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Every Saturday and Sunday on Via S. Teodoro, tucked just off Circus Maximus, Rome‘s best farmer’s market takes place. It’s run by Campagna Amica, an Italy-wide organization that promotes local, sustainable agriculture—so all of the products sold here, from jam to olive oil, bread to cheese, beer to wine, come from the Lazio region only, and are sold directly by the producers themselves. Tastings are a-plenty and the producers are more than happy to chitchat about their foodstuffs. If you come around lunchtime, you can buy a cheap lunch—maybe even including porchetta sliced right off the pig, like here—to eat on the picnic tables outside.

Sixteen apartments—plus a library and wine cellar—owned by German furniture designer Nils Holger Moormann sit at the foot of the Bavarian Alps. Inside a 17th-century estate, Moormann’s modern interiors are fashioned from brick, clay, and untreated wood. The cable car near the property leads to the Kampenwand ski area. But serious skiers should head 30 miles south to the higher-elevation Wilder Kaiser–Brixental ski resort in Austria. On the night of the full moon, snowshoe about two hours to the Riesenhütte mountain chalet for a Bavarian meal served around a campfire. From $144. 49/(0) 805-290- 4517. This appeared in the November/December 2012 issue.

Palsaik Samgyupsal, which means, “Eight Colors of Pork,” is a divine discovery for a bacon lover like myself. Seriously, what can be better than a restaurant that specializes in flavored bacon? You can’t help but salivate as marinated slices of pork sizzle and pop on the grill in front of you. The eight flavors—Original, Wine, Ginseng, Garlic, Herb, Curry, Miso Paste, and Red Pepper Paste—take your tastebuds on a delicious journey as K-Pop music videos play on flat screens in the background. There is always a crowd, so make sure to call ahead, get there early, and prepare yourself for a massive meal of meat and endless sides.

High above Vail Valley, atop Beaver Creek Mountain, is the oasis that is the Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch. You can’t beat the hotel’s ski-in, ski-out access, but a major makeover at the end of 2013 means the hotel offers even more perks. The new look (think rustic lodgepole pine beams and huge stone fireplaces) was inspired by the great lodges found throughout America’s national parks. The work of Colorado artists can be found throughout the hotel. In addition to a new restaurant called Buffalos, there’s the new Bachelors Lounge that caters to wine and spirits lovers and cigar connoisseurs. Stylish guests with an expense account can outfit themselves in fancy new gear sold at the outpost of the alpine shop Gorsuch. My favorite perk is returning to the hotel at day’s end and being greeted with a hot cup of cocoa.

Inspired by the food and feel of New York City, Broadway by Amar Santana offers a taste of the big city just a block from the ocean. Here, the eponymous chef Santana, who competed on Bravo’s Top Chef, serves American cuisine made with seasonal ingredients, like squid ink cavatelli with blue prawns, and grilled skirt steak with chimichurri. Elevate your meal with creative cocktails or a bottle from the well-regarded wine list, or better yet, book the six-seat chef’s table, where Santana will serve a multi-course menu designed just for you and your guests.

Gal Ben Moshe’s brand new venture picks up where his former restaurant, the celebrated Glass, left off. The concept is still European-meets-Levantine fine dining, but the game has been raised yet further with a more seductive—dark-toned walls, leather chairs, and low-key lighting—which allows space for the food to shine. As before, guests can choose from six, seven, or eight courses, including a wine-matching option for each; expect a series of immaculately presented taste explosions that include foie gras frozen in nitrous oxide, dukkah pulpo foul with chickpeas, and lamb served with eggplant and sour cherries. We recommend you save room for dessert.

As its fish-and-sack-of-flour logo suggests, Farina serves fresh seafood and homemade pasta, prepared with seasonal ingredients to the very highest standards. In addition to Mediterranean fare, chef Monika Turasiewicz also offers a small selection of traditional Polish dishes—her pierogi ruskie are among the best in town—and a special seafood menu Thursday through Sunday. No matter what you order, your meal will start with the restaurant’s signature appetizer of truffle-and-mushroom pâté, served with scrumptious little rolls that are baked in-house. Farina also has a solid selection of wines, plus a sommelier to recommend the ideal pairing.

A local favorite on postcard-pretty Piazza della Passera in the Oltrarno neighborhood, Il Magazzino serves up delicious Florentine food with a special emphasis on offal. If you are up for it, there’s no better place to sample stalwarts of the indigenous cuisine in dishes such as grilled udder or classic trippa alla fiorentina, or tripe stewed in a tomato sauce topped with grated Parmesan. If offal’s not your thing, opt instead for the mouthwatering linguine with kale pesto. The great wine list offers some affordable choices.

This favorite spot turned what used to be a dismal block on Avenue du Parc into a happening strip, inspiring a wave of restaurants and businesses to open around it. The bar’s stylish interiors are characterized by narrow, long tables for intimate group gatherings around drinks and one of their delicious roast chickens, served without pomp or circumstance on a wooden board. The constantly evolving wine list is superb and varied in terms of pricing, and their cocktails are straightforward but scrumptious. This is a popular after-work and weekend spot, so expect to wait a bit for a table.

If the movies are to be believed, interesting things happen in hotel bars: transient strangers hatch elaborate schemes, secret lovers hold trysts, international spies exchange intelligence, that kind of stuff. Of course, one could also just go for a well-made drink and some bar nuts. Bar 555 at the Westin Hotel in Mt. Laurel won’t disappoint with its numerous whiskeys and smartly curated wine list. Open until 2 a.m. on weekends.

When Antonio Marras opened his first showroom and concept store in a residential neighborhood, fashionistas didn’t flinch at making the 10-minute taxi journey from downtown. The Sardinian designer of women’s clothing has earned a following for his fashion-forward style that avoids trends. His collections run the gamut from casual ribbed tanks with hand-sewn sequined flower patches to special-occasion silk jackets and dresses embroidered with Swarovski crystals. Couches and a menu of wine, coffee, and Sardinian sweets invite lingering. Via Cola di Rienzo 8, 39/02-7628-0991. This appeared in the October 2013 issue.

Get creative at Lagniappe, a homey New Orleans–style wine house with a backyard grill and live music every night. They don’t take reservations, so you’ll wait in line to order simple grilled fish or chicken or the cheese and charcuterie plates, and then head out to the garden oasis for twinkly lights and good vibes. The kitchen staff will cut up your cheese and meats and serve them with olives, bread, and jam for an additional fee (around $4). If it’s too hot, head indoors and sit in the comfy living room where jazz and blues bands perform nightly.

Why we love it: A boutique resort that perfectly merges relaxation with exploration

Highlights:
- Amenities like an infinity pool, spa, and outdoor fire pits to help you unwind
- Unique offerings like daily yoga classes and nightly social hours with wine
- Weekly stargazing sessions with local astronomy experts

The Review:
This eclectic 100-room property attracts adventurous extroverts ready to explore the surrounding red rocks, then swap tales over morning coffee or happy hour wine. Inside, decor honors the area’s Native American heritage, incorporating elements like grass-woven baskets, headboards crafted from local fallen trees, and desert flower hues against soothing neutrals. Pet-friendly rooms also feature luxurious touches like Italian linens, modern art, and Atelier Bloem toiletries, while suites up the ante with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the desert.

Outdoors, guests can gather around the heated pool and hot tub or several crackling fire pits and admire views of Sedona’s iconic Snoopy Rock. There’s also an award-winning spa for when you need respite from all the hiking, plus a signature restaurant, SaltRock, which serves Southwest favorites alongside creative mezcal cocktails. On Monday nights, local astronomy experts lead stargazing sessions to take in Sedona’s dark skies, and daily yoga classes are included in the resort fee. Other amenities include access to top-rated golf courses, a full-service fitness center, complimentary bikes, and a shuttle that ferries guests within a one-mile radius of the property.

No visit to Antigua is complete without taking in the sunset atop Shirley Heights Lookout at its weekly Sunday sundowner party. The view from Shirley Heights is without a doubt the most famous, most photographed, most celebrated vista gracing Antigua. Immediately below, English and Falmouth Harbours clutch their bays. On clear days you can see Guadeloupe to the south and Montserrat with it’s still active volcano to the south west. It does get busy, so expect a crowd and while there might be a couple locals sprinkled in here and there, it’s mostly visitors. Around 7ish, the tunes crank up with either some reggae classics, some pumping soca, or even live a steelpan band. Smoke from a collection of barbecues compete with the music to fill the air and stimulate your senses. Expect chicken and ribs slathered in local flavors, plus burgers for the less adventurous. I did have some trouble getting grilled fish on my last visit, but once I found some, it was charred to perfection.

In a city full of burger joints, Holeman and Finch Public House stands out for its extensive drink selection and Southern twist on farm-to-table fare. Tucked into the back of an apartment complex on Peachtree Street, the popular spot serves specialty cocktails and what seems like every obscure beer, wine, and liquor that exists. In fact, H&F also owns a bottle shop, where it sells many of its rarest selections. To pair with your drink, the restaurant offers a signature burger with two patties, cheese, onions, pickles, and a side of fries. What makes it so fantastic, however, is the bun, which H&F bakes in-house and even sells to other restaurants. It was originally available only after 10 p.m. nightly or during Sunday brunch, and the restaurant once made just 24 each day. To make matters more complicated, H&F doesn’t take reservations, so it’s not uncommon to find a line out the door and a wait time of up to 2.5 hours. Plan accordingly.