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Just 10 minutes from downtown Orlando, in village-like Winter Park, the Alfond Inn has a unique legacy: The boutique lodging was created to provide income for scholarship funds at neighboring Rollins College, one of Florida’s oldest liberal arts schools. If helping students isn’t reason enough to book a stay, the hotel offers lots more incentive. A skylit domed atrium in the Spanish colonial–inspired main building draws your eye to a rotating collection of artwork curated by Cornell Fine Arts Museum, and pet-friendly guest rooms are simple and cheerful. While the hotel is not a full-fledged resort, it offers guests plenty of opportunities to linger. Fire pits and rocking chairs are dotted around the property, and shaded areas for loungers enhance the rooftop pool’s already undeniable appeal. Hamilton’s Kitchen restaurant serves modern Southern cuisine paired with wines selected by an award-winning sommelier. And shops, wine bars, and independent boutiques like Rifle Paper Co. line the town’s Park Avenue, a few blocks away. You can also take a pontoon boat tour for views of many of the Mediterranean-style mansions along the waterfront. Perhaps best of all, Disney and Universal theme parks are only a half-hour drive away.

Opened in early 2018, Harbor Club is a modern resort housed on Rodney Bay Marina on St. Lucia’s northwest coast. The overall feel is crisp and aquatic, with the bright-white building resembling a cruise ship on the harbor. Given the hotel’s marina setting, there is no direct beach access, but there is a sparking complex of swimming pools with mountain and water views. The hotel also provides complimentary shuttle service via a fast boat to the beach on Pigeon Island Nature Preserve, as well as towels and chairs for a day on the sand. Guest rooms are like spacious ship cabins, decorated in cool shades of blue with views of the marina or mountains. Eight swim-up rooms on the ground floor even feature private patios directly over the swimming pool area. The hotel’s half-dozen restaurants include Caribbean-Asian fusion spot 14North on the top floor, a modern sushi bar, and farm-to-table eatery Julia’s, and more options are available a short walk from the property. A full-service spa and fitness center, nightly live entertainment, and sunset cruises round out the amenities.

At the Hyatt Centric, luxury amenities meet front-door access to 7,300 acres of ski terrain, including the 314 trails, 40 chairlifts, and six natural half-pipes that make up the Park City Mountain area of Canyons Village. For even more adventure, the hotel’s in-house activities company, Wasatch Adventure Guide, can arrange for dogsledding, fly-fishing, heli-skiing, hot-air ballooning, and even ice-climbing excursions. If you’d rather soak up some culture, there’s complimentary seasonal transport to Park City’s charming Main Street and its dozens of galleries. After a long day of exploring, guests can unwind in the resort’s heated outdoor pool, or in front of their own stone fireplace. The 120 guest rooms and apartment-style residences offer a home-away-from-home feel, with even the standard rooms featuring a partial kitchen stocked with china for four. In case you don’t feel like entertaining, the on-site Escala Provisions Company Restaurant & Bar offers après-ski fare like classic fondue as well as a dinner menu with dishes like a grass-fed beef burger with tomato jam, pork belly, and pommes frites.

This property hits the sweet spot for Yosemite lodging—it’s conveniently located in the heart of the valley, is more affordable than the Majestic, and has better views than any other accommodation, looking directly out to Lower Yosemite Falls. All 241 rooms, spread among 15 two-story buildings, were recently updated to include TVs, mini fridges, phones, coffee makers, and Wi-Fi. While not air-conditioned, they come with fans and some even have patios or balconies. There are also four larger family rooms, complete with a king bed and two bunk beds. The lodge has its own pool, gift shop, and outdoor amphitheater, where rangers and naturalists give presentations during warmer months, as well as two restaurants. The more formal Mountain Room features soaring ceilings, waterfall views, and dishes like lobster beignets and grilled pork mole, while the Mountain Lodge—popular with the valley’s climbers—serves beer, cocktails, and a small but tasty bar menu, which can be enjoyed either inside by the double-sided fireplace or outdoors on the deck. There’s also a food court, which is slated for a complete makeover in the spring of 2018.

A stunning combination of rock formations, pristine beaches, sloping mountains, and the glittering East Vietnam Sea surround this dreamy resort—so it’s no surprise that many of its key activities revolve around nature. Depending on the season, scuba diving, mountain hiking, and sailing are big draws, but you can enjoy sunset cruises, kayaking, beach yoga, and early-morning fishing excursions with the chef any time of year. Excursions to Nha Trang, the countryside, the Cai River mud baths, and more can also be arranged, but there’s plenty on property to keep guests occupied—not least the spacious villas, many of which are set along the cliff tops or beach and feature private pools. The Six Senses brand (which also oversees a sister Vietnamese property in the Con Dao marine park) highlights wellness, holistic living, and sustainability, and you’ll find plenty of evidence of that here, from the local organic produce used in the restaurants and bars to the traditional therapies and integrated wellness programming offered at the spa. Other can’t-miss activities include a private dinner in the mountain-set wine cave and an aerial yoga session—but maybe not in that order.

On a hilltop perch overlooking 8,000 acres of grounds designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, the Inn on Biltmore Estate’s 210 rooms and suites evoke traditional 19th-century manor houses, with dark mahogany beds and desks, billowing window treatments, and comfortable overstuffed chairs; book a room with a balcony to breathe fresh mountain air while appreciating views of rolling hills—or simply take in the vista from the hotel’s veranda. The formal dining room showcases seasonal specialties using estate-raised cattle and lamb, vegetables from the on-site garden, and wine from the property’s own winery, where you can participate in a free tasting, then ride back in a complimentary shuttle. If you’re looking for something more casual, the lobby lounge and library bar offer salads and sandwiches—and no dress code. But the main attraction is the 250-room Biltmore château, the Gilded Age mansion George Vanderbilt built here in the late 1800s, and its 16th-century tapestries, Renoir and Sargent originals, and 65 fireplaces.

This urban icon started as a hippie food truck housed in a surf shop parking lot on Vancouver Island. It has since blossomed into three restaurants, two burrito bars, a taco joint, and two food trucks, located everywhere from Hastings-Sunrise and Yaletown to Gastown and the Financial District. Chef Stefan Hartmann, who once ran a Michelin-starred restaurant in Berlin, now captains these elevated spots along with founder Jason Sussman. Expect nuanced options like chorizo-kale, pork al pastor with pineapple, and chicken with pickled vegetables, all on soft wheat tortillas for six to seven dollars. Also noteworthy are the meat-free dishes like “vegetable scrapple”—a delicious fritter of squash and chickpeas, topped with herbed tomatoes. And don’t overlook the octopus tostada—Tacofino not only sources seafood sustainably but also participates in Vancouver’s Climate Smart program and is working toward being a zero-waste business.

Just a 45-minute floatplane ride from Anchorage along the banks of the Talachulitna River and Judd Lake, this multistructure resort combines a six-room flagship lodge, which was renovated in 2017, with a lakeside bar and dining room (and 500-bottle wine cellar); a private four-room lodge; and two smaller individual cabins, all with views of either the Alaska or Tordrillo ranges. But guests don’t come here to just ogle the mountains—they take them on. With Olympic gold medalist Tommy Moe and Alaska heli-ski pioneer Mike Overcast behind the resort, plus access to 1.2 million acres of untrammeled terrain with runs that top out at 7,500 feet, world-class heli-ski adventures are practically guaranteed. And an exclusive partnership with Winterlake, another notable resort nearby, allows guests to heli-ski even further north into the Tordrillo Range and Neacola Mountains.

On an island that’s less than two square miles with fewer than 2,000 people, new hotel openings are bound to cause a stir—as did Bahama House when it launched on Harbour Island in January, 2017. It’s the newest outpost from the folks at Eleven Experience, a vacation outfitter known for offering elegance after a full day of bespoke escapades. Spread across a restored colonial home built in 1800, an annex, and two authentic Bahamian cottages and enclosing a freshwater lap pool, handcrafted tiki bar, and hot tub area, Bahama House’s 11 suites have been appointed with eclectically curated furnishings, artwork, and wall coverings, eschewing island kitsch for beach-chic sumptuousness. Though the hotel leans toward softer adventures than sister properties in Colorado, Iceland, and the French Alps, the flip-flop–wearing “experience managers” are on hand to arrange snorkeling and bonefishing excursions and paddleboard or kayak outings. Or they’ll simply provide a fully stocked Yeti cooler for a day of lounging on famous pink-sand beaches.

There’s plenty to do in Paracas, from sandboarding in Paracas National Reserve to boating around the Ballestas Islands to flying over the nearby Nazca Lines—that is, if you can tear yourself away from the pool at Hotel Paracas. The 120-room resort was all but leveled by the 2007 Peru earthquake, but reopened two years later with a fresh new look, including a blue-taupe-and-white color scheme to reflect the surrounding ocean, desert, and sky. A great choice for families, Hotel Paracas features a children’s club and kids’ pool as well as three restaurants, including a casual seafood spot, an Italian trattoria, and a fine-dining option. Also on-site are two bars serving drinks and light fare, plus a spa and 24-hour fitness center. Guests even have access to complimentary bikes and water-sport equipment.

Spread over six levels, rooms feature either terraces or balconies with garden or ocean views as well as spacious bathrooms with separate showers and tubs. Suites also include a dining area, and some even have private plunge pools.

The 2,000-acre preserve that surrounds this sprawling resort offers enough diversions to keep visitors occupied for weeks. Activity lovers can book a tee time at the Pete Dye-designed golf course, play a game on the hydro-cooled clay tennis courts, or tour the Spanish Water Bay by kayak or stand-up paddleboard. Miles of hiking and biking trails lead to expansive island views and hidden caves, and guides are available to point out local flora and help feed the island iguanas. The resort spa even offers weeklong holistic health and wellness retreats.

If you’re seeking a more low-key vacation, relax on the property’s 1,500-foot stretch of white-sand beach or enjoy a massage overlooking the sea. Restaurant options include open-air fine dining at Shore, Mediterranean dishes and themed buffets at Medi, and the poolside bar and grill Splash, all of which you can visit for daily meals with an all-inclusive package. The downside of the resort’s size is that its location can feel isolated, and guests need a vehicle to dine off-site or explore more of the island.

A 19th-century private estate just outside San Sebastián’s city center, Villa Soro was commissioned by a wealthy businessman as a wedding gift for his daughter; it was designed by the same architect who built the iconic Hotel de Londres y de Inglaterra, which towers over the La Concha waterfront at the city center. In contrast to that classic belle epoque building, the villa takes its inspiration from English architecture—complete with peaked roofs and faux-Tudor beaming—that was in vogue at the time, while the manicured gardens were designed by renowned Romantic landscape designer Pierre Ducasse.

Now an intimate, 25-room boutique hotel, Villa Soro maintains the same relaxed, cozy atmosphere one might expect to find at a friend’s estate, complete with two elegant drawing rooms outfitted with armchairs that beg to be curled up in with a book. The dark-wood-and-leather bar room (complete with a fireplace, of course) beckons visitors with vermouth and txakoli. Rooms are homey and classically elegant, spread between the main house and the restored carriage house, and they make for a romantic retreat within walking distance of the city’s sights and Michelin-starred restaurants.

Hundreds of years ago, at the height of Florence’s Renaissance heyday, visitors to this cultural capital wouldn’t have stayed in the kinds of luxury hotels that now line its picturesque streets. Rather, the well-heeled would have come at the behest of friends, lodging in private homes whose unassuming facades in the best neighborhoods belied their sumptuous interiors and private gardens, outfitted with art and artifacts collected from around the world.

A guesthouse to its core, Casa Howard continues this Florentine tradition; there is neither lobby nor restaurant, and the owner Massimiliano Leonardi di Casalino lives in his own apartment here while in town (note, it can be rented when he’s away). Jennifer Howard Forneris, one of the design-conscious proprietors who has since passed away, was the daughter of renowned textile designer Luciano Forneris. She gave each room its own look, with finds from her and Leonardi di Casalino’s world travels. A media room is the sole common area, and a hammam steam room and an on-site concierge service are the only nods toward traditional hotel services. Insider recommendations are personalized according to guests’ preferences, and the honor bar feels more like a friend’s (well-stocked) fridge.

New Delhi’s first modern business and luxury hotel, built in 1965, is a contemporary white box amid a sea of greenery. After a $100 million makeover overseen by starchitect Adam Tihany, The Oberoi now has 220 large rooms inspired by Sir Edwin Lutyens’s original plans for the city, with peacock-blue accents, spacious bathtubs, and super fast WiFi. Beloved restaurant threesixty˚ maintains its see-and-be-seen status thanks to its airier layout, and a new rooftop bar has become the go-to cocktail spot on warm-weather days. But the enthusiastic, attentive staff remains unchanged, earning adoration from repeat guests who appreciate the brand’s reliable and faultless service. Indoor and outdoor pools, a spa, proximity to a large golf course, and the convenient location just south of Delhi Gate make this hotel a great place to relax at the beginning or end of a countrywide tour.

Built on the site of Roman and Celtic ruins, the unassuming 5-star Widder Hotel comprises nine medieval townhouses that were painstakingly renovated over a 10-year period by Swiss architect Tilla Theus. The results are jaw-dropping, from the unusual structures such as circular rooms and passages that refer architecturally to a Roman well uncovered during construction, to the mix of antiques and modern designer furnishings (Eames, Frank Lloyd Wright) in the rooms.

Alongside the 35 standard rooms, 14 suites also mix the old with the new, featuring works of art by the likes of Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol, contemporary design classics by Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe, and original medieval frescoes, exposed-beam ceilings, and brick or stone walls. All rooms are equipped with a TV, Quadriga communication system, and two telephones.

Widder Hotel also features three great restaurants, a bar with more than 1,000 spirits, and a cozy garden restaurant and lounge open in the warmer months.