hip destinations

Short Break: Valencia's Renaissance

Valencia on Spain's eastern coast is experiencing a renaissance. Not only will Valencia host the 2007 America's Cup, the first held in Europe, it has caught up with other hip cities in Europe. The skyline has been embellished with everything from an impressive contemporary art museum to the sprawling Ciutat de les Arts i de les Cienes, Santiago Calatrava's swooping collection of white, organically contoured museums and theaters. The special charm of Valencia is a mix of Seville with its crowded cafes and tree-shaded plazas, the Moorish traces and ancient monuments of Granada as well as the tumultuous nightlife of Madrid. Yet this old city by the sea also has an identity all its own, as just one spin around town will attest.
Where to stay There are a few new upmarket desinger hotels that signals Valencia's change in fortunes. We recommend the Palau de la Mar, housed in a adjoning pair of eleganat 19th-century mansions, mingles grand marble entryways and staricases with 66 sleek rooms. The white walls, chocolate-brown floors, and antique tubs provide a tranquil respite from the glamourous streets.

Short Breaks: City or Beach? Enjoy both: Barcelona

City or Beach? There is no need to decide - Barcelona offers both. Barcelona is the ideal city for a loooong weekend. Here are three hotels we recommend: Hotel Pulitzer is a new design hotel built right in the heart of Barcelona, located at Plaza Catalunya, the main cultural, historical, business and shopping area. Try to get a room with a private roof terrace. In the Gothic Quarter, also close to Plaza Catalunya, you find the Hotel Neri, a small boutique hotel in an old, gothic house. We especially recommend the high-tech rooms and the exquisite restaurant. The hotel is so small that the staff treats you like you're the owner of the house. If you are looking for an unusual, luxury experience, try Gran Hotel La Florida located on Mount Tibidabo. Twenty minutes from the sweltering masses at Gaudí's Sagrada Familia cathedral and the teeming Ramblas promenade, this unique hotel isn't exactly in Barcelona; rather, it hovers above it. Everything about this place is deluxe - the views of the town are spectacular and it features an indoor/outdoor pool that literally overlooks the entire city.

Envy in Amsterdam

If you are in Amsterdam and are bored with the usual open face sandwiches - try Envy, a new delicatessen restaurant. Ultra modern design with an open kitchen, oak wood fridges with chrome handles, the restaurant looks like a delicatessen shop somewhere in Italy. The food is just delicious and the ambience always busy.

Private Collection: La Gioia - A charming country house in Umbria

Whatever your heart desires - La Gioia extends a warm welcome. Daniel and Marianne Aerni-Kühne, a Swiss couple, have converted a 300-year-old defunct oil and grain mill into a charming country hotel. La Gioia is an oasis of tranquility and "joie de vivre". Enjoy the inspiring remoteness from everyday routine. Relax in the heart of Italy's lush green hills. An ideal place to start exploring Umbria with its small medieval villages such as Montefalco or Spoleto.
The Country House La Gioia offers one single and eleven double rooms, all of them reflecting the harmonious earthy hues of the region. The rooms are individually furbished with loving attention to detail (Marianne is a former interior designer).
A special treat is the restaurant with its open terrace. Enjoy an evening under the stars with delicious food, excellent wines from the region and the charming, discreet attention from the hosts.

Gourmet Traveler: Dining under the stars in Paris

The top two floors of the Kenzo flagship store houses the ultramodern restaurant Kong. Architect Jean-Jacques Ory's glass skylight replaces the traditional metal roof and gives you the impression to eat under the stars. Fumiko Kono’s cooking is creating a bridge between the French cuisine and modern Japanese cooking. Besides being tragically hip, the chicken dish in yoghurt and wasabi sauce is a steal considering you'd pay twice for the view alone. And the house "must" is the wine, which for some reason is one-third the price of the cocktails. After a few too many glasses, the chairs with female faces imprinted on them and the lime green fluorescent stairway designed by Phillipe Starck become even more interesting.

Gourmet Traveler: Indian Food at its best in New York City

Are you up for a gourmet experience in New York City where you forget that you are in the Big Apple? Go and let yourself indulge in the wonderful world of exotic spices, tasty meals and great decor. Tamarind in the Flatiron District is a safe bet for a successful evening.

Short Breaks: A gourmet hideaway in Brittany

Are you longing for a break away from big cities, trendy designer hotels, party crowds and unbearable noisy restaurants and bars? A place to unwind, relax and get pampered by a couple who lives for their guests and their well-being is Jane and Olivier Roellinger's "Maisons de Bricourt" in Cancale, Brittany, France.
Overlooking the bay of Mont Saint-Michel, Chateaux Richeau, an old castle-like building with 18 rooms, including 2 suites, each individually designed with a lot of charm, host the casual restaurant "Le coquillage". There you can enjoy a fabulous "plateaux de crustacés" while enjoying the view over the bay. The signature restaurant, where Olivier Roellinger and his talented crew combine local specialties with spices from his trips to the most exotic places, is located just a short drive away in the village. A private shuttle takes you there, so the rigid regulations about drinking and driving in France will not affect your experience.
During the day you can relax in the wonderful gardens overlooking the bay, walk along the cliffs or visit St. Malo, a small city with a rich history.

Gourmet Traveler: Contemporary Dining in Paris

For quite a while dining out in Paris meant Brasseries “à l’ancienne”: heavy French food in traditional restaurants. Luckily this has changed and there are now more and more interesting places for contemporary dining to discover: Maison Blanche in the 8th arrondissement: The Pourcel brothers in the kitchen, designer Imaad Rhamouni for the décor, the City of Lights at your feet: that’s a good way of summing things up.

Some might say that the best way to view the Centre Pompidou is from six flights up, atop the centre itself, in the restaurant Georges. Run by Thierry Costes, son of celebrated restaurateur Gilbert Costes, Restaurant Georges views will amaze, and its menu continues to gain some encouraging praise. Designed by Paris-based architects Dominique Jakob and Brendan MacFarlane, Georges seats about 200 inside its imposing room. Ceilings 30 feet high display exposed silver and blue piping, while four aortic valve-like structures are the rooms main attractions. During the day, visitors of the centre are enjoining a refreshment, in the evening an interesting crowd of long-legged models, various suits, some trendy euro-trash and a few skate-rats thrown in for color are enjoying a surprisingly good buzz...