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You’d be hard pressed to find a more stylish stay downtown than The Joule. The independently owned hotel is spread out over three interconnected buildings—a classic revival-style from 1913, a former Salvation Army built in 1911, and a neo-Gothic onetime bank—which have been integrated under the direction of renowned interior designer Adam D. Tihany. His touch can also be seen in the 161 rooms and suites, each decorated with serene jewel or earth tones, contemporary furniture, hand-picked art and photography, and plenty of natural light from oversized windows. Frette bedding, glass-enclosed showers and soaking tubs, and 47-inch flat-screens equipped with Apple TV round out the comfortable digs. You’ll spy pieces from the hotel’s extensive art collection in the public spaces, as well as the outdoor sculpture garden across the street. The block-deep lobby buzzes with an outpost of Weekend Coffee (using Victrola beans flown in weekly from Seattle), a library curated by TASCHEN, and chic boutiques like TenOverSix and Traffic LA, while the popular CBD Provisions draws a local crowd with its modern Texas fare and regional drinks list. The 8,000-square-foot subterranean spa features a vitality pool, crystal steam room, and glass-walled sauna to enjoy before or after treatments, and there’s also a fitness center with a cycling studio and group classes. Two things not to miss: the original historic bank vault in the lobby, and the much-Instagrammed rooftop pool, which cantilevers eight feet off the side of the building.

Östermalms Saluhall is one of Stockholm‘s most famous markets. While the prices aren’t cheap, since 1888 the market has been where those looking for the very best fish, meat, and produce shop. For most travelers in Stockholm, it provides a good lunch option if you want a fish sandwich or snack in an atmospheric Victorian food hall. The Saluhall will be closing for renovation and moving to a temporary building across the street in January 2016, and is scheduled to return to its home in 2020 after it has been refurbished and upgraded, ready to serve discerning Stockholm residents for another 125 years.

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.

Le Bernardin, on 51st Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues, is one of the handful of New York restaurants that is regularly awarded four stars by the New York Times (it is also one of five restaurants in the city with three Michelin stars). Chef Eric Ripert’s specialty is fish, and the menu is divided into three categories: “almost raw,” “barely touched,” and “lightly cooked.” If you like your tuna cooked medium, this isn’t the right place for you. Ripert often finds his inspiration in Japanese cooking, with his sashimi and light broths, and adds some Latin American influences, in his ceviches and some other dishes. The fish is always allowed to take center stage, and typically any sauce is merely intended to accent its flavors. The dining room has an understated, contemporary style with light-wood walls and high ceilings. Unlike some celebrated chefs, Ripert has chosen not to build a restaurant empire, increasing the odds that on any visit he will be at Le Bernardin, presiding over its kitchen and dining room.

It’s no surprise that the opening of this beloved gastropub back in 2007 coincided with Orlando’s rise as a culinary hot spot. While its owners James and Julie Petrakis have not stopped opening other ventures around the city (including at Disney Springs), this local favorite—known for its Cask & Larder beers and sophisticated Southern fare—has hardly waned in popularity. Start with the charcuterie platter (a spread of rillettes, dried sausage, and salami), then choose from favorites like shrimp and grits and the enormous Pub Burger, which comes topped with caramelized onions and buttermilk blue cheese. Whether you come for happy hour, dinner, or something in between, expect a lively atmosphere that’s perfectly suited to groups.

At Lizard Island, luxurious amenities meet an ecologically diverse island paradise. The sole resort on the island, the exclusive spot features 40 rooms as well as 24 private beaches, all but guaranteeing your own pristine sliver of paradise. Accommodations range from posh villas set apart from one another (including the two-bedroom, cliff-top villa, with its 26-foot pool and endless views of the Coral Sea), to garden-view rooms with private terraces and pathways leading directly to Anchor Bay beach. Furnishings follow a tranquil white-and-gray color scheme, while amenities include LCD smart TVs and Apple docking stations. Guests also receive their own motorized dinghy, standup paddleboards, clear-view sea kayaks, and snorkeling gear for exploring Giant Clam gardens and the schools of brightly colored fish in the surrounding waters. The more adventurous can even arrange for private deep-sea dives to locations accessed exclusively by the Lizard Island Marine & Dive team, ensuring you’ll have the coral reefs all to yourself.

The Common becomes extraordinary on winter evenings when the Christmas tree is up and soft lights seem to hold back the twilight chill, but the truth is there’s no bad time to visit the nation’s oldest public park. The former cow pasture has been a focal point for Boston’s history and culture since its inception in 1636—a site for riots and rallies from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War era as well as weddings, hangings, and burials. Summer splashing and winter skating at the Frog Pond are local traditions, and you can spend hours wandering from landmark to landmark (like Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s famous bas-relief Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts Fifty-Fourth Regiment, or the Soldiers and Sailors monument atop Flag Staff Hill). Or you can just laze in the sun on the park’s west-side lawn.

I fell in love. I fell in love with the town of Marfa. Safari tents. Stand alone bathtubs. Vintage trailers. Twinkle lights. Hammocks. An off the beaten path campground takes you to another world. You can choose to stay in one of their hip vintage trailers, eco-friendly safari tents, or in one of two teepees. The place fills up so all that was left was the safari tent. I felt like I was in a part of Moonrise Kingdom. It takes up 18 acres in Marfa, Texas and it has a place where they host live music, a communal kitchen, a shaded nook full of swinging hammocks, a community lounge and a small little shop filled with unique finds. It’s a place that just steals your heart and makes you wonder when you can come back.

This, the bar lauded for the city’s best sliders, has just added another star to its menu: Neapolitan pizza. Regulars are mighty keen on “carbo pepe,” by Chef Miwi (at the helm in this kitchen as well as at acclaimed hipster-heaven Belmondo, both in Roma). Félix remodeled a porch into a garden where they’ve got salads, pastas, and the aforementioned pies. These and other dishes took the chef to Italy, for expert education, leading to experimentation and that perfect dough. Super-chill and friendly, yet the service could hardly be improved.

The most luxurious way to experience Dubai’s desert may smash an entire holiday budget, but a stay in the Bedouin-inspired tented suites at Al Maha might well be worth it. It’s one of the best places to see desert conservation in action: Al Maha is in the heart of the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, home to the UAE’s largest free-roaming herd of Arabian oryx, a species brought back from extinction in the wild through rehabilitation initiatives. Guests should keep their eyes peeled for gazelles, too—300 Arabian and 100 sand gazelles inhabit the dunes, and the more inquisitive ones often come right up to the 42 tented accommodations. Water recycling, biodiesel, and solar panels all contribute to Al Maha’s efforts to tread lightly on the fragile desert ecosystem.

Comprised of just 10 suites with distinctly different designs, Palácio Belmonte feels more like a dream vacation home than a hotel. The vibe is spot on, given the backstory: A Frenchman traveled to Lisbon looking for a vacation home in the Portuguese capital. He first saw the building from a taxi and thought to himself, “It has nine windows, just like my home in France. I’ll buy it.” It wasn’t until after purchasing the property that he actually set foot inside and saw just how enormous it was—far too large for him and his family. Thus, he set about remodeling the building (which was originally owned by a noble family in the 1400s) with the notion of converting it into a space for visitors.

Old San Juan may look, at first glance, like a few other charming cities built during the height of Spanish colonialism—Havana or Santo Domingo, for example—but what sets it apart is the extent to which its architectural infrastructure from that era remains visible. It’s the only city that has its original colonial wall almost entirely intact, and both of its principal forts are in excellent condition, remain accessible to the public, and offer panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean (so bring your camera). Both El Morro and Fuerte San Cristobal are run by the National Park Service; guided tours will leave you with greater knowledge about the era, as well as the forts’ construction and their role in Puerto Rican history. (There are other, smaller forts in and around the capital, next to the Caribe Hilton, and in Luís Muñoz Rivera Park, plus Fort San Juan de la Crúz in the nearby town of Cataño.)

Built in 1928 by Asia’s oldest hotel brand, the Peninsula Hong Kong is one of the most historic properties on the Kowloon Peninsula, just across Victoria Harbour from Hong Kong Island. Designed originally as an upscale accommodation for passengers riding the adjacent Kowloon-Canton railway, the Peninsula has been a fixture of Hong Kong society throughout the region’s history. It was a magnet for Hollywood stars and dignitaries, the site of Hong Kong’s surrender to Japanese forces at the start of World War II, and temporary housing for residents following the war.

In 1994, a 30-story tower was added to house 135 additional rooms and suites as well as shops, a spa, a fitness center, twin rooftop helipads, and Felix—the hotel’s 28th-floor fine-dining restaurant, designed by Philippe Starck. The entire property was renovated in 2013 to update rooms with creamy colors, polished wood, and stitched leather and introduce high-tech extras that include a bedside control panel allowing guests to adjust the room’s light, sound, and temperature without getting out from under the covers. Today, the hotel is sleek and modern, but historic relics evoke the glory days that established the Peninsula as the “Grande Dame of the Far East.”

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.

This is a peaceful spot to land when you want to soak up the tranquil breezes off the Chesapeake Bay. Head down south and enjoy a quaint stay in this hopeful little town still showing forth the glory of its historic roots. Grab a bicycle from the Hope & Glory Inn’s bike stand and head on over to their namesake vineyard. Taste a few of the delicious wines and dine at the Inn’s restaurant where the grub gives ‘country’ food a new meaning.