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The epitome of fine dining, La Marmotte is as sophisticated as Telluride’s mountains are wild. While dining here, you can expect to enjoy expertly prepared dishes like beef tartare with caper berries and lemon, and roasted mahi-mahi, dusted with bee pollen and served with black garlic and sage sauce. Despite the elegant atmosphere, service is always fantastic, with no hint of snootiness.

This shaded park near the University of St. Thomas is right next to The Menil Collection. The park is very shaded and nestled between streets lined with classic 1920s bungalow houses. This place really captures Houston!

Bauman Rare Books is well known among antiquarian booksellers, and marks a striking contrast to most of the shops and boutiques you’ll find in Las Vegas. Having worked in the rare book business in the past, I can’t resist a beautifully tooled leather binding and the crinkle of pages brought to life by engravings.

Opened in 1932 in the historic Royal Khmer compound, this landmark hotel was the first luxury lodging in the area, catering to well-heeled adventurers intent on visiting the storied ruins of the temples at Angkor. Everyone from Charlie Chaplin and Charles de Gaulle to Jackie O and, more recently, Angelina Jolie have slept within its dramatic, art deco walls. Just a short walk or tuk-tuk ride to central Siem Reap, the hotel, now part of the Raffles collection, features 15 acres of manicured gardens with more than 20,540 species of tropical plants, making it a relaxing oasis after a day spent exploring the temples. Following a major restoration by David Grace Designs in 2019, the 119 rooms, suites, and villas—some set in the original main building, others overlooking the garden or pool—are now a vision of French windows, hardwood floors, and marble bathrooms with Italian tiling and oversized rain showers. Some have added perks like furnished terraces, high ceilings, or four-poster beds. Elsewhere in the hotel, features like the 1929 metal-and-timber elevator, art deco black-and-white tiles, and classic conservatory have been refurbished but maintained.

The large central swimming pool is ringed by loungers, while the tucked-away spa has a sauna, Jacuzzi, and six treatment rooms for excellent, regionally inspired therapies. Both in-house and outside guests frequent the six drinking and dining options, which include the legendary Elephant Bar, the elegant Restaurant Le Grand (serving both Western and Royal Khmer cuisine), and the completely renovated Apsara Terrace, which offers a dinner-cum-cultural dance show three or five nights a week, depending on the season. The on-site gallery and boutique showcase high-quality local goods.

Manhattan is full of boutique and luxury hotels, but Kimpton hotels are known for bringing both experiences together. Ink48, a hotel in Hell’s Kitchen, is no exception. Set in a former printing house, the hotel is close to everything without being too close. It’s accessible by both bus and subway and within walking distance of area restaurants, Times Square and the Javits Convention Center. Rooms are sleek and modern with flat screen televisions, animal print bathrobes and, of course, windows with views of the city. The hotel offers WiFi for loyalty program members and rents out bicycles to guests. The in-house gym and spa also help to keep you fit during your stay. The lobby has tea and coffee in the morning, flavored water in the afternoon, and wine at night. Print. Restaurant and The Press Lounge are the hotel’s highly acclaimed restaurant and bar that are both worth your time.

Former British prime minister Harold Wilson, who loved the Isles of Scilly and visited every summer (his wife, Lady Wilson, now 100, still does), is buried at the pretty Old Town Church in its atmospheric graveyard. The grave is modest compared to the grander tombs belonging to distinguished Scilly families, but not nearly as modest as the Wilsons’ nearby summer house, which is inconceivably tiny for a residence of one of Britain’s most important 20th-century statesmen.

This recently restored 18th-century Federal-style home and gardens was owned by General George and Katherine Marshall from 1941 to 1959, a time where he would experience his most illustrious achievements. One of only five men to receive the rank of Five-Star General, he was architect of the Normandy invasion during World War II, served as Army Chief of Staff, Secretary of Defense, Special Ambassador to China, and as Secretary of State created the Marshall Plan, the post-World War II economic rehabilitation plan for Europe for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Tours of the home are provided where 90% of the furnishings, personal effects, and memorabilia are original belonging to the Marshalls’ such as Chinese paintings from friends General and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek.

The Shockoe Slip in Richmond, Virginia has many quaint shops, good restaurants, and several upscale hotels. One of those hotels is the Berkeley Hotel. This boutique hotel is beautifully furnished. The rooms and bathrooms are richly decorated. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are offered in the hotel restaurant. Access to the Jamestown Center fitness club is included for guests. The attentive staff will be happy to assist you in any way they can. Nearby you will find the Richmond City Hall, the Virginia State Capital, the James River, and many other historic sites. A stroll down Cary Street is fun whether you are going to a restaurant or shopping or sightseeing. I have stayed at the Berkeley several times and have never been anything but pleased with the service and the hotel.

The King Cole Bar is about as legendary as any bar in New York. Located in the St. Regis Hotel at Fifth Avenue and 55th Street, it has been the place to go for a cocktail since it opened in 1932—Salvador Dalí, John Lennon, and Marilyn Monroe are just a few from a long list of famous names who have dropped in for a drink. The bar sits off the St. Regis New York’s lobby and is presided over by the famous King Cole mural painted by Maxfield Parrish, with John Jacob Astor IV playing the part of the king, jesters to each side of him. Today it is still the ultimate setting to start a celebratory evening, or end one with a nightcap; it cemented its place on most lists of New York’s top bars with an extensive renovation in 2013. While the bartenders can prepare anything you might be in the mood for, you may want to order a Bloody Mary. The King Cole Bar boasts that it was the first spot where the drink (then known as a Red Snapper) was served in the United States (a claim, it should be noted, that is disputed by some other bars).

College-town hiking aficionados usually know where to eat, so when the guys up the street at Babbitts Backcountry Outfitters told me this was one of the best places in town for weekend brunch, I went. A lunch-and-dinner place during the week, Criollo Latin Kitchen opens up on weekend mornings with offerings from blue corn pancakes to pork belly tacos, with poblano cheddar grits, sweet ancho chili sausage gravy, and Haitian ‘ti-malice'-inspired relish to go with eggs over easy. And along with the artists’ paintings that change monthly, the food is “local” as well—the menu and the chalkboard on the wall will let you know the ranches and farms in Arizona and Colorado that are the sources for Criollo’s organic ingredients. On this particular morning, I had the “huevos motuleños,” the Yucatán’s version of “huevos rancheros.” And get some bacon—it’s hearty, comes from Black Mesa Ranch in the White Mountains, and will make you want to bring the word “toothsome” back into popular usage. Even if you’re just passing through Flagstaff on your way to the Grand Canyon, or driving from Albuquerque to Los Angeles, Criollo is worth a stop. It’s just a block north of historic old Route 66 downtown. (Criollo is owned by the same folks who opened the nationally-renown “Brix” just up the street—Flagstaff is becoming a restaurant mecca—and its newest sister restaurant is “Proper,” way down the road in Tucson. “Taco Tuesday” evenings with inexpensive margaritas can be crowded.)

Chances are that if you’re not a Hollywood power-type or a member of the glitterati, ( and you’d know if you were), you won’t be attending the Oscars unless you are a “ seat-filler” that slips into place when the star has to go to the loo or out for a ( gasp) smoke. Don’t worry,you can party like a star at several venerable hotels that have figured prominently in Oscar worthy films, or just check-in put your feet up and turn on the T.V. and watch the Academy Awards with a splash of bubbly in one hand and some nibbles in the other. No need for a sealed envelope here, the clear winner-the grand dame who always plays herself is ... The Plaza in NYC. The Plaza also contributed to a motion picture “ first.” Director Alfred Hitchcock went on site with his star Cary Grant to New York’s The Plaza, to film key parts of the 1959 classic North by Northwest – the first time a crew, director and cast assembled on site to make a picture. Prior to this, movies were shot Hollywood soundstages and rarely on location. The Plaza has ”starred” in many motion pictures including Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961); Barefoot In The Park (1967); Funny Girl (1968); The Great Gatsby (1971); Plaza Suite (1971); They Way We Were (1973); Home Alone 2 (1992); Scent Of A Woman (1992); Sleepless in Seattle (1993); Almost Famous (2000); and The Great Gatsby (2013).

There are plenty of fancy doughnut shops. You know the type, the ones that count bacon or basil in their ingredient list. But if you’re looking for an old-school bastion of fluorescent lights and pink boxes full of fried dough, this is the spot. A family-run joint that has supplied prework breakfast and postbar bingeing since the 1960s, Bob’s draws a crowd day and night for the fresh doughnuts made from scratch. Bob’s bakes all the nostalgic favorites: glazed, chocolate, sprinkles, sugar, and fresh apple fritters, and crumb-topped doughnuts. You might also notice a giant doughnut in the window. Like a dare, this doughy beast invites you to take Bob’s Big Donut Challenge. Finish the beast within three minutes, and you’ll get your money back plus a Bob’s Donuts T-shirt and bragging rights, not to mention an inevitable stomachache.

There’s no better way to take in all Lake Zurich has to offer than by meandering this grand tree-lined walkway along its eastern shores. There’s swimming at the historic Seebad Utoquai, pedal boat rentals, and popular outdoor restaurants like the Pumpstation. For a dose of culture, the Center Le Corbusier showcases the Swiss-born architect’s last structure, a striking steel and glass masterpiece accented by multi-colored panels. Photo © Gaetan Bally/Zürich Tourismus.

Local chef Donnie Masterton long ago refined the art of matching sensory experience to fine food, and The Restaurant, on Sollano in the Centro, offers thrills on every level. Dinner here is an occasion for shirts with collars for men and shoes otherwise reserved for dancing for the women. (Dancing, by the way, often erupts in the bar in the wee hours, so it’s good to be prepared.) And while every night at Donnie’s proves a visual treat, Thursday nights are the see-and-be-seen scene, when locals stop in for gourmet burgers—available that night alone—with their Chateau Puy Blanquet St. Emilion Grand Cru.

With hundreds of castles and chateaux in Belgium, open to the public, it’s hard to know which ones to visit. The castle of Freÿr, in Wallonia, is a great place to start. This grand building has remained in the same family for 20 generations and one wing is still home to the current owners. Exploring the interior of the castle is a must, as you’ll be visiting some of the same rooms as Louis XIV and the Archduchess Maria-Christina. The best place to take in the scope of the castle and its grand formal gardens, however, is across the river. You’ll need a good GPS or map to find the 2 unmarked lookout points. You’ll be rewarded for your diligence by this spectacular view.