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This five-star beachfront hotel toes the line between being a hub of activity and a luxurious, only-in-Southern-California hideaway. For restoration, head to the sprawling spa for a customized wellness-oriented treatment or a meditation class. Mind cleared, make your way to the on-site outfitter Compass Sports—where staff will coordinate local mountain biking, paddleboarding, hiking, and surfing expeditions—or to the palm tree–lined, mosaic-tiled pool. Big ocean views and a light, airy design define the 250 rooms; for guests seeking extra solitude and space, there are bungalow suites, which are essentially private beach houses. At the hotel’s three eateries, it’s all seasonal all the time, from the fresh morning juices to evening cocktails. That ethos peaks at the fine-dining restaurant Studio, where executive chef Craig Strong creates elegantly plated French-meets-California dishes using locally sourced fish and meat, along with vegetables picked from the hotel’s 1,000-square-foot garden. Pro tip: In a setting this transporting, you almost want to break into song. Good news—the hotel will rent out mini guitars to guests for the duration of their stay.

It’s hard to say what’s most appealing about the ultraluxurious Four Seasons Gresham Palace, a stately Art Nouveau hotel on the banks of the Danube. Perhaps it’s the central location, on the Pest side of the iconic Chain Bridge, or the swank accommodations, which range from lovely river-racing rooms with marble bathrooms and deep soaking tubs to sumptuous suites, the largest of which measures 1,464 square feet and features a dining room with crystal stemware and private butler service. With its top-floor infinity pool and picture windows overlooking the city, the spa alone makes a stay worthwhile—a coup in a city known for its thermal bath complexes—but for many travelers, it’s the hearty dishes served at Kollázs Brasserie & Bar (rotisserie lamb shoulder with eggplant and olives; octopus and scallops with potato paprikash) that seal the deal.

Foodies, rejoice. Torvehallerne is a one-stop shop for several meals, snacks, and gourmet groceries or gastronomical gifts. It’s an airy, light-filled building with all kinds of purveyors, from fantastic coffee shops, chefs cooking fresh pasta and serving it hot to you at the counter, a farmers market outside, a tapas bar, you name it. If you’ve ever been to Florence, think of Mercato Centrale, but in a nicer setting and housing more variety. Ride your bike there to grab a bite or to spend the day enjoying its bounty.

Set on what was once the original campus of the University of Washington, this downtown landmark was opened in 1924, and now sits on the National Register of Historic Places. Its stately spaces have played host to generations of weddings, proms, banquets, and other opulent events, as well as a number of notable guests; John F. Kennedy stayed in the Presidential Suite during his visit to Seattle, for example.

Following a renovation in 2016, the Fairmont Olympic Hotel now features 450 rooms and suites with sophisticated décor, comfortable furnishings, and Le Labo products. Among the dining options are the elegant Georgian, a much-lauded favorite for breakfast, lunch, and the famous Afternoon Tea; The Terrace Lounge, for great drinks and live music; and Shuckers, one of the city’s oldest (and best) oyster bars. The latter pairs fresh seafood with local microbrews, including the hotel’s signature honey ale, made using honey from the building’s rooftop hives. Other amenities include a day spa and salon, and a health club with Jacuzzi, sauna, and indoor pool.

Casablanca is known for its seafood, and La Sqala is one of the loveliest places to get a taste of the ocean. Diners sit in a leafy gazebo garden near the 18th-century Portuguese sea walls, and order the catch of the day for lunch. It’s also possible to while away an hour over coffee and fresh juices.

This shopping plaza restaurant—set in the chilled-out, North Shore surf town of Hale‘iwa—evokes deeply nostalgic, yearning sighs from big-city folks. It is, quite possibly, the state’s best Thai food. But be prepared for cash only, erratic opening hours, no reservations, massive queues, lengthy waits for food once seated, and a highly variable menu. The chef-owner Opal quizzes patrons about their preferences... and then starts cooking. Man, are the results ever worth any slight inconveniences! Too hungry to wait? Stroll 0.2 miles north to tasty Rajanee Thai, which has a small dining room, as well as a takeaway window and outdoor picnic benches. Like many North Shore eateries, both establishments are BYOB: Long Drugs across from Opal sells adult beverages.

I love the wines of Mendoza, Argentina, but I wanted to marry the wines of Catena Zapata when I had the chance to drink them whilst overlooking the green vineyards backdropped by the soaring, snowcapped Andes peaks. The wines of Catena are mostly big reds made from malbec or cabernet, and they make some chardonnay and sauvignon blanc as well. The winery is fashioned after a stepped Maya pyramid and is furnished with state of the art equipment. Wine tours last about an hour and a half and finish at the tasting room, where you can purchase bottles of wine. Catena Zapata and the rest of the Mendoza region wineries are only open by appointment, so be sure to have a day’s worth of wine tours booked in advance for your itinerary. Be sure not to skip over the city of Mendoza, as there are many wine tasting rooms featuring wines from the region and selling limited releases and other rarities not readily available at the wineries.

Mercury Lounge is one of the best places to be seen in this see and be seen city. Abide by the dress code or risk being turned away—but if you make it in, revel in the views of the Gulf and the Burj Al Arab, the sophisticated crowd, and the delicious (pricey) drinks.

Wedged between former cotton mills in the neighborhood of Cabbagetown, Agave is an Atlanta favorite for its eclectic Southwestern cuisine. The posole soup and spicy tequila anejo shrimp with grits put a Southern spin on Southwestern classics. Most of the dishes come in gluten-free varieties. Try the classic margaritas or go funky with mango or passionfruit varieties.

A pleasant way to spend an evening in Milan is to stroll along the Naviglio Grande, a 12th century canal in the south of town. The warehouses along the towpath are now home to lively restaurants and bars. I recommend El Brellin. The second floor restaurant offers refined modern Italian fare with ambiance to match and the bar below gets busy on the weekends.

After nine years and nearly $600 million, it’s not an exaggeration to suggest that the re-opening of the iconic Bürgenstock resort—set on 148 acres of ridgeline above Lake Lucerne—was one of the most widely anticipated of the decade. Originally opened in 1873, the family-owned resort grew into a moneyed playground, where Hollywood royalty romped (Sophia Loren lived here for many years) and wed (Audrey Hepburn married Mel Ferrer in a chapel on the property). It then endured several years of decline, after which Qatar state fund bought the property, closed it, and began planning a stunning transformation. Bürgenstock now includes four hotels, 12 restaurants and bars, 67 residences, and a 107,000-square-foot spa featuring three pools (including a heated outdoor infinity pool overlooking the lake), hammans, saunas, and private treatment rooms. Both the 102-room Bürgenstock Hotel and the 160-room Waldhotel—the latter a state-of-the-art medical spa and hotel—are brand-new, five-star additions. The historic Taverne 1879 and Palace Hotel, built in 1904, have also undergone considerable refurbishment. The real star, however, is the dramatic view, optimized from every angle—including at the Spices Kitchen and Terrace, which cantilevers out from the Palace Hotel as if it’s floating above the lake. Speaking of the lake, even getting to Bürgenstock is like something out of a James Bond film, quite fitting since the crew of Goldfinger spent a month here during filming. After crossing the lake by boat, you take a funicular up the face of the mountain and into the Bürgenstock Hotel, landing on the terrace with its arresting views.

Why we love it: A reimagined motel with quirky design, mineral pools, and a spa straight out of a Wes Anderson movie

The Highlights:
- Three different mineral pools for soaking in the sun
- A laidback spa with a twist on Calistoga’s classic mud baths
- Fun amenities like bikes, lawn games, and Polaroid cameras

The Review:
Inspired by classic roadside motels, Calistoga Motor Lodge sits at the end of the Silverado Trail, offering guests a casual, quirky stay in Napa’s northernmost town. The boutique property features a design by New York-based firm AvroKo, with lots of midcentury-modern furniture, bright pops of color, and retro details to transport visitors back in time. Simple yet cozy, rooms feature bold carpets, vintage-inspired fabrics, and cheeky art (think needlepoint signs reading “No selfies in the bathroom” and fabric animal heads mounted on the walls), plus tiled bathrooms with rainfall showers and signature bath products from on-site MoonAcre Spa. In addition to custom-designed hoodie bathrobes and freshly ground pour-over coffee, guests can look forward to unconventional extras like hula hoops, Mad Lib books, and Etch A Sketches for passing time between activities. If you bring along your pet, the hotel will even provide a dog bed, water and food bowls, and treats to make your four-legged friend feel at home.

Committed to local culture, Motor Lodge often hosts community events like group hikes, outdoor movie nights, and festivals. On Maker Mondays, local artisans even pop up at the hotel to host lessons in print making and more. When it comes time to relax, guests can repair to the three on-site mineral pools, all fed by natural geothermal hot springs and surrounded by loungers and cabana beds, or the whimsical spa, which offers everything from massages and body scrubs to less-traditional mud baths and salt soaks in clawfoot tubs. Afterward, soak up the sun in the spa garden, play a round of cornhole on the lawn, gather around the firepit, or grab a complimentary bike and make the short ride into town. Just be sure to borrow a Polaroid camera from the lobby so you can document your adventures at the surrounding wineries, boutiques, and galleries.

The ire of Mount Kilauea reforges the world before visitors’ eyes. Nicknamed “the World’s Only Drive-In Volcano,” it’s produced serious lava every day since 1983 with no signs of stopping. Pele—the fire goddess who lives here, according to Hawaiian lore—is on a roll. Occasionally the lava flows spill into the sea, releasing stunning plumes of steam. Don’t miss the petroglyphs, lava tube, lush rain forest, and more than 150 miles of trail, including the four-mile Kilauea Iki loop. The drive here from Kona or Kohala can take two and a half hours, a bit of a long day, so consider reserving accommodations in the town of Volcano. You’ll have plenty of time to explore this otherworldly landscape, and even see the lava glowing in the dark!

As the name suggests, this soaring 44-story hotel from the Ritz-Carlton brand is peppered with high-end artwork, mainly by renowned Spanish and Catalan artists such as Eduardo Chillida, Albert Rafols-Casamada, Perico Pastor, and Luis Feito. But there’s much more to the hotel than paintings and sculptures—such as the peaceful terraced gardens, an outdoor swimming pool that overlooks a large Frank Gehry fish sculpture, a luxury spa offering panoramic views, and several excellent restaurants. The hotel overlooks Barcelona and the Mediterranean from its prime location on the Olympic Port. And, perhaps best of all, the beach is right at the doorstep.

The rooms are a delight, too, with dark-wood furnishings and flooring, flat-screen TVs, and sleek, spacious bathrooms that come with separate bathtubs and Asprey toiletries. The hotel’s penthouses are even more swish; guests who book one of these will not only get their own private elevator and fully equipped kitchen (where the hotel’s chefs will happily prepare meals en suite) but can also book a dedicated butler service.

Every afternoon about 5:30 PM, islanders and connoisseurs of sunsets arrange themselves at their favorite beach side vantage point on the west and south shores of Oahu for a chance to see the legendary “green flash”. In all of my years of living in Hawaii, I have only seen it twice, but sometimes I think it was a result of a very strong Mai Tai and staring at the sun too long. If you’d like to try for a glimpse of this phenomenon, you might as well be sitting in a comfortable spot with a great drink in hand. SWIM is a poolside bar with views over the statue of Duke Kahanamoku out to Waikiki beach. On an upper deck of The Hyatt Regency Waikiki, you are above street level so nice treetop and beach views are yours. I recommend the Lychee Martini ( pictured). The pupus are really good here too and if you plan it right, might serve as dinner. If not, hop over to SHOR American Seafood Grill. Visible across the pool with indoor or outdoor seating, start with amazing Baby Kona Abalone with garlic herbed butter, the tremendous seafood tower or the catch of the day you pair with a sauce you select from the list like Pineapple Shiso Relish, Hamakua Mushroom, Soy Radish etc. Insider Tip : Valet your car gratis with purchase – so get your ticket stamped and tip your valet.