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Why we love it: A pedigreed stay that perfectly marries fin de siècle charm with modern luxury

The Highlights:
- A French Renaissance–style building designed by America’s first female professional architect
- Fireplaces and deep-soaking tubs in some rooms
- An in-house craft brewery that serves pints in a “bar-cade” with pinball machines

The Review:
When The Lafayette opened in 1904, it was immediately hailed as one of the country’s finest hotels. America’s first female professional architect, Louise Blanchard Bethune designed the seven-story, redbrick-and-white-terra-cotta property to blend “the best that science, art, and experience can offer for the traveling public,” which at the time meant telephones and hot water in every room. Renovations in the late 1940s introduced several Art Deco elements that still remain, while a 2012 restoration helped bring the hotel into the modern era.

Today, The Lafayette is part of the Wyndham Hotel Group’s Trademark Hotel Collection and features 13,500 square feet of meeting space. It’s also home to a 15-barrel craft brewery, where guests can enjoy beers and pub fare while playing arcade games; a small-batch coffee roastery with freshly baked pastries; and an outpost of Groom Service Beauty & Dry Bar for blow-outs, professional makeup, manicures, and more. The 57 rooms and suites feature wall murals of vintage photos, designed to complement a palette of plum, brown, and dusty gold. Some have fireplaces, deep-soaking tubs, and full kitchens, too. If you’re looking to indulge, book the Lafayette Suite, which includes a Juliet balcony, double-sided hearth, and dining table suitable for large gatherings.

Monte Alban and Mitla are the well-known Zapotec ruins near Oaxaca, but Yagul is worth a visit too. It was absolutely empty the day we were there, and it’s overgrown, unkempt, and has an amazing view over the valley.

Mérida’s many historic plazas are jam packed with open air event throughout the year. Popular with tourists and locals alike is Yucatecan “Jarana”, a traditional form of dance accompanied by live music. One of the best places to see the show is at “Serenata Yucateca”, a free event each Thursday in the newly restored Plaza Santa Lucía, a traditional square just four blocks from the main Centro plaza. The musicians, singers and dancing “mestizos”, decked out in their colorful costumes begin the show at 9 PM, as they have for the last 40 years. There are plenty of benches to sit to enjoy the show. Also, with restaurants and bars spilling out on the sidewalk, its a great way to catch a dinner and show. Santa Lucía in not just a park, it is also the name of the neighborhood that has come alive since the recent renovation. With traditional cafes, restaurants and shops such as La Chaya Maya and Coqui Coqui Perfumerie, it is fast becoming the “it” place to be in downtown Mérida. Many colonial houses with a private pools are available to rent in Santa Lucia and in the surroundings so you can close the action. (Images courtesy of Merida.gob.mx and aany.org)

Get ready for crowds in October in western North Carolina; leaf-peepers from all over the Southeast converge in these mountains, when the Blue Ridge erupts into red and gold...Come during the week, though, and you won’t have to fight for a parking space near the waterfalls. The stretch of U.S. highway 64 between Franklin and Highlands is known as the “Mountain Waters Scenic Byway.” Be content to drive slowly on its winding path, and just a few miles north of Highlands (one of the highest towns east of the Mississippi), you’ll see a sign for “Dry Falls.” Don’t worry--it’s not a dry ditch that you’re pulling off for. Look down into the gorge formed by the Cullasaja River and you’ll see the six-story-tall cascade. It owes its name to the fact that the river shoots off an overhang, leaving just enough space behind the waterfall for a trail--you can stay relatively dry as you walk behind Dry Falls. During periods of high flow, though, you WILL get wet; cover your camera as you walk behind the roaring water.

This property will reopen from renovations in spring 2019.

The brainchild of miner James Thorpe, who bought the property in 1918 and also gave the property its name, Bishop’s Lodge lays claim to being New Mexico’s very first resort. And its history dates back even further, to the 1850s, when Jean Baptiste Lamy, a French missionary priest, became the bishop of the desert diocese—and made his home on a hill with views of the Jemez Mountains.

The property has changed significantly since Lamy built his tiny Villa Pintoresca and adjoining chapel: It now spans 450 acres, has a spa and stables, tennis courts and an outdoor pool. And its newest owners, HRV Hotel Partners, who purchased the resort in August 2014, have plans for further expansion.

Still, despite upgrades, this is definitely a Western-style ranch where you can hike, ride, and shoot—and cowboy boots are de rigueur.

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.)

Pearl was founded in 1881 as a traditional brewery. These days, however, the bustling complex is less about beer than its 15 restaurants, dozen-plus retailers, and numerous family-friendly events, including a twice-weekly farmers’ market. Start with lunch at La Gloria, chef Johnny Hernandez’s nod to interior Mexico, followed by dessert at Bakery Lorraine, where you’ll find an enticing rainbow of Parisian-style macarons. If you’re in the mood to shop, pick up a tailored guayabera from Dos Carolinas, or a piece of handcrafted jewelry from Ten Thousand Villages. Pearl Brewery is even home to Hotel Emma, a true gem in San Antonio’s boutique-lodging scene, in case you don’t want to leave.

The Utah Brewers cooperative, a partnership between Wasatch Brewery and squatters craft beers, has an eye for where people drink. The latest proof: Wasatch Brew Pub, which serves playful beers (Polygamy Porter, anyone?) in a spot just off the new Sugar House plaza.

Why we love it: A soulful getaway with access to the best of Todos Santos

The Highlights:
- Guest rooms stocked with luxury linens, alpaca throws, and locally made bath products
- The farm-fresh breakfast served on the palapa-shaded patio
- On-site hosts who will arrange everything from paddle-boarding trips to art walks

The Review:
With their otomi print–clad headboards, colorful talavera tiles, and eclectic hanging lanterns, the eight adobe-and-thatch guest rooms at La Bohemia may inspire you to quit your day job and make Todos Santos your permanent home. The boutique hotel’s husband-and-wife owners fell in love with the place five years ago when they stumbled upon it during a South American road trip and are happy to ensure you enjoy the property as much as they do, whether you use it as an adventure base lodge (they can arrange surfing lessons, fishing trips, and swimming with sea lions) or an escape from the bustle of downtown Todos Santos.

A palapa-shaded patio hosts regular yoga classes, mezcal tastings, and fish taco nights, while a lush tropical garden dotted with loungers and hammocks encourages late-afternoon siestas. There’s also a lovely outdoor pool, plus a beach just a short walk from the hotel (guests also have access to nearby El Faro Beach Club, with a spa and saltwater pool). While there’s no on-site restaurant, there is daily farm-fresh breakfast and on-site bar La Panga Rosa for house mojitos and margaritas. And there are plenty more dining options within strolling distance, nestled among the shops and galleries of hip Todos Santos.

An exploration of Tlaxcala can begin and end in the Plaza de la Constitución, the zocalo in the old town center. Within walking distance are the Plaza Xicohtencatl, often full of crafts and food stalls, the Ex-Convento Franciscano de la Asuncion (built in the 1530s and one of Mexico‘s earliest monasteries and cathedrals, boasting a visually spectacular interior within its stone walls), several intriguing museums, and the municipal market. Around the zocalo itself you’ll find a colonial-style arcade of restaurants, cafes, and shops, the government building with an interior courtyard painted with historic murals, the Hotel Posada San Francisco an appealingly intimate bar, and plenty of places to park yourself and kick back in the shade. Ninety-five percent of the tourists you’ll encounter will be Mexican.

In early April, I spent a week on a yoga retreat at Amansala in Tulum, Mexico. We had four hours of yoga and Pilates practice a day, and I spent the rest of my time on the beach, swimming in the ocean, reading books (I finished Gabrielle Hamilton’s excellent memoir, Blood, Bones, and Butter), drinking coconut juice, and snacking on delicious homemade tortillas, salad, salsas, and guacamole. At night we ventured out to explore, and discovered a wonderful new open-air restaurant called Hartwood, where I wish I could eat every night.

Husband and wife team Braden Perkins and Laura Adrian opened this restaurant in the “très Brooklyn” style that’s so popular in Paris now. The food is of American influence, but is made with fabulous French ingredients. We love going here.

Two broad snouts snuffle up from the water at the edge of the walking path along Coffee Pot Bayou. A manatee and her baby drift over to the storm drain to drink fresh water coming down from nearby Lake Crescent. The baby cuddles close. A small group of locals lean over the edge of the concrete bulkhead to watch “their” manatees. They speak in happy whispers and take photos with their cell phones to send to friends in colder climes. Common to the bayou for most of the year, manatees are almost an everyday sight during the cooler winter months when colder waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay drive them to the shallow warmer waters of Coffee Pot Bayou. As spring approaches groups of courting manatees can be seen rolling around each other in the shallow waters. Keeping them company are statuesque Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets, shy Green Herons, and gregarious Laughing Gulls. Red-ear slider turtles can often be seen popping their heads up in the water or sunning themselves on boat ramps. Even a dolphin or two join in on the fun. The broad sidewalk along Coffee Pot Bayou is part of a 2-mile walking/biking path that extends from downtown St. Petersburg and follows the edge of Tampa Bay before entering Coffee Pot Bayou. It is a safe, well-lit path with fantastic views, comfortable benches for resting, access to a small beach off of North Shores Park, and opportunities for fishing. Our manatee spot is at Coffee Pot Blvd and 23rd Ave NE.

We are exploring Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on a 24-hour getaway to Colorado Springs. Its brochure proclaims they are “America’s Only Mountain Zoo,” but that only goes part of the way to describing the uniqueness of this place. In only a couple of hours, my daughters and their friends get to feed giraffes, pet a wallaby joey, hand-feed a loud flock of cockatiels and budgies, and get incredibly close to a trio of mountain lions, just a window’s thickness away. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo: admission is $17.25 adults ($5 extra for the Mountaineer SKy Ride), $12.25 ages 3–11. The zoo is located just west of The Broadmoor, open 9 a.m. –5 p.m., tel. 719-633-9925.

For the arrival of Peninsula Hotels in Europe in 2014, many millions of euros were lavished on an Avenue Kléber landmark a cobblestone’s throw from the Arc de Triomphe. Born in the Belle Epoque as the Hotel Majestic, the historic property where George Gershwin wrote “An American in Paris” was transformed by the country’s finest artisans—including the company of tassel-makers who decorated the Paris Opéra.