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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.

On the North Shore of O‘ahu, Turtle Bay Resort is the only hotel of its caliber on this less developed part of the island. Set on a 1,300-acre property—half of which has been set aside permanently for conservation—the 408 rooms and suites all have ocean views and a neutral/blue palette inspired by the surrounding area. The resort’s commitment to environmental sustainability is palpable: Meals are prepared with leafy greens, beets, and other crops from the resort’s own Kuilima Farm, a plot of land five minutes from the hotel with a farm stand and “you-pick” self-harvesting days for locals. Meanwhile, the 18-hole golf course is maintained with gray water treated by the resort’s own plant.


The resort doubles as a wildlife sanctuary. A birding experience via electric golf cart led by Captain Scott Sundby, who runs Shaka Kayaks and has lived on the North Shore for 20 years, offers a glimpse at some of the wild residents. They include the ‘alae ‘ula, or Hawaiian common gallinule, which according to Hawaiian legend got its fiery red forehead from the gods, and Hawaiian monk seals, one of the world’s most endangered seal species. The coastline here is set within the Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, extending more than 1,200 nautical square miles; in the winter, it’s the site of humpback breeding, calving, and nursing.

On a mountainside surrounded by the national park, this nine–zip-line course stands apart from many of its competitors in the Southeast. Owned and designed by professionals who build courses all over the world (they own a second in-house location in Oahu), the course sends you soaring over streams and ravines in a 2.5-hour tour. It begins with an ATV ride up the mountain and includes three suspended “sky bridges.” Night and sunset tours are available during summer. Equally exciting and even more challenging is Climb Works’ two-mile El Regis mountain-bike trail. Although it’s beginner-friendly, the combination of ascent and descent ensures that intermediate riders will feel the burn, and optional routes that include wood features, berms, and rollers attract even seasoned experts. Climb Works avoids the touristy feel of some zip-line companies, thanks to a company culture based around sustainability and environmental stewardship.

If money is no object, staying near the Marina in Singapore is a great choice. On one side you have the bizarrely mesmerizing Marina Bay Sands development, which includes a hotel, casino (note that the Chinese take their gambling very seriously), shops, a theater, a rooftop pool, a rooftop restaurant/bar/club (Cé La Vi), myriad celebrity-chef restaurants (try Daniel Boulud’s DB Bistro & Oyster Bar), and much more. Although MBS is fun to visit and certainly worth strolling through, you get more for your hotel money across the Marina at the Fullerton Bay Hotel.

Adobe streetfront: door...window...sky. Color. Much of Tucson, like most western U.S. cities, is devoted to strip malls and parking lots, but the historic core still has blocks of 19th-century Sonoran-style row houses. In the 1960s, acres and acres of the Barrio Viejo was razed, but fortunately not all of it. Today it’s a combination of gentrification and the pleasantly decrepit: attorney’s offices, student rentals, and family homes share this yard-less streetscape in a bilingual neighborhood. In reading about the history of the neighborhood, I came across this description, written back in the 1930s by Dr. James Harvey Robinson of Columbia University, who was visiting Tucson for the first time: “But this cannot be the United States of America, Tucson, Arizona! This is northern Africa - Tunis! Algiers! - or even Greece, where I have seen as here, houses built flush with the sidewalks with pink, blue, green and yellow walls, flowers climbing out of hidden patios and overall, an unbelievable blue sky. And the sweet-acrid smell in the air? Burning mesquite. Lovely! And the people - charming. But all this is the Old World, not America.” The Barrio Viejo is perfect for a bike ride. You do feel as if you’ve left reality-TV-obsessed Gringolandia...if only for a few blocks...

For anyone who believes that truly historic architecture doesn’t exist in the states, Mesa Verde National Park will make you think again. Still standing in the park are cliff dwellings built in 600 CE by the ancestral Pueblo people who once lived in the area. A transformative day trip, Mesa Verde is nearly two hours from Telluride but well worth the drive to see its 5,000 archeological sites, from Cliff Palace (a ranger will guide you on the hike up, which involves climbing ten-foot ladders) to Balcony House (which you’ll enter via a 12-foot tunnel).

Why we love it: A foodie hideaway from a three-Michelin starred chef

The Highlights:
- A Michelin-starred chef overseeing operations
- Gourmet—yet affordable—fare at the on-site restaurant
- A lovely setting in the Rhine Valley

The Review:
The Rhine Valley village of Fürstenau may officially be the world’s smallest city, but it does boast the famous Schauenstein Schloss restaurant and castle hotel—and, since 2018, this more casual and contemporary option set in the castle’s former stables. Designed by Spanish-born interiors guru Patricia Urquiola, Casa Caminada is, like its parent restaurant and hotel, overseen by Swiss chef Andreas Caminada, who can often be spotted bustling around the property.

Given the hotel’s foodie cred, most guests come for the eats—whether they choose the fine-dining option at the castle or the restaurant at the Casa, which offers similarly elegant Swiss fare at more wallet-friendly prices. Breakfast is included in the room rate and features epic breads from the on-site, traditional-style bakery. After all the great meals—and some bracing hikes along nearby trails—relax in the guesthouse’s garden with a glass of wine, then retire to one of the 10 rooms. While they’re all different sizes and shapes, each is awash in warm woods, simple furnishings, and crisp Italian linens, and equipped with a private balcony that lets the views take center stage.

Why we love it: A bespoke stay in one of Beijing’s most notable neighborhoods

The Highlights:
- Perks like included daily breakfast and complimentary minibars
- A luxury spa with state-of-the-art treatments
- An on-site tea sanctuary with private tasting areas

The Review:
Personalized guest experiences are the driving force behind The PuXuan Hotel and Spa, located just outside the Forbidden City in WangFuJing—one of Beijing’s most distinguished arts and cultural districts. The property boasts 116 guest rooms, each of which comes with daily breakfast for two, laundry and pressing services, and a fully stocked minibar.

Once checked in and settled, guests will want to head straight for the UR SPA, where tailor-made treatments range from facials and massages to more unique options like energy rituals and touch therapy. It’s the perfect preamble to an evening on site, where two dining outlets welcome guests for delicious dinners. Try Rive Gauche for modern French cuisine like côte de bouef with Béarnaise sauce and spiced pigeon with red plum jus, or Fu Chun Ju for authentic Cantonese fare, including dim sum like steamed chicken feet with black bean sauce and deep-fried shrimp spring rolls. Tea lovers will do well with a trip to the Tea Room, an urban escape offering private tasting spaces, a tea lab, and a retail area for souvenir shoppers.

Built in 1919, the Condado Vanderbilt Hotel is a Spanish Revival landmark, perched majestically above the Atlantic Ocean. From its opulent lobby to its luxurious guestrooms, the property fuses its storied past—it’s hosted everyone from European and Hollywood royalty to captains of industry—with distinctly modern amenities, making for one of San Juan’s best stays. Spread over a historic building and two towers, the 212 guestrooms feature stone-topped vanities, French windows, and ocean views, while the 107 suites include separate sitting and dining areas, L-shaped balconies, and 24-hour butler service. At the beach club and four pools, guests can also look forward to cabanas, personal butlers to bring refreshments, and assistance from a tanning and hydration specialist.

When hunger strikes, the Vanderbilt is prepared with three different dining options. Hit Tacos & Tequila for escabeche pork tacos and Patron margaritas; Ola Oceanfront Bistro for Puerto Rican cuisine and water views; or, if you’re in the mood to splurge, 1919 Restaurant for sophisticated fare by Michelin-starred chef Juan Jose Cuevas. Also on-site is VC Lounge for expertly mixed cocktails, Marabar Martini Bar and Lounge for live jazz, Veritas Wine and Cognac Bar for rare vintages, and Avo Lounge for fine cigars. When you need to detox, head to the spa for indoor–outdoor treatments, rainforest showers, and hammam rituals.

Four thousand modern art pieces throughout public areas and guest rooms liven up this Pudong waterfront hotel, which opened in April 2013. The highlight is the lobby’s Glass Murals, made from almost 72,000 mosaic tiles and inspired by local artist Miao Tong’s painting Sound of the Wind. Elsewhere in the lobby, guests will encounter Chinese screens, sculpted furnishings, and bronze tones that mimic the glow of sunset on the river. Rooms have taupe furnishings, with flashes of indigo and lotus-green, and abstract ink paintings of traditional Chinese garden landscapes. Some have hypnotic Huangpu River views. As with many hotels in Pudong, the property is set within a larger complex, in this case the 61-acre mixed-use Harbour City development.

Set in a renovated 18th-century Milanese palazzo on a private street close to Milan’s Via Montenapoleone, the Bulgari is one of Milan’s most distinguished residences. The hotel’s enormous private garden dates back to the 14^th century, and the interior is awash in sophisticated materials like African black marble, Italian stone, and teak. In short, the place oozes class. The rooms—designed by the architectural studio Antonio Citterio, Patricia Viel and Partner—are tasteful, modern, and surprisingly adventurous. Located along dimly-lit corridors, the rooms come in various color schemes and feature an array of designer furnishings and conveniences, including not one but two plasma screens, Tivoli radios, and exclusive Bulgari bathroom products. Balconies overlook the surrounding villas, and gardens have been redesigned by landscape architect Sophie Agata Ambroise and feature patio furniture and a dedicated bar service. The Bulgari gardens serve as a natural extension of the nearby Botanical Garden and provide private relaxation amid Milano’s bustle. The hotel also has a high-end restaurant and bar, and a comprehensive spa. All guests get access to a personal shopper, personal trainer, luxury car rental, and even assistance with packing and unpacking. In addition, the concierge can arrange everything from hydroplane trips around Lake Como to personal shopping excursions around Italy by private plane, limousine, or yacht.

In the heart of the city’s business district of Taksim, Barceló is a modern example of Istanbul’s contemporary face. Designed by Zeynep Fadillioğlu, the interiors balance both classic and contemporary features, offering a warm, modern feel. Spacious rooms amply utilize shades of blues and purples, while oversized (and extra-long) beds will please taller guests. Suite rooms offer a hint of old Ottoman luxury with traditional Turkish bath basins and also allow access to the private top-floor Lounge 11, where complimentary drinks, snacks, and cocktails are served throughout the day.

A favored destination for business guests, the hotel provides state-of-the-art meeting facilities, and a business corner on the mezzanine floor offers 24-hour service. When work is done for the day, guests can relax with a traditional Turkish scrub-and-soak treatment at the Marti Istanbul Spa or sip cappuccinos or cocktails at Mixo Terrace—Taksim’s largest rooftop restaurant. For guests on the go, the hotel’s Gourmet Stop café serves takeaway sandwiches and cakes.

Close to Miami’s busy center, but set back from it, the Mandarin Oriental, Miami enjoys a quiet spot and the designation of the only hotel to sit on Brickell Key, a small island connected to Brickell Avenue by a bridge. This location gives the Mandarin Oriental a sense of both exclusivity and privacy; it also means that rooms offer some pretty incredible views of Biscayne Bay, the city, and one of Miami’s causeways. And what rooms they are; with 13 different types, expect a variety of choices with respect to layout and amenities. Standard in every room, though, are oversized tubs, large flat-screen televisions, Illy espresso machines, luxurious linens, and Carthusia toiletries. Turndown service is also included, as is the guest’s choice of newspapers, delivered to the room each morning. Mandarin Oriental, Miami does not have beachfront access, but it does have a pool. Finally, although the hotel doesn’t go out of its way to advertise the freebie, Wi-Fi is complimentary for guests who set up an account on the hotel website.

The first Smithsonian affiliate in the Northwest, this superb museum chronicles the Asian Pacific American Experience. Among its most poignant exhibits is the Letter Cloud installation: old hotel walls frame tales of aging far away from home. It also offers walking tours of the surrounding International District, including Touch Of Chinatown, which visits the elegant Kobo gallery and Uwajimaya, one of America’s largest Asian grocery and gift stores. Stop into the nearby Panama Hotel, home to a teahouse and the nation’s only intact sentō (Japanese public bathhouse). Lockers and marble baths still stand in the basement, which harbored the belongings of Seattle’s 7,050 Japanese-American residents imprisoned in WWII internment camps—the basis for Jamie Ford’s best-selling novel Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet.

São Paulo has a thriving culture scene that can be seen in its museums, craft fairs, graffitti, and artsy shops. If you spend a Sunday there, be sure to head over to São Paulo’s main avenue, Avenida Paulista, for a three-part cultural experience. First, the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (São Paulo Museum of Art, or MASP) is well worth a visit. It houses Latin America’s finest collection of Western art, including pieces by Picasso, Rembrandt, Monet, and other European masters. The museum also houses excellent temporary exhibits. If you’re hungry, you can eat at the museum’s cafeteria or wait and get snacks at the nearby crafts market. As you leave, spend some time perusing the huge antiques market that takes place every Sunday under the museum. Then cross the street and wander the “feira,” or crafts market, for typical Brazilian crafts (some of which are quite expensive) and good street food. Finish up with a stroll in the adjacent Parque Trianon, where musicians often play on Sundays. MASP is open 10-6. Admission is about $8 and $3.50 for students. Parking is available in lots and garages on side streets, and the metro station is Trianon.