Forty minutes south of Cancún, Puerto Morelos is the main port of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. This might suggest industrial activity, with large cargo ships and other features that would not make it at all appealing for visitors. But instead, this is a charming, laid-back fishing town with a barefoot-Caribbean feel and a population of just under 10,000. And in recent years, it's been attracting increasing interest from outsiders, whilst still retaining much of its traditional charm.
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A table full of good wines to sample along with creative food pairings isn’t a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Luckily, I was part of the Occasional Wine Council blessed with this task.
Four Chardonnays were on our list of wines to sample. I do like a good Chardonnay—sometimes one that is oaky and sometimes one that has been aged in only stainless steel. Three of these Chardonnays were from Wente Vineyards, located in Livermore, California, the country's oldest, continuously operated famil
You always hear about Costa Rica’s amazing beauty. The fabulous uncrowded beaches. The exciting volcanoes. The thrilling adventures like zip lining and whitewater rafting. The wildlife … rainforest … and the warm, tropical climate.
What you don’t often hear about is Costa Rican food.
That’s not because there’s nothing to write home about. It’s just that Costa Rican cuisine isn’t touted as much as its sloths and surfing.
That’s all changing. Costa Rica’s government is on a mission to promote the
by Cristóbal Rámírez
Yes, Mexico’s capital is famously ginormous and sprawling. But it’s also, at the end of the day, a patchwork of towns with long histories and local traditions. And there’s no better example than Coyoacán, “place of coyotes”, 10 kilometres (six miles) south of the capital’s downtown Zócalo. Here in one of the capital’s oldest neighbourhoods – it was once an Aztec village – the flavour is one of cobblestone lanes and little plazas where you can actually hear birds chirping.
I'm sitting in the alcove of the bar that is attached to one of the fanciest and best-regarded restaurants in town, watching the champagne cork on the floor, and thinking pungent thoughts about service. To wit, what constitutes good service? Should we always expect it in a place that claims to have it on every press release and web page? Should we be embarrassed to notice and write about glaring gaps in service? What the hell is this, Downton Abbey?
The champagne cork had flown off of a bottle a
Many people may recognise the name of this Atlantic island of Portugal more as the classic sweet wine it produces than as a destination. But on the other hand, at least a million Brits, Germans, other Europeans, and sundry travelers per year do well appreciate the charms of Madeira, the European Union's farthest-flung outpost.
Made up of five islands settled by the Portuguese beginning in 1419 - Madeira itself (pop. 268,000), along with much smaller Porto Santo and the three Desertas islands -
Now is the winter of our discontent/Made glorious summer by this sun of York.
— William Shakespeare, Richard III
For visitors to England, when it comes to cities London often (and understandably) gets most of the attention. But especially if you're a history buff as I am, one city you should put on your bucket list is York, four hours north. For this Yorkshire urb of 202,000 is the proud home to a historic quarter that's a time capsule like few others in Britain.
It all starts in the old w
The island of Cyprus seems to be a perfect place to spend some time lying on the beach and forgetting about all of your problems. And that is something we all need from time to time - just a peaceful rest on the seashore. Cyprus can offer a quiet family vacation options - Larnaka, Limassol - but also has popular resorts full of modern nightclubs for youngsters - Ayia Napa, Paphos. Depending on your goals and preferences, you can choose what suits you best. This post will be dedicated to the fami
It's not surprising that during the warm season, Toronto’s parks attract huge crowds who like to eat and get in some relaxation in the open air. So if that appeals to you, we’ve prepared a list of the best parks for a nice picnic in Toronto. These are not only traditional lawns and gardens. You’ll find there completely unexpected spots which will satisfy even the most demanding picnic connoisseurs.
High Park
High Park is a real paradise for picnic lovers. If you want to celebrate your kid’s bir
by Myrna Katz Frommer and Harvey Frommer
A balmy weekday night in Miami Beach. We enter Klima through heavy wooden doors that lead into an orange-and-red-dappled lounge. It is like entering another world, a stunning 70-seat spacious and breezy 5,200-square-foot facility named for Miami's balmy climate.
The ceiling of the front of the restaurant features thinned slates of beige-colored wood. The cozy lounge area beckons with built in sofas, commodious chairs and a feeling of relaxation.
But we only
Located on a narrow peninsula on the east of Tunisia, Mahdia, the old imperial capital, rises as a beautiful, calm coastal city. Compared to other Tunisian tourist centers, this magic destination is less boisterous and busy, and provides an ideal opportunity to take a few days off and just relax.
According to the locals, the beaches of Mahdia are the most beautiful beaches in Tunisia, with turquoise waters, fine white sand and a pleasant summer breeze; this coast has also become a world capital o
Surely this is paradise, listening to a cool band while the sun sets over the pristine Carlsbad beach with cocktail in hand. Cape Rey Resort’s summer concert series is in full swing and the last Thursday of each month good vibes are belted out around the pool. The upbeat essence of my staycation was just beginning to unfold.
I listened to my favorite hits performed by Steal Dawn and munched on Capeside poke (made with sushi grade ahi) and an artisan cheese platter delightfully paired with fig
Would you love to see a monkey in the wild? Or maybe a sloth right next to you in a tree? What about getting close to wild dolphins, or a humpback whale? OK - how about a bus-size whale shark?
When travelers come to Costa Rica – the eco-capital of Latin America with nearly six percent of the world’s biodiversity – they often want to see certain animals. Maybe it is a favorite animal they have been dreaming their whole life to see in person. Or they recently read up on the cool wildlife in Costa R
Like Ibiza, the name Mykonos has become a byword, especially among Europeans, for the quintessential picturesque Mediterranean holiday playground: sunwashed; fetching beaches bathed in the crystalline Aegean Sea; a natural landscape dotted with whitewashed houses (and even a few iconic windmills, 16th-century echoes of Spain’s own La Mancha); and of course the main town, Chora, offering an international famous (and sometimes infamous) nightlife where everyone is welcome, straight, gay and everyt
If you have read Herman Melville's Moby Dick, you're acutely aware that 19th-century Nantucket whaling culture majorly inspired this tale of punishing seas and relentless harpooning made it a perilous livelihood. Nowhere in the plot line are scenes of lounging on the beach, boat regattas, or hitting trendy boutiques and island-to-table restaurants.
But look beyond the azure waters, remarkably similar to the Caribbean or the South Pacific, that greet you upon approaching Nantucket's shoreline just
Visitors to Hong Kong Island know about the iconic Victoria Peak and other tourist favorites, but here are three fun things to do when staying at downtown's 550-room Ibis Ibis Hong Kong Central and Sheung Wan Hotel.
The Historic Trams
Take the tram for a step back in time and explore the bustling north corridor of Hong Kong Island aboard one of the city's affordable, fun, historic trams. These double-decker streetcars have been traveling through Hong Kong's busiest thoroughfares
Lounging by the pool and yacking it up can get old, so here is something untypical to do when killing an afternoon in Palm Springs, CA. Open to visitors is a real B-17 bomber from World War II with access throughout from the nose to the tail. This is one of the few displays that let people go inside a restored aircraft that still flies. When seeing this airplane, it brought home a small part of what a relative had gone through behind a .50-caliber machine gun at a waist gunner station over Germa
Our recent “ultimate European road trip” now heads north through Italy's lake country, stopping at Lake Lugano, between Garda and Maggiore. About two thirds of this lake's shoreline is in Switzerland and about one third in Italy, resulting in a blending of their respective cultures which creates a unique as well as charming destination.
Flanked by much two larger lakes, the "lake in the middle" still outshines both with its intimate-feeling setting surrounded by majestic mountains and many pictu
Barcelona
A fun and very popular destination in the recent years, the city is a showcase of the national culture of Catalonia, Spain's ethnically distinct northeasternmost region. There are several tourist attractions that captivate millions of visitors, foremost of which is the Sagrada Familia church, visited by around 3 million people anually (long queues, but definitely worth it). Designed by Antoni Gaudi, it began construction in 1882 and is due to finally be finished in 2026, the 100th an
Up in the Andes mountains south of Ecuador's political capital Quito and east of its largest city and commercial capital Guayaquil, this city named for the the city in Spain that was the hometown of the Spanish viceroy at the time of its founding in 1557 (later than the above two) is so lovely and historic that it’s been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, and in addition to a growing tourism destination has also become a magnet for expatriates, especially from the USA.
Probably
