CATEGORIES

still lazy after all these years

Decades after a boyhood of easygoing afternoons in Washington State's San Juan Islands, Jesse Ashlock returns with his own children to rediscover this bucolic corner of America where time almost seems to stand still

the 2024 hot list WHERE to STAY, CRUISE & EAT NEXT

It's inevitable: Every spring when we pull together the Hot List, our annual collection of the world's best new hotels, restaurants, and cruise ships, a staffer remarks that this latest iteration has got to be the best one ever. After a year's worth of traveling the globe-to stay the night at a converted farmhouse in the middle of an olive grove outside Marrakech or sail aboard a beloved cruise line's inaugural Antarctic voyage-it's easy to see why we get attached.

RUNWAY TO SANTA FE

Indigenous designer Orlando Dugi shares his favorite art, culture, and cocktails in his adopted hometown

GOLDEN CHILD

A blink-and-you'll-miss-it surf town on Australia's east coast is now a chic weekend getaway

word of mouth

THE PEOPLE, PLACES & IDEAS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW

Animal Kingdom

A massive effort in Saudi Arabia to restore its endemic flora and fauna is underway. Now, the country is looking to tourism to help support it

Building Change

On a pristine stretch of Mexico's southwestern coast, anew developmentis grounded in community and creativity

karma chameleon

A generation after Berlin's reinvention as the after-hours king of Western Europe, the German capital enters a new chapter as a softer-edged city that has settled more fully into its own skin

SWELL TIMES

Palm-tree-lined beaches? Check. Excellent reef breaks? Check. A cool-kid scene complete with surf stays, yoga retreats, and oceanfront cafés? Check, check, check. Sri Lanka's south coast has all the ingredients to become the next great lifestyle destination

OUT IN THE OPEN

A trip through Canada's remote Northwest Territories showcases the region's starkly beautiful landscapes and the Indigenous communities whose stories and ways of life have become newly accessible to travelers

los angeles plays itself

No place delights in retelling its own tale quite like the City of Angels. Now, a wave of chefs, hoteliers, and entrepreneurs is remixing the classics to usher in a new Golden Age

It's for everyone - Men are discovering the value of self-care too

IT IS A SUNNY winter morning, and I can see snowcapped peaks in the distance. The fragrance of pine fills the air. Birds chatter in the trees above.

It's for healing - Thailand's storied retreats offer an emotional reset

SUNSHINE WOULD HAVE been too much after three years that felt like one long dark tunnel. I arrive, exhausted, on Koh Samui during a monsoon, the wet jungle swaying with the energy of renewal. That night, a lullaby of raindrops helps me drift off to sleep. The far-off storm flashing on the horizon expels my subliminal rage. I awaken, refreshed, to birdsong.

It's learning to lead - Visiting Greece to succeed at work in New York

ON A BRIGHT November afternoon at Euphoria Retreat on the Peloponnese peninsula, I find myself curled in the fetal position, my body supported by the cool wood floor.

It's a way to push yourself - A plunge into the ocean at the end of the earth

I'M WEARING A BARBIE-PINK bathing suit, but there are no palm trees in sight. The snow has just stopped falling and I can see broken chunks of iceberg inching toward the ship I'm on. The ambient temperature is 29 Fahrenheit.

It's about life phases - Spas and resorts worldwide are helping women navigate menopause

MELODIC MANTRAS and warm oil repeatedly poured across the lower back are parts of Kati Vasti, an Ayurvedic therapy that Karina Steward, founder and chief wellness officer of Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary in Koh Samui, Thailand, swears would put anyone in a pleasure coma.

It's the simple things - Sometimes the best vacation involves doing as little as possible

THE CHIMES of my iPhone alarm reached a crescendo, signaling that it was 5:30 a.m. I longed to hit snooze but instead rolled from my bed and shuffled heavy-eyed to the coffee machine. A jolt of caffeine helped get me out the door just in time to make my 6 a.m. Pilates class. The early morning hustle would have felt routine if it weren't for the humid, plumeria-scented air, the sound of crashing waves, and the elevator-length commute to the gym.

LOCAL FLAVOR

Beloved by New Zealanders, the South Island town of Wanaka is grabbing the attention of global travelers

HEART AND SEOUL

A revived dedication to traditional crafts makes for memorable souvenir shopping in the South Korean capital

DESIGNING WOMEN

Female architects are changing the face of sustainable hotel design - and not a moment too soon

WILD ROMANCE

The joy of swapping a traditional ceremony for a secret wedding and honeymoon in South Africa

LONDON CALLING

These marquee debuts signal a new era in the city's hotel scene

PHNOM-ENAL FOOD

Rotanak Ros (a.k.a. Chef Nak) shares her recipe for an invigorating weekend in Cambodia's capital

Keep Moving

The hottest amenity in hotels these days? Anything to keep you fit

The Life Aquatic

Louis Vuitton used Italy's Lake Maggiore as the inspiration and stage-for its latest cruise collection

THE MIRACLE OF THE MARQUESAS

In this remote French Polynesian archipelago, the volcanic peaks are jagged and foreboding, the surf pounds ferociously, and the trade winds never stop howlingall qualities that, for Peter Heller, make it irresistible

Everywhere I turn in Athens, my past rises up to meet me.

That café was once a pastry shop where our babysitter would buy us treats when I lived here as a child-pain au chocolat for my brother, lemon-filled doughnut for me. We moved to the US when I was seven, but I've returned to Greece nearly every summer since I was 14. This square is where I scored scalped tickets to the 2004 Olympics. That church is where I lit candles every year on my annual trip, in hope or gratitude: Let me do well on that exam, find a job, get pregnant.

beyond bounds

After falling for AIaska in the summertime, David Amsden returns to ski its soft-powder snow, explore melting ice shelves, and learn what the locals have always known the 49th state is truly amazing in winter

the gold list

Our 30th annual Gold List of the world's greatest hotels and cruises captures nearly a year's worth of work. This collection represents hundreds of hours of researching, scouting, and impassioned debating by our team of editors in seven cities across the globe. But more than that, it reflects our ongoing love affair with the places where we stay, which often become our gateways to entire destinations. Read on to inspire your next trip.

Blue Mountain Revival

After weathering years of relentless fires and biblical floods, the rugged region outside of Sydney has been reborn, with a booming food scene and new ways to/access nature