Mother’s Day Gift Guide: The Best Hotel Gifts

The director of a newly refurbished boutique hotel in the old town of Nîmes tells me he has gained and lost a star recently. The hotel’s restaurant, Rouge, run by Benin-born chef Georgiana Viou, recently won its first Michelin star. But the hotel itself, the Margaret Chouleur, has been downgraded from a five-star to just four.

Perhaps no destination on Earth packs as much punch into its relatively small surface area as Menorca. The second largest of the Balearic Islands, at one-fifth the size of Mallorca–its high-profile neighbor to the southwest in the Mediterranean Sea–the isle’s mere 270 square miles belies its almost innumerable gifts, which span the natural to the cultural, and virtually everything in between.

Anna is the author of the Lyon chapter for our latest France guidebook. Here she shares the best experiences you can find in Lyon.

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On my twenty-plus trips to Seoul, I generally steered clear of Gangnam, the district south of the Han River immortalized by the South Korean rapper PSY’s 2012 smash hit “Gangnam Style.” Something, however, shifted in me while planning my recent spring jaunt. Gangbuk, the district north of the Han River—where I’d typically plant myself—started feeling a touch too familiar. Plus: how could I judge a place I hadn’t actually spent quality time in?

The long-awaited third season of Netflix’s hit romance period drama Bridgerton is unveiled today (May 16), and fans of the series can now not only binge on the bodice-ripping romantic intrigues, opulent outfits, glamorous balls and lavish sets of the Regency era but also plan a trip to discover the locations around Britain where the smash-hit series was filmed.

The sun-drenched sepia photograph shows a dapper European, handkerchief in pocket, cigarette in hand, sitting among a row of men dressed in bisht and keffiyeh. The moment was captured during Jacques Cartier's first visit to the Persian Gulf in 1911, on his way back to London from Delhi—part of a sales trip encouraged by his father, Alfred, then the head of Cartier. The decline of the Ottoman Empire and the 1905 Persian Constitutional Revolution had flooded Europe's artistic centers with new influences, forging an aesthetic then known as “the Muslim arts.” Eager to learn more, Jacques spent four months traveling throughout Asia and the Middle East, rifling through bazaars and emporiums and mixing with high society.

Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, May 12 this year. If you’re looking for some last-minute Mother’s Day gifts for your travel-loving mom, consider eye makeup. That’s a failproof present if your mom enjoys wearing makeup on her adventures. With seemingly endless options out there, I’ve narrowed it down to some fun makeup choices that are travel-friendly and long-lasting. There’s something for every makeup lover, so consider choosing a few products to create your own little Mother’s Day gift basket.

Padua, in northern Italy's Veneto region, is the site of one of the world’s greatest art treasures that should be on every art lover’s bucket list. The Scrovegni Chapel houses the extraordinary 14th-century fresco cycle by Giotto that covers all the walls and ceilings. Despite having such a masterpiece and being a lovely small city, filled with history, culture and culinary delights, Padua is far less touristy than other Italian other art cities like Florence, Rome or nearby Venice. It’s a real hidden gem. And, at just 25 miles from Venice and easy to reach from Marco Polo airport, Padua is an easy day trip or addition to a Venice itinerary.

Whether one’s mother is just starting to take lessons or is the Singles Champ of her club, anyone can benefit from some serious tennis coaching. Since many tennis programs are also located in destinations that are tempting vacation spots as well, holiday time goes along with the training.

You may have missed the chance to spend the night in Barbie's Malibu DreamHouse or Shrek's Swamp, but don't fret, because Airbnb just took its once-in-a-lifetime stays and experiences up a notch. On May 1, Airbnb announced its latest category, Icons, a new vertical for “extraordinary experiences hosted by the greatest names in music, film, television, art, sports, and more.” Airbnb's goal is to bring some of travelers' wildest dreams to life—from witnessing the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games along the River Seine in Paris (on a terrace in the Musée d’Orsay designed by Mathieu Lehanneur, the designer of the torch and cauldron for the Paris 2024 Games), to spending the night in the Ferrari Museum in Italy (and taking a lap with Scuderia Ferrari ambassador driver Marc Gené while you're there). With overnight stays in jaw-dropping locations and experiences you won't soon forget, these listings certainly live up to their name.

That hottest club in town is Cookbook Club! And whether mom is in one right now, thinking or starting one or joining one, these gifts will help her prep for the most delicious social gathering of the 2020s. Prepare to be lauded as the best child (or spouse) of this cookbook club member, because these gifts are perfect.