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Kimpton Hotels are known for their playful energy—think nightly social hours, colorful design schemes, and pet-friendly amenities. Located within easy reach of downtown’s museums and theaters, as well as restaurants and shopping in LoDo and Larimer Square, the Hotel Monaco Denver fits the mold. Renovated guest rooms blend cool neutrals and bright accent hues with rich leather headboards, designer wallpaper, and yoga mats with a dedicated channel for guided workouts; spa rooms have separate soaking tubs, and suites have their own sitting areas and sleeper sofas. A $10 per night fee covers speedy internet, loaner bicycles, discounts on drinks at Denver’s Family Jones distillery, and free coffee and evening wine. If you prefer imaginative cocktails, head to Panzano, a northern Italian restaurant with a surprising number of gluten-free items. But if a moment of bliss is all you need to revive you for another day of distillery hopping, the Aveda spa has a sauna and Vichy shower and provides five-minute chair massages during the evening social hour.

If you happen to be in town for Cherry Creek’s annual arts festival in July, Halcyon makes a great base for exploring the neighborhood’s shops and galleries. Crisp white guest rooms with masculine touches have Nespresso machines, smart TVs, and sculptural turntables, as well as subway-tiled bathrooms with brass fittings and peekaboo showers; upgrade to a terrace room for a private outdoor space in which to bask in the Colorado sun. In keeping with its surroundings, the hotel displays more than 700 works by local artists, with an original piece in each room, but there’s plenty of reason to linger in the public spaces. A rooftop pool is lined with neutral-hued cabanas and white cushioned chaises, and two restaurants satisfy every kind of craving: Departure Restaurant + Lounge’s Asian-fusion menu covers miso ramen and roasted-duck fried rice, while Quality Italian offers shareable lasagna, dry-aged steaks, and cannoli prepared tableside. Just don’t be put off by the $30 per day amenity fee on your bill. Though it includes standards like WiFi and pool and fitness-center entry, it also gets you snacks and drinks at the Kitchen Counter, plus access to a Range Rover shuttle for stops around the neighborhood and the Gear Garage, which lends out everything from snowshoes and a Piaggio scooter to Leica and Go Pro cameras during your stay.

A breezy little beach hotel filled with rough wood, natural linen, and flea market finds, the Rose seems, to the uninitiated, like a pure product of quirky Venice’s hipsterfication. In fact, the historic, wood-and-stucco building was built by the beach town’s founder, Abbot Kinney, in the early days of the 20th century; rumor says it was his private brothel, frequented by such friends as Charlie Chaplin. By the 1970s, at the height of Venice’s drug culture, the building had become a flophouse of sorts, and neighbor Dennis Hopper was known to drop by. Before two British photographers discovered it, the house had turned into a mural-covered crash-pad for surfers, yogis, and beach bums of all kinds.

Looking at the low-key Rose now—the town’s first true boutique hotel, barely half a block from the beach—one would hardly know that the entire history of Venice had passed through it. The rooms are spare but stylish, with large windows, art photography, and vintage furniture. Some rooms are large enough to live in, whereas others share a hallway bathroom. Amenities are minimal—Stumptown coffee, bicycle rentals—but a relaxed beach house that attracts artists and creatives looking to delve into Venice’s eclectic, vibrant culture doesn’t need to try too hard to be cool.

Located across the Tiber River from the Centro Storico, Trastevere is a kaleidoscope of ivy-covered buildings, complicated Italian history, and bombastic nightlife. The heart of the neighborhood is Piazza Santa Maria, a large square where street performers show off their stuff, and Porta Portese’s massive Sunday flea market. Film buffs can take a walk through the maze-like side streets for a glimpse of director Pier Paolo Pasolini’s early life before heading off to one of the neighborhood’s many bars for a craft beer or aperitivo.

There are two entrances to this historical restaurant. The main entrance on the rue de l’Ancienne-Comedie and a “back” entrance that is part of a lovely passage called Le Passage de Cour de Commerce Saint-Andre. There are many passages still remaining in Paris [note, I am going to do a separate post on some of the ones we visited and will link to it when I do]. They are covered shopping areas that allowed the wealthy to shop unencumbered by the elements. Architecturally they are fantastic to visit and photograph, some have endured better than others. This passage was opened in 1735, and was built on part of the old wall of Paris, around the time of the King of France, Phlippe Auguste. This wall made up the limit of Paris during the Middle Ages! The entrance to this passage is at 128 Blvd St. Germain. No matter what door you enter, Le Procope is a great restaurant to experience a traditional (and yes, heavy) French meal. The menu has all the classics: coq au vin (chicken in wine sauce), entrecot (steak), magret de canard (duck breast); beouf tartare, as well as several fish selections. The starters are equally traditional with terrines, salades and escargot (snail), among others.

District Six was originally a mixed community of freed slaves, merchants, artisans, laborers, and immigrants. Marginalization and forced removal of the residents began early in the last century and, in 1966, the neighborhood was declared a white area. By 1982, more than 60,000 people had been relocated to a barren spot aptly known as the Cape Flats, and their houses in District Six were flattened by bulldozers. An agreement about what to do with the land that was District Six has yet to be reached, and those who were forcibly evicted are still awaiting a fair settlement.

Established in 1994, the District Six Museum preserves memories of the area through photographs, traffic signs, and videos, and also focuses on forced removals in general. A large map of the district covers the floor of the museum and includes former residents’ handwritten notes about where they once lived.

In recent years, Johannesburg has become a haven for contemporary artists working in South Africa. Rosebank, the neighborhood next to the affluent suburb of Sandton, even features a Miami-esque Design District with galleries, restaurants, and high-end shops. It’s here that you’ll find Circa Gallery, an architectural masterpiece designed by Pierre Swanepol of studioMAS. Elliptical in shape, the building features an indoor ramp that leads visitors around the perimeter of the gallery—much like at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Outside, 400 vertical aluminum bars cover the exterior of the building, allowing daylight to stream into the gallery. After taking in the contemporary art and photography on display at Circa, use the walkway to enter the attached Everard Read Gallery, located across Keyes Avenue. The sister to Circa, it’s the oldest commercial art gallery in South Africa.

Nature may have spent 12 million years creating the rock formation that is the centerpiece of this 1,300-acre Hilton Curio Collection resort in the foothills of the Sonoran Desert, but late-coming humans have done a commendable job of adding the finishing touches. Although the Boulders, with its casita accommodations blending into the landscape, its championship golf courses, and its upscale shops, is as luxurious as any resort in the Scottsdale area, it’s also where guests are most likely to feel they are truly in the desert. An early-morning walk along groomed paths, when the first rays of light are turning the landscape golden, is as likely to produce the sounds of woodpeckers or owls calling from their nests in saguaro cacti as it is the whack of a ball against club or racket.

No hotel in Jamaica blends better with its surroundings than the aptly named Rockhouse, a string of villas clinging to the top of a sea cliff at the western tip of the island. Local stone, timber, and thatch are the building materials, and a harmony of design and setting is the result. The feel is rustic, but not rough (the showers might be outdoors, but the rooms are air-conditioned), and the feeling carries over to the pool, which sits on a rock platform halfway down the cliff face, from where sunbathers can don snorkel and mask and clamber down into a usually calm Caribbean. Even the restaurant hangs over the water, adding emphasis to the promise of dishes being fresh from the sea.

As does practically every hotel in Jamaica, Rockhouse has its celebrity stories, going back to the early ‘70s when Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones added their names to the guest register. But it wasn’t until 1994, when a group of Australian owners took over, that Rockhouse began to evolve its reputation as one of the most Jamaican of Jamaican hotels. It happened in part because Rockhouse has none of the formality that some of the island’s best-known hotels, with their British colonial roots, still possess. And in part because of its active role in funding local education projects, it’s a valued, and popular, part of the community. That, and the restaurant’s homemade jerk sausage is legendary.

With the smallest room a sprawling 400 square feet, and suites and public spaces filled with original 18th- and 19th-century art and antiques, the George V, flagship of the Four Seasons chain, lives up to its billing as a palace, an official tourism category introduced in 2010 requiring establishments to “embody French standards of excellence and contribute to enhancing the image of France throughout the world.” Set in a 1928 art deco building, the Four Seasons Hotel George V boasts a regular clientele of bona fide royals, including Saudi princes who rent entire floors for six weeks at a stretch. The staff includes a team of flower designers led by an art director who worked on Chelsea Clinton’s wedding. There’s also a dedicated concierge for children ordering up pint-sized bathrobes and private pastry-making lessons in the Michelin-starred kitchen.

The tram gives Portland visitors stunning views of the city, river, and mountains beyond. Grab the streetcar from downtown out to the waterfront. You’re delivered to the lower terminal for the three-minute ride carrying you 3,300 feet at 20 MPH to the upper terminal at OHSU. Linger for photo ops then head back down to explore. If it’s nice, skip the streetcar and walk back along the river. Daily workout, check. Roundtrip cost: $4. At the lower terminal, the Daily Cafe is an easy find in the atrium of the OHSU Clinical building as you disembark the pill-shaped car, built with precision by the Swiss. Head for the river and stroll along the shore in any weather. Double back along SW Bond Ave and consider lunch at Bambuza Vietnamese Bistro. Check out the pricey high-rise condos on the market in the real estate office windows, then relax in one of the pocket parks to people watch. It snows in Portland. A couple of times a winter, even downtown gets dusted and it’s a huge mess. I’ve dreamed about getting my ski gear on, grabbing my boards and heading for the PDX Tram at the South Waterfront. I’d casually climb aboard with the patients and medical folks heading up to “Pill Hill” and blow their minds.

In the Old Souq at Deira and in traditional boutiques in malls you’ll see colorful jalabiyas or women’s kanduras, which are increasingly being bought by foreign women. When out in public or in the company of men who aren’t family, Emirati women wear the ubiquitous black cloak-like abaya and black shaylah wrapped around their head - tightly if devout, more loose if less conservative. The most religious women we’re a Saudi-style niqab that ties around the head and covers all but the eyes. When worn with gloves and socks, so not an inch of skin is revealed, it’s known as hijab. Underneath the abaya and shaylah, young Emirati women wear designer fashions and jeans and t-shirts. However, when they’re at home with family, along with older ladies, more traditional-minded women will wear a jallabiya or women’s kandura. Some of these are very simple, made from floral cotton prints, while others, like those in the photo above, are a lot more elegant, made from silks and linens, and decorated with applique, sequins, gems, tassles, and crocheted and embroidered features. In the days before the discovery of oil, Emirati women didn’t wear abayas and shaylahs. They wore these dresses in public with a gauzy face veil and baggy pantaloons. These days the pantaloons have been replaced with smart matching trousers. Over the years, jalabiyas and kanduras have increasingly become a popular souvenir. If you’re going to get one, make sure to buy some pretty sequined slippers to match!

From New York to Tokyo, the world’s food scene is heavily informed by outside influences. In Paris, this translates to cuisine that isn’t narrowly French but rather brimming with ethnic flavors. That includes the unequivocally popular and omnipresent tastes from Italy, though they tend to vary drastically in price and quality. When I learned about Come A Casa (literally, like at home), which is located just off of the Place Léon Blum near Voltaire in the 11th, I knew I needed to see whether it ranked among the city’s few worthy Italian joints. This 15-cover jewel box of a restaurant fits the bill perfectly. The menu is compact, dominated largely by fresh antipasti and a lasagna and pasta dish that changes daily. The wines are Italian and should absolutely be paired with the meal. But what’s on the plate is only part of the charm of this Tuscan trattoria. Owner Flavia Federici is not only credited with turning out flavorful dishes capable of transporting each diner straight to Tuscany but as the mastermind behind the standout design. Trained as an architect, Flavia left no detail unconsidered when laying out the small space. The elevated, open kitchen lords over the tiny dining room, appointed with vintage furnishings (including school desks), serving dishes and shelving to house wine, pasta, sauces and other goods that guests can purchase to take home. Come A Casa is warm, welcoming and guaranteed to delight. Just don’t forget to order the stracciatella.

As soon as the ferry pushes away from Kabataş ferry terminal on Istanbul‘s European side, you can feel the frenetic pace of the city slipping away. Sipping a coffee on the ship’s bow, the beautiful scenery and azure Bosphorus waters enchant as the boat makes stops on the Asian side, then on to each of the five Prince Islands (Adalar), just around an hour’s journey away from the city. Büyükada is the largest of the five islands. With no cars on this idyllic and relaxed isle, horse-drawn carriage and bicycles remain the main modes of transportation -- both of which can be hired at the ferry terminal upon arrival. An afternoon’s cycle can cover the whole island, and caters to stopping at the stunning scenic bluffs, hidden beaches, and clifftop cafes along the route at your own pace. In town, mansions boast swaths of bougainvillea and visitors dine al fresco at restaurants serving fresh seafood. Tasty ice cream can be bought near the ferry for the journey home. Go on a weekday to miss the weekending Istanbul crowd, to whom the island’s charm is no secret.

Entering Hikawa shrine requires a purification ritual that begins with washing your hands, right then left, and rinsing your mouth (with your left hand). Next is the burning fire with smoke to waft over your head to burn off impurities and perhaps bring the blessings of Susanoo, the Shinto god of storms and seas. Now in your new state of purification, you can enter this Shinto shrine between wires covered with fluttering osame-fuda, the prayer paper strips pilgrims tie up at each shrine. White prayer papers are for novice pilgrims who aspire to progress to red papers and then to silver and gold as they become veteran pilgrims. Inside the shrine, take a moment to toss a coin into the offering box or perhaps make a prayer or a wish to the god of the shrine. Sometimes photography is forbidden and other shrines forbid shoes so pay attention to signage. If you have an injury, buy some incense, light it in the shrine and waft the smoke toward your injury to get Susanoo’s attention. Almost every Shinto shrine in Japan (9,000 of them!) has a temple stamp and resident monks to hand paint the stamp into your temple book for a few yen. Purchase a temple book at any shrine and collect intricate stamps at all your temple stops. A full temple book is a gorgeous souvenir from Japan. Should you be lucky enough to visit Japan in September, go to the Akasaka Hikawa Shrine festival.