In the attached August 2010 article, Norman Van Aken, acclaimed Miami chef (Normans) and a founder of American fusion cuisine, picks his favourite restaurants in Miami.   For a business lunch, he recommends Tap, Tap in Miami Beach, a "formal" Haitian restaurant,  [quiet for business conversations and a good] place to experience a bit of the ethnic mix that makes Miami the place that it is. Haitian is historically a poor cuisine with a lot of African influences, so there’s a lot of rice, curries, citrus and tropical fruits, goat, chicken, seafood and a flatbread called roti. It’s very vibrant and spicy."     Van Aken's "best foodie secret" for Miami is a takeout place called Pinolandia which does tamales and a wide range of Nicaraguan food.    Read more in the attached review.

Luxury private villa rental in Sri Lanka offering "peace and privacy,"  perched above the jungle just outside Galle.   Harper's Bazaar writes in August 2010,   "For those planning a bit of a detox, a spot of yoga and general pampering, Satori -- located just a few minutes from the beach... -- fits the bill.... Guests feast on fresh fruit, juices and colourful salads...."    "Best for a healthy house party."    Good value, from about 230 pounds a night for the entire property, sleeps eight.

"For the most novel lodgings [in Panama City], drive 40 minutes outside the city to Canopy Tower. The old radar station with a dramatic Canal view is now a paradise for bird-watchers."  [DailyCandy]

"To eat like a local [in Panama City], ask a cabbie to drop you at El Trapiche  on bustling Via Argentina for a Panamanian Fiesta combo plate.   Refresh your dry throat with a sugarcane juice from a street vendor."  [Daily Candy, DailyCandy Travel Guide to Panama, August 2010]

In August 2010, The NY Times proclaims, "The Berkshires’ latest culinary hit, is Nudel, in Lenox, which Bjorn Somlo opened last fall."  Mr Somlo scours local farms for the produce and meat.  Click here for other Berkshires locavore tips from the New York Times.

Tatler writes, Is there a better family hotel in Europe right now? Probably not. Anassa is a big gun, Impressive. Sizeable, Grand. But in that new grand way--cosy, smiley, but still smart, smart, smart."  Good spot for a family vacation, lots of activities for children.

Harper Bazaar's beach pick, "Best for swimming with dolphins," located in Kalpitiya Spit, less than a two-hour drive north of Colombo, Sri Lanka.  "Calm, crystal-clear waters," "snorkelling over the coral beds is a Technicolor dream."  Bazaar describes Alankuda Beach as a "low-key and peaceful lodge on a private beach...rustic and sophisticated in equal measure."  "Luxe for less," rates starting at $300 for a cabana which can sleep four, one double and two single beds." [sounds good for families]

170-acre hilltop estate in Chianti, being transformed into a "sustainable" agricultural and culinary "beacon" in Tuscany by chef Susan McKenna Grant and her husband, filmmaker and financier Michael Grant.  "Meals, taken on the sunny terrace looking down over lavender beds to the fortified village of Albola, consist of many dishes but nearly everything you eat is grown not just locally but on the estate. That means vegetables, of course, but also pork from the resident herd of handsome white-banded Cinta Senese pigs and eggs and chicken meat from Valdarno hens."  [FT,  La Petraia review]  Rooms, cooking classes available.    Learn more about La Petraia in the attached, August 2010 FT article, Delicious sustainable 'agriturismo' in Chianti.

New, industrial-chic hotel located in Midtown Manhattan across from the New York Public Library.   Andaz Fifth features 184 spacious loftlike rooms and suites with expansive windows and luxe baths paved in travertine marble.  Elle Decor advises in the attached, August 2010 News Flash, "Be sure to check out The Shop—a new café at Manhattan’s Andaz 5th Avenue hotel that’s as stylish as the hotel itself. The restaurant serves food sourced from regional farms and classic New York City neighborhood purveyors, such as Katz’s Delicatessen. The light-filled space, designed by Tony Chi, has an open kitchen and an adjoining retail area that offers Blue Bottle coffee and pastries to go."

The Baltic island of Usedom is Germany's version of Martha's Vineyard, says the FT in the attached travel review.  .  "Germans....have long cherished Usedom, flocking to the resorts Ahlbeck, Bansin and Heringsdorf ever since bathing became fashionable in the early 19th century. What lures them is not the brooding seas and ominous skies of Polanski’s thriller but the 42km of white sandy beaches and the fact that, as everyone is quick to tell you, it has some of the best weather in Germany. It’s a place to walk and cycle..." [FT]   Das Ahlbeck is mentioned as a "sassy" boutique hotel on Usedom's seafront.   For dining on the island, The FT recommends Kulm Eck  ("inventive dishes"),  Lutter & Wegner ("seaside outpost of slick Berlin restauran"), and Restaurant Stellwerk ("often-forgtten recipes brought back to life")