Stuck in the daily grind? Counteract those weekday blues with Travel + Leisure’s full guide to beautiful views. From the iconic skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan to a cliffside pool in Cap d’Antibes, France, we’re highlighting the best spots to stop and stare around the globe. Immerse yourself in Bora Bora’s turquoise waters from a few thousand feet up; get inspired by the 14,692-foot snow covered peak of Switzerland’s Matterhorn.
From hilarious YouTube videos (WestJet surprised travelers with a fleet of airport elves) to jaw-dropping Instagram photos (see everything from kangaroos to the aurora australis on Tourism Australia’s feed), travel companies are putting major effort into their social media campaigns. In celebration, Travel + Leisure has announced the winners of our second annual SMITTY Awards, recognizing the innovative ways airlines, hotels, cruise lines, bloggers, and more are interacting with their online audience.
This month, Travel + Leisure announced the 61 hottest new hotels of the year in our 2013 It List. In celebration of these splashy properties—from the Amanzo'e resort on Greece's Peloponnese peninsula (pictured) to Tuscany's rustic Monteverdi—we’ll be hosting a one-hour Twitter chat to discuss the latest in hotel tech, design, and industry trends. Our expert panel of luxury travel agents and T+L editors will share their secrets on maximizing your hotel stay and where to travel next.
Join the conversation on Wednesday, May 22nd from 2pm to 3pm.
The Hosts
Clara O. Sedlak, T+L special projects editor, @csedlak1
Jennifer Flowers, travel news editor, @JennFlowers
1. Log in to Twitter any time from 2–3 p.m. ET and be sure to follow the chat host: @TravlandLeisure. 2. Use the hashtag #TL_Chat to follow. 3. To keep up with the chat in real time, head over to tweetchat.com/room/TL_Chat. 4. We'll pulse out some questions for our expert panel to answer, but feel free to post your own answers to our questions. Or ask your own questions!
Calling all flight attendants: if you enjoy getting dolled-up for work, you are now allowed to board Turkish Airlines.
As we mentioned earlier this month, the national carrier had placed a ban on red and dark pink lipstick and nail polish, in fear that it would impair the “visual integrity” of its staff, according to Skift. Chief Executive Temel Kotil claims this was a decision made by junior managers, and that there is in fact no ban on the beauty products—female staff can wear lipstick and nail polish of any color.
My only question—why were the junior managers so concerned with these classic lip colors? Blue lipstick was a huge fad in the 1990’s, and who can forget the coral-colored pouts of the ‘80’s? Let’s just hope the airline was aiming for retro, and hold tight to our shadow and mascara.
Maria Pedone is a digital editorial intern at Travel + Leisure.
While New York’s Frieze Art Fair will commence tomorrow on Randall’s Island, you may want to make a pit stop in Chelsea. Playing to both the contemporary art and party crowds, German artist Tobias Rehberger has created Bar Oppenheimer in the basement of two-year-old Hôtel Americano. The venue—both a sculptural art piece and fully functioning bar—is a recreation of the watering hole Rehberger frequents in Frankfurt, which sits at the center of the city’s artistic community.
Chelsea’s edition of Bar Oppenheimer retains the essence of its Frankfurt muse (tight dimensions) with reimagined elements. Red accent lines offset the flashy black-and-white stripes adorning the walls, ceiling, and floor of the space.
The artwork will be open nightly to the public starting Saturday, May 11th at 5pm. But be careful when tippling—just stepping into this place will make you think you’re in a kaleidoscope.
Maria Pedone is a digital editorial intern at Travel + Leisure.
Switching careers is always a bit of a tango, but for designer David Graziano hopping from New York City to Tulum, Mexico was a no-brainer. David spent the first 13 years of his career designing NYC nightclubs like Pink Elephant and Kiss & Fly, but it wasn’t until he left these fast-paced streets behind that he discovered his true calling.
Moving to the sandy shores of Tulum gave David a “giant lift,” and he began building Ahau Hotel from scratch as soon as he landed. David’s only goal is to provide a paradise for his guests—and perhaps now to his wife and baby girl as well.
Need more daydream-worthy career moves? Watch the video or head to the Reserve Channel’s YouTube page for the full series of EX-PATS.
Maria Pedone is a digital editorial intern at Travel + Leisure.
Ride back to the Middle Ages with this French eatery, much swankier than a tournament at Medieval Times.
Distressed, castle-style doors greet you at new Paris restaurant, Le Sergent Recruteur. While there are no knights in shining armor at this tavern, an expansive stainless steel bar serves up full goblets of wine with each course.
The all-fixed, five-course menu starts at 65 euros for lunch, 95 euros for dinner, and 35 euros for wine pairings. Top plates to try include the poached oyster in seaweed broth and cucumber foam, warm praline and cabbage salad, and a deconstructed chocolate vacherin for dessert.
Although swordfights are absent in Le Sergent Recruteur, acting refined after five hefty wine pairings is a battle all its own.
Maria Pedone is a digital editorial intern at Travel + Leisure.
Feel like you need a vacation? You’re not alone. According to the SpringHill Suites Annual Travel Survey, close to one in four (23%) employed Americans don’t get any paid vacation days, and 90% who do say they want more.
And who can blame them? Springtime sun is far more appealing than a fluorescent cubicle light. So, say you are one of the lucky 49% who receive paid vacation—your travel time is most likely 15 days or less. Are two weeks really enough to satisfy your wanderlust?
Making matters more complicated, 57% of Americans believe feel that staying home or local for vacation is a thing of the past. Popular far-off destinations—think Australia or Thailand—can take two days just to get to. That’s four precious days out of 15 spent commuting. The last I checked, teleportation is still in its infancy, so that trims time in your bucket-list locale to eleven days.
Lastly, men seem to hold out longer between vacations, waiting about one year or 52 weeks to take off, while women head out about every 10 months or 43 weeks. What to do if you’re glued to the work desk? Relax in your rolly chair with T+L's midweek daydreams.
Maria Pedone is a digital editorial intern at Travel + Leisure.
Overrun by touristy cafes and dives, Les Halles, Paris finally catches a break with new restaurant, Pirouette. Plate glass windows reminiscent of Los Angeles beckon crowds to this quality bistro that aims for an honest price and satisfying product.
The two-course lunch menu is a steal: servers trot out traditional eats like pot roast with carrot puree, and crispy chicken breast with mashed potatoes. The higher priced three-course menu features more elaborate options, such as chilled cream of lettuce soup with an egg cooked sous-vide to medium, smoked eel with confit potatoes, rare roasted pigeon, and pan-seared whiting with withered zucchini and tomato and fresh radish. Classic desserts are given a twist, like the soggy baba au rhum with lime sauce.
With most Les Halles eateries plagued by crowds, niche bistro Pirouette grants epicurean city-goers a sigh of relief.
Maria Pedone is a digital editorial intern at Travel + Leisure.
The food truck trend isn’t just for Americans—Paris, a culinary epicenter, is expanding its street food scene as well. The latest is Glaces Glazed, a high concept ice cream peddler with fearless flavors given appropriately rock and roll names.
Top flavors include Smoke on the Water (Madagascar vanilla with organic hemp seeds), Black Sugar Sex Magic (dark chocolate sorbet with wasabi and ginger) and Orange Mécanique (the French title for A Clockwork Orange, is orange and Campari sorbet with balsamic reduction).
If you miss the truck, pick up a carton before your flight home at Lafayette Gourmet, a part of Europe’s largest luxury department store, Galeries Lafayette.
Maria Pedone is a digital editorial intern at Travel + Leisure.
