Sweet Spots (2024)

23/06/2022

Zoetrope
Atsushi Horigami was one of the early evangelists of Japanese whisky, and Zoetrope’s 300-plus library of domestic whisky is a testament to his dedication. His collection includes rare finds such as 18-year-old Kirin Fuji Sanroku single-malt from Fuji Gotemba distillery, and several items in the elusive Ichiro’s Malt card series. A trip to Zoetrope is a learning experience. Horigami can set up vertical and horizontal tastings of Nikka and Yamazaki, or guide you through obscure, limited-production drams.

23/06/2022

Nezu Museum
This serene museum in the Aoyama district, redesigned by celebrated architect Kengo Kuma, is a contemporary temple for traditional art. A long, covered outdoor path alongside bamboo-clad walls serves as a minimalist entrance, but once inside, double-height interiors and glass walls stretch over 40,000 square feet while keeping the experience intimate. And while the museum mixes contemporary design and traditional art on the inside—over 7,400 pieces—the outside counts, too: The property is home to a stunning private garden that’s worth the visit all on its own. The bulk of the museum’s art was once the private collection of Nezu Kaichirō, the president of Japan’s Tobu Railway. Since the midcentury, the collection grew and now comprises over 7,400 pieces.

21/06/2022

Rochelle Canteen, Shoreditch
One-time school bike shed has been around for a while. Owners Melanie Arnold and Margot Henderson have run this spot since 2004, and been business partners for more than 25 years. At Rochelle Canteen, they serve a daily changing menu – perhaps grilled onglet with cavolo nero or smoked with fish. It’s unfussy and honest cooking, served in a setting that feels more country house than East End. The wine list is a delight – order by the glass as you graze your way through the menu of sure-fire hits, whatever the season, and leave feeling smug that you even found this unassuming spot at all. Katharine Sohn

21/06/2022

Hoppers, Soho
Despite this Sri Lankan specialist having been around since 2015, walking into a branch of Hoppers still feels a little like you’re discovering a buzzy new hotspot. Perhaps it’s because there are still relatively few Sri Lankan restaurants in London, unless you’re prepared to journey quite a way out – which is fairly mysterious considering how delicious the food can be. The namesake hoppers (thin, crispy, bowl-shaped pancakes made with rice flour) are the must-order – topped with an egg, perhaps, or chilli cheese, although the creamy dhal was a delight, as was the fiery sambar. A couple of tasting menus (vegetarian and decidedly meaty) are a brilliant option for first-time visitors, and reasonably priced at £40 per person. Wash everything down with one (or a few) of the team’s collaboration beers with Camden Town Brewery – a citrusy, fresh lager that’ll transport you straight to Sri Lanka’s tropical shores. Rick Jordan

21/06/2022

Padella
Padella and fresh pasta are practically synonymous in the capital these days. But it wasn’t always this way. When the team behind Trullo opened this no-reservations restaurant in foodie’s paradise Borough Market, it quickly started attracting queues. Don't let that put you off: tables turn fast and there's space to sit downstairs. Is there anything more comforting than pasta and cheese? Everyone goes crazy for the pici cacio e pepe: wiggly worms of pure joy swimming in a pool of molten cheese. It's the ultimate comfort food. It wouldn't be a proper Italian without Negronis on the menu. There are two tarts for dessert (almond-and-rhubarb or chocolate) – order both. Hazel Lubbock

16/06/2022

Reschensee, Italy
Beginning in 1940, Italian electric company Montecatini built a dam to unify two lakes in the Italian province of South Tyrol—Reschensee and Mittersee. The area was once home to several villages, but the towns were flooded (intentionally) during the dam-building process—and now the only visible reminder of the drowned cities is the steeple of a 14th-century church, which juts out from beneath the crystalline water.

16/06/2022

Casa do Penedo, Portugal
It may resemble something out of The Flintstones, but northern Portugal’s Casa do Penedo (or “Stone House”) is, in fact, a real place. The prehistoric-looking structure was built in the 1970s as a cottage, using massive boulders as the walls, roof, and floor; it now serves as a tiny museum and huge tourist attraction.

16/06/2022

City Palace of Jaipur, India
We love a good turret-and-stone archway, but Jaipur's colorful City Palace gives its stark grey counterparts a run for their money. With its rosy pink facade and symmetrically arched courtyards, the royal complex is the stuff Wes Anderson's more fantastical dreams are made of.

09/06/2022

Seychelles – Watch Sunset On Shimmery Coastline
Seychelles is synonymous with a flawless beach paradise. Set in the Indian Ocean, Seychelles is a beautiful archipelago of 115 islands. With shimmery coastline, smooth white sand beaches, palm-lined shores, and crystal clear waters, Seychelles is absolutely one of the stunning and best summer holiday destinations in the world.

09/06/2022

Hoi An – A Place Out Of Dream World
None of the ancient towns in the world are as perfect as the city of Hoi An in Vietnam. Preserved with utmost care and connected via canals, Hoi An is a perfect canvas of mixed cultures and traditions. Famous for its love for food, Hoi An is an architectural marvel, stylish in its decor, and vibrant as its soul, which makes it one of the best summer holiday destinations in the world.

09/06/2022

Teton County – Soothe Your Eyes With Greenery
Forming the heart and core of the Wyoming state, Teton County is undoubtedly one of the best summer holiday destinations in the world. Encompassing a surprise for every kind of traveler, Teton County is home to the famous Yellowstone National Park that serves as the paradise for adventure enthusiasts.

03/06/2022

Kuala Lumpur
Very multicultural in nature, Malaysia’s capital of Kuala Lumpur is a mesmerizing melting pot of Malay, Chinese, and Indian influences. It is these diverse communities that have so profoundly impacted the city’s look, feel, and identity.
Consequently, visitors will find majestic minarets and mosques, alongside ancient temples and the massive Petronas Towers – the city’s defining feature. Gigantic shopping malls are also on offer, as well as a thriving arts and culture scene.
Its multicultural make-up has also blessed Kuala Lumpur with lots of delicious cuisines, so no visit can be complete without sampling some of its brilliant street food.

03/06/2022

Delhi
Home to an endless array of different sights, sounds, and smells, India’s bustling capital of Delhi threatens at times to overwhelm the senses.

Exploring its hectic streets is an infuriating but intoxicating experience as you pass colorful markets and tantalizing street food stalls. With impressive shrines, temples, tombs, and mosques wherever you look, history, culture, and tradition are all around you. Of its many sights, the imposing Red Fort is the highlight.

Despite being a noisy, chaotic, and polluted place, Delhi is one of the country’s undisputed gems. Visiting is simply a must when in India.

03/06/2022

Seoul
A sprawling metropolis, Seoul is home to almost half of South Korea’s population. As such, it bustles with life as people throng about its massive shopping malls and lively night markets.
While it appears to be very modern at first sight, pockets of historic sights remain here and there. Chandeok-gung Palace, for instance, is definitely worth visiting, as are its numerous temples and brilliant museums. Nature, too, is never far away, as many magnificent mountains lie nearby in Namsan and Bukhansan national parks.

Renowned for its cuisine, Seoul also boasts lots of excellent restaurants and street markets for you to try out. With culture, cuisine, history, and nature all on offer, South Korea’s capital has it all.

05/05/2022

If you weren't already head-over-heels in love with Italy, a trip to Tuscany will inevitably cast you into the deepest of adorations. The birthplace of the Italian language is crammed full of UNESCO world heritage sights, medieval country houses and ancient cities. This region isn't just a living, breathing museum though, it is also famed for its Chianti growing vines, rolling Tuscan hills, the crazily cute Cinque Terre and coastal region The Maremma. Florence, the capital, is great for a bank holiday weekend, warm enough to stroll in a sundress and devour gelato, but before the city becomes stuffy and overrun by organised tourist groups.

05/05/2022

Come May we're California-dreamin' – of Yosemite National Park, cool and quirky San Francisco and shiny sparkly Los Angeles. If you harbour Jack Kerouac fantasies then take an all-American road trip through the state or along Big Sur. Conversely, the cities and towns of California are diverse and interesting enough individually to brave the long-haul flight for. San Francisco is the state capital of food and outdoor action (if not the actual state capital), while Los Angeles is a strange glittering town of health, wealth and youth, and San Diego is great for surfing. The smaller towns dotted along this sunny coast, such as Malibu and Palm Springs, are also charming enough to keep you occupied.

05/05/2022

What, not for St Patrick’s Day? But Dublin isn’t all braying pub mobs. In May it makes room for brooding artistes. Its writerly sons Joyce, Yeats and Wilde all wandered these Georgian streets for inspiration, and May’s annual International Literature Festival honours the capital’s high-minded pedigree, with authors flying in from all over the globe to argue and provoke. Then embark on a literary pub crawl, and sip pints where Dublin’s greatest writers did so a century before. In May, there’ll be moderate weather, crowds and prices: a pleasant time to wander the Grand Canal, dine in restaurant/bookshop The Winding Stair, and take in the works of new Irish playwrights at the Abbey Theatre, originally co-founded by Yeats.

27/04/2022

A thriving capital where century-old structures butt against modern monoliths, London is a city of superlatives. Yes, England’s capital has a reputation for being expensive, but with a glut of free museums and many of the city’s most iconic architecture sitting there to be snapped for free, you can get by relatively cheaply.

27/04/2022

The natural beauty and crisp mountain air of the Swiss Alps simply can’t be beat. Perched above an epic valley, the tiny ski town of Nendaz is a fantastic home base to explore the Valais region in early fall. You will especially enjoy the many trails that follow old irrigation channels from village to village.

27/04/2022

Besides what most tourists think, Zürich is not the capital city of Switzerland, but it is by far the largest city in the country. Famous for its banks and chocolate, it has much more on offer. In fact, Zürich has become a lively city over the last years and is a popular destination for many travelers.

27/04/2022

The capital of Sweden, Stockholm is an archipelago in the Baltic Sea, comprised of 14 islands. There’s something quite intoxicating about sightseeing from the deck of a ferry or tour boat on a gorgeous summer day. For history buffs, there are no shortage of palaces, cathedrals and museums. Gamla Stan, the old town, is a veritable labyrinth of cobbled lanes, wending between crumbling terracotta walls.

27/04/2022

Barcelona is the best place to visit in Europe as it caters to everyone, regardless of your interests. With endless things to do for all types of travelers, those who appreciate architecture should thank Gaudi, the hills are great for those who like to have space in the city and for those who love sports, Barcelona is a haven for you.

27/04/2022

Despite its reputation of a grey and somber city, Moscow is a very interesting place to visit, offering an incredible variety of sights and activities with few equals in Europe. If you are planning to visit and wondering what to do in Moscow and how long to stay, the correct answer will be ‘as long as possible’.

27/04/2022

Lisbon is crowned as Portugal’s most popular city, but pretty Porto in the north of the country is beginning to get the attention it deserves. Like Lisbon, Porto has its own frozen-in-time old town known as the Ribeira District, which sits on the north banks of the Douro River.

Sweet Spots

23/06/2022

23/06/2022

21/06/2022

21/06/2022

21/06/2022

16/06/2022

16/06/2022

16/06/2022

09/06/2022

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03/06/2022

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05/05/2022

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27/04/2022

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