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It always feels like a different world anywhere in the beautiful Point Reyes National Seashore area, and an evening at the hidden Nick’s Cove in Marshall, will have you in love with Tomales Bay. The property was recently overhauled by a group of silent investors that purchased the cottages and the restaurant and they’ve made some phenomenal improvements. Austin Perkins is the new head chef and the genius behind the BBQ oysters. After you’ve been checked in and escorted to your cottage, a delivery of complimentary oysters arrive at your doorstep. I kept hoping the staff at reception would change so that I could check in again. The rooms are cozy and spacious and the fireplace will always be a hit on the foggy and cool evenings. Be sure to either have dinner in the restaurant/bar, or ask for take out and have the meal delivered at the end of the pier, in the famous Boathouse. I’d also recommend making arrangements to start the next morning off right, with a paddle in Tomales Bay in a kayak. Local outfitter Blue Waters Kayaking will literally meet you on the deck of your cottage (if you’re lucky enough to secure one of the rooms on the water) and show you the magic of the area, the true way it needs to be seen. You’ll need to save up (and reserve far in advance) for a room at Nick’s Cove, but the experience is worth the pretty penny.

Chania is one of the most beautiful cities of the island of Crete. One of the most beautiful corners of the city is the harbour. It was built on the Venetian era. Visitors will find there monuments of both the Venetian and the Ottoman history. The harbor was constructed by the Venetians at around 1350. Apart from the monuments to be seen by visiting the Venetian Harbour in Chania, you will find along many restaurants, cafes and bars. The area is very lively and crowded day and night.

Terraced like the surrounding rice paddies, Soori Bali occupies an undeveloped stretch of fertile coastline roughly 25 minutes from Tabanan, a town northwest of Denpasar known for traditional farming and artisan crafts. The resort’s modern design plays on the shapes, colors, and landscapes of the surrounding area and incorporates local stone. (At the recommendation of the surrounding village’s elder, the property also constructed 10 stone temples onsite within the property.) Outdoor spaces feature bright green trees and grasses along with infinity pools, while high ceilings, cool colors, and marble floors inside create a tranquil escape from the heat. The property’s spacious rooms and wood-slat shades give off an art-gallery vibe, and the reading-room lounge displays the works of the hotel’s artists in residence. Food is another big focus here, both at the resort’s three restaurants and in tours that explore rice cultivation, exotic ingredients found at the Kerambitan market, and the spices, cacao, and coffee from nearby Jatiluwih.

Start your dive into Maputo’s interesting historic downtown area, the Baixa, at the Maputo Central Market—a covered market built in 1901 inside a Portuguese colonial building. It can get hot and crowded inside, but it’s well worth a little bit of sweat to witness the near-constant buzz of activity from early morning to afternoon as vendors hawk everything from tropical fruits and vegetables to seafood, nuts (don’t miss the cashews), handmade batiks, wood carvings and other souvenirs. Afterward, it’s a five-minute walk from the market to Baixa’s popular Café Continental for a tasty pastel de nata pastry and a cup of strong coffee.

Royal Street is to antiques and fine art what Bourbon Street is to booze. This elegant urban thoroughfare is not only home to some of the best examples of the city’s early-19th-century Creole town houses, but is also loaded with high-end antiques retailers. These feature mostly ornate 18th- and 19th-century European sculptures and paintings, early furniture, chandeliers, and dinnerware used by the upper crust. Most of the inventory has a decidedly Continental air to it. Among the better-known shops are Waldhorn and Adler (343 Royal St.); Ida Manheim Antiques (409 Royal St.), run by the same family since 1919; and haute-upscale M.S. Rau (630 Royal St.), with its warren of hidden back rooms open only to serious customers.

Built in 1891, St. Lucia’s most colorful and largest open-air market sits in the heart of its capital. It’s a one-stop-shopping favorite for fruits, vegetables, spices, handmade arts and crafts, and even handwoven beachwear. The produce is definitely the highlight. The stall tables are beautifully set and decorated, while the fragrance of herbs and condiments fills the air, turning it into a multisensory island experience. The market is open daily, 7 a.m.–1 p.m., but the most active morning is Saturday. After shopping, grab a seat at the adjacent annex to sample some local foods—a breakfast bowl of cow-foot soup (the perfect hangover cure) or a Creole fish lunch.

It took a 1920s cotton magnate and a 1980s oil heiress to create the city’s most iconic stay, the former incorporating hallmarks of European design into a 10,000-square-foot house the likes of which had never been seen in Dallas—think Italian marble columns, 19th-century Spanish cathedral doors, and a ceiling inlaid with 2,400 separate pieces of wood. The latter transformed it into the Mansion Restaurant, which remains an award-winning favorite, adding a new wing with 143 guest rooms and suites and establishing the first property in the now-global Rosewood chain. Past the signature peach facade, the since renovated accommodations mix modern technologies with gracious amenities, historic touches, and residential-style décor—a combination that’s proved a hit with visiting dignitaries, international business travelers, and privacy-seeking celebs. A small pool, fitness center, and massage treatment rooms round out the facilities in the new wing, while meeting rooms and event spaces are located in the mansion’s gorgeous former living quarters. Young professionals flock to the leather-walled Mansion Bar for after-work craft cocktails and live music on weekends, while the brunch crowd heads to the Terrace restaurant to dine around outdoor fireplaces and oak trees hung with lanterns. Just don’t pass up ordering the legendary tortilla soup at The Mansion.

Marilyn Monroe once proclaimed that her favorite swimming pool was at the Arizona Biltmore. And Irving Berlin, obviously a person who didn’t know how to relax, is said to have written “White Christmas” while a guest at the hotel. Other musical guests have included Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., who were known to play on a piano in the lobby. But that’s history, and the Jewel of the Desert, as the 90-year-old hotel was once known, is now just one more sparkling gem in a treasure chest of Arizona resorts. To continue shining, the Biltmore underwent a major renovation that was completed in late 2016. Much of the update focused on restoring the hotel’s original main building, but the guest rooms, meeting spaces, ballrooms, and spa were also polished. The contemporary style that now dominates the Biltmore was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, who played a significant role in determining the hotel’s original look. In the guest rooms, Wright’s influence is most notable in the wall coverings, embossed with a design similar to that found on his “Biltmore Blocks,” used in the construction of most of the resort. Of course, for guests who didn’t come for the history, or the design lecture, there are still the eight swimming pools, seven tennis courts, and, next door at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club, 36 holes of golf.

Owned by the world-renowned art collector Dakis Joannou and smartly decorated by quirky Brazilian designers the Campana brothers, the New Hotel is the city’s coolest upscale design-centric property, with 79 rooms (including seven suites) and an intimate restaurant. Although centrally located, just a five-minute walk to Syntagma Square, it’s tucked back in a modernist building on a side street so it feels hidden and discreet. The interiors are both playful and smart; the Campanas created much of it with items recycled from the previous hotel. Imagine puzzlelike walls and chairs constructed of layered, repurposed wood intermingled with sculptural chairs of their own design. In the rooms, they had fun riffing on Greek cultural objects, like the Karagiozis, a shadow puppet, and multiple versions of the glass “evil eyes” used to protect against ill omen. Bottom line: stylish contemporary design, excellent location, and friendly service.

A couple of blocks west of the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Hoan Kiem Lake—meaning Lake of the Restored Sword—is one of Hanoi’s anchors. It contains a number of sites worth visiting, like Ngoc Soc Temple and the picturesque, red-lacquered Huc Bridge. The greatest fun here is people watching, from men and women jogging round the perimeter to retired folks doing tai chi or dancing. Many locals come to socialize or just take a few moments to escape the city’s chaotic roads and traffic. Visit in the morning as the city is waking up and the air remains blissfully cool. Photo by Binder.donedat/Flickr.

Beijing’s number one tourist attraction is a massive former imperial palace known as the Forbidden City. Between 1416 and 1911, it was home to 24 Ming and Qing dynasty emperors and their families and staff. In 1912, after the abdication of Puyi—the last emperor of China, who ascended the throne when he was not yet three years old—the Outer Court opened to the public; in 1925 the Palace Museum was opened, with a collection of nearly 1 million Chinese antiquities. The Forbidden City has almost 1,000 buildings spread across 72 hectares (178 acres), making it the world’s largest palace complex.

Caps for sale. Since 1946, The Man’s Hat Shop has offered over 4,000 styles of you guessed it, hats. The popular, uber-friendly mainstay caters to a variety of styles (from English barrettes to cowboy hats) and materials (straw to coonskin). Seasoned proprietor Stuart Dunlap and his informed staff dole out advise on size, style and shape (with all budgets in mind). Don’t let the name fool you, women can buy hats too!

Come summer, locals flock to the tranquil patio for al fresco dining. The new chef is the likable Marc Quiñones, whose kitchen churns out Southwestern food with molecular gastronomy. Commence your meal with the award-winning tortilla soup or green chili scottish salmon tartare. For dinner, the seasonally changing menu features dishes like organic chicken with goat cheese polenta, and strawberry brined duck breast.

Contemporary art can sometimes be pretentious or obscure, but DHC/ART adds an edgy sense of wit, with exhibitions ranging from the visual puns of Ceal Floyer to the exuberant portraits of John Currin. 451 rue St.-Jean, (514) 849-3742.

Believe it or not, this was a day in Nice in early January—the middle of winter! Not sure if we were just lucky that day, but it was dazzling and picture perfect. Walking (or rollerblading) along the promenade was a perfect way to spend a lazy morning after a night at Wayne’s Bar.