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The salmon-colored stucco buildings comprising the Elliott House Inn have a long history that runs parallel with the city’s. Built in the aftermath of a citywide fire, the property’s main structure was then shaken in an 1886 earthquake (the characteristic Charleston earthquake bolts are visible on the building’s facade) and battered by 1989’s Hurricane Hugo. The bed-and-breakfast reopened in 2011 after two years of renovation and redecoration, reinventing itself yet again. The main building is a classic Charleston single house, built with its narrow end on the street and a long piazza running along its length.

The rooms, with their botanical prints, hardwood floors, and Oriental rugs, are traditional in a way that’s elegant and charming rather than fussy. Rooms are available both in the main house and the single-story building across. The quiet courtyard provides an oasis from the city streets with its wisteria-dotted pergola and light-draped palmetto trees.

Treat yourself in the Paris of the North with a visit to Sweet Heart, located inside a lovely red wooden house in the heart of Tromsø’s main shopping district. For a true taste of Scandinavia, choose salty over sweet and try some black licorice, the house special loved and loathed in equal measure. Those without that acquired taste needn’t fear though, as the shelves are packed with all kinds of chocolates, jellies, and other candies, many beautifully packaged into gift boxes. The store also sells tea, coffee, and ice cream, making it extremely difficult to leave without satisfying any craving you had three times over.

I could have spent days at Camden Market! There’s loads to see and something for everyone. My favourite find from Camden is an awesome nautical style rockabilly dress (which I saved £10 on :). I also ate the most epic burrito of my life in Camden. It was heavenly.

Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, a Seven Mile Beach favorite on Grand Cayman, combines luxury with sustainability. Here, a 143,000-watt solar array (among the largest in the Cayman Islands) generates electricity. The hotel also harvests rainwater for landscaping and uses aluminum water bottles instead of plastic.

In addition to being family friendly—it has a great kids camp—Seafire is animal friendly. For example, it has special outdoor lighting to prevent distractions for the local turtle population, who use moonlight to guide them to the sea. The property also has trained a group of local divers, deemed “Seafire Guardians,” to help with local coral reef regeneration. The resort’s commitment to the area’s wildlife makes it ideal for travelers looking to support the island in a responsible way.

This 7,000 square-foot, $13,000 a night suite is the ultimate in luxurious Hong Kong living. Perched on top of the amazingly well situated InterContinental Hong Kong, the Presidential Suite has everything you could possibly want including private terrace, pool, jacuzzi, gym, office and a master bath that has both a sauna and a steam room. There’s no better place to stay in Hong Kong if it’s luxury you’re after.

The first new building to be constructed on the Bund in 60 years, the terraced, granite Peninsula opened in October 2009. Celebrating the city’s Roaring Twenties, the standalone hotel creates a grand sense of arrival with a sweeping driveway. Art Deco design elements occur throughout the property, and traditional decor employs lacquer, marble, granite, wood, and original art. Rooms and suites come with spacious dressing rooms with a full-length valet box for discreet delivery of laundry and packages; they also feature Peninsula’s industry-leading, intuitive in-room technology, with room functions controlled at the touch of a button, and VOIP telephones that allow guests to make free local and international calls. For arrival and departure in style, book the hotel’s Rolls-Royce Phantoms or 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II. The property also has China’s first hotel private yacht, a British-built Princess 54 model.

Marilyn Monroe once proclaimed that her favorite swimming pool was at the Arizona Biltmore. And Irving Berlin, obviously a person who didn’t know how to relax, is said to have written “White Christmas” while a guest at the hotel. Other musical guests have included Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., who were known to play on a piano in the lobby. But that’s history, and the Jewel of the Desert, as the 90-year-old hotel was once known, is now just one more sparkling gem in a treasure chest of Arizona resorts. To continue shining, the Biltmore underwent a major renovation that was completed in late 2016. Much of the update focused on restoring the hotel’s original main building, but the guest rooms, meeting spaces, ballrooms, and spa were also polished. The contemporary style that now dominates the Biltmore was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, who played a significant role in determining the hotel’s original look. In the guest rooms, Wright’s influence is most notable in the wall coverings, embossed with a design similar to that found on his “Biltmore Blocks,” used in the construction of most of the resort. Of course, for guests who didn’t come for the history, or the design lecture, there are still the eight swimming pools, seven tennis courts, and, next door at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club, 36 holes of golf.

You can find unique structures by famed architect John Lautner (an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright) all over Los Angeles, but none are as mind-boggling at his Chemosphere. Lautner was drafted to design the Hollywood Hills house for Leonard Malin, an aerospace engineer whose mountainside property presented a steep architectural challenge. Lautner’s answer to that challenge was the hovering, spaceship-like home that still sits on stilts above Torreyson Drive today. Panoramic windows allow lucky guests stunning views of the San Fernando Valley, and the only way to reach the inside of the building is by funicular. The home is still privately owned, so you’ll need an invite to see that view. Luckily, the exterior is worth a visit on its own (but maybe leave the jokes of alien abduction at home).

As the name suggests, this hotel’s personality is one part laid-back Californian, one part British aristocrat. Nowhere is that clearer than at the 10th-floor rooftop pool, where plantings inspired by formal English gardens stand out against a backdrop of palm trees and sunny views of the Hollywood Hills. Downstairs, the London Bar channels both influences, too, with an orangeries-style latticework frieze inspired by English conservatories along with a living wall of exotic plants and a menu that ranges from classic (Moscow Mules, Pimm’s Cups) to creative (the Winston Churchill made with Bulldog gin and Laphroig scotch is a favorite).

At just over 540 yards, Długi Targ, which translates to “the Long Market,” isn’t really all that lengthy. Still, it makes for a lovely walk, stretching from the Green Gate at its eastern entrance through the medieval city of Gdańsk to the Golden Gate at its western end. Lined with cafés, restaurants, and souvenir shops worth a stop, the route is also home to picturesque architecture, including historic tenement houses that were renovated after World War II. Be sure to stop at the elaborate 17th-century Neptune Fountain (which represents Gdańsk’s ties to the sea) and, just behind it, the 15th-century Artus Court (a medieval hall fantastically decorated with hunting trophies and models of tall ships hung from the ceiling). A tiny detour down Kramarska Lane behind Artus Court will take you to St. Mary’s, the largest brick church in the world. In this enormous space, which can accommodate as many as 25,000 people, you’ll find a 500-year-old, 25-foot-high astronomical clock, as well as several Baroque statues of angels playing musical instruments. If you’re not afraid of heights, consider climbing the 409 steps to the top of the church tower.

The Beaumont’s 1926 exterior isn’t altogether conventional. The curious, cubelike sculpture on the left-hand corner of the facade is the creation of one of Britain’s foremost artists. Antony Gormley is best known for creating works such as the “Angel of the North” in the English town of Gateshead, but on this occasion he agreed to create ROOM—an “inhabitable sculpture” with a luxury suite hidden inside—at the behest of his old friend Jeremy King.

King, for those not familiar with London’s restaurant scene, is one half of Corbin & King. The pair have been working together for 30 years and have accrued a following at spots including the Wolseley, the Delaunay, Brasserie Zédel, and Colbert.

It’s perhaps fitting, then, that the first thing guests encounter upon entering the Beaumont is a pair of double doors pointing the way to the Colony Grill Room and the American Bar. Both spaces are fitted with decadent walnut finishes, Art Deco artwork, and dim, atmospheric lighting. The look and feel recapture the glamour of America during the 1920s and 30s, and that theme pervades the hotel.

Why we love it: A city slicker–approved beach retreat with a vibrant art collection

The Highlights:
- The secret indoor pool up a staircase from the main pool area
- Fresh-baked breads by pastry chef Simone Colla served daily in the Filosofía restaurant
- An entryway featuring a rare sculpture by KAWS and vintage armchairs hung like swings from the ceiling

The Review:
The people watching is just as entertaining as the artwork at Casa Malca, a mansion once maintained by Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar but now owned by New York gallerist and art collector Leo Malca. Set on a Caribbean-facing swath of sand next to the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve—and just a short bike ride from Tulum’s beachfront boutiques and restaurants—the hotel features 71 rooms, complete with polished concrete floors, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean, and bold artwork from Malca’s personal collection. A black-and-white print inspired by Keith Haring covers the lobby bar, while antique baby dolls adorn the walls in one of the hotel’s three restaurants. The pool and beach areas are more sedate, with cerulean daybeds and colorful hammocks studded like jewels among the leafy palms.

From the porte-cochère entry at the Westin Puntacana Resort & Club, you’ll catch an inviting first glimpse of coconut palms, manicured grass, and a long swimming pool that seems to end at the sea. The view only gets better upstairs, where all 200 rooms—including 16 suites—offer swoon-worthy ocean vistas. On the hottest of days, the high-ceilinged, open-air lobby is a great place to hang with a cold one while catching the ocean breezes. When it’s cooler, have lunch by the pool or at the beachside La Palapa, and plan for dinner at the open-air Brassa. As a guest at the Westin, you also have access to Puntacana Resort & Club’s eight restaurants, two golf courses, tennis center, Six Senses Spa, aquatic center, and Grupo Puntacana Foundation activities.

Of the many draws of this upscale property on 26 pine-clad acres, the biggest is arguably its beach, one of the longest private stretches on Lake Tahoe, where guests can relax in cabanas and lounge chairs, rent jet skis, boats, or kayaks, and even stay in one of the 26 luxury beachside cabins. The lobby, with its massive timbers, flagstone walls and fireplaces, and huge windows, recall some of the great National Park Lodges; the rooms, however, are modern and spacious, swathed in soothing neutral colors. (Rooms on the upper levels of the 12-story tower have the best views.) And because the resort resides on the Nevada side of the North Shore, there’s a 20,000-square-foot casino. Other amenities include a spa, fitness center, and an indoor/outdoor swim-out pool that—along with a lazy river and water fountains—is heated year-round, as well as a kiddie pool and two large whirlpools. And no need to leave Fido behind: the resort accepts your furry friends, too.

The Faroe Islands’ newest boutique hotel, Hotel Havgrím sits on the shore just outside of Tórshavn. Formerly known as the Commodore’s House, the property has been lovingly restored to preserve its sense of history and connection to the sea—plaques with the names of all 21 commodores that have lived in the building since the 1950s hang in the lobby. The 14 airy rooms are equally inspired by the surrounding fjord, with a blue-green-and-white color scheme and sweeping ocean views. Some also have private terraces for taking in the scenery en plein air, as well as adjoining doors to create family suites. En-suite bathrooms include L’Occitane products and glass box showers that look out on the bedroom and the ocean beyond—just know that they don’t afford much privacy.

Every morning, guests should head down to the charming breakfast room, where they can enjoy freshly baked Danish rye bread, smoked salmon, Icelandic skyr yogurt, and more while watching sheep graze on the farmland next door. Be sure to ask for the ginger shots, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and French press coffee, all of which—along with your breakfast—are included in your stay.