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For the location of their first independent hotel, Atelier Ace (the creative arm behind the buzzy Ace Hotel Group) chose Panama City’s historic Casco Viejo, a once gang-ridden neighborhood now teeming with trendy restaurants, cafes, and wine bars in 16th- and 17th-century buildings. The American Trade Hotel occupies a stately property on Plaza Tómas Herrera, complete with 50 minimal-chic rooms and suites outfitted in Frette linens and custom, reclaimed-wood furnishings. Plush “Jardin” suites open onto a private garden courtyard, while others feature vaulted ceilings or views of the Gulf of Panama. On-site dining and drinking options abound, ranging from Café Unido for pour-over coffee made from Panama Geisha beans, to a jazz club created by Grammy-winning Panamanian jazz pianist and composer Danilo Perez.

Coco Chanel famously made the Ritz Paris her home for 34 years, but the grandest hotels need a little brightening once in a while. The Ritz, which originally opened on Place Vendôme in 1898, reopened in 2016 after a four-year, $450 million renovation. Starchitect Thierry Despont wisely retained iconic features like the red entry carpet and the hotel’s signature amber scent, but he incorporated brighter fabrics to the public rooms, subtle touches like a heightened lobby ceiling and the addition of peaceful landscaped gardens, and bold statements such as a retractable glass roof on the patio. Overall, too, the number of guest rooms was reduced to 142, and the number of staff was raised to 630. Guest rooms are light and airy, with cream walls, Empire furniture, swags of floral silk fabrics, and marble fireplaces with gilt details. Some rooms have balconies, perfect for morning coffee. Down in the Ritz Club, the pool, serenely set in a columned art deco room, is long enough for laps. The Chanel au Ritz Paris is the brand’s first freestanding spa, with treatment rooms featuring (of course) Chanel skin care and beauty products.

The imposing De L’Europe—one of Amsterdam’s original luxury hotels, a holdover from the late 19th century’s age of Grand Tours and neoclassical architecture—has been thoughtfully restored in keeping with its opulent history and The Netherlands’ artistic tradition. The hotel, a red-and-white brick landmark crowning the intersection of the Amstel River and several canals, bridges old and new visions of luxury. Its extensive art collection, consisting of both originals and copies of Dutch Masters, is curated in conjunction with the Rijksmuseum; many pieces were in the collection of Dutch brewing magnate Alfred “Freddy” Heineken, whose family owns the hotel. The museum-caliber artwork can be found not only throughout the see-and-be-seen common areas but also in many of the rooms, especially those in the gallery-like addition, known as the Dutch Masters Wing.

The 48 rooms and 63 suites have decadent touches, including Carrara marble bathrooms with heated floors, personal iPads, and Coco-Mat beds. But De L’Europe’s crowning attraction may actually be outside: A wraparound terrace offers waterfront dining overlooking the historic city, and many of the best rooms have private balconies with views of the rooftops. When hunger strikes, guests can head to the Michelin-starred Restaurant Bord’Eau or Bib Gourmand winner Marie, then grab a nightcap in the luxurious lobby lounge. For rest and relaxation, the hotel also features a spa with bespoke treatments, an infrared sauna, and a Turkish steam bath.

There’s a lot to recommend the Camino Real in Polanco, especially if you’re an architecture and art aficionado. The hotel, designed by the late Mexican architect Ricardo Legoretta, is considered one of his master works; the shape of its pink and yellow exterior is intended to call to mind a pre-Hispanic pyramid, and its caldera-like fountain in the driveway, designed by Noguchi, is perpetually roiling. Inside, you’ll find museum-quality art, including pieces by Mexican masters José Luís Covarrubias and Rufino Tamayo, as well as Alexander Calder. Rooms are large, quiet, and comfortable, and the hotel, a favorite among business travelers, has a full complement of amenities, ranging from pools and a fitness center to a number of restaurants, including Morimoto.

The tony suburb of Houghton, whose best-known resident was Nelson Mandela, is home to leafy lanes lined with stately estates. Not too far from the Mandela family manse is the Residence, a stylish boutique property that lives up to its name, evoking a private lair of a chic distant relative that guests are fortunate enough to visit for a spell.

The rooms are plush, with velvet headboards, sumptuous rugs, and glittering chandeliers, but the bathrooms are a sight to behold: the gleaming marble tiles and outdoor showers and tubs merit a special mention. Nods to the nautical can be found in the Boat Lounge, where mini sailboats and life preservers inspire the decor. There’s often a pianist tickling the ivories in the Piano Lounge, where guests can retire with a post-prandial cocktail.

J. Paul Getty’s original museum is as much about the transporting setting as it is about the pieces inside. When the billionaire oil tycoon decided to open a museum for his extensive collection of antiquities in 1974, he modeled it after an ancient Roman villa that had been buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The estate’s painted ceilings, Roman columns, and marble floors feel at one with the 44,000-strong collection of Etruscan, Greek, and Roman pieces (don’t miss the bronze statue of Herakles, circa 300 B.C.E.). When you stand amid the 64-acre ground’s bronze statues, frescoes, and reflecting pool, the expansive view of the Pacific Ocean offers one of the few clues that you’re in California. A regular stream of theater performances, readings, and academic talks in the open-air amphitheater keeps things heady day and night. Pro tip: Although it’s free, entrance to the Getty Villa requires an advance, timed-entry ticket, bookable online. Don’t miss the 40-minute tours on Thursdays and Saturdays of the four Roman gardens, which cover a fascinating array of mythology and history.

The Museo Soumaya, financed by Carlos Slim, the richest man in Mexico, has the ambitions of the Guggenheim Bilbao from the outside. It’s a stunning building whose sweeping, soaring curves couldn’t help but make it an instant landmark near Polanco, one of Mexico City‘s ritziest neighborhoods. Inside, the museum recalls the Guggenheim New York, with galleries off of a ramp which spirals down (or up) the building. Unfortunately the museum’s permanent collection isn’t as impressive as those at either Guggenheim. The Soumaya does have some strengths—one of the world’s largest collection of Rodins and some especially noteworthy colonial Mexican works—but it can feel hit or miss, with many undistinguished pieces. Slim’s museum is free, however, so you won’t regret paying admission even if you just pass through quickly to take in the building itself and some highlights.

Here is a museum dedicated to the art of photography and placed, um, picture perfectly for views of Stockholm. The museum building sits along the waterfront with a view of the Old Town (Gamla Stan) and the Tivoli Amusement Park. Exhibitions change throughout the year, but while I was there they had three exhibitions that were fabulously curated and equally compelling. The exhibitions are curated in Swedish and in English—plus the museum offers guided tours of the exhibitions. In addition to photography, the building has a gift shop full of photography books and prints. A bistro on the top floor looks out over the waterfront and offers weekend brunch, wine tasting events, concerts, and in the fall and spring they even turn the space into a dance club. If you are in Stockholm for a longer period and have an interest in improving your photography, they offer seminars and workshops by well-known professionals.

This pink-marble waterfront edifice in Piazza San Marco dates back to the 14th century, when it was the residence and seat of government for the doges (rulers) of Venice. Today the ornate Byzantine- and Moorish-influenced Gothic Palazzo Ducale is a symbol of the city, and serves as a museum hosting some of Venice’s most important art, including the famous Bacchus, Venus, and Ariadne masterpiece by Tintoretto. It also runs the popular Secret Itinerary and Doge’s Palace Hidden Treasures tours. After you’re done, treat yourself to a glass of wine in the small on-site bistro, with windows looking onto the Grand Canal adjacent to the Bridge of Sighs.

The Buddhist temple complex of Dambulla consists of five cave temples carved under a very large overhanging rock. The temples were carved out over several centuries, but the oldest dates back to the 1st century B.C.E. The temples include numerous carved statues of Buddha, and his faithful disciple Ananda, as well as Hindu deities.


The largest of the caves is known as the Maharaja Vihara Lena, or Cave of the Great Kings, so named because the cave contains the statues of two ancient, great Sri Lankan kings—Valagambahu and Nissankamalla. Fifty or so Buddha statues, including a life-sized granite one, are all contained inside the temple as is small stupa surrounded by eleven seated Buddhas.


The cave walls and ceiling are entirely painted with paintings depicting early Buddhist historical events and murals with traditional Buddhist designs. Like all the other cave temples, this one is dimly lit, preserving the vibrant colors of the paintings and murals.


Another unusual feature of this particular cave temple is the large metal bowl that was placed inside the cave centuries ago, presumably to catch rain dripping from the cave roof. It’s said that even in a severe drought, the water in the bowl does not dry up.

Dambulla is one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites located in the region known as Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle. If you ever go to Sri Lanka, you must go to Dambulla. It is a very unique and spectacular site!

A city as ancient as Istanbul has many layers of history, and you’ll have to go below the surface to see the Basilica Cistern, the largest of the underground cisterns. Built in the sixth century for the Byzantine emperor Justinian, the atmospheric reservoir is supported by 336 columns, many of which have been repurposed from other ruins over the centuries. The Medusa-head column bases are a favorite to photograph, along with the carp that swim silently in the dimly lit waters. The cistern is located between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, and the best time to visit is simply whenever the line looks short, especially on a hot summer day—it’s always cooler underground.

The ‘60s and ‘70s in San Francisco were synonymous with psychedelic “hobbies,” but tripping in the new millennium on Pier 39 is something you can now enjoy, legally, with the entire family. This labyrinth of 77 mirrors and black lights is reminiscent of a carnival fun house, and finding your way out of the 2,000-square-foot kaleidoscope of glowing twists and turns and befuddling dead-ends puts the fun in funky. While ‘80s music thumps, kids race through and into the walls, while adults feel their way down endless neon hallways. Created by Charles Magowan (who, no surprise, studied psychology at Yale), the Mirror Maze is a trip for all ages, and at just $5 it might be the cheapest one you’ll find in San Francisco.

Sandwiched in between the Railyard District and the plaza, this breezy brick-and-adobe-exposed Mexican-inspired spot features a sprawl of folk art, majolica tiles, distressed windowpanes, and leather banquettes. There’s a range of diverse delights on the menu: duck carnitas, marrow tacos, grilled whole sea bass and, for vegetarians, cauliflower Frito tacos topped with Marcona almonds, raisins, and Spanish olives. For a side dish, order the warm Mexican street corn, known as esquites. To sip, it’s all about house-shaken tequila, smoky mezcal cocktails, and classic Mexican brews like Sol and Bohemia.

The only museum on the Turks and Caicos Islands sits on the historic Front Street of Cockburn Town, on Grand Turk. Occupying Guinep House, one of the area’s oldest standing buildings, the museum displays artifacts from the Molasses Reef shipwreck, a sunken caravel found off West Caicos. The ship, which dates from the early 1500s, makes this is the oldest European wreck to be excavated in the Americas. Salvaged items on display include cannons, pieces of the ship’s hull, and a variety of tools. There are also exhibits on local slavery and the indigenous Taino people who originally lived on the islands.

In the late 1700s, Cheshire Hall Plantation was one of the handful of cotton plantations operating on the Turks and Caicos Islands. During its heyday, the estate spanned thousands of acres, with hundreds of enslaved people working in the fields. Poor growing conditions led to its decline. Today, you can explore the scattered ruins, including remnants of the Great House, which was built from cut limestone. The $10 admission fee includes entrance to the site and a 30-minute guided tour. Cheshire Hall, conveniently located near downtown, offers the best-preserved colonial-era ruins on Providenciales, though Wade’s Green Plantation on North Caicos is the best preserved site of all the islands.