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What we love: A true five-star stay in the heart of a booming city

The Highlights:
- Diverse on-site dining options
- Spacious rooms with thoughtful details like sink-side ring holders
- The best hotel spa in town

The Review:
Thank Tilman Fertitta—the billionaire visionary behind the Landry’s Inc. restaurant group, the Houston Rockets, and numerous entertainment and hospitality ventures—for Houston’s only AAA Five Diamond hotel. Determined to give his booming hometown the luxury hotel “it deserves,” Fertitta oversaw every detail of The Post Oak’s creation, from choosing the art (you’ll find pieces by Frank Stella, Robert Motherwell, Donald Sultan and others, many from Fertitta’s own collection) to working with the designers and adding useful touches to the rooms (like sink-side ring holders and shaving mirrors in the showers). The 250 rooms and 20 residences are spacious and sophisticated, crafted with top-quality materials and furnishings (Fertitta estimates that about $1.5 million was spent per room, and it shows). All have showers and tubs, tablet control systems, and original photography on the walls; residences have full kitchens and dining rooms. For added perks, book a room on the Concierge Level and gain access to a food-and-drink-stocked lounge that overlooks the surrounding Uptown neighborhood.

As befits a restaurateur of Fertitta’s level, there are several drinking and dining options on site, including the locally inspired Bloom & Bee, Mastro’s Steakhouse, Willie G’s Seafood, H-Bar, Craft F&B for wood-fired pizza and pub grub, and Bouchee Patisserie for homemade sweets. When you’ve inevitably indulged in a meal or two, work it off on the hotel’s 20,000-square-foot wellness level, which includes a state-of-the-art gym and a spa with treatments both decadent (like pampering two-hour rituals) and high-tech (facials performed using the latest machines). If you really want to visit like a VIP, know that the hotel also features a helipad on top of the building, a pet salon, a 30,000-bottle-strong wine cellar that hosts private dinners, and a two-story auto showroom lined with Roll-Royces.

A hot lobster roll from Neptune Oyster is summertime heaven on a butter-soaked brioche, and bivalve lovers queue up daily to sample the two dozen varieties of oysters chilling in the front window of this diminutive North End restaurant. Fresh-off-the-boat fish and creative takes on New England seafood are the draws here—the clam chowder is made to order, the fish-and-chips uses Acadian redfish (not cod), and it’s probably the only place in town where you can get lobster tacos. Yeah, it’s pricey—hot or cold, the lobster roll will set you back around $30—but share the Neptune Plateau raw-bar plate with your friends and you’ll truly feel like the king of the sea.

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.

Fish from tins, fish whose fins were in the sea just this morning—they’re all stars at Saltie Girl, a compact seafood bar and restaurant in the Back Bay from Kathy Sidell of MET restaurant fame. Whether you love your seafood raw, smoked, fried, or—yes—out of a can, settle into one of the 11 stools in front of the active kitchen to watch as your dinner is prepared or, well, opened. Of course, you’re not paying top dollar for Chicken of the Sea here: The tinned seafood comes from small artisan producers, sustainably sourced, packed fresh, and shipped from around the world. Caviar, squid, anchovies, cod liver, and cockles are among the savories served cold with dipping sauces and crusty bread.

The Evergreen Brick Works, a reclaimed quarry in the lush Don Valley, is a showcase for sustainable and green living, as well as for urban design. A community has been established in this once-derelict industrial site and former landfill. Toronto’s largest farmers’ market sets up shop on Saturdays, and spotlights food from all over the province. On Sunday, the market shifts its attention to crafts. A full schedule of activities and diversions make this a perfect weekend escape: There’s a children’s garden (with weekly programming), bike trails and rentals, and a hike that leads to a rewarding view of the city’s skyline.

Housed in an elegant Victorian building, this bohemian coffee house sits in the heart of the Grant Street corridor—one of Buffalo’s most diverse neighborhoods, with a community of immigrants, scholars, and artists. Since opening in 2008, it’s been a driving force in encouraging new businesses to put down roots in the area, proving that if you build it, they will come. Here, guests can grab a table outside with their café au lait and freshly baked pastry and take in the sights and sounds of Buffalo’s West Side. Should you be looking for something more substantial, however, head next door to owner Prish Moran’s newest project, The Tabernacle, where you can indulge in everything from Spanish to Irish cuisine in a kaleidoscope-like space filled with Renaissance paintings, Space Age murals, and bright pops of color.

A key component to the mastery of a skill is knowing when to break the rules. As its name implies, Jovanina’s Broken Italian breaks away from the traditional rules and expectations of Italian cuisine with the measured confidence of a master. Owners Jennifer and Jake Linzinmeir bring years of restaurant experience, both in the kitchen and in management, to Jovanina’s, which allows them to find an approachable balance of new flavors and classic dishes to the menu. The airy ground-floor space feels festive, with whitewashed brick walls along one side and a bar running the length of the other; a downstairs wine-bar dining area has a quieter, more intimate vibe. Try any of the handmade pasta specials or go with the favorite: a brick-oven pizza topped with fennel sausage, smoked mozzarella, and caramelized onions.

Built between 1715 and 1718, the Baroque Karlsruhe Castle served as the residence of the electoral princes and grand dukes of Baden for more than two centuries. Designed by Jakob Friedrich von Batzendorf, the palace exterior is especially pleasing—not least because it was planned as the focal point of the city, with streets radiating out from all sides like wheel spokes (which in turn inspired Pierre L’Enfant, planner of Washington, D.C.). The castle also features picturesque pavilions and ornate wings, but for many the real highlight is the Baden State Museum inside. Opened in 1919 and generally regarded as the best in the region, the museum spans pre- and early history, with exhibits on the Ancient Greek and Roman eras as well as sculptures from the Middle Ages, a particularly celebrated art nouveau collection, and an impressive range of 17th-century Ottoman handicrafts.

Though it doesn’t have the same rustic charm as the Bright Angel or El Tovar lodges—its neighbors on either side—the 1960s-era Thunderbird Lodge hasn’t lost that fun Mad Men vibe. Just yards away from the South Rim, it looks more like a college social sciences building from the outside, but the 55 updated rooms are comfortable and spacious, with geometric-patterned rugs and headboards, marble-topped furnishings, and stone-tiled bathrooms, plus creature comforts like satellite TVs, Keurig coffeemakers, and in-room refrigerators. Many have decent views of the canyon—a steal at only $20 more. And while there’s no restaurant on site, dining options at El Tovar, Bright Angel, and the rest of the village are only steps away. Best of all, the Rim Trail is right outside your door.

A once quiet downtown thoroughfare, Bree Street now has so many eateries that it is a sort of restaurant row. The feeding starts with breakfast and goes through lunch, afternoon snacks, drinks, and dinner at places like Bacon on Bree, Folk Coffee, the Culture Cheese Club, Café Frank (a must for breakfast or lunch), Clarke’s Bar & Dining Room (very popular for weekend brunches), Chefs Warehouse and Canteen (where it is essential to arrive early because the kitchen closes at around 8 p.m.), and the always packed (especially for drinks) La Parada. Just off Bree Street are many other options, such as the Hungry Herbivore and the House of Machines, whose customers often overflow onto the narrow side street.

In what is considered one of the earth’s greatest spectacles, over a million wildebeest make their way from Tanzania’s Serengeti to Kenya in search of lusher grasslands. The great migration is a very good reason to visit the diamond in Kenya’s crown of national parks, the Masai Mara. The most dramatic scenes take place at the river crossings, where the wildebeest slip and crash down the steep embankments of the Mara River into crocodile- and hippo-infested waters and, if they get through that, still have to gallop past the Mara’s high density of lions awaiting them on the other side. The best time to see the migration here is between the months of July and September. Porini Lion Camp is an excellent accommodation choice, with knowledgeable guides and a responsible approach to protecting the delicate Mara ecosystem.

The Copenhagen Admiral Hotel began its life as an 18th-century warehouse on the Copenhagen waterfront, before being turned into a maritime-themed hotel in the 1970s. With the royal family’s Amalienborg Palace on one side, the lively and picturesque Nyhavn canal on the other, and the Copenhagen Opera House across the water, the hotel couldn’t be better placed for feeling like you’re in the heart of Copenhagen’s sights. Historic tall ships regularly dock out front, and, when the sun comes out, locals and guests alike spill onto the waterfront patio for a Carlsberg beer.

Inside, the hotel feels quintessentially Scandinavian, with exposed beams and a blue-green color palette. The acclaimed SALT restaurant puts a modern spin on traditional Scandinavian cuisine with inspiration from local, raw produce and French cuisine.

Built into the side of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Capella Ixtapa is a luxurious resort hotel with 59 rooms, all suites with ocean-facing views. As might be expected, accommodations are generous in size, with each guestroom featuring a master bedroom, a living room, and a private terrace with its own plunge pool. Decor features tiled floors, dark wood furniture, and local handwoven crafts as accents. Included in the room fee is a range of personal services and amenities, from standards like Wi-Fi and nightly turndown service to more coveted benefits such as a personal assistant who provides individualized concierge services. There are lots of common spaces in the hotel for guests to enjoy, among them an open-air lobby and a library, where drinks and snacks are served nightly. Two pools, an award-winning spa, and three restaurants round out what’s on offer here.

Since its dedication in 1959, this Byzantine-Romanesque shrine to the Virgin Mary has welcomed over one million visitors a year, among them Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Mother Teresa. At more than 77,500 square feet, it is the largest Catholic church in the Western Hemisphere and the eighth-largest church in the world. Walking through the basilica, 70 ornate chapels, oratories, and sacred images like the Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel flank the sides of the upper church and crypt, and the shrine’s gorgeous ceiling bears one of the largest and most intricate mosaic renderings of Jesus. Named “Christ in Majesty” (some have humorously nicknamed it “The Scary Christ” due to his stern look), it’s made up of over three million tiles.

Fresa’s Chicken al Carbon is an Austin-owned restaurant serving charcoal-grilled, locally raised chickens, freshly prepared tortas, salads, sides, homemade ice creams, aguas frescas, and a selection of beer and wine. The family-style meals feature the highest quality pasture-raised birds from Vital Farms. Either marinated in achiote and freshly squeezed citrus or rubbed with fresh oregano and cracked pepper, the chicken is grilled slowly over hardwood charcoal and served with house-made tortillas, rice, beans, and fresh salsas. Don’t leave without ordering the cajeta churros for dessert!