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After achieving tremendous success in Paris, London, New York, and Ibiza with the Experimental Cocktail Club and a handful of other nightlife hangouts, the three bons vivants behind the Experimental Group have expanded the concept into hospitality. Their first hotel is located in Paris’s most coveted neighborhood, South Pigalle, overlooking the Villa Frochot (Toulouse-Lautrec’s former abode). Unsurprisingly, these pioneers of the Paris cocktail movement have integrated their savoir-faire in top-shelf drinks. In fact, they go so far as to bill it a “bed and beverage” boutique hotel, which translates to custom cocktails offered in the ground-floor lounge, delivered straight to rooms, and available in guestroom minibars. To further drive their vision, the trio enlisted the talents of Dorothée Meilichzon, the city’s most in-demand interior designer, who has already directed the look and feel of each of the group’s establishments. Here, she applies her flair for mixing unique patterns and design styles to the cocktail lounge and rooms, kitted out with sumptuous velour sofas, black leather armchairs, and brass light fixtures. The result is a style that feels like understated Hollywood regency meets 1920s Parisian glam. While rooms afford less quiet and privacy than most design hotels, the (tolerable) din feels like a necessary component to the stay-up-late Pigalle experience.

In a haven for healthy eating like Laguna, The Stand stands out for its vegan menu full of plant-based, cruelty-free dishes. Established in 1975, the Thalia Street mainstay has switched hands from one local to another over the years, but has always maintained its focus on good-for-you fare. Come here for everything from freshly squeezed juices and nut-milk shakes to sandwiches, salads, and burritos made with steamed whole-wheat tortillas. If you’re feeling adventurous, opt for the special tamale and guacamole plate, which features a homemade vegetable tamale with organic pinto beans, guacamole, salsa, cabbage salad, and The Stand’s original sweet-and-sour dressing. Just be sure to save room for the fresh fruit soft serve, which you can top with vegan chocolate chips, raw almonds, big flakes of coconut, and more.

Zum Dürnbraü, one of Munich‘s oldest restaurants, has been serving traditional Bavarian food since 1487. It has retained its popularity over the centuries by consistently delivering homeland classics while adding modern flavors. The restaurant is tucked away on a quiet side street in the heart of Munich, just 10 minutes from Marienplatz. Its main dining room looks like a typical Bavarian beer hall, but for those who seek a quiet daytime lunch spot, there is the very pretty and airy front garden. Bavarian specialities include wiener schnitzel, spaetzle with fried onions, duck with red cabbage, and roast pork marinated in dark beer. Zum Dürnbraü is also known for its pig knuckle, oxtail and ox tongue. Seeking lighter fare, I enjoyed a savory “Housewife Style” herring salad, with apples and potatoes in a sour cream sauce. It gets crowded during prime dining hours, so make a reservation or come for lunch.

These large, thick tortillas are called “tlayudas” and they’re a Oaxaca specialty that you’re unlikely to find elsewhere in the country. They’re prepared by spreading pork fat and bean paste on the tortilla, then the Oaxaca string cheese called quesillo is added in, plus some shredded lettuce or cabbage to add a little crunch. It’s folded over and toasted on a grill until it’s crispy and the cheese inside melts, and served with your choice of meat. If you want yours without the pork fat, just ask for it “sin aciento.” Tlayudas are served in many places in Oaxaca. In restaurants they’re usually served open-faced, which is perhaps more attractive, but when you have it folded over like this, the cheese melts more and combined with the crisp tortilla, it’s really delicious. Tlayudas Libres opens at 9 pm nightly and closes at 3 or 4 am. They have grills set up on the street so you can watch how they’re prepared. This is a popular late-night stop after an evening of partying.

“She’s an original yet timeless Québec fashion designer—a rare combination. Marie Saint Pierre is known for using unusual fabrics with soft colors as well as black and white. Her designs feel really classic. I stop in when I need something chic and comfortable,” says Nathalie Bondil, head curator at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Noma, consistently ranked as one of the world’s best restaurants, closed in 2016, but its impact on dining in Copenhagen has been profound. Many chefs who worked there have since launched their own restaurants, including two who opened Bror. It’s a small space with big ambitions—expect astonishing food made from the best local produce. The five-course menu costs 625 kroner ($100), with wine pairings an additional 450 kroner ($72). There are also some memorable snacks. Don’t miss the bull testicles with tartar sauce or the cod head with cabbage wrap.

Probably the most visited attraction in the city, the V&A combines many elements of the greatest commercial waterfront projects around the world. There are plenty of draws for tourists (the Cape Wheel, helicopter rides, boat trips to Robben Island) and locals (450 retail outlets, from H&M to a major supermarket), but it remains a working harbor, with small seagoing vessels sailing between the main harbor and the dry dock that lies adjacent to the excellent Two Oceans Aquarium and Watershed craft and design hall. There’s even a fast-growing residential section, connected by canals that stretch toward the city. The latest addition, however, is the Silo District, which became one of Cape Town’s must-visit attractions soon after opening in late 2017. Here, a number of restaurants and boutiques, anchored by the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, are located amid old grain silos.

Accessible only by boat, and with a daily rhythm determined by the tides, this beach resort co-founded by Scottish fashion and costume designer Ellis Flyte sits on the southwest part of Pemba Island, a 30-minute flight from Unguja, the main, more touristy island of the Zanzibar archipelago. The 18 thatched-roofed, canvas-walled rooms and suites are set directly on the white-sand beach, shaded by the surrounding mangrove forest, or perched on the hillside above, providing panoramic Indian Ocean views. A wooden jetty extends over a long, shallow drop-off, enabling guests to swim in front of the hotel at low tide. But the best beaches and snorkeling are 15 minutes away by speedboat off Misali Island, a conservation zone with more than 300 fish species, giant sponges, sea fans, and fields of old-growth cabbage corals. More sites reachable by boat offer a variety of reefs and drop-offs for experienced divers. Other activities include sunset dhow cruises, kayak trips through the mangroves to the ruins of an Omani fort, windsurfing, water skiing, wake- and knee-boarding, dolphin watching, and deep sea fishing. The resort’s informal vibe encourages guests to go barefoot even at the dinner table, but bring wading shoes to protect your feet against sharp coral and sea urchins.

Why we love it: A hotel-cum-art-museum with a historical pedigree

The Highlights:
- 6,200 square feet of on-site exhibition space
- Historical details like the art nouveau dome in the lobby
- A hip restaurant with great cocktails

The Review:
This downtown hotel is the eighth property in the 21c collection, a concept founded by art collectors and preservationists Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson that blurs the lines between a boutique hotel and a contemporary art museum. Housed in what was once the Savoy Hotel and Grill—a luxurious destination for train travelers in the early 1900s—the 21c Kansas City pairs historical details (stunning stained-glass windows, original hotel sinks in each room) with modern art (including curated exhibitions, site-specific installations, and cultural programming). Designed by architecture firm Deborah Berke Partners and the Kansas City–based Hufft Projects, the 120 spacious rooms and suites carry the juxtaposition even further, complementing high ceilings and large windows with punchy purple sofas and original artwork.

Located between Kansas City’s Power & Light District and River Market, the hotel is ideally situated for exploring the city’s best dining and shopping, as well as the 100-plus market stalls selling produce, baked goods, and flowers. When you don’t feel like leaving the property, however, there’s The Savory at 21c restaurant, housed in what was once the oldest restaurant west of the Mississippi and a favorite of prominent figures like President Truman (his preferred booth still sits in the bar and lounge area). Here, Kansas City native Joe West now serves a creative take on classic Americana, with a traditional cocktail list to match. In case you feel yourself slipping into nostalgia, just head out to the lobby, where a massive glowing chandelier by Ken+Julia Yonetani will remind you that you’re at one of Kansas City’s most modern stays.

Dumplings are a northern Chinese staple—inexpensive, hearty, and with a variety of fillings—and the boiled dumplings (shuijiao) at Baoyuan don’t disappoint. What sets them apart from your corner dumpling shop is the colored dumpling skins, dyed with juice from spinach, tomatoes, carrots, and purple cabbage. Customize your order by choosing your skin and filling—say, a spinach dumpling filled with cucumber, cilantro, pork, and lotus root, or a cabbage-dyed purple wrapper with bean sprouts, crispy rice, pork, and cabbage inside. There’s no denying that these dumplings photograph well, and that, plus the quirky venue—two dining rooms reached by a stroll through a fake garden and over a bridge—makes this a worthy place for a cheap and cheerful lunch or dinner.

Since its opening along a dazzling stretch of sand known as Cabbage Beach in 1962, The Ocean Club on Paradise Island has been the preferred stay of old-money patriarchs and traditionalists. Though much at the serenely posh resort has remained unchanged, the 105-room property has been modernized to meet today’s standards with spa-sized marble bathrooms, sweeping WiFi, and a restaurant run by star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. But it’s the feeling of a privileged, unhurried yesterday that continues to draw an appreciative upper-crust crowd. An on-site tennis pro provides tips for improving your backhand, Versailles-inspired gardens complete with a 12th-century Augustinian cloister offer moments of quiet contemplation, and rounds of golf end with martinis at the resort’s bar. These details, plus knowing that a personal butler and afternoon champagne and strawberries are included in the price, keep guests returning year after year.

This extraordinary restaurant holds a prime position in Dubrovnik: It’s located on the city walls with wide-open views of the old town harbor. The expert staff puts a unique spin on Mediterranean cuisine and presents it in an almost artistic manner. Enjoy the kitchen’s take on a regional favorite like sea bass roasted in cabbage leaf and drizzled with dill-and-mint-infused oil, or an elaborate specialty like the slow-cooked veal cheeks with morel mushrooms and parsnip cream. With its extensive wine and liquor cellar, Restaurant 360° is the place for memorable special occasions. (Open for dinner only.)

Le Sérac demonstrates that not all fabulous fondue spots must be tucked away inside a mountainous Alpine chalet. This restaurant, located on Chamonix‘s main street, serves a host of Savoyard classics—including the iconic bubbly-cheese delight—as well as exquisite modern French fare, plus a kid’s menu. While there are elements of traditional Haute Savoie ambience, such as the wood-planked walls, the restaurant’s decor holds a touch of contemporary sheen with a glass fireplace and modern furniture. During the warmer months, choose a table on the outside terrace, a great spot for people watching.

With his high-concept McCrady’s and his more rustic Husk—both in Charleston—chef Sean Brock transformed perceptions of Southern cooking from heavy, simple fare to a culinary tradition that is rich, complex, and filled with history. He worked with experts to resuscitate countless heirloom vegetables and grains lost to the agriculture industry, many of which reflect the region’s deep immigration roots (rice varieties from China; spices from Africa). He also changed the game with this simple rule: No ingredient north of the Mason-Dixon may enter the kitchen. Husk Nashville, which Brock opened in 2013, applies the same philosophy, but this time the menu is a nod to the bounty of inland Tennessee. In a 19th-century former residence in downtown Nashville, the James Beard Award–winning chef serves up his modern spin on classics such as pimento cheese, paired here with benne wafers, pickled jalapeños, and chipped beef. The Tennessee-raised pork prime rib, paired with cabbage, pecan butter, and molasses vinegar, is impossibly tender. Leave room for the vegetable plate, which highlights the best of the season’s produce.

In France, sparkling wine isn’t just for special occasions, it’s an everyday luxury. At least that’s what you’ll learn after a sampling of some 130 vintages at Dilettantes, a wine shop/bar specializing in bubbly. The tastings are hosted by one of 25 winemakers and take place in a gorgeous, 17th-century vaulted cellar. For a more in-depth course on pairing champagne at different moments of the meal, Dilettantes also offers a private oenology workshop (minimum 8 people) that will leave you well-versed in taste.