Dance tips

From the lush and humid forests of the central mountains to the idyllic surfing beaches of the northwest, Puerto Rico is a haven for ecotourism. If it's nature that entices you here, it's the sands, the islands, and the historical cities that will keep you enchanted.

In 1973 Jack and Dolores Cakebread were visiting friends in Napa Valley and mentioned they would be interested in buying their land if they ever wished to sell — to their surprise the friends called back later that day and agreed to a deal. Cakebread Cellars is now celebrating fifty years and have released their ‘ 50th Anniversary Chardonnay Collection ,’ made up of four single-estate wines made from the first varietal bottled by the winery. I spoke with co-owner Bruce Cakebread, son of Jack and Dolores, about his parents, the history of the winery and his favorite vintages.

Berlin has long had a reputation for its nightlife from the techno clubs in bunkers and abandoned buildings following the fall of the Wall to dance parties with no closing times and hedonistic dens like the infamous KitKatClub. In recent years, the dining scene has also surged in variety and quality, offering showcases often in tucked away spaces for creative, international chefs.

Forget the traditional holiday mall crawl and the awkward Santa lap-sit; this year, one hotel is during the festive dial up to eleven. Welcome to Hardy's Holiday Village at Nemacolin Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania, where the usual holiday cheer is swapped for something akin to a Broadway-level extravaganza. It's over-the-top, it's dazzling, and it's everything you didn't know you needed this festive season.

I’m in a good old-fashioned pub, drinking beer over wooden tables and tucking into a hearty meal. Except the wooden tabletops are covered in red checked cloths, the decor is Balkan folk.

The Charleston Place, one of the south’s most iconic hotels and a downtown landmark in Charleston, South Carolina, will be transforming into an enchanted Nutcracker-inspired wonderland for the upcoming holiday season. The hotel has something to make this season magical for everyone including a specialty Dream Concierge and nightly "snowfall" in the hotel’s Market Street Circle. From Nov. 24 through New Year’s Eve, The Charleston Place will transform into the magical world of The Nutcracker. The hotel will be draped in shimmering silver and golds, and will feature oversized Nutcrackers, glistening sugarplums and special appearances by ballerinas from the Dance Conservatory of Charleston. With decor designed by The Drifter, more than 140 decorated trees will adorn the hallways and courtyards along with a 40-foot tree in the center of Market Street Circle.

With about half the country on either side of the equator, Kenya’s climate isn’t a straightforward split of dry and wet seasons. In fact, its dry season has a short wet season, and its wet season is interrupted by a dry one – clear as mud, right?

For the Swifties that couldn’t make it to the Eras Tour, you could trade friendship bracelets at sea, instead. A travel agency is planning a Taylor Swift-themed cruise that will launch from Miami in the fall of 2024.

To witness the Northern Lights in all their glory, head to northern Sweden between early September and late March. The Aurora Borealis, a breathtaking natural phenomenon that looks like a wavy meteor shower, graces the skies. The show begins around Kiruna in early September, with vibrant streaks of pink, green, and purple dancing high above. As winter sets in, usually by January, you can catch these mesmerizing lights across a significant part of this region (especially Swedish Lapland – a vast region in the north that encompasses nearly a quarter of the country). The spectacle lasts until late March or early April.

‘Unspoilt’ is a word you’ll repeatedly hear if you ask visitors to describe Tobago — an island of roughly 60,000 people that sits near the southernmost end of the Caribbean archipelago, just north of its big sister, Trinidad. Connected millennia ago to the South American mainland, Tobago is gifted with a distinctive mix of continental and Caribbean island ecology. It’s now home to beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs, 10,000 acres of protected rainforest — the oldest such reserve in the Western Hemisphere — and over 260 species of birds. 

As the crisp winds of November usher in the holiday season, Chicago's vibrant theater and performing arts scene is abuzz with a lineup of productions. From classic musicals to avant-garde operas and thought-provoking art exhibitions, there's something for each type of traveler to enjoy in the Windy City this fall.

Barbados' Crop Over – not to be confused with Carnival, which is tied to Lent – honors the end of sugar cane season. This explosion of revelry features beautiful, vibrant costumes, bass-heavy sound systems that keep the crowds dancing, live music concerts, and, of course, all the things make Barbados such a great travel destination: clear, calm ocean, tasty cuisine and plenty of sunshine. 

As we head toward the end of another year, all eyes in the Hindu community—and the London Condé Nast Traveller offices—turn to Diwali. This light-filled festival is celebrated by communities across the Indian subcontinent and in diasporas far beyond, marking the victory of good over evil with traditions that have been around for centuries, such as the lighting of homes with diyas, indulging in sweet treats known as mithai, and celebrating with music and dance.

Dancing palms, lush hilly landscapes, and sunrises worth getting up for are not the only reasons to visit Ubud, a hippie-friendly destination in Bali made popular by Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling book, Eat Pray Love, and the blockbuster movie with the same name, starring Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem.

It will come as zero surprise that Las Vegas, Nevada, is considered the best party city in the US, according to a survey by U.S. News & World Report. What’s even less surprising is that Salt Lake City, Utah, did not make this top-10 list. Truth be told, it might not even crack the top 20. But it’s on the rise. With a boost from COVID and a number of other factors working in its favor, the Salt Lake City party scene is becoming a true nightlife ecosystem with its own unique style, sound and vibe. This is your guide to going out in the capital city of the Beehive State.

For 31 years, Catherine King and her husband Wayne Adams lived side by side on a floating island in Canada they built with their own hands. 

The fascination with theNorthern Lights dates as far back as the beginning of civilization, with the dancing waves of coloured light depicted in French cave paintings as old as 30,000 BC. Typically, they’re only seen in the northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere, near the Arctic Circle, on dark, clear autumn and winter nights. The lights are dependent on unpredictable solar flares ejecting charged particles that collide with gases in the atmosphere, so any trip to see the Northern Lights runs the risk of missing out on the spectacle altogether.

The name Hemlock Neversink might conjure a wooded fairyland, and that idea isn’t too far from the truth. The 34-room all-inclusive hotel, opening Oct. 13, is set on 230 tree-filled acres in New York’s Catskills region. Activities include guided bird-watching and pine-needle weaving, but the core purpose of the property is to serve as a wellness retreat. Guests will be offered a survey with questions such as “How structured do you like your days?” and “Would you like to move or rest?” The answers are meant to inform a daily itinerary created by the Hemlock team, which might include animal therapy with an on-site herd of goats or a morning cardio dance class. At the spa, nature-inspired treatments such as the Neversink Ice and Stone Ritual, which involves an herb-infused cold water bath, a hot steam shower and a hot river-stone massage, are available for an added charge. The property’s design draws from the region’s Quaker heritage, with a neutral color palette, ash and walnut furniture and quilt-inspired custom wool rugs by Manhattan’s Crosby Street Studios. The husband-and-wife owners, Sims and Kristen Foster, who were recently nominated for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur for their other Catskills hotels (including the DeBruce and Kenoza Hall), conceived of another inviting dining space for Hemlock Neversink: Bittersweet, which has two fireplaces, will focus on seasonal and locally sourced dishes.

We get it. Attending a wedding can be just as costly as it is special—transportation, hotel arrangements, a gift—it all adds up, especially if it’s a destination wedding. The good news is you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a great wedding guest dress. We sifted through ratings and read through hundreds of reviews to find the best wedding guest dresses on Amazon that you'll actually want to rewear again after the event. All under $100, these affordable dresses are stylish, comfortable, and fit a variety of wedding dress codes.

Journeying to New Zealand and exploring Aotearoa is a good choice any time of the year – but your experience will vary depending on what season you choose to visit.

Ideal conditions await you in Lamu, the island off mainland Kenya, in January: skies are clear, waters are translucent for diving and snorkelling, and afternoon sea breezes keep temperatures balmy. It can be busy early in the month, but the archipelago has plenty of hidden corners where you can find solitude.