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Shaped by artists’ enclaves, surf culture, LGBTQ heritage, and Hollywood glitterati, Laguna Beach and Dana Point have a laid-back but sophisticated vibe. The hotels here capture the atmosphere perfectly, offering amenities like vintage vinyl and loaner boogie boards alongside Mediterranean, Mission Revival, and mid-century-modern style. Whether you come for the picture-perfect beaches, rooftop cocktails, canyon hikes, or ocean kayaking, you can find a chill but chic stay to suit your needs.

It took 424 years to build this Gothic showpiece, but considering the hundreds of sculptures jutting out from the facade, the timing is almost understandable. At 466 feet tall, the Strasbourg Cathedral was, from its completion in 1439 until the mid-19th century, the highest Christian structure in the world. Today, it’s fallen to sixth place, but its frontispiece is still considered one of the greatest medieval picture books of all time. Inside, a gander at the 12th- to 14th-century stained glass and organ (with parts dating back to 1385) is optional, but climbing the spire’s 322 steps to enjoy panoramic views over the city as far as Vosges and the Black Forest is pretty much obligatory. Make sure your visit coincides with the 12:30 p.m. hour, when the cathedral’s astronomical clock comes alive with apostles parading before Christ.

Museum cafes are often depressing affairs, white formica boxes where you grab a curling sandwich on your way to the next piece of tourism. But the main cafe’s trio of rooms are nothing like that. Designed, respectively, by William Morris, Henry Cole, and Edward Poynter in glorious Victorian excess, were the first museum cafe in the world, and they are today a rare example of a museum restaurant where you would be happy to spend time, revelling in the gorgeous details and stained glass windows. And the food’s pretty good too; you can get all sorts of hot and cold meals, and it’s a great stop for lunch or cakes, if you’re doing the museum trail at South Kensington.

For a little old-school San Telmo atmosphere, you can’t do much better than this classic corner bar. Dating from 1864, the antique building started out as a pulpería (general store), the seedy center of a gambling ring and even a brothel before it was converted into the popular restaurant and bar it is today. On your way in, check out the antique cash register and the gorgeous vitraux (stained glass) over the long bar: it’s no wonder this place has been used as a film set several times over. Then pull up a chair at one of the rustic wooden tables, preferably by the windows for maximum people-watching potential. If it’s morning or time for merienda, ask for a cortado with medialunas; otherwise, order an ice-cold chopp (draft beer) and a monster-sized lomito (steak) sandwich.

The mother church of the Diocese of the Windward Islands, St. George’s Cathedral (also known as Kingstown Anglican Church) was built in 1820 on the site of an earlier church that was destroyed by a hurricane in the late 1700s. It’s the biggest church on the island and features a number of unique adornments, from a gilded wood chandelier to a brass lectern and a circular mahogany pulpit. It’s also home to a stained-glass window gifted by Queen Victoria. As the story goes, the queen initially commissioned the window for St. Paul’s Cathedral in honor of her first grandson but was horrified by the angel’s red robe and immediately sent the window abroad to St. Vincent.

You know that saying “They don’t build them like they used to”? Well, anyone who’s ever bought a new home knows exactly what that means. Fortunately, Salvage One’s mission is to preserve, conserve, and recycle glorious architectural remnants from old homes and buildings before they get hauled to the wrecking yard. With 60,000 square feet of space in the Near West Side neighborhood, Salvage One is packed with items like stained glass, claw-foot tubs, and big wooden doors; small, intricate accessories like doorknobs and drawer pulls; and vintage furniture and lighting. The store makes furniture, rents pieces as props for films and theater, and hosts private and corporate events. It’s an eclectic mix of services—but that’s Salvage One for you.

Why we love it: An Arts and Crafts–style masterpiece with a friendly vibe and charm in spades

Highlights:
- Sedona’s only Arts and Crafts hotel, with real adobe walls
- Social spaces like a campfire and living room hearth
- A pet-friendly policy with no extra fees

The Review:
Within a block of Sedona’s art district, this luxury inn stands behind a veil of trees and grapevine trellises. Its pink adobe exterior complements the greenery so elegantly that the inn once appeared on the cover of The American Home magazine. Inside the Arts and Crafts–style hacienda, arches and reclaimed beams of juniper or burl wood soar overhead, while period doorknobs, light fixtures, and heater grilles transport guests back in time. Each of the 12 suites has a custom-made door and unique design, with decor ranging from early California to the Cowboy High Style made famous by Western furniture designer Thomas Molesworth. Pet-friendly rooms also include grace notes like corner fireplaces, stencil designs, French doors, and stained-glass ceiling panels.

When feeling social, guests can gather around the campfire in the courtyard or by the large hearth in the living room. El Portal also has a private garden, a fish pond, two swimming pools, and a full gym, and offers access to Sedona Spa, next door. While the inn only serves breakfast (pancakes, breakfast burritos, huevos rancheros), guests can snack on fruit, cheese, and chips and salsa during happy hour each day while also pouring themselves a glass of wine on the honor system.

Blue Lagoon Beach is a small but beautiful beach with clear water and white sand a couple of minutes walk past the end of Padang Bai’s main strip. When the tide is in there is hardly any beach at all so you have to time your day accordingly, but there are also a few little restaurants where you can sit and hang out if you happen to arrive when the tide is high. There are a few hawkers but they are usually pretty nice if you don’t want to buy anything, although if it’s a slow day they might just hang around for a chat. Snorkling is really lovely at the Blue Lagoon, but do be aware the tides can be strong. The stairs going down to the beach are pretty steep but you can stop to admire the view and catch your breath on the way back up.

Founded in 1558, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek is a historic, expansive, and important universal library. With almost nine million volumes and countless reading rooms, this is the perfect place to become lost in a text, work remotely, or explore with the family. Since 1663 they have collected copies of almost every Bavarian printed text—making it a wonderful place to learn about the regional culture and heritage. It’s also a lively cultural space that hosts regular exhibits and events. Come here either to marvel at the architecture, history, and texts or to get lost in a book. If you’re just passing by, be sure to check out the famous stone statues adorning the flight of stairs known as “the four magi.” See if you can guess which scholastic founders they represent!

Sometimes it’s nice to get off the beaten path. You can take the normal pathways around Cinque Terre (and they are spectacular in their own right) but you can also veer a bit off the normal journey and take the ‘high road’ to catch a glimpse of some breathtaking vistas. Leaving Riomaggiore through the back road on foot, keep walking up hill until you see a small set of stairs under the main road that lead down to a grass path. Follow this path under the stone bridge, and begin your ascent up through the vineyards and terraced gardens. When you reach the top, soak up the unrivaled sea views. From some out-perches, you can see four of the five villages at one time.

Stand on the the quais beneath the Pont Neuf bridge—the city’s oldest crossing of the Seine—and look up. Staring down at you are mascarons, stone faces that resemble gargoyles, but without bodies. No two of these grotesque visages are the same. Enjoy their individuality as you ponder the decades it took to build this stone structure: begun in 1578 by Henri III and inaugurated by Henri IV in 1607. From 1588 to 1599, construction was interrupted by the French Wars of Religion, which lasted 36 years. Then head up the stairs to walk across its two spans, which connect the Ile de la Cité to the Right and Left banks. Great views of the Louvre can be had from the longer, seven-arch span that stretches to the Right Bank.

Built by Napoleon Lebrun & Sons in 1909, this clocktower landmark was the world’s tallest building until 1913. Its transformation from iconic structure to five-star hotel has brought with it only more reasons to visit, including, first and foremost, the on-site spa—a 39th-floor escape offering build-your-own treatments and a selection of enhancements. Other incentives are the restaurant Clocktower, where chef Jason Atherton delivers Michelin-starred dining by way of updated tavern classics and modern British fare, and the Lobby Bar, which serves signature libations alongside expansive views of Madison Square Park. Once room-bound, it’s easy to stay a while thanks to luxurious details like plush linen sofas, specially programmed iPads, and customized mini-bars.

Somewhere between a hip designer’s loft and a rock star’s party pad, the Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles is located in the Spanish Gothic–style United Artists building built in 1927 for actor and producer Mary Pickford and her team of silver screen stars. The hotel was painstakingly designed to showcase both historic and contemporary artistry, from Noguchi lamps and Pendleton blankets in loftlike rooms to original art deco floors and hand-drawn portraits of famous Angelenos on the restaurant’s walls.

This hotel is on our list of The 11 Best Hotels in Chicago.

The world has been waiting years for the St. Regis Chicago, located in the city’s 101-floor skyscraper designed by Jeanne Gang, to welcome guests and owners; in 2023, it finally made its stunning debut. The triple-tower building’s architecture was based on the frustrum shape, which is basically a pyramid with its top chopped off. (Think of a popcorn box.) That form is replicated subtly throughout the hotel, from the exoskeleton to the marble tiles in the inviting lobby on the Chicago River. Each of the 192 guest rooms comes with floor-to-ceiling windows and panoramic city views, a dedicated butler, one of four soaking tubs, brass detailing, and curvilinear furnishings from a collaboration between architectural powerhouse Gensler and boutique firm Simeone Deary Design Group.


Rounding out the amenities: the Miru all-day-dining restaurant that is anything but casual, a new Tuscan steakhouse concept, a truly cossetting seven-room spa, an indoor pool with an outdoor patio, and the finest urban hotel gym probably anywhere. Was the wait worth it? Indeed it was.

Clearly not designed by, or for, shrinking violets, Klapsons is as bold in its decor and colors as in its ambition to stand out among the buttoned-down business district hotels. The hotel’s moniker might sound futuristic but is based on names of the owner’s family. Furnishings by Zaha Hadid (the lobby’s Moraine sofa) and Marcel Wanders (polycarbonate stools) keep the interiors lively and au courant. The street-level lobby, visible through a facade of glass, is all bright furniture and curvilinear forms, with pops of white, orange, red, neon blue, and off-kilter lampshades. Reception sits in an elevated, stair-accessed pod of highly polished stainless steel that looks primed for blast-off. A wall of wire mesh in the lobby adds an industrial element to the otherwise retro-future montage. Rooms continue the provocative vein with punches of brightness—on a bed throw, a Plexiglas table, a plush carpet—and kooky showers, some of them glass-enclosed stalls in the middle of the living space, others open-cube-shaped with color-changing LED lights.