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The town of Gamboa lies at the center of a rain forest on the banks of the Panama Canal, where Lake Gatún and the River Chagres meet about 20 miles from the capital. Gamboa’s Summit Park is home to Panama’s national bird, the harpy eagle, as well as to Soberanía National Park and the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center, where visitors can walk the Camino del Oleoducto (Pipeline Road), a famous bird-watching path where up to 300 avian species can be spotted on a single day. Another tip might be sailing the Chagres in piraguas (local pirogues or handmade dugout canoes) that plumb dense jungles and give visitors the chance to interact with the Emberá Quera indigenous community. This historic community lives off fishing, farming, artisanal craft-making, and tourism. Native-led tours showcase various local customs such as dances as well as vegetable-dye body-painting techniques and their meanings (known as jagua), in addition to the people’s relationship with nature. Navigating the rain forest with a traditional Emberá botanist is a singular experience.

Located in historic downtown Williams, Arizona, just outside of Grand Canyon National Park, Red Raven Restaurant is cozy and casual with a brick exterior painted fire-engine red. The kitchen is small but sends out gourmet comfort food to diners seated in its high-ceilinged dining room. They tuck into dishes such as portabella and zucchini fries with a balsamic reduction sauce, broiled pork medallions topped with cilantro pesto and tempura-style broccolini, and a lamb and vegetable stew made with Guinness. Seating at this husband-and-wife–owned establishment is limited, so definitely call ahead.

Handcrafted paper has a long tradition in this region. The art was learned from 11th-century Arab traders and Amalfi’s fame for paper production grew to comprise 11 mills operating in Valle dei Mulini. Duck into this beautiful store near the Arsenale buildings to cool off and shop for handmade paper and curiosities. Using the old techniques, Andrea De Luca and Giovanna Fusco create gilt-edged cards, leatherbound books, and fine-art prints. In the back of the store, browse the owners’ wonderful collection of antique ceramics, oil and watercolor paintings from the 18th century, as well as original historic maps and reproductions.

Formerly the residence of the Maharajah of Jaipur, and now one of Jaipur’s most elegant luxury hotels, the 19th-century Rambagh Palace has had a front-row seat to history—and has hosted a long list of royals, dignitaries, and celebrities along the way. As an homage to those regal roots, the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant spotlights the cuisine of four of India’s former princely states: Rajasthan, Awadh, Punjab, and Hyderabad. In what used to be the palace’s banquet hall—still dripping with gilded mirrors and Italian frescos—enjoy dishes like laal maas (a Rajasthani spicy lamb curry), chicken cooked with raw mango and saffron, skillet-grilled lobster, and apricot-stuffed cheese dumplings simmered in tomato gravy. Cap off the night with a drink in the nearby Polo Bar, which serves fine spirits and cocktails inspired by the royal equestrian sport.

Located in the charming neighborhood of Colonia Lafayette, Hotel Demetria is among Guadalajara’s trendiest boutique hotels. In addition to stylish rooms, a rooftop pool, and a popular restaurant, the hotel features a contemporary art gallery and bookstore on its mezzanine level. Even more impressive, however, is the fact that the steel-and-glass structure is sandwiched between two pieces of architectural history—Casa Franco and Casa Quiñones, designed by Mexican modernist masters Luis Barragán and Pedro Castellanos, respectively.

Why we love it: A business hotel offering upscale comfort and unconventional charm

The Highlights:
- Elegant guest rooms with dashes of whimsy
- A pet-friendly policy
- An on-site art gallery with original paintings and historic images

The Review:
A 10-minute drive from Buffalo Niagara International Airport, this swanky property is named for Frank and Dolly Reikart, a vaudevillian couple who became the nearby town of Amherst’s “first family of hospitality” in the 1900s. A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, it won “Hotel of the Year” from its parent company, JW Marriott, in 2018. The 92 guest rooms and 12 suites blend classic decor with distinctive style. While no two are alike, each one features some mix of wood and leather furnishings; a neutral palette of white, beige, and brown accented by bold blue; and 50-inch flat-screen TVs wired for streaming content. Guests can also expect complimentary bicycles and a warm welcome for pets, though a surcharge does apply if you want to bring your furry friend.

When not in your room, explore the lush, campus-style grounds; work up a sweat in the club-style fitness center; or browse the on-site gallery, which features original paintings by local artist Peter Fowler. There’s also the Main Lobby restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the Fireside Lounge for drinks. Should you be traveling for work, know that Reikart House especially excels as a conference host, thanks to its fully equipped executive boardroom and new Jazzboline Restaurant and event space, which includes a lounge, restaurant, and ballroom—and draws its name from the guitar-like instrument invented by the hotel’s namesake, Frank Reikart.

Independence Square lies at the busy center of St. Kitts’ capital city, Basseterre. Known as Pall Mall Square prior to the island’s independence in 1983, it’s always been the center of commerce—albeit a darker business in years past. A careful look at the surrounding historic buildings reveals places where slaves were held prior to being auctioned off in the square. Today, however, an ornate fountain stands at the center of the park, and the grassy areas play host to parties and public gatherings.

Chef Laurent Tourondel’s LT Steak & Seafood, located inside the historic Betsy Hotel on Ocean Drive, is popular not just with hotel guests but locals as well, who stop in for an afterwork cocktail or a nice night out. The restaurant does what its name indicates, and the menu is evenly divided between prime cuts of porterhouse and rib eye and fresh seafood from local waters and elsewhere, as well as sushi, sashimi, and ceviche. At dinner, there is often live entertainment such as jazz in the conservatory or a performance by an opera singer.

Teshima’s Restaurant is a historic Japanese diner on the west coast of Hawaii Island in Kealakekua. Welcoming and reasonably priced, the diner serves Hawaiian Japanese comfort food. The set meals are the best value, a sampling of small dishes that might include sashimi, sukiyaki, fried fish, rice, and sides of cucumber, cabbage, and miso soup. The ahi is excellent (and the wasabi so soft and fresh), but the restaurant is really known for its shrimp tempura: Every local we asked about Japanese food told us to try it here. You can get it on its own, or as part of the “deep sea trio” of shrimp tempura, fried fish, and sashimi.

The Art is a worthy base for those looking to explore the galleries of the Denver Art Museum, the Clyfford Still Museum, and the Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Arts, which are all within a few minutes’ walking distance. In fact, the glass-walled property feels a bit like an exhibition space in its own right: Upon arrival, guests are greeted by Leo Villareal’s dazzling 22,000 LED–bulb installation above the entrance, while hundreds of other works by the likes of Frank Gehry appear throughout the public spaces—see them on a guided tour of the hotel’s art collection, offered on Saturdays. Minimal guest rooms have light wood furnishings, luxury linens, and neutral walls—the better to serve as a blank canvas for more original artwork—as well as windows overlooking the mountains or city lights. If you’ve worked up an appetite with all that cultural appreciation, order the signature burger with spicy mayo at FIRE restaurant, or sip a Matisse martini with Colorado-made vodka on the fire pit–warmed terrace.

Built in the Roaring Twenties, the Royal Hawaiian ushered in the glam age of Waikiki Beach. The so-called Pink Palace, a Spanish Moorish–style confection set on bright-green lawns was, at the time, the priciest hotel project in the Pacific and a fast favorite of Hollywood royalty and East Coast blue bloods (who, in those early years, arrived by steamship, along with their piles of trunks and chauffeured cars). For those first few decades, anyone who was anyone, it seemed, stayed at the Royal Hawaiian; on any given day, you might see the likes of Spencer Tracy autographing a coconut or Joe DiMaggio surfing off the hotel’s beach. Once other luxury hotels sprouted up on Oahu, the Royal Hawaiian’s star faded some, but after a massive renovation in 2008, it became a member of Starwood’s Luxury Hotel Collection and, once again, one of the top spots on the island. The makeover managed to keep those graceful old bones and art deco flourishes (miles of tile, sweeping arches), while giving the whole place a long overdue upgrade. Genteel surroundings aside, the hotel is as lively as ever. But at night, when the oceanfront Mai Tar bar is rocking, guests can still scope out quiet corners. Retreat to the gracious portico lined with rocking chairs or the garden pathways dreamily lit by torches, and you’ll discover that the romance of old Waikiki lives on.

St Stephen’s Green is a welcome spot of calm and green set in a Georgian square in the centre of Dublin. At around 20 acres, it’s large enough to feel you have escaped the bustle, but not so large that you can’t easily return to the fray once you are ready. There are formal manicured lawns and gardens in the middle, a large lake to the north - good for swan-watching - a bandstand and play area, and plenty of benches and other picnic spots. St Stephen’s is probably not the sort of place you’d deliberately set out to visit, but chances are good you’ll end up there anyway: it’s just off Grafton Street (one of the main shopping streets), and near other attractions dotted around what is known as Georgian Dublin, such as Merrion Square and Leinster House (the seat of Irish parliament).

With Shanghai’s sprawling metro system, this suburb is now a few short stops from downtown. Why would you want to make the trek out to Nanxiang? Well, among other reasons, it’s the home of xiaolongbao…those marvelous little soup filled pockets of goodness. Go for the dumplings, but stay and check out the quaint little village, their local museum (which is new and quite well done) as well as the gardens. The town makes a welcome respite from the bustle of the city and if you’re coming to China to eat some “authentic” cuisine, it doesn’t get more authentic than going straight to the source of China’s infamous dumpling. How to get there: take Line 11 to Nanxiang and then walk down Huyi Gong Lu for approx 10 minutes (or jump in a taxi) and head towards Guyi Garden.

During three years of living in Washington, D.C., I made it my mission to visit as many museums as I could, and the National Museum of the American Indian quickly won me over. I was greeted by a live dance performance and welcomed into a circular space reminiscent of New York’s Guggenheim Museum. The exhibits are educational, informative and engaging, and the space itself is a captivating exercise in design. It may often be overlooked, but it’s one of the best D.C. museums with a notable food court featuring Native American-inspired dishes.

Active from the 13th to 15th centuries and considered an influence on the pre-Renaissance movement, the Sienese School of painting is identifiable by its themes—always religious, and usually with a focus on Biblical miracles—and its signature style, a dreamy mix of Roman, Gothic, and Byzantine influences that often feature dazzling gold backgrounds. Opened in 1932, this museum boasts one of the world’s largest collections of Sienese School works, as well as a number of Renaissance and late-medieval pieces from Italian artists. Wander through the impressive building—a combination of two 14th- and 15th-century noblemen’s palazzi—to find works like Duccio’s Madonna and Child, Michelino da Besozzo’s Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine (celebrating the “calling” of Siena’s native daughter), and Bartolo di Fredi’s expansive Adoration of the Magi. Paired with a visit to Florence’s Uffizi, coming here offers insight into the differences—and longtime rivalry—between the two cities.