PBS has long been home to the best armchair travel series on television. If you’re looking for a quick escape or some inspiration on where to go in 2024, you’d be wise to watch a new episode or two from these four acclaimed travel series.
20.12.2023 - 13:26 / forbes.com
Walking inside the sustainable, wellness-minded 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, the outdoors and indoors appear to seamlessly merge, thanks to stellar views of the hotel’s namesake bridge hovering over the East River, lower Manhattan and neighboring DUMBO; alongside calming interiors, earthy neutrals, reclaimed woods, plenty of natural light and native leafy greens (which seemingly pop in every nook and cranny).
And, just in time for winter, the hotel’s Banford Wellness Spa, a soothing blonde-on-blonde wooded subterranean space from British lifestyle baroness Carole Bamford, debuts it’s latest offering: Hammam Floatation Therapy. The first of it’s kind in New York, a duo of treatments (110 and 80 minutes) includes an exfoliating scrub, nourishing wrap, zero gravity floatation, followed by the icing on the cake: a customized massage to help oxygenate blood, improve circulation and reduce inflammation. With 9-treatment rooms, you can also enlist in facials, body polishes, waxing and add-on specials with massages like arnica and CBD.
But first, what is floatation therapy? Using cutting-edge technology to mimic the weightlessness of water-based floatation therapy, a soft, all-encompassing experience cradles you as you’re lowered into a warm, cocooned space as jets massage your back, neck and shoulders — all without getting wet. It’s known that when your body’s in this “floating state,” your brain produces a deep regenerative rest state (the therapy’s also known to help align and support the spine) resulting in less stress hormones and endorphin release.
Of course, when slumber beckons, retreat to the comfort of your room, where a cream and light gray palette finds industrial and barnlike touches: reclaimed wood bed frames, water glasses (with filtered H2o) made from from recycled green bottles and organic cotton mattresses. Before cozying up in bed, draw up a warming bathing experience in your triple-filtered rain shower, while generously applying Bamford’s all-natural and organic bath products.
Come mornings, get your sweat on inside the hotel’s high-tech gym, arrange a one-on-one training session, or lace up your sneakers and run along the Brooklyn Bridge Promenade. There’s also complimentary yoga and rotating group classes for hotel guests. Downstairs, the always-bustling Neighbors cafe serves fruit smoothies, acai bowls and chia pudding, while the Osprey; the hotel’s handsome farm-to-table restaurant offers Australian chef Dan Churchill’s brunch lineup that includes tasty hits such as poached pear overnight oats, avocado toast, roasted carrot dip, a kale and brussels caesar; and several grain and vegetable bowls.
PBS has long been home to the best armchair travel series on television. If you’re looking for a quick escape or some inspiration on where to go in 2024, you’d be wise to watch a new episode or two from these four acclaimed travel series.
It just got easier to visit Greece from the United States. Norse Atlantic Airways, a low-cost airline based in Oslo, Norway, announced a new route between New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) and Athens International Airport in Greece on Wednesday. The flight will operate five times per week from May 30, 2024 through Oct. 26, 2024, the airline shared withTravel + Leisure. The new flight has a duration of 9 hours and 35 minutes. Currently, the airline operates service between New York and Athens with a stopover in London’s Gatwick airport for a total duration of 18 hours. “This launch underscores our commitment to meeting the evolving travel needs of our passengers," Norse Atlantic Airways’ CEO and Founder Bjorn Tore Larsen said in a statement shared with T+L. «We believe this route will not only cater to the demand for travel to Greece but will also create opportunities for cultural exchange and business collaborations between these two vibrant destinations,”
Ask a New York City regular where to stay in Manhattan and they’ll tell you NoMad is the coolest downtown neighborhood. The clue is in the name: NoMad, or Madison Square North, bounces right off the north end of Madison Square Park. A recent revival has brought a surge in luxury hotels, inventive bistros, and voguish bars to this historic 30-block nook. NoMad hotels are close (but not too close) to Times Square while Chelsea and the Flatiron District are on the doorstep. The “North of Madison Square Park” neighborhood is ripe with luxury hotels for sightseeing and nightlife in NYC, and the new INNSiDE by Meliá New York NoMad leads the pack.
Looking for some family-friendly fun for New Years? Then step into a world where New Year's celebrations are not just an occasion but a spectacular adventure for the whole family. From the dazzling fireworks and 3D LEGO magic at LEGOLAND California, to the enchanting vintage circus-themed party hosted by JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa, these properties offer festivities filled with unforgettable moments for kids of all ages.
Another year has come and gone, and boy was this was a busy one for airline network planners across the country and around the world.
Low-cost Icelandic airline Play is going all out for the end of the year by offering a whopping 50 percent off its already low airfare to Europe.
Few traditions are as cherished and timeless as the annual performance of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker by the New York City Ballet, which will be performing through December 31, 2023. This beloved production has become an integral part of the holiday festivities, attracting over 100,000 spectators annually.
For many travel companies, this is truly the season of giving—giving back. This year, several hotels and companies are stepping up their charitable efforts, offering unique initiatives that not only enhance the guest experience but also contribute positively to the lives of those in need.
Of all the types of food that are paired with wine, cheese has perhaps the strongest association. But is it really the soulmate it’s made out to be? Well, it is and it isn’t — it all depends on the type of cheese. And, of course, the style of wine.
Wellness used to be as one-dimensional as a spin class and a smoothie. Diet and exercise are of course still fundamental, but we’ve finally started to embrace a more holistic approach to achieving better health. This means focusing on long neglected areas like a solid sex life, socializing, rest and recovery, and emotional and mental wellbeing. Feeling good now trumps looking good and healthspan—the quality of our years—has become just as important as lifespan. Longevity, the concept of living a longer and healthier life, will be the biggest buzzword of 2024, with wellness clinics as well as sybaritic beach retreats offering the latest biohacks (cryotherapy, infrared light treatments, poolside vitamin IV drips) to optimize our performance. Tantra gurus and sex therapists will be the new must-have in-house expert and artificial-intelligence empowered smart beds are fast becoming an expected amenity.
Of the many conveniences that hotels offer, few are as welcome as the in-house breakfast. Whether you’re raring to go or still slumped over after that early morning wake-up, there’s no better reward for having made it out of bed at all than the sumptuous spread that awaits. Here, we’ve rounded up the most sublime hotel breakfasts our editors have enjoyed this year, comprising national dishes, pastry repasts, snow-day bread baskets, and so much more.
A European country has taken over the top spot as the world’s most powerful passport, according to a new index by VisaGuide.World. As of December, the Spanish passport has claimed first place from Singapore, a new study by the visa advice website has found.