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Duke Kahanamoku, the father of modern surfing, once visited and enjoyed Nawiliwili Bay, which this restaurant now overlooks. Grab Korean street tacos and fire-roasted-veggie flatbread at the Barefoot Bar (especially fun at Aloha Hour from 4 to 6 p.m. daily). Or slip into street clothes and head to the dining room for dishes like Maui onion soup and seared seven-spice ahi.

With dark walls, natural wood accents, and red curtains in front of the elevators, the trend-setting Andaz hotel feels like more of a scene than any other property in downtown Napa. In the center of downtown Napa, the hotel is mere steps from restaurants, shops, and arguably Napa’s best pub: the Norman Rose Tavern.

On check-in, all guests over 21 receive a complimentary glass of red or white wine. The swanky vibe continues into the 141 guest rooms, where hardwood hickory floors complement white marble bathrooms and midcentury modern furniture. The most convivial space in the hotel is the Mercantile Terrace, a second-story roof deck with a full bar menu and fire pits, a favorite of couples and business travelers alike.

The lounge is operated by Mercantile Social, the restaurant in the lobby that serves small-plate food items and cocktails; it also books live acoustic music sets a few nights a week. (And Mercantile Social sponsors free wine tastings daily.) If you haven’t had enough wine, fear not—on site are two tasting rooms from the wine empire built by Napa native John Anthony Truchard: John Anthony and JaM Cellars.

When the hip Andaz hotel chain opened in downtown Napa in 2012 it brought a youthful energy to wine country. In addition to its affordable rooms and excellent locavore-minded small plates restaurant, Farmer’s Table, the Andaz also gives guests a dose of culture. The brand’s Andaz Salon program introduces art, photography, music, and readings throughout its different properties.

A hodgepodge of artisan goods and fine handicrafts, from brass trays and woven shawls to antique musical instruments, is sold in the old bazaar of the ancient town of Krujë, near Tirana. Along the cobblestone Rruga Albanopoli, with its soaring white minaret, some dozen shops can be found under the tile roofed buildings restored in the 1960s.

Although severely damaged during World War II, the Old Town of Toulon retains narrow cobblestone streets and picturesque squares with inviting cafés. Toulon is a major naval base and its maritime history is evident in Le Mourillon quarter, the old waterfront area with vibrantly painted fishermen’s houses and an esplanade with restaurants and boutiques overlooking the harbor.

Beloved by artists and curators attending the annual Art Dubai fair, XVA Art Hotel wraps around the three courtyards of the restored 19th-century home of the Seddiqi family, prominent traders who became the emirate’s Rolex dealers. Longtime resident Mona Hauser, founder and owner of the XVA Gallery of contemporary art, decorated each second-floor room of the traditional wind tower house in collaboration with a regional designer or artisan such as Nada Debs, a Lebanese designer known for her custom mother of pearl inlaid furniture. The on-site alfresco vegetarian lounge café—praised by chef Gordon Ramsay as his favorite place to eat in Dubai—is a hangout for independent travelers and resident creatives who linger over mint lemonade, salads, soups, and cheesecake. There is a running trail along Dubai Creek and the hotel can recommend nearby beaches, as well as spa services and fitness centers at all price points.

The indigenous people welcomed the first European settlers in 1851. Soon reports reached Scandinavia, like Ostenson Stine’s: “When you throw your eye upon Puget Sound, and behold the fleet of fish barges, rolling upon her briny breast, a reminiscence of the coast of Norway steals into your soul.” It sparked a wave of immigration, now celebrated in a new $45-million landmark-building near the Ballard Locks. The sleek, sophisticated design has a central atrium evoking a fjord, crossed by bridges and pierced by contemporary stained-glass bird sculptures. While some of the exhibits honor Olde Worlde crafts and tools, expect interactive innovations as well. A fan favorite: pillows resembling giant stones, strewn under birch trunks. Cuddle up and watch gorgeous film footage that could easily inspire a trip—or several—to Europe.

The newly refurbished Sheraton Kona Keauhou Bay Resort is stylish, with a large pool and water slide. But it was the history and the view from the hotel (located off the famous Ali’i Drive) that won me over. The hotel gives you an excellent vantage point to the bay around which King Kamehameha III was born (stillborn, as legend has it). He grew up to become Hawai’i’s powerful and benevolent ruler, and sought to unite the people. He called The Big Island his home and is beloved by many. The hotel offers several notable cultural markers, including two heiau (Hawaiian temple) replicas.

Go for the scene, not the food, and enjoy the Art Deco décor and great people-watching at this buzzy Left Bank landmark. Despite a limited menu and steep prices, the place is packed day and night. Order a chocolat chaud and sit on the terrace, watching the world go by.

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.

With its gold-hued, Egyptian pyramid-inspired exterior—topped by a glass peak that lights up like a beacon at night—it’s easy to recognize the 19-story Raffles hotel among Dubai’s glittering skyline. Inside, distinguishing features include the spacious rooms and suites—the 252 options are among the largest in town, and come with private terraces, Arabic design touches, tubs and walk-in showers, and service from a Raffles butler. The seven dining options draw a mix of in-house guests, expat locals, and business people. Choose from restaurants for Italian, Japanese, Arabic, and international buffet fare, a tea salon for refined sweet and savory creations, a cabana-ringed garden for shared plates and weekly barbecues, a bar and café adjacent to the well-sized pool, and a cocktail bar that pairs drinks with telecasts of the latest sports matches. Global influences can also be felt at the well-appointed spa, where the treatments are inspired by Asian, European, and Middle Eastern techniques.

Head to the edgy Santa Fe Railyard District—just a 20-minute walk from the plaza—to browse the various contemporary galleries that have taken up residence there. Stroll through the small parks, enjoy a meal at offbeat Southwestern eateries like La Choza and Tune-Up Café, and of course, visit the bountiful farmers’ market to check out the local produce and, in season, the famous Hatch green chile peppers.

Skip the night markets if you’re after authentic handwoven textiles (most of what’s there comes from Thailand and Vietnam) and instead make a beeline for Weaves of Cambodia. Located in a sleek contemporary store attached to the Angkor Hospital for Children, the proceeds from your purchases go directly to the hospital, which provides free medical care to Cambodian kids an the disabled weavers of Preah Vihear who make these beautiful handwoven textiles, garments, accessories, and woven products, like cushions. I love the large vibrant textiles which make wonderful wall hangings and sideboard runners, however, there are also small inexpensive embroidered purses and wallets, like those above, that make great gifts that give back.

From the royal ambience of the lobby (bedecked with Murano glass chandeliers and a grand piano) to the classical elegance of the rooms, the Grand Hotel Oslo pulls out all the stops in making guests feel like visiting dignitaries—which should come as no surprise since the hotel has played host to countless actual visiting dignitaries. Nobel Peace Prize winners including the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela give interviews and greet crowds from the balcony of the eponymous Nobel Suite, but junior suites offer the best views overlooking buzzing Karl Johans Gate. Be sure to make time for a visit to the hotel’s Artesia Spa, where birch tree trunks separate the chromatherapy pool from a rooftop sun terrace.

Nestled in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, this small yet exceptionally powerful museum is the first in the US to directly address human rights abuses in China. Founded by former political prisoner and dissident Harry Wu, the museum specifically exposes the “Laogai,” the name of the vast and repressive system of forced labor prisons which has resulted in countless deaths of those opposed to China’s Communist regime. In addition, it continues to highlight other abuses, including public executions, organ harvesting, coercive enforcement of the one-child policy, and the government’s curtailment of expression of freedom on the internet. Keep in mind that the images, videos, artifacts, articles, and captions are graphic and can be disturbing.

After 30 years at the forefront of Sydney‘s fine-dining scene, Quay Restaurant underwent a multi-million-dollar renovation and reopened in 2018. The restaurant swapped white linens for Tasmanian spotted-gum wood tabletops and exchanged the previous purple-and-gold palette for blues, grays, and browns that better reflect Quay’s harborfront location facing the Sydney Opera House. Executive chef Peter Gilmore loosened up his menu, too, offering either six or 10 inventive courses such as the Oyster Intervention—a crumble of oyster cream, crushed fried dehydrated oysters, chicken skin, tapioca, and caviar served in a ceramic oyster shell—creating a dish that’s all bivalve flavor without the slippery texture. Fans of the old Snow Egg dessert will be won over by White Coral: a multitextured masterpiece of aerated ganache, coconut cream, and ice cream.