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Hyde Park is happening. Catering to the University of Chicago crowd and its visiting dignitaries, the five-year-old Sophy takes inspiration from hometown literary and musical heroes, whose artworks ornament the walls in the popular and always convivial Mesler restaurant. Taking the title of the first boutique hotel on Chicago’s South Side when it opened in 2018, the property occupies a prime spot on 53rd Street—a vibrant commercial hub lined with shops and restaurants owned and frequented by a diverse population that range from academics to local politicians to the city’s cultural influencers. Former UofC professor Barack Obama’s home (and his under-construction presidential library) are nearby.

Formerly Las Alcobas, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Napa Valley.

Located just a short walk from the downtown area of the charming small town of St. Helena, Alila Napa Valley blends old and new in totally indulgent ways. The center of the 64-room property is a Victorian-style mansion that dates back to 1905. The house has been renovated and is now home to Violetto, an intimate, fine dining restaurant led by award-winning Executive Chef Thomas Lents. The nightly tasting menu, inspired by Northern Italy and Southern France, highlights local ingredients from Napa with items like homemade pastas, fresh salads, and duck confit. Guests can also join for a la carte snacks in the lounge and bar or on the beautiful, wrap-around veranda (don’t miss the chickpea panisse).

Behind the old mansion is the spa, whose building was designed to replicate an old barn with clapboard walls and high ceilings. The vibe is distinctive yet without pretense. Angled around these buildings are stand-alone, three-story structures that house the majority of the guest rooms. Featuring a warm, minimalist aesthetic that highlights, rather than distracts from, the beautiful vineyards it overlooks, each of the spacious guest rooms are decked out in natural materials such as oak, jute, and Carrara marble. Rooms come with cozy bathrobes, well-stocked mini-bars, and inviting balconies with fire pits that will make you want to lounge and linger.

All of this is centered around a large, open-air bar, event reception area, and swimming pool. Though compact, the pool is nestled in an exquisite setting with vineyard views. If you can manage to peel yourself away from the hotel, the property also has bicycles that guests can use to get around town or pedal around the newly built Napa Vine Trail. Or, simply walk a few hundred feet to the winery next door, Beringer, for a sampling of their world-renowned wines. Whatever you choose to do—be it lounge with a glass of wine at the new poolside bar, or retreat for a massage in the on-site spa—you can’t go wrong at this beautiful Napa wine country resort.

A Sunset Strip retreat that blends high design with sustainable practices

• A sustainable design that employs reclaimed timber, recycled carpeting, and lush native greenery
• Healthy extras like yoga mats, kombucha, and local snacks in every room
• Four separate dining options serving California cuisine and craft cocktails, plus a lobby farm stand with fresh fruits

After a brief stint as The Jeremy, this Sunset Strip property opened as L.A.’s first 1 Hotel in May 2019 with a strong focus on sustainability. As soon as you drive up to the valet (which offers electric charging stations), you’ll be enveloped by a biophilic world of plants, reclaimed wood, and rough-hewn granite. The reception desk is made from a massive tree that fell in Mendocino, while the cozy lobby is filled with wood and linen-covered furniture made locally by J. Alexander. Also on the ground floor is a farm stand with fresh produce for the taking; 1 Kitchen, which serves sustainably sourced California cuisine among tables that resemble sliced trees; and Goodthings, a retail shop selling Earth + Element pottery, organic cotton clothing, and a selection of all-natural face serums and tonics.

The 285 rooms feature earth tones, floor-to-ceiling windows, multiple plants in volcanic rock planters, and unfinished wooden wardrobes filled with hangers made from recycled paper. Guests can also look forward to extras like yoga mats, comfy cotton robes, and minibars stocked with kombucha and local snacks like Fat Uncle Farms Cajun-Flavored California Almonds, plus all-natural dog bones and candles with the hotel’s signature scent. Bathrooms have deep marble tubs and full-size bath products—no single-use plastics here. Elsewhere in the hotel, the heated pool features a plant-filled deck with plenty of loungers and views of downtown, while a fitness center by Performix, a rooftop bar, and an organic garden with a beehive offer more places for guests to gather. From $518

Mylopotas beach is a stretch of sunny beach lined with bars, restaurants, hotels, and a youthful party scene. Depending on the day or time of day this stretch of beach could be quite and lazy in the sun or have music and people dancing on cars. Either way Karma beach bar is a chill open air bar with pillow seating on the raised floor and hammocks hanging everywhere. The pizza is delicious and perfect for a light beach snack on a sunny day. They have a great drink menu including island cocktails and prosecco fruit mixers. We lounged our first day away in the hammocks here sipping on cool drinks.

Being able to live it up in an Irish castle or stately home is one of the draws for visitors – and Irish hotels come in all styles. Check into a hotel like Adare Manor in Co Limerick, or Ireland’s Dromoland Castle in Co Clare for turrets, elegant rooms and manicured grounds. Foodies will love Ballymaloe House in East Cork, while the trendy roof bar at the Marker Hotel in Dublin is the best place for Irish summer evening cocktails.

St. Kitts has beaches with bars, beaches with resorts, and beaches with nothing to distract you but the sound of the surf rolling over the sand. This variety also extends to the island’s other attractions, which include historic sites, outdoor activities like hiking and golf, and just enough nightlife to keep things interesting without disturbing St. Kitts’ sweet sense of tranquility.

One of the world’s prettiest capitals, Stockholm wows visitors with its food, architecture, design and natural beauty. To rub shoulders with stylish Swedes, head to the Lydmar Hotel, which boasts four of Stockholm’s hottest bars and restaurants. Hotel Skeppsholmen champions all things local including food, beer, design and insider tips to share with guests. Ett Hem translates to “a home” and this 12-room hotel feels exactly like that with a kitchen open to guests at all hours.

There’s loads to do if you have 48 hours in Nairobi. With boutique shops, atmospheric restaurants, and plenty of live music, it’s not hard to see why Nairobi is developing a reputation as one of the coolest cities in the world. There are new skyscrapers, bars, and apartments sprouting up constantly, and no, it’s not the prettiest city ever. But Nairobi’s residents are friendly, motivated, and enthusiastic about their home town, and there’s far more to Nairobi than first impressions might reveal.

Straddling Cancun’s sandy beach in the heart of the Hotel Zone, the CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resort features 450 re-modeled rooms and suites with balconies with ocean views. The AAA Four Diamond-award winner houses a wide selection of restaurants and bars, offering Argentine, Japanese, Southwestern, Italian or Thai cuisine. La Isla-Pool Bar serves poolside snacks and drinks in a family setting, while Bahia dishes up fresh seafood on the beach. Las Ventanas Lobby Bar is the place to meet for drinks and appetizers and enjoy nightly entertainment, while Las Ventanas Gift and Coffee shop offers “grab and go” and late night snacks. A full-service fitness center, pool and onsite tennis and water sports complete the recreational package. The Marriott Kid’s Club offers entertainment for the younger guests. High speed Wi-Fi is available in rooms and public areas throughout the resort.

With its fourth U.S. location, the Hoxton brings its signature coolness to the old Los Angeles Railway Building in the center of downtown. The 1922 structure is now home to 174 hotel rooms, three bars and restaurants, and The Apartment—the Hoxton’s signature meeting and event space, complete with stylish conference rooms and a communal kitchen filled with tasty snacks. The F&B outlets come courtesy of the team behind New York’s popular Sunday in Brooklyn, and range from Sibling Rivalry (an all-day lobby spot with seasonal comfort food and its own soft-serve bar) and Pilot (a Mediterranean-inspired rooftop bar and restaurant by the pool) to an as-yet-unnamed bar set to open in early 2020.

Settled into the soon-to-open Ponce City Market on the corners of North and Ponce de Leon avenues, Dancing Goats is a espresso and coffee bar in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. Open from 6:30 am with plenty of parking, Dancing Goats is a great place to get work done. An glass encased patio allows digital nomads to plug in and take advantage of the free Wi-Fi while watching the cars pass by. Dancing Goats sells Batdorf & Bronson coffee, a beloved roaster based in Washington state. Pastries, teas and other snacks are available.

If someone described the Lone Palm bar as something out of Miami Vice, they wouldn’t be entirely wrong—the neon signs, dim lighting, and white tablecloths in an otherwise casual, somewhat dive-y bar give off a certain Vice-esque vibe. Stop by the Lone Palm for a drink at the very beginning or the very end of your night—it fills up quickly. Attentive bartenders and oft-refilled bar snacks like Goldfish also make it a good spot for a post-work Happy Hour. Lone Palm is open every day from 4 pm to 2 am.

The rooftop terrace bar of the smart Rinascente department store offers some of the most stunning views in the city and the in-your-face views of the Duomo from up here really help to put Brunelleschi’s monumental creation into perspective. It just about makes up for the not-very-exciting selection of drinks, snacks and light meals that make up the menu. Beware that you pay more to eat and drink on the terrace than inside the bar.

Once a fishing village, Negril—Jamaica’s favorite laid-back beach town—is at once a party scene and a romantic escape. Go bar-hopping or beachcombing on Seven Mile Beach (also known as Negril Beach), dine seaside atop dramatic cliffs in the West End of town, swim in nearby waterfalls, explore the vibrant markets, or jam barefoot to live reggae. There’s no place in Jamaica quite like Negril.

Bali’s eclectic dining scene, spanning traditional Balinese fare all the way to raw food culture and even Mexican food, means you’ll never find yourself without options. Sunny spots for pre-beach breakfasts and exotic restaurants for romantic evenings, beach bars and nightclubs, Bali will keep you busy.