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Pier 7 is a secret. I have found myself there many times and never understand why there are rarely any crowds. At sunrise or sunset with your back to the city you can get gorgeous photos of the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island. The beautiful wooden pier, ornamented handrails, and antique-styled lamps makes this spot totally romantic. Turn to face the city and you have Coit Tower, the TransAmerica building and much more. A beautiful spot that the crowds don’t know about. Ssshhh...

If you are looking for truly unique and beautiful gifts from Andalusia, Spain, look no farther than the Zoco Artisan Market in Cordoba. This shop is filled with jewelry, hand painted tiles, shawls, pottery and other local crafts. There are workshops and studios on site so you may even have a chance to see some artists at work. Even if you’re not in the market to shop, the beautiful inner courtyard is worth a peek for its hanging flowers and burbling water-feature.

The Armani Hotel Milano occupies a beautiful, box-shaped 1930s palazzo in the beating heart of Milan’s fashion district. As striking as it looks from the outside, it’s arguably even more glamorous on the inside. Every aspect of its interior, from the mother-of-pearl doors to the leather-lined walls, has been either designed or approved by Giorgio Armani himself. The overall aesthetic is smart and elegant, thanks to the neutral color scheme of beiges and light grays. Special touches abound, including Armani amenities in the gray marble bathrooms, complimentary minibars, and a “lifestyle manager” appointed to each guest upon arrival.

The hotel’s 95 rooms come in various sizes and types, ranging from Armani Deluxe rooms, with their own deep bathtubs, to two-story Armani Signature Suites, which offer stylish central staircases and their own living rooms. The seventh floor of the building houses the impressive Armani/Ristorante, with floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto Milan’s skyline. An Armani/Bamboo Bar and Armani/SPA provide further opportunities for exquisite in-house indulgence.

The great macaron debate may forever wage on, but from the first time I tucked into a small box of Pierre Hermé’s diminutive cookies, perfectly crisp on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth soft on the inside, I knew I’d remain loyal to his interpretation. Perhaps best known for his unique flavors—foie gras and chocolate, lemon and fennel, vanilla and basil, among many others—it’s his Ispahan croissant, with rose almond paste and crushed raspberry flakes, that really keeps me going back.

Newly opened in December 2023, Villa-des-Pres is a five-star, French-owned hotel in the Parisian neighborhood of Saint Germain-des-Pres. This luxury property has taken over what was originally constructed as an apartment building in 1911, and used as such up until recently. Although it retains its lived-in Parisian feel, the building underwent massive renovations to transform it from apartment to hotel.

This complex of Taoist religious buildings was constructed in the early 15th century under the Yongle Emperor, who also commissioned the Forbidden City, just to the north. The temple’s central building is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, a 38-meter-high (125-foot), three-tiered structure atop a three-tiered marble base. The wooden hall was built entirely without nails. Inside, the beautifully painted walls and ceiling make it a riot of color. On spring and summer mornings and on sunny winter afternoons, locals gather here to sing, dance, play games such as mah-jongg, and sip tea while catching up on neighborhood gossip.

This dramatic two-tier waterfall, whose name translates as “Golden Falls,” a reference to the shimmering mist that sometimes appears around the falls, is one of Iceland’s most famous—which is saying something in a country abundant with waterfalls. Saved from oblivion during the 1920s (foreign investors wanted to dam the falls to create hydropower), the waterfall lies in a canyon on the Hvítá river and is backed by scenic snowcapped peaks. It’s possible to follow the falls as they flow downstream through the canyon, either via a walking trail or on a rafting trip, though it’s worth noting that the paths are wet and can be slippery. The visitor center has a canteen that serves up surprisingly tasty local dishes like lamb soup; there are also a gift shop and a local exhibition centered around traditional life in the area.

Wynand Fockink founded his namesake distillery on this narrow alleyway off Dam Square in 1724 (and the building is even older, dating to 1679); some 70 varieties of jenever (Dutch gin), fruit brandy, and liqueur are still produced here today. In the small, beautifully preserved tasting tavern you can learn about—and more importantly, sample—both oude (old) and jonge (young) jenevers, as well as classic Dutch liqueurs like Bruidstranen (bride’s tears), an orange-flavored cordial with flakes of silver and 22-karat gold. Let the bartenders guide you on the traditional method: Bend down and slurp from the tulip-shaped glass—no hands allowed! You can also sign up for a one-hour tasting session and tour of the distillery; the cost is €17.50 (about $20).

The Taj Mahal is referred to as “the jewel of Muslim art in India,” by UNESCO in its listing on the World Heritage Site registry. The Mughal ruler Shah Jahan had the truly magnificent white marble mausoleum built in 1632–1648, in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. For its construction, artisans from all over the empire, Central Asia, Iran, were summoned and the final result of their stonework, calligraphy, carvings, gardening, woodwork, and soaring domes remains one of the universally admired masterpieces of world heritage. Allot ample time to tour the site—besides the mausoleum, there is a mosque, a guest house, cloisters, courtyards, gates, and vast gardens. In addition to being stunningly beautiful from afar, the iconic site is evocatively romantic and up-close, the intricate details in its architecture, ornamentation, and history, are revealed.

Located in the heart of Bridgehampton, Topping Rose House occupies a grand old Greek Revival mansion, built back in 1842 for a local judge. The luxurious property features 22 guestrooms, including a number of cottages, with elegant décor like four-poster beds and glass doors that open onto verdant grounds. Also on site is a Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant, complete with a seasonal menu that incorporates ingredients from the property’s one-acre farm. Unusual for a small Hamptons hotel, Topping Rose offers a wide selection of amenities, including a lovely outdoor pool, a fitness center, yoga classes, and a spa with a range of massage and beauty treatments.

Situated just 40 miles from downtown Anchorage and the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, this year-round resort feels worlds away, set deep in a glacier-carved valley off scenic Seward Highway. With 304 rooms and a dizzying number of amenities, it also feels like a world unto itself. There are eight dining and drinking options, a fitness center, a heated saltwater lap pool with mountain views, and a spa that provides Arctic mud facials. But guests come to Alaska to commune with the great outdoors, and Alyeska offers its fair share of world-class experiences, including the longest continuous double-black-diamond ski run in North America and more than 1,600 acres of skiable terrain. The staff can arrange excursions that range from heli-skiing and dogsledding tours in winter to naturalist-led walks and glacier cruises in summer. For breathtaking panoramic views, the resort even has its own 60-passenger aerial tram for whisking guests straight from the hotel up 2,300 feet to the top of Mount Alyeska.

Driving along the countryside in northern Portugal near Oporto I saw the spectacular hillside vines of the famous Douro Valley spread out in front of me for miles. The sight was breathtaking. I saw the steep hillsides with the vines on the terraces. The vines were loaded with grapes that in a couple of weeks would be ready for harvest. The vineyards were first established in the 12th century by Cistercian monks. There are numerous Cistercian monasteries in the area. UNESCO declared the Douro Valley a World Heritage Site in 2001. The Douro Valley produces the grapes for port, red, and white wines. Douro tours are available and run from a few hours to a few days. The cruises run from April to October. If you want to see the harvest picking of the grapes plan your tour for September. A drive through the Douro Valley or a cruise down the Douro River is an experience to savor. If you get to northern Portugal, look into a side trip to the Douro. You won’t be disappointed.

While the tourist hordes in beautiful Sintra, Portugal, are flocking to Pena Palace, head instead to Monserrate. The gardens here are massive and have been recently restored. We wandered here for hours without hardly seeing another person. The palace itself, although not as large as Pena, is just as grand, if not more so. Every inch of the architecture is covered in delicate carving. The Moorish and Indian influences work together to create a cohesive and beautiful design.

Downtown Mendoza’s finest luxury hotel, the Park Hyatt Mendoza Hotel, Casino & Spa enjoys a privileged location on Plaza Independencia with choice rooms overlooking the Andes mountains. A stunning 19^th-century Spanish colonial whitewashed façade gleams beautifully with majestic columns and ornate cornices. Behind the historic entrance lies a modern, six-story hotel with a contemporary art collection featuring the works of 23 renowned local artists.

Park Hyatt Mendoza’s signature service extends to 186 luxurious guestrooms and suites, plus a spa, health club, casino, and outdoor swimming pool. The hotel’s Grill Q is known for its steaks, while its fine-dining restaurant Bistro M features an impressive two-story wine library with a Wine Spectator stamp of approval for having one of the most outstanding wine lists in the world. The Vines Wine Bar & Vinoteca is a contemporary bar offering local wines.

Might be one of the most beautiful train stations in the World, Sao Bento Railway Station was opened to the public in 1916 and is well known for its walls covered with 20,000 splendid azulejo ceramic tiles which describe the History of Portugal. It took Jorge Colaço, the artist, 11 years to complete this building. The railway station is located in the Almeida Garret Square, in the centre of the city. I happened to be there on a Saturday rainy morning, while I was looking for a place to hide from the heavy rain. It was quite interesting watching the people’s dynamics, which might look the same in every major Railway station, despite its location. This place is beautiful all year around and probably most hours of the day. Indulge in this beauty and pay attention to the little details.