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Like the Irish pubs of the motherland, the New Sydney Hotel is warm and welcoming to all. More than two dozen tap beers—one pumped by hand—and artisan ciders are complemented by mulled pinot noir (spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and house-made syrup) as well as hot cider (Willie Smith’s organic cider plus ginger syrup and dark rum) in winter. Sip one alongside wallaby tartare or pork knuckle slow-cooked for 72 hours. Like any Irish pub worth its Guinness, the New Sydney Hotel also hosts nightly music, the most popular being the traditional Irish jam that’s been running on Saturdays for 25 years. Snag a cozy seat by the log fire, and soak up the ambience.

Goldeneye, to be clear, is not an easy place to leave. The land—the former home of Ian Fleming, where he wrote each of the 14 James Bond thrillers that would cement his place in literary and cinematic history—sits next to the tiny town of Oracabessa, on the northern coast. A warm, blue-green lagoon curls from the ocean around a small island and then lets out into a bay. You can look one direction and see a jungle, then turn around and see pristine white sand.

Blackwell bought the property in 1976 as a vacation home and a space to entertain family and friends but later he decided to transform it. In 2016, Goldeneye debuted a jumble of new huts, arranged around a small cove, a short walk from Fleming’s house and the resort’s original villas. The huts vary in height, designed to capture cooling breezes and allow guests to forgo air conditioning. And, crucially, they’re much cheaper to book than the Villas. Which is key because, up until this point, if you wanted to plan a visit to Goldeneye, you needed to either know Blackwell personally or have the excess capital to shell out potentially five figures on a vacation. (Part of the resort’s enduring gravitational pull is that many of the celebrity guests check both boxes.) With the beach huts, Blackwell has expanded, once again, the ambition of his famous resort.

Get a bird’s-eye view of Laguna and its famous sunsets at the Rooftop Lounge, which sits atop La Casa del Camino hotel. Drinks here include a lengthy list of red, white, and sparkling wines as well as specialty cocktails like mojitos in strawberry, mango, and ginger flavors. To pair with your sips, there’s a range of small bites, from barbecue meatballs with blue cheese slaw to bacon-wrapped dates and coconut-breaded shrimp. Just be sure to come prepared with sunglasses and a hat, as shade is limited, and bring your four-legged friend—the bar is dog-friendly.

Once just a popular food truck in a temporary locale, Charly’s now has its own permanent location on Tulum’s hip hotel strip. Its chefs have managed to take traditional Mexican meat-based dishes and turn them into 100-percent vegan recipes while still maintaining the classic flavors. Try the vegetarian version of an aguachile (seafood marinated in lime juice, onion, and chili) or a trio of tacos with your fillings and toppings of choice, like imitation carnitas, porkless crackling, or mushrooms. Best of all is the restaurant’s garden location, whose atmosphere of cool, beachy charm features shady trees and wicker lanterns.

Business travelers might help keep it quiet enough during the week, but when the weekend rolls around, the W Scottsdale earns its rep as a party hotel. By day, a young, trendy, and sometimes noisy crowd hangs at Wet, the rooftop pool, keeping well oiled with sunscreen and bar drinks. By night, the scene remains trendy, and noisy, at the lobby’s Living Room Lounge, or at Shade Lounge upstairs by the pool, often to a background of live music or a DJ, until the revelers are off to bed, or off to some of the many bars and clubs within walking distance. Rooms have all the tech gadgets, and the use of color and frosted glass makes them feel light and playful without going overboard.

Larvotto is a small stretch of pebbles along the shore, and the country’s only beach. Gathered at Monaco’s extreme eastern border, it is the ideal spot to appreciate the Mediterranean. Paddle boards and kayaks are available for rent, while SkiVol offers inner tubing, water skiing or parasailing. It is a great place to snorkel, but insiders continue walking the Sentier Littoral into Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, following the pedestrian tunnel under the exclusive 1930’s Monte Carlo Beach Hotel to the tiny public beach and cement jetty, where there are no amenities, but plenty of peace and quiet. Photo : Sylvia Sabes

Retrace the steps of nobility on a self-directed tour that highlights the palaces and royal guesthouses of Hyderabad. Start with a visit to the Mirde Hamidkhan Devdi, a typical local Muslim home near Charminar. Also explore the devdis of Paigah noblemen Kursheed Jah, Asman Jah, and Sir Vicar-Ul-Umara. Continue to Chowmahalla Palace, the seat of the Asaf Jah dynasty and residence of the Nizams. Conclude the tour at Falaknuma Palace, once the Royal Guest House of the Nizam of Hyderabad, where he used to entertain foreign dignitaries. It has been converted to a Taj Hotel and is an outstanding example of the famed Nizam’s hospitality.

Mexico City’s Centro Histórico has some fine bars, clubs, restaurants, and hotels where you can enjoy a copa or a cocktail, but if you’re looking for a side of good jazz to go along with your drink, then, the place is Zinco. Housed inside the vault of a former bank, Zinco feels old-school atmospheric and its small size keeps things intimate. Shows feature both Mexican (yes, there’s a thriving jazz scene in Mexico and international artists. Arrive early to ensure you snag one of the few tables and a waiter who will dedicate himself to refreshing your cocktails throughout the night.

Apparently, you don’t need a rockin’ house or an haute hotel to throw a massive pool party. The only thing missing from the poolside shindigs at these downtown Scottsdale bars are the floaties. First, there’s Spanish Fly Mexican Beach Club with its private cabanas and day beds. Then just down the street is Maya Day and Nightclub, which not only has private plunge pools but also a taco bar, LED video screen and floating stage that hosts DJs and live music. Rounding out the trio is El Santo, a cantina and patio bar with a 15,000-square-foot Mexican resort-style pool.

The very first restaurant that was recommended to me by the bellhop at my hotel was Mother’s Restaurant. Mother’s is one of the oldest and most successful restaurants in the NOLA. The line to get inside stretches down the sidewalk to the back of the building. The menu has all of the Nawlins classics like Po-Boy sandwiches and jambalaya. Breakfast is also amazing. Creations like the shrimp creole omelet with grits really popped out on the menu for me. Try it, try it all!

It’s one of those buildings that you walk by all the time, yet have no idea what goes on inside. What does go on inside? Well, plenty. The Navarre Building was a bordello, fancy dining club, and jazz hot spot, and is now an art museum housing one of the best Western Art collections in the country. The Anschutz Collection is now open to the public three days a week. Go absorb some culture, and be sure to ask about the secret tunnels that used to shuttle “ladies of the night” to and from the Brown Palace hotel across the street.

Enjoy these stunning oceanview and beachside cabanas at The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort, a seaside resort in Cancun, Mexico. Enjoy the turquoise blue waters of the Caribbean, a sweet haven for the sun-seekers. A perfect place to soak under the sun, swim or people-watch. $400/night.

Ascona, on the shores of Lake Maggiore, has swaying palm trees and a mild climate, and is Switzerland‘s lowest-lying town (643 feet above sea level). The lakeside promenade (Lungolago) offers a Mediterranean feel with streetside cafés, warm breezes, and diners clinking wineglasses—all with a backdrop of historic 19th-century merchants’ houses. The town, a former fishing village, has become an upscale resort town—known for its water sports as well as some of the best hotels in the country. Ascona’s old town center, the Borgo, is a warren of charming alleyways and chic boutiques.

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.

The King Cole Bar is about as legendary as any bar in New York. Located in the St. Regis Hotel at Fifth Avenue and 55th Street, it has been the place to go for a cocktail since it opened in 1932—Salvador Dalí, John Lennon, and Marilyn Monroe are just a few from a long list of famous names who have dropped in for a drink. The bar sits off the St. Regis New York’s lobby and is presided over by the famous King Cole mural painted by Maxfield Parrish, with John Jacob Astor IV playing the part of the king, jesters to each side of him. Today it is still the ultimate setting to start a celebratory evening, or end one with a nightcap; it cemented its place on most lists of New York’s top bars with an extensive renovation in 2013. While the bartenders can prepare anything you might be in the mood for, you may want to order a Bloody Mary. The King Cole Bar boasts that it was the first spot where the drink (then known as a Red Snapper) was served in the United States (a claim, it should be noted, that is disputed by some other bars).