool, followed by the outdoor cold water plunge, aromatherapy steam room and sauna rooms. Relax with fruit infused frozen towels whilst sipping a healing tonic exclusively prepared with 100% organic local ingredients.

• Outdoor oceanside Palapas for massage, meditation, yoga and wellness activities

Secret Bay

‘Eco-Luxury’ is a slightly unusual concept and one that is gradually making its way to Caribbean shores. It wasn’t long ago when visitors to the islands simply fancied a holiday, basking in the sun on a white sandy beach, fringed with coconut palms, with the turquoise sea shimmering in the distance.

Known for more than just sun, sea and sand, the Caribbean is now attracting a new breed of tourists wanting to discover the natural wonders of the islands.

As word about its stunning natural beauty makes headlines around the world, Dominica has become one of the leading eco-destinations in the Caribbean. A haven for nature lovers, festooned with waterfalls, dense tropical rainforests, hot springs and rivers where peace and serenity abound. To add to the allure of this paradise island, a new sophisticated resort has emerged, combining eco-sensibility with unfettered luxury and
offering a unique experience for visitors to the island.

Perched on a hill-top with breathtaking views of the Caribbean Sea, Secret Bay is an archetype for self-indulgence at its best. The property consists of two high-end luxury villas and two bungalows surrounded by an oasis of tropical foliage, a wild orchid garden, secluded beaches, a mysterious sea-cave and the enchanting Cario River. Unique to this exclusive resort, is the Souce Shack –where the river meets the sea – there, you can unwind and enjoy homemade snacks and freshly prepared local juices made from seasonal vegetables and fruits grown right on the property.

Castello di Miramare

The Miramare Castle (Italian: Castello di Miramare; German: Schloß Miramar; Slovene: Grad Miramar) is a 19th century castle on the Gulf of Trieste near Trieste, northeastern Italy. It was built from 1856 to 1860 for Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium, later Emperor Maximilian I and Empress Carlota of Mexico, to a design by Carl Junker.

The castle's grounds include an extensive cliff and seashore park of 22 hectares (54 acres) designed by the Archduke. The grounds were completely re-landscaped to feature numerous tropical species of trees and plants.

The Castle of Miramare and its Park were built by order of Ferdinand Maximilian (1832–1867), of the House of Habsburg - younger brother of Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria. In 1850, at the age of eighteen, Maximilian came to Trieste with his brother Charles and, immediately afterwards, he set off on a short cruise toward the near East. This journey confirmed his intention to sail and to get to know the World. In 1852 he was appointed Officer and in 1854 he became Commander in Chief of the Imperial Navy. He decided to move to Trieste and to have a home built facing the sea and surrounded by a park worthy of his name and rank.

According to tradition, when the Archduke was caught in a sudden storm in the Gulf, he took shelter in the little harbour of Grignano and he chose that bare rocky spur of limestone origin as the setting for his home. The whole complex, purchased for the first time at the beginning of March 1856, was called Miramar, after the name of Prince Ferdinand of Saxony’s residence in Pena, Portugal.

Ocean House

The Ocean House is the last of the grand Victorian hotels, where life is still lived much as it was a century ago, a tranquil timetable of tides and sun, teatime and cocktails, sailing regattas and strolls on the beach.

Perched high on the bluffs of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, the Ocean House is an iconic New England seaside resort. The Ocean House was meticulously reconstructed to pay tribute to its storied past and offer exceptional personal experiences for guests, members and residents. The Ocean House's celebrated hotel and residential accommodations, uncompromising service, beachfront location, and world-class amenities pay homage to New England's golden age of hospitality with timeless elegance and renewed civility.

Couples Resorts, Jamaica

Transform your next Jamaica vacation into a romantic getaway at one of our four all-inclusive resorts—where world-class amenities such as our superb spas blend effortlessly with the island's most idyllic beach settings and local charm.

We invite you to enjoy the finest cuisine prepared with fresh homegrown ingredients and tantalizing Caribbean spices. Dive into a paradise of water sports and activities from scuba diving to reef snorkeling. Our team of instructors is ready to help you perfect your game of tennis or golf with a lesson. And it wouldn't be a real Jamaica vacation without watching a sunset aboard a catamaran, tropical cocktail in hand.

Julian Serrano

On this night we sat at the bar at Julian Serrano in the Aria Resort & Casino. Color, food, people, energy! Serrano wanted his eponymous restaurant to offer flexibility and comfort to all guests; from a quick bite to a long meal, small bites to larger portions, and what he calls economics – spend a little or spend a lot, he’s serving Spanish foods of his homeland with an International flair.

Interior design by famed Spanish design group Gente de Valor, in their first U.S. restaurant combining the elements of a Spanish restaurant with the more casual patio area (below) and more formal dining area (above) and bar (below) into one interior space. It’s fabulous!

Lapa Rios

Set in a private nature reserve spread over 1,000 acres of Central America's last remaining lowland tropical rainforest in Costa Rica, Lapa Rios Ecolodge overlooks the pristine point where the Golfo Dulce meets the wild Pacific Ocean, a destination matching everyone's idea of paradise.

John and Karen Lewis first envisioned Lapa Rios as private nature reserve. The Minnesota couple was driven by a dream that required liquidating all their assets to finance the purchase of a large tract of rainforest and build a small, supporting ecotourism project. A conservation easement elaborated by The Nature Conservancy and CEDARENA will ensure this primary forest be preserved in perpetuity, the land never to be developed. The 930-acre Lapa Rios Reserve helps buffer the Osa Peninsula’s Corcovado National Park and serves as a wildlife corridor.

Lapa Rios was designed in harmony with the surrounding forest and beach environment. The main lodge and bungalows line three ridges and are connected by walking paths and steps. Built over 350 feet above the sea, Lapa Rios catches the cooling tropical ocean and forest breezes. The main lodge and the Brisa Azul restaurant soar 50 feet above the sea and, like the 16 private bungalows, are built of locally harvested materials and have intricately woven palm thatched roofs. Climb the lodge’s three-story circular stairway to overlook the forest canopy and breathtaking ocean vistas. Comfortable, locally made bamboo furniture and huge private decks aid relaxation amidst pristine nature.

Lapa Rios Ecolodge is more than just a beautiful rainforest hotel or an eco resort near the beach. Lapa Rios is a model ecotourism project, demonstrating that no matter how you cut it a rainforest left standing is worth more. Lapa Rios has won worldwide awards for social and environmental excellence, and is a featured sustainable tourism pioneer in many international publications and research projects. The ecolodge employs only local community members, is committed to environmentally sound practices and has been awarded Costa Rica´s highest sustainable tourism certification (CST).

Rainforest and ocean activities bring together guests and the community. Daily guest experiences include a variety of staff naturalist led rainforest interpretive hikes, birdwatching walks and sustainable/educational local project visits. Ocean-mangrove boating trips, dolphin and whale watching, kayaking and surfing are offered by neighboring guides, as well as massages and yoga classes. Some guests’ highlights include a day hike in Corcovado National Park (via small plane transfer) or a night spent on the overnight platform; others find relaxing at the pool or hammock napping most memorable.

Lapa Rios is an ideal vacation for people who enjoy adventure in nature and want to be a part of conservation and local culture (often called Geotourism). The majority of guests are active couples, honeymooners and families (children over 6 years) looking for a more active and uniquely personal experience. Come be a part of ecotourism at Lapa Rios, become a traveler who participates in real sustainable tourism.

Farm to Fork

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a Sunday brunch. Its deli offers a wide selection of Oregon and international cheeses, charcuterie, and fresh salads from the kitchen. Its farm, located in the Chehalem Mountains AVA at de Lancellotti Family Vineyard, grows fruits, vegetables, herbs, and lavender for the restaurant. Request a custom picnic basket for a day of wine tasting, bike riding, hiking, or trail riding. Tastings in the Press Wine Bar are offered on the property, many from smaller, hard-to-find wineries.

St. Pancras Renaissance

The St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel is a hotel in the English city of London, adjacent to St Pancras railway station. It opened in 2011, but occupies much of the former Midland Grand Hotel which opened in 1873 and closed in 1935. Between 1935 and 2011, the building was known as St Pancras Chambers and was used as railway offices.

The Surrealist Gardens of Edward James

Xilita is most famous for The Surrealist Gardens of Edward James (a.k.a Las Pozas, El Castillo de Sir Edward James, Enchanted Gardens, or El Eden)   Sir Edward James was an eccentric English man and supporter of the surrealism movement who moved to the middle of no where Mexico and expressed his surrealist ideas in 80 acres covering Xilitla. The property is designed with heavenly gardens, natural waterfalls, dreamlike sculptures and a concrete complex of truly well, surreal, architectural masterpieces. A fantasy world of flowers, fountains, and greenery lead along the seemingly endless and maze-like paths, while at every twist and turn a strange figure enchants you.

Cave of the Swallows

The Cave of Swallows is one of the biggest natural depths of the world located in the town of Aquismón in the state of San Luis Potosi (Mexico). The depth of the abyss is about 376 meters, a Tour Eiffel could fix inside it. The top has a diameter close to the 60 meters, while the bottom has an aperture of nearly 300 meters. It has the characteristic of having the aperture smaller than the bottom, giving it a conical shape overall.

The name “swallows” is due to the habitants of the region, who were the first to saw the unique phenomenon that happens every day in its interior: thousands of birds of the family of swifts, which the locals call “Swallows” leave the bottom of the abyss, filling the sky with their flight from the Huasteca, which is repeated in the evening when all the birds return to the cave indicating that, one more day is over. In the cave is also possible to find a species of parrots, called locally Cotorras de la cueva (Cave’s Parrots).

The history of the Cave of Swallows started at 1976, the year the cave was discovered by a team of ornithologists from the University of Texas, who made a detailed survey of birds in the Huasteca potosina area.

Currently, the Basement of Swallows is highly frequented by lovers of climbing, base jumping and spelunking; its beauty and uniqueness makes it one of the largest protected natural areas of Mexico.

Trunk Bay, St. John

St. John is home to beautiful beaches, bays and coves, and the Virgin Islands National Park. The park land was donated to the people of the United States by the Rockefeller family and opened in 1956. Hiking the forest, camping, and snorkeling are major attractions of this rugged, lush, green island.

St. John is a short ferry ride from Red Hook in St. Thomas. Boats usually leave on the hour ($5.00 US for adults) from early morning to 11:00 PM. Home to a couple of first class resorts and hotels, St. John also has many private villas for the vacationer, and camping is available in the Virgin Islands National Park. There are also quaint places to shop like Mongoose Junction and Wharfside Village in Cruz Bay, and lots of great places to eat.

Trunk Bay is the most famous beach on St. John and possibly the most famous beach in all the Caribbean.  It has perfect powdery white sand and an under water snorkel trail with plaques describing the various items that snorklers can see on the bottom.  No visit to St. John is complete without a visit to Trunk Bay.  Run by the National Park, there is a fee to access the beach from land, $4 for visitors over 16 years of age.

Mineral de Pozas

When people buzz about this or that newly “discovered” colonial Mexican town as “the next San Miguel,” they usually mean the pre-malls and pre-traffic city of 10, 20, or 30 years ago. In recent years, the buzz has hovered over the central highlands pueblo fantasma (ghost town) of Mineral de Pozos, an hour’s drive from San Miguel itself. Pozos (the locals’ shorthand) was nearly lost to history until the 1990’s, when a handful of artists fled here from the urban overgrowth of its famous neighbor. They opened their own galleries and restaurants and were followed by other solitude and spaciousness seekers, including discerning store owners and hoteliers. By the 2000’s, the inevitable weekend visitors had arrived, and for good reason: the town was charming, small, and had far more Mexican residents than newcomers. The spectral ruins of mines strewn over cactus-thick hillsides nearby deepened the atmosphere. Pozos was still very sleepy, I was told, sometimes in appreciation, sometimes as a warning. Time to head south.

I arrived in Mineral de Pozos to mostly empty streets and soon found myself the only diner at a rooftop restaurant where the view of the Church of San Pedro’s rosy dome encompassed a large black web of electrical wires. The streets were still quiet as I walked back to my hotel. One customer stood at the counter in the one bar on the Jardín Principal. A small tienda selling sundries was open, but nothing else. It occurred to me that, if Pozos is the next San Miguel, it’s not the San Miguel of 30 years ago, the already well-established American expat destination, but the San Miguel of 80 years ago: the seminal sleepy ghost town woken up by artists of a different, post-revolutionary stripe. Without knowing exactly what I was looking for, I had found it here in Pozos—the small-town Mexico of before: before maquiladora-labor horrors, international-drug-cartel violence, and globalized type-A-ism had forever changed the landscape. This was the old Mexico that a foreigner can blend in to, the Mexico that still sleeps when it is sleepy.

Pueblo fantasma describes the once flourishing colonial Mexican towns that all but died in the early 20th century from sharp, successive blows to the silver-mining industry: abruptly falling prices, the revolution, and, in Mineral de Pozos’ case, a massive epidemic—either typhoid or influenza, depending on who is telling you about it. Population counts in Pozos vary widely, but at its economic height, in the late 1800’s, the town was estimated to have had some 70,000 residents and 300 mines. By the 1950’s, the population had fallen to 200. Today, there are about 5,000 full- and part-time residents. Of those, the nonnative transplants add up to about 50. As they redefine Pozos, they are doing so on Pozos’ terms.

The town started to yawn awake in 1982, when President José López Portillo designated it a national historic treasure. Vicente Fox was the next president to extol Mineral de Pozos’ merits on a 2003 visit. But it wasn’t until last year, when Pozos was promised Pueblo Mágico status, that federal and local investment began to materialize. Wealthy Mexicans are now buying land and houses, and new places to stay have increased the town’s stock from three to six: a quartet of luxury suites called Su Casa en Pozos was just opened by gallerist Eva Axelsson, and the expats originally behind the LavenDar Farms collective are now renting out their own houses on the property.

But a trip to Pozos is still an exercise in slowing down, helped along by the steep cobblestoned streets and narrow sidewalks rising from the shaded Jardín Principal as if from a canyon floor. One morning, the only people I saw during my wanderings west of the Jardín were a woman with a basket crossing Plaza Zaragoza and a little girl in a red dress jogging by in the opposite direction. The Church of San Pedro was open, but I was the only one there, admiring the walls tiled in un-churchy shades of yellow and green. Wherever I went, I had all the attention of the proprietors of the tiendas selling crafts, cotton clothes, sodas and candies, or handmade pre-Hispanic musical instruments (a Pozos specialty)—shapely whistles, drums with carved cases, and percussive round pots to tap with sticks. At the shop Camino de Piedra, I met artisan/musician and mine guide Marco Antonio Sánchez García, who took me through the haunting ruins of the 16th-century Santa Brígida mine a few days later.

The galleries that bring outsiders to Pozos show work that reflects a wide range of styles, but all of it seems drawn to Mexico’s texture, color, and light—a light that you can almost touch. For the newer residents, the connection to the local landscape and culture is crucial. “We moved here to be in Mexico,” says Nick Hamblen, owner of Galería No. 6, who arrived in Pozos from Dallas in 2004. The moment I walked into his gallery, I understood the rapport between Pozos old and new.

There is nothing in Galería No. 6 that fails to suggest take me home—from the wooden casement windows in foot-thick walls to Janice Freeman’s big, splashy paintings of agave cactus. Hamblen’s restored 200-year-old house is both gallery and residence. The first meanders into the second’s outdoor living room, where I found an old pine table, two friendly mutts on an antique rug, and a small open-air kitchen decorated, spectacularly, floor-to-ceiling in blue tiles. The space is shared with guests of El Secreto de Pozos, a sophisticated three-room B&B hidden in the exuberant but orderly gardens designed by Hamblen’s partner, horticulturalist ManRey Silva. This corner of Pozos fills in all the details of a fantasy of heading down to Mexico for good.

Which is not to say I was unhappy back in the real world, staying at the eight-room Posada de las Minas, a former mansion and adjacent factory restored by Houstonians David and Julie Winslow. Posada’s courtyard restaurant serves typical Mexican dishes and Mexican-American mash-ups like fried asparagus with a lime-butter sauce. It competes for best-in-town with La Perseverancia, at the hotel Casa Mexicana, whose menu ambitiously offers both chicken fajitas in a mole poblano sauce and a walnut-pesto tagliatelli. Such globe-trotting eccentricity would hardly fly in any foodie town in the United States nowadays, but in Pozos, hospitality flaunts its personality—a right afforded to quiet towns that remain under the travel radar.

Midweek at Posada de las Minas, things were slow enough for me to play Goldilocks and sleep in two rooms. From the one named for Santa Brígida, the view from my bed was of sky and mountains, and electrical wires dotted with birds. Pueblo Mágico status will ensure that those wires are buried. It likely, eventually, will bring more development, and more hubbub. The birds of Pozos will look for other places to light.

L’Asino d’Oro

In northern Rome, far from the glitz of the Via Veneto and its five-star hotels, Lucio Sforza opened L’Asino d’Oro in November. The noncentral location was a calculated choice: the Montasacro neighborhood, he believes, is ripe for innovation, and the restaurant’s ultramodern Scandinavian-style interior seems to suggest just that.

Mr. Sforza originally gained fame as a chef in his hometown of Orvieto, where the first incarnation of L’Asino d’Oro was a pilgrimage destination for Italian gastronomes. He closed his doors there over a year ago and reopened in Rome to seek what he describes as “new adventure and new stimulus.”

At the new location, the handwritten menu changes daily to incorporate the freshest seasonal ingredients. The chef’s dishes evoke the traditions of central Italy — Umbria and northern Lazio, in particular — and are firmly rooted in peasant cuisine: A dense chestnut pancake starter would have provided ample fuel for tilling fields, while a hearty lentil soup could have been a source of protein for an Umbrian farmer.

Mr. Sforza’s signature dishes — mainly game, pork and offal — contrast sweet and savory elements. Tender wild boar in “dolceforte” is a harmonious blend of sweetness and pungent gaminess. Caramelized pork ribs have a delicate smokiness balanced with a lightly sweet glaze.

The chef spends most of each evening in the kitchen, visible through a porthole in the dining room. As dinner service draws to a close, he makes the rounds, greeting old customers from his days in Orvieto and conversing with new ones.

Dickens World

Dickens World is a themed attraction located at Chatham Dockyard in Kent in the country of england. Privately funded, it cost £62 million to create, and was opened to the public on 25 May 2007.

It is based around the life of author Charles Dickens, briefly a resident of Chatham as a child and who, as an adult, lived at Gads Hill Place in nearby Higham. Many of the locations and characters in his novels are based on buildings, places and people of the Medway Towns; for example Holcombe Manor was the inspiration for Dingley Dell, the house in Pickwick Papers.

The attraction has been heavily promoted as containing Europe’s longest indoors dark ride, the "Great Expectations" log flume. Other attractions include the Haunted House of Ebenezer Scrooge (which incorporates a Pepper's ghost effect), a Victorian school room, a 4D high definition cinema show, "The Six Jolly Fellowship Porters", a themed bar and restaurant, and Fagin’s Den, a play area. There are also mockup Dickensian-style London buildings around a central square, populated with sundry costumed characters from Dickens' works.

Churchill War Rooms

Deep beneath the bustle of London lie the original Cabinet War Rooms - today part of the Churchill War Rooms - which sheltered the people at the heart of Britain's wartime government during the Blitz.

In 1940, shortly after becoming Prime Minister, Churchill stood in the War Cabinet Room and declared: 'This is the room from which I will direct the war'. Today, you can step back in time to explore the secret headquarters where Churchill and his staff changed the course of history.

Find out the stories of the people who walked the maze of corridors as London was being bombed above them. See where Churchill and his War Cabinet met, sometimes late into the night, and look through the lens of history into the Map Room, where the books and charts have remained exactly where they were left in 1945.

In the Churchill Museum, explore the man behind the image as you discover more about the influences and pressures that shaped Churchill’s life and work.

La Mar Cebicheria

Inspired by the thousands of cebicherías found throughout Perú, La Mar cebichería peruana was created as an attempt to globalize and preserve one of the best guarded treasures of Peruvian cuisine: cebiche, Peruvian seafood and the scenery created to enjoy them, the Peruvian style cebicheria. All this, while maintaining the natural joy that is always found in a cebicheria along with utter respect for the authenticity of Peruvian cuisine. Adding to these elements we provide all the necessary essentials to achieve that every single ingredient, flavor and plate surrounding the world of Peruvian cebicherias has the perfect stage on which to shine as each deserves, successfully bringing warmth to hearts around the world.

Since our first opening, La Mar cebichería Peruana has strived to attain its mission to encourage those who visit to discover, enjoy and forever make their own the marvelous invention that is Peruvian cuisine. Today’s Peruvian cuisine retains the humility it has had throughout its 5,000 year history, while embarking on the long voyage to enter a world in which Peruvian cebiche is enjoyed by all and has discovered the new cosmopolitan Peru, ready to play a major role in the 21st century.