Looking for a spring getaway? Here, our favorite finds, from an urban oasis to a sandy resort.
Country The Pig, Brockenhurst, England Opened: July 2011 Rooms: 26 (16 in the main house; 10 in the stable yard) Top Feature: Foraging excursions in the surrounding New Forest and on the nearby coast Best For: Adventurous foodies Beaulieu Rd.; 44-15/9062-2354; doubles from $196.
Beach St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, Miami Beach Opened: Jan. 2012 Rooms: 243 guest rooms and suites Top Features: 25 private beachside cabanas and personal butler service Best For: Sun-soaking cosmopolites 9703 Collins Ave.; 877/787-3447; doubles from $1,250.
So you’ve eaten your way through Italy. You know your pecorini from your parmigiani. You’ve already ordered the latest edition of the Silver Spoon, that classic Italian cooking tome that's resided on many a nonna’s shelf since 1950. If that’s the case, the second-annual Identita New York—a two-day event in New York City next week where six of the bel paese’s most celebrated chefs will show off their cooking prowess alongside six American culinary bigwigs—might already be on your radar.
We globetrotters (and footwear lovers) know one of the great packing challenges is trying to squeeze that last pair of shoes—the sneakers—into a full suitcase next to the three pairs of heels we swear we can’t leave behind.
Fairmont is stepping up to the challenge, having acquired more than 5,000 pairs of sneakers across all 56 hotels from Boston to Bermuda, as part of its increasingly popular "Fairmont Fit" program.
Ever wondered what Europe smelled like before plumbing? I’m discovering this very thing in the recently published The Smell of the Continent: The British Discover Europe (Pan Macmillan, $32), which recounts 19th-century British travel to Continental Europe. Oxford historians Richard Mullen and James Munson get into the less savory details of sanitation (a scarcity of bathtubs in France; flea-infested sheets in Sicily; four toilets in a 60-room hotel in Germany).
In October 2009, the new W Barcelona will throw open its doors at the end of the Passeig Joan de Borbo on the Catalan city's sun-soaked waterfront. But we can hardly contain our excitement after a recent hardhat tour that showed off city and Mediterranean views from Ricardo Bofill’s sail-shaped structure (on a clear day, you can see Majorca). Take a look for yourself and tell us we’re wrong. And by the way, don’t fret if you’re not one of the lucky few who can afford a suite on the 25th floor ($1,260 USD)—90 percent of the 473 rooms will have full sea views. Rooms available starting Oct. 1.
Jennifer Flowers is an assistant editor at Travel + Leisure.
On a recent trip to Barcelona, I rediscovered a cardinal rule of travel: no matter how little time you have in a new place, it pays to catch your breath. I walked all over the city to keep up with an ambitious itinerary, visiting hotels, and, of course, paying my respects to the medieval streets of the Barri Gotic, the lively fruit and meat vendors at the Mercat de la Boqueria--even the dreamlike interiors of Gaudi’s Casa Batllo.
One late afternoon on Montjuic hill, behind the Joan Miro Foundation, I cooled my heels on the ledge of a stone stairway overlooking the city, wondering how I’d muster the energy to reach the next stop on my list. And then out of nowhere, a tangerine-colored sky emerged behind the domes and spires of the Palau Nacional, and I simply had to linger until the sun dipped below the Catalonian hills. The rest of Barcelona would have to wait.
Jennifer Flowers is an assistant editor at Travel + Leisure.
