Reader stories
The suite upgrade you didn't expect. The dinner you still talk about. The flight that changed the whole trip. Share it — and read what everyone else can't forget.
Lisbon was supposed to be a two-day stopover and became the whole trip. We stayed in Príncipe Real, ate cheap grilled sardines at a place with plastic chairs, then splurged on Belcanto and got a table by the window. Take the train out to Sintra early and see Quinta da Regaleira before the tour buses. Also — the hills are not a joke, bring real shoes and skip the rental car entirely.
Kevin · Los Angeles, CA · Lisbon, Portugal
I was nervous about the medina and then a riad manager met us at the taxi drop with a lantern and walked us in. Royal Mansour is unreal if you can swing it, but our riad near the Bahia Palace had a plunge pool, a rooftop breakfast and cost a fraction. Dinner at Al Fassia — run entirely by women — the lamb tagine with caramelized pumpkin was the single best thing I ate all year. Say yes to the mint tea every time it is offered.
Simone · Washington, DC · Marrakech, Morocco
Two nights in Oia, three in Imerovigli, and the second half was better. Katikies has the view everybody photographs, but the quieter side of the caldera is where you actually relax. We chartered a small catamaran out of Vlychada for the afternoon, swam at the red beach, and ate grilled octopus on the boat while the crew poured Assyrtiko. Get the early flight out of Athens — the afternoon ferries get rough.
Rob · Miami, FL · Santorini, Greece
We did Kyoto in November for the maples and it was worth every crowded train. Stayed at a small ryokan in Higashiyama with tatami floors and a private cedar bath, and the owner served us breakfast at a low table in complete silence. Fushimi Inari at 6:30am means you get the orange gates almost to yourself. Kaiseki at Gion Nishikawa was eight courses and I did not know what half of it was — I would eat all of it again.
Nia · Charlotte, NC · Kyoto, Japan
Nobody warned me that Cape Town would ruin every other city for me. We stayed in Camps Bay, hiked Lion's Head at sunrise, and spent an afternoon at Klein Constantia tasting wine older than the U.S. The Test Kitchen was closed so we ate at La Colombe in the vineyard instead and it was one of the best dinners of my life. Rent a car — the drive to Cape Point along Chapman's Peak is the trip, not just the way there.
Terrance · Chicago, IL · Cape Town, South Africa
Le Sirenuse in Positano during shoulder season in late September — half the crowds, same water. We took the ferry over from Sorrento instead of driving the coast road and it saved us an hour of white knuckles. Dinner at Da Adolfo requires their little boat with the red fish on it, and you eat mozzarella grilled on lemon leaves with your feet in the sand. My husband still says that was the best meal of his life and it cost about 40 euro.
Alicia · Brooklyn, NY · Amalfi Coast, Italy
Flew ANA to Haneda and checked into the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku. The New York Bar at 52 is worth the cover, but the real moment was 6am at Tsukiji Outer Market eating tamagoyaki off a stick in the cold. We did Sushi Saito on a cancellation the hotel called in for us — nine seats, no menu, and the chef laughed at how slow I was with the chopsticks. Take the Yamanote line everywhere, taxis eat your budget.
Marcus · Houston, TX · Tokyo, Japan
We booked two nights at Le Bristol mostly for the rooftop pool and ended up spending the whole first evening in the courtyard garden instead. The concierge got us a 9:30pm table at Epicure after the online booking said nothing was left for three weeks. I had the macaroni with black truffle and artichoke and I still think about it on random Tuesdays. Walk to Rue de Bretagne the next morning — the bakery line moves faster than it looks.
Dana · Atlanta, GA · Paris, France