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Located on a half-mile stretch of white-sand Ha My Beach, a short drive from the UNESCO World Heritage town of Hoi An (a hotel shuttle can ferry you back and forth), the Nam Hai sits on the grounds of a former fishing village (a temple from that time is preserved on-site), and it still feels like a community. Guests bike between public spaces designed to evoke the high-ceilinged Tu Doc royal tombs found in the region, as well as 86 acres of tropical gardens and 100 villas, each outfitted with indoor/outdoor lounging spaces, king beds, lacquered bathtubs, and alfresco showers. The dining options range from a casual beachside spot to a fine-dining restaurant, and serve everything from Vietnamese and Western fare to Indian tandoori specialties; learn how to make some of your favorite dishes in a chef-led cooking class, or join the kiddos at the Junior Cooking Academy, part of the kids’ club. When you’re ready to take a break, don’t miss the central trilevel infinity pool and the exceptional spa, where the eight individual treatment pavilions appear to float on a koi-filled lagoon.

Even though it’s right across the street from top Cancún resorts near the southern end of the Hotel Zone, the entrance to this open-air restaurant remains known only to locals plus a few in-the-know travelers. Walk down the wooden staircase to find a dirt floor, a palapa roof, and tranquil lagoon views, plus affordable Caribbean seafood dishes prepared in an outdoor kitchen. You’ll also get traditional comfort food like ceviche and garlic shrimp, along with a selection of Mexican beers, but the highlight is the hot and fresh pescadillas, shredded fish in pan-fried tortillas.

The Grand Hotel de Londres (also known as Buyuk Londra) has been open for more than 100 years, and while its interior is immaculately kept, there’s something about it that is charmingly stuck in the past. You can imagine Ernest Hemingway at the bar in 1922, reviewing notes for his story in the Toronto Daily Star. Wander through the lobby with its antique furniture, past the requisite portrait of Atatürk, to the tiny elevator that will take you up to the rooftop. The bar there is scenic without being a scene: no seasonal cocktails or artisanal ice cubes here, just a simple but serviceable menu and gorgeous views of the Golden Horn and the Old City. If you can, try to arrive before sunset to hear the call to prayer echo throughout the streets, then descend the grand staircase back into the noisy nightlife of Pera.

In the shadow of El Yunque, The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort is situated on 486 acres of former coconut plantation and native maritime forest. There are still plenty of palms here, but now the flora also includes all manner of tropical flowers and trees, positioned around numerous trails for walking, running, and biking. Families love the resort for its many amenities, from four tennis courts and a Robert Trent Jones Jr.-branded golf course to a luxurious spa and state-of-the-art fitness center. A new partnership with Aquavento Water Sports provides equipment for everything from kayaking and paddle-boarding to fishing and sailing on nearby lakes, while the Soul of Bahia program gives guests the opportunity to volunteer with a rescue organization for local cats and dogs or help maintain a turtle sanctuary during hatching season. Still, the most popular activity might just be lounging at the pool or on the two-mile-long golden beach.

Part of a $60 million renovation following Hurricane Maria, the hotel now features a design by celebrated Puerto Rican designer Nono Maldonado and San Francisco-based firm Hirsch Bedner Associates. The plantation-style dark woods and warm browns have been swapped out for more modern, sea-inspired colors, and the 139 rooms have a chic, residential feel, with sprawling bathrooms, private terraces, and glass bar cabinets that can be stocked to your personal tastes by a 24-hour butler. Occupying a two-story building overlooking the ocean, the Casa Grande lobby is the place to go to experience the hotel’s daily Champagne sabering ritual, enjoy live music from a Steinway piano, admire the mural over the St. Regis Bar, or enjoy Greek-inspired fare at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Paros. The poolside restaurant and beach shack have also been redone to ensure uninterrupted views over the water.

With its leafy side streets, must-browse boutiques, and burgeoning food scene, Gueliz is quickly resembling pockets of Paris, particularly as more and more bistro-inspired places open their doors. Le Petit Cornichon is like a breath of spring with its splashy Majorelle blue and daffodil yellow color palette, floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto the street, and animated atmosphere. Toward the end of the week, you’ll find half of Marrakech here indulging in a laid-back lunch before heading down to the beach at Essaouira for the weekend, but it’s a lovely place for a prix fixe lunch any old time and a good value to boot: two courses for $17, three for $21. Settle in to peruse an excellent wine list before tucking into dishes such as sea bass ceviche with grapefruit and pink peppercorns, tarragon chicken, and a sliver of wickedly rich chocolate tart.

Go shopping at Villagio Mall, an opulent Venetian-style shopping mall traversed by water canals and a fleet of gondolas offering rides to the shoppers. The Mall is inconspicuously partitioned into two sections: one geared to cater to middle class patrons which resembles an elegant shopping mall in the USA, and the exclusive side with high-end boutiques (Cavalli, Roles, Versace, Louis Vuitton, etc), French restaurants and designer jewelries, all under a lavish glass dome and flanked by balconies evocative of an old Italian town.

Smack in the center of Willemstad, the Renaissance Curaçao is adjacent to the historic Rif Fort shopping and entertainment complex and within walking distance to everything downtown. It solves for not having beach access with two infinity pools overlooking the ocean and cruise pier, each edged in a man-made, sandy beach that can pass for the real thing at first dip. The colorful lobby is connected to a casino, mall, and the island’s only Starbucks. Be sure to check the local cruise schedule before booking an ocean-view room, as you may have your vistas blocked by a ship. You may also want to rent a car to explore the island’s natural beaches but, come nightfall, it’s easier to walk to the Punda and Pietermaai districts for dinner.

Northern China has some of the most amazing tasting yogurts. Since we don’t have any decent yogurt in Shenzhen, I pig out every time I go north. Stalls and shops around Xi’an sell really cool drinking yogurts. This stall was on the west side of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. The yogurt was perfectly tasty, though the best bit about it was the glass jars.

Home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, this curved glass building is also a premiere venue for the Toronto International Film Festival. During the year, this iconic building in Toronto serves as concert showcase and special event venue. National Geographic’s Live Series, for example, is great for travel buffs. Tours are available by appointment.

One of the city’s top restaurants, Cicciolina offers Italian-style dishes with a Peruvian flair, such as quinoa-encrusted prawns and osso buco with pumpkin ravioli topped by local cheese and a touch of Andean mint. There’s plenty to choose from, including seafood, duck, beef, alpaca, chicken, and even a few vegetarian dishes, as well as perfectly done handmade pasta. You can pick from either the tapas or the full-restaurant menu in the bar area, but not the other way around, so you may want to go twice, as the tapas are fabulous, too. A great wine list and yummy desserts finish out options in a small, lovely venue. Reservations are a must.

If Mandapa, “temple” in Sanskrit, feels more like a community than a hotel, that’s because it is. The resort occupies 24 green acres on a property previously owned by a group of neighboring families, who retain access to the land and its on-site temple. As a result, it maintains three acres of rice paddies and a traditional rice barn on stilts, and the villagers bring daily offerings to the temple, giving Mandapa a strong connection to local culture.




The hotel’s open-air lobby sits 300 feet above the Ayung River valley, overlooking 35 hillside suites with views of the jungle and rice paddies and 25 villas along the flowing river. The suites are furnished with traditional Balinese pieces and artwork and stand-alone soaking tubs, while the high-ceilinged villas, decorated with vividly colored botanical panels, have large pools and separate master suites.





Everywhere, local materials and design elements feature prominently, from the thatched roofs to the fringed umbrellas that shade the lounge chairs by the pool. The riverside spa is another place to discover Balinese products through deeply relaxing treatments and spiritual ones with a local healer, too. Five dining and drinking outlets include fine-dining restaurant Kubu, a spot for high tea, a cocktail and dinner venue called Ambar, and Sawah Terrace, where Sundays feature a Royal Brunch. Ubud’s center is only 10 minutes by car, but the guided vintage VW convertible tours on offer are arguably the best way to get around. From $1,250

About 20 minutes from the center of Guadalajara is the tiny town of Tlaquepaque, whose name translates to “hills of clay.” Fittingly, it’s known for its beautiful pottery and other handicrafts. Wander around Independencia, a pedestrian-only street where the Mercado de Artesanías and several boutiques are concentrated. While in town, you should also pay a visit to the Regional Ceramic Museum, founded to promote indigenous ceramics from Jalisco.

It’s fun to imagine that Xcalak, a sleepy coastal village south of Mahahual on Mexico’s Costa Maya, is what the entire Caribbean coast of Mexico looked like before the creation of the Cancún megaresort in the 70s. No Spring breakers, no cruise ships, no thumping beachside clubs, no big hotels. Just white sand and palapas, palm trees and pelicans, hammocks and fishing boats. Just you in secluded relaxation away from it all. Several clean and basic hotels are located on the old coast road and fresh, cheap seafood is abundant at local favorite Toby’s. Dive and snorkel trips can be arranged at XTC Dive Center (www.xtcdivecenter.com), located about 300m north of town.

Head chef Matt Clarke has created a rare gem in this southerly city. With a recently refurbished contemporary dining room and bar overlooking Stanley Harbour, the Restaurant at the Malvina House Hotel champions high-quality local ingredients. Clarke specializes in fresh fish and chargrilled meats, though the menu extends to such interesting options as upland goose pâté and reindeer. The fish & chips, fried local squid and duck confit are among the most popular dishes at this casual eatery.

Mambo Beach Boulevard has more of the ambiance of a beach party than that of a conventional shopping mall. It features some 50 restaurants, bars and stores, including souvenir retailers and boutiques selling swimwear (as well as everything else you might need for a day in the sun). There are also water-sports operators, and your time browsing can be broken up by some time on the beach. There’s even a nightclub with a schedule of live performances that keeps the energy going into the afternoon and evening.