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Somewhere between a hip designer’s loft and a rock star’s party pad, the Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles is located in the Spanish Gothic–style United Artists building built in 1927 for actor and producer Mary Pickford and her team of silver screen stars. The hotel was painstakingly designed to showcase both historic and contemporary artistry, from Noguchi lamps and Pendleton blankets in loftlike rooms to original art deco floors and hand-drawn portraits of famous Angelenos on the restaurant’s walls.

There’s a lot that makes Shutters on the Beach special, starting with its location—it’s one of only two Santa Monica hotels right on the beach (the other is Mediterranean-inspired Casa del Mar, the sister property next door). Shutter’s waterfront spot gives it a palpable sense of place—especially when you’re sipping something sparkling in the hotel’s updated courtyard, listening to the waves or the Saturday brunch jazz ensemble. The design by White House decorator Michael S. Smith takes its cues from Cape Cod, with blue and white interiors and floor-to-ceiling shutters opening up to ocean views.


The 198 guest rooms and suites—many with balconies—and all feature sunken Jacuzzi tubs. In the summer, life revolves around the beach here, and an activity center is well-stocked with boogie boards, beach cruisers, and umbrellas. The pool is heated year-round, with curtained cabanas and superb guacamole served at the pool bar. Come winter, the main lounge is the beating heart of the resort. The fireplaces crackle as bartenders serve up drinks from a hearty whisky, wine, and cocktail menu; the couches are so comfy, the kiddos might curl up and fall asleep as the folksy duo on duty plays an acoustic nightcap. This is laid-back luxury at its best.



Don’t forget to spend some downtime at the serene ONE Spa, or dine on blue crab and hamachi crudo at the higher-end, coastal California restaurant, 1 Pico. Pro tip: You don’t need to step far from your room to soak in some culture. The hotel has a noteworthy art collection, with pieces by Ellsworth Kelly, John Baldessari, and William Wegman, among others, on display throughout the property.

Disco ball, lounge, jungle, and cuisine all come together at this trendy restaurant located on Tulum’s main hotel-zone avenue. The venue is renowned for its eclectic style that blends unusual lighting, a lush outdoor setting, and live DJ nights for a cool, hippie-style vibe. Dinner is prepared over open-fire grills and in wood-burning ovens, resulting in flavorful Mexican favorites like taco samplers, quesadillas with epazote, grilled avocado, and slow-roasted pork belly. Gitano also specializes in strange but enticing cocktails from its mezcal bar, like ones that include ingredients like rum, hibiscus, and tropical fruits.

“If you’re looking to enjoy a quiet drink and you love whiskey, this is your bar. An iPad menu acts as a directory of more than 150 whiskeys and their origins, from Scotland to Japan. Malt Fun also has a list of mostly classic cocktails. Call ahead to reserve a seat.” —Bartender Tree Mao on the French Concession. Read more about his local’s take on Shanghai here. This appeared in the January/February 2015 issue.

For decades, the venerable Geronimo, situated in a 1756 adobe, has been serving a bevy of culinary delights. From the house favorites like peppery elk tenderloin to New Mexico lamb chops, the food is accessible and the timeless milieu is intimate. Sit on the front patio with a cocktail for the full Canyon Road people-watching experience. Inside, the stylish series of small dining rooms showcases wood floors, taxidermy, fireplaces, and beamed ceilings.

Far beyond your usual “bottle shop,” H&F is the brainchild of Atlanta’s star chef Linton Hopkins and is the place to be to improve your wine and spirits know-how and to stock up on everything you need to create at-home craft cocktails. Check listings for regular sipping sessions accompanied by small bites from the critically acclaimed Restaurant Eugene’s Kitchen.

One of the capital’s most popular bars (which becomes a nightclub in the wee hours), Bar Constitución feels like the inside of a factory warehouse. The walls are graffitied, and it’s got a refreshing mix of people from Santiago hipsters to foreign expats and university students. Bartenders pump out well-mixed cocktails and there’s room to hang out or dance to eclectic music from house to funk to ska. Constitución 61, Bellavista Phone: 56 (2) 2244 4569

La Madame is one of the most forward-facing dining spots in San Sebastián. It’s one of the only place in the city where you can find well-executed fusion cuisine, with touches of American, Japanese, French and Basque cuisine and perhaps THE only that has a real cocktail program in place. It’s a dark, vibey spot. Call ahead for reservations and go hungry. Mondays are special menu days, each with a different theme.

If the view means everything when you select a place to stay, this charming B&B in Rockport just might be calling your name. Every room has the ocean at its window and the rolling waves can lull you to sleep at night. Situated on a quiet street, you’ll find a good spot for a morning walk or run and the wonderful porch is a great spot to read or start out your evening cocktail hour.

True to its name, this is an old bar, with Victorian-style décor, stained glass, art nouveau lamps, and red velvet sofas. You can find a long list of cocktails, as the manager has history in the Miami cruise ship industry. From the food menu, try the Old Vic steak—or some toast or a sandwich, if you want something lighter. There is a button to call the waiter and another one to regulate the light intensity.

Why we love it: A Travelodge-turned-hip-hotel with an exciting bar and restaurant

The Highlights:
- Mid-century modern design that’s simple but stylish
- A bar serving some of the best cocktails in Boise
- Food courtesy of James Beard semifinalist Nate Whitley

The Review:
What started as a humble motel is now one of Boise’s hottest places to stay. At the Modern Hotel & Bar, mid-century furnishings and a rowdy atmosphere make the property a must for anyone who values good design and even better entertainment. Here, 39 courtyard-facing rooms surround a fire pit that serves as a hangout on summer evenings. Inside, bartenders mix classic cocktails with a twist, like the El Mundano with tequila, lemon juice, Cynar, smoked pineapple, and habanero.

The food is exciting, too. A semifinalist for a James Beard Award, chef Nate Whitley experiments with local ingredients to create novel—and delicious—dishes. Delicata squash comes drizzled with chili sauce and cashew cream, while sockeye salmon arrives swimming in bacon-ginger dashi.

The most stunning dining room in celebrity chef Neil Perry’s restaurant empire has got to be Rockpool Bar & Grill in Sydney. Seated amid soaring green marble columns and Art Deco windows in a space designed by Emil Sodersten, diners can choose between the finest steaks, seafood, cocktails, and wines—more than 3,000 of them—that Australia has to offer. Dry-aged beef and sustainable fish are simple yet succulent, cooked over an open flame or in the wood-fired rotisserie. Start with the signature Four Raw Tastes of the Sea before savoring the Wagyu or Cape Grim steak, or opt for classy appetizers and cocktails in the candlelit bar, adorned with 2,682 hanging Riedel riesling glasses.

Despite its unappealing name, Dead Rabbit is one of the most popular bars in all of New York City and has also charmed the judges behind the World’s 50 Best Bars list, which listed it second in 2015. Drinks are served in two discrete spaces: The first is the downstairs Taproom, where you can have “craft beer, bottled punch, and whiskeys of the world"; the second is the upstairs Parlor, which features “72 historically-accurate cocktails dreamed up by the 19th century’s most celebrated bartenders.” The names, however, aren’t very 19th-century (and frankly, not all of the ingredients are, either). Take the Snake Charmer, for instance, a concoction of mezcal, New York and Oregon gins, blanc vermouth, yellow chartreuse, and gentiane. Whatever time and place they’re trying to evoke, no one who comes to drink here really seems to care; the cocktails and service are just so great, that’s all that matters.

Tucked on the corner of Hopkins Avenue and Monarch Street, White House Tavern occupies one of Aspen’s oldest buildings, a small Carpenter Gothic–style white house that was built in 1883. The offerings here don’t change from when the restaurant opens for lunch at 11 a.m. to when the sky darkens and the cocktails start flowing into the night. The menu is made up mostly of hearty salads (Thai steak and noodle, kale with rotisserie chicken) and tasty sandwiches, including an incredibly crispy chicken sandwich and a flavorful, perfectly cooked prime rib au jus piled high on a homemade roll. The cocktail list is short and tends toward the classics—negroni, margarita, martini—but the wine list is surprisingly ambitious.

Nina Compton, a native of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, came to New Orleans a few years ago to compete in the Top Chef television series. She didn’t win the culinary slugfest, but New Orleans came out ahead—a short time later she returned to set down roots by opening Compère Lapin, a charming, brick-accented restaurant in a hotel that’s a reasonable stroll from the French Quarter. It’s good to get there early to grab a drink at the bar, which treats its libations with the same seriousness as the kitchen does its food. (A frozen drink… with chartreuse.) The dishes are alive with creative Caribbean flavors—among the more memorable plates are the seafood pepper pot, black drum, and curried goat.