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This 248-room hotel in one of the city’s tallest skyscrapers—Roppongi’s glass-sheeted Tokyo Midtown—offers some of the best views in the city, but the interiors are just as eye-catching. The property starts on the 45^th floor and espouses classic European decor, with four colorful abstract works by California painter Sam Francis, each 12 feet high, dominating the lobby. Rooms and public spaces look onto Mount Fuji, the Imperial Palace, and Tokyo Bay; inside delicate woodwork, hand-tufted carpets, patterned chiyogami wall coverings, a lobby waterfall, and Murano chandeliers set the scene. The hotel proudly touts the most expensive guest room in Japan, the Ritz-Carlton Suite, yours for the princely sum of $16,200 per night.

The Ritz-Carlton conjured true Viennese grandeur by occupying not one, but four former 19th-century palaces along the Ringstraße for its first Austrian location. Upon entering, guests will be suitably impressed by the beautifully ornate ceiling of the Melounge Lobby Lounge, where they can enjoy a light meal, tea, cocktails, and sweets. Rooms face either a courtyard or out to the city, and all offer plush beds and marble baths. All suites have a terrace or balcony from which to look out on this magical city. The extravagance reaches new heights with the incredible views from the Atmosphere Rooftop Bar, where stylish locals and visitors mingle. During the holiday season, it turns into the city’s most elevated and most exclusive Christmas market.

Updated in 2017, the rooms and public areas in this attractive, airy resort have an island-themed decor. Rooms now come equipped with marble bathroom vanities, Smart LED Samsung televisions, and Starbucks Coffee. But the star attraction remains a prime, crowd-free position on Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach, famous for clear water and powder-fine white sand. Resort sun loungers are spread far apart to give guests a sense of privacy. A day camp with fun activities and a healthy meals program for kids (ages 4-to-12) means parents get guiltless downtime (or scuba diving and other water sports). Shopping and alternative dining are within walking distance.

Named after the fast-flowing river that runs alongside it and located just an hour from Reykjavik in the middle of an isolated, windswept plain, Hotel Rangá is an immediately homey place. Built in a log-cabin style, the country lodge embraces its surroundings with neutral color schemes, comfy leather sofas, and natural textiles. Quirky extras include a 10-foot stuffed polar bear that greets guests in the reception area and stools with human-like legs in the bar. Standard and Deluxe rooms face either the East Rangá River or the famous Mount Hekla volcano, while suites are designed and themed around the seven continents. But right here is where you want to be. The hotel has an observatory with a retractable roof and high-powered telescope for stargazing, plus some of the darkest skies in Iceland.

A winery with an enviable view, Tokara is considered one of the best in the region for its cabernets, sauvignon blancs, and premium olive oils. As compelling as the wines are, though, people flock to Tokara for its restaurant, led by chef Carolize Coetzee. Here, in a stunning building made of glass, steel, and stone, diners enjoy contemporary cuisine, award-winning wines, and dramatic views over Stellenbosch and False Bay. Before sitting down for your meal, enjoy a drink at the bar, which offers views of the kitchen as well as the sun setting through a picture window. Then dig into creative dishes like roasted beef with lemon-glazed shimeji mushrooms, and pork belly with carrot-ginger sauce. The menu changes seasonally, but guests can always expect a life-changing meal.

There are over 100 excellent guest ranches in the Western U.S., offering a range of family vacations. Brush Creek Ranch, in southern Wyoming, is one of the more exclusive properties, offering an enormous range of activities on 15,000 acres of stunning high-mountain ranchland. This is the main lodge building, looking out over the horse pastures.

A tour of CNN Center offers a fascinating look at what it takes to run the 24-hour news cycle. At the world headquarters, founded by media icon Ted Turner in 1980, guests can tour the actual news desks and see a replica of the famed green screen. If you’re lucky, you might also witness the filming of segments for shows like HLN Morning Express and Headline News, which are based here.

Dining at one of Negril’s excellent cliffside restaurants is highly recommended, and the gorgeous setting of Ivan’s Bar & Restaurant at Catcha Falling Star makes it a very nice option. The longtime favorite has one of the best views along the coast and serves lobster dinners and classic Jamaican cuisine with a bit of a modern twist. Guests are seated under an open-sided thatched roof or out under the stars at private tables on a patio near the cliff’s edge. Another favorite choice for romantic cliffside dining is the restaurant at Rockhouse Hotel. (If you want more cocktails post-dinner, walk down to LTU Pub and mingle with the locals. Casual eateries and cliff bars along West End Road include 3 Dives and Sips & Bites.)

At Boschendal, guests can slow down and savor “Le Pique Nique,” a pre-packed picnic basket that you can order in advance of your visit to the vineyard. When you arrive, collect your wicker basket filled with sweet and savory treats, pick up a bottle of wine to pair with your snacks, and find a spot under the pine trees to sit for the afternoon, relaxing and enjoying the sunshine.

Boschendal is right on the edge of Stellenbosch, about an hour’s drive from Cape Town through the beautiful hills and valleys of the winelands. The owners transformed several farm laborers’ cottages into luxury accommodations, should you wish to spend the night after a day of vineyard tours, winetastings, and dining at the estate’s several restaurants.

The Cederberg Mountains are where Capetonians go to hike and camp in the Western Cape. After a very bumpy (7km or so) ride deep into the hills and valleys of the Cederbergs, you’ll arrive at Gecko Creek Lodge. Each evening, watch the sun fall snugly between the mountains from your tent, pictured here. You can bring your own tent or opt to use Gecko’s, which was setup with two twin beds and included linens. Gecko also offers wood cabins with hammocks on a small front patio. With a swimming pool, hiking trails to wander, a nearby river, plus a lapa and boma (dining/cooking area) for mingling with the other guests, there was no shortage of activities to partake in.

I suppose the Algonquin is an obvious pilgrimage for anyone with a fascination for the 1920s, but it certainly didn’t disappoint. The ambience conjured everything I imagined of a legendary literary bolthole and more importantly my White Russian was delicious, accompanied by superb bar snacks and delivered to me by a most solicitous and engaging pair of waiters. The place managed to make me feel like it was me who was the famous guest - the kind of sensation that will have me going back for more.

When Fairmont Century Plaza first opened in 1966, this luxury hotel on a former backlot of 20th Century Fox Studios became the first hotel in the U.S. to have color televisions. The hotel was also of the site of President Nixon’s Dinner of the Century honoring the return of the Apollo 11 astronauts, and it hosted the 10th Grammy Awards when the Beatles won Album of the Year for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Today, it sits in the epicenter of Hollywood biggest talent agency offices and a chic shopping destination.

The building itself is a midcentury work from Minoru Yamaski (designer of the original World Trade Center). A $2.5 billion dollar reimagination in 2021 by studio Yabu Pushelberg brought an updated elegance that redued the number of guest rooms from 720 to 400 larger accommodations. The cool-toned rooms and 85 terrace-studded suites are adorned with digital paintings and landscape photographs and outfitted with Le Labo amenities. The outdoor pool is an oasis between office towers. The expansive 14,000 square foot spa, one of LA’s largest, offers a range of futuristic treatments including biohacking (which involves infrared technology, neuroscience, and meditation) and an “anti-gravity chair.” Celebrity trainers work with the hotel and Techno gym bags with weights and equipment can be delivered to rooms.

Lumière is the hotel’s modern brasserie serving a California spin on French cuisine that leans on seasonal ingredients. And in keeping with the hotel’s star-spangled entertainment legacy, in the soaring, sandy-hued lobby, The Bar doubles as a drinking den for meticulously crafted cocktails and live music venue. Elton John and Mariah Carey have played here, and now a next-gen lineup of artists play neo soul, jazz and other styles five evenings a week.

Brit-born cycling fanatic Gareth Jones first opened a bike shop called Vicious Cycles, then expanded into the next-door space with the Handlebar, a funky restaurant/bar/“cycle” cafe on a grungy, graffiti-lined backstreet in the increasingly touristy Psirri neighborhood. The simple brunch, bagels, and (mostly vegan or vegetarian) snacks fare here consistently earns rave reviews, and so do the DJs’s mad mixes of house music and more. The beer is cheap, and the young, edgy crowd is consistently enthusiastic. The bar closes at midnight so this isn’t a late-night venue. But where else can you eat well, drink inexpensively, listen to great tunes and get your bike fixed, all at the same time? Keep an eye out for occasional record launches, live gigs, and street parties.

Lyons Cottage, built in 1925 on the corner of Knuckey Street and the Esplanade, is famous for being the first residence in Darwin built of stone. It originally housed executives from the British Australian Telegraph Company; today it’s a café and gallery run by Aboriginal Bush Traders, a nonprofit community initiative. Visitors can shop for artworks, jewelry, clothing and woven fabrics made by Aboriginal artists and artisans. The garden is a pleasant spot for coffee, tea or lunch under a frangipani tree. The café serves dishes made with indigenous produce, such as bush tomatoes and Kakadu plums. And the building’s history is preserved in a hologram exhibit that tells stories of the Overland Telegraph line, which first linked Australia to the rest of the world in 1872.

Inspired by his time in New Orleans, Chef Steve McHugh brought to San Antonio a vision of a modern, welcoming spot with a killer charcuterie program, and that vision became his buzzy restaurant, Cured. Opened in late 2013 and having survived an on-premise fire, the restaurant has drawn discerning carnivores in for plates like monster 2-pound pork shanks, pork cheek poutine and cabrito sliders, all served in a elegantly utilitarian yet warm space. Not to be missed is the fine in-house charcuterie program -- or the see-through curing room front and center as you walk into the dining room. The wonderfully curated beverage menu features craft beers and wonderfully inventive cocktails. Cured is a must-visit culinary experience on any jaunt to the Alamo City.