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The winding road to Gorges du Verdon (Europe’s Grand Canyon) is a bit of a white-knuckle ride. If you want to take in the views, it’s best to pull over at Point Sublime (the right bank after La Palud on the D952), where a gigantic cliff of calcareous rock plunges 2,834 feet to the bottom of the gorge. Once you reach Gorges du Verdon, there are hikes for every athletic ability, but the 8.6-mile Blanc Martel circuit, which takes you to the heart of the canyon, is legendary. Just note that it can take between five and nine hours depending on your skill level, so be prepared with water, sunscreen, hiking shoes, a hat, and an extra pair of socks for the puddles in the two tunnels near the end. If you prefer the water, head to the emerald-green Lake of St. Croix, where you can rent a stand-up paddleboard, canoe, or kayak, or simply spend the day swimming and sunning. No matter how you spend your time at Gorges du Verdon, remember to bring a bag for garbage and leave nothing but footprints.

The Hotel Locarno occupies two adjacent buildings in the cosmopolitan district between the Tiber River and Piazza del Popolo. The original property, built and inaugurated in the 1920s, houses the majority of the standard and deluxe rooms, while the annex, a former palazzo owned by a Venetian family, houses the more luxurious suites. Both of the adjoined structures blend Old World charm and art nouveau elegance, and their rooms preserve turn-of-the-20^th-century decor, including lavish drapery, oil paintings, embellished ceiling stuccoes, and period furniture.

The two buildings are joined by a wisteria-filled courtyard, where breakfast is served in fine weather. The rooftop bar offers aperitivo (the Italian version of happy hour) cocktail service and sweeping views over the city and across the river to St. Peter’s cupola. The bar is open to the public and attracts a well-heeled Roman and expat crowd.

The Company’s Garden, in the heart of the city, dates back to the 17th century, when the Dutch used springwater running down from the mountain to establish a garden to grow fruit and vegetables for ships en route to the East. On Government Avenue, which runs through the garden for about a half mile, squirrels scamper around among the old oak trees. Along the way, you’ll pass the South African National Gallery, the Planetarium, the Holocaust Centre, the De Tuynhuis presidential offices, the South African National Library, St. George’s Cathedral (where Nobel laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu used to preach), and the Slave Lodge museum. Grab a bite at the recently opened Company’s Garden Restaurant, which has been getting great reviews for its breakfasts and lunches under the garden’s leafy trees.

One-hundred-fifty-year-old walls and tropical foliage frame the courtyard dining area at La Panga Antigua, an enchanting restaurant in downtown San José del Cabo. Walking through the unassuming front door is like taking a step back in time; there’s an old-world charm that envelops La Panga Antigua (and the whole arts district, for that matter). The menu, however, demonstrates a distinctly contemporary sensibility, blending ancient Mexican recipes with a 21st-century commitment to locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. Seafood comes from regional fishermen, vegetables from an organic farm in nearby Pescadero. The menu changes regularly, but you can expect items like scallop carpaccio, grilled rib eye, or the catch of the day, grilled with a pumpkin seed crust.

For Michelin-starred chef Eric Frechon, opening a 110-seat restaurant in the heart of Paris‘s busiest train station (Gare St.-Lazare) was effectively a way to reconnect with his democratic, bistro past. The Bristol Hotel chef is an avowed proponent of no-fuss, simple food executed to perfection. He jumped at the chance to dedicate a space to his special brand of cooking when he was approached by the SNCF transport company to create a restaurant worthy of the station’s newly renovated image—a destination for transients and locals alike, open morning, noon, and night. Frechon stepped in to offer a wildly accessible, haute casual menu of French comfort classics in a gorgeous, lofty space that is equal parts café-bar and swish restaurant. In addition to the full menu, expect daily specials, a robust wine selection, and a standout dessert that will have you returning time and again: the Paris-Deauville, a sweet homage to Normandy, his birthplace, in the form of a caramelized, cold soufflé. The classic brasserie has experienced considerable decline in recent years, but with Lazare, Frechon revives the iconic lieu de vie with deft style.

L’Express, on rue St-Denis in the Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood, opened in 1980 and has about it the air of a beloved institution. Indeed, with its timeless style, it feels even older than it is. This popular spot serves classic renditions of bistro fare—steak tartare, bone marrow, onion soup—into the early morning hours (2 a.m. except for Sundays, when it closes at 1 a.m.). When the kitchen ventures into new territory, the results are impressive. The spaghetti with mushrooms is unconventional in its presentation (topped with a healthy serving of arugula)—one of those dishes you try on the road and then want to re-create at home. Reservations recommended.

Although Van Gogh painted his famous Wagons de Chemin de Fer while living in Arles, the painting actually hangs in the Musée Angladon in Avignon, along with a sumptuous collection of paintings and furniture inherited from visionary fashion designer Jacques Doucet. Here, in the 18th-century mansion where Doucet’s two nephews once lived, visitors can view works by top 19th- and 20th-century artists like Degas, Cézanne, Manet, Picasso, and Modigliani, as well as European and Far Eastern decorative arts from the Renaissance through the 18th century. What the collection lacks in size it more than makes up for in excellence, plus the museum often hosts temporary exhibitions by contemporary artists like David Hockney that only enhance the experience.

Smokemont’s horseback-riding routes, which average $30/hour per rider, can easily fill the better part of a day spent outside. The most popular ride is a 2.5-hour expedition that climbs uphill to a hidden mountain waterfall. It’s possible to extend the ride to four hours, adding a second waterfall and a scenic trip along the Oconaluftee River. For those not inclined or physically able to ride a horse, calmer horse-drawn wagon rides are even more affordable and offer many of the same views of the river (there’s also no minimum age for a wagon ride, but only children five and older are allowed on horseback). Smokemont’s season runs through October, making it one of the finest ways to take in Appalachia’s changing autumn colors.

One of the best coffee shops in the city, the Haas “Collective” (haas means “rabbit” in Afrikaans) has grown organically over the years to include not only coffee, but also design, art, and advertising. Formerly located in an old slave home in the Bo Kaap, Haas now takes up a refurbished colonial building in the city, where you can also have light meals at the plush yet relaxed venue. Selected artworks for sale include must-have gilded African bowls by Michou.

Why we love it: A pedigreed stay that perfectly marries fin de siècle charm with modern luxury

The Highlights:
- A French Renaissance–style building designed by America’s first female professional architect
- Fireplaces and deep-soaking tubs in some rooms
- An in-house craft brewery that serves pints in a “bar-cade” with pinball machines

The Review:
When The Lafayette opened in 1904, it was immediately hailed as one of the country’s finest hotels. America’s first female professional architect, Louise Blanchard Bethune designed the seven-story, redbrick-and-white-terra-cotta property to blend “the best that science, art, and experience can offer for the traveling public,” which at the time meant telephones and hot water in every room. Renovations in the late 1940s introduced several Art Deco elements that still remain, while a 2012 restoration helped bring the hotel into the modern era.

Today, The Lafayette is part of the Wyndham Hotel Group’s Trademark Hotel Collection and features 13,500 square feet of meeting space. It’s also home to a 15-barrel craft brewery, where guests can enjoy beers and pub fare while playing arcade games; a small-batch coffee roastery with freshly baked pastries; and an outpost of Groom Service Beauty & Dry Bar for blow-outs, professional makeup, manicures, and more. The 57 rooms and suites feature wall murals of vintage photos, designed to complement a palette of plum, brown, and dusty gold. Some have fireplaces, deep-soaking tubs, and full kitchens, too. If you’re looking to indulge, book the Lafayette Suite, which includes a Juliet balcony, double-sided hearth, and dining table suitable for large gatherings.

Situated in the center of the USA’s largest Japantown, this Joie de Vivre Hotel unveiled a $32 million renovation in May 2018. While the property’s historic exterior hasn’t been changed—it was once a 1960s Community Center and the former Japanese Consulate—the interiors have been redone by Brooklyn-based MARKZEFF Design with custom leather furniture, shibori accents, and contemporary Japanese art. Each of the 13 new Garden Suites face the Japanese zen garden that includes a koi pond, firepit, and a custom Godzilla mural by San Francisco-based artists Yukako Ezoe and Naoki Onodera of Bahama Kangaroo. At the center of the renovation is the living-room like lobby decorated with mid-century couches and lit with vintage factory pendants. The seasonal cocktail menu at the lobby bar focuses on Japanese whiskey and sake, while the bar menu includes Japanese-inspired bites like shishito peppers and chicken katsu sliders. There are happy hour specials every weekday from 4 to 6 p.m. and every Monday between 5 and 6 p.m. the bar hosts a vinyl hour where you can pick a record to play from the hotel’s collection of classics. For wellness-minded travelers, the new 3,000-square-foot fitness center located one level below the lobby looks out onto an open-air tea garden and features a yoga room and a Peloton bike (guests also have complimentary access to the nearby Kabuki Springs & Spa communal baths).

The Maiden’s Tower, which seemingly floats in the Bosphorus off Asia, is one of the more popular symbols of the city. Once a Byzantine tollbooth and later an Ottoman lighthouse, it’s most famous for a legend involving a princess and a prophecy that she would die from a snakebite. Her father exiled her to the tower in the hope of protecting her but, alas, the prophecy could not be avoided—a snake made its way to the island, either in a bouquet of flowers or a basket of grapes (depending on the version of the tale).

Meant to resemble a hanok (traditional Korean house), this sophisticated bar in the basement of the Park Hyatt is separated into three distinct sections, meant to represent different rooms in the house. Start with some couldn’t-be-fresher sashimi at the sushi and sake bar, then grab a martini at the cocktail bar, followed by a rare single malt at the whiskey bar, all while listening to mood-setting music emanating from the sleek grand piano. There are also vintage champagnes that need to be fitted into the schedule, so save room for some bubbly. 606 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

You’d be hard pressed to find a more stylish stay downtown than The Joule. The independently owned hotel is spread out over three interconnected buildings—a classic revival-style from 1913, a former Salvation Army built in 1911, and a neo-Gothic onetime bank—which have been integrated under the direction of renowned interior designer Adam D. Tihany. His touch can also be seen in the 161 rooms and suites, each decorated with serene jewel or earth tones, contemporary furniture, hand-picked art and photography, and plenty of natural light from oversized windows. Frette bedding, glass-enclosed showers and soaking tubs, and 47-inch flat-screens equipped with Apple TV round out the comfortable digs. You’ll spy pieces from the hotel’s extensive art collection in the public spaces, as well as the outdoor sculpture garden across the street. The block-deep lobby buzzes with an outpost of Weekend Coffee (using Victrola beans flown in weekly from Seattle), a library curated by TASCHEN, and chic boutiques like TenOverSix and Traffic LA, while the popular CBD Provisions draws a local crowd with its modern Texas fare and regional drinks list. The 8,000-square-foot subterranean spa features a vitality pool, crystal steam room, and glass-walled sauna to enjoy before or after treatments, and there’s also a fitness center with a cycling studio and group classes. Two things not to miss: the original historic bank vault in the lobby, and the much-Instagrammed rooftop pool, which cantilevers eight feet off the side of the building.

Make the three-and-a-half-hour trip from Boston for seafood and salt air. Opened last year, this hotel in the heart of town has a whimsical preppy aesthetic. From $219.