Zanzibar has long been one of our favorite destinations, but this year for the first time it has come out as #1 in the region, winning our Experts’ Choice Award for Best of Africa & the Middle East.
Zanzibar is rightfully renowned for its beaches. Vogue, in choosing Zanzibar for its list of top holiday destinations in 2019, says that the archipelago “boasts some of the most brilliant shores around, making it a dream-worthy holiday destination”.
We’ve been tracking a number of exciting new hotel openings in Zanzibar over the past couple years. The most talked-about is the Zuri Zanzibar, which consists of 55 thatched bungalows, among the most tasteful and well-appointed rooms on Zanzibar’s main island.
Zanzibar is more than white sand beaches, clear warm water and diverse marine life. Its culture, with Arabic, African, Persian and European influences, is also a unique attraction. It reaches the height of its expression in historic Stone Town, where the mosques, palaces, and bazaars have been built in an eclectic range of architectural styles.
In awarding Zanzibar the title of Best of Africa & the Middle East for 2019, we took into account trends in reviews of hotels, restaurants, and attractions throughout the region. As always, only expert reviews were taken into account: at TripExpert, we focus exclusively on reviews written by professionals for leading travel media.
Barcelona is a rare city. It features as much culture as virtually any other destination in Europe, but in a uniquely laid back environment, with excellent weather, beach access, and a fantastic culinary scene. It consistently appears at or near the top of “best of” travel lists, and was a runner-up to San Sebastián, the winner of our Best of Europe award in 2018.
This year, Barcelona takes the top spot in Europe in our Experts’ Choice Awards. Critics and writers from leading travel media power the Experts’ Choice awards. We draw on “best-of 2019” lists and our proprietary scoring algorithm that aggregate and weight expert reviews for hotels, restaurants and attractions.
Barcelona is renowned for its architecture, which range from Gaudi masterpieces such as Basilica of the Sagrada FamiliaCasa Milà and Park Guell to modern skyscrapers by architects such as Herzog and de Meuron. Best of all, you can enjoy many of these buildings from multiple angles by taking advantage of the city’s rooftop bars.
The Grand Hotel Central has a rooftop infinity pool that’s unparalleled. Our expert reviewers are tracking several exciting recent and upcoming hotel openings in the city. The Edition, which opened in summer 2018, also has an excellent rooftop as well as a cocktail bar and a cabaret show.
The Kimpton Barcelona, opening this summer, will be centrally located near La Rambla, the city’s most famous (and most crowded!) street, and will feature the luxury and eccentricty that the Kimpton brand is known for. Nobu Barcelona, which is taking reservations for stays starting from September, will feature a 23rd floor restaurant that we expect will become a highlight of the city’s dining scene.
Barcelona EDITION
There has been a rapid rise in the number of tourists visiting Barcelona in the last few years, and several of our source publications have warned that this may negatively effect your experience of the city. Our #1 piece of advice is to avoid visiting the city in peak season, especially August, when the in any event the weather is often unpleasantly hot. In the shoulder and off-peak seasons, Barcelona remains an exceptional experience and a deserving winner of the title of Best of Europe 2019.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes Costa Rica thehappiest country in the world, and that’s because there’s just so many reasons for the denizens of this tiny country to celebrate. With some of the highest living standards in the region, Costa Rica can perhaps best be described as the Switzerland of Latin America for its peace and prosperity. Or is it better described as the Borneo of Central America, for its biodiversity and outstanding opportunities for eco-tourism? Or how about the Denmark of Central America, due to Costa Rica’s environmentally-conscious economy? Or how about be ditch comparisons all together and admit that when it comes to beaches, Costa Rica is in a league of its own. This slender strip of isthmus has more beaches than borders, and puts postcards to shame with that smooth white sand and turquoise waters. So when it came to deciding on which country deserves our Experts’ Choice Award for Best Beach Destination for 2019, we just couldn’t pass up Costa Rica.
Costa what? Good luck finding Costa Rica on a map. Sandwiched between Nicaragua and Panama, this humble country rarely makes international headlines. When it does, it’s often for one of Costa Rica’s numerous environmental achievements,
Such as its ambitious plan to become the world’s first zero emissions nation. While many of its neighbors struggle with insecurity, corruption and violence, Costa Rica has spent the last few decades quietly building a paradise at the crossroads between North and South America. It’s so peaceful that since 1949, the country has proudly boasted a constitution that bans the creation of a standing army. It’s peaceful attitude was recognized in 1980, when the United Nations opted to base the U.N. University for Peace in Costa Rica. Nonetheless, Costa Rica isn’t quite perfect, and in early 2019 an uncharacteristic spike in violent crime led the Canadian government to warn its citizens to exercise caution while visiting the Central American country. Since then, Costa Rican authorities have announced a crackdown on violent crime and illegal arms. Despite this, you’ll find locals in Costa Rica are generally open, gracious people.
Of course, Costa Ricans (or Ticos, as locals refer to themselves), don’t just love each other; they also care deeply for the environment. A deeply ingrained culture of conservationism has taken root in this country ever since the 1950s, when American Quakers flocked here to create their own de-industrialized utopia. By 1972, the Quakers had created their own bio-reserve with virtually no government or corporate backing.
Since then, Costa Rica’s conservation movement has exploded, and today the country has around 160 protected areas, ranging from volcanic highlands perfect for hiking, dense jungle teeming with unique wildlife, and marine reserves that will take the breath away from even the most seasoned of scuba
Manuel Antonio National Park
veterans. Whether land or sea, wherever you go in Costa Rica you can expect to be blown away by the unparalleled biodiversity. Costa Rica contains an estimated 5 percent of global biodiversity, despite comprising barely 0.03 percent of the world’s surface. Arguably the most popular place to experience Costa Rica’s natural environment is the Manuel Antonio National Park, with its diverse range of seaside ecosystems that feature colorful toucans, screeching macaws and adorable sloths. It also happens to be the most well-visited beach in the country.
Alternatively, head to the highlands for theVolcan Arenal National Park. The centerpiece of this reserve is the active Arenal volcano, which is surrounded by lush jungle and hot springs. Otherwise, birdwatchers should flock to theMixto de Vida Silvestre Romelia National Refuge, where you might be lucky enough to catch sight of the rare rare waterfowl. An even better reason to visit is to see the Olive Ridley sea turtle, which uses this reserve as one of just a few known nesting grounds. True adventurers, however, shouldn’t miss theVolcan Rincon de la Vieja National Park. Dominated by the boisterous Rincon volcano, the park bubbles with hot springs, fumaroles and steaming mud pots.
Beaches, beaches and more beaches No visit to Costa Rica would be complete without a couple of lazy beach days. Along with the afore-mentioned Manuel Antonio National Park, the surf town of Tamarindo is as flavorsome as it sounds. Find yourself a cozy beach hideaway like the humbleTamarindo Inn, and hit the surf. Otherwise, for something really unique, pay a visit to Flamingo Beach, which gets its name from the unusual pinkish hue of the sand. Finally, consider ending your trip with a mind-blowing flyover tour of theMarino Ballena National Park. This beach is best known for its shoreline shaped like a whale’s tail, and is best seen from the skies.
Wherever you go in Costa Rica, you’ll find rest and relaxation on some of the world’s best beaches, and exhilarating ecological experiences throughout the well-preserved jungles, highlands and shores of the gem of Central America.
The winner of our 2019 Experts’ Choice Award for Best of Central & South America is Cartagena, Colombia. No destination will ever satisfy every variety of traveler – except perhaps for Cartagena. Is it a colonial city, or a beach resort? A family destination, or a launching pad for exploring Colombia’s wildest reaches? The answer is simple: all of the above, and more. Indeed, ask a hundred travelers what they like about Colombia’s premier destination, and you’ll get at least a hundred different responses. History buffs can be let loose for days exploring the old town with its world-class mix of museums and colonial-era relics, while sun seekers have some
of Colombia’s best Caribbean beaches to make use of. It’s a party town, but keeps things classy enough to not quite feel like it. As for outdoors people yearning for the hiking trails of Cuzco, Cartagena itself is just a stone’s throw from jungle ruins that make Machu Picchu look like a spring chick.
Rosario Islands
Oh, and did we mention all this is less than three hours from Miami? Thanks to a new(ish) crop of direct flights from North America, Cartagena is closer than ever before. It’s for these reasons that Cartagena has scooped up our Experts’ Choice for best destination in Central and South America for 2019. So whether you’re looking for an easy weekend escapade or an invigorating first stop on a trek through South America, Cartagena is now the undisputed gateway to the continent.
Of course, this status really isn’t as new as it might seem; in a way, Cartagena has always been the doorway to South America. Founded in 1533, the city began life as one of the most important ports in Spain’s New World empire. Here, gold and silver flowed in from Peru and Bolivia, before being loaded into galleons bracing for the Atlantic crossing. Coming in the other direction, a motley morass of conquistadores, merchants, drifters, slaves and rebels passed through Cartagena on their way to the uncharted reaches of the New World.
Buccaneers and Lost Cities
All this economic activity quickly drew the attention of pirates, and throughout much of its history Cartagena was forced to remain on constant guard against attacks from the sea. To keep the pirates of the Caribbean at bay, Cartagena’s colonial overlords constructed not only the city walls that remain today, but also the imposingSan Felipe de Barajas Castle. Constructed over the course of a century, San Felipe is widely considered the greatest fortress ever built by the Spanish Empire, and a marvel of military history. To really get a good overview of the city though, head up to the 17th Century Convento La Popa de la Galera, which is perched on a hill overlooking Cartagena. Afterward, don’t miss a date withLa Cevicheria, which serves up the tangiest ceviche in town, and was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. Despite the name of the show that made this cramped little place famous, you will indeed need a reservation to score a table. For something more popular, consider a stroll over to the quiet, leafyPlaza de San Diego. Lined with multi-colored colonial houses, the plaza is also the best place to try an arepa, the corn dough snack beloved by Colombians and Venezuelans alike.
Cartagena de Indias
After lunch, you’d better make time to run Cartagena’s gamut of museums, starting with the informativeMuseo Historico de Cartagena de Indias. Then, get a taste for gold fever at theMueso del Oro Zenu. While not quite as impressive as its counterpart in Bogota, this gold-themed museum is nonetheless breathtaking with its fascinating array of both pre-hispanic and colonial-era pieces. For dessert, meander towards the picturesquePlaza de los Coches, where on the way you should run into the Portal de los Dulces. Here, you can snack away on sugary Colombian treats, including coconut munchies in all their forms.
For more street food, pay a visit to the Mercado de Bazurto, which offers both cheap eats and exotic foods. Consider steering clear of the cooked turtle though, which is highly discouraged by authorities despite being a traditional meal for many Indigenous Colombians. Once the hustle and bustle gets too overwhelming, take a trip to the beach, or arrange a tour to Ciudad Perdida (The Lost City). With a name that sounds like it was pulled straight from a pulp adventure comic, Cuidad Perdida features 169 terraced levels holding stone structures, roads and plazas. Not only is Ciudad Perdida an impressive feat of engineering in such an inhospitable environment, it’s also ridiculously old. The ruins are estimated to have been constructed around 800 BC, making them roughly as old as Rome, and more than 600 years older than Machu Picchu.
Plaza de los Coches
It’s hard to believe so much diversity of adventure opportunities can fit into a single city, but that’s why we’re in love with Cartagena. As the winner of our Experts’ Choice Award for best destination in Central & South America for 2019, we’re excited to see what South America’s most dynamic city has in store for the year ahead. Keep up to date with the latest travel intel on Cartagena here at Trip Expert.
