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      Forbes Travel Guide Stories

      Food and Wine, Hotels

      21 Delicious Reasons To Travel Right Now
      By Forbes Travel Guide Editor Jennifer Kester

      October 20, 2020

      Food
      Dine in a chic gondola at Ocean House. Credit: Ocean House

      As the weather gets cooler, hotels all over the world are finding inventive ways to deliver delicious food and drinks while allowing for social distancing. From properties in London to Los Cabos, we found heated igloos, secret room service menus and private culinary excursions that will keep you sated.

      Peruse this list of classes, seasonal pop-ups, new eateries and food-centric events to help plan your next meal.

      Fall for fondue

      For the third year, Ocean House brings Swiss après-ski traditions to coastal Rhode Island with its Veuve Clicquot Fondue Village. It converted vintage gondolas into inviting dining dens with chandeliers and imported Swiss and Austrian glassware and china for a private four-course meal with plenty of champagne and melted cheese.

      The Connaught Patisserie also will deliver its treats. Credit: The Connaught

      Indulge in French pastries

      The Connaught recently debuted a rose-infused patisserie selling the London hotel’s famed pastries, including walnut financiers, Paris-Brest, St Honoré and yuzu éclairs. Keep an eye on the sculptural clock — it reveals which goodies you can expect and when, so you can be first in line for a fresh-from-the-oven pain au chocolat.  

      Find this hidden gem

      Tucked on Conrad Washington, DC’s third floor is a leafy nook with garden-inspired fare. Hidden Terrace at the Conrad Gardens provides an à la carte menu, but head there Fridays and Saturdays for the three-course “story.” Chapter one arrives as a three-drawer jewelry box filled with crudités, cheese and charcuterie.

      Enjoy dinner in an igloo. Credit: The Watergate Hotel

      Warm up in an igloo

      Cozy domes have taken over The Next Whisky Bar garden at The Watergate Hotel in D.C. You will want to linger in the armchairs in the six heated igloos while noshing on bacon-wrapped scallops, smoked Gouda arancini and charcuterie. For an instant warmer, order one of the excellent whisky flights.

      Enjoy a garden party

      Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead transformed its tranquil garden into an open-air restaurant and bar. Go to The Garden to dig into fresh, simple dishes like spinach ravioli and steak frites, and drink a Georgia Peach (jasmine-infused vodka, peach liqueur, lime and simple syrup) among the flowers, hedges and pool.

      Have a meal in your own little house. Credit: Inn at Perry Cabin

      Dine in a mini greenhouse

      Have a private dinner in a charming waterfront mini house at Inn at Perry Cabin in Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Watch the sun sink into the Chesapeake Bay while sampling the day’s catch — which could be rockfish, crab or oysters — and seasonal vegetables plucked from the inn’s garden or neighboring farms.

      Daniel Boulud takes his cuisine to the Berkshires. Credit: Blantyre

      Come to a countryside celebrity-chef pop-up

      Chef Daniel Boulud’s summer pop-up at Blantyre in the Berkshires was such a success that it was extended to February. Alfresco dining will continue thanks to heaters, so you can tuck into the grilled lobster tail or succulent duck breast amid the bucolic countryside. There are spaced-out indoor options, too.

      Visit a new alfresco restaurant

      The Peninsula Beverly Hills reinvented its terrace into Californian brasserie Le Petit Belvedere. The spot features Robert Indiana’s Love sculpture, new seating and dishes like saffron risotto croquettes and moules frites. Come for the complimentary 8 p.m. daily Laurent-Perrier toast or the weekend afternoon tea — it’s the only L.A. restaurant offering the tradition.

      Have a rosé-filled meal. Credit: The Inn at Hastings Park

      Sip rosé in an idyllic setting

      Nestled among the trees at The Inn at Hastings Park in Lexington, Massachusetts, is the Whispering Angel Culinary Garden. Take a cooking lesson with inn owner Trisha Pérez Kennealy — a Le Cordon Bleu London chef — or sit down to an alfresco meal (like grilled baby lamb chops) with rosé under the twinkling lights.

      Room service arrives in Veuve’s signature yellow. Credit: La Peer Hotel

      Order from a secret menu

      Bypass the usual room service staples at Kimpton’s La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood. When ordering select bottles of Veuve Clicquot, you unlock a secret menu with dishes like crab and sausage rice or sliders topped with fontina, pickles and secret sauce with a side of truffle fries.

      Leave the baking to Travelle. Credit: The Langham, Chicago

      Pick up exquisite pastries

      The Langham, Chicago added a new service at its Travelle restaurant: a to-go bakery. Order ahead and pick up scrumptious pastries like almond croissants and pumpkin brown butter bread, or luscious cakes like the Memphis (banana sponge with Nutella frosting) or the Beatrix (carrot cake with cream cheese frosting).

      Step up for alfresco movie nights. Credit: Weekapaug Inn

      Have dinner and a movie under the stars

      Snuggle under a heated blanket at Weekapaug Inn’s Cinema Under the Stars (Saturdays, November 7 to December 19). Watch holiday favorites like Love, Actually and Elf and enjoy thermos cocktails and a three-course bento box (expect entrées like lobster mac and cheese). A roving candy cart will keep you plied with sweets throughout the movie.

      Taste wines poolside. Credit: Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection

      Dive into poolside wine tastings

      Let the wine tastings come to you at Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection. The Sip and Dip package gives you a private tasting from your own cabana-turned-dining-room overlooking the Napa hotel’s remarkable 130-foot pool. You’ll swirl, sniff and sip pours from nearby wineries like Pahlmeyer, Signorello Estate and Brian Arden Wines.

      Take a culinary class

      If quarantine revealed that you need to up your kitchen skills, visit Ojai Valley Inn’s The Farmhouse, a state-of-the-art indoor/outdoor culinary event space with a slate of programming featuring top chefs and sommeliers. Join socially distant classes to learn how to make breakfast classics, artisan pizza, macarons and much more.

      Savor fresh seafood. Credit: Esperanza, Auberge Resorts Collection

      Forage for seafood

      At Esperanza, Auberge Resorts Collection’s Los Cabos beach, forage for sea urchin and crabs with the chef, who will use your haul to prepare chilpachole (Mexican seafood stew) for dinner. Or opt for an ATV ride through the desert followed by snorkeling to procure Baja’s chocolata clams for a beach picnic.

      Take to the lake. Credit: Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva

      Go on a boating excursion

      Even when temperatures dip, Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva offers boating excursions. Glide through the lake while indulging in fondue or raclette (a heavenly meal where you scrape melted cheese from a wheel onto everything from vegetables to meat) or bundle up and go fishing and then enjoy your catch back at the hotel restaurant.

      Indulge in a fall-flavored brunch. Credit: Boston Harbor Hotel

      Break for a waterfront brunch

      Savor the season with an Autumn Brunch at Boston Harbor Hotel’s waterfront Rowes Wharf Sea Grille. Spiced monkey bread is slathered with maple cream cheese icing and pumpkin crème anglaise, while entrées like fall poutine (with a sunnyside-up egg, duck confit, sweet potato, Vermont cheddar curds and gravy) come with an apple cider mimosa.

      Sail away on a tour. Credit: Casa Chameleon at Las Catalinas

      Sail on a catamaran in Costa Rica

      Take Casa Chameleon at Las Catalinas’ private catamaran coastal tour to explore the beaches of Portero, Prieta, Sugar Beach and Catalinas. Time it for sunset to soak up the brilliant colors during a casual dinner that includes wraps, fried beans, fresh fruit, tortilla chips with dipping sauces, and sweet and savory desserts. 

      Sip an over-the-top milkshake

      The Venetian Resort Las Vegas’ Black Tap Vegas unveiled a newly renovated patio overlooking the canals. Sit among illuminated arches with hand-drawn graffiti inside while sipping an over-the-top milkshake, like the Cakeshake, a cake batter shake with a vanilla-frosted, rainbow-sprinkles-covered rim that’s topped with a funfetti cake slice.

      Have a proper picnic. Credit: Montage Palmetto Bluff

      Pedal to a gourmet picnic

      At Montage Palmetto Bluff, set off on a bright-yellow Veuve Clicquot bike and follow the map of Lowcountry picnic spots. Once you park your blanket, nosh on fare like Benton’s ham and pimento cheese on a cathead biscuit and chocolate chip and red velvet cookies, all paired with champagne.

      Visit a food truck. Credit: Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa

      Try a fall-themed food truck

      Nibble on black mission fig and ricotta toast with Marcona almonds, lardo and sumac from Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa’s CaliForno – Street Eats Food Truck airstream. Then order the “S’more-gasbord” kit with marshmallows, chocolate, Reese’s, graham crackers, candied bacon and fruit to make gooey treats in the nearby fire pit.

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      Atlanta Blantyre Boston Boston Harbor Hotel Casa Chameleon at Las Catalinas Chicago Conrad Washington DC Costa Rica Esperanza Auberge Resorts Collection Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva Geneva Hilton Head Inn at Perry Cabin La Peer Hotel Las Vegas London Los Angeles Los Cabos Montage Palmetto Bluff Napa Valley Ocean House Ojai Ojai Valley Inn Rhode Island Solage Auberge Resorts Collection Sonoma St. Michaels The Berkshires The Connaught The Inn at Hastings Park The Langham Chicago The Peninsula Beverly Hills The Venetian Resort Las Vegas The Watergate Hotel Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead Washington D.C. Weekapaug Inn
      by Forbes Travel Guide Editor Jennifer Kester 

      About Forbes Travel Guide Editor Jennifer Kester

      Jennifer Kester is the vice president and executive editor at Forbes Travel Guide, where she oversees the editorial department. Kester’s beat includes everything that rings of luxury travel—food and drink, culture, wellness and, of course, hotels. She has visited hundreds of luxury destinations, and her travels have brought her everywhere from Toronto to Tokyo to Tasmania. She’s always on the lookout for the next great beach or city to visit, all to bring readers that much closer to figuring out their next destination. A leading expert in hospitality journalism, Kester has been an editor and writer for Forbes Travel Guide since 2008, taking over as executive editor in 2015.

      View all posts by Forbes Travel Guide Editor Jennifer Kester

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