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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.

The Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca has a commanding presence in the landscape overlooking Bologna. We arrived knowing that it was connected to town by a 2.5 mile portico some say can be seen from space. We dropped our bags at the hotel, grabbed some water and headed for the hills. No map, no directions. There are signs that guide you, eventually. Get a map. The streets and neighborhoods heading up to this massive, covered staircase are wonderful to get lost in, which we easily did. Finding the entrance, we began our pilgrimage to the church at the top of the stairs. There are 15 chapels celebrating the Mysteries of the Rosary, kind of like the stations of the cross for any of the Catholics in the audience. We hike/jogged up to the top, stopping along the way to enjoy the view and the artwork. The 18th century Sanctuary at the top provides spectacular views of the Emilia/Romagna countryside and of Bologna in the valley below. It was hot and sunny on our visit, but one of the locals told us it snows up on the hill during the winter. We had a quick decent, then out to happy hour where the specialty is the appertivo bar. For the cost of a glass of wine or cocktail, many of Bologna’s restaurants invite you to graze gratis at the traditional piccoli morsi trays laid out across the bar. It’s easy to make an evening out of nibbling on a variety of meats, cheeses, pastas, pizzetes and deserts at any number of stops. After a long, inspiring walk; my kind of tradition.

• Neighborhood: Marina Bay
• Why we love it: Classic and glamorous accommodations with views of Marina Bay
• Loyalty program: I Prefer (Preferred Hotels & Resorts)
• From $545

What was once Clifford Pier, a landing point for immigrants arriving in Singapore, is now a snazzy hotel welcoming well-heeled travelers. Located right on the water and clad in glass and metal, the 100-room Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore feels glamorous with a heady scent of gardenias and lilies wafting through its dramatically arched hallways. The plush rooms designed by Andre Fu boast views of the Marina Bay Sands, Customs House, or Clifford Pier; the Premier Bay View rooms offer a private deck and Jacuzzi overlooking Marina Bay.





Come sunset, wind down with a cocktail at the rooftop bar Lantern—named in honor of the pier’s past moniker “Red Lantern Pier”. Order the tequila-spiked Red Lantern or Lime Garden Gin Fullerton Sling and sit back to enjoy the sparkling lights of the waterfront.

Why we love it: An art-filled property that could only exist in Boise

The Highlights:
- Themed guest rooms that look great on Instagram
- An award-winning Italian restaurant
- An impressive art collection that lends a local feel

The Review:
Some upscale hotels feel impersonal, but not the 110-room Inn at 500 Capitol, which approaches interior design with refreshing whimsy. Its 57 themed rooms highlight various hobbies and interests, from the “Flicks Room” with movie star portraits and velvet ropes, to the “Best Friend Room” with dog sculptures and wildlife art. Even the “Standard” rooms are anything but, thanks to gas fireplaces, private balconies, and daybeds built beneath picture windows overlooking the Boise skyline. Hotel staff restock each room’s complimentary snack bar as it’s depleted, and more goodies await in the lobby, including complimentary beer and wine.

Making the inn even more desirable is Richard’s, the on-site restaurant run by Boise icon and James Beard–nominated chef Richard Langston that serves masterful renditions of classic Italian pastas and meats paired with Idaho-grown produce. The hotel also doubles as an art gallery (owner Brian Obie is an avid collector and painter in his own right), with a rotating array of works on loan from the Boise Art Museum, plus permanent pieces by Boise artist JanyRae Seda in the lobby. The kaleidoscopic chandelier that hangs above the entryway and the colorful sconces that fill the hotel are the work of another local artist, Filip Vogelpohl, while the stand of sculpted trees outside—a collaboration between Boise artists Ken McCall, Mark Baltes, and Leslie Dixon—turns the hotel’s doorstep into a city landmark.

Foodies (and those simply interested in local color and a good meal) should head to San Lorenzo and its covered Mercato Centrale. Florence’s main market for edibles is housed in a 19th-century glass-and-iron building. On the ground floor, delis, stands, and butcher counters sell a fantastic array of local fruit and vegetables, cheeses, dried porcini mushrooms, baked goods, balsamic vinegars, and olive oils plus fresh fish, poultry, and meat. Upstairs, a modern food hall has opened: Stalls sell prepared foods and meals for happy and immediate consumption at a central seating area.

This Lisbon restaurant, more than 30 years old, is known for its creative take on Portuguese gastronomic traditions. An extensive wine list represents the many regions of the country offering opportunities to explore by simply ordering a glass. Other bonuses: the restaurant’s glorious views over the river and its location, behind the Santa Apolónia train station, less than five minutes from the National Pantheon.

Housed in an old chalet in the hamlet of Finland, Restaurant Findlerhof has one of the best outdoor patios around. It’s spacious and sunny—and overlooks the Matterhorn. The restaurant itself is rustic yet comfortable, offering a mix of local specialties and finer food. Diners can look forward to such traditional dishes as veal cutlet and veal liver roast with hash browns.

Feast on fresh-caught fish and seafood and wash it down with Italian wine during a leisurely summer lunch at Alla Maddalena on Mazzorbo Island. A 45-minute ferry ride from Venice and far removed from the crowds, this charming, less touristy and altogether tiny island in the Venice lagoon is wonderful place to escape for an afternoon. And Alla Maddalena serves amazing fried fish as well as top-notch mussels and clams, all of which can be eaten al fresco either in the back garden or by the canal. The trattoria is also known for handmade pastas and seasonal ingredients from fruits to locally hunted game like wild duck. (Mazzorbo is a short walk across footbridge from Burano Island, so if you’re planning a trip to Burano, you can add a stop here for dinner.)

This, the bar lauded for the city’s best sliders, has just added another star to its menu: Neapolitan pizza. Regulars are mighty keen on “carbo pepe,” by Chef Miwi (at the helm in this kitchen as well as at acclaimed hipster-heaven Belmondo, both in Roma). Félix remodeled a porch into a garden where they’ve got salads, pastas, and the aforementioned pies. These and other dishes took the chef to Italy, for expert education, leading to experimentation and that perfect dough. Super-chill and friendly, yet the service could hardly be improved.

While boating on Lake Como we happened upon a peaceful corner of the lake. My husband took our daughter to explore, climb and jump off the rocks. It was a wonderful morning of swimming, and cruising in our little rental boat, and then it was onto Varenna for lunch.

Foodies, rejoice. Torvehallerne is a one-stop shop for several meals, snacks, and gourmet groceries or gastronomical gifts. It’s an airy, light-filled building with all kinds of purveyors, from fantastic coffee shops, chefs cooking fresh pasta and serving it hot to you at the counter, a farmers market outside, a tapas bar, you name it. If you’ve ever been to Florence, think of Mercato Centrale, but in a nicer setting and housing more variety. Ride your bike there to grab a bite or to spend the day enjoying its bounty.

Chef/owner Aaron Silverman’s farmhouse restaurant, in the heart of Barracks Row, serves creative (and Michelin-starred) cooking inspired by his travels and culinary training in the American South, Mexico, the Mediterranean, and Southeast Asia. Pork sausage and lychee salad is a menu mainstay; most other dishes are rotated out frequently to make way for “new stuff,” anything from grilled cucumber with coconut and anchovy to jumbo lump crab with squash blossom. Groups of six to 12 can make online reservations, all others should be prepared to wait a while. Line up before the 5 p.m. opening time to snag a seat at the counter facing the open kitchen and wood-burning stove.

There’s no need to fly all the way to Italy to try the pie that earned first place at the 2007 World Pizza Cup. Just head to North Beach and Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, where chef-owner Tony Gemignani was the first American to win the title. Gemignani serves only 73 of the prize-winning Margherita pizzas a day, but the seven ovens in the kitchen make a broad selection of styles, including Sicilian, Roman, New York, St. Louis, and even a Detroit-style pie—a square pizza made with Wisconsin brick mozzarella cheese. To find Tony’s, either follow the scent of baking crust or look for the line of eager customers awaiting entry to the no-reservations corner eatery.

Hidden Pond blends Maine cottage living with its own quirky, Instagram-worthy take on luxury. The enclave of 14 colorful one- and two-bedroom clapboard bungalows is spread over 60 acres of birch groves and balsam fir, just a 10-minute drive from downtown Kennebunkport. Each private house comes with a full kitchen that practically begs to be used, with first-rate cooking equipment and serving pieces and, for guests staying in the two-bedroom cottages, the option to send along a grocery list prior to arrival. However, dining at Hidden Pond’s farm-to-table Earth restaurant, with its awe-inspiring chandelier made from a preserved apple tree, shouldn’t be missed. For an even more memorable experience, guests can supper in one of two private garden sheds, which are outfitted with a sole table surrounded by hurricane lanterns, pitchforks, and potted plants, and situated steps from a chef’s garden that supplies ingredients for every meal. The Tree Spa is aptly named: Treatment rooms are nestled in the treetops eight feet above ground and are reached via wooden footbridges.

Every city worth its salt has at least one great pizza joint. So why go out of your way to visit this one? Three reasons: (1) the pizza, (2) the neighborhood, and (3) the pizza. The eatery started as a delivery pop-up, with thin-crust pies made in a shared kitchen, and its hours and phone number shared among Bywater residents like state secrets. The name proved as accurate as it was uncreative; demand was vast, and the place finally landed its own spot. Pizza Delicious doesn’t attempt to be cute or overly wry with toppings, but it sets itself apart with fresh ingredients and an eye to perfection. Pro tip: Get a pie to go and head over the arching footbridge at the end of the block and enjoy dinner at Crescent Park with its waterfront view.