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The Hong Kong-based Swire Hotels launches in the U.S. with their 352-room EAST, Miami, located in city’s bustling financial district. L.A.-based Studio Collective and New York’s Clodagh Design paired up to design the interiors, which mix intricate woodwork with sleek furnishings. Original artwork from notable names such as China-born Zha Songgang and Miami-based Alexander Mijares hangs throughout the hotel, along with photographs that highlight Miami’s colorful scenery and Modernist architecture. Quinto La Huella, an outpost of a famous seafood restaurant in José Ignacio, Uruguay, promises to draw locals and visitors alike, while the hotel’s rooftop space serves Asian-inspired tapas with views of the skyline. From $259

If visiting the site of the Terracotta Warriors wasn’t enough to fulfill your Xi’an excursion, carry on the adventures at Park Qin. The popular Shuyuan International Party Hostel, near South Gate, is home to this Terracotta warriors-themed bar. Here, you’ll find the city’s hipsters catching up over drinks and live music, nestled among replicas of Xi’an biggest attraction. If you get hungry, the restaurant at the hostel will take care of your midnight cravings.

Expect no less than over-the-top extravagance at Laucala, a resort island in Fiji with its own rental submarine. Bring friends: The island has 25 villas spread out over 4.6 square miles, with a rain forest, beaches, cliffs, a lagoon, and one of the island’s highest hilltops literally in their backyards.

The tallest hotel in mainland China occupies floors 79 to 93 of the Shanghai World Financial Center, the 101-story skyscraper made by Mori Building, developer of Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills complex. As expected, any room or public area in the property likely has jaw-dropping views. Interiors mirror the aesthetics of a cultured modern Chinese residence, with sequences of gates, halls, and chambers as thoroughfares, and earth tones complementing natural materials. Monochromatic rooms have walls finished in linen, lacquer, and slatted-wood panels, with generous daybeds, 24-hour butler service, and plasma televisions embedded in the bathrooms’ vanity mirrors. But really, no amenity can top the incredible views.

Run by the famous Spanish shoe brand, Casa Camper is a stylish boutique hotel neatly situated in the middle of Mitte’s hip fashion and culture district. Designed by Jordi Tió and Fernando Amat—the founder of Barcelona’s iconic design store Vinçon—the devilishly good-looking interior is defined by clean lines and striking furniture set against rust-red walls. The rooms are deliberately minimal, with wooden floors and slick designer furnishings, but are decidedly comfortable and include eco-friendly touches such as water-recycling showers. Instead of an in-room minibar concept, the hotel offers a 24-hour buffet that is free for guests. Plus, the hotel’s prime location ensures easy access to the swanky drinking, dining, and shopping options in the neighborhood.

Stop at Scribe Winery and pick up a bottle of their newly released rosé to pair with oysters at Hog Island in Marshall, CA. Picnic tables overlook Tomales Bay and must be reserved in advance. Throw the oysters on the grill or eat them raw and don’t hesitate to ask the staff to share shucking tips. This appeared in the May 2014 issue.

With its palm-lined entrance, oasis-like courtyards, and proximity to the Sky Harbor Airport, the Royal Palms draws both business and leisure travelers, especially business travelers who’ve managed to work a few days of leisure into their schedule. Built in the shadow of Camelback Mountain in 1929 as a Spanish Colonial–style home for Cunard Line executive Delos W. Cooke (who imported 900 palms for the grounds), and opened as a hotel in 1948, the Royal Palms remains popular in part because, with just 119 rooms, it’s one of the smaller and more intimate of Arizona’s luxury resorts. Restoration and refurbishing have kept it up to date without diminishing its original charm.

It’s one of the hardest reservations to score in the country, but not just because of its diminutive size (22 seats in all) or limited days of operation (Wednesday to Saturday; dinner only). For one, the Catbird Seat feels both intimate and exclusive: Guests are seated at a U-shaped counter that surrounds a central open kitchen. Then, there’s the thrill of the unknown.

Strategic Hospitality, the Nashville-based restaurant group started by homegrown entrepreneurs Ben and Max Goldberg, has hired a roster of notable chefs for extended stints, giving them carte blanche to create whatever inspires them during their tenure. Among them: Trevor Moran, an alumnus of Noma in Copenhagen. Since January 2016, Chicago-born chef Ryan Poli (another Noma vet, who also trained at the French Laundry) has held the reins, calling upon influences from his two-year stint working in kitchens around the world. A couple of recent hits: an umami-rich black truffle risotto made with sunflower seeds instead of rice, and noodles made with nori and spiked with zesty yuzu.

Technically part of Tahaa in French Polynesia, Vahine Private Island Resort is an escape from reality. The hotel features three beach bungalows, three self-contained beach suites and three overwater bungalows, all with beach views and designed using only natural materials in such a way as to make you feel like you’re in a traditional Polynesian home. Moreover, the resort is set on a 23-acre private island lush with coconut trees and white sand beach.

Snorkel in their vibrant coral gardens, kayak to nearby motus or to natural sting-ray pools, take in a coconut show, learn how to tie a pareo or weave palm leaves, paddle a traditional Polynesian outrigger canoe or take an excursion to the nearby mainland of Tahaa (the “Vanilla Island”) or a private motu. Guests love their food and beverage program, with French dishes crafted using local cuisine and cocktails infused with local fruits and juices.

Tip: Don’t leave without having a traditional massage with scented Monoi oil on your deck, where you’ll hear nothing but the billowing palms and gentle crashing of waves.

From the 16th to the 19th century, drovers were the men responsible for leading cattle out of the rugged Highlands to the markets in nearby towns and cities. Today, they serve as the inspiration for the Drovers Inn, a hotel and pub just north of Loch Lomond. Nestled near the banks of the River Falloch, the property offers a rustic setting for filling meals, frosty pints, and drams of malt whisky. Come for bar-food favorites like steak-and-Guinness pie, fish-and-chips, and venison casserole, and stay for the live musical acts that play every weekend. As the inn has been in operation for some 300 years, tales of various hauntings are part of its appeal.

About 500 yards north of the Grand Turk Cruise Ship Center, this beach bar and grill makes an ideal place to while away a sunny afternoon sipping drinks with your toes in impossibly blue water. The family-owned tiki hut has a large patio, lounge chairs, and its resident goldendoodle, Topher, serves as a friendly ambassador. The smell of grilling jerk chicken will lure you up from the beach (Jack’s also rents beach chairs, in case you want to stay local after your meal). The menu offers a simple yet filling mix of conch, burgers, and local seafood to go with the selection of fruity cocktails.

Those looking for some island spirits may be surprised to find that the liquid concoctions at this historic outpost are body products, not liquor. Invented in 1838, the signature blend of bay leaf oils and island-made rum hydrates and nourishes skin. The unisex bars and tonics are infused with various spices, including lime, cinnamon or orange blossom.

Formerly the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, this stone-and-timber lodge—arguably the finest example of U.S. “Parkitecture”—has hosted such luminaries as John F. Kennedy, the queen of Nepal, Lucille Ball, and Brad Pitt. Its grand public spaces served as Stanley Kubrick’s inspiration for the hotel in The Shining, but don’t let that—or the price—scare you away. It’s worth the splurge just to have this place to yourself after the swarms of tourists have left for the day. Accommodations range from classic hotel rooms that face the back of the building, to suites and cottages with fireplaces and views of Yosemite’s most famous sites, including Half Dome, Glacier Point, and Yosemite Falls. The formal dining room, with its soaring ceilings and oversized windows, requires reservations, especially for the popular Sunday brunch. If you’d rather not plan ahead, you can grab a casual bite at the hotel bar, which features an outdoor area with breathtaking views of the park.

A few years ago, Bósforo was a nondescript bar in the capital’s Centro Histórico (Historic Center) neighborhood. Its decor was nothing to write home about; in fact, it was so dark it was hard to make out whether there was any decor to speak of. Fast forward to today, and the dark, dull interior hasn’t changed. Nor has the bar’s focus: mezcal. The smokier cousin of tequila is an agave-based spirit that has grown exponentially in popularity over the past several years. Most of the bar’s offerings are small-batch mezcals in bottles with handwritten labels. What you try today may not be available at all the next time you visit. What has changed in the past year or two is Bósforo’s visibility. Once a bar that was really only for locals in the know, Bósforo is now visited by mezcal lovers from all over the world. If you’re a fan of the spirit—or you haven’t yet tried it and would like to—Bósforo is worth a night out in the Centro.

The sleepy town of Cruz Bay, nicknamed Love City, is the main settlement on St. John, and the hub where most visitors arrive after a ferry ride from St. Thomas. The island draws everyone from salty sailors to A-list celebrities, and Cruz Bay is where they all gather in the afternoon to drink Cruzan rum at beachfront bars while deconstructing their day spent hiking, scuba diving or lounging on beaches around the island.