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This is one of the richest paleontology sites in the world. These sites team with scientists uncovering hominid fossils aged as old as 2 million years. It’s incredible to stand, watch, and reflect as our ancient ancestors are being unearthed. While in the area, check out the Nirox Contemporary Art Foundation (www.niroxarts.com). The artists’ residence and sculpture park contain works by South African and international artists. A peaceful place. You’ll want to stay.

What was once a pop-up bar, The Broken Shaker is now a permanent fixture at the Freehand Miami. The James Beard Award-nominated bar is located in the high-end hostel on South Beach serving up a selection of handcrafted cocktails. The bar itself is a tiny room by the pool with a 1950s Havana look. You can grab your cocktail—made with elixirs, syrups and infusions using herbs and spices from the onsite garden—and drink it in the bar, or head outside to the pool and nestle into one of the lounge chairs. Away from the hustle and bustle of South Beach, The Broken Shaker offers a more intimate setting than the lavish pools at high-end hotels in the area.

While South Africa isn’t known for its sushi, you can easily satisfy your craving in Cape Town at Willoughby & Co. The menu at this waterfront restaurant is encyclopedic—there’s everything from Boston clam chowder and spaghetti marinara to prawn curry and teriyaki chicken ramen, but sushi is the star. Try the chili-seared tuna sashimi or the tuna roll with caviar sesame seeds.

The Torch, also known as the Aspire Tower, at 980 ft, is the tallest structure in Doha. It was built to house the 2006 Asian Games Flame and it holds the record for the tallest and highest-positioned games flame ever. The Tower, located 20 minutes away from the city centers, serves now as a luxury hotel, although calling The Torch Hotel luxurious is a serious understatement. It has 51 floors, 360 views from any of its lounges, the only revolving restaurant in the country, one of the quaintest places for high tea, and to top it all off, hotel guests have access to a cantilevered swimming pool on the 19th floor--not for those afraid of heights--and a red carpet private walkway access to Villaggio Mall and. As beautiful as it is, it’s worth keeping in mind that The Torch Hotel doesn’t serve alcohol.

Thanks to loosened liquor laws, Utah’s distilling scene is flourishing—the Sugar House Distillery is the third small-batch distillery to open in the state in the last year. On an informal tour you can buy bottles of owner James Fowler’s vodka and malt whiskey.

With its gold-hued, Egyptian pyramid-inspired exterior—topped by a glass peak that lights up like a beacon at night—it’s easy to recognize the 19-story Raffles hotel among Dubai’s glittering skyline. Inside, distinguishing features include the spacious rooms and suites—the 252 options are among the largest in town, and come with private terraces, Arabic design touches, tubs and walk-in showers, and service from a Raffles butler. The seven dining options draw a mix of in-house guests, expat locals, and business people. Choose from restaurants for Italian, Japanese, Arabic, and international buffet fare, a tea salon for refined sweet and savory creations, a cabana-ringed garden for shared plates and weekly barbecues, a bar and café adjacent to the well-sized pool, and a cocktail bar that pairs drinks with telecasts of the latest sports matches. Global influences can also be felt at the well-appointed spa, where the treatments are inspired by Asian, European, and Middle Eastern techniques.

Check your traditional hotel notions at the door of this Russell Street lodging. At QT Melbourne, guests are greeted on arrival by cheery Directors of Chaos, who sport the same black wigs, heavy makeup, and bold black-and-white outfits, but the lobby itself makes an equally striking first impression: old-school French hip-hop competes for attention with colorful video installations, a giant stuffed peacock, and a towering wall of 1,700 recycled books. Upstairs, the 188 rooms give off an industrial-chic vibe with concrete-slab ceilings, timber flooring, and bathrooms set behind sliding partitions of aluminum-framed glass.


The hotel’s seemingly never-ending food and drink offerings include the Pascale Bar & Grill, where French bistro influences combine with produce farmed on the rooftop garden; Hot Sauce, for Asian-accented bar food (think steamed baos stuffed with fried chicken and kimchi); and the Cake Shop, for warm pain au chocolat in the morning, plus an array of pastries, cakes, and snacks throughout the day. Families with young children will appreciate the complimentary travel cots and babysitting services (arranged with advance notice).

On a quiet white-sand beach within the gates of the historic Hacienda Pinilla ranch, just a few miles from the bustling surf town of Tamarindo, the JW Marriott is an ideal choice for families, offering a wide range of on-site activities for every fitness level—think surfing, volleyball, golf, hiking, kayaking, horseback riding, and the list goes on. The kids’ club provides organized daily adventures for children ages four to 12 while parents steal a few relaxing hours at the oceanfront infinity pool or indulging in beachside massages at the spa. Five restaurants and two bars serve everything from casual burgers for picky eaters to sushi, Asian fusion, and contemporary Costa Rican for those with more refined palates. And all of the 310 guest rooms have balconies or terraces with ocean, garden, or pool views, as well as marble bathrooms with oversize tubs for maximum comfort. Spring for a spacious one-bedroom suite, which has a separate living-room area—a great plus if your little ones are early risers.

Southern charm and Asian aesthetics meld seamlessly at the Mandarin Oriental, located on 15 floors of a high-rise building in the tony boutique-filled Buckhead neighborhood. Beyond a striking marble lobby, the 127 rooms feel like home—albeit a luxurious one—thanks to interiors by renowned architect Robert A.M. Stern. Plush carpets, large working desks, velvet-upholstered armchairs, and high definition LED televisions join bathrooms finished in black-and-white marble, with twin vanities, sunken tubs, and Atelier Cologne bath products. Whether you want to swim laps in the 60-foot swimming pool or simply unwind in the private English garden, the hotel is like a cocoon from the outside world; guests of the spa are welcomed with seasonal tea and an o-shibori, a Japanese steamed towel, before indulging in their massages and facials. But should you need to leave the bubble, the shops in Lenox Square are walking distance from the hotel, and free car service is available to take you within a two-mile radius.

Simple in concept, excellent in execution, the Brickyard at Mutianyu is a destination in itself, situated about a 90-minutes drive from downtown Beijing in a traditional village. Recovered tile pieces form mosaics that pop out from the red brick walls—a nod to the building’s former life as an imperial tile factory. Brickyard has a modern feel, with rustic Chinese elements that allow this hotel to blend in with the surrounding village. The eco-conscious philosophy carries through to the working organic garden on the grounds. The rooms are open-concept, one side composed entirely of floor-to-ceiling windows, with views of the Great Wall extending atop the hills in the distance. Trails used by locals lead right up to the wall (a rather challenging hike), with no guards around to collect entrance fees. The Brickyard Homes, once peasant homes, have been whimsically restored by the hotel owner. They invite Frank Lloyd Wright–esque comparisons for their ability to integrate spare Asian design into a modern context.

Towering 42 stories over the Mong Kok district on the Kowloon Peninsula, the Cordis is one of the best options for adventurous travelers looking to experience the “real Hong Kong.” The hotel is surrounded by mazes of markets. as well as shops and restaurants that are popular with locals. But getting off the beaten path doesn’t mean foregoing luxury. The Cordis has rooms with plush bedding and oversized windows, as well as homey touches like soft carpeting.

The biggest draw of the Cordis, Hong Kong, is its collection of 1,500 works of contemporary Chinese art, one of the largest hotel collections in the world. Guests can browse the collection on their own with the help of free iPod art tour cards. The hotel attracts an edgy crowd of young artists and professionals who mingle in the Garage Bar—a food truck and craft beer destination with Western-Asian fusion food and a selection of over 40 brews—late into the Kowloon night.

Opened in 1997, Nanta is the longest-running show in Korean history. Similar to Stomp, it’s a nonverbal musical that people of all ages and nationalities can understand. The comedic story follows a frantic kitchen staff as they prepare for an impending wedding banquet. In addition to impressive percussive performances with cooking equipment, the 90-minute show incorporates many opportunities for audience participation. It’s become so popular that it now plays at two theaters, one in Myeongdong and another in Hongdae. Each venue offers an afternoon and evening show, with a third added on weekends. It’s recommended that you buy tickets in advance as seats sell out quickly.

Travelers seeking spacious accommodations in buzzy South Yarra would be wise to choose this MGallery by Sofitel property on shop-lined Chapel Street. The smallest of its 111 guest rooms start at a roomy 410 square feet and feature plush king beds, black-marble bathrooms, and smart TVs, while its largest split-level suites are nearly quadruple in size—one has its own private spa bath and sauna, while another houses a dining table for 10 and a baby grand piano in the living room. The interiors scream personality, with a bold color palette of hot pink, turquoise, and lime green and decorative elements like gray-and-black leaf decals. After a day spent shopping in the nearby boutiques, unwind in the gym and sauna, then chill out in one of the plush lounge chairs on the seasonal rooftop deck or around the indoor pool, which is covered in a retractable glass roof that opens during warm weather.

There are a number of old neighborhoods in Xi’an that are lovely to explore on foot, especially between the Bell Tower and the Great Mosque, and west of the South Gate. Wandering around, you’ll see old houses and stumble upon amazing stonework and doorways—such as this one we found that leads into a temple.

A two-hour drive south of Buenos Aires is the huge and pristine laguna of Chascomús. Fed by several streams, it’s a popular destination for fishermen, boaters and windsurfers. Rent a bicycle in the town to pedal around the lake, or hire a rowboat for an hour or two - you might catch a fish without even trying.