The Way to San José Costa Rica

Forget Costa Rica’s glitzy coastal restaurants and make a beeline for the energetic district of Escalante in capital San José – a barrio that has been taken over by a new breed of chefs, intent on using indigenous produce and reviving authentic recipes. Philip Sweeney digs in.

Original Fusion City Macao

Go beyond Macao’s neon facade and you’ll discover a region whose Portuguese and Chinese roots are entwined. It’s a place where temples sit alongside churches, cobbled streets are lit by streetlamp and paper lantern, and pork chop buns and pastéis de nata are gobbled up as fast as they’re produced. Helen Graves unsheaths her chopsticks

Good as gold Central Otago

Long after the Gold Rush, the fine wines, artisan produce and quiet beauty of Central Otago are making it one of New Zealand’s most bountiful regions once again, says Michael Harden

Abu Dhabi

Unofficial cultural capital of the UAE, this is a place where spectacular landscape and wildlife exist side by side with sleek malls and culinary fireworks, says Imogen Lepere.

Christchurch

Creative chefs, superb wines and a host of arts, retail and cultural projects are all reasons to drop into this South Island bastion of Englishness, says James Williams

Johannesburg

With South Africa currently celebrating 25 years of democracy, Tracy Lynn Chemaly discovers a metropolis transformed into the cosmopolitan soul of a continent

Snow Stoppers

Plot a course for brilliant-white vistas, fun winter activities and warming local delicacies aplenty along the way. Fleur Rollet-Manus slips on her snow boots and rounds up seven sparkling tours

The Hotlist 2019

What better way to open the year than by starting to plan your adventures? Even the most experienced travellers require a steer in the right direction andFood and Travel is here to be your compass. We’ve spoken to experienced travellers to hear where they’ll be going, have dug deep to find the lesser-known, culture-packed cities worth your valuable holiday time, and have uncovered the countries that are perfectly ripe for adventure. So settle back and take your time, because these are the decisions that will define your year ahead.

Gourmet ski chalets

Fine food and fine conditions are the hallmarks of any memorable ski trip – but why stray from your cosy nook when the best meal is at yours? Gabrielle Sander gives her guide to Europe’s finest places to ski, eat, sleep and repeat

10 of the best pubs with rooms

The only thing better than a characterful, friendly pub with a great menu? A characterful, friendly pub with an excellent menu and plush, comfortable rooms. This compendium from Rose Shepherd draws from The Good Hotel Guide’s best of 2019 where a good night’s sleep is but a staircase away

Capture the World

These images are the work of Ewen Bell, one of Food and Travel’s favourite travel photographers. When not behind the lens for the magazine, Bell runs a series of specialist photography tours. Here, he shares some of his most beloved destinations and experiences while on the road

Out of the Ordinary

Whether it’s for a special occasion or just for the heck of it, Lydia Bell has pushed the boat out to bring a selection of stunning hotels that are worth booking for a couple of nights to make any trip a holiday you’ll remember forever

The Ampersand

Knightsbridge

Opened in 2012, this historic, 111-room South Kensington propertyhas bedrooms that mix restored Victorian features with sumptuous cappuccino-coloured velvet headboards, onyx-black bathrooms and design nods to the monopoly of attractions outside your bedroom door, including the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and Royal Albert Hall. Grey matter stimulated, head down...read more

The Coach

Clerkenwell

Set on the Clerkenwell cobbles is this 18th-century inn, concealing an oak-panelled bar, French bistro and four trendy rooms behind its neighbourhood-pub exterior. Slide past the pint-sipping crowd to the intimate Back Room, where chef Henry Harris dazzles with an indulgent menu. French onion soup comes thick with alliums and...read more

The Nai Harn

Phuket

Rarely does the thought of a 100-plus-room hotel engender intimacy, or bring the word ‘boutique’ to mind. But The Nai Harn manages to pull off this sleight of hand with ease. Set on the outstretched fingertip of the Phuket peninsula, it punctuates a jungle-clad hillside with cabanas and private spaces...read more

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Cognac Country

Russe – a memory of the future