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Hotel Victor, located along buzzing Ocean Drive in South Beach originated in the 1930s as one of the original art deco Gregorian style buildings that drape the streets of Miami Beach. This year, the hotel went through a full renovation, upgrading all guestrooms and public spaces. “Every piece of furniture was designed specifically for this hotel,” says Claudia Marulanda, director of sales/marketing. The color palate transitioned from dark purples, reds and blacks to softer shades of violet, ivory and cream. The expansive lobby space uses soft woods and chrome furnishings. While lounging in one of the new cabanas in the recently-renovated pool deck, enjoy sweeping views of the sandy beaches and candy colored buildings along Ocean Drive. Head out onto the streets on rentable bikes that are available through the concierge. Within the next few months, Hotel Victor will expand its lobby space and debut Sushi Mi Casa restaurant and renovations to Bice Italian restaurant. The independent owners also required ownership of the iconic Versace Mansion, which will be the new home for special meetings and events for hotel guests.

Berlin’s most surreal bar experience is right where you’d expect it to be—in the trendy Friedrichshain neighborhood. Just a few blocks from some of Berlin’s most legendary nightclubs, the club Wilde Renate is a mismatched collection of buildings surrounding a small beer garden. It’s an easy place to get lost, even more so because there’s a purposely-built labyrinth underneath the nightclub. The labyrinth, Peristal Signum, isn’t just an art installation but a full-on experience for the mind. It was designed haphazardly by three artists over nine months in 2010. The maze was built completely out of found scrap materials (like most everything else in Berlin) and includes everything from glass bottles to car parts. For 10€, you’re given a token to enter the labyrinth. Entries are scattered so that only one person enters at a time, though you’re likely to run into people once inside. Without spoiling too much, I’ll say it’s a trippy experience. Persistal Signum is open Wednesday to Saturday, from 6pm to 10pm, at Salon zur wilden Renate. Ask the bartender to put your name on the list to get inside the labyrinth. There’s usually a wait.

There is a reason why renting a villa in Tuscany is so popular - rustic farmhouses, rolling hills filled with olive and plum trees, golden sunsets, locally-harvested wine, creamy cheeses, and cool evenings spent with friends and family. Renting a villa provides a relaxing base for your sightseeing in the region. Almost all Tuscan towns allow easy day trips to the main sights: - Florence‘s art and Renaissance history (Duomo, Uffizi Gallery, Michelangelo’s David) - Cortona’s steep, narrow streets and medieval walls - Siena’s cultural city center, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site - San Gimignano’s fortified towers set amidst picture-perfect Tuscan hillsides - Montelpulciano’s world-famous wineries and more This offers the best of both worlds - after a dusty day of sightseeing, you can relax at your villa with a jump in the pool and a glass of wine. Watch the sun go down in a purplish haze, unwind with friends, and enjoy the lovely moment. I recommend YourTuscany.com, which is where we found Villa Coloniale (above) in the town of Pergine Valdarno. The infinity pool and covered patio are guaranteed to put you in a relaxed, Italian frame of mind!

The Durian is fondly known as the king of fruits in Southeast Asia. It’s a fruit that the locals love, but that many outsiders find to be an acquired taste. In fact, Andrew Zimmern, the presenter of the Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods, (the guy who eats the world’s craziest and weirdest things) can’t stand durians. The name durian comes from the Malay word “duri,” which means “thorns.” Cutting open a durian is an art. You have to cut along certain lines created by the thorns, which are barely visible. If you get it wrong, it would be tough to open. Once cut, you use your palms to push apart the insides to reveal the yellow flesh. The smell of the durian is strong enough to make you salivate or faint, depending on which side of the fence you are on regarding it’s taste. If you’re ever in Malaysia, you must give it a try. Who knows? You could end up liking something that Andrew Zimmern himself can’t stomach!

OK, there may be better cafes. You may have alternative preferences. But I absolutely adored the Dad Cafe in Miera Street. I came across it at just the right moment - a long morning of walking had left me desperate for an even longer sit, and this place is the kind where no one will mind if you nurse a hot drink for a couple of hours. Not only does it feel like an old-fashioned tearoom, but they actually serve Earl Grey tea, for which I could have kissed them. They also make a home made quiche so delicious that I ordered a second piece as soon as I had finished my first. Chintzy furniture, artfully distressed, lots of lovely women sitting around chatting intellectually (they looked intellectual anyway, I suppose they could have been talking about Jersey Shore). I started a conversation with a drama student who was writing an essay on site-specific performance and we ended up having the most fascinating chat about how theatre is currently the most popular art form among the young in Latvia. Couldn’t have asked for more.

In 2011, one of Chicago’s most popular restaurants, Longman & Eagle, expanded into an inn with the creation of six rooms. The owners, two of whom run the music venue Empty Bottle, built and outfitted the whole place. Each of the rooms is different, but all are stylishly simple and feature details such as wood floors, exposed brick, original art work and site-specific installations by local artists, cassette players with mix tapes, well-curated minibars, and Aesop toiletries. For the noise averse, the hotel reminds potential guests that the rooms are located above “an occasionally raucous, whisky-fueled tavern.”

The Piazza Della Repubblica was the place to be in Florence in the evenings. Tourists and locals alike dined at the restaurants lining the square, student groups gathered, families enjoyed the Carousel, and gypsies and other migrants tried to sell everything from silk scarves to toys..right up until the police arrived and they all magically disappeared.

A neoclassical building in Plaka thoughtfully renovated into a boutique hotel, the ZIllers has ten guest rooms and a rooftop restaurant and bar. The building was designed by Ernst Ziller, a German architect whose work can be seen all around Greece, notably at Athens’ National Theatre, Presidential Mansion, and the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art. The original high ceilings, wood floors, and wrought iron-balconies have been retained and refreshed with a modern minimalist decor. While value priced, rooms with atrium views can be dark and Acropolis views are worth the upgrade. Rates include breakfast served in room or on the rooftop, book ahead for dining at other times as it is popular with locals. The contemporary Greek menu might include shrimp with buffalo milk couscous or sea bass in a dill and lime foam, plus innovative desserts like Greek coffee mousse with olive oil jelly. Location is also faultless, overlooking the Athens Cathedral, and a five-minute walk from Monastiraki or Syntagma Square.

Looking like the graph of a boom-and-bust financial market, the Riverside Museum’s jagged tooth–like facade, designed by the late Iraqi-British “starchitect” Zaha Hadid, is an iconic bit of development on the banks of the River Clyde. Inside, you’ll find Glasgow’s extensive collection of all things related to transportation, from skateboards and locomotives to prams, cars, and an Imperial Stormtrooper. Wander through the interactive displays to visit city shops, bars, and subway stops, then climb aboard a train, tram, or bus and get a feel for old public transportation. Visitors can also discover Glasgow’s rich shipbuilding history, explore the car and motorbike walls, and help put out a blaze with an interactive fire engine. Before leaving, head outdoors to the quayside to see the Tall Ship Glenlee—one of only five Clyde-built sailing ships that’s still afloat.

Officially named the Emperor’s Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, Frankfurt’s main church is recognizable for its striking 328-foot-tall tower. Dating back to the 13th century, the cathedral is also famous for the fact that its Wahlkapelle (election chapel) served as the location for selecting Holy Roman emperors from the 14th to the 18th centuries. Rebuilt following an 1867 fire and again after World War II, the church features a traditional Romanesque cross-shaped floor plan and high altar decorated with a 15th-century retable depicting the life of Christ. Other highlights include the Maria Schlaf Altar in the Mary Chapel, created in 1434, and the choir stalls, which date all the way back to 1352. Added in the 15th century, the tower holds 328 steps, which visitors can climb for sweeping views of the city. There’s also a small on-site museum with precious liturgical objects, plus organ recitals and other concerts throughout the year.

Some visitors to Santa Fe are surprised to find this Gothic revival structure in the middle of all of the adobe buildings in the historic district, like a piece of medieval Paris transplanted to the Wild West. The French connection is real—the 19th-century Loretto Chapel was designed by a French architect who modeled it after La Sainte Chapelle in Paris. According to legend, though, the plans failed to include access from the chapel floor to the choir loft. So, the nuns who ran the girls’ school for which this stone structure was built began praying, and after nine days, a mysterious carpenter arrived. Neither nails nor glue nor any visible external support were used in this doubly-twisting staircase, and no one ever found out the name of the carpenter, who left without seeking payment. It must’ve been St. Joseph himself...so goes the legend of “the miraculous staircase.” The physics of the structure can be explained by architects today, but that doesn’t stop about a quarter-million visitors every year from marveling at the elegant spruce spiral. Open to the public as a privately run museum, the Loretto Chapel hasn’t been a church for decades. It can, however, be rented: a spectacular setting for a private wedding.

A stroll of St. Kitt’s capital, whether started at Port Zante Marina or the centrally located Independence Square, is an entertaining way to learn more about the island’s past. While the French named Basseterre (it means “low land”), the British are responsible for the town’s most recognizable landmark—the green, cast-iron Berkeley Memorial Clock in the center of the Circus, where several streets intersect. Make sure to visit the area, as well as Independence Square, St. George’s Anglican Church, and the Old Treasury Building, which now serves as the National Museum of St. Kitts. Along your walk, you’ll also find duty-free shops and local boutiques, plus a lively produce market by the waterfront if you come on the weekend.

The most quintessential Cambodian souvenir must be the checked cotton krama that you will see around the necks, heads or waists of every Cambodian you meet. Cambodians like to boast that the krama has a dozen different uses -- some clever, some cute, some cringe-worthy. The most popular way to wear the krama is as a handsome scarf and a symbol of national and cultural pride, hung loosely around the neck over a pressed dress shirt. However, head out to the villages and you’ll see local farmers wearing them wrapped around their forehead to soak up the sweat, while village women will wear them as a head-dress. I’ve used mine as a belt. They’re handy for wiping the perspiration from your brow while scrambling temples in the sticky humidity. You’ll see kramas sold everywhere and in the Old Market they start from as little as US$1, however, these are generally made from a polyester-cotton mix and don’t do the trick. I love the authentic, quality cotton kramas sold at boutiques like Wa Gallery, which is where the ones above are from.

Tucked into the hilly northwestern corner of Jordan, Umm Qais (or ancient Gadara) commands grand views of the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights from the edge of its plateau. It was here that Jesus is said to have performed the miracle of casting demons out of men and into pigs. The town has existed since the Hellenistic period, but is best known for its Roman ruins, which once sat along a prosperous trade route. Many ancient streets and buildings are still intact, as are several Ottoman-era stone houses, which remained occupied all the way until the 1980s. Grandest of all the ruins is the black basalt theater, located along the wide Decumanus Maximus that still holds its original paving stones. Visitors should also be sure to check out the small museum in what was once the home of the Ottoman governor, as well as the celebrated restaurant in the old Ottoman school. In recent years, Umm Qais has become a pioneer of community tourism in Jordan, and it’s even possible to take cooking classes, nature walks, or tours with a local beekeeper after enjoying the ancient ruins.

The Casa Estudio Luis Barragán is a must for visitors to Mexico City interested in the works of Mexico’s most famous contemporary architect, Luis Barragán, famous for his colorful approach to modernism and his buildings that are as known for their garden settings as for their interiors. While that museum, located in his former house, is the most obvious introduction to his life and works, those who want to dive deeper will want to arrange visits to some of his other buildings.

The Casa Cuadra San Cristóbal dates from 1968 and was designed for the Egerstrom family. The centrality of gardens, plazas, and fountains to Barragán’s work is driven home here by the fact that the house itself is closed to the public. It’s still worth the effort to make the journey (of about 35 minutes to an hour by Uber, depending on traffic) to see the stables and gardens, and the exterior of the house. The walls in pink, mauve, and white, and the large pool at the center of the property create a space that is at once both restrained and exuberantly colorful. Reservations ([email protected]) are required and there is a charge of 300 pesos per person, with a minimum of five people. (You can visit with fewer than five people, but you’ll still need to pay 1500 pesos total, cash only.)