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Want to sleep in Boston’s very first skyscraper? Originally constructed in 1893, the 15-story Ames Building was, for many years, the tallest building in the city. Renowned architect David Rockwell helped reconceive the building as the high-end Ames Hotel in 2009, preserving much of the original detailing. Many celebrities have since stayed in the luxury hotel, that’s now part of the Hilton Curio Collection, a collection of unique hotels steeped in history.

The rooms at the Ames feel more like opulent city apartments, with modernist furniture and eclectic details like feather chandeliers and gold-sequined pillows. The property’s historic roots are reflected in the 13-foot ceilings and Romanesque, floor-to-ceiling arched windows. Other classic elements include decorative marble fireplaces and oak wood floors. Centrally located in downtown Boston, the Ames provides easy foot access to many of the city’s best-known attractions.

Charleston’s French Quarter didn’t earn its title until the 1970s, when a group of preservationists started touting the area’s historic concentration of French Huguenots to protect buildings in danger of demolition. Opened in 2002, the French Quarter Inn took its neighborhood’s name and used it as inspiration for the hotel’s opulent decor and signature services. Guests arrive to an atrium with an elaborate wrought-iron staircase that rises in a spiral from the ground level and is topped with a large skylight. Champagne awaits guests upon check-in, and the rooms are decorated in vibrant shades of red, gold, and black, with toile bedspreads and damask upholstered furniture.

While it may not have the historic character of many Charleston properties, the French Quarter Inn provides all the amenities travelers could require: a continental breakfast each morning, bike rentals for cruising around town, and nightly wine-and-cheese receptions.

It’s one of the most recognizable facades on Passeig de Gràcia: a modernist fantasy of undulating stone, brightly colored mosaics, and stained glass—one that could only come from the mind of famed Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. Designed in 1904 as a home for local industrialist Josep Batlló, the building pays homage to the legendary tale of Saint George and the Dragon. The balconies are reminiscent of skulls, and exterior columns look like bones—recalling the dragon’s human victims—while the roof’s arched shape and scale-like tiles mimic the dragon itself. The interior is just as fantastical, all sinuous lines and curving forms. To avoid the crush, try going first thing on a weekday morning, or shell out a bit extra for a Fast Pass timed ticket online (28.5 euros, or about $37—5 euros more than regular admission).

Superstar chef José Avillez’s flagship dining destination is considered the country’s top restaurant. One of Lisbon’s Michelin two-starred affairs (the other is Alma) and fresh off a recent refurbishment, Belcanto is indeed the perfect place to enjoy Portugal’s rich bounty in the most wonderous, creative, and experimental of ways. The classic tasting menu (€165) nets you Avillez’s signature Garden of the Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs (egg, crunchy bread, and mushrooms), his most famous work of culinary art. More experimental is the Evolution menu (€185), where dishes such as sea bass with smoked avocado, pistachio oil, lime zest, and dashi push boundaries of tradition. It’s a tough choice, especially considering the classic menu ends with Avillez’s wicked cold citrus bomb of a dessert, Tangerine. Belcanto rang in at No. 42 on the coveted 2019 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

Since the 1931 opening of the King David Jerusalem, nary a hospitality award has gone unclaimed, nor a foreign dignitary ignored, by this palatial limestone landmark. Though the building’s original splendor—with its Assyrian, Hittite, Phoenician, and Muslim motifs—is still very much on display, local wunderkind Adam Tihany recently refreshed the interiors for 21st-century tastes. The resulting design jives perfectly with the hotel’s location in Yemin Moshe, at the crossroads of old and new Jerusalem. Hotel guests also rave about the spectacular views of the Old City walls, minarets, and golden Dome of the Rock. For the most surreal vistas, book an upper-floor suite, then tear yourself away to visit the hotel’s tree-flanked pool and gorgeous gardens, or take a 15-minute walk to the ancient walls.

It’s all about the view at Villa Dubrovnik, a divine hotel built into the cliff across the bay from the Old Town and Lokrum Island. The restaurant, rooftop bar, spa, and most of the rooms feature the same breathtaking vistas over the Adriatic, deep blue at depth and turquoise closer to shore. Done up in sleek, Mediterranean style, the hotel includes glass-walled balconies and external walls that merge into the golden stone of the cliffside. Those balconies are perfect for morning coffee or sunset drinks, but consider having breakfast on the restaurant terrace, under the shade provided by wind-bent pines. The spa features an indoor pool, and just outside, stone steps lead down to the Adriatic’s edge, where guests can relax on sun beds or step directly into the sea. Should you ever want to leave, the hotel’s private motorboat will zip you directly into the Old Town port.

Standing tall in Gangnam—one of Seoul’s most exclusive neighborhoods—is the glass-encased structure that is the Park Hyatt. The hotel’s east-meets-west atmosphere was created by the Japanese design firm Super Potato, using elements of wood, stone, steel, and natural light to create a simple yet elegant space. The natural granite used to construct the bathroom in the Presidential Suite was flown in from China and Japan.

Korean antiques and works by local artists are displayed throughout each floor to help guests immerse themselves in Korean culture during their stay. The best part about the Park Hyatt is where water meets sky at the 24^th-floor infinity pool. The hotel’s concierge recommends a swim at sunset, when the golden light melts away and the lights of the city take their place in Seoul’s skyline.

Nestled in charming Bloomingdale, the rustic Red Hen is a golden egg of D.C.’s dining scene. Chef/owner Michael Friedman (also of All Purpose Pizza) has created an inviting home for culinary pleasures like the cool taste of soft, bulbous burrata and classics like an elevated rigatoni pasta with fennel sausage ragu. Inspired by Italian and Jewish traditions, the vibe is familial, and thoughtful attention is paid to each dish, drink, and decor detail. The best seats are at the bar next to the open kitchen, where you can watch the grilling, flipping, frying, chopping, baking, and plating. Don’t leave without dessert—the maple custard with a caramelized hazelnut crumble will transport you.

Beyond tulips, windmills, and weed, Amsterdam’s global image is entwined with water. The Canal Ring (Grachtengordel) is made up of 165 fluid channels developed during the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age. In the ensuing years, the water network has supported maritime trade while evolving into a centerpiece of one of the world’s most recognizable urban landscapes. In 2013, on its 400th birthday, UNESCO added the Grachtengordel to its list of World Heritage sites. Today the Canal Ring is both a historic transportation system and a stunning backdrop for local festivals and celebrations. The canals, notably Prinsengracht, are packed with partygoers on annual festivals like King’s Day (formerly Queen’s Day), in April, as well as Gay Pride and Grachtenfestival in August. Canal cruises offer an excellent introduction to city sights and are a great way to see Amsterdam.

Nature may have spent 12 million years creating the rock formation that is the centerpiece of this 1,300-acre Hilton Curio Collection resort in the foothills of the Sonoran Desert, but late-coming humans have done a commendable job of adding the finishing touches. Although the Boulders, with its casita accommodations blending into the landscape, its championship golf courses, and its upscale shops, is as luxurious as any resort in the Scottsdale area, it’s also where guests are most likely to feel they are truly in the desert. An early-morning walk along groomed paths, when the first rays of light are turning the landscape golden, is as likely to produce the sounds of woodpeckers or owls calling from their nests in saguaro cacti as it is the whack of a ball against club or racket.

As Austin has grown, so has the city’s hotel needs—as evidenced by this super-sized Fairmont, opened in 2018. Connected to the Austin Convention Center via direct access, the 37-story tower houses 1,048 rooms, ranging from spacious standard options with city, park, or lake views to suites with separate living, dining, or entertaining areas. Enjoy touches like signature pillow-top mattresses, Le Labo products, work desks, and plenty of charging hubs in all, or upgrade to the Fairmont Gold level for access to a well-stocked 35th-floor lounge, among other perks. With all that space, the Fairmont is able to offer lots of resort-level amenities, too, including a seventh-floor deck with a seasonally heated pool and 13 cabanas, ample meeting and conference facilities, and downtown’s largest spa, with nine treatments rooms, an expansive gym, a full-service salon, steam and sauna areas, and more. Multiple dining options—including the Garrison grill, indoor–outdoor Rules & Regs, and food hall-style Revue, serving an array of global flavors—draw locals as well as hotel guests, as does the lobby level Fulton, where drinks are served against a backdrop of live music.

Affectionately nicknamed by locals as the “Castle in the City” for its copper-green, fairytale-like roof, the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver was once a Canadian Pacific Railway hotel—a fact that’s intertwined with the history of the city (and the railroad) itself. Guests can learn some of that story via displays in the vast lobby, where they sit alongside designer outlets like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. The lobby—as well as the Notch8 restaurant and bar, function spaces, Heritage Suites, and 507 guest rooms—recently emerged from a $55 million renovation done in advance of the hotel’s 80th anniversary. A revamp of the Fairmont Gold “hotel within a hotel” concept and lounge will launch in 2019.

The decor in the spacious rooms is sophisticated and classic, with dark woods, polished brass, and plush velvets accenting the crisp, white linens and muted palettes. Some suites even connect, making the Fairmont a solid choice for family travel. Enjoy Canadian dishes, afternoon tea, and bar bites—plus more railway travel nostalgia—in Notch8 (which is named for a train’s top speed), then work it off in the indoor pool or the well-stocked gym, which features Technogym equipment and a Kinesis wall. The Absolute Spa offers signature services using West Coast ingredients.

Imagine waking up in an opulent cream- and café-colored boutique bedroom with regal gold gilding. Picture a leisurely morning with a hearty Turkish breakfast on a rooftop terrace with views to Topkapi Palace, the Aya Sophia, and Bosporus Bridge. Sounds divine right? Well it is—because that’s what life has to offer when staying at the White House Hotel in Sultanahmet. The 22-room Ottoman-style hotel with modern comforts is close to some of the best restaurants in town, the Sultanahmet tram station, and all the major tourist landmarks of Old Istanbul. General Manager and Owner Harun Çadırcı and his team are onsite to provide personalized services that have earned them awards. Complimentary transfers from Ataturk Airport are available for stays of three nights or more, and if you’re celebrating a special occasion, be sure to let the hotel know so they can recommend restaurants and activities to make your stay extra special. The hotel has standard double rooms as well as luxury superior, triple, and family rooms available. Check their website for more details.

The Westin brand’s first foray into South America was, at least when it opened in 2011, the tallest building in all of Peru. That distinction has since been taken over by the Edificio Banco Continental (BBVA) nearby, but the glass-and-steel tower designed by Peruvian-born, Miami-based architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia stands over one of the busiest intersections in the city, and is still one of Lima’s most recognizable landmarks. While it was designed primarily to fit the needs of the growing number of high-end business travelers (the largest convention center in the city is attached to the hotel), the high-profile team, including interior designer Tony Chi, added on artfully modern touches. The striking interiors incorporate pre-Colombian motifs and gold, silver, and bronze finishes. The hotel is a hub of activity, with a full-service spa and high-end shopping, plus a lobby bar and lounges that serve as impromptu meeting spaces.

Towering over the tin roofs of the historic Rocks district, the Shangri-La Hotel has helped set the standard for Sydney hospitality, not to mention harbor views. Alongside the Asian influences, personal attention, and secret scent (it’s not just the cascading floral arrangements) that Shangri-La is known for, the Sydney hotel also incorporates earthen Aussie tones and a host of foodie surprises—ranging from an award-winning deconstructed carrot cake to a 36th-floor restaurant with 360-degree, floor-to-ceiling vistas. In 2014, all the premium suites and the Horizon Club Lounge were spruced up with pops of turquoise to complement the color palette of cream, gold, and dark wood. Behind the scenes, the Shangri-La has worked hard to become more sustainable and socially conscious; initiatives include adding energy-efficient and water-saving fixtures, producing much of its food in-house, and donating money to local charities such as OzHarvest.