An alluring new hotel is only one of the reasons to revisit this storied neighborhood in Paris

By Alexander Lobrano

The Marais, comprising the Third and Fourth Arrondissements of Paris, has always had spectacular architecture and exceptional museums. But in the 80s, when I first arrived in France and began wandering its lanes, the trauma caused by the deportation of almost 50,000 citizens from Paris’s largest Jewish quarter during World War II was still raw.

It’s been transforming itself ever since. The recent opening of Le Grand Mazarin, a five-star hotel at the corner of the Rue des Archives and the Rue de la Verrerie, has crowned these efforts. The idea of opening an extravagant hotel across the READ ON

Ischia’s thermal baths have been drawing wellness warriors for 3,000 years. But can they do anything for long COVID?

By Catherine Fairweather

Warm, brown mud was slathered onto my torso like Nutella on a baguette. Then, like that takeaway sandwich, I was wrapped in cellophane and left to sweat.

Fangotherapy, or mud bathing, is the principal detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, regenerative cure and raison d’être at the Regina Isabella thermal spa, in Ischia. The mud is harvested from an underground source and infused for months in basins of thermal water rich in sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.

If I can make it through at least six of these, they may help to rebuild my immune system, which is why mud bathing is such a popular pastime for those of us suffering from long READ ON

At EcoCamp Patagonia, in Chile, there’s little more than minimally appointed tents, nearly empty hiking trails, and the occasional guanaco. And it’s someone’s idea of heaven

By Kirsty Lang

From the plastic window of my geodesic dome, snow was blowing across the plateau in Chilean Patagonia. As a fair-weather hiker, the prospect of braving 14 miles through this unforgiving storm filled me with dread.

But I didn’t come to the end of the earth for nothing. Two years ago, I met a filmmaker who had traveled the world shooting Our Great National Parks, Barack Obama’s Netflix series. The most beautiful spot she visited? “Chilean Patagonia,” she replied without missing a beat.

So I layered up and headed out into the 700 square miles of wilderness that is the READ ON

The legendary fashion designer and businesswoman reveals her travel routine

In 1974, early in Diane von Furstenberg’s fashion career, she debuted the wrap dress—a fitted, feminine garment for the modern woman just joining the workplace. Within two years, she sold five million of them. Half a century later, ladies around the world are still wearing the garment. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Fashion & Lace Museum, in von Furstenberg’s native Brussels, has devoted an exhibition to it, and Rizzoli has filled a book with essays about and images of the dress. Von Furstenberg has been jetting around the globe since long before she designed the wrap dress. Here, she shares a few travel tips. READ ON

The Vampire’s Wife designer reveals her travel routine

Many of the most stylish women in the world have the same dress, and they’re fine with it, really, because the dress in question is the Falconetti, from the Vampire’s Wife. Co-founded by former model and style maven Susie Cave, the collection favors Victorian silhouettes tinged with gothic glamour, and Cave’s international coterie of fans can’t get enough. Her latest project, a new collection of luggage, is a collaboration with Globe-Trotter. Its suitcases, vanity cases, and one especially tempting jewelry case are inspired by Cave’s journeys to far-flung corners of the globe with her husband, musician Nick Cave. Here, she shares her secrets to surviving travel. READ ON

In a small promontory jutting into Dublin Bay sits a freezing-cold, utterly irresistible watering hole where locals swim and socialize

By Bruce Handy

You might not think of Dublin as a great swimming city, but just south, an easy 20-minute ride on the DART railway, is a magical spot for a revitalizing plunge into the Irish Sea. Called the Forty Foot, for reasons that are apparently lost to history, it was recently made famous by the Apple TV+ series Bad Sisters, in which Sharon Horgan, Eve Hewson, and the rest of the titular sorority seemingly spend half the series bobbing in the waves or wet-haired and bundled up on the rocks. Sure, they’re plotting to murder their awful brother-in-law, but they’re also getting fresh air and wholesome exercise. You might say the Forty Foot is the READ ON

The chef, baker, and author behind The Cookie That Changed My Life reveals her travel routine

Since the late 1980s, Nancy Silverton has brought everything from artisanal bread (La Brea Bakery) and pizza (Pizzeria Mozza) to gelato (Nancy’s Fancy) to Los Angeles, her offerings so delicious they’ve overpowered residents’ usual resistance to such indulgences. With more than 10 cookbooks, the California chef and baker has taught novices how to re-create her sourdough loaves and butterscotch budinos at home. Her latest, The Cookie That Changed My Life, is a baking bible with more than 100 recipes, from peanut-butter cookies to buttermilk biscuits and chocolate brandy cake. While Silverton was born, raised, and still resides in Southern California, she often travels to Italy and France for culinary inspiration. Here, she answers our questionnaire about what she packs, eats, and buys while traveling. READ ON

With stellar restaurants, irresistible shopping, and charming hotels, Bornholm is becoming Denmark’s most appealing vacation spot

By Mary Holland

On my first visit to the Michelin-starred restaurant Kadeau, on Bornholm, in 2017, the evening began the way many Danish dinners do: in the garden where the restaurant grows its produce, sipping a glass of sparkling natural wine.

Standing among the bright bushels of kale and kohlrabi, co-owner and chef Nicolai Nørregaard shared his view of the island. “We chose Bornholm because it has so much to offer. It was untouched territory,” he said, dressed head to toe in black. Looking around the garden, with the sun streaming through the tall pine trees, I was inclined to agree.

When Kadeau opened, in 2007, the island was sparsely populated. Set READ ON

Vacationing in Italy gets more expensive by the minute. But a two-hour drive from Venice leads to an equally appealing destination

By Marcia DeSanctis

Slovenia had never much tempted me, but in truth, I knew little about this country in the middle of Europe. A few months ago, a friend suggested it as a place for people who love Italy but not its prices or crowds.

The drive from Venice’s Marco Polo Airport to my first stop, the Adriatic resort of Portorož, took only two hours. That was the first of many revelations. There would be many more over seven days full of delicious meals, abundant nature, and just the right amount of luxury. In just one country, I experienced a complete European READ ON

A brief history of Camden Town, from Withnail to Amy Winehouse

By Dorian Lynskey

At this writing, 127 Albert Road in Camden Town is a spotlessly elegant town house valued at close to $3 million. Back in 1969, though, it was the ramshackle home of two young aspiring actors: Bruce Robinson, who went on to write and direct the cult movie Withnail and I, and Vivian MacKerrell, who inspired the dissolute character of Withnail.

They would wake up late, spend a few hours drinking in the Spread Eagle pub on the corner with Parkway, then return home to crack open a bottle of red wine. “That whole Camden Town period of my life READ ON

And there’s only one way to explore it—on foot

By Will Self

There are fewer than 20,000 licensed black-cab drivers remaining in London, yet despite the inception of G.P.S. navigation systems, all of them are still exhaustively schooled in the geography of a conurbation so massive, so old, and so storied that its epithets—the Great Wen, the Smoke—conjure up primordial images of a chaotic, infective environment.

How extraordinary it would be to have the cabbies’ learning (or “nous” in Cockney), which consists of not simply knowing the names of every single street and notable building within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross but also how to drive the shortest distance between any two of them. READ ON

Arcachon, an idyllic region on France’s Atlantic coast, may be one of the country’s best-kept secrets

By Michael Gross

Sixty miles square at high tide, with a circumference of nearly 50 miles, the Bassin d’Arcachon, a triangular body of tidal water on France’s Atlantic coast, is so physically impressive it takes time before you notice that what’s absent is almost as appealing. No big yachts, designer boutiques, beach clubs blasting music, or overbearing bling.

With its sea breezes, temperate climate, pine and oak forests, and, at its mouth, the Dune of Pilat—the tallest sand dune in continental Europe, an ever evolving, 360-foot-high, nearly two-mile-long natural wonder—the bassin is a contender for the most magical place in coastal France, where the bar for “phenomenal” is already set quite high. READ ON

The director behind Priscilla, Marie Antoinette, and The Virgin Suicides reveals her travel routine

Sofia Coppola’s second film, Lost in Translation, was partly inspired by jet lag. It “makes you contemplate life in a different way,” she has said. “You’re far removed from all the distractions of your normal life.” The director and screenwriter splits her time between Paris and New York’s West Village, and is constantly called to different time zones for shoots. Her latest film, Priscilla, an adaptation of Priscilla Presley’s memoir, hits theaters this weekend. Coppola has spent much of the past few months on planes to attend screenings and film festivals. Here, she answers our questionnaire about what she packs, eats, and buys while traveling. READ ON

It doesn’t appear on any of the best-of lists, but Villa La Massa is, according to our critic, the greatest hotel in the world

By Alan Richman

A new list recently appeared naming the 50 best hotels in the world as selected by a collection of experts. However, I do wonder whether any of these experts has ever set foot in Villa La Massa, a historic and incomparable hotel located several miles from Florence, Italy.

Villa La Massa did not appear on the World’s 50 Best list, yet it is the best hotel on earth.

I have been traveling extensively for more than a half-century, a visitor to every continent other than Antarctica, and I was put up in hotels on every one of them—in my READ ON

Sophisticated regulars, a vibrant nightlife, and a growing art scene are making Saint-Moritz’s allure stronger than ever

By Vassi Chamberlain

F

ebruary 1989 is forever ingrained in my memory as the first time I visited the Swiss ski resort of Saint-Moritz. My family favored its arch-rival Gstaad, which was less fashionable at the time, but my then boyfriend was gunning to socialize with the titans of finance who flocked there. It felt like walking onto the set of a Pink Panther movie: one night, covered in fur blankets, we whizzed through the snow on a horse-drawn sleigh on our way to dinner, the frozen lake beneath us opalescent in the moonlight.

My relationship with the banker was short-lived, but the READ ON

Latin America’s youngest nation is growing into an appealing destination for weekenders

By David Christopher Kaufman

Panama Canal. Panama Papers. Panama hats.

The Tailor of Panama. There is nothing undiscovered about Panama except, perhaps, the nation itself.

Wedged between Costa Rica, to the north, and Colombia, to the south, Panama has long lured yachters, anglers, and adventurous pleasure-seekers. Most of the latter have typically assembled by the gin-clear waters along Panama’s Caribbean coast, saving a few hours to take in the canal on the way home.

But change is afoot in Latin America’s youngest nation. After 15 years of a much-buzzed-about “arrival,” Panama City, along with its nearby Pacific Coast archipelagoes, has finally arrived. The capital’s READ ON

The chef, food writer, and cookbook author reveals her travel routine

M

olly Baz wants to convince the world that cooking is “fun.” Her YouTube cooking channel, which she started after becoming a fixture in Bon Appétit’s test kitchen, certainly makes it seem so. She dances while preparing pasta in gin sauce, and dramatically pierces a knife through a simmered potato, which will be drowned in olive oil. Her first cookbook, Cook This Book, offered twists on classics, from chickpea carbonara to Niçoise sandwiches. Her second, More Is More, is a maximalist approach to flavor. Think chicken with miso and leeks, or marinated zucchini with fried sunflower seeds.

For the next few weeks, Baz will fly around the country for her book tour. Here, she answers our questionnaire about what she packs, eats, and buys while traveling. READ ON

Safaris can make or break couples—we’re thinking here of Out of Africa, Mogambo, and, naturally, Harry and Meghan. At Chobe Game Lodge, in Botswana, you can re-ignite your passion, just like Dick and Liz did

By Adam Hay-Nicholls

When I finished Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, my takeaway was not how ghastly the British press and the Palace are but how much I yearned to go on a Botswanian safari.

In the summer of 2016, Harry and Meghan had their third date at the rustic-upscale Meno-a-Kwena camp, in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, sleeping in a canvas-sided suite. Preferring a hotel endorsed by actual Hollywood royalty, I elected to visit the Chobe Game Lodge, where Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton wed for the second time. The ensuing news coverage was what first put Botswana on the jet-set map. Today, tourism is second only to diamonds when it comes to the southern-African nation’s economy. Incidentally, Taylor was a glamorous advocate for both. READ ON

The D.J., music producer, and frequent flier details his travel routine

Thomas Wesley Pentz, better known as “Diplo,” once estimated that he takes 320 flights a year. Just next month, the D.J., songwriter, and producer will travel to New York, Amsterdam, Tampa, and Avondale, Arizona, to perform. After landing three Grammys and working with everyone from Madonna to Mark Ronson, Diplo has been experimenting with country music, a turn away from his electronic-dancehall start. His latest foray into new territory is more literal. On December 13, Diplo will team up with Insider Expeditions to spearhead a seven-day luxury cruise in Antarctica. I know, not what you expected!

With so much of his life spent at cruising altitude, Diplo has dialed in his travel routine. Here, he answers our questionnaire about what he packs, eats, and buys while traveling. READ ON

After a $1.7 billion renovation, Raffles London, at the Old War Office, opened to great fanfare. Too much, perhaps

By Ashley Baker

One of my friends, a journalist for one the largest-circulation newspapers in the U.K., is not allowed to write about bubble bath. Her editor has declared it “too out of touch” in this moment, when the cost-of-living crisis has been disastrous for many Britons. “There are two different worlds,” she explained. “And we speak to both of them.”

There’s no such conversation happening in the corner of Whitehall where Raffles London at the O.W.O. is finally welcoming the public. Well, not quite the public public. Its Web site describes it as an “Epic Stage for Modern Tastemakers.”

This all made sense on Wednesday afternoon, when I attended its opening READ ON

For decades, the Resort at Paws Up was the most exclusive ranch hotel in the country. Now it has some competition from its sister property, the Green O

By Laura Neilson

Yellowstone-induced wanderlust isn’t the only reason visitors have been drawn to the Green O, a 24-guest, adults-only retreat that’s hidden away in the densely timbered forest of central Montana.

Named after businessman Paul Greenough, who lived on the land in the early 20th century (and whose sheep were branded with green circular markings), the Green O is stashed among the 37,000 acres that belongs to Paws Up, its older, much larger sibling property. But whereas Paws Up caters to families and groups, the Green O offers something more ambitious, especially when it comes to service.

There are only 12 guesthouses scattered throughout the woods, and each is designed READ ON

On an island better known for beer-swilling tourists, the Grand Hotel Son Net offers sumptuous solitude, even during the high season

By Ashley Baker

There wasn’t a single blood-pressure cuff to be found in Puigpunyent. And it’s really too bad, because it would have been so satisfying to send a normal reading to my doctor in London. See? I’m not always hypertense!

This small village, only a 15-minute drive from Majorca’s capital city of Palma, is light on medical equipment. But it has little need for it. Drive through sparsely trafficked roads into the valley, gaze up at the pine-studded mountains, and tune in to the occasional whoop of birdsong. The rest of the world is still out there, but it all feels very hypothetical. READ ON

Ahead of his spring-summer 2024 runway show, the fashion-and-furniture designer reveals his travel routine

For years Rick Owens wore high-heeled boots to the gym. The rare artist wholly committed to his aesthetic principles, he “hated the informal and suburban ethos of sneakers.” In 2021, when Owens began collaborating with Converse, he “corrupted” the Chuck 70: squared the toe, elongated the tongue, doubled the sole. Owens—a California kid who was raised Catholic but gravitated towards sex clubs, the Ramones, and the German artist Joseph Beuys—often talks about corruption. He started his brand in 1994 to “corrupt conformity from within.” Look at his fashion shows: he’s sent male models down the runway in penis-baring tunics READ ON

Cotchford Farm, former home to a Rolling Stone and Winnie-the-Pooh, is now available to rent. But its blighted past may be difficult for some vacationers to ignore …

By Jonathan Margolis

Less than 50 miles south of London, a newly listed Airbnb in a luscious stretch of countryside looks like the find of all vacation finds.

The tastefully restored six-bedroom, at least five-bathroom house dates to the 16th century and has expansive, manicured gardens. The nightly price isn’t wild, either—from around $1,250 a night at off-peak times of the year—which comes as a surprise because the house has first-class literary and rock ’n’ roll connections.

For some 30 years, Cotchford Farm was where the author A. A. Milne lived and wrote and set Winnie-the-Pooh, basing the stories on his son, READ ON