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Bahamas a luxury destination

Just ask Christopher Columbus, he bumped against these limestone landscapes in 1492 and changed the course of history. But adventure didn’t end with the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. From pirates to blockade dodgers to rum smugglers, wily go-getters have converged and caroused on the country’s 700 islands and 2400 cays for centuries.

So what’s in it for travelers? There’s sailing to Abacos. Diving Andros' blue holes. Kayaking the countless cays around Exumas. Lounging on Eleuthera's beaches. Pondering pirates in Nassau. Indeed, there’s a Bahamian island to match most every water-and-sand-based compulsion. Each of them framed by a backdrop of gorgeous, mesmerizing blue.

But every adventure has irritations, and here indifferent service, high prices and hungry no-see-ums take the lead. Nassau and Paradise Island are the prime troublemakers. But if casinos, Aquaventure and duty-free shopping don’t top your to-do list, consider dropping off the grid for a bit in the Out Islands. Prices remain high but there’s more bang for your Bahamian buck, with friendlier service, fewer crowds and, well, the pesky no-see-ums haven’t gotten the memo. But don’t wait long. Change is in the air and the Out Islands are blipping onto the radar screens of mega-developers and land grabbers the world over.

Life’s a little snappier in the Exumas. Whether you’re kayaking, kiteboarding or trimming a sail, a crisp palette of ocean blues sharpens every adventure. And with 365 cays unspooling over more than 100 miles, there’s a lot of adventure to go around. Wannabe Robinson Crusoes can wander lonely isles in Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park. Lifetime-to-do-listers can paddle shimmering Moriah Cay. Determined bonefishers can track wily prey on glass-clear shallows. And that’s without mentioning the gregarious yachtsmen who can mix their way to the perfect on-deck cocktail during the festive Family Island Regatta.

Landlubbers have distractions too, with the 62-mile Queen’s Hwy winding past historic ruins, hidden beaches and convivial beach bars on Great Exuma and Little Exuma, the two largest islands in the chain. In fact, the biggest thrill in Exuma may be the hair-raising one-lane bridge that connects them.

The launch pad for exploring is George Town, the bustling administrative center of Great Exuma that sits on the western shore of the sail-dotted blue waters of Elizabeth Harbour. Bordering the harbor to the east is Stocking Island, a sliver of land best known for its soft white sand and the infamous Chat & Chill Sunday pig roast.

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Europe with 8 of the World’s 10 Best Restaurants

We couldn’t be more proud. On the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013, Europe dominated the list, taking eight places in the Top 10.

Of those eight, Spain wins the most top restaurants, with #1, #4 and #8. A sampling of other European countries are represented in the remaining spots, including Denmark (#2), Italy (#3), England (#7), Austria (#9) and newcomer Germany (at #10).

Here’s the rundown of Europe’s Best Restaurants:

El Celler de Can Roca, Spain. Ranked No. 1 in the world, El Celler de Can Roca is a family restaurant lead by three brothers in the charming Catalan city of Girona. Each brother adds a touch to the winning combination, with Joan heading the kitchen, Jordi creating the desserts and Josep running the house as sommelier. Though they have made the list for the past eight years, this is their first year in the top position, knocking reigning leader NOMA down a seat.

NOMA, Denmark. After three years at No. 1, NOMA in Copenhagen drops down to No. 2. Not bad. Here, the rough landscape combines with locally hunted and gathered foods, and with the rough touch from chef-patron René Redzepi, a wild Scandinavian tasting menu is born. That is, a wild menu which finishes with sweet ¨treats¨.

Osteria Francescana, Italy. Modena‘s inventive Massimo Bottura designs a dish called ¨camouflage,¨ with froi gras, hare blood, chestnuts and herbs. His mixture of old Italy and new cuisine gets him the No. 3 spot.

Mugaritz, Spain. Termed as ¨Techno-emotional¨ Spanish cuisine, this No. 4 restaurant in San Sebastián is an Adrià contemporary. Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz has each creative dish on his tasting menu planned down to the second. Guests can expect a culinary experience more than a meal.

Dinner, England. Two words: Heston Blumenthal. Britain’s leading chef and his protégé-turned-head chef Ashley Palmer-Watts rework classic British recipes from centuries’ past and give them a modern twist. ¨Frumenty,¨ from 1390, is grilled octopus, smoked sea broth, pickled dulse and lovage. You don’t know half of those ingredients now, but you will. Dinner is #7 this year.

Arzak, Spain. San Sebastián’s staple inspired a London spinoff earlier this year, and stays steadily at #8 on the World’s Best. Father and daughter chefs Juan Mari Arzak and Elena Arzak Espina have made an international hit of their cutting-edge Basque cuisine, which is true to local tradition but also worldy in its resources. Ms. Arzak was voted World’s Best Female Chef last year by the same publication.

Steirereck, Austria. For the first time, Vienna‘s Steirereck lands in the Top 10, at No. 9. Chef, owner and farmer Heinz Reitbauer is calling on his Styrian roots to unearth a neo-Austrian cuisine which relies heavily on produce from his own farm and co-operative.

Vendôme, Germany. No. 10. Just outside Cologne, the neue Deutsch küche movement is being heralded by chef Joachim Wissler. This cuisine is said to break from Gallic influences and focus on real German food, in an avant-garde sort of way. Also coming back into style: large portions. A meal at Vendôme can include up to 25 courses.

By Eric JRM E.

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Barcelona Home to World’s Best Restaurant

El Celler de Can Roca. Girona, Spain

You wouldn’t expect the world’s best restaurant to be here, just outside the old town of the Catalonian city of Girona, about an hour north of Barcelona.

But this is the place, where the three Roca brothers took their mother’s cooking, some lessons from the French Nouvelle, a little Adrià instruction and a note of Basque. This is the final home to their now 3 Michelin Star restaurant El Celler de Can Roca, also now No. 1 in the world.

The space is beautiful – light and airy with glass, wood and plenty of rocks (rocas in Spanish) to minimally accent El Celler’s main decoration, which is the food.
And the alchohol. Oysters in cava and manzanilla. Clam with campari.
From mom’s Catalan kitchen – Iberian suckling pig with quince terrine, chicken legs with praw.

From the creative mind of youngest brother and dessert chef Jordi Roca: Milk dessert. And Anarchy – 12 creams, 7 gelatines, 7 sauces, 3 granitas, 2 foams, 2 ice creams, 3 fruit cakes and 7 crunches.
From the French – Timbale of apple and duck liver with vanilla oil.

The brothers have mastered their own technique of essential oil and smoke extraction. You’ll find it all over the menu, from the Dublin Bay prawns in curry smoke to the cigar-tasting Journey to Havana to the sweet Adaptation of Eternity by Calvin Klein.

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El Celler de Can Roca best restaurant in the world. Girona, Spain.

The 3-starred, newly-crowned World's Best restaurant. Be warned, this place booked out a year in advance for dinner even before they were elevated from #2 to #1. It will be virtually impossible to secure a reservation here in the near future. I made reservations 6 months ahead of time, and was able to get a table for lunch.