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Argentina at a Gallop

Mons is a city in the Wallonia region. It offers good fun and good food. The Mons Grand Place has beautiful architecture and there are also a few museums worth visiting.

A once-impenetrable country reveals itself to writer Matt Gross one meal at a time.

A writer seeks out the disappearing workshops that have been the source of elegance in Naples for generations.

While accommodations in southern Utah range from luxe lodgings and wellness resorts to glamping tents and rustic cabins, they all make use of their surroundings, pampering guests with stunning views and activities like hiking and horseback riding.

The Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt is a true palace. Built by an English Argentine railway executive, this Tudor Revival mansion dates to the late 1800s. The Duhau family, which bought the property in the 1920s, added an additional neoclassical building modeled after Le Château du Marais outside Paris. The property sat empty for a few decades at the end of the 20th century until a local developer partnered with Hyatt to turn it into a hotel. After a $74 million renovation, they helped preserve much of the original artwork and red marble flooring, invigorating the once faded Belle Epoque elegance. A larger, sleek tower with modern guest facilities was also added.

The property today is a testament to the grandeur of the most European city in the Americas. There are crystal chandeliers, intricate ironwork, and travertine marble bathrooms. There’s a bar where one can indulge in cigars and brandy, after, of course, dining at one of several high-profile restaurants with wine cellars designed to impress even the most hard-core oenophile.

This mountain-college-town is the gateway to the Grand Canyon and Northern Arizona’s ski country. At over 7000-feet and surrounded by the world’s largest ponderosa pine forest, Flagstaff’s 19th-century downtown has become a restaurant-and-microbrew mecca. Don’t just pass through here; linger and get a taste.

Just a short ride from the historic Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Cultural Center, Pestana Palace Lisboa is itself a designated national landmark. The 194-room hotel occupies a carefully restored 19th-century manor that once belonged to the cocoa baron Marquis of Valle-Flôr, and now caters to queens of pop like Madonna (she reportedly stayed in a Royal Suite).

“Lavish” is the key adjective here: The manor is set within an immaculately manicured private park filled with palms, subtropical plants, sculptures, a former pond-turned-swimming pool, and a spa with an indoor pool and Turkish baths. Palace interiors give the air of a gilded cocoon—all ornate ceiling frescoes, soaring stained-glass windows, and magnificent oil canvases—while the main restaurant, Valle Flôr, has Regency airs and Portuguese fare. Guests may linger on Saturdays for a “chic-nic” lunch on the lawn by the pool.

Ranging from historic riads to big-name resorts, hotels in the Red City are as magical as you’d imagine, with unique amenities like luxurious hammams, central courtyard pools, and rooftop terraces with sweeping views of the Atlas Mountains. Whether you want a place with mint tea, traditional Moroccan décor, or a restaurant once frequented by Winston Churchill, you can find it here, all in close proximity to attractions like the Jardin Majorelle, the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, Djemaa el Fna Square, Bahia Palace, and the Saadiens Tombs.

Just a block away from the Palacio de la Moneda, the Chilean Government Palace, this culinary oasis offers tasty treats and killer coffee in a downtown setting. Known for its breakfasts, burgers, tea time, and heady java, you can rub elbows with local politicians fueling during the work week. Blue Jar is also one of the few coffee spots to sell the coveted “Keep Cups,” to keep your latte warm for the road. Almirante L. Gotuzzo 102 at Moneda Phone: 56 (2) 2696-1890

Beyond the beach, the billboards, and the freeways, there’s a city of neighborhoods waiting to be explored.

A visit to Sweden is all about going on journeys: from dog sledding to traipsing through art galleries or down hiking trails. Or back in time courtesy of the Vasa Museum and Drottningholm Palace, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Whether you soak up the midnight sun on a road trip or stay in one city and day trip out to the Stockholm archipelago or that perfect viewing spot for the Northern Lights, you’ll find your perfect Sweden.

Owned by notable art collector and scholar Jordi Clos, Hotel Claris occupies Palacio Vedruna, a 19th-century palace. The glamorous palace is as beautiful inside as out, with third and fifth-century Roman mosaics, marble statues, and a water garden.

The interiors blend upscale, contemporary furnishings such as polished hardwood floors, hand-painted decorations on the walls, mosaics, and classical antiquities like Egyptian carvings and Hindu sculptures from Clos’s collection. The hotel’s public spaces are second-to-none, including a dedicated museum of pre-Columbian art on the first floor, a rooftop terrace with panoramic views, a decent-sized pool, and first-rate restaurants.

With two world-class university art programs, Montreal attracts more than its fair share of budding creative types, who usually stay after their studies. It explains the city’s ebullient visual arts scene, its world-renowned dance troupes (think of Grand Ballets Canadiens, La La La Human Steps and Marie Chouinard) and the strength of its English theatre offerings, despite the fact that it’s a mostly French city. From museums to performance spaces, Montreal is full of spots to soak up culture.

With over 1,000 years gone by since its founding, Hanoi is one of Asia’s grande dames and is not lacking in historical attractions. The city’s many traditions are reflected in its top historic attractions, including stately pagodas, churches, and architecture. The more tragic modern history is not so apparent but can still be glimpsed in remnants and monuments throughout Hanoi.