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Beloved by artists and curators attending the annual Art Dubai fair, XVA Art Hotel wraps around the three courtyards of the restored 19th-century home of the Seddiqi family, prominent traders who became the emirate’s Rolex dealers. Longtime resident Mona Hauser, founder and owner of the XVA Gallery of contemporary art, decorated each second-floor room of the traditional wind tower house in collaboration with a regional designer or artisan such as Nada Debs, a Lebanese designer known for her custom mother of pearl inlaid furniture. The on-site alfresco vegetarian lounge café—praised by chef Gordon Ramsay as his favorite place to eat in Dubai—is a hangout for independent travelers and resident creatives who linger over mint lemonade, salads, soups, and cheesecake. There is a running trail along Dubai Creek and the hotel can recommend nearby beaches, as well as spa services and fitness centers at all price points.

If there’s a hub of the hubbub in Kennebunkport, it’s Dock Square, a colorful jumble of onetime fishing shacks that now house galleries, stores, and restaurants. Prowl through the shops to find unusual clothing, distinctive souvenirs, fine art, crafts, taffy and fudge, pottery, canvas bags, specialty foods, presents for pets, and, of course, the usual trinkets and T-shirts. Most of these spots are built on wharves over the tidal Kennebunk River, and it’s worth climbing to second-floor ones, such as Good Earth, for the water—or mudflat—views. The bridge connecting Dock Square to Kennebunk’s Lower Village offers another good vantage point, and the Clam Shack is one of the area’s best places to indulge in fried clams or a lobster roll.

At Maui Brewing Co. in Kihei, visitors can take hour-long tours of the brewhouse, cellar, and packaging line, then adjourn to the tasting room with views of Haleakala and Molokini. There, they can sample beers, ciders, wines, and specialty cocktails while playing board games or simply taking in the vistas. Also on-site at the brewery is a restaurant with 36 craft and specialty beers on tap, plus a menu of burgers, fish tacos, and pizzas with MBC’s Bikini Blonde lager in the crust. Go for the live entertainment or the twice-daily happy hours, when you can enjoy steep discounts on house beers, classic cocktails, pizzas, and select appetizers.

In Miami’s trendy Mary Brickell Village, Perricone’s Marketplace & Cafe is the kind of place you can just relax in. The indoor/outdoor patio keeps you out of the blazing Florida sun but still provides a romantic ambience. To start, tear into baked Brie cheese wrapped in puff pastry dough brushed with drawn butter and powdered brown sugar. The top is then sprinkled with shaved almonds and sticky apricot jam. The melty cheese combined with the sweet sugar and jam is a perfect introduction to an unforgettable meal. Continue to the bruschetta bread basket, the lobster ravioli in a pink vodka sauce, and the lamb chops seasoned with rosemary and served perfectly pink atop a bed of couscous and steamed asparagus. Other highlights include the salmon in a lemon-butter sauce. For dessert, sample the house cake, a combination of chocolate and hazelnuts. As rich as a brownie, it’s the kind of dessert that you want to savor and pairs nicely with vanilla bean gelato. There’s an awesome Italian market in the lobby to stock up on pesto, seafood dip, and plenty of to-go truffles. Be sure to try the peanut butter teardrop.

The owners of FnB—James Beard Award semifinalist chef Charleen Badman and front-of-house manager Pavle Milic—were early champions of Arizona wine and produce, curating a wine list that includes lots of Grand Canyon State vintages to accompany their locally sourced dishes. They still highlight the state’s great bounty, and Milic even produces his own wine label, Los Milics, which is available in small batches at the restaurant. Badman’s seasonal menu showcases Arizona’s flavor with an imaginative, very veggie-forward lineup. (Don’t worry, meat and seafood are on the menu, too.) The cozy eight-seat bar is the perfect spot to sample FnB’s wine offerings, showcasing a different region every four weeks.

The museum’s collection and calendar of exhibits is a little more daring than you might imagine, but the permanent installation of James Turrell’s Knight Rise presents visitors with the biggest art jolt of all. The work, open to the public for free, consists of a circular bench beneath a luminous domed ceiling. An elliptical hole cut into the top of the dome contains a glimpse of sky. When observed in this manner, even the clearest desert sky seems to shift and pulse and fill the window with pure exuberant color. Come at dawn or sunset for the best (and often most solitary) viewing.

One of Frankfurt’s most important landmarks, the medieval Römer building is a significant part of the Römerplatz (Römer Square) in the Altstadt (Old Town). Located opposite Old St. Nicholas Church, it’s served as Frankfurt’s city hall for more than 600 years, though it’s naturally undergone some modifications in that time. Comprising several houses and six courtyards from different eras, the three-story complex currently spans some 107,639 square feet. While it once functioned as a trading hub and venue for Frankfurt’s famous book fairs, it’s now more typically used for weddings and official functions. The various rooms, which include a restored Kaisersaal (Emperor Hall), are not normally open to the public, but the building is worth a visit if only to snap a photo of the iconic three-peaked neo-Gothic facade.

Giorgio Armani chose the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, as the site of his first namesake hotel, which is swathed in the Milanese designer’s sober minimalism and signature bronze, brown, gray, and taupe color scheme. Guest rooms occupy the first eight floors, plus levels 38 and 39 of the soaring 163-story tower; the hotel’s curving floor-to-ceiling windows show off panoramic views of Dubai’s surreal desert-meets-skyscraper skyline. Armani-clad “personal lifestyle managers” assist guests with everything from delivering cappuccino and complimentary Armani/Dolci chocolate to arranging art gallery tours and desert safaris. The top-to-bottom branding is an inseparable part of the experience: Nearly every object in the hotel—toiletries, pencils, even sugar cubes—bears the Armani logo. For guests who want to take the look home, it’s easy to hit the in-house Armani Privé boutique. For those seeking more brand variety, Dubai Mall, one of the world’s largest shopping malls, sits right next door.

A former Scots Baronial mansion, Taypark House was built in 1863 on serene garden grounds. The panoramic views across the Dundee Botanic Garden remain, but now the property also features 14 individually designed rooms, many with exposed stone walls, tartan armchairs, and freestanding bath tubs. The original library and drawing room have become an impressive café and restaurant, serving fresh fare, gourmet sandwiches, and homemade baked goods, while the old dining room functions as a fashionable gin bar, complete with craft cocktails and a roaring log fire. Just a mile outside the city, Taypark House offers the quiet of the countryside within walking distance of downtown. Thanks to its gorgeous gardens, it’s also a popular spot for weddings year-round.

Why we love it: A peaceful eco-lodge on Dominica’s “wild” southeast coast

Highlights:
- A “barefoot luxury” vibe
- Proximity to the beach
- Villas surrounded by a working fruit plantation

The Review:
An agritourism pioneer, Citrus Creek blends hospitality with a tropical fruit plantation on Dominica’s rugged east coast. In building the resort, owner Hervé “RV” Nizard repurposed parts of his 20-acre farm in Taberi, adding a dozen self-catering cottages and villas. Ranging from one to three bedrooms, the accommodations include a safari tent and a stone tree house. Focused on nature, Citrus Creek trades TVs for rainforest hikes and a swimming pool for plunges in a pristine river. The property also lacks air-conditioning, but shade trees and prevailing winds keep it comfortable year-round and help maintain a “barefoot luxury” vibe.

Each room has a kitchen, stocked with breakfast goodies like tea, coffee, bread, butter, jam, and honey. For those who would rather dine out, a cafe offers half-board plans and operates every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (or later with reservations). Take your dinner on the veranda overlooking the river, choosing among French-Caribbean delicacies like onion pie, caramel pork, grilled lionfish, and smoked marlin quiche. Other on-site perks include a tour desk, car rentals, and, soon, a pier set within the jungle that will be equipped to welcome sailboats.

Opened in September 2017, Hotel Californian breathes new life into the Santa Barbara waterfront. Where once was a parking lot now stand two Spanish Colonial Revival buildings, done up in Moorish-inspired décor by celebrity designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard. The 121-room hotel also comprises the 1925 Hotel Californian across State Street (it retains its original façade but has otherwise been gutted) as well as another building across East Mason (which houses a ballroom and the two-bedroom presidential suite). In other words, the hotel is the new center of the neighborhood, partly because of its size but also due its many offerings, which range from a stylish boutique and Turkish-inspired spa to gourmet café Goat Tree and fine-dining restaurant Blackbird.

Spacious rooms mix Spanish colonial architecture, Moroccan influences, and custom furnishings for a modern take on Santa Barbara chic. All feature plush beds, marble bathrooms, and premium cocktail carts, while some have Juliet balconies or oversized verandas with views of the hotel courtyards, city, ocean, or Santa Ynez Mountains. Larger rooms even have seating areas and fireplaces for extra comfort. Should guests ever wish to venture outside, there’s a rooftop pool and event deck with sweeping views of the coastline, as well as a large lawn space for lounging. Also, the Funk Zone with its popular restaurants and Urban Wine Trail is right down the street, making the Hotel Californian one of Santa Barbara’s trendiest spots to stay.

Puerto Princesa Underground River is set in a protected area of the St. Paul Mountain Range in Palawan. It’s a five-mile stretch of the Cabayugan River that runs through a huge limestone cave and directly into the West Philippine Sea near Sabang village (the bottom half of the river is tidal). Announced as one of the New7Wonders of Nature in 2012, it’s hard to fully envision unless you experience it for yourself. Reservations are required for the tours, which enter the underground river on a small boat. The boatman manually paddles you in as the light fades, the water becomes pitch-black, and you almost lose sight of the person beside you. The boatman will then start flashing his tiny light on the stalactites, stalagmites, and other rock formations you pass. The tour takes about 45 minutes and covers only a mile or so of the river (the inner portion is closed to the public).

What do you get when you combine a design gallery/store with a café, beauty salon, fashion boutique and rental apartment? Add it all up and it equates to Droog, a multifunctional space that melds a 160-square meter exhibition space with an airy dining room, a tearoom overlooking an outdoor garden and a single bedroom for overnight guests. “The concept of a hotel has been reversed,” says Renny Ramakers, co-founder and director of Droog. “Whereas a hotel is...mostly about sleeping, here we have enlarged and emphasized all the aspects that many hotels also offer and made them central to the experience—and it even has a room to sleep in.” Housed in a 17th century building in central Amsterdam, Droog showcases product design in exhibitions and lectures, and invites people to plug in as they choose. In the gallery, view the latest in international furniture design, art and fashion. Shop at the Droog Store, then refuel at RoomService by Droog, open for late breakfast, lunch, high tea and early dinner, or just drinks and snacks. Head to Cosmania to up your beauty game, shop for hip fashion at Kabinet and stock up on wellness products at Weltevree. On top floor, Hôtel Droog offers overnight guests a brightly-lit bedroom, bathroom with separate bath and shower, living area and kitchen. Perched in the aery enclave, enjoy a splendid view of Amsterdam rooftops and the city below.

On a hopping night, Noorderlicht (Northern Lights) blazes with colorful lights visible clear across the IJ River—hence its name. For those drinking and jamming to live music on a waterfront terrace warmed by a roaring bonfire, the setting is more intimate. We’ve reached Noorderlicht, a “cultural café” in Noord-Amsterdam, via free ferry from Central Station. Destination: NDSM yard, a revitalized shipyard that belies its maritime/industrial heritage with warehouses and shipping containers transformed into nightclubs, hotels and student housing. Dotted with fishing villages, condos and restaurants, the eclectic neighborhood calls itself “Art City.” With its airplane hangar shape and greenhouse-like architecture, Noorderlicht enhances the funky landscape. The popular café draws creative types who come for waterfront dining, drinking and dancing. Inside, warm-hued wall hangings, wooden flooring, tables ornamented with polished driftwood and a disco ball contribute to an inviting ambiance. Seasonal lunch and dinner menus feature organic and regional dishes, plus casual fare like frites and burgers. Noorderlicht’s grassy terrace offers a spectacular view of Amsterdam city center from the other side of the Ij River. Dine on wicker chairs, cushioned couches and picnic tables as musicians perform overlooking the waterfront. A roster of events ranges from campfires and poetry readings to DJ nights that usually inspire some pumping and grinding in a young, energetic crowd.

Gonçalo Alves and his wife, Marta Fonseca, spent eight years turning an abandoned chicken farm on Portugal’s wild Costa de Prata into their dream retreat. “We wanted a big house to share with people,” says Alves. Their hotel, located a 45-minute drive north of Lisbon, is a whimsical escape with a hippie vibe. Each night Alves and Fonseca invite guests to join them for wine and traditional folk music around a bonfire. The architecture is modern, but the interiors have a fashionable flea-market feel. Inside the 10 rooms and four villas you’ll find bedding, rugs, and light fixtures from Morocco and India, driftwood-frame beds, and fireplaces that hang from the ceiling. Doubles from $345. 351/2-6193- 6340. This appeared in the October 2013 issue.