Conde Nast Traveler

the editor’s letter

Everyone has a weird sleeping story, right? That always ends, “And then a rat ran over my face.” In mine, I’m with my friend Jo and we’re stuck on Komodo, in Indonesia. This is more than 20 years ago, so there are no actual places to stay on Komodo. We had been on a boat, and it had broken down. Now we’re stranded on an island with flesh-eating lizards the size of Hummers, as well as, oddly, three German butchers. There we are, sitting in the dark not eating whatever a lone villager has kindly offered us, while massive beasts with licky tongues strut fatly around us and the butchers talk us through exactly how to cut up a cow, dispose of a pancreas, et cetera. That night Jo and…

the travel hack

(PHOTOGRAPHS: YONGJUN KOO/LICKERISH)VICTORIA BECKHAM“I always board a long-haul flight with clean skin. I use Bioderma wipes, then apply Sarah Chapman Intense Hydrating Booster throughout the journey, along with La Mer the Eye Concentrate. If my skin is super dry, I use Lancer Omega Hydrating Oil and always have Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream to keep my lips moisturized. Plus, I avoid salty food on the plane.”(KEVIN TRAGESER/REDUX/EYEVINE)KARLIE KLOSS“My favorite jet-lag cure is exercise. If I’m pressed for time, I’ll go for a swim in the hotel pool or do a few Yoga with Adriene YouTube videos in my room.”(DAMON WINTER/NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX/EYEVINE.)GWYNETH PALTROW“I SPEND 30 MINUTES IN AN INFRARED SAUNA AFTER I LAND TO SWEAT OUT THE PLANE.”(INTERVIEWS: CATHERINE ROBINSON)PRABAL GURUNG“I DRINK A TON OF WATER, READ A GOOD BOOK,…

the tastemakers issue

The unveiling of the game-changing Grand Egyptian Museum has been delayed again. And yet the news from the ground is that, for the first time in eight years, there’s a wait list for Cairo hotels and boat trips along the Nile. After a tumultuous few years, Egypt, it seems, is back on the map. It had been hoped that the $1 billion sleek marble temple to the country’s antiquities would have swung open its doors by now, revealing, most crucially, King Tutankhamen’s entire burial collection—more than 5,000 pieces—displayed to the public in an exact replica of the tomb itself, allowing visitors to see everything (bejeweled sandals, embroidered tunics, and the Boy King’s death mask) just as Howard Carter did when he made his milestone discovery in 1922. And while everyone…

the island focus

There are certain harbingers that fresh tribes of travelers are making their way to French Polynesia. After helping to transform Mexico’s Tulum from sleepy beach town into haute-hippie utopia, Nicolas Malleville and Francesca Bonato, the lithe and lovely couple behind the boutique-hotel brand Coqui Coqui, are rolling out an outpost on Bora Bora late this year. Those who prefer to keep the waves all to themselves will also have a new playground this summer when Cirque du Soleil cofounder Guy Laliberté launches Nukutepipi, a super-luxe private island with 16 beachfront villas and bungalows that can be rented out exclusively. And families looking for simpler experiences—and alternatives to proper sit-down dinners with children and the constant lobbying for $25 poolside mocktails—can get their thrills too, as locally run, Tahiti Tourisme–vetted guesthouses…

the caribbean comeback

More than a year after Hurricane Irma tore through the Leeward Islands, this hard-hit corner of the Caribbean is on its feet again. In December, SMX airport, serving both Dutch Sint Maarten and French St. Martin, moved its operations back to the main building from a tent, while the hilly island’s legendary dining scene—from stalwart L’Auberge Gourmande in Grand Case to upstarts like Emilio’s, crafting locally flavored tapas—is bustling. It’s all perfectly timed for the pastel-hued makeover at jet-set magnet Belmond La Samanna, built astride a golden crescent, and the reopening of sister property Belmond Cap Juluca, 20 minutes away by speedboat in the most coveted spot on Anguilla. The $121 million reno is the hotel’s most ambitious since opening on mile-long Maundays Bay in 1988. Its new look features…

the culture crush

The Menil Drawing Institute exterior (PHOTOGRAPHS: RICHARD JAMES TAYLOR)Despite being the largest metropolis in the state, Houston’s always been excluded from the list of “cool” Texas spots. (We see you, Austin.) But if you look past the mile-wide freeways and strip malls, the city is creating its own vibe. In 2019 alone, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Holocaust Museum will complete expansions, joining the newly renovated Menil Collection—full of Warhols, Rothkos, and Twomblys—and its Drawing Institute, the first of its kind in the U.S. But as the most diverse city in the country—nearly a quarter of the population was born abroad—Houston’s claim to fame goes far beyond its American roots. Take the food. Yes, there’s barbecue (Killen’s brisket is legendary). But capturing our attention are the two-room Pho…