1. Rio de Janeiro
Because the whole world will be there in 2014.
Fifty-three years after Brazil’s federal government decamped to
Brasília, and decades after São Paulo took over as the country’s
business capital, Rio is staging a comeback. With the 2014 World Cup and
2016 Summer Olympics (plus an oil boom) providing the impetus, the
tropical city perhaps most famous for its Carnival hedonism is on its
way to becoming a more sophisticated cultural hub. In January, the
Cidade das Artes, or City of the Arts, was inaugurated as the new home
of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra. On March 23, Casa Daros — an
outpost of the Zurich-based Daros Latinamerica Collection
— will open in a renovated 19th-century building with an exhibition of
Colombian artists. March will also mark the opening of the Rio Museum of
Art in Praça Mauá, a once decrepit port area now being revived. (The
Santiago Calatrava-designed Museum of Tomorrow, also in the port area,
is scheduled to follow in 2014.) Shopping, a Rio obsession, got a boost
in December when the luxe VillageMall opened; it will soon house the
city’s first Gucci outlet and South America’s first Apple Store. Special
events also dot the coming year’s calendar, including the Catholic
Church’s World Youth Day in July, the biennial Rio Book Fair starting in
late August, and September’s Rock in Rio. And, of course, there’s
soccer: the finals of the Confederations Cup, considered a dress
rehearsal for the World Cup, will be held in a completely overhauled
Maracanã Stadium on June 30. SETH KUGEL
2. Marseille
On the Mediterranean, art, and plenty of it.
The European Capital of Culture designation (two cities get the title
annually) often spotlights a destination that has become an up-and-comer
on its own merits in the last few years, which is certainly the case
with this ancient port town on the Mediterranean. A vibrant ethnic
melting pot, Marseille is also home to an increasing number of
contemporary art and avant-garde performances. Exhibition spaces include
the 2,000-seat Le Silo, a landmark granary that’s been transformed into
a theater; the Panorama, an ex-tobacco factory now home to modern
installations; and J1, a hangar on the old port that will host a number
of events. While in town, book into a stylish hotel like the
four-bedroom Casa Honoré or the new cheap chic Mama Shelter Marseille. ONDINE COHANE
3. Nicaragua
It’s eco! And the food is good! Enough said.
If the name Oliver North means anything to you, there’s a good chance
that Nicaragua doesn’t jump to your mind when you think of a relaxing,
high-end, spa-filled vacation. For the past 30 years, the country has
been fighting its image as a land of guerrilla warfare and covert arms
deals. At first, only travel writers took note; over the past several
years, various publications have declared the country the next great
destination. However, if the booming eco-lodge business is any
indication, Nicaragua’s moment might finally have arrived. In and around
the coastal towns of San Juan del Sur and Maderas, new lodges like the Aqua Wellness Resort, the high-end (and soon-to-open) Mukul Resort and Jicaro Island Eco-Lodge are cropping up near old-time eco-lodges, like Morgan’s Rock Hacienda and Eco-Lodge.
The food scene is getting a high-end makeover as well, with top chefs
opening restaurants. The most exciting ones — El Segundo, La Casserole,
Ciudad Lounge and La Finca y El Mar — are proof that Nicaragua is
becoming an impressive food destination in its own right. DANIELLE PERGAMENT
4. Accra, Ghana
A buzzing metropolis ready for business, and pleasure.
Accra, the capital of Ghana, has welcomed business travelers for years.
Now tourists are streaming in, a byproduct of the fact that the country
has Africa’s fastest-growing economy and is also one of its safest
destinations. The Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel
(with poolside bar and waiters on roller skates) opened in 2011, and
the Marriott Accra — the chain’s first sub-Saharan offering — will
feature a casino and upscale shopping when it opens in the spring. On
Accra’s packed beaches, you’ll see everything from snake handlers to
plantain peddlers. Head to the upscale neighborhood of Osu and hit the
treehouse-inspired terrace at Buka for fine West African food. The best
Ghanaian adventures start with a giant plate of tomato-smothered tilapia
and banku — a fermented yeast paste that’s tastier than it sounds —
washed down with local Star beer. KAREN LEIGH
5. Bhutan
A pristine Buddhist enclave opens, with care.
This tiny country in the Himalayas has become a model for sustainable
travel with the number of visitors (and daily traveler fees they pay)
calibrated to preserve the delicate balance between preservation and
revenue. Tourism is far from discouraged, however; new projects are
making the country more accessible. Drukair,
the only airline that goes to the country, is now flying daily from
Bangkok, New Delhi and Singapore; there are also plans to start domestic
routes inside the country. Hotels, too, are helping to open up new
territory. The Como group, which already has a luxury outpost in Paro, has just unveiled the Uma Punakha in Punakha. And the Gangtey Gompa Lodge,
which opens in May, will be a new base from which to explore the lush
national park of Phobjikha Valley, an eco-tourism hub and home to
endangered black-necked cranes. Of course the main draws remain a
network of exquisite monasteries and temples and untouched countryside —
all in a country that puts happiness ahead of G.D.P. Just remember that
you have to travel with a United States- or Bhutan-based outfitter; Bridge to Bhutan for example, is run by two brothers who studied in the United States and are now organizing trips back to their home country. ONDINE COHANE
6. Amsterdam
A decade later, museums reopen, fancier than ever.
Imagine that the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum in New
York were partly closed for renovations for almost a decade — at the
same time. That’s basically what happened in Amsterdam, with the
closings of the Stedelijk, the city’s design and contemporary art museum, in 2004 and the Rijksmuseum
in 2003. The Stedelijk finally reopened at the end of September with a
new, sleek bathtub-like extension, and the Rijksmuseum will reopen in
April with much fanfare after a complete redo by the Spanish architects
Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz. The Van Gogh Museum too, will reopen in
May, after a much shorter renovation. The city will also be celebrating
400 years since the building of its iconic canal ring and the 125th birthday of the Concertgebouw,
the city’s concert hall, which will feature performances by Eva-Maria
Westbroek and Bernard Haitink among others. To prepare for the wave of
visitors, there are several new hotels, from the five-star Conservatorium, to an Andaz
designed by the Amsterdam-based design star Marcel Wanders. If you’re
lucky, you might score the single suite at a
hotel/restaurant/shopping/exhibition space named Droog, for the collective that designed it. GISELA WILLIAMS
7. Houston
What’s big in Texas? Culture and food.
Houston is probably best known as the Texan center for energy and
industry, but it’s making a bid to be the state’s cultural and culinary
capital as well. The Houston Museum District is a formidable coterie of institutions that includes the Rothko Chapel, the Museum of African American Culture, which made its debut last February; and the Asia Society Texas Center, which opened in a stunning Yoshio Taniguchi-designed building in April. And last summer, the Houston Museum of Natural Science
opened a 30,000-square-foot hall of paleontology in a new $85 million
wing. Meanwhile, the city’s dining scene is also heating up, with three
of the city’s newest restaurants — Oxheart, Underbelly and Uchi — placing on national best-new-restaurant lists. INGRID K. WILLIAMS
8. Rossland, British Columbia
Fasten your skis. A quiet peak joins the big leagues.
The largest terrain expansion in North American skiing is under way just north of the border at Red Mountain Resort in Rossland,
British Columbia. Long known for its steeps, tree-skiing and
out-of-the-way location (it’s a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Spokane)
that leaves its lift mazes empty and led Skiing magazine last year to
call it the “most underrated” resort, Red has embarked on a two-year
project that will add nearly 1,000 acres on neighboring Grey Mountain.
This winter a 10-dollar ride in a snowcat will haul skiers from Red to
Grey to enjoy a few runs that have been cut as well as glade skiing.
Next winter a new quad chair will access 22 new slopes around the
conical peak. Suddenly Red’s trail map will stretch as wide as Jackson
Hole’s inbounds terrain. With a new lodge and the first on-hill
accommodations added in the last few years, this local legend is ready
to step out into the spotlight. CHRISTOPHER SOLOMON
9. New Delhi
Come for the new metro, stay for where it takes you.
Having surpassed its sibling Mumbai in the number of millionaire
residents who call it home, New Delhi is celebrating its economic rise
with gusto. It’s even added speed to its notoriously creaky
infrastructure. Delhi’s new metro system,
currently in its latest stage of expansion to the Outer Ring Road,
provides a smooth yet surreal ride from the dense cacophony of the
ancient Mughal bazaars to the hypermodern mega-malls of the grassy
suburbs. Immaculate, cheap and air-conditioned, the metro might be the
most ambitious construction since India won its independence. And there
are lots of new places to visit: cutting-edge galleries like Latitude 28 and Gallery Threshold in the emerging Lado Sarai arts district, and new restaurants like Varq and Indian Accent, which are expanding the horizons of nouvelle Indian cuisine. Setting new standards for dramatic design, hotels like the Aman, Oberoi and Leela
have all recently opened strikingly original and competing visions of
living in style in a city that suddenly exudes a lot of it. FINN-OLAF JONES
10. Istanbul
Next Eurail stop: culture central.
Turkey is now included
in the Eurail system, and Istanbul’s busy cultural calendar this year
is excuse enough to use your pass to stop there. In addition to the
biennial this fall, there are new galleries and cultural centers to
explore. Salt, which is directed by
the curator Vasif Kortun and has impressive spaces in Beyoglu and
Galata, and the Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk’s Museum of Innocence opened last year, joining a buzzing art scene that includes newish arrivals like Rodeo Gallery and Arter. Lined with lively cafes and funky little design and fashion shops like Lunapark, Bahar Korcan and Atelier 55,
Galata, one of the oldest districts in Istanbul, is going through a
renaissance at warp speed. This year also marks the 90th anniversary of
the founding of the Turkish Republic, which will bring yet more cultural
celebrations, including the reopening of the Ataturk Cultural Center,
home of Istanbul’s state ballet, opera and orchestra. GISELA WILLIAMS
11. Singapore
Spot green shoots in a financial capital.
As one of the world’s richest nations and a capital of global finance,
Singapore has been awash in green for decades. But lately the densely
populated city-state is burnishing its credentials as another type of
green center — the ecological kind. A study released in 2011 by The
Economist magazine’s Intelligence Unit and Siemens ranked Singapore as
the greenest city in Asia, and this year the metropolis of glass and
steel inaugurates two vast nature projects guaranteed to boost the green
quotient further and to enhance the city’s image as a destination for
environmental tourism. Gardens by the Bay,
an ambitious 250-acre nature reserve, won the building-of-the-year
prize at the World Architecture Festival for its glassy, hill-like main
building, which houses attractions like the Flower Dome and Cloud
Forest. Not to be outdone, the new Marine Life Park
is already touting itself as “the world’s largest oceanarium.” It
features a huge water park with rides and an aquarium showcasing some
800 species of underwater life. SETH SHERWOOD
12. Montenegro
A Balkan gem that’s small, spectacular — and cheap.
It’s been almost seven years since Montenegro peacefully parted ways
with Serbia, long enough that Russian oligarchs and former Yugoslavs
aren’t the only ones in on this booming Balkan jewel. For better or
worse, an iconic Communist-era hotel with bold red carpets is becoming a
contemporary Hilton in Podgorica, the country’s pint-size capital. On
the Adriatic near Budva, a six-year renovation of Sveti Stefan resort,
which includes a three-acre island with rooms set in repurposed
15th-century cottages, draws to a close in May with Aman Resorts opening
10 suites, a spa and restaurant on the island. About 16 miles and
countless twinkling coves north in Tivat, the blingy Porto Montenegro
will become more glamorous when Regent adds hotel rooms, suites and
penthouses to its fashionable marina in 2014. Some 1.2 million
international tourists came to Montenegro in 2011. That’s double the
population and an 11 percent leap over 2010, a rate that beat nearly
every country in Europe. Still, the country remains affordable.
Comfortable hotels go for $75 a night or less. Heaping plates of cevapi
sausages, tangy cheese and oily red peppers might set you back $12 with
wine and dessert. Imagine Dubrovnik before the cruise ships or
Switzerland before the cable cars. Go before it becomes either. TIM NEVILLE
13. White Salmon River, Wash.
A river runs free, for the first time in a century.
It’s a white-water paddler’s dream come true. A major dam removal
in October to allow for fish passage means that the White Salmon River
now runs all the way to the Columbia River, flowing freely from its
glacial headwaters at Mount Adams for the first time in 100 years. Local
outfitters like Wet Planet
are expected to begin rafting and kayaking tours on the newly opened
section of challenging Class IV rapids early this year. Conservationists
are happy, too, as spawning chinook salmon and steelhead trout have
already been spotted swimming upstream in the new habitat. BONNIE TSUI
14. Hvar, Croatia
Explore the quieter side of a jet-setters’ haven.
Once a 16th-century Venetian fortress island, Hvar (pronounced hwahr)
has been drawing yachts, island-hoppers and celebrities to its growing
landscape of luxury hotels, hillside villas and nightclubs. The island’s
V.I.P. surge began in 1999 with Carpe Diem,
a decadent open-air club replete with flaming cocktails and table
dancers in designer bikinis. In high season, the creamy marble main
square of Hvar Town fills with blissed-out vacationers recharging on
coffee and cocktails, a contrast to the quieter, older village Stari
Grad, which received Unesco status in 2008 because of its ancient
agricultural plain built by the Greeks who settled it in the fourth
century B.C. In fact, Hvar’s real allure lies in its low-key features:
unspoiled coves and beaches, rolling vineyards, olive groves and
silvery-purple lavender fields that have long been the country’s main
source for the flower. Travelers can take a moonlight hike through an
abandoned medieval village to a traditional tavern (or konoba, in
Croatian), Stori Komin, and dine on wild boar caught that morning. Or take a cheap rental motorboat to Robinson,
a konoba set within a secluded cove devoid of electricity or running
water, and sunbathe on a white stone beach while waiting for the fish to
cook. CHARLY WILDER
15. Mongolia
The welcome mat is out for a million tourists.
Mongolia’s vast grasslands have long attracted adventure travelers,
particularly those willing to go on horseback, but a limited tourism
infrastructure has kept numbers low. Now, the government, hopeful that
the country’s mining boom will survive a recent slowdown,
is working to change that, setting a goal of one million annual
overseas tourists by 2015 — roughly double the number who visited in
2011. In anticipation of the increase, foreign hotel chains are opening
in Ulan Bator, the capital, including a Ramada
that opened last year, a 273-room Shangri-La scheduled to make its
debut in December and a new Radisson Blu and Hyatt Regency, both under
development. A new domestic airline, Mongolian Airlines,
started flights last January and has since added an international route
to Hong Kong, with plans for additional Asian destinations. Tour
operators like Nomadic Journeys
are offering new bespoke camping trips to more remote parts of the
country, like the grasslands in the Eastern Steppes, so visitors can get
away from the tourist crowds — easy to do in a country this size.
Though for many people the untouched countryside remains the main reason
to go to Mongolia, there are new attractions in the capital, too: Last
year, the Government Palace was opened to visitors for the first time,
giving tourists a glimpse of young Mongolian democracy in action. JUSTIN BERGMAN
16. The Big Island, Hawaii
Feasting on Hawaii’s less-visited isle.
Oahu has its North Shore. Kauai has its waterfalls. But until recently,
the Big Island’s biggest claim was its land mass. This is the year
that’s changing. A slew of high-end golf courses and new beach clubs,
like the Lava Lava Beach Club,
are drawing tourists to this corner of the archipelago like never
before. And now that the farm-to-table movement has made its way to
Hawaii, the Big Island is finally living up to its name. The grandfather
of farm-to-table fare is Merriman’s, which has been at it for 20 years. The ’Ulu Ocean Grill at the Four Seasons is a fancier version with its ocean-to-table dishes. And the Fish & the Hog, which has its own farm and commercial fishing boat, uses only ingredients sourced within five miles. DANIELLE PERGAMENT
17. Philippines
A surfing and beach destination goes luxe.
Idyllic white sand beaches, secluded, little-known surf towns, and
pristine reefs are among the natural draws of this country made up of
over 7,000 tropical islands. Now in addition to the more upscale choices
cropping up in former backpacking enclaves like Boracay, there is a new
generation of luxury hotels opening even further afield. The new Dedon Island
resort on Siargao, for example, is close to one of the world’s best
surf breaks, Cloud 9 (Kelly Slater is a fan), and has an outdoor cinema
along with spa and paddle board classes. And the private island resort
of El Nido Pangulasian
opens this month in the Unesco biosphere of Palawan, right by some of
the world’s most pristine diving spots. Although the Philippines has
been subject to travel advisories in the past, they mostly focus on
Mindanao in the south. For extra security, outfitters like Asian expert Remote Lands organize private transfers and local guides. ONDINE COHANE
18. Vernazza, Italy
After destruction, a Cinque Terre village blooms again.
In October 2011, mudslides ravaged
the lovely Cinque Terre village of Vernazza. Floodwaters reached
second-story windows, wiped out road and rail connections and buried the
town in mud and rocks. Now residents are rallying to restore Vernazza
to its former glory. To ensure that restoration work continues in an
environmentally viable manner, the Pritzker Prize-winning architect
Richard Rogers has committed to design and oversee the project for
reconstruction. And with major renewal projects expected to commence
this winter, soon the only visible reminders of the catastrophe may be
new vineyards taking root in the hills, freshly laid stone in the
seaside piazza and the resurgent pride of the local community. INGRID K. WILLIAMS
19. The Kimberley, Australia
Soft adventure in the outer reaches of the Outback.
Even by Australian standards, the Kimberley region is remote, with
roughly 50,000 people living in an area larger than Germany. The area
has long been largely off-limits to anyone without a yacht or the nerve
to pilot a four-wheel drive through rocky riverbeds. Now luxury lodges
have opened up the region to travelers willing to trade big bucks for
land-based access to some spectacular spots. The Berkeley River Lodge,
a 20-villa, fly-in complex, opened last spring on a sprawling Timor Sea
beach. Kuri Bay, one of Australia’s oldest pearl farms and accessible
by seaplane, added a new resort with just three rooms on Camden Sound, a
new marine park. Inland, the classic El Questro Homestead added
bungalows overlooking the Chamberlain Gorge on a million acre preserve.
From any of these spots you can go fishing for barramundi, hike to
sacred rock art sites, and take tours to towering waterfalls or up
croc-infested estuaries to spy on wallabies and jabirus. The catch? The
region is loaded with iron, and mining companies will continue to go
after it. TIM NEVILLE
20. Ningxia, China
Chinese wine? Take a sip.
Growing wine grapes in a desert isn’t normally a formula for oenological
excellence, but in the arid mountainous region of Ningxia, some 550
miles west of Beijing, the local government has reclaimed desert-like
expanses, irrigated them profusely, planted them with cabernet sauvignon
and merlot and started a campaign to transform this rugged backwater
into China’s answer to Bordeaux. The plan is already working. The French
beverage giant Pernod Ricard has invested in the Helan Mountain brand,
and LVMH — the luxury group that owns some of the top Champagne houses
in France — is teaming with the region’s oldest winery, Xi Xia King, to
make sparkling wine. Numerous other wineries — some with cut-and-paste
French chateau architecture — now operate in Ningxia, including Silver
Heights and Helan Qingxue, which picked up top honors this year at the
inaugural Ningxia Wine Awards. Red China is taking on a whole new
meaning. SETH SHERWOOD
21. The Adirondacks, N.Y.
Backwoods New York is about to get more glam.
This pocket of upstate New York wilderness is increasingly drawing a downstate crowd. Take Camp Orenda,
a luxury “glamping” site — the first of its kind on the East Coast —
that opened last year. Guests lodge in canvas tents equipped with comfy
queen-size beds, wood-burning stoves and an outdoor cedar shower. Meals
cooked over an open flame include sophisticated fare like
rosemary-infused pork chops with apple chutney. To get there, hop on one
of the vintage trains that recently
began running between Saratoga Springs and North Creek, which include
fresh-to-order dining in domed rail cars. (A project to install another
upscale rail line, linking New York City and Lake Placid, was recently
proposed.) Finally, to find your way around the region, the state will
roll out a handy new app, Path Through History, this spring. LIONEL BEEHNER
22. Oslo, Norway
A waterfront is stealing the Scandinavian spotlight.
With all the attention recently showered on its fellow Nordic capitals,
it’s been easy to overlook Oslo. But no longer. In an effort to embrace
the city’s proximity to the sea, the Fjord City development project is
rejuvenating the city’s waterfront, most recently (and impressively) on Tjuvholmen, or Thief Island. This is where the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art
reopened in September in a spectacular new Renzo Piano-designed
structure featuring sloping, sail-shaped glass roofs that nearly dip
into the water. Next door, the cutting-edge facade and art-strewn
interiors of the Thief, a new Design
Hotel set to open this month, should fit right in with the arty
neighborhood. Tjuvholmen is now also home to a pack of top-notch
galleries and a new sculpture park with works from Anish Kapoor and
Ellsworth Kelly. Elsewhere in the city, the restaurant Maaemo
caught the food world’s attention when, barely a year after opening, it
earned two Michelin stars. More proof that Oslo is ready to shine. INGRID K. WILLIAMS
23. Constantia, South Africa
A vineyard-heavy suburb gets a makeover.
Some 20 minutes from the heart of Cape Town and set against the slopes
of Table Mountain, Constantia’s 10 winemaking farms dating back to 1685
lure visitors for tastings, dining, vineyard tours and spa treatments.
Constantia’s crown jewel — the Steenberg Luxury Hotel, with the region’s
only golf course, oldest farm and buildings that are national monuments
— has had a makeover. Its lavish heritage suites have been renovated,
and Bistro Sixteen82, with a Provençal menu and raw bar, has opened, as
has Gorgeous, a bar serving canapés paired with Graham Beck sparkling
wines. Other new routes to R & R in this serene suburb, where
food-and-wine festivals and art shows dot the calendar, include the
glamorous Alphen Boutique Hotel, a new spa in the Constantia Uitsig
hotel and a tasting dinner at the Greenhouse overseen by the chef Peter Tempelhoff. BAZ DREISINGER
24. Lithuania
An overlooked beer destination in the Baltics.
The Old World is webbed with well-traveled beer trails in places like
Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic. But in the past few years,
rumors have swirled about an overlooked historic beer trail in
Lithuania. Centered around the town of Birzai, a town in the country’s
north, some 50 to 70 farmhouse breweries are producing earthy, unusual
ales, often employing techniques not seen elsewhere, and fermented with
types of brewing yeast that — as the Canadian beer writer Martin
Thibault has discovered — appear to have different DNA from all other
known strains. To get a taste of what the Lithuanian beer trail offers,
sample the wares at specialty beer bars like Bambalyne, Alaus Namai and
Snekutis in the capital, Vilnius. After that, the truly intrepid can
seek out countryside breweries. EVAN RAIL
25. Burgos, Spain
An ancient city with a fresh face and culinary buzz.
Burgos, in Castile-León, is home to a spired Gothic cathedral that is a
Unesco World Heritage site. That striking building used to be the town’s
only compelling attraction, but in recent years Burgos has become a
well-rounded destination with contemporary cultural centers (the Museum
of Human Evolution) and boutique hotels (Via Gótica). At the same time a
new group of talented chefs has given it a dynamic dining scene that is
finally allowing the city, recently chosen as Spain’s gastronomic
capital for 2013, a chance to showcase its homegrown delicacies. Some of
them, blood sausages with roasted peppers and grilled lechazo, or baby
lamb, are on offer at Casa Ojeda, a 100-year-old restaurant now run by the young Pablo Cófreces. Recent openings like Fábula and La Galeria focus on innovative versions of these classics, which pair wonderfully with the powerful reds of nearby Ribera del Duero. PAOLA SINGER
26. Lens, France
Is the next Bilbao in northern France?
Lens, an industrial town in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France,
is aiming to become the next Bilbao. The first step in such a
transformation happened last month, when a branch of the Louvre opened
on what had been a former hilltop mine yard. The 50-acre site, which was
abandoned in the 1960s, now has gardens and hangar-like exhibition
spaces designed by the Japanese architectural firm Sanaa. The Lens
Louvre will not have a permanent collection; it will instead host a
rotating selection of 200 works from Paris spanning millenniums.
Biannual exhibitions will complement shows at the Louvre in Paris. It is
conceivable to take in both Louvres as part of a weekend: Lens is about
an hour and 10 minutes from Paris on the TGV rail line. KATIE PARLA
27. Changbaishan, China
An Asian skiing spot gets supersized.
China’s ski industry has come a long way since the mid-1990s, when the
country had fewer than 10,000 skiers and only nine small resorts. That
number has now risen to more than 200, one of the most ambitious of
which is Changbaishan, which opened this winter in a pine-studded nature
reserve in Jilin province near the North Korean border. The $3.2
billion resort is one of the largest in Asia, with 43 trails totaling
nearly 20 miles, and has a partner in Starwood, which opened a Westin and Sheraton resort with more than 500 combined rooms there in July. There’s even talk of starting up a Davos-style global entrepreneurs forum. JUSTIN BERGMAN
28. Porto, Portugal
Finally, places worthy of Porto’s vintages — at table wine prices.
Portugal’s economic pain is your gain in Porto, one of Western Europe’s
great bargains. New boutique hotels and restaurants, like the Yeatman,
dramatically perched above the Douro River featuring Porto’s first
Michelin-starred restaurant, have brought a fresh burnish to this
Unesco-protected city where labyrinthine narrow streets, ancient
buildings and black-cloaked students inspired a young English tutor who
lived here in the early 1990s named J. K. Rowling. The financial
downturn doesn’t detract from the town’s most prominent industry — port
wine — which can be sampled in the cellars of Sandeman, Graham’s or
Taylor-Fladgate with a terraced restaurant, on the Douro’s south bank. FINN-OLAF JONES
29. Puerto Rico
A spate of new hotels and restaurants animates the island.
The ease of traveling to Puerto Rico from the mainland United States (no
passport or foreign currency) has made the island more a mainstream
getaway than an exclusive haven. But a string of new resorts, some with a
nod to the island’s storied past in tourism, have opened in and around
San Juan. The Condado Vanderbilt,
a stately 1919-vintage hotel on the oceanfront in San Juan that had
been closed since 1993, opened an upscale restaurant called 1919 in
October. Its 323 rooms, spread between the historic building and two new
towers, are expected to open by this summer. About 20 miles west of
town, the Ritz-Carlton’s new Dorado Beach
opened last month with 115 rooms all facing the ocean, 11 miles of
walking and biking trails, a spa with treehouse massage pavilions and a
restaurant from the chef José Andrés. The hotel occupies the footprint
of a hotel of the same name that was owned by a Rockefeller. Another
resort that evokes the spirit of an earlier era is the 426-acre golf
club Royal Isabela, which just
opened 20 one-bedroom casitas, each with a private pool, offering
nonmembers access to its restaurant and cliff-top golf. ELAINE GLUSAC
30. Koh Phangan, Thailand
A party island goes upscale and family-friendly.
For years, the island of Koh Phangan, in the Gulf of Thailand off Koh
Samui, has been the site of Thailand’s most notorious party, when
thousands of hedonists let loose under a full moon. But with its first
airport and direct flights from Bangkok slated for 2013, along with an
increasing number of luxury- and family-friendly accommodations popping
up, Koh Phangan’s extended hangover is finally relenting. New hotels
like the simple, stylish beachfront Buri Rasa; the all-villa tropical-chic hideaway Kupu Kupu; and the mod-Asian Anantara Rasananda
are introducing more subdued travelers to Phangan’s emerald-green
rolling hills and aquamarine waters, which are teeming with marine life.
There are Buddhist temples and hidden waterfalls to check out, along
with feel-good options like the Canadian-run Yoga Studio
and its vegan cafe. Try a seafood curry with your toes in the sand at
the family-run Beachlounge, and have some homemade coconut ice cream. NAOMI LINDT
31. Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka
An Indian Ocean hideaway to visit before development descends.
Kalpitiya, a spit of land two hours north of Colombo that boasts one of
Sri Lanka’s least developed stretches of coastline, is flanked by the
Indian Ocean on the west and the emerald green Puttalam Lagoon on the
east. Now, before large resort developments at the peninsula’s tip come
to fruition, is the time to visit. Base yourself at Alankuda Beach,
which from November through April is the launching point for dolphin
and sperm whale watching expeditions; May brings wind and kite surfing.
Dry land diversions include a 17th-century Dutch fort and the Shrine of
St. Anne, Sri Lanka’s oldest, as well as leopard, sloth bear and
elephant spotting at nearby Wilpattu National Park. ROBYN ECKHARDT
32. Jackson Hole, Wyo.
Faster flights and lifts where the buffalo roam.
You no longer have to endure a stopover in Salt Lake City or Denver to
get to the resort of Jackson Hole. United has introduced direct winter
flights from Newark, San Francisco and Houston, and Delta is offering
flights from Minneapolis. While the famed powder skiing beneath the
Grand Tetons is now even more reachable after the completion of a
five-year overhaul of its lift system, Jackson Hole has become an
all-season destination, both for its pioneer Western setting and for its
emergence as an international center for music and cultural festivals.
There’s also the new three-quarter-mile nature trail at the National Museum of Wildlife Art to compete with the real wildlife grazing in the surrounding plains of both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. FINN-OLAF JONES
33. Bangkok
Still the party city of Asia but for a more sophisticated crowd.
Forget red light district bars and half-a-star hostels. This Southeast
Asian capital is experiencing a renaissance with a sophisticated vibe
embodied in spots like the Siam Hotel,
a fashionable 39-room property on the river opened by the pop star
Krissada Sukosol Clapp, which offers kickboxing and cooking classes
along with restaurants like Smith from one of the country’s most
celebrated chefs, Ian Kittichai, the latest to take on nose-to-tail
dining. Drinking spots like Sky bar, 63 floors high, has a spectacular
view of the city while the Bed Supperclub has international D.J.’s and a
sexy crowd. Two Sofitel properties just opened; a W is planned for
February. ONDINE COHANE
34. The Jeseniky, Czech Republic
Old World spa culture meets a budding ski scene.
This mountain range along the border with Poland has long been renowned for its crisp, clear air. At the spa town Karlova Studanka,
founded in the late 18th century by Maximilian Franz, the youngest
child of the Holy Roman empress Maria Theresa, all of the Swiss-chalet
style buildings in the spa village hail from the 1850s to 1890s, and the
mineral waters that run through it are said to cure all (people bring
big water jugs to fill and take home). Vaclav Havel reportedly rented
out an entire hotel on the premises to recover from surgery. But the
area is not only for the infirm: New pools and saunas, treatments, and
modern facilities draw Czechs from across the country. Add to that a
smattering of newly popular ski mountains, and suddenly the Jeseniky Mountains are attracting Europeans who had never noticed this Eastern corner of the Czech Republic. SARAH WILDMAN
35. Waiheke, New Zealand
A homegrown art scene beckons from down under.
Long home to fine vineyards and numerous lodges and cottages, Waiheke,
which is a short ferry ride from downtown Auckland, is embracing its
bohemian side. The 35-square-mile island is now dotted with new shops
and galleries that sell sculptures and paintings from the dozens of
local artists. From Jan. 25 to Feb. 17, the island will host the
Headland Sculpture on the Gulf biennial arts festival, which will
include 30 new large-scale outdoor sculptures installed along a
stunningly scenic coastal path. INGRID K. WILLIAMS
36. Yucatán, Mexico
Whew! More time for culture and comfort.
Inscriptions in the ancient Mayan calendar pointed to Dec. 21, 2012, as
an ending. While a few alarmists read this as a sign of the apocalypse,
many scholars interpreted it as symbolizing a new era. In strongholds of
Mayan culture like the Yucatán Peninsula, home to Chichen Itza, Uxmal
and other archaeological sites, the second view is the one with
traction: officials there have planned a series of celebrations through
March that include concerts, dance rituals, literary festivals and talks
by renowned astronomers. The cultural immersion is spilling over onto
the area’s resorts. One of them, Hotel Esencia,
a seaside lodging with 29 thatched palapas and an organic spa, is
offering a three-day cleansing ritual called Kukulkan, where trained
healers concoct personalized herbal baths. A quieter look at Mayan
heritage is on hand at the new Museo Maya in Cancún, which has more than
300 relics and 10,000-year-old human remains from its permanent
collection on display. PAOLA SINGER
37. Charlevoix, Quebec
A Cirque du Soleil fortune finances a train to the slopes.
Lovers of the outdoors have long embraced the Charlevoix region of rural
Quebec, along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, home to the
ski resort Le Massif. Now they have a new way to get there and a new
place to stay. Backed by Daniel Gauthier, a founder of Cirque du Soleil,
Le Massif de Charlevoix train, whose 87-mile route goes between Quebec
City and the town of La Malbaie, stops midway at the base of the ski
mountain. Skiers can rack up their gear nearby in the artsy town of
Baie-Saint-Paul at the new Hôtel La Ferme. The minimalist 145-room inn features a spa and farm-to-table restaurant on a public plaza near the new rail station. ELAINE GLUSAC
38. Pecs, Hungary
Cultures mesh in Hungary’s “borderless city.”
This Austro-Hungarian city, 125 miles south of Budapest and a stone’s
throw from the Croatian border, has always been at the intersection of
Catholic, Muslim and Hungarian-Croatian cultures. Its narrow lanes are
lined with buildings in myriad styles, from the Baroque designs of the
19th-century Habsburgs — in pinks and yellows, dappled with carved
ornamentation or covered in Hungarian tile — to an Ottoman bathhouse and
other remnants of the Turkish occupation. After being chosen as a 2010
European Culture Capital, the city underwent a growth spurt, with the
opening of the modernist 1,000-seat Kodaly Concert Center and the
sprawling Zsolnay Cultural Quarter, a venue for art, music and
children’s events in an overhauled porcelain factory. Everywhere,
visitors will find buffed and burnished public squares awaiting them. SARAH WILDMAN
39. Republic of Congo
The other Congo, Africa’s newest safari destination.
There are two Congos: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly the
Belgian Congo; and the much smaller Republic of the Congo, a former
French colony that has managed to avoid some of the violent conflict of
its neighbor. Still, the Republic of the Congo hasn’t been on the top of
anyone’s travel list until recently, when the much respected Wilderness Safaris
opened up the country’s first two luxury safari camps in the
Odzala-Kokoua National Park. African safari aficionados are thrilled at
the prospect of comfortable designer digs in the heart of the Congo
Basin, the world’s second-largest tropical rain forest, home to forest
elephants and Africa’s densest population of western lowland gorillas.
Another reason adventure travelers are heading to the country, according
to a travel operator pioneer in the area, Leslie Nevison of Congo Wildlife Adventures,
is to meet members of the indigenous B’Aka Pygmy tribes who often serve
as gorilla trackers. “It’s not an easy trip but it’s an incredible
privilege to experience the Republic of the Congo’s unique wildlife and
cultural opportunities,” she wrote in an e-mail. GISELA WILLIAMS
40. Ireland
The emerald isle reaches out with an ancestral celebration.
The former Celtic Tiger, pulling out all the stops this year to attract
much-needed tourism dollars, is holding a family reunion on the grandest
scale. A yearlong program called The Gathering
hopes to draw many of the 70 million people worldwide who claim Irish
ancestry. The program, which kicked off with a three-day New Year’s
party in Dublin replete with a procession, fireworks and a concert
featuring the native headliners Imelda May and Bell X1, will go on to
include clan gatherings, cultural festivals, sporting events and
performances throughout the year and across the country. Meanwhile, Aer
Lingus, United and American are all ramping up service between Ireland
and the United States, home to over half of those global Irish
descendants. CHARLY WILDER
41. Getaria, Spain
Fishing for design from a famed native son.
From San Sebastián, it’s just a 25-minute drive, mostly along a gorgeously winding waterfront highway, to Getaria.
For centuries, this fishing village was all about a quiet maritime
life, with boats bobbing in the small port, and seaside restaurants
grilling excellent fish (and becoming renowned among gastronomically
picky Basques). For centuries, Getaria’s most famous local son was the
navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano, who sailed with Magellan and was the
first to circumnavigate the globe in the early 16th century. But more
recently, a local boy went out and became a fashion icon. After decades
of squabbling over funding, the Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum
finally opened in summer 2011, drawing a sophisticated design set to
Getaria’s twisting medieval central streets, and filling its restaurants
and hotels with travelers from Paris, Madrid and beyond. SARAH WILDMAN
42. Mergui Islands, Myanmar
Live-aboard diving in a remote archipelago.
With white sands, coconut trees and 800 mostly uninhabited islands, the
Mergui Archipelago on the southern coast of Myanmar has been tantalizing
travelers for decades — sitting right there on the map but seemingly
just out of reach. That’s changing as the country takes baby steps
toward democracy and the region becomes more accessible to tourists with
a budget for live-aboard boat trips. Only a handful of companies are
running trips to the Mergui islands right now, so expect all the
clichés: lazing on deserted islands inhabited by a seminomadic
population. John Williams, of Siam Dive N Sail
is an old hand in the region and books a small number of trips to the
archipelago each season on boats of various sizes. Another option is Sailing Yacht Asia, a private charter that can accommodate 10 people in a luxurious yacht with five staterooms. RUSS JUSKALIAN
43. The Falkland Islands
Despite tensions, development at Britain’s most remote outpost.
Eight thousand miles from London, the Falkland Islands are a cold,
rugged Galápagos-like spot swarming with penguins, seals, whales and
other wildlife. Over the last few decades, though, politics has trumped
nature: more than 30 years since the Falklands War, tensions remain high
between Argentina and Britain, especially with vast oil reserves now
being explored offshore.
The practical Falklanders, though, are moving on, breaking ground this
year on a Falkland Islands Museum as part of an overhaul and expansion
of the waterfront in the capital, Stanley, along with considering new
air routes. The Malvina House Hotel,
Stanley’s largest, which doubled in size in 2010, has just expanded its
harbor-view restaurant and will expand further to 70 rooms by early
2014. Come soon, though, as oil money rapidly transforms Stanley’s
ethnic, economic and social character, driving development in this tiny,
eccentric village of about 2,000 year-round residents. MICHAEL T. LUONGO
44. Washington, D.C.
A new food scene to welcome a renewed administration.
In recent years, the capital has seen the arrival of a vibrant,
independent food scene — one that’s blossoming just in time to welcome a
renewed Obama administration. Last November, in a gritty northeast
corner of town, Union Market
opened, a gleaming food hall featuring local farmers, artisanal vendors
and stalls like Rappahannock Oyster Co., which offers quick, luxurious
bites of Chesapeake shellfish. Meanwhile a handful of talented young
chefs is bucking the city’s traditional steakhouse culture: Mike
Isabella, a former Top Chef contestant, at his Italian restaurant Graffiato; Erik Bruner-Yang at the Taiwanese-style ramen bar Toki Underground; and Johnny Monis at Little Serow,
a Thai-inspired spot that Bon Appétit named one of 2012’s best new
restaurants. Providing some background for it all is a new permanent
exhibit at the Smithsonian, “Food: Transforming America’s Table 1950-2000,” which traces major changes in the nation’s food culture. ANN MAH
45. Casablanca, Morocco
A city of cinematic fame has emerged as an art destination.
Sorry Bogie and Bergman: for years travelers to Morocco have skipped the
city you put on the map in their hurry to get to places like Marrakesh
and Tangier, which offer guaranteed doses of exoticism. Now, though,
young art- and architecture-loving Europeans are giving Casa, in local
parlance, a second look. The city has become a superb open-air museum of
20th-century architecture — don’t miss the gorgeous Rialto movie
theater, or the Twin Center, North Africa’s tallest towers, designed by Ricardo Bofill; the group Casa Mémoire offers great guided architectural tours of the city. With edgy spots like Galerie FJ,
the city is also developing one of the most interesting modern art
scenes in the Arab world. And it’s all more accessible following the
opening of the first line of the city’s new tramway system last month. ALEXANDER LOBRANO
46. Paris
Seine-side strolling, minus the traffic.
Paris is hardly an emerging destination, but it has a new allure: a
green and walkable Right Bank. Where once there was just a busy road,
there are now alder trees, native Seine grasses and wide walking and
cycle paths, all due to a 35-million-euro beautification project led by
Mayor Bertrand Delanoë. Wooden furniture to stretch out in has been
installed along the banks, where visitors can relax while taking in the
view of Notre Dame Cathedral, and five adjoining islands in the river
are being turned into “floating gardens.” Across the river, ambitious
steps are being taken to transform a nearly 1.5-mile stretch of the Left
Bank free of cars by this spring, with 11 acres of new green space
between the Musée d’Orsay and Pont de l’Alma. RACHEL B. DOYLE
source: nytimes.com
