Director and vintner Francis Ford Coppola gives T+L the scoop on his Francis Ford Coppola Winery, in Sonoma, California, and his soon-to-open Palazzo Margherita, in Basilicata, Italy (coppolaresorts.com).
What’s on the menu at the winery? It’s a family resort, but with no hotel. You can swim, play bocce, see movie memorabilia, and eat at Rustic. The menu has all my favorite things: for meat, we have an Argentine parrilla grill. For dessert, there’s a cream puff with a cannoli filling my mother used to make. And to drink, our Archimedes Cabernet or caipirinhas.
Oops, even if you missed the chance to sneak away for Valentine’s Day this year, there’s still time to redeem yourself and steal away with your loved one. After all, romance is a year-round affair, and what better way to celebrate togetherness than to escape to a dreamy hideaway?
T+L Features Editor Nilou Motamed’s top picks for a romantic hotel getaway are:
Sick of Valentine’s Day? Even if you love to hate the holiday, you’d still accept a free trip to Paris, non?
If your answer is “OUI!” click over to NileGuide and enter their “Fall in Love with the City of Love” contest to win a trip for two to the City of Light. In addition to airfare and seven nights in a furnished luxury apartment courtesy of iStopover, the grand prize also includes dinner at the Les Deux Magots, tickets to the Eiffel Tower, and a visit to the Museé Rodin.
All you have to do is become a fan of NileGuide on Facebook and enter your contact information. C’est facile, n’est pas?
Last year I had the pleasure of meeting the mother-daughter team behind Extraordinary Journeys. As their name implies, Marcia and Elizabeth Gordon (below) custom craft some pretty swoon-worthy adventures—to Africa, a place they know top to bottom (and all the secret spots in between) and that easily inspires dreamy visions of exotic animals, ancient baobab trees, and untamed landscapes where it’s impossible not to get away from it all.
Since my husband and I have a new baby and no real plans on deck for celebrating Valentine's Day this year, I thought I’d call on Elizabeth to share her expert tips—and provide me/Carry On with a vicarious dose of travel-inspired romance. Clip and save, dear readers. Sleeping under the stars on the Savannah beats a box of chocolates any day.
Question: In your opinion, what are some of the most romantic and memorable experiences in Africa?
With the release of the iPad nearly one year ago, the device is changing the way we do business. And while it might seem an unlikely combination, even restaurants have hopped on the bandwagon. Yes, a handful are loading their menus onto iPads for customers to peruse—a costly and wasteful business practice, all in the name of flashiness, as far as I'm concerned. But that’s not exactly what I’m talking about; there are more and more turning iPads into useful (and yes, flashy) tools that actually improve the dining experience.
Washington D.C.’s new, one-off Yola yogurt parfait bar near Dupont Circle is a great way to start
the day. First, there’s the general feeling of well-being derived from the warm, polished wood floors, the exposed-brick walls, and the contemporary tables and chairs, made from recycled
aluminum and bamboo (Yola is a certified green restaurant, after all, powered in part by carbon offsets and locally generated wind power).
Baechtold’s Best: Afghanistan visually explores a stunning variety of Afghan experiences. Each 2-page spread in this short book is dedicated to a simple theme like Taxi, Burka, Meal, or Poppy. The left-hand page offers sixteen thumbnail photos on the theme and a graphic map indicating where each was taken. The right-hand page has a large image chosen by the editors as the best example—Baechtold’s Best—with the briefest of identifying captions.
Looking for a room at one of New York City’s buzziest hotels? Look no further than Vacationist, where we offer exclusive deals at the world’s best hotels, including this one, on the northern edge of Manhattan’s Flatiron District. The property is also the site of new John Dory Oyster Bar, featured on our brand-new Romance edition for iPad, on sale now. For those looking for something special for two—it almost Valentine’s Day, after all—we also have over 30% off at properties in Costa Rica, three hotels in Italy, and more. What could be more romantic than that?
A nouveau addition to the foodie scene has San Francisco’s downtown Financial District buzzing. The melding of two San Fran staples has lunchtime crowds bending around street corners for up to an hour in order to get a taste of a new hybrid—the sushi burrito.
Northern California is a nursery of innovation and Sushirrito has answered the call with creations like the Crispy Ebi, a nori-wrapped, one-pound roll with ingredients that dance between Asian and Latin influence—tempura shrimp, melted pepper jack, shredded crab, and plantains. Or the Mamacita Roll, a tuna wrap packed with shiitake mushrooms, Daikon radish, and Tobiko fortified with a Mexican Kabayaki sauce. So far, the diminutive space and long wait haven’t done anything to temper the enthusiasm for the Bay Area’s newest gastronomic revelation.
Just get there early.
Nate Storey is a research assistant at Travel + Leisure.
USA Today | Delta Air Lines will add a premium economy section to its international flights, charging non-elite fliers between $80 to $160 each way for "Economy Comfort" seats that come with extra legroom and more recline.
Delta and SkyTeam frequent-fliers at the Platinum and Diamond level can book the seats at no extra charge, while Gold-level frequent-fliers will have access to the seats at a 50% discount. Silver members can purchase the seats for a 25% discount.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says "passengers will get seats with up to four inches of extra legroom, beyond the roughly 31 inches of pitch in international economy. They also will get 50% more recline than regular international economy seats. Passengers in the new section … also will be able to board early and get free alcoholic beverages during the flight."
Since my husband and I have a new baby and no real plans on deck for celebrating Valentine's Day this year, I thought I’d call on Elizabeth to share her expert tips—and provide me/Carry On with a vicarious dose of travel-inspired romance. Clip and save, dear readers. Sleeping under the stars on the Savannah beats a box of chocolates any day.
