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Two streets down from Bree Street, Long Street has a very different vibe, with a lively mix of shops, vendors, Victorian buildings, and backpacker accommodations. The hipster/eclectic tone of the place is reflected in names like the Widow Maker Saloon & Barber and the Grand Daddy Hotel, with its rooftop Airstream Trailer Park. Along the one-mile stretch, the offerings range from the Yours Truly coffee shop to the fabulous Clarke’s Bookshop to the Pan African Market to Mama Afrika restaurant. Some of the best burgers in town are found at the Royale Eatery. At the very top of the street is the 110-year-old Long Street Baths & Turkish Steam Bath—nothing fancy but worth visiting. Long Street and its extension, Kloof Street, come frenetically alive on weekend nights. There are a lot of foreigners doing Cape Town on the cheap here, as well as locals on the make, so keep your wits about you.

Menton is France’s lemon-growing capital, a fact that the whole town celebrates: The tiles in Menton’s Fontana Rossa gardens are painted with lemons, and local restaurants feature them in lick-your-spoon-clean soufflés. Every winter, the road into town closes for a lemon festival that features huge sculptures made of citrus fruits. It seems fitting, then, that a local shop, Maison Herbin, is dedicated to selling artisanal lemon jam, which is made in small batches to coax the fullest flavor from each fruit. The jam shop has become so famous that tours of the kitchen operations now require advance reservations. The shop offers much more than its citrus jams: Also on sale are strawberries preserved with pineapple, and tomatoes packed with eggplant and ginger, in addition to traditional candies, fruit jellies, local honey, condiments, and pickled onions.

CoLAB, one of Rio’s coolest venues, may serve breakfast all day but it is much more than a breakfast joint. The tight space starts the day as a coffee house, then morphs into a cafe in the afternoon, and as the night falls, it becomes a bar. In addition to sundry coffee, granola, and artisanal baked goods, there are brunch items on the menu, as well as several curries, “street food” prepared with care (the falafel is especially recommended). The drink menu includes a range of nonalcoholic choices like kombucha and lemonade, as well as beer, and both classic and creative cocktails. A recent expansion introduced an additional small space for live music, a chill second floor, and a terrace. A performance schedule can be found online.

Why we love it: A hotel-cum-art-museum with a historical pedigree

The Highlights:
- 6,200 square feet of on-site exhibition space
- Historical details like the art nouveau dome in the lobby
- A hip restaurant with great cocktails

The Review:
This downtown hotel is the eighth property in the 21c collection, a concept founded by art collectors and preservationists Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson that blurs the lines between a boutique hotel and a contemporary art museum. Housed in what was once the Savoy Hotel and Grill—a luxurious destination for train travelers in the early 1900s—the 21c Kansas City pairs historical details (stunning stained-glass windows, original hotel sinks in each room) with modern art (including curated exhibitions, site-specific installations, and cultural programming). Designed by architecture firm Deborah Berke Partners and the Kansas City–based Hufft Projects, the 120 spacious rooms and suites carry the juxtaposition even further, complementing high ceilings and large windows with punchy purple sofas and original artwork.

Located between Kansas City’s Power & Light District and River Market, the hotel is ideally situated for exploring the city’s best dining and shopping, as well as the 100-plus market stalls selling produce, baked goods, and flowers. When you don’t feel like leaving the property, however, there’s The Savory at 21c restaurant, housed in what was once the oldest restaurant west of the Mississippi and a favorite of prominent figures like President Truman (his preferred booth still sits in the bar and lounge area). Here, Kansas City native Joe West now serves a creative take on classic Americana, with a traditional cocktail list to match. In case you feel yourself slipping into nostalgia, just head out to the lobby, where a massive glowing chandelier by Ken+Julia Yonetani will remind you that you’re at one of Kansas City’s most modern stays.

Why we love it: A historic property full of local details that make guests feel at home in Minneapolis

The Highlights:
- Prime location in the trendy North Loop
- Site of one of Minneapolis’s best restaurants, Tullibee
- Local literature, artwork, and spirits in every room

The Review:
A former farm implement warehouse, the Hewing Hotel has a rustic yet refined sensibility. Located in the heart of the North Loop, just a short walk from some of Minneapolis’s best restaurants and shops, the property mixes exposed timber and brick, tall ceilings, and original industrial elements with high-end finishes, creating an environment that’s at once local and luxurious. Available in five different layouts, the 124 rooms, including 14 suites, are individually designed with exposed wood, metal, and brick accents, plus local details like books, artwork, minibars, and Faribault Woolen Mills throws that speak to Minneapolis. Should you be traveling with your pet, simply pay a $75 fee and you’ll find their name written on a chalkboard alongside those of other furry guests, all under the heading “V.I.Pets,” as well as a treat-stocked bowl in your room.

Although Hewing guests are surrounded by one of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods, they’ll want to save at least one night for dining at the hotel’s renowned restaurant, Tullibee, which serves rustic Nordic cuisine alongside craft cocktails, local beers, and house-made sodas. For something more casual, head to the Rooftop Bar & Lounge for drinks and city views. Also on the roof is a pool and Nordic-inspired sauna, though guests may be more inclined to visit the Hewing Spa, where they can enjoy a range of massages, plus add-on services like wraps, scrubs, and face masks. When you want something more active, head to the 24-hour fitness facility, stocked with treadmills, stationary bikes, and elliptical trainers; the yoga studio, which offers weekly classes through Gem Life Yoga; or the front desk, where you can rent a custom Handsome bicycle to explore the city.

A staple among Upper East Side hotels since it opened in 1963, the sophisticated Loews Regency boasts a Park Avenue address and location convenient to Central Park and Manhattan’s best museums. Following an extensive renovation, it reopened as a fresh and chic retreat in early 2014. The bones of the hotel remain classic, but the approach is modern, with touches that today’s traveler will appreciate, such as free Wi-Fi. Its elegant lobby—with a striking art installation from Brooklyn artist Nina Helm—impresses with its 24-foot ceilings and the on-site salon and spa, from acclaimed hair stylist Julien Farel, is a neighborhood destination for visitors and locals alike. No classic New York hotel would be complete without a standout watering hole; you’ll want to order a cocktail at the low-lit Regency Bar.

The great macaron debate may forever wage on, but from the first time I tucked into a small box of Pierre Hermé’s diminutive cookies, perfectly crisp on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth soft on the inside, I knew I’d remain loyal to his interpretation. Perhaps best known for his unique flavors—foie gras and chocolate, lemon and fennel, vanilla and basil, among many others—it’s his Ispahan croissant, with rose almond paste and crushed raspberry flakes, that really keeps me going back.

Cross Punda’s Queen Wilhelmina Bridge, and bam! You’re in Scharloo, Willemstad’s youngest colonial district. Known for baroque mansions once inhabited by the island’s wealthiest merchants, this historical neighborhood is also a hipster haven. Thanks to Street Art Skálo, a group of up-and-coming local artists, you can admire life-size murals on Bitterstraat and Parke Leyba from Curaçao masters like Francis Sling and Garrick Marchena. Afterwards, grab coffee on Beyglz’s colonial terrace and shop for 100-percent-handmade bath and body products at Integra Natural.

Before reaching this incredible castle, you will be astounded by the beautiful pastures and lakes along the roadside. Lambs occasionally trot across allowing a great opportunity for photos. Upon reaching Kylemore, you will enter through a quaint cafe for lattes, tea and delicious pastries. The tour begins walking through this enormous castle turned legendary private school that was originally owned by Mitchell Henry who built it for his wife. After taking in the luxuriousness of the manicured walls and decorations, you can then walk to the little cathedral. The cathedral is just as impressive as the castle. The pillars inside are made up of five different types of marble. Following the cathedral, you can choose to walk to the walled Victoria gardens or take the shuttle that runs to and fro the castle. The gardens have several green houses and a vast amount of exotic plants that dazzle the eyes and invigorate the nose! Here you can sit down for a coffee or tea and simply enjoy the man-made beauty that has lasted over a century. There are also several nature walks to allow more time for one to take in Ireland’s beauty. This is a fascinating place to admire historic architecture and learn about the love story that started it all!

For those of us used to seeing chicken cut into parts, wrapped in plastic, and cooling in supermarket refrigerators, a trip to a local Peruvian market is fascinating and a bit daunting. At the biggest market, San Pedro, just up the street from the Plaza de Armas, you’ll find fruits, vegetables, alpaca charqui (the Quechua source of our word jerky), pig’s heads, herbs, fruit juices, weavings, and much, much more. You’ll see a fair number of foreigners wandering here as well, so for an experience that feels more authentic, try San Blas Market or Rosaspata, both off the tourist track.

In a country that produces as much coffee as Mexico, you might expect more cafés to feature domestic beans, but that’s not always the case. At Café Avellaneda, however, you can be certain that the coffee in your cup was brewed from beans grown in the Mexican states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, or Veracruz. The space is small but staff is warm and welcoming, and it’s an ideal spot for a cup of coffee before or after visiting La Casa Azul, also in Coyoacan. If you get your cup to go, head to Coyoacan’s main plaza (pictured here) and enjoy its fountain and people-watching.

Mavi means “blue” in Turkish, as in denim, and in Turkey the retailer Mavi is analogous to Gap, producing fashionable and affordable clothing made in Turkey. While they now have a worldwide presence, you’ll find shops in each of Istanbul’s considerable clutch of shopping malls, as well as several on İstiklal Avenue and in Nişantaşı and Kadiköy. In addition to jeans, Mavi collaborates with local artists for their range of original and surprisingly non-touristy Istanbul T-shirts, with designs depicting iconic city silhouettes like the Galata Tower or graphics of ubiquitous street cats and seagulls. The shirts are a good choice for kids’ souvenirs especially, and if you forget to shop, you’ll also find them at the airport (at a decent but reasonable markup from city stores).

Built in 1928 by Asia’s oldest hotel brand, the Peninsula Hong Kong is one of the most historic properties on the Kowloon Peninsula, just across Victoria Harbour from Hong Kong Island. Designed originally as an upscale accommodation for passengers riding the adjacent Kowloon-Canton railway, the Peninsula has been a fixture of Hong Kong society throughout the region’s history. It was a magnet for Hollywood stars and dignitaries, the site of Hong Kong’s surrender to Japanese forces at the start of World War II, and temporary housing for residents following the war.

In 1994, a 30-story tower was added to house 135 additional rooms and suites as well as shops, a spa, a fitness center, twin rooftop helipads, and Felix—the hotel’s 28th-floor fine-dining restaurant, designed by Philippe Starck. The entire property was renovated in 2013 to update rooms with creamy colors, polished wood, and stitched leather and introduce high-tech extras that include a bedside control panel allowing guests to adjust the room’s light, sound, and temperature without getting out from under the covers. Today, the hotel is sleek and modern, but historic relics evoke the glory days that established the Peninsula as the “Grande Dame of the Far East.”

Hunting for made-in-China souvenirs more Etsy than kitschy? Madame Mao is the spot! Check out the alphabet tote bags from Pinyin Press, cloisonné snuff bottles by Piling Palang, vibrant wrapping paper by Paper Tiger, and quirky jewelry from the young Shanghai designer Shin. If you’re into vintage finds more than handmade items, browse the extensive collection of Communist propaganda posters from the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. While the large framed images can be expensive, the postcards and photographs are affordable and can be tucked away in every suitcase.

Whether you decide to buy one off the rack or get a custom-made qipao (recommended), these figure-hugging dresses are arguably the most iconic fashion piece for females around China, and sexy to boot. If you opt to visit a tailor (which I really suggest that you do!), the selection of fabrics and details will ensure you’ll be able to customize your dress to fit your body and your style. Now, that’s a great souvenir.