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The big advantage of Topo, on the sixth floor of a shopping center on Martim Moniz Square, is its top-level location with views of the castle, Mouraria neighborhood, and more. Outside on the terrace, grab one of the wooden benches and linger over a cocktail accompanied by tasty Portuguese appetizers.

Bloody Mary’s, entertaining tourists since it opened in 1979, is one of those Bora Bora experiences that simply must be done. The ambience is beach-bar hip, with sand floors, colored lights, and coconut stools in a dining room under a thatched roof and surrounded by tropical foliage. Even if you don’t eat here, at least come for a cocktail to experience the vibe and mingle with the crowd of local pension, or guesthouse, owners, visiting celebrities, and other travelers. The food’s quite good, too: Fresh fish, seafood, and meats are grilled, American-barbecue style, with tasty results.

If chef David Barzelay’s Michelin-starred restaurant Lazy Bear is the dinner party, True Laurel is the after-party. Barzelay opened this cocktail bar just a few blocks from Lazy Bear, and while it’s touted as a drinking establishment, it’s hard to ignore the stellar food disguised as bar bites. And unlike Lazy Bear, which requires a hard-to-come-by ticket to get in, to score a spot at True Laurel, simply walk through the door. Barzelay teamed up with spirits-whisperer Nicolas Torres to oversee the bar program, and the cocktails go head-to-head with the food. Original, exotic concoctions such as the A-Dilla, which marries aquavit with makrut lime leaf, coconut, passion fruit, pomegranate, and dill, is just as complex and satisfying as the hen-of-the-wood mushrooms with a sour cream–allium dip. And while the entire experience is currently still first come, first served, keep an eye on the bar’s eerily analog website (or better yet, follow it on Barzelay’s preferred medium, Twitter) to find out when the eight-seat cocktail tasting bar, which is sure to be stocked with rare bottles, will start taking reservations.

First opened in 2004 in a former office building in the Central Business District, the Loews New Orleans Hotel completed a $4 million renovation in November 2014. The new look is modern, but with a nod to the Big Easy: rooms and suites (which, by the way, are among the most spacious in town) are done up in soothing blues and grays, and feature local photography on the walls, and the carpets have a wrought-iron fence motif. Large picture windows afford vistas of the city or the Mississippi River.

Run by the legendary Brennan family and named after the vivacious Adelaide Brennan, the hotel restaurant also got a makeover—think canary-yellow seats, teal tufted banquettes, and Andy Warhol–esque pop art of its namesake.

• Location: County Clare, Ireland
• Why we love it: A regal 19th-century castle that feels like stepping back in time—with all the comforts of today
• Loyalty program: I Prefer (Preferred Hotels and Resorts)
• From $3,800
• Book now

Dromoland Castle, located in Ireland’s County Clare, was built in the early 1800s and served as the ancestral home of the Irish Gaelic O’Brien clan for eight generations. Today, it’s a luxury hotel offering a range of refined experiences across its stately grounds—from hawk walks and boating on Dromoland Lake to golf, archery, and sporting clays lessons. Inside, original oil paintings, stained glass, antique furnishings, and the historic Ornamental Walled Garden evoke the castle’s storied past.



Recently refurbished rooms, such as the Grania O’Brien Suite, offer charming details like a hidden bookcase that opens into an adjoining room. The octagonal cocktail bar, once the O’Brien family library, now serves drinks named for Celtic deities. New to the 500 acre grounds is Dromoland Lodge, a five-bedroom private residence along the golf course for those seeking extra seclusion. If you’re looking for a royal stay that whisks you back in time, Dromoland is a great option, located a mere 20 minutes by car from Shannon Airport.

As its name suggests, the Bespoke Inn is one of the more eccentric accommodations in downtown Scottsdale. This compact bed-and-breakfast, opened in 2013, has just 10 rooms. Each is decorated with homey, eclectic details that reflect the creativity of the hotel’s previous owners, who designed and built most of the inn’s furnishings themselves. The current owners, Jeremy Ferris and Robert Marchetti, brought in elements of Marchetti’s Italian heritage, which are evident in the updated courtyard and six new rooms. The result is a surprising blend of style and comfort, reinforced by the hotel’s ability to make guests feel they have all become friends. There are other surprises, too. In 2013 Esquire magazine called the café—which has its own odd appellation, Virtù Honest Craft—one of the 20 best new restaurants in America. And the hotel provides Pashley bicycles for guests to use during their stays.

Mexican food is extremely varied, and even just considering the cuisine of the state of Oaxaca, there is great diversity. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is where the land thins to the narrowest strip between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Here the weather is hot and sultry and the food has its own distinct flavors. Zandunga restaurant in Oaxaca city serves specialties from the Isthmus region, including some seafood dishes, and a few kinds of mole. You’ll also find an impressive list of over 60 types of mezcal. All meals begin with complimentary totopos (the regional tortilla chips) and minilla (spicy fishmeal), and salsa. Then take your pick of items from the menu. Maybe some molotes de platano or garnachas to start, and then the enchiladas with two types of mole for the main course. It’s all muy sabroso.

The fragrant, pleasingly cluttered Central Grocery is a holdover from an era when Italian-run groceries occupied storefronts throughout the city. This timeworn shop across from the French Market still boasts an old-world charm, filled with tall shelves crowded with imported goods and various whatnots, mostly Italian. But that’s not why you’ll see lines out the doors. The crowds are clamoring for muffulettas, classic New Orleans sandwiches that originated here about a century ago. (Slogan: “Imitated by many, but never duplicated.”) A muffuletta comes on a type of round, flattish loaf (not unlike a focaccia) that originated in Sicily. The details may vary, but it typically includes cured meats (capicola, salami) and cheese (provolone). What distinguishes it from a hubcap-shaped hoagie is the topping—a tangy marinated-olive salad. Know this: You don’t need to order a whole one; a quarter-sandwich is still plenty filling for one person.

Finding a fun bar that’s popular with locals is almost a travel imperative: While hotel bars have their charms, local bars offer travelers a way to explore a destination through its people. This beach bar at the heart of Sandy Ground fits the bill. Mellow by day, the vibe picks up at night, with dancing out on the sand, occasional live music and DJs, plus famous full-moon celebrations. On Sunday afternoons, grab a fish taco and a beer and join the crowd watching the football or basketball game on the huge outdoor screen.

Dinner at Le Toiny Restaurant is a full frontal assault on the senses; as if the spectacular ocean-side setting were not enough, the culinary witch doctors at Le Toiny, led by executive chef Jean-Christophe Gille, whip whimsical French classics into contemporary Caribbean masterpieces with just the right amount of gusto. Le Toiny is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and features the Tuesday Fish Market, and the Sunday “Brunch du Toiny.”

This is where the cool kids (Uma Thurman, Led Zeppelin, Anthony Bourdain) lay their heads when they stop over in the Big Easy. The look is modern but not excessively so, location-appropriate, but not in an overly Fleur-de-Lys kind of way. Think: creamy hues, contemporary furnishings, and lofty ceilings paired with intricate woodwork, ornate chandeliers, and black-and-white photos of jazz greats. The former bank is also well positioned for late-night revelry, while still being far enough away from the French Quarter action—so you can get a good night’s sleep in one of the just-renovated king-size Apple rooms.

For a fun night out in Seoul, locals know to head to the Hongdae neighborhood for dining, drinks and music…and more drinks. Set near Hongik University, Hongdae is a nightlife lover’s dream, with jolly crowds, flashing lights, and pulsing music, and a great place to start (or finish) the night is in lively Bar Da. With its low lighting and divey feel, Bar Da has developed a reputation as a hip hangout with cheap cocktails and a good atmosphere. There are plenty of restaurants around if you’re hungry, or snack on the dried anchovies Bar Da serves up with your drink.

Spend the night nestled under the Golden Gate Bridge in the most dignified of accommodations: the former living quarters of high-ranking officers in the U.S. Army. Cavallo Point is the result of the luxurious reimagining of a cluster of military lodges located within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, just over the bridge in Marin County. Today, the 142-room hotel serves as a retreat for in-the-know travelers and locals looking for an easy, elevated escape from everyday city life. Original brick fireplaces and beamed ceilings mingle with modern finishes and furnishings, such as butter-soft leather sofas and whitewashed Adirondack chairs. The expansive grounds are meant to be explored on foot or bicycle. The Wellness Weekend package includes all meals, prepared with an emphasis on health at Murray Circle restaurant, morning yoga classes, guided hikes, a spa treatment, nightly wine receptions, and plenty of free moments to soak in the serene meditation pool—the very best kind of boot camp.

Stretching along the Narrows—the channel between St. Kitts and its sister island, Nevis—Cockleshell Bay’s powdered sands and crystalline waters are among the island’s prettiest. The beach is a popular place to swim, snorkel, or sip cocktails while listening to live local music.

Located down on the harbor and hidden inside the chic Reykjavik Hotel Marina, this vintage-cool bar is run by master mixologists who create dapper cocktails from fresh, local ingredients and house-made syrups. Behind the handsome wooden bar there are also several types of beer (including Icelandic brews) on tap, a bunch of wines, and a wide choice of liquor—including ten different types of rum. The food menu is pretty good too, with steaks, fish, lamb, and vegetarian options.