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Home Saaz is an Indian version of Bed, Bath and Beyond. The modern space offers large showrooms and solutions for interior decor. Although many items are contemporary and westernized, the real gems are the bedspreads, duvet covers, tablecloths, pillow coverings, and linens. There is also a line of women’s ethnic wear.

Coda is a locally owned shop in Houston Heights with a unique collection of rustic, industrial, and contemporary home decor and gifts. I especially love the candles and handcrafted bath and body products. Ask the friendly owner, Frank, for help picking something out if you need a second opinion.

On a promontory within Bouddi National Park, overlooking a secluded bay and a short walk to an empty rust-red beach, Pretty Beach House lives up to its (classically understated Aussie) name. It’s hard to believe this intimate retreat is only a 90-minute drive from Sydney city center. Its location is spectacular and historic—spot the 2,000-year-old Aboriginal rock drawings on a nature walk nearby.

There are four guest pavilions, each outfitted with wood-burning fireplaces, deep-soaking clawfoot tubs, and sun-drenched decks overlooking Broken Bay and Angophora treetops (three have their own private plunge pools). Dining is included in the stay, and it’s exceptional: Celebrated chef Dean Jones takes freshly caught seafood and local produce and crafts them into modern Australian dishes, which you can enjoy anytime you like in the Beach House’s safari-chic dining room or poolside beneath the shady gums.

The bustling corner of Walnut and 17^th streets is anchored by the Latham, a stone-and-brick tower built in 1907 as luxury apartments for moneyed Philadelphians. While other Center City historic structures met their demise in the late 1960s, a group of investors doubled down on the stately building, transforming it into Philadelphia’s premier business hotel in 1970. The prestigious address completed a top-to-bottom renovation in 2011, bringing the Latham firmly into the 21st century while preserving period artifacts and style.

True to its apartment roots, arriving at the hotel is more like entering a tony doorman building, and the Latham’s residential roots bestow spacious guestrooms with tall ceilings, bay windows, and big bathrooms. Gold and gray hues are complemented by pops of blue, while big bathrooms keep it simple with a tub/shower combination.

This 7,000 square-foot, $13,000 a night suite is the ultimate in luxurious Hong Kong living. Perched on top of the amazingly well situated InterContinental Hong Kong, the Presidential Suite has everything you could possibly want including private terrace, pool, jacuzzi, gym, office and a master bath that has both a sauna and a steam room. There’s no better place to stay in Hong Kong if it’s luxury you’re after.

Sitting on 40 acres in the quaint town of Stone Ridge, Hasbrouck House is a lovely boutique getaway, featuring 20 one-of-a-kind rooms spread out over three structures. Rooms are bright and homey, with wooden floors and plush beds. Some even feature vaulted ceilings, stone fireplaces, and deep, freestanding bathtubs. Although it’s not a spa retreat, Hasbrouck House does offer a variety of massages that can be enjoyed either in a cozy treatment room or your very own suite. For many guests, however, the highlight of a weekend here is dinner at on-site restaurant Butterfield, which offers a seasonal menu inspired by fresh produce from the Hudson Valley. Come in the summer and you’ll also have access to the 55-foot-long swimming pool, nightly bonfires, and outdoor movie screenings and concerts.

In the tiny village of Hesdin-l’Abbé, not far from the bustling centre of Boulogne-Sur-Mer, you’ll find the Chateau Cléry. This 18th century Chateau was once the summer home of nobility, but now you can be treated like a royal at the Cléry Hotel. The Chateau has retained some of its period charm, particularly in the common areas. The rooms are modern and spacious with luxuriously large bathtubs. Guests can choose from saying in the chateau itself or one of the many cottages and out-buildings surrounding it. There is also a modern gym and spa facility on-site and the restaurant is so good, I’ve given it its own highlight! Take time to stroll through the kitchen garden and wooded parkland, say hello to the friendly ducks, and relax with a drink on the sunny lawn. For my full review and more photos: http://cheeseweb.eu/2013/07/hotel-chateau-clery-boulogne-france/

Luxury and opulence define Donatella Versace’s fashion sense. This Roman-style palace with Brazilian marble, Italian mosaics, and gold columns, is no departure from her aesthetic. Details from the custom bath products to gold-and-fuchsia-patterned upholstery were conceived by the designer. From $492. 61/(0) 7-5509-8000. This appeared in the September, 2012 issue.

Leb-i derya is one of those fabulous fancy restaurants perched high above the streets of Beyoğlu with amazing views of the Bosporus, Maiden’s Tower, Asia and old Istanbul’s peninsula. You could walk past the building so many times on its dimly lit street without realizing how magnificent the view from the top is. This light and bright sophisticated rooftop restaurant offers traditional Turkish flavors with a modern twist, as well as gourmet-style international favorites. In summer, management opens the doors to an open-air terrace ideal for sunset cocktails. It really is an iconic city rooftop for special occasions—or for saying good-bye to Istanbul on your last night in the city. Enter off the sloping Kumbaracı Yokuşu (street) which runs off Istiklal street near Tünel. Reservations are advised.

If you’ve been pacing up and down the passages of the Grand Bazaar contemplating that perfect purchase, chances are you’ll need refueling eventually. Hidden on a backstreet just outside gate 16 of the Grand Bazaar is the cozy and charming Keyf-i Mekan Cafe and Restaurant. “Keyfi” means “merriment,” but in Turkey keyfi is also a way of life, one that’s full of pleasure. So expect the small menu featuring delicious Turkish-style home-cooked food to fulfill both these meanings. The food will surely fill the belly and energize you to take those bazaar vendors head on! Choose from the menu of mezes, or meat dishes or peek at the mouthwatering “specials of the day” on the counter. The cafe is open every day, except Sunday when the rest of the bazaar is closed too.

Unexpected surprises abound in Amsterdam. On the city’s east side, you’ll find one denoted by a tall windmill: Brouwerij ‘t IJ (the IJ Brewery), a small brewery and pub situated in the former Funen bathhouse, next to the De Gooyer windmill. Opened in1985 by former musician Kaspar Peterson, Brouweij ‘t Ij prides itself on a large selection of unfiltered, non-pasteurized beers and seasonal offerings. All are certified organic and made on the premises. Belly up to the bar next to the big mill and order your beer from a chilled tank. Follow the scent of hops onto the large outdoor terrace, where you can enjoy your brew with an order of peanuts, boiled eggs, abbey-made cheese, salami, ossenworst from Slagerij de Wit or Skeapsrond cheese from Dikhoeve Farm. The adjacent pub serves more substantial meals, as well as drinks and snacks. In addition to beer, Brouwerij ‘t Ij’s menu includes wine and non-alcoholic beverages. Guided tours are offered on weekends.

Avalon Hotel is situated in the very center of town, opposite the covered market, on a site formerly occupied by a vegetable market. When the neighboring house was destroyed in a fire and the location was up for development, Avalon was born. The hotel has a modern, artistic look with Nordic simplicity and bold colors. The 101 rooms are decorated in a style that combines the strict Scandinavian aesthetic with a more artistic coloring. Twenty-four of the rooms have an open bath—integrated with the rest of the room, so you can watch TV while taking a bath—and three of them have their own gym. One of the first things you notice about the hotel is the turquoise pool that looks like it’s going to fall off the roof. That belongs to the top-floor penthouse suite, but you can access the pool and have a swim while overlooking the streets below even without booking the room, since the pool is open for all guests in the afternoon. And the outdoor street-level terrace is a good place for an afternoon drink in the sun or a long summer lunch.

Turkey isn’t known for its beer, with most menus dominated by the serviceable yet flavorless Efes. The craft beer movement has been gratefully welcomed (especially by expats), and a few breweries have popped up in Istanbul in recent years. The Populist brewery is part of Bomontiada, a massive complex of art and performance spaces, shops, restaurants, and nightlife on the site of the former Bomonti Beer Factory, which closed in the 1950s and was abandoned for several decades. Populist’s food menu is standard pub fare, with a few surprises like a lamb burger with Carolina mustard sauce and a flatbread pizza with kokoreç (better-than-it-sounds grilled lamb intestines). The rotating selection of 12 beers on tap might include a Belgian Turkish wheat with anise and a hoppy IPA. To reach Bomontiada, take the metro to Osmanbey, and from there it’s a 10- to 15-minute walk through a historically diverse and rapidly changing neighborhood.

The former residence of Napoleon Bonaparte’s grandnephew, on a hill leading down to the Seine next to the Trocadéro, has been converted into this striking palace hotel whose airy, light-filled spaces by Pierre-Yves Rochon showcase European Empire and minimalist Asian decorative influences in a manner some French traditionalists find refreshing, others eccentric. The location is a bit of a desert when it comes to shopping and dining. However, culture-minded guests love the cluster of less touristy beacons within a two-block radius.

Many rooms in the Shangri-La Paris have unimpeded views of the river, and some have Eiffel Tower views from the bathtub. The second-floor historic rooms, with alabaster columns, stained-glass windows, and coats of arms bearing bees and “B” for Bonaparte, have become a popular venue for society baptisms.

A short trip from Barcelona via bus or car, explore Besalú’s medieval old town. Cross its restored 11th century bridge into a picturesque village with cobblestone streets. Shop for handmade trinkets or stop off for a meal or a drink in bars and restaurants offering traditional Catalan fare. While you’re there, be sure to stop off and see Besalú’s historic synagogue and Jewish ritual baths.