Tel Aviv has so many excellent restaurants and bars, many of which I have reviewed on Mapplr, but I will add one more to your list: Yoezer Wine Bar in the old Jaffa quarter by the clock tower. Jaffa is an atmospheric little neighborhood at the end of the promenade along the beach. It feels ancient, unlike the rest of Tel Aviv, which is very modern and busy.

• Vibe: Set in an old stone house originally built for the Turkish governor; feels like a wine cellar with old colored tiles and vaulted ceilings; romantic, cozy and relaxed.

• Pros: Excellent wine list, classic French and Italian dishes.

• Cons: Challenging to walk back along the beach after drinking all that wine

Yoezer Wine Bar
Ish Habira 2, Kikar Hashaon
Jaffa, Israel
+972-3-683-9115

Click on Places to all of our favorites in Tel Aviv and other cities.

Want to see a list of cities that we’ve covered on Mapplr? Go to Places (on the navigation bar):

http://www.mapplr.com/places/

What makes a city hot? Art, history, beautiful location and of course, good food. Istanbul has it all. And as with any city with lots of good food, how does a visitor figure out which restaurants and cafes are really worth trying? To answer this question, I decided to ask a local. But not just any local. I asked Cenk Sonmezsoy, whose food blog, Cafe Fernando, was voted the best blog in Turkey. Cenk spent five years in San Francisco (studying for his MBA). He is a passionate foodie who loves to bake and counts photography as a hobby (check out the beautiful photos on his blog).

Here are Cenk’s favorites in Istanbul.

Beyti
Orman Sokak No:8, Florya
Istanbul, Turkey
+90 212 663 2990
www.beyti.com.tr

Hünkar
Mim Kemal Öke Caddesi No:21/1, Nişantaşı
Istanbul, Turkey
+90 212 225 4662

Hamdi
Tahmis Caddesi Kalçın Sokak No:17, Eminönü
Istanbul, Turkey
+90 212 528 0390
www.hamdirestorant.com.tr/hamdien.htm

Changa
Sıraselviler Caddesi 47, Sıraselviler
Istanbul, Turkey
+90 212 249 1348
www.changa-istanbul.com/v2/changataksimmain.asp

Iskele
(Best fish restaurant in İstanbul)
Köybaşı Caddesi Vapur İskelesi Sokak No:15, Yeniköy
Istanbul, Turkey

Balikci Sabahattin
(another good fish restaurant)
Cankurtaran, Sultanahmet (behind Armada Hotel), Eminonu
Istanbul, Turkey
+90 212 458 18 24

Baylan Patisserie
Muvakkithane Caddesi No:19, Kadıköy
Istanbul, Turkey
+90 216 346 63 50
http://www.baylanpastanesi.com/eng/anasayfa.html

Çiya Sofrası
Caferağa Mah. Güneşlibahçe Sk. No:43, Kadıköy
Istanbul, Turkey
http://www.baylanpastanesi.com/eng/anasayfa.html

Çiya Sofrası
Caferağa Mah. Güneşlibahçe Sk. No:43, Kadıköy
Istanbul, Turkey
http://www.hacibekir.com.tr/eng/asayfa.html

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Here is a Google map of our favorites in Istanbul.

View Larger Map

Bangkok used to have two types of hotels: large expensive international chains and backpacker hostels. Recently, locals have been opening boutique hotels for those of us who want something different.

Lebua at State Tower
State Tower 1055 Silom Road
Bangkok, Thailand
+66 2624-9999
www.lebua.co

The Metropolitan Bangkok
27 Thanon Sathorn Tai
Bangkok, Thailand
+66 2 625 3322-4
www.metropolitan.como.bz/bangkok/

The Sukhothai Bangkok
13/3 Thanon Sathorn Tai
Bangkok, Thailand
+ 66 2 344 8888
www.sukhothai.com

The Eugenia
Chakrabongse Villas
396 Maharaj Rd, Tatien
Bangkok, Thailand
+66 2 224 6686
www.thaivillas.com

Buddy Lodge
Khaosan Rd
265 Thanon Khao San
Bangkok, Thailand
+66 2 6294477
www.buddylodge.com

The Davis
88 Sukhumvit 24
Klongteoy
Bangkok, Thailand
+ 66 2 260-8000
www.davisbangkok.net

Luxx
6/11 Decho Rd, Bangruk
Bangkok, Thailand
+ 66 2 635 8800
www.staywithluxx.com

Shanghai Inn
479-481 Yaowaraj Road, Samphantawong
Bangkok, Thailand
+66 2227 9777
www.shanghai-inn.com

Arun Residence
36-38 Soi Pratoo Nok Yoong, Maharat Road
Rattanakosin Island
Bangkok, Thailand
+66 2221 9158
www.arunresidence.com

Ibrik Resort by the River
256 Soi Wat Rakang, Arunamarin Rd., Bangkoknoi
Bangkok, Thailand
+66 2848-9220
www.ibrikresort.com

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Here is a Google map of our favorite hotels in Bangkok.

View Larger Map

Het Parool, the Amsterdam newspaper, has finally redesigned its website and it looks great. Better yet, they put all of Johannes van Dam’s restaurant reviews on a map. Van Dam is Parool’s opinionated restaurant critic. His standards can sometimes be a bit too traditional for me, but I agree with most of his assessments. I have been to Looks and Kinnaree (see Mapplr review). If you want to see more Amsterdam hotel and restaurant reviews on Mapplr, click here.

Below is a snapshot of the Parool restaurant map. It lists the restaurants on the right side with the score (on a scale of 1 to 10) that Van Dam has given them. The reviews are in Dutch, but you can just search for the names of restaurants with 8+ or more on Google. Hint: if van Dam gives a restaurant less than an 8, you must avoid it.