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My guide, Paco, a.k.a. Francisco de Santiago, 46, is a full time tour guide, and also a former child chess champion and bullfighter (“that was many kilos ago”), orders a flight of artisanal mezcal samples at our first mezcalería of the evening, and instructs me on the proper way to taste the purest of agave drinks. “You spread the mescal on top of your hand, like this, then wait for the alcohol to evaporate, then smell it for citric, floral, or smoky tones.” After smelling, a sip, then another for good measure, you take a bite of orange slice dipped in crushed maguey worms and sea salt. After that, we dive into the city’s tacos and street food, beginning our night with two cups of esquite—boiled corn kernels mixed with lime, chili pepper, and mayonnaise, which we bought from a father-son team who have been working the same street corner for 22 years. I booked my 4-hour “late-night taco and mezcal tour” with Eat Mexico Culinary Tours. Francisco de Santiago of Mexico also runs Every Angle Tours ([email protected], tel. 55-2086-0851, $85–145 per person, depending on tour, includes food, beverage, transport, guide); all kinds of specialty culinary tours, or an all-day Frida Kahlo tour of the city.)

Buda Bar, on the other side of the Havana tunnel in Cabaña, is a meditation center by day and a bumping party by night. Go after 10PM from Friday to Sunday to hear anything but reggaeton, play domino, or get your future told by an Osho card reader underneath the trees. Ask a young local for directions, as the spot is somewhat secret!

At this contemporary wine bar with an outdoor patio and bocce ball court, patrons can enjoy more than 100 wines from all over the world, along with a full menu devoted to locally sourced produce and ingredients. Vinoteca hosts a weekly live flamenco night; wine classes for small groups in the upstairs lounge; and happy hours with wine flight samples to support local nonprofit organizations and causes.

Bar Diz is nothing more and nothing less than a great neighborhood pintxo bar. Open at just the right times, with friendly service and a range of hot pintxos as well as larger portions and sandwiches, it hits the spot. They also have one of Gros’s best pintxo potes, which take place on Thursday nights from 7-10. A drink and a pintxo is two euros. It’s a madhouse.

If the view means everything when you select a place to stay, this charming B&B in Rockport just might be calling your name. Every room has the ocean at its window and the rolling waves can lull you to sleep at night. Situated on a quiet street, you’ll find a good spot for a morning walk or run and the wonderful porch is a great spot to read or start out your evening cocktail hour.

Every Thursday night during the months of November to June, San Jose de Cabo’s galleries stay open late for Art Walk. You can join other art lovers on a casual stroll through the Art District’s many galleries, enjoying work in various media from both local and expat artists. Several local restaurants participate in the Art Walk, too, offering specials or discounts as part of the weekly event.

Believe it or not, this was a day in Nice in early January—the middle of winter! Not sure if we were just lucky that day, but it was dazzling and picture perfect. Walking (or rollerblading) along the promenade was a perfect way to spend a lazy morning after a night at Wayne’s Bar.

Much of Lisbon’s appeal lies in its sheer beauty. From the rust-toned rooftops across the whitewashed Alfama district to the Pombaline architecture of Baixa, the city is very easy on the eyes. For the very best views, head skyward to Park Bar, located on the rooftop of a Bairro Alto parking garage. There, you’ll find a just-trendy-enough mix of scenester residents and tourists, sipping on white-port-and-tonics while enjoying expansive vistas from the Tagus River to the bell towers of Santa Catarina Church.

Mendoza has suffered devastating earthquakes that have reduced the city to rubble. The earthquake of 1861 destroyed most of the city. Instead of repairing all the damage, the city decided to build a new city center southwest of the original location. They created a large principal plaza—Plaza Independencia—surrounded by four smaller plazas: Plaza San Martin; Plaza Chile; Plaza Italia; and the most picturesque, Plaza Espana. These open spaces created a safe retreat for residents to gather in the event of another destructive earthquake. On weekends the plazas come alive with artisan markets, food vendors, lip-locked lovers and families. Enjoy the people watching and be aware of your belongings.

The historic El Porteño building, a onetime grain warehouse made of imported Manchester bricks, was slated for demolition in 1998 before a local cultural preservation group stepped in. Soon after, Argentine fashion designer Alan Faena picked it up and hired designer Philippe Starck to turn the old mill into his outlandish dream of a hotel, the Faena Hotel. It opened in 2004 on the now-gentrifying Puerto Madero waterfront, becoming an anchor for future developments—apartment buildings, international hotel brands, and ritzy restaurants. The Faena dares to be different in every aspect. Guests are introduced to the hotel creators’ own ideas of luxury, where black marble meets claw-foot tubs and red velvet meets white leather. The property has become something of a social center and playground for the wealthy, attracting locals to the funky cabaret with nightly tango performances, now almost legendary, or to the antique book–lined lounge and 1920s throwback decor. Multiple restaurants and a pool bar, fronting one of the largest pools in the city, help maintain a steady stream of activity.

Like the Irish pubs of the motherland, the New Sydney Hotel is warm and welcoming to all. More than two dozen tap beers—one pumped by hand—and artisan ciders are complemented by mulled pinot noir (spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and house-made syrup) as well as hot cider (Willie Smith’s organic cider plus ginger syrup and dark rum) in winter. Sip one alongside wallaby tartare or pork knuckle slow-cooked for 72 hours. Like any Irish pub worth its Guinness, the New Sydney Hotel also hosts nightly music, the most popular being the traditional Irish jam that’s been running on Saturdays for 25 years. Snag a cozy seat by the log fire, and soak up the ambience.

A Lisbon favorite, this family-run chocolate-and-coffee café is continually showered by locals with love and devotion. Here, both the coffee and cocoa beans come from São Tomé and Príncipe. The former are roasted in-house and perfectly executed in one of Lisbon’s best espressos, while the latter are churned into artisan chocolate bars in outstanding flavors like ginger, orange, sea-salt-and-pepper, and toffee. If you order an espresso, you’ll get a free sample of chocolate so you can suss out your favorite before committing to a pricier piece of heaven.

Ready to plunge headlong into every kind of Colombia nightlife? La Jugada covers all the bases. Labyrinthine levels disclose seemingly innumerable party scenes, with a different, edgy DJ lording over all, in sundry music moods; you’ll also find mellow lounges and electric cocktail bars in addition to all the utterly packed, bacchanalian dancefloors. Be sure to hit the roof for yet another—what else?—romantic downtown Cartagena view, perfect for some pitch and woo.

Sea Glass Bar & Lounge is located in The Cove Atlantis Hotel. It has a chill vibe, serves fantastic tapas and cocktails all day and all night long, and has a number of gaming tables that are never too far out of reach—he perfect escape at the heart of The Cove Atlantis.

In an all-white open-air dining room that spills out onto the sand overlooking Meads Bay on Anguilla’s west end, Jacala serves just 35 guests a night. Chef Alain Laurent’s French-inspired menu includes dishes such as fennel-spiked conch chowder, snapper meunière, and a steak tartare prepared tableside upon request.