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Known for generations as the Pink Princess, this legend opened its doors in 1885 and remains one of the largest and most celebrated hotels in Bermuda. Fresh off a $100 million renovation in 2016, the 170 rooms and suites are now what you’d expect from a Fairmont-managed property—clean, modern, and comfortably luxurious, all with water views—while public spaces have been elevated by an exceptional collection of modern art (Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, and Ai Weiwei are just some of the luminaries who grace the walls). The new infinity pool has gorgeous views over the harbor, the spa offers treatments and fitness classes in partnership with noted brand exhale, and the marina’s water-sports team can organize everything from kayak and Jet ski rentals to paragliding lessons. Guests also have exclusive access to a private beach club on Sinky Bay—just 20 minutes away from the hotel via complimentary shuttle—which features water hammocks and snorkeling-friendly waters. Back at the resort, dining options include the buzzing Marcus, serving signature dishes from celebrated chef Marcus Samuelsson, and more casual options highlighting fresh seafood and local rum.

Commissioned in 2006 by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, Royal Mansour is like a medina within the city’s Medina. Fifty-three private riads, each three stories high, feel like mini-palaces, with open-air courtyards and on-call butlers. Every detail is an homage to Moroccan craftsmanship, down to the gorgeous zellige ceramic tiles, intricately carved woods, and molded plasterwork created by local artisans.


From April onward, access to a pool is essential to your enjoyment of Marrakech—and canny entrepreneurs have ensured there’s something for every budget. The city has some mega-luxury treats within walking distance of the medina, like the poolside pavilions at the Royal Mansour’s Le Jardin and the pool that launched a thousand photo shoots at La Mamounia. Expect to spend upward of $80 just to get in. There are also plenty of accessibly priced options a little out of town. The top of our list are the ultra-deep, black-tiled, 115-foot long twin pools at the Beldi country club, where $40 gets you a pool pass, a sun lounger beneath the olive trees, and a slap-up barbecue lunch. It gets busy, though, so if you’re after something a little more serene, book a car to take you out to the Jnane Tamsna in the middle of the Palmeraie, where gloriously scented gardens and five serene turquoise pools are hidden away among the date palms. Pool access, including a three-course lunch that fuses Moroccan Mediterranean with more fiery Senegalese flavors, is about the same price. Out at the Fellah Hotel, up-close views of the mighty Atlas Mountains can be soaked up from a shabby-chic poolside terrace over lunch (not included) while rubbing shoulders with the foundation’s artists in residence. Pool access costs $22.

One of the few hotels on picture-perfect Grace Bay Beach that can work for both honeymooners and families, Seven Stars sits on 22 acres of lush grounds at the edge of Princess Alexandria National Park and has studio to four-bedroom plantation style suites available. All feel very private. Besides wraparound terraces with awesome ocean views, the rooms here all feature full kitchens, making it easy to cook your own lunch or make snacks for the kids. That said, the house restaurant, aptly named Seven, is very good, so plan on dining here at least a few times. The spa is also excellent - perfect for honeymooners - and there is a dedicated activities concierge that will arrange all sorts of water sports and even a kids’ camp.

A short drive outside the town of San Pedro de Atacama, Tierra Atacama has wonderful views of fields and Volvano Licancabur. The hotel is part of the Tierra hotel group owned by the Chilean-American Purcell family (who also own Tierra Patagonia, Tierra Chiloé, and Ski Portillo). The property originally served as a cattle corral, but Chilean landscape artist Teresa Moller has transformed the grounds, preserving the ancient algarrobo and chañar trees and restoring the adobe walls.

The bedrooms are decorated in natural colors, with local touches like ceramics marching along the sills of the extra-large windows. Animal-skin rugs and alpaca throws provide a touch of warmth for the cool desert nights. You can see the incredible silhouette of Volcano Licancabur from all the rooms, but the Poniente rooms are slightly larger and have better views. There is a friendly communal vibe at the hotel, and upon arrival guests meet with the head guide in the main lounge to choose from the range of group activities on offer each day.

One of the largest urban parks in the world, Munich’s English Garden was founded in 1789, when Elector Carl Theodor ordered a public park to be built along the Isar River. Having undergone many alterations over the centuries, it now offers a slew of contemporary leisure activities. Cyclists, joggers, and rollerbladers make use of almost 50 miles of pathways, while less-active visitors head to the Japanese teahouse (opened in 1972) or one of several beer gardens (the one next to the Chinese Tower is Munich’s second largest, with seating for 7,000). Additionally, there’s a man-made lake, soccer fields, a small amphitheater, a carousel, a Greek temple, and even a popular surfing wave on the river. The park’s large meadows are ideal for picnicking, barbecuing, and sunbathing, making the English Garden one of Munich’s most popular hangouts in summer. That said, autumn is also a spectacular time to stroll the grounds and peep all the changing leaves.

A four-kilometer seaside promenade is the perfect place for a stroll at Scheveningen, a beach resort in Den Haag’s wealthy northernmost district. In addition to a sandy beach, colorful esplanade, pier and the Scheveningen lighthouse, there’s a Sea Life aquarium, Pathé cinema, the Steigenberger Kurhaus music theater, Scheveningen Museum and a casino. Trendy clubs, restaurants, surf schools and other water sports options line the wide Noorderstrand (North Beach) boulevard. After a three-year metamorphoses completed in 2013, the beach-side stretch offers the best of sun, sand and surf on Holland’s western coastline. Giant sculptures by the sea add a whimsical touch, while numerous bars and eating establishments provide spots to grab a drink or a meal while watching the action in the harbor.

The magnificent avenue of oak trees that greets visitors at Boone Hall Plantation is, on its own, a Charleston must-see. After taking it in, guests can walk through the plantation mansion or take a driving tour of the grounds, which cover 738 acres. If the car feels too restrictive, opt instead for a garden tour, which highlights a collection of antique roses and a striking butterfly pavilion. Depending on the season, you can visit the U-Pick Fields to harvest your own strawberries or stock up on tomatoes and peaches at an adjacent farm stand. At Boone Hall’s Gullah Theater, historic reenactors recount the dark days of slavery and celebrate the African American culture that marked plantation life in centuries past. .

A compound-like hideaway on a leafy street a block from trendy South Congress Avenue, Hotel Saint Cecilia is a retro-glam love letter to the 1960s and ‘70s rock music scene, named for the patron saint of music and poetry. But that doesn’t mean that rock stars smash guitars and throw ragers here (unless they rent out all 14 rooms, of course); unlike at its nearby sister properties, Hotel San José and Austin Motel, only guests and club members are welcome at the lounge, a laid-back affair with a Parisian-café–style patio, chesterfield sofas and a fireplace indoors, and craft cocktails and gourmet small plates. Between the 1888 Victorian main house—originally inhabited by a descendent of Davy Crockett—and verdant grounds that hide private porches and a serene pool, the hotel feels more like an impossibly stylish artists’ retreat than a celebrity getaway.

Each distinctively decorated room is larger than many an apartment, and seems ripped from the pages of a fashion magazine photoshoot. Every detail has been thought through, from the refreshing Grown Alchemist body care products to the Swedish Hästens mattresses (the hotel is the only one in North America with them in all rooms) to the impressive library of LPs to borrow. Everyone’s a rock star, here.

Beijing’s number one tourist attraction is a massive former imperial palace known as the Forbidden City. Between 1416 and 1911, it was home to 24 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors and their families and staff. In 1912, after the abdication of Puyi—the last emperor of China, who ascended the throne when he was not yet three years old—the Outer Court opened to the public; in 1925 the Palace Museum was opened, with a collection of nearly 1 million Chinese antiquities. The Forbidden City has almost 1,000 buildings spread across 72 hectares (178 acres), making it the world’s largest palace complex.

Irena Kaštela, third-generation jewelry designer and store owner, is so incredibly personable that shopping here is like visiting friends. A block down the main street from the South Gate, her store might just have more international fans than the island itself. Shop here for unique pieces featuring semiprecious stones and, of course, coral.

You might expect austerity and modesty at a kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto, but that’s not what you’ll find at this remarkable jewel box of a place secreted away inside the South Congress Hotel. Brightly illuminated white panels with black stripes surrounding the 12-seat dining room echo Japanese shoji screens. The room looks like something out of a Stanley Kubrick film, and knife-wielding chef Yoshi Okai plays to the design with mischief and edginess. His menu of more than 20 dishes balances artistic presentation and bold flavor, from raw Japanese sea bream to jiggly mounds of Hokkaido uni. The dishes may look like something you’d get in Japan, but the colorful service from the tattooed chef (who moonlights as a rock-and-roll singer) feels uniquely Austin.

The city’s most emblematic daily flea market occupies a couple of old hangars on the road to the Palmeraie. Design-loving Marrakchis and their Western counterparts have haunted it for years, looking for bargains with which to decorate their homes. One section is dedicated exclusively to ancient cedarwood doors and wrought-iron windows—all of which can be shipped for a price—but it’s the smaller shops that offer up the real gems. Every time La Mamounia has been renovated, for example, much of its furniture and accessories end up at Souk el Khemis; it’s said locally that nearly everyone has some piece of memorabilia or other from the hotel in their home. These days it’s rather less reliable in terms of finding something fabulous, and prices have increased as traders have gotten wise to the desirability of tulip tables and chairs, butterfly chairs, and cowry-shell lanterns. But those prepared to dig deep and haggle hard are still likely to come away with a gem or three. Indeed, the main problem with spending a morning at Souk el Khemis is the ensuing need to buy a house to put it all in.

Often described as a “Little Paris,” Gueliz has grown into itself in recent years with many of the city’s designers and restaurant owners choosing to set up their flagship fronts there. The Rue de la Liberté is now shoulder to shoulder with fashionable restaurants such as Kechmara for live music, cold beers, and killer burgers; Bistrot Le Loft for platters of French cheese and charcuterie; and the swanky new Asian Resto-Lounge for Chinese steamed dumplings, sushi, and Thai classics; as well as the wine bar Le 68. There’s a Caudalie Spa for great pep-up facials and some must-visit boutiques for snagging made-in-Morocco gifts. Try Lalla, just across the junction at Boulevard el Mansour Eddahbi, for must-have handbags, weekenders, and clutches; Patisserie Al Jawda for delectable Moroccan pastries to take home; and Sidi Marrakech for men’s tailoring. Cross over the main boulevard Mohammed V, and you’ll hit Atika for Tod’s-style suede loafers—brilliant for traveling—in a kaleidoscope of colors. Then hit the Rue Vieux Marrakchi, home to stalwart Moor, for natty embroidered kaftans and cushions, and the envelope-pushing David Bloch Gallery, which showcases the best contemporary urban artists from North Africa.

For centuries, Rajasthan—and Jaipur in particular—has served as the epicenter of India’s gemstone industry; as far back as the early-1700’s, the skilled craftsmen of this region were cutting, shaping, and polishing about 90 percent of the stones used by the country’s jewelry makers. This legendary Jaipur shop has been witness to nearly all that history, with the founding Kasliwal family serving as jewelers to the Maharajas of the Mughal empire—followed by a long list of international royalty, presidents, and celebrities; they’ve even been granted honors by the British Crown, and their pieces have been exhibited at London’s Somerset House and New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Stop in to ogle the glittering goods—which are available in traditional, modern, and vintage-inspired styles—and learn a bit about the expert artistry and craftsmanship that goes into creating them. Prices run the gamut, so there’s something for most budgets, but be warned that most of the pieces are designed to dazzle. There are also Gem Palace outposts in luxury hotels throughout India (including some Oberoi and Taj locations), as well as a few partner boutiques outside of the subcontinent.

In a city that takes itself so seriously—running the United States is an intense business, after all—the Hotel Madera is a breath of fresh air. Just a couple of leafy blocks from always-lively Dupont Circle, the Kimpton-run boutique hotel looks like a 1960s apartment building on the outside, belying interiors adorned in colorful, batik-inspired fabrics and perks like in-room yoga mats and an evening wine hour. In other words, the Madera is the kind of place where you relax. The laid-back and trendy restaurant takes its design cues from a fairy-tale forest, and pets are as catered to as children and bachelorette groups. It’s hard to beat the Dupont Circle location, too, which puts the White House, the Kennedy Center, and trendy neighborhoods like Logan Circle and U Street all within throwing distance. No, it’s not the fanciest stay in town, but D.C. doesn’t need another fussy hotel to attract visiting dignitaries—and you’ll have more fun at the Madera, anyway.