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Rustic luxury is the vibe at Amansala, where all accommodations are cabana-style. How rustic? Well, lights go out at 11 each night, after which time candles provide illumination. Ocean breezes do the work that is relegated to air-conditioners at less eco-conscious hotels. Rooms are decorated with locally sourced materials, including driftwood and stones. Candles and incense are in-room amenities. The idea, says owner Melissa Perlman, is for guests to feel that they’re staying at a friend’s home rather than an anonymous hotel where they’re just a room number. The hotel also hosts yoga retreats several times throughout the year, as well as detox cleanse packages and “Bikini Bootcamp” intensives for guests who want to get in shape.

Mexico City’s fun speakeasy shows no signs of stopping. Officially a membership club, ambitious gate-crashers (doll up and don’t be pushy; foreign accents not a liability) should look for a rather forlorn, seemingly late-night Calle Londres sandwich shop. Are those customers and employees real? Once you’ve talked your way through the air-lock-style door to the back room, you reach a genie’s bottle of a lounge, outfitted in sexy, disco style. Groups take booths and others sit at the bar where surprisingly friendly—and deeply knowledgeable—bartenders shake, stir, garnish, and ignite some of the city’s most showstopping haute cocktaillerie. They’re happy to make your usual, but why not let go a little, allowing mixologists to add their surprising touches? A winning combo of insiders-only and everybody’s-welcome. [Editor’s note: Go to the Hanky Panky Facebook page and send them a direct message. They’ll respond with the exact address and a reservation.]

Opened at the mouth of the Singapore River in 1928 to celebrate 100 years since Singapore‘s British founding, the Fullerton Hotel was, at the time, the largest and most expensive building in the Lion City. It served as the General Post Office, Exchange, Chamber of Commerce, and Singapore Club before undergoing a $320 million refit to open as a hotel in 2001. Visually, it’s a showstopper, with coffered ceilings, cornices, and marble floors—a Palladian building in stark contrast to the neighboring bland office towers. The atrium lobby is refreshingly bright, with a grandness of scale that brings drama to the arrival experience. Rooms have vanilla-colored walls, and some open to the atrium. The 25-meter infinity pool is almost theatrical, with Doric columns rising behind. Leisurely afternoon tea is a fine excuse to linger in the atrium lobby and appreciate the airy space’s tranquil qualities.

This refined 28-acre resort set in the rolling hills between downtown Sonoma and downtown Napa makes guests feel relaxed the moment they check in. The vistas are unobstructed from the resort’s pool areas, and many of the property’s 94 stand-alone cottages with private balconies and six private homes offer views of the open space, too. By day, lawn games are usually underway on the grassy expanse called the Town Square, while in the evenings, a pavilion provides an unparalleled backdrop for stargazing. This is a hotel that values fresh air, as evidenced by the walls in the common areas, which retract to bring the outdoors in. There are other reasons to fall in love with Carneros—namely, the on-site restaurants. The casual Boon Fly Café is famous for breakfasts, with spicy bacon Bloody Mary drinks and tiny made-to-order doughnuts. FARM, on the other hand, is more formal, with menu items such as braised oxtail terrine and smoked Sonoma duck breast. While the hotel offers in-room massages, it will also reopen its spa after a full-scale renovation later in 2018.

Terraced like the surrounding rice paddies, Soori Bali occupies an undeveloped stretch of fertile coastline roughly 25 minutes from Tabanan, a town northwest of Denpasar known for traditional farming and artisan crafts. The resort’s modern design plays on the shapes, colors, and landscapes of the surrounding area and incorporates local stone. (At the recommendation of the surrounding village’s elder, the property also constructed 10 stone temples onsite within the property.) Outdoor spaces feature bright green trees and grasses along with infinity pools, while high ceilings, cool colors, and marble floors inside create a tranquil escape from the heat. The property’s spacious rooms and wood-slat shades give off an art-gallery vibe, and the reading-room lounge displays the works of the hotel’s artists in residence. Food is another big focus here, both at the resort’s three restaurants and in tours that explore rice cultivation, exotic ingredients found at the Kerambitan market, and the spices, cacao, and coffee from nearby Jatiluwih.

This funky boutique hotel on the edge of the Britomart shopping district goes way back in Auckland history. Built in 1841 as The Commercial Hotel, the DeBrett building survived two fires and two rebuilds plus a stint as a hostel before becoming the quirky place guests experience today. The Housebar has always been the center of hotel life, and today, the intimate wood-and-mint venue exudes its original art deco style and serves classic cocktails and local beers and wines alongside refined pub snacks.

In addition to restoring the bar and adding a glass-roofed atrium that houses the hotel restaurant, DeBretts Kitchen, the current owners affixed contemporary artwork and photography throughout and sheathed the entire building in candy-striped carpeting, custom designed from 100 percent New Zealand wool. Besides the carpet and small-batch minibar selections, no two rooms are the same. Each features unique furnishings from the 1930s on, and every bed has an original screenprinted throw. Two of Hotel DeBretts centerpieces, the chandelier and water sculpture in the restaurant, were crafted by Auckland artists from materials salvaged during the latest renovation. The result is a local experience from top to bottom that gives guests a real taste of New Zealand.

While staying at the Romantik Hotel Vivenda Miranda overlooking the beach of Praia do Mos in Lagos, I gazed at this stunning beach many times. I don’t know how many photos I took of it. This is a long beach with golden sand, sparkling waters, and a couple of good Portuguese restaurants. During the Summer it is lively but not too overcrowded. At high tide, the beach may be less wide. Your hotel staff at the main desk will give you the low and high tides for your beach. People walk the cliffs and even traverse them down to the beach. I chose to go the long way around especially since lately you hear of rock slides in the area! The tranquil feel of this beach is a reward in itself. The area of Lagos and western Algarve is less developed as far as huge resorts and high rises. It is beautiful and in many spots untamed and one of my favorite areas of Portugal. Look up info on the Lagos area in Portugal guides or on www.portugal.com or www.logosportugal.com

Set on 18 literally green acres, this amenity-rich hotel feels like a secluded retreat among the towering pines, sprawling oaks, and manicured grounds—despite its proximity to the bustling Loop 610 and the Galleria. It affords so much peace and quiet, along with accessibility, that President George H. W. and Barbara Bush used the Houstonian as their home address while he was in office, and stayed on property during visits back to Houston.

The lobby has a warm, luxury lodge feel with soaring ceilings, wood details, and a massive stone fireplace. Guest rooms feel more elegant and traditional, with lavish textures and verdant floor-to-ceiling views. Every room has a 42-inch HDTV, complimentary Wi-Fi, a Keurig coffeemaker, and terrycloth bathrobes. (There are 67 concierge-level rooms that include daily continental breakfast, after-dinner sweets and cordials, plus additional services.) For the nature-minded, there’s a mile-long walking trail around the serene property.

Once a separate municipality, San Ángel—in the city’s south, nestled into its western foothills—is a leafy, genteel enclave whose relative isolation adds a soigné feel (for better or worse) you won’t find in neighboring Coyoacán. Ground zero for promenading is quaint Plaza San Jacinto, whose cute parish church (and beautiful cloister garden) is a sort of spiritual last stand amid the surrounding area’s high-toned consumerism. That said, the plaza’s true spirit comes alive Saturdays, at the so-called Bazar Sábado, an artisanal market that fills the area with stall after stall of handmade jewelry, textiles, crafts, and accessories, plus a great deal of art—some finer, some less so—in styles that go from hippie to haute. Strolling musicians and performers add to the carnival atmosphere.

If you love art in all its many forms, the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston is a ‘must-see’ destination. They have a great collection of Impressionism and Asian art works, from Monet and Van Gogh, to Chinese furniture and Japanese paintings, as well as the Egyptian collections. In addition, their newly opened west wing contains many stunning pieces of American art. Besides the arts, there is a cafe, a restaurant, gift shops of course, and a mini cinema for special shows. To get there: The MFA has its own subway stop called, what else, the MFA. If you drive, there are parking garage options as well. You can easily spend half a day here—or more!

Encompassing early 200 acres of rolling parkland, Villa Borghese is Rome’s verdant heart and everyone’s favorite place for an afternoon walk. The vast gardens are criss-crossed with picturesque paths, where visitors can meander past ancient statues and fountains, sit by a lake or caffè, and take in a film at one of two cinemas. For culture vultures, there is a Shakespearean Globe Theatre with a robust summer schedule, a historic puppet theater, and several world-renowned museums including Galleria Borghese with its enviable collection of Bernini sculptures and Caravaggio paintings. Younger kids enjoy playgrounds, electric train rides, and a kids museum, while children of all ages can get active with skate, bike, and paddleboat rentals.

Founded in 1913, this famous botanical garden was the first in the world dedicated to its country’s own flora. The spectacular, 90-acre plant haven forms part of a nature reserve that borders Table Mountain National Park. Besides numerous gardens and forests—some of which you can traverse on high via the futuristic Boomslang (Tree Snake) walkway—Kirstenbosch has a greenhouse, a restaurant run by the popular Moyo group, and a nursery for green thumbs who want to take a piece of the garden home with them. Spend five minutes here and you’ll realize why Kirstenbosch’s displays at the Chelsea Flower Show in London often win gold.

One of the most convivial Garifuna dining spots in Hopkins is run by the entrepreneurial Tina, born and raised in the village. Sample local dishes, such as the breakfast fry jacks, and Tina’s Garifuna hudut—snapper simmered in a seasoned coconut stew, with a side of mashed plantain. You’ll also find a variety of surprising daily specials, including curries and lobster cooked several ways, and small bites like quesadillas. Locals come in and out all day. There are Friday evening Garifuna drumming sessions in the open-air thatched restaurant.

Formerly known as Bastakiya, the Al-Fahidi Historical Neighborhood was preserved in the mid-2000s amid the city’s rush to modernize. As you wander around this district off Dubai Creek, you’ll see teahouses, art galleries and private homes on narrow pedestrian alleys. The area was settled in the 19th century by Arab merchants from Persia. In those days, wind towers called barjeel were used as a form of air-conditioning.

Sakurai Tea is a unique tea counter that offers a selection of Japanese tea and Japanese tea–infused spirits. Customers select a seasonal sweet, presented like jewelry in a wooden box, to pair with the tea. Smoky notes fill the air as hojicha tea is roasted after it is ordered. Gyokuro, a high-end green tea, is unlike any other, a savory elixir steeped at a low temperature. After drinking the gyokuro, the leaves are seasoned with a citrusy soy ponzu, for eating. Owner Shinya Sakurai, a former bartender, has the unique training to combine tea and spirits for Japanese tea cocktails.