Here are eleven of London's hottest new restaurants, where culinary innovation reigns. From cutting-edge gastronomy to old school excellence and hidden gems, these are the capital’s latest dining delights.
20.07.2023 - 18:09 / cntraveler.com / My Favorite Airbnb
“Do you hear that?” We halt to a stop on our e-bikes as our guide, Stefano listens intently to the sounds of Rio’s rainforest for one particular note. Listen, cycle, listen, cycle. His excitement is infectious and my husband and I are both listening harder and pedaling faster, just as deeply invested in the chase.
“It’s there, look!” We're squinting, scanning the thick, tropical canopy when we finally see it: a flash of orange, the bright bill of a toucan, owner of the distinct call (not quite unlike a croaking frog) that we’ve been tracking. Upon closer inspection, we spot two of them, and Stefano smiles at us, explaining that toucans generally travel in pairs.
My husband, Alex, and I traveled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to celebrate our honeymoon exactly one year after our wedding in Mexico City. When planning our itinerary, I was determined to squeeze the most out of our five days in the Marvelous City. Neither of us are generally lie-on-the-beach-with-a-cocktail types of travelers—relaxing for us usually involves a physical activity rooted in nature, a forced digital detox as both of our jobs require us to spend a lot of our time online.
Courtesy Airbnb
We split our days in Rio between the verdant hills of Santa Teresa and Ipanema’s iconic stretch of sand. When searching Airbnb for nature-based activities in each place, I came across Stefano’s electric bike tours of the Tijuca National Park rainforest.
The author and her husband during a quick bike break.
“My goal is to make you fall in love with the city I fell in love with. I want you to discover every beautiful corner of Rio in an experience totally immersed in nature,” he wrote in the description. His profile also touted that he was the first guide to bring e-bike tours to Rio, and that he had a five-star rating on Airbnb. I actually found myself tearing up as I scrolled through his reviews, one after the other fervidly detailing the experience as the highlight of their trip.
Stefano offers two versions of the tour: one that lasts five hours, and one that lasts three. The amount of ground covered depends on the group: how fast they pedal, how often they want to stop, and so on. We opted for the three-hour tour and effortlessly covered a whopping 19 miles—a feat I didn’t quite believe until Stefano showed us a 3D map that plotted our journey.A major appeal of the e-bike tour is that it enables people not only to cover a lot of ground through the rainforest, but also to see extraordinary views similar to—and often better than—the views at the more popular and crowded vistas. The forest routes Stefano guided us through were blissfully empty, including the 2016 Olympic cycling route, filled only with the hum of birds and bugs, and the occasional
Here are eleven of London's hottest new restaurants, where culinary innovation reigns. From cutting-edge gastronomy to old school excellence and hidden gems, these are the capital’s latest dining delights.
Carefree days lounging on the sand are a hallmark of an idyllic vacation for many travelers. But beaches themselves are a commodity, vulnerable to retreat that’s exacerbated by climate change. In fact, nearly half of the Earth’s sandy beaches could be extinct by 2100, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change.
Earlier this week, the folks at NPR’s Here and Now asked us an intriguing question: How much would it cost to book a trip to the Rio Olympics right now? The answer, it turns out, may be a lot less than you might expect.
February in Rio de Janeiro is usually filled with anticipation of sequins and samba with the arrival of Carnaval, but this year the streets of Rio will be a little less flamboyant. The city has decided to cancel the planned celebrations for this year’s Carnaval, and they’re not the only ones. Cancellations have occurred across Brazil in 48 cities for a variety of reasons. Some cities have voted to spend resources fighting dengue fever and the Zika virus that have been spreading throughout the country. Some cities were forced to cancel due to the economic consequences of what has been one of the worst recessions in Brazil’s history. For Rio, we can assume it’s a combination of the two with the added pressure of hosting the looming Summer Olympics.
Looking for a new museum to add to your travel to-do list? TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) has released the Travelers’ Choice Top 25 Museums of 2018, including the top 10 worldwide and the top 10 in the United States, with some surprising frontrunners. The findings also highlight bookable ways to see each winner—think VIP tours and scavenger hunts—with some offering the added perk of allowing you to skip the lines to get in.
Airline trade sources are reporting that the founder of JetBlue, David Neeleman, is getting ready to launch a new low-cost domestic airline. Neeleman is by far the world’s most proficient and successful airline-starter. The proposed airline, originally named Moxy (which is likely to change), will reportedly fly 60 Bombardier C300 jets on routes connecting secondary airports near major U.S. cities. The service could begin as early as 2020.
AirHelp, the online service that files complaints against airlines on behalf of passengers entitled to compensation for air delays or cancellations, knows a thing or two about air travel. Because it’s hard for the average person to understand air passenger rights and pursue a legal claim when they’ve been wronged, AirHelp is always going toe-to-toe with airlines and airports—and reveals once a year which ones that treat their passengers for the better (or worse).
Wondering what the best airlines are according to the average flyer? TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) gives a good idea in its Travelers’ Choice best airline rankings each year based on real travelers’ reviews. And the results are different than most trade studies that list the “best airlines.”
If you want to stay at the best hotel in the United States, head to the French Quarter Inn in Charleston, South Carolina. And if you’re looking for the best bargain hotel stay in the world, it’s in a small town in northern Spain. That’s according to TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards, which just shared the best hotel ratings for multiple categories heading into 2019.
Ever wish you could Amazon Prime yourself to an exciting new destination? You can’t ship yourself around the world for free (yet) but Amazon is betting that you’ll pay to travel virtually via their new Explore service.
Ah, college spring break. The noblest rite of passage for our nation’s future leaders. With March around the corner, college students across the country are preparing for a week of fun and relaxation (much of which their parents will hopefully never hear about). From traditional party destinations to destinations you may not think of as typical spring break locals, here are the best spring break destinations.
Brazil’s most famous festival, Carnival, is back this year after being canceled last year due to COVID-19. This year’s Carnival will take place on February 25, 2022, until March 5, 2022. In Rio de Janeiro, Carnival will be celebrated on every street corner and in nearly every restaurant and bar, no matter where you are. If you’re ready to samba your way over to Rio, here are the perfect Carnival Brazil Airbnbs in the South Zone area and the Center Zone area near all of the festivities.