The Rosewood Sand Hill is still weeks from opening, but the trees are in and the pool is full.

by Brook Wilkinson

Sand Hill Road, one of the San Francisco Bay Area's most illustrious addresses, is about to have a brand-new luxury hotel. The Rosewood Sand Hill (built by the same group that manages Las Ventanas and Little Dix Bay) is set to open on April 2, just down the street from the world's highest concentration of venture capitalists.

To celebrate the hotel's opening, Rosewood is offering special rates, and donating 5 percent of the package price to Canopy and Trees for Menlo--two organizations dedicated to planting trees nearby. The "Help Us Celebrate" package is available through April 30, and costs $295 on weekdays and $225 on weekends (regular weekday rates will start around $355). Naturally, with a location in the heart of Silicon Valley, Rosewood Sand Hill is expecting to attract a business crowd. But there are plenty of hiking trails nearby (I explored the Monte Bello Open Space Preserve just this past weekend), as well as a full-service spa, to keep weekenders occupied.

The grounds at Blackberry Farm.

by Dorinda Elliott

I am thinking this may be the most delicious dish I have ever eaten: smoked new potatoes, the first of the season at Tennessee's Blackberry Farm, smothered with sour cream and a generous sprinkling of shaved black Tennessee truffles. It is just the first course of yet another amazing meal prepared for a weekend of "wine, women and song" at The Inn at Blackberry Farm (which has to be the most elegant working farm in the world), devoted to raising funds for the Condé Nast Traveler Five & Alive Fund. The fund supports health programs for children in 65 countries.

Sitting next to me, star chef Michelle Bernstein, who opened Michy's in Miami in 2005 and is steadily expanding her culinary empire, is telling me a shocking story about how she made her way in the man's world of restaurant kitchens, how she was knocked around by male chefs (literally), groped (literally), and sabotaged by jealous male competitors who would throw out her prep work or intentionally ruin a dish.

Kids in the Streets International
program will undergo the same
curriculum as students at New
York's Institute of Culinary
Education, above.
Photo: iceculinary.com

by Mollie Chen

Last week my colleague, Alex, and I had the chance to attend a benefit for a brand-new nonprofit with two noble goals: getting disadvantaged kids off the streets and feeding hungry travelers. Streets International is the brainchild of Dr. Neal F. Bermas, a long-time consultant who teaches courses in hospitality management and entrepreneurship at both New York University and the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE).

Bermas got the idea while traveling in Vietnam, where he saw a demand for tours and organizations with a philanthropic bent, and where he realized the power nonprofits can have to bridge the gap between locals and visitors. His idea expands on the model of organizations like Koto, a Hanoi-based group that teaches underprivileged kids to run restaurants.

View Larger Map

by Kate Maxwell

A curious thing happened as I was strolling down London's Regent Street last Friday: I reached for my camera and snapped the curved sweep of buildings and mottled blue sky above. Why did this surprise me? Because until I moved to New York 18 months ago, I was a Londoner. I'd turned tourist in my own city.

I spent the rest of the day looking on my old haunts with alien eyes, and rather enjoyed it. Check out the map above to see what I did. Or, click here for a larger version of the map. And go to our Facebook page to see my photo album.

Kate Maxwell is a Senior Editor at Condé Nast Traveler.

Minetta Tavern, an oldie but goodie revamped and just reopened by restaurateur Keith McNally.
Photo: MugurM on Flickr using Creative Commons

by Ondine Cohane

I just spent two weeks in New York and, as always when in town, I ate up a storm. The city is truly a foodie paradise, and I am happy to report that despite the recession, new eateries are opening their doors at a good clip. I was struck by how crowded the best spots were, especially downtown in neighborhoods like the West Village and the Lower East Side. "If your 401K can take such a nosedive so quickly, maybe it's better to invest in a good meal that you can actually enjoy" seemed the unspoken sentiment. Most of the places that I ate weren't exorbitant, though, and the dishes were mostly unfussy, concentrating on tasty ingredients that spoke for themselves. Read after the jump for my list of the best places I dined, where I want to eat next, and a few of my perennial favorites.

* What's it like to be an airline pilot? Ride along in the cockpit and find out. (Gadling)

* "Japan group launches 'toilet poems' to save paper" (Reuters). Great idea but, er, how does it work?

* Our lady of the Starbucks logo: Her identity is revealed! (The Jerusalem Post)

* Coming soon: "intelligent" airline seating. Useful service, or clever new way to charge extra? (Gulliver)

* "Bella knows she's not an elephant. Tarra knows she's not a dog. But that's not a problem for them." (CBS News)

Mother and baby gorilla at Burgers' Zoo, in the Netherlands
Photo: mape_s on Flickr using Creative Commons

by Sara Tucker

The Aggregator is a shameless devotee of animal stories, and this week two gorilla babies have us in thrall. One is Frank, a six-month-old western lowland gorilla who made his public debut at the San Diego Zoo last Friday. The other is Hasani, whose name means "Handsome" in Swahili: It was chosen by the baby's father at the San Francisco Zoo on Wednesday, following a naming contest that generated some 5,300 entries from 40 countries.

The back-to-back news items reminded us that 2009 is the Year of the Gorilla, so designated by the United Nations and a coalition of the world's zoos. A good time, in other words, to look at how humans are getting along with their closest living relatives.

Not too well, in general. Gorillas are critically endangered, thanks to such human activities as logging, war, and the bushmeat trade. The Year of the Gorilla aims to help wild gorillas by alleviating human poverty in their range, an innovative conservation approach that has produced "heartening" results in Zambia's Luangwa Valley, according to Time "Going Green" columnist Bryan Walsh. The key: sustainable industries, such as beekeeping and tourism, that give local people an economic incentive to preserve wild habitat.

The Year of the Gorilla's Web site states that "zoos are crucial to educating and raising awareness of the deteriorating situation of gorillas and their habitat, as they are in a good position to reach the general public directly." One of the ways they do this, of course, is through mascots like Frank and Hasani.

The first time Sting brought us a message in a bottle, with the Police. (Here the band performs the famous song before it was even recorded).

by Beata Loyfman

The next time you're shopping for honey or olive oil at Harrods in London (as one does from time to time), you might find a bottle of something called "Il Palagio Sumner Family." This isn't just any old stuff, it's a product of rock star royalty. Made on the estate of Il Palagio in Tuscany, Sting is the one you'd have to thank for that extra virgin on your salad.

And as of September, Sting and his missus, Trudie Styler, are releasing 30,000 bottles of red from their estate. According to the Times Online, there will be two varietals: a Chianti DOC and a Tuscan red based on the Sangiovese grape. The wines have been made with traditional methods, without the use of pesticides. I can just see Sting and Trudie stomping the grapes in a giant wooden vat, Lucy-style. Don't know what I mean? Shame on you! Check out the classic clip here.

Further reading:
* Celebrities are getting into the wine business as never before, reports Alan Richman (Condé Nast Traveler, April 2007)
* Sting, a.k.a. Gordon Sumner, is all about Tantric love and "defend[ing] Tuscan agriculture and bio-diversity" (Times Online)
* Boldface: Celebrity travels

Beth Ditto, on Mark's Love List,
on the cover of LOVE, a new
magazine from Condé Nast.

All is fair in love and fashion week, right? Below, the best--and worst--from Milan and Paris.

by Mark Connolly

Hate List:

I hate the drive from Malpensa Airport to Milan having not slept.
I hate the restaurant at the Hotel Amour in Paris.
I hate the freezing cold venues with hand warmers and foil blankets.
I hate super late shows.
I hate the winter weather in Milan.
I hate going to a show in the 13th arrondissement and then having to return to the same venue in traffic two hours later.
I hate jet lag.
I hate 9 a.m. shows.
I hate the bar at the Principe Hotel.
I hate not having enough sleep.
I hate being made to wait in Paris for the Louis Vuitton show on the last day.
I hate that the Louis Vuitton show started on time this season (unheard of) and that I saw the show with my face pressed against the plastic tent.

Love List:

I love the bar at the Principe Hotel.
I love having such a good time that I get no sleep.
I love Italian food.
I love the tight schedule of shows in Milan (Paris, take note).
I love being in Paris . . . it's Paris, for God's sake.
I love the Meurice Hotel.
I love being served macaroons and chocolates at certain shows.
I love the Ferré, Prada, Versace, Lanvin, Nina Ricci, and Vuitton shows.
I love the parties.
I love Willi's Wine Bar and Café Moderne.
I absolutely love Beth Ditto of The Gossip at the Fendi party, repeatedly diving into the audience wearing nothing but heavy perspiration and a black sequined bikini--and I adored Karl Lagerfeld's bemused expression.
But most of all, I just love fashion shows . . .  Au revoir!

PS. I'm finishing off fashion week with a dinner at the Costes brothers' latest venture,  the restaurant with no name, at 4 Place Saint Germain des Pres in a courtyard with no plaque. You need a special number to get a reservation--such an insider!
PPS. Just when I thought fashion week was over, tomorrow I have appointments to see the collections from Japanese designers Comme des Garcons, Junya Watanabe, and Tao, as well as Azzedine Alaia. Also going to check out the renovations at the Bristol Hotel . . . Get me out of here!

UPDATE: Hot from the dinner table! Am at the gray suede-walled, black glass interior of the latest Costes production in St. Germain. The space occupies the famous Le Bilboquet, which may well reopen, and a new Costes hotel may not be far off. Menu unfortunately is like the other Costes restaurants, but the space is elegant postmodern chic with a second empire twist. Still need the private number to book, though!

Check out where Mark went a couple of days ago.

by Barbara S. Peterson

With the rising dollar a rare spot of good news, that summer trip overseas might not be such a stretch after all. Airlines have just fessed up to how many empty seats they're flying across the pond (or ponds, as both the transatlantic and transpacific markets have been hammered by a falloff in business travel). Too many seats, of course, means more fare deals to come.

But while Delta, United, and American all revealed plans this week to pull back on overseas flights by up to 15 percent, most of the cuts won't take effect until this fall--airlines typically don't like to shrink right before the peak season, even in dire economic times like these.

by John Oseid

In New York's West Village some years ago, I heard platinum-coiffed Mariza give a recital in the cozy Portuguese restaurant Alfama. Never mind that I didn't know the name Alfama from alfalfa, nor that I had never heard of the elegant fado singer. Years later, though, as I spent evening after evening in the fado clubs of Lisbon's hilly old Alfama district, I realized that she was fast becoming the star of her country's signature mournful music.

The lithe Mozambican-born fadista (fah-deeshta) has just embarked on a staggering 47-city tour of the States. I had the fortune of catching her recent show at Town Hall, where--how apropos--she unveiled a new song entitled "Alfama." While she extolled her love for Lisbon in the slow, wrenching "Minh' Alma" (My Soul), a few fans waved a huge Portuguese flag like it was a soccer match. Such is a fado devotee's level of love.

The travel-friendly Go-Go bag.

by Mollie Chen

What Space NK is to British (and now, New York) beauty addicts, Studio at Fred Segal is to L.A. product fiends. Founder Robin Coe-Hutshing was in town last week (during a blizzard, no less) to share a few exciting announcements, starting with the shop's brand-new name, Studio BeautyMix. In the 25 years since she entered the business, Coe-Hutshing has become known as kind of a beauty oracle, with a knack for finding the best niche brands and for divining the trends light-years before anyone else. Dr. Hauschka, REN, Kiehl's--she found them all when they were just babies and got thousands of L.A.-ers hooked.

Lately, Coe-Hutshing has been hard at work on her own beauty products. Last month, she launched Burn Voyage, a line of destination-inspired candles--I'm in love with Pink Sunset, which smells like summer in Hawaii. She's also working on a body-softening collection (not moisturizers, mind you, but softeners; she promises they'll be the ultimate creams) and the new Memoire Liquide Reserve fragrance. My favorite Coe-Hutshing creation, though, is her "Go Go" bag, which she designed with a friend from Japan. The black travel-size cosmetics case can both expand to fit a passel of products and squish down to hold only the essentials. It comes with a foldable tote that can double as a laundry bag, and there are a million pockets for storing floss, nail clippers, razors, and anything else you might need. The case will be available in April, which, incidentally, is also when Studio BeautyMix will finally go live with its retail Web site.

The Bay of Kotor, in Montenegro.

Forget St-Tropez. For Condé Nast Traveler's March issue, Julia Chaplin headed further east to the coasts of Turkey, Croatia, and Montenegro and found glamour, barefoot chic, and bargains. 

Take Montenegro. A few luxury properties have already opened in the medieval town of Kotor.

* The 13-suite Villa Duomo is in an old baronial villa with exposed stone walls and hand-carved antiques (82-323-111; suites, $155-$340).

* Farther down the coast in Budva, the Hotel Splendid is an over-the-top Russian-owned resort that resembles a massive cruise ship (86-773-777; doubles, $236-$272).

* For a more local experience, Cesarica is a friendly, family-run konoba (restaurant) in Kotor. The black cuttlefish risotto is sumptuous (375 Stari Grad; 82-336-093; entrées, $7-$20).

To read about the hotspots Julia found in Turkey and Croatia, pick up a copy of the March issue or find "Europe's New Riviera" on cntraveler.com.

Further reading:
* Montenegro: The Sweet Spot (Conde Nast Traveler, June 2008)
* Places and prices in Montenegro

The lobby of the new Hutton Hotel in Nashville.

by Brook Wilkinson

The newest hotel in Nashville is also the city's greenest. The Hutton Hotel opened in mid-February, and counts among its eco-friendly attributes bamboo flooring, reclaimed wood furnishings, and card readers that turn off lights when guests leave their rooms. The hotel is green enough for Al Gore--a Tennessean himself--who will be holding his Climate Project annual meeting there in May. But if you beat Al to Nashville, you can take advantage of a special opening package at the Hutton: two nights in one of the hotel's suites, breakfast delivered to your room, Champagne upon arrival, and one dinner at the Hutton's 1808 Grille--including a Sustainable Sexy Martini, made with organic ice wine, organic vodka, and green grape purée--plus a $5 gift certificate from Amazon.com, all for $479. The package is good for Fridays through Sundays from now until April 30.

If you drop by the hotel, please let me know what you think!

by Eimear Lynch

Why downsize to shampoo dollops just to bypass finicky airport screeners? A big bottle of Fekkai's new Au Naturel Dry Shampoo is only 2.9 ounces, making it totally Ziploc approved. Free of sulfates, parabens, dyes and synthetic fragrances, it's not the chemically aerosol you'd expect from a waterless hair wash (my old favorite, Psst, now seems unforgivably synthetic). The silky white powder is lightweight and easy to blend, de-greasing and uplifting even the mangiest mane. It's the perfect grooming product for travels in planes, trains and automobiles, when hair washing is too tedious a task.

Further reading:
* Find this product at Sephora.com
* Health & Beauty: Looking, feeling good

View Larger Map

Paris Fashion Week, according to Condé Nast Traveler's style director Mark Connolly, is one-half glam squad, one-half death march. To buttress his argument, Mark has assembled his doings from yesterday into one Google Map. His story starts below. Read it, then click above to follow Mark's journey from morning canoodling--from afar--with Salma Hayek at the Stella McCartney show to staggering into his hotel room overwhelmed (and "over-wined") the next day.

First, though, he had to get over his jet lag:

8:15 AM: First alarm call.

8:30 AM: Second alarm call.

8:45 AM: Third alarm call. Finally get out of bed. I've officially hit the fashion wall, the moment we all dread, when viewing another fashion show makes you want to commit hari-kari. Fashion fatigue has set in but I have a breakfast meeting at Angelina's with an agent prior to the Stella McCartney show, joy of joys!

Click the map above to see where Mark went from here.  Or, click here, for a larger version of the map.

Further reading:
* Paris Fashion Week: My Dream Apartment
* Paris Fashion Week Begins With a Dose of Hot Chocolate
* Milan Fashion Week: Accessory Mania
* Milan Fashion Week:  Time to Nosh

Chef Donald Link's Real Cajun,
due out April 21.

by Mollie Chen

New Orleans chef Donald Link has been busy these past months. When I met with Link back in December, he was finalizing the details of a wine bar and shop, and the space was still a mess of exposed ductwork and raw concrete. How quickly things change: Cochon Butcher has been open for just a couple of months, but it's already a huge success. The tidy little restaurant has a handful of stools for snacking and sipping, plus a retail counter stocked with house-made charcuterie, specialty products, and baked sweets. Our fantastic intern Katherine Kims was down south recently, and she came back from NOLA raving about Link's ultra-fatty pressed duck pastrami sandwich and his salty-sweet bacon praline. The chef also just finished his first cookbook, Real Cajun. We've got a sneak peek at the book, due out April 21, with one of Link's own favorite recipes. Check it out after the jump.

Photo: didiz I fotokahwin on Flickr using Creative Commons

by Dinda Elliott

What is it that makes some people so courageous, willing to risk everything for something they believe in? I am asking myself this question, thinking about how we Americans take so much for granted in the freedoms we enjoy every day.

In the cool, high-ceilinged villa that is home to Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's former deputy prime minister, who spent six years in solitary confinement after challenging then prime minister Mahathir Mohammad, the drone of Islamic music fills the living room. The Anwar family is religious--his wife and daughters, now both politicians in their own rights, proudly wear tudongs, Malaysian headscarves reflecting Islamic modesty--and I figure the music is part of the Muslim atmosphere of their daily lives. But I am a little worried that my tape recorder will not pick up Anwar's soft voice above the din. I have waited ten years for this interview.

Hualalai's bungalows are steps
from the beach.

by Mollie Chen

I've got honeymoons on the brain these days, because everyone I know seems to be getting married and asking for travel advice. If they are looking for a beach resort, one of my first suggestions is the Four Seasons Hualalai. I was lucky enough to stay there a couple of years ago and was completely charmed. It's a big, expensive resort in one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, but it doesn't feel like it; Hualalai is both laid-back and luxurious, with a totally genuine island vibe. If a splurge is in order (and what better time to go all out than post wedding?), there's no better place. And since even grandes dames need face-lifts every now and then, the resort is giving itself a $40 million upgrade.

The Hualalai team swung by the office last week to fill me in on the details of the renovations, which include 20 new suites, luxe tropical decor by local design guru Mary Philpotts, and a complete overhaul of the Beach Tree Bar & Grill, all to be completed by the end of April. Their renovated spa is launching in two phases: First, they're adding two swanky treatment rooms and a retail boutique. Next, they'll open four new open-air massage areas and an outdoor treatment garden where you can meditate, practice yoga, or just contemplate your navel over herbal tea and fresh fruit. The coolest part, though, is the new spa apothecary where you can customize your own salts, scrubs, and potions for your treatment from a rainbow of all-natural ingredients. A little pikake, a little hibiscus, maybe a dash of raw Maui sugar or fresh coconut flakes--blend it all up with a mortar and pestle and you're good to go.

With rack rates starting at $775, the resort isn't cheap. But it's a smart luxury--they don't nickel-and-dime you (no $10 water bottles on bedside tables) and packages let you get value for your money. Right now they're offering a fifth-night-free promotion, which knocks the average room price down.

Further reading:
* Hawaii's Hidden Values (July 2008, Condé Nast Traveler)
* Mollie finds out why Hawaii's surfers are so hot
* Word of Mouth: The buzz worldwide

The restored mansion's cool
blue courtyard.
Photo: cheongfatttzemansion.com

by Dinda Elliott

Why are the slightly ratty cane chairs in the sun-dappled outside courtyard so comforting? And the bulbous brown Bakelite plugs and clunky electrical boxes that look like they date from the 1940s? Even the fact that Daniel, the young Malay man in the front office, doesn't exactly jump to show me around or answer my questions for some reason makes me happy.

I am at the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion in Penang, a magnificent restored courtyard house built at the end of the nineteeneth century, and--though Eric the manager is careful to remind me that it is not a "hotel" due to all sorts of Malaysian bureaucracies--this is probably the best place I have stayed in my 30-odd years of world travel.

The pool at Cartagena's La Passion hotel.

by Ondine Cohane

As I wrote back in December, Colombia was high on my travel wish list for 2009. After a recent two-week visit, I am happy to report that I liked the place as much as I had hoped. In fact, it has quickly jumped onto my favorite destinations list, and I am hoping to get back to Cartagena around the same time next year. What made it such a great trip?

First of all, the people are incredibly friendly and welcoming; they are aware that to many outsiders, the country is marred by its reputation for crime and cocaine instead of its beautiful natural attractions and wonderful hospitality--and they are quick to make an excellent impression, as well as share their favorite spots with you. Then there was the sophisticated hotel and restaurant scene with its wonderful food and converted colonial spaces. Add in that the salsa music was some of the best I have ever heard, the temperatures (especially in Cartagena) balmy, and that the place was a real deal (the Colombian peso seemed to devalue daily). What's truly exciting is seeing its transformation from one of Latin America's most blighted countries to a revitalized urban and gastronomic center. If you can only make it to one of the two cities, go with Cartagena, the sexy Caribbean hot spot by the sea. There is plenty to entertain in the capital, as well. Read after the jump for things to do if you find yourself in this rising star.

If you missed Condé Nast Traveler's own Kevin Doyle touting unbelievable deals in the Caribbean and Latin America on the NBC Today show this morning, watch the video above.  Better yet, skip the video and pick up our March issue for 28 easy-to-reach warm-weather getaways. Not near a magazine stand?  OK, fine.  Here's the link to More Sun for the Money. Read it.  Use it.  And once you're back from traveling--all tan and rested--you can thank us by subscribing to CNT.

By Dinda Elliott

Condé Nast Traveler's deputy editor is in Malaysia this week.

Obama-mania has hit Malaysia. The U.S. president's name is on the tip of everyone's tongue all across the country: "Do you think Obama can save the economy?" "Obama is one of us; he grew up in a Muslim country." "Obama speaks bahasa!" "We believe Obama will make things better."

One reason Malaysians are so thrilled about Obama's story is that they see parallels between what has happened in the U.S.--the election of a politician who represents radical change, and perhaps even racial and global healing--and what might happen in their own country. Malaysia these days is charged simultaneously with a sense of trepidation and optimism.

I got a wonderful dose of politics for breakfast in Kuala Lumpur the other day at the home of an old friend, Karim, an erudite upper-class Malaysian lawyer and writer, and his partner Valentine, an art gallery owner. Over fish curry, dahl, and chapati, the conversation in their art-filled apartment, overlooking the rich folks' villas of Damansara Heights, flowed from how President Obama has reached out to the Muslim world to whether Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's fallen-now-back-again former deputy prime minister, will be the same kind of transformative figure as Obama, uniting racially divided Malaysians behind a drive for clean government. "Anwar is certainly an icon," Karim said.

Photo: Tony the Misfit on Flickr using Creative Commons

by Sara Tucker

Pedal pushers are on a roll: From 2007 to 2008, "bicyclists reduced the amount Americans drive by 100 million miles," says Earl Blumenauer, head of the Congressional Bike Caucus, writing in the Huffington Post. More than 490,000 Americans now bicycle to work.

With all that pumping, we're still way behind Europe, where "rates of cycling in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany range from 10 to 27 percent of all trips," according to the  Worldwatch Institute. (Our own rate is a measley 1 to 2 percent.)

Cities making a laudable effort to close the gap include Chicago, Minneapolis, Sacramento, Austin, which Mayor Will Wynn wants to make "The Fittest City in America"; Davis, California, a bike-happy city of 65,000 that "has spent well over 14 million dollars just on bicycle projects" in the past ten years, according to its official Web site; and Portland, Oregon, which has seen a 144 percent increase in bicycle use since it began investing less than 1 percent of its transportation budget in bicycle facilities.

In an effort to bring our nation's capital securely into the fold, the League of American Bicyclists has extended a special invitation to "all D.C. area cyclists" to attend Tuesday's National Bike Summit, where they can "learn what's needed to make the D.C. area a cyclists' haven like Copenhagen."

by Mark Connolly

When not attending the fashion shows in Milan and Paris, Condé Nast Traveler Style Director Mark Connolly has found time to blog about eating, accessories, and, um, eating. 

Welcome to my home away from home in Paris, my little bijou pied-a-terre if you will. Only in my dreams!  Really, it's a little hidden gem of a museum in the 8th Arrondissement called the Jacquemart-André Musée.  It will take you only 20 to 30 minutes to walk through this splendid Second Empire house and view the amazing private apartments as well as Italian Renaissance artwork, eighteenth-century masterpieces by French and Flemish masters.