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For the time it takes most Angelenos to commute to work, you can be ferried into the alternate reality of Catalina Island, a romantic escape far from the daily traffic jams and urban sprawl. The evergreen-shrubbed hills spotted with an artists palette of summer homes and surrounded by bright hues of blue waters, coves and marinas feels more like the islands off the coast of Spain than the United States. It is rejuvenating to arrive at a place so close to the city yet feel so completely removed.

Friends International is a wonderful home-grown Cambodian NGO that has now expanded around the world. They’ve reached out to some 60,000+ at-risk kids, youths and their families and communities through social services, training and education programs. Their social enterprise restaurants are some of the best in Southeast Asia, but I also love Friends ‘N’ Stuff, which is their line of fun eco-friendly products made by disadvantaged families as an additional source of income. Made from recycled materials, their range includes everything from the pencil cases and wallets, above, to jewelry and kids toys. They’re sold at the Friends ‘N’ Stuff shop at their restaurant, Marum, in Siem Reap, as well as at the weekend Made in Cambodia market at Shinta Mani Resort and other boutiques around town. When you buy them, you know you’re not only buying something that is eco-friendly, you’re helping to pull a family out of poverty.

A 25-minute ferry ride from Slussen takes you to Fjäderholmarna (the Feather Islands) where you can sample slowed-down archipelago living. Once on the island, there are several artisan shops like Krukmakeri, which makes pottery, and Åtta Glas, where you can blow your own glass. You can also grab a seafood lunch at Fjäderholmarnas Krog & Magasin and then explore hiking trails and beaches all around the compact island.

With its red roof tiles, bougainvillea vines, and verdant gardens, Casa Palmero feels like a luxurious Mediterranean villa. The new hotel also overlooks the first and second fairways of the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links. The 24 rooms all have fireplaces, oversized soaking tubs, and beds that invite deep rest, whether or not you spend the day on the golf course. Indulge in that villa guest feeling by relaxing in the living room, library, billiard room, or heated outdoor pool. Personalized services at Casa Palmero include fresh breakfast baskets every morning, complimentary cocktails each evening, and access to such private clubs as the Spanish Bay Club and the Beach & Tennis Club. All Casa Palmero guests can also access the Lodge at Pebble Beach, and its myriad fine dining restaurants, bars, cafés, shops, and spa. (The Pebble Massage is the most popular treatment, incorporating the heat of warmed, sculpted stones.) After sipping your evening cocktail at Casa Palmero, wander over to Stillwater Bar & Grill for local fresh hamachi crudo and Monterey Bay red abalone.

Why we love it: A seaside sanctuary that marries high design with local adventure

The Highlights:
- The mix of Mediterranean and mid-century California style
- Working record players and vintage vinyl libraries in place of TVs in guest rooms
- Complimentary morning yoga, plus an “Adventure Collection” full of bikes, kayaks, surfboards, and hiking and snorkeling gear

The Review:
Opened in 2018, Hotel Joaquin pairs downtown cool with coastal elegance. The property comes courtesy of Paul Makarechian, who grew up in Orange County and now owns Auric Road, a collection of “petite resorts” that also includes Korakia Pensione in Palm Springs and Sonoma Coast Villa Resort & Spa in Bodega, California. Once a roadside motel, Joaquin now blends elements of St. Bart’s, the Mediterranean, and mid-century SoCal beach culture for an exclusive yet relaxed feel, with curated artwork and vintage finds around every corner. Light floods the guest rooms, some of which have balconies and private patios (book La Vue for the hotel’s only picture window, framing views of the ocean and Catalina Island). Each room also includes a working record player and vinyl library, as well as Anichini linens, Le Labo bath products, and artisanal snacks curated by Farm to People. The bathrooms pull out all the design stops with imported marble, hand-painted tiles, and brass fixtures.

At on-site restaurant Saline, guests can enjoy smoothies and other light fare for breakfast, wholesome salads and sandwiches for lunch, and Mediterranean-inspired share plates for dinner, along with house spritzes and creative cocktails all day long. When not lounging at the pool, take advantage of the hotel’s Adventure Collection, which includes complimentary surfboards, diving gear, bicycles, and more for exploring Laguna Beach. Should you prefer to hang on the beach, hotel staff will even set up your chairs, pack you a picnic, and deliver water sport equipment to Shaw’s Cove, just a two-minute walk from the property’s garden gate.

Note: You must be over 21 to reserve a room and at least 18 to stay at Hotel Joaquin. Service animals only.

Since its opening along a dazzling stretch of sand known as Cabbage Beach in 1962, The Ocean Club on Paradise Island has been the preferred stay of old-money patriarchs and traditionalists. Though much at the serenely posh resort has remained unchanged, the 105-room property has been modernized to meet today’s standards with spa-sized marble bathrooms, sweeping WiFi, and a restaurant run by star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. But it’s the feeling of a privileged, unhurried yesterday that continues to draw an appreciative upper-crust crowd. An on-site tennis pro provides tips for improving your backhand, Versailles-inspired gardens complete with a 12th-century Augustinian cloister offer moments of quiet contemplation, and rounds of golf end with martinis at the resort’s bar. These details, plus knowing that a personal butler and afternoon champagne and strawberries are included in the price, keep guests returning year after year.

Once the vacation home of the Italian Duchess Rosa de Ferrari, this exceptional estate was converted into a hotel in 2005. 2014 marked the arrival of a new owner and a new era for the property. Today, Hotel Esencia is an elegant small resort on one of the prettiest beaches on the Mayan Riviera. Surrounded by 50 acres of lush jungle and manicured, palm-fringed grounds, Esencia pairs the amenties and comforts of a larger hotel with the attentive care typical of a boutique property or B&B. Amenities include two swimming pools, a spa, and two restaurants. In the spacious rooms, lots of details stand out: iPod surround systems, well-stocked minifridges, 600-thread-count sheets, and walk-in closets.

One of only two hotels right on Biscayne Bay (the other is the Standard), rooms at Mondrian South Beach are coveted by guests wanting a stellar view. Designed by Dutchman Marcel Wanders, the hotel’s decor is intended to evoke a sense that one is floating around in an underwater world, and the property is described as an homage to Sleeping Beauty’s castle. The slightly whimsical and slightly creepy mermaidlike woman whose face appears on walls throughout the hotel is the “keeper” of this “castle,” where incongruous elements—traditional blue-and-white Dutch porcelain juxtaposed with busy black-and-white patterned wallpaper, say—somehow work in odd, unexpected harmony. Everything about the hotel feels spacious, including oversized rooms, many of which are flooded with sunlight and enjoy bay views.

Among the several art galleries along Main Road in Kalk Bay, Kalk Bay Modern displays a variety of art, jewelry, fabric, photography, and pottery from several different African countries, as well as an exciting collection of the works of South African aboriginal San artists.

With its outdoor cafés and Technicolor facades, the 17th-century Nyhavn Canal is perhaps one of the most Instagrammed attractions on the planet. The best place to experience it all is 71 Nyhavn, an intimate boutique hotel overlooking the harbor at the end of the canal. Occupying a pair of former seaport warehouses built in 1804, the 130 rooms—many of which are newly renovated—mix original details (wood beams, brick walls) with contemporary comforts (leather headboards, furnishings by Arne Jacobsen and, in the lobby, avant-garde paintings from the owner’s private collection). Downstairs, SEA serves southeast Asian fare by the team behind Michelin-starred restaurant Kiin Kiin—a nod to the once-exotic trade routes that gave the canal purpose.

Inspired by vibrant Southeast Asian night markets, D.C. chef Erik Bruner-Yang (of Toki Underground fame) and D.C. streetwear mogul Will Sharp created a sleek, two-story indoor/outdoor space that’s part menswear store, part café and restaurant. The first level is all about shopping, and the floor is lined with glass-encased displays featuring Sharp’s clothing line, Durkl, as well as a library full of designer sneakers. Upstairs, sip locally roasted Vigilante coffee while snacking on Frenchie’s pastries and desserts. The best part, though, is when you step onto the patio and take a seat at the open kitchen serving up Yang’s blazing hot and flavorful Cambodian and Taiwanese cuisine. Don’t miss out on the American Wagyu tartare, the Khmer tamarind salad, the steamed pork bao buns, and zha ji pai (Taiwanese fried chicken).

It’s a big deal when a chef wins a James Beard Award for “Best Chef: Southeast.” It’s an even bigger deal when that chef’s successor wins the same award a few years later, but that’s exactly what happened at this downtown hot spot. Overseen by Mike Lata and helmed by Jason Stanhope, FIG is one of the hallmark restaurants that put Charleston’s dining scene on the map. Seasonal veggies are an important part of the menu, which is inventive and thoughtful without feeling fussy. (Anthony Bourdain raved when he dined at FIG—he had the asparagus salad with fromage blanc, quinoa, green garlic, and carrots—during a 2017 episode of Parts Unknown.) For local, creative food in the Lowcountry, FIG is the model.

At Point Udall, on the east coast of St. Croix, a sundial called Millennium Monument was erected for the New Year’s celebration in 2000. The stark sculpture represents the azimuth of the first sunrise of that year, the new millennium, at this easternmost point of the United States. Point Udall also affords visitors panoramic views and marks the starting point of a hike that leads to the beach at Isaac Bay.

Only 10 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi—but a world away in spirit from the city rush—St. Regis Saaydiyat Island looks like a Mediterranean palace but feels like pure Abu Dhabi. The impressive architecture blends luxe finishes like calacatta marble, chisel-edge stone, and petrified wood with a golden color palette that’s offset with views of the turquoise waves of the Arabian Gulf (look close enough and you might even catch a dolphin swimming in the distance). Indulge in a pampering session at the Iridium Spa, go for retail therapy in the property’s shops, or hit the greens at the Saadiyat Island Golf Club. If that sounds like too much exertion, you might prefer to simply lounge in a cabana near one of four pools while sipping an Arabian Snapper, a classic Bloody Mary made with zaatar spice.

After hopping off a boat off the coast of San Cristobal Island, you enter the freezing water of the Kicker Rock channel (or Leon Dormido). Above you Blue-Footed Boobies perch on the rock, while Frigate birds fly in the clear blue sky. Underneath you an aquatic world awaits, filled with playful Sea Lions, Razor Surgeon Fish, Parrotfish, Sea Turtles, and if you’re lucky you might even spot some (or 40) White-Tipped Sharks...Don’t worry, the locals swear the sharks are vegetarians!