Posts

“I’ve made wine all over the world. I’ve consulted and won awards. I believe I’m just an iconic winemaker now,” says Ntsiki Biyela, smiling, without any arrogance, during our Zoom chat. “Certain things run their course.” She’s seated in Somerset West while I’m behind a screen that’s closer to her hometown, Mahlabatini in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Biyela is serene and measured, but there’s an unmistakable sparkle in her eyes — mischief even — perceptible despite the partial pixelation....

Pink stucco buildings, striped awnings, wrought iron balconies, and tall palm trees, their fronds creating shadows that move with the morning breeze — that’s my view as I sip a cappuccino at a French café. It’s quiet, and voices are low. But the night before on Española Way was a totally different story. Outdoor tables lining the street under twinkling lights were filled with diners, and lively chatter went into the late hours....

New York is offering a free two-day state park pass to anyone who gets their first COVID-19 vaccine in the next week. New York is also setting up vaccination clinics at 15 state parks, including Letchworth State Park, which considers itself the Grand Canyon of the East. The park is known for its waterfalls that rise as high as 600 feet and 66 miles of hiking trails. “Providing those who get vaccinated with a free park pass is an incredible summer-season incentive,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in announcing the promotion....

RV rental company Outdoorsy wants to send healthcare workers on a free road trip to thank them for their hard work. For every booking made on the site, Outdoorsy is awarding healthcare heroes a free two-night, three-day trip around the country. The site, essentially Airbnb for RVs, travel trailers, and camper vans will choose winners based on a public nomination system, allowing people to elevate and thank doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, care aides, and more....

After graduating college there is nothing more stressful than attempting to enter the job market. Pile on a global pandemic, and job hunting can become downright impossible. But hang on, because there are companies out there looking for you. And that includes Oscar Mayer, who is currently on the lookout for people who love both travel and hot dogs in equal measure. “Many of us were stuck last year without places to go, people to see and adventures to experience,” the company explained in a statement....

Prince William and Kate Middleton are back on the royal road. In February, the couple announced plans for an upcoming tour of the Caribbean, including stops in Jamaica, Belize, and the Bahamas to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. And, just this week, the pair made their way to Wales to mark St. David’s Day. There, the couple even revealed an adorable travel tradition they take part in with their children before they depart on any trip....

Now you can get a taste of what it was like to live like French royalty. The first hotel located on the grounds of Château de Versailles — Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle — just opened its gilded doors to guests, offering stays in a building built by Louis XIV’s choice architect, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, in 1681. Guests can expect views of the famed French site’s Orangerie, the Pièce d’Eau des Suisses, and the palace itself....

Let us quickly paint this picture for you: It’s a cold, icy winter morning. You make yourself some piping hot coffee, but even that isn’t enough to warm you up on a day like this. A plush robe helps, but nothing seems to sufficiently heat your toes. Frustrated with the chill, you throw your hands up and say, “I might as well wrap my warmest puffer jacket around my feet!” It may sound silly, but freezing mornings call for desperate measures....

Luxury travel company Inspirato is introducing a new pass that lets travelers book stays around the world without paying nightly rates, taxes, or fees. Pass holders get unlimited access to more than 60,000 vacation homes, hotels, and resorts around the world. The price: a flat fee of $2,500 a month. How it works: Inspirato Pass holders pick an available trip or property from a list of thousands in over 150 locations around the world....

Adjusting to life’s “new normal” of face masks, social distancing, and many, many restrictions hasn’t been easy on any of us. So you can probably understand why I had mixed feelings about attending the June 5 reopening of Universal Orlando Resort, on the first day that the park welcomed the public since it closed on March 15 because of coronavirus. Aside from flying to Florida, and spending time around a large crowd of strangers for the first time in three months, I was concerned that the safety protocols and restrictions would take the joy out of a place designed specifically for entertainment....

Macau, the world’s gambling capital, will shut down for two weeks as reports of the coronavirus grow. On Tuesday, Macau’s chief executive, Ho Iat Seng, asked the city’s 41 casinos to close for two weeks, according to RTHK. General public services in Macau are also temporarily being halted, with only emergency services running normally. Commuters wear face masks as they travel in a bus in Macau on January 22, 2020, after the former Portuguese colony reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus that originated from Wuhan in China....

If you’re looking for a beach vacation where you can feel like you’re at a home away from home, Airbnb is the way to go. The vacation rental site has plenty of beach houses available all over the country, from chic Hamptons homes to cozy cottages in California. All of these homes are either oceanfront, located conveniently close to a beach destination, or have ocean views. Whether you’re looking to spend most of your time in the water or would rather watch the waves from your deck, we have you covered....

Revered by classicists as the fount of European civilization, Greece is an easy country to fall in love with. When you’re not cruising around its many islands in the Aegean Sea, or counting columns at the Acropolis, it’s the people who make this place so memorable. Visitors to Greece should consider getting a guide — in addition to helping with navigating the staggering number of archaeological sites, a guide can also share the stories (and Greece has lots of them) from a real, live source....

This story originally appeared on InStyle.com. Beyond the six degrees of separation that connects everyone in Hollywood, there’s a good chance that Reese Witherspoon, Katie Holmes, Jennifer Lopez, and Jennifer Lawrence have met one another. They may be sending each other funny memes on Instagram right this second for all we know. What we’re sure of, however, is the one degree of separation that links them — along with countless others....

Sometimes, a picture really is worth a thousand words. At the forthcoming Explora El Chaltén, guests will be able to wake up in one of 20 rooms, step up to their windows, and take absolutely breathtaking (and jealousy-inducing) photos of the snow-covered peaks of Patagonia’s Los Huemules Natural Reserve without even stepping outside. Not that they’ll want to stay indoors. This new lodge, slated to open in October, will put travelers in the heart of a more than 14,000-acre privately held tract of land, with hiking trails, rock climbing routes, and expeditions to nearby glaciers....

Whether you’re a bargain hunter or a big spender, nothing feels better than knowing you’ve secured the best deal for an upcoming trip. Delta Air Lines is making that a bit tougher after it recently shut down its Best Fare Guarantee program. The now defunct program was originally introduced in March 2008 with the intention of enticing travelers to book directly with the airline. It assured passengers who purchased a flight through the Delta website that they’d always get the lowest price....

Bob Iger has been in the media business since he was 23 years old. Now, just weeks away from turning 71, he’s stepping away from Disney, and reflecting on a career that has been as epic as Mickey Mouse himself. “It’s bittersweet,” Iger told Variety in a wide-ranging interview earlier this month. “I’m going to miss people, and I’m going to miss the creative process.” Iger became the CEO of Disney in 2005....

Elon Musk is looking to take us beyond the stars, starting with a little town in South Texas. According to the Houston Chronicle, Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is building his deep space rocket in Boca Chica, a town along the Gulf Coast of Texas, near the Mexican border. And he’s thinking it’s time for a name change. Musk tweeted on Tuesday, “Creating the city of Starbase, Texas,” adding, “From thence to Mars, And hence the Stars....

In the year 2000, a fresh-faced, 18-year-old Prince William had just graduated high school and was well on his way to attending the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland. But, before he started his freshman year of classes, William was hell-bent on taking a gap year. Though normally that’s a fine thing to do, Prince Charles wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea. That’s because instead of taking a gap year to intern or traipse around the rest of Europe, William wanted to go on a rugged backpacking trip through Argentina, according to royal author Katie Nicholl in her 2010 book “William and Harry....

The French Riviera, also known as the Côte d’Azur, is a dreamy French region that extends east along the coast from Menton and Monaco to Théoule sur Mer and up into the Southern Alps. The Riviera contains several cities (Nice and Cannes among them), 14 natural parks, Roman ruins, medieval villages and whale watching just off shore. Don’t think of the Côte d’Azur as just a summer locale, either. Sure, these cities heat up come July as the masses parade down boulevards and beaches, but winter is one of the Riviera’s best-kept secrets with snow falling just two hours north of the shore....