STAYING IN A MEDIEVAL tower is excellent for the legs. I realized this soon after I checked in to Son Bunyola Hotel & Villas (doubles from $703), the resort opened by Richard Branson last summer in the wild coastal mountains of western Mallorca. The building originally served as a fortress against pirates, and I was staying in its oldest section, the Tower Suite, which dates back to the 13th century.
The small windows offered tantalizing sea views, so I found myself dashing up and down the polished stone stairs like a medieval foot soldier angling for a better look. On the top floor, I pressed a button to unlock a glass skylight-it whirred open slowly, perhaps like the escape hatch on a Virgin Galactic spaceship-and clambered up to a private roof terrace with commanding views of the Tramuntana Mountains.
Son Bunyola is one of several luxury hotels that have opened in Mallorca within the past year, giving travelers a new reason to explore the popular island. Adding to Mallorca's popularity, in 2022 United Airlines began offering direct flights from Newark from May to September. While the most visited areas are along the southern coast, near the capital, Palma, the more remote pockets of the island are home to restored historic farm properties. Last summer I spent five days surveying three of the new arrivals. Although it was high season, I wouldn't have known it from the idyllic pace.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2024-Ausgabe von Travel+Leisure US.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2024-Ausgabe von Travel+Leisure US.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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The Luxury of Silence - Grieving a dissolved marriage, Nora Walsh seeks peace and compassion at a meditation retreat in California.
My decade-long marriage to a man I deeply love had dissolved, and I had come to the Spirit Rock Meditation Center, in the secluded hills of Marin County, north of San Francisco, to steady myself. Led by the author and meditation teacher Oren Jay Sofer, the seven-day silent retreat focused on the four brahmavihāra, or Buddhist virtues: loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity.
Family Values - Gay father and blogger Jonathan Bailey shares his proudest moments of traveling with his partner and daughters.
My partner and I grew up in families that didn't travel a lot, so we've always had a sense of wanderlust. Before we had kids, we traveled together, and it was life-changing-travel opened our minds to different ways of life.In 2000, Triton and I decided to have kids. At the time, my mom had terminal cancer, and we were all about connecting with family. We wanted to adopt, because we felt like there were so many children in the world who needed love and a good home. In 2002, my mom passed away, and Sophia was born two weeks later. We welcomed our second daughter, Ava, in 2004.
Back to Sri Lanka - The past few years have not been easy on this alluring South Asian island. But on a return visit, Prasad Ramamurthy finds a place-and a people-on the upswing.
I was at the end of a five-day journey that had begun in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Galle Fort, in southwestern Sri Lanka, and taken me across the southern tip of the island to the leopard reserve of Yala National Park. In between I had taken in the dramatic coastline of Weligama and had stopped for some beach time in Hiriketiya. Sri Lanka is a country I'm particularly fond of, so when I was asked to revisit to report this story, I seized the opportunity. Yes, I was dying to go back, but I'd had another motive for coming: I wanted to see if the island nation was ready to welcome international visitors again.
Experiences: Hands On - Single-malt whiskies and triple-cream cheeses are the stuff New York's Hudson Valley is made of.
The Hudson Valley has long drawn New York City dwellers in search of clean air, spectacular hikes, and upstate culture. Now a budding community of artisans-young farmers, bakers, vintners, distillers-is turning the region into a modern breadbasket.It is a tightly woven ecosystem that also extends to restaurants and hotels. At Tenmile Distillery, in the town of Wassaic, for example, the grain used to make whiskey comes from a farm in Tivoli, 30 miles away, while the gin and vodka it produces are served at stylish addresses like the Troutbeck (doubles from $580), a hotel in Amenia, and the restaurant Stissing House (entrées $22-$155), in Pine Plains.
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Go for a swim with sperm whales, and you may find yourself hooked. Maggie Shipstead journeys to the Caribbean island of Dominica, where these giants of the deep are making a big splash.
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Just Dive In
The most nautical Four Seasons has to be this scuba-centric ship, which sails a rarely visited corner of the Pacific.
The Next Frontier
With deep pockets and mighty ambitions, Saudi Arabia is building a high-end resort area with serious green cred.
