Eat, Pray, Love Escapes

With so much hype leading up to last weekend's opening of Eat Pray Love, the film may have already reached its saturation point. Whether you love the book and its film adaptation or not, I can’t think of three more fabulous destinations than Bali, India and Italy. Below, see my picks on great escapes in each. I can’t guarantee Javier Bardem or James Franco run-ins, but all three will deliver incredible food experiences and instant relaxation.

Bali: F&W’s Gail Simmons recently returned from a stay at the Alila Villas Uluwatu, a new superluxe small resort on the southern tip of the island. The young Dutch chef who heads up its restaurant, Warung, reinvents traditional Indonesian food with modern techniques and local ingredients.

Italy: F&W’s executive wine editor Ray Isle just returned from his own epic eating and drinking adventure in and around Rome. You can read about it in the October issue. For now, avoid the city's Eat Pray Love crowds and escape to Tuscany’s stunning new Il Salviatino resort. The restored palazzo is tucked away in the hills of Fiesole. The chef at its restaurant, La Terazza, worked with local grandmothers to develop dishes like ricotta-and-spinach gnudi and pici with bread crumbs.

India: Earlier this year, I was in India and found my perfect paradise at a dreamy place called Elsewhere on the beach in northern Goa. The scattering of houses and tents are part of Indian fashion photographer Denzil Sequeira’s family property. The location is so remote that it won’t show up on GPS. Highlights included learning how to prepare a Goan feast with Elsewhere’s cooks, riding an elephant at a nearby spice farm and practicing daily yoga on the beach.