In the Magazines: January 2012

by Berit Baugher

A new year means new trips and new discoveries. The possibilities are endless.

Conde Nast Traveler January 2012 CONDE NAST TRAVELER
On the cover
: The 2012 Gold List includes top hotels, resorts, and cruise lines, such as Ireland's Adare Manor, Italy's Grand Hotel Quisisana, and London's Haymarket Hotel.

Highlights:
- A Day in Downtown: An itinerary for the English countryside inspired by the Emmy award-winning TV series Downton Abbey.

- Relishing Rome: Lee Aitken shamelessly eats her way through the internal city while compiling a list of locally loved restaurants — from a mozzarella bar to a regal villa at the edge of the Borghese Gardens.

- Hello, Chicago!: With a plethora of new epicurean options to enjoy, nobody's going hungry this winter.

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Travel + LeisureTRAVEL + LEISURE
On the cover: The T+L 500 lists top hotels around the world as picked by readers. Favorites include West Virginia's The Greenbrier and Hawaii's Four Seasons Resort Hualalai.

 Highlights:
- A Classic Reborn: Michael Gross welcomes the new and improved Hotel Bel-Air to the 21st century. Alexandra Champalimaud's redesign includes updates such as $3,000 computerized toilets and a swan lake that uses recycled water.

 - Twelve for 2012: A dozen destinations to check-out in the new year, including culturally buzzing Guimaraes, Portugal and the newly peaceful Sri Lanka.

- Pizza Quest: Food critic Anya von Bremzen recounts her journey to Italy in search of the best pizza city: Rome vs. Naples. We wont spoil the surprise, but take note — it was a very close competition.

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Budget TravelBUDGET TRAVEL
We covered the December/January issue in our December roundup, but here it is again.

On the cover: Melinda Page discovers the lesser-known, more affordable side of the Seychelles, where beachside apartments go for $125 a night. 

Highlights:
- Caribbean's Most Wanted: From a sustainable farm institute to Aruba's weekly street party; David Swanson investigates American's favorite islands in search of the new and undiscovered.

- Top Budget Travel Destinations for 2012: Explore baroque churches, black-sand beaches, and crater lakes in the Azores, one of Nicole Frehsee's picks for 2012.

- Road Trip: La Ruta Panoramica: Take a spin on Puerto Rico's answer to Route 66. Josh Eells uncovers the island's quieter side, where the road is laced with waterfalls and horses out number people. 

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AfarAFAR
On the cover: Majka Burhardt explores Havana by night and breaks the rules climbing Cuba's karst mountains by day. 

Highlights:
- The French Connection: Sibling dynamics are on full display as writer Matt Gross recounts a winter trip to Montreal with his younger brother Steve.

- Danny Hess's San Francisco: A list of neighborhood favorites from the Outer Sunset resident and sustainable surfboard designer of Hess Surfboards.  

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NGTraveler coverNATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER
On the cover:
Sheila Buckmaster shares details of her annual pilgrimage to Venice for Carnevale, where she joined in the festivities dressed as Charlie Chaplin. 

Highlights:
- A Magical Mystery
: Well aware of the cliché, Frank DiCesare embraces pop-culture history and recounts crossing the famous Abbey Road.

- The Buzz in Mexico
: Melina Gerosa looks out for the Melipona beecheii bee.

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We make every effort to ensure the information in our articles is accurate at the time of publication. But the world moves fast, and even we double-check important details before hitting the road.