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“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” So said local philosopher and writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a statue of whom oversees his namesake island, a wee, romantic spot in the middle of the Rhone where it empties into Lake Geneva. The island-park may be served by two bridges, but it feels like a universe of its own and is a favorite of many visitors and locals in Geneva. The tranquil tree-lined island was once a 16th-century fortification that protected the city, then the site of a bustling shipyard before finally being transformed to a peaceful sanctuary in 1832, when the Pont des Bergues bridge was constructed. (The Pont des Bergues ends across from the 1834 Hotel des Bergues, which was the first meeting place of the United Nations and is now a Four Seasons Hotel.)

In the heart of Toruń’s Gothic, brown-brick Old Town—which itself looks like it was built out of gingerbread—lies the Living Museum of Gingerbread, an interactive museum that opened in 2006. Toruń’s gingerbread tradition goes back much further, however, with the first mention of the sweet dating to 1380. At the museum, you’ll learn the story of Toruń’s famous gingerbread while working under the watchful eye of the Gingerbread Master to prepare the dough, bake the bread in traditional wooden molds, and, finally, decorate each loaf. After going through the fun process, you might agree with Frédéric Chopin, who wrote of a visit to Toruń, “Gingerbread impressed me most. Although I have seen the fortifications, and the famous town hall . . . all these cannot surpass the gingerbread, ah, the gingerbread!”

When Fairmont Century Plaza first opened in 1966, this luxury hotel on a former backlot of 20th Century Fox Studios became the first hotel in the U.S. to have color televisions. The hotel was also of the site of President Nixon’s Dinner of the Century honoring the return of the Apollo 11 astronauts, and it hosted the 10th Grammy Awards when the Beatles won Album of the Year for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Today, it sits in the epicenter of Hollywood biggest talent agency offices and a chic shopping destination.

The building itself is a midcentury work from Minoru Yamaski (designer of the original World Trade Center). A $2.5 billion dollar reimagination in 2021 by studio Yabu Pushelberg brought an updated elegance that redued the number of guest rooms from 720 to 400 larger accommodations. The cool-toned rooms and 85 terrace-studded suites are adorned with digital paintings and landscape photographs and outfitted with Le Labo amenities. The outdoor pool is an oasis between office towers. The expansive 14,000 square foot spa, one of LA’s largest, offers a range of futuristic treatments including biohacking (which involves infrared technology, neuroscience, and meditation) and an “anti-gravity chair.” Celebrity trainers work with the hotel and Techno gym bags with weights and equipment can be delivered to rooms.

Lumière is the hotel’s modern brasserie serving a California spin on French cuisine that leans on seasonal ingredients. And in keeping with the hotel’s star-spangled entertainment legacy, in the soaring, sandy-hued lobby, The Bar doubles as a drinking den for meticulously crafted cocktails and live music venue. Elton John and Mariah Carey have played here, and now a next-gen lineup of artists play neo soul, jazz and other styles five evenings a week.

Why we love it: A design-forward hotel in a former fortress with some of the most spacious suites on the island

The Highlights:
- All-suite accommodations with modern design
- A rooftop pool with sweeping Grand Harbour views
- An on-site restaurant from award-winning chef Chris Hammett

The Review:
Built in 1554 by the Order of Saint John to protect the fortified city of Senglea from invaders, this ancient fortress now serves as one of Malta’s finest hotels. Home to just 21 suites, the cavernous property offers some of the roomiest accommodations on the island, each outfitted with vaulted ceilings, Italian furniture and spacious bathrooms done up in marble and black tile. Some of the largest suites also boast lofted sleeping areas, deep-soaking bathtubs, kitchenettes, and terraces, but all feature attractive, minimalist décor that complements the building’s original stonework and explains why Cugó is a member of Design Hotels.

The hotel, which opened in 2018, also has a gorgeous rooftop pool, around which yoga and Pilates classes are frequently held. When hunger strikes, book a table at on-site Hammett’s Macina Restaurant, where you can pair Mediterranean-inspired cuisine by award-winning chef Chris Hammett with a bottle of wine from the hotel’s extensive cellar.

If you’ve ever heard the Eagles song “Hotel California,” you’ve probably wondered whether it was inspired by a real-life equivalent. Eagles members have denied “Hotel California” is anything other than a metaphor, but that’s never stopped visitors to the Baja California town of Todos Santos from assuming its Hotel California gave name to the song. Regardless, the hotel and Todos Santos itself remain fascinating places to visit. Among fun facts: The hotel was the first place in town to serve ice cream.

A short walk from the city sits imposing Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, covering almost the whole of San Lázaro Hill, 135 feet above sea level. The castillo bit is something of a misnomer, as the structure is not technically a castle but a fort; it happens to be one of the most impressive the Spanish ever built, resisting a number of land and sea attacks. Allegedly its tunnel system was engineered so that the slightest sound anywhere within it would reverberate a warning of approaching danger or attempted escape. Audio guides, available in English, Spanish, and other languages, recount the full story. The castle also happens to be one of the best spots in the city from which to watch the sunset.

No, your mastery of languages hasn’t led you astray—“amigo” isn’t a French or Flemish word. Rather, when the Spanish controlled the city in the 16^th century, they misunderstood the Flemish word for “prison,” and so the city jail earned its incongruously friendly nickname. Now one of Brussels’ premier luxury hotels, under the discerning eye of hotelier Sir Rocco Forte, the landmark has finally earned its name, welcoming celebrities, captains of industry, and international dignitaries into its refined space. Designed by Forte’s sister and longtime collaborator, Olga Polizzi, the hotel blends contemporary Italian and Belgian styles—clean-lined furnishings, velvets and Belgian linens in muted tones, soaring windows framed by heavy drapes—with distinctive Flemish classics like Magritte paintings and original flagstone floors. As impressive as it all is, especially when paired with its acclaimed fine-dining restaurant and popular bar, the real star is the view, which, from most rooms, includes the city’s famous town hall.

Easy beach access and a laid back vibe.

Hotels often say they’re “steps from the sand,” but here, it’s actually true. Location is everything at Malibu Beach Inn; it’s right on the water, with all of the 47 guest rooms and suites overlooking the crashing surf from private balconies, and a few hundred meters from the historic pier. There are about eight steps from the hotel’s restaurant terrace to its private stretch of beach underneath, where guests can order a chicken club sandwich or a glass of wine from the extensive list to enjoy on loungers.

The hotel changed hands in 2015 and has since been re-imagined by L.A.-based interior designer Waldo Fernandez; rooms and communal spaces alike feature purpose built, hand-made white oak furniture and furnishings that make clever use of space. Our suite had custom built liquor shelves tucked into a tiny corner alcove. Across the hotel, artworks include prints by Donald Sultan and Jasper Johns.

The rooms are designed to evoke a private beach house. And as you drift off among Italian linens, gazing at the stars and lulled by the white noise of never-ending waves, it’s easy to dream.

El Péndulo elevates the café-bookstore concept exceptionally well, inviting you to linger for hours over coffee and pastries in its large, two-level cafe (there are even tables on the second floor’s balcony). Books in Spanish and English line sagging shelves and sit in precarious piles on the floor, and staff will happily help you search for music or a movie from their extensive inventory of CDs and DVDs. The store has a large selection of novelty gift items, too, including journals and pens so you can document your visit. Be sure to give a nudge to the pendulum for which the store is named on your way out; suspended from the ceiling, the sand-filled, cone-shaped pendulum swings back and forth, making patterns as customers give the pendulum a gentle push.

Willemstad’s first colonial settlement started as a hub for Dutch slave traders. Now a World Heritage site, this modern city center has a distinct Euro-Caribbean atmosphere, its preserved colonial buildings housing fashion boutiques, art galleries, and sidewalk cafés. Wander down Punda’s narrow cobblestoned alleys, then snap a signature photo at the Queen Wilhelmina Park’s giant Curaçao and Dushi signs. The neighborhood gets extra lively during the free Punda Vibes event every Thursday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., featuring an outdoor market, live music, and local folkloric dancing.

For the time it takes most Angelenos to commute to work, you can be ferried into the alternate reality of Catalina Island, a romantic escape far from the daily traffic jams and urban sprawl. The evergreen-shrubbed hills spotted with an artists palette of summer homes and surrounded by bright hues of blue waters, coves and marinas feels more like the islands off the coast of Spain than the United States. It is rejuvenating to arrive at a place so close to the city yet feel so completely removed.

Diani Beach is a 25km strip of pale, sugary sands backed by the cerulean Indian Ocean. As one of the more developed towns on the Kenyan coast, there’s a great variety of restaurants, cafés, bars and shops here. Also on offer are activities from horse riding to kite-surfing and tours of the ancient Kaya Forest. Popular haunts in Diani include the Forty Thieves Beach Bar - renowned for their fun beach parties and tasty pizzas, as well as Ali Barbour’s restaurant – set inside a candle-lit cave which opens out onto the starry night’s sky above. However you choose to spend your time in this idyllic costal location, one thing is for sure: as the sun sets, castling a golden glitter on the sea below, and the beach-front restaurants lay flickering lanterns on the sand, there are few other places in the world you will want to be.

After Carcassonne in southwest France, Visby lays claim to the most important and best-preserved medieval city walls in all of Europe. The town’s citizens began building the original six-meter-high (20-foot) fortified walls in the 13th century, and they eventually grew to over 11 meters (36 feet). Today, the wall still stretches for 3.4 kilometers (2.1 miles). Walk in its shadow and explore the 36 intact medieval towers as well as numerous gateways. The North Gate offers the most impressive view of the wall, providing a sense of its enormous scale. St. Mary’s Cathedral, a few blocks inland, also dates to the 13th century.

The Cloisters, a museum devoted to medieval art and architecture, is a delightful respite from the hustle and bustle of NYC. This tranquil treasure is definitely worth a half day (or more) trip on your next visit. A branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters opened in 1938 and is located in Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan. Perched on a towering cliff, the museum offers commanding views over the Hudson River to New Jersey and the George Washington Bridge. The buildings include elements from medieval sites from Europe (primarily France) and renowned artwork includes the Unicorn Tapestries and the Annunciation Triptych, but the heart of the museum is the cloistered garden. This lush space consists of an interior courtyard surrounded by covered walkways. The flowering garden within invites contemplation and appreciation of a different time. The Cloisters includes a broad terrace with expansive views across the Hudson. The view is so prized that in 1901, J.P. Morgan purchased 12 miles of the New Jersey coastline to protect it from excessive quarrying and in 1933 John D. Rockefeller, Jr. donated 700 additional acres of NJ to preserve The Cloisters’ view. Be sure to include time in your visit to explore beautiful Fort Tryon Park.

When Domingo Ghirardelli immigrated to the United States in 1849, he planned to strike it rich in the California Gold Rush. Unsuccessful, he opened a store in Stockton selling supplies and some confections to other hopeful miners. Flash forward a few years (and failed businesses), and Ghirardelli opened another confectionary company called Ghirardely & Girard, which would lay the foundation for today’s Ghirardelli Chocolate Company.

Chocolate was made on San Francisco‘s northern waterfront for many years but eventually moved out of the city. Luckily the buildings still stand, including the historic power plant with clock tower. Two floors were added to a warehouse in 1923, and atop those the famous 15-foot-high letters spelling out “Ghirardelli.” Though the company continues to make chocolate, it is no longer owned by the Ghirardelli family.

Still, there are plenty of reasons to visit the brick buildings that have been transformed into a thriving marketplace with restaurants—including our favorite, an upscale dim sum restaurant, Palette Tea House—, art galleries, shops, a winetasting room, and of course, a place to taste and buy Ghirardelli chocolate, a true San Francisco original. The square also hosts some popular San Francisco events, including an annual Christmas tree lighting and a chocolate festival held each September.