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In 2014, Szczecin, a pleasant seaport town in western Pomerania, received a very welcome addition: the new Philharmonic Hall. Now the unofficial symbol of the city, the magnificent building appears to be built of light. Barcelona-based design firm Barozzi Veiga constructed the building on the exact site of the 19th-century Konzerthaus (which was destroyed by Allied forces during World War II), helping to resurrect Szczecin’s musical spirit. Bright and daring, the award-winning structure is still rooted in a neo-Gothic context, with beautiful interiors and flawless acoustics. In addition to the Szczecin Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonic hosts a variety of top orchestras, ensembles, and bands throughout the year, as well as numerous festivals, competitions, workshops, and educational programs for children. When visiting Szczecin, the building is an absolute must-see—in fact, people have been known to travel specifically for the purpose of visiting the Philharmonic. Time your trip to a concert, or simply take one of the regular tours of the building.

Laguna Beach’s deep connection to the arts goes back to 1918, when 150 local creative residents started the Laguna Beach Art Association (the city’s population was only 300 then). That association went on to launch what’s now the Laguna Art Museum. Although the museum covers countless genres and eras, there’s one thing every piece has in common: They’re all made in California. The 3,500-strong permanent collection spans the early 19th century to present day, from light and space installations to pop art (and also includes pieces by art-world stars like Ed Ruscha and Wayne Thiebaud). It’s rounded out by a handful of new California-centric exhibitions each year. Highly knowledgeable docents—all have completed an extensive nine-month training course—lead lively one-hour walk-throughs at 11 a.m. Friday to Tuesday; groups of 10 or more guests may book guided tours in advance. Must-do: Hit the museum on a Thursday night when it stays open until 9 p.m. and becomes a community hub, with lectures, film screenings, and live concerts in the galleries.

Gothic and Renaissance architecture meets modern design at Augustine, where 13th-century details like vaulted ceilings and 19th-century frescoes share space with Czech Cubist furniture and pottery. The seven buildings that make up the property—parts of which date back to 1284—formed some of the St. Thomas Church and Monastery, so you may even bed down in a room where Augustinian monks once slept (in fact, monks still have quarters here). The 101 rooms are a chic combination of old world charm and modern luxury, with generously sized marble bathrooms with heated floors and rain showers; suites have magnificent views of Prague Castle or an interior garden. The Refectory bar serves wickedly good “Archangel” cocktails, named for the subjects of the room’s Baroque frescoes, as well as St. Thomas Beer, brewed from the monk’s original 1352 recipe, but don’t let the spirits get to your head. There’s also a highly regarded fine-dining restaurant as well as a spa.

Tucked away in Cartagena’s Old Town, Casa de Indias combines colonial architecture with vibrant eclecticism. Though the villa dates to 1693, when it was owned by the then-governor of Cartagena, its purchase in 1979 by the family of famed Colombian figurative artist and sculptor Fernando Botero set the tone for its current iteration. His interior designer daughter Lina Botero redecorated the guesthouse and opened it to travelers in 2013, keeping old-world features like terra cotta–hued stucco walls and black-and-white marble tile floors while adding colorful textiles and pottery, rough-hewn wood furniture, and works by her father to create an artsy lived-in feel. Individually decorated rooms are likewise warm and distinctive, some showcasing original brick walls and all offering iPod docks and flat-screen TVs. The 16-guest maximum capacity helps ensure a quiet atmosphere where you’re free to roam between palm-shaded patios, lounge around the outdoor pool, or take in panoramic city views from the rooftop terrace and hot tub.

Guests at Ultima Thule can rest assured they’re in good hands: The lodge is run by the intrepid Claus family, particularly Paul Claus, the legendary bush pilot and adventurer who is known as much for his skilled glacier landings as his mountaineering exploits (he’s gone as far as Everest and as close to home as nearby Mount St. Elias). Hand-hewn logs from the original cabin built by Paul’s father, John Claus, still form a wing of the main lodge, though much has been added to create the world-class resort. There are now five private cabins outfitted with Craftsman furniture, plush featherbeds and bearskin rugs; a wood-fired sauna; and a large vegetable garden whose harvest—along with local game and fish—forms the foundation of many of the meals. But the real appeal here lies in the unscripted adventure excursions, some led by Paul himself in a two-seater Super Cub, which may take guests from exploring an abandoned gold mine one moment to viewing herds of Dall sheep roaming across vast Wrangell–St. Elias National Park the next.

First domesticated on this tiny island in 1840, the aloe plant is so important to Aruba that its image is emblazoned on the nation’s crest. Crops once extended over nearly two-thirds of the island and, to this day, remain Aruba’s largest export, explaining why the plant is a frequent motif in local art and architecture. For more information, visit the Aruba Aloe Factory, where you take a guided tour and learn about the manufacturing process. Then, head to the museum to browse a small collection of ancient aloe planting tools as well as books on the plant and its history.

Charleston’s four-block City Market is a historic landmark (one of the oldest in the country, rivaled only by Baltimore’s Lexington Market) and an essential stop for locally made souvenirs and snacks. Pack up your sweetgrass basket (a traditional Gullah handicraft) and check in for the night across the street at the Market Pavilion Hotel. The hotel has all the plush trappings—Italian marble bathrooms, Hermes toiletries, treats at turndown—one could ask for in the French Quarter, topped off by a rooftop bar and pool with enviable views of the harbor and bustling East Bay street. On a particularly hot Southern night, you might cool off with a nitrogen-infused cocktail before sitting down to a steak dinner at Grill 225, which serves only aged, USDA-Prime meat. The hotel is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World and the restaurant is one of a dozen Great Steakhouses of North America.

Opened by Carlo Ritz in 1894, the St. Regis belongs to a particular category of five-star hotels in Rome in which Old World glamour is alive and well. While the current trend in town is toward boutique hotels and converted townhouses, the St. Regis is palatial and uncompromisingly opulent. In the century (plus) since opening its doors on the crest of the Quirinal hill, the hotel has remained a beacon of luxury, and indeed many of the hotels on the nearby Via Veneto, Rome’s luxury hotel row, take their cues from this long-established pioneer.

The entrance through the marble portico just off Piazza della Repubblica leads directly into a grand salon furnished with overstuffed chairs, chandeliers, and antiques. The grandeur continues in the rooms, where classic style and sophistication reign. Owing to its elite clientele, the hotel’s 23 suites come with 24-hour butler service, while the aficionado program is designed to provide exclusive access to sites and special experiences including road trips designed by the Ferrari racing team or helicopter rides to wine estates.

The Hotel Locarno occupies two adjacent buildings in the cosmopolitan district between the Tiber River and Piazza del Popolo. The original property, built and inaugurated in the 1920s, houses the majority of the standard and deluxe rooms, while the annex, a former palazzo owned by a Venetian family, houses the more luxurious suites. Both of the adjoined structures blend Old World charm and art nouveau elegance, and their rooms preserve turn-of-the-20^th-century decor, including lavish drapery, oil paintings, embellished ceiling stuccoes, and period furniture.

The two buildings are joined by a wisteria-filled courtyard, where breakfast is served in fine weather. The rooftop bar offers aperitivo (the Italian version of happy hour) cocktail service and sweeping views over the city and across the river to St. Peter’s cupola. The bar is open to the public and attracts a well-heeled Roman and expat crowd.

Originally built as luxury apartments near the Tivoli Gardens and City Hall, in central Copenhagen, the historic building now housing Hotel Alexandra has been a hotel since early 1890. After World War II, when it became the Hotel Alexandra, each of the rooms was painstakingly reimagined using exclusively Danish mid-century modern design, from the colors and fabrics to the furniture and art. Stepping into the lobby feels like stepping back in time to the Copenhagen of the 1950s and ‘60s, when the designers whose work fills the hotel were in the prime of their careers. Taking this dedication to Danish design a step further, each of the 59 rooms and suites has been decorated with vintage furniture and wallpaper from the ‘50s and ‘60s including works from some of the most famous Danish designers of the era: Finn Juhl, Verner Panton, Hans J. Wegner, Nanna Ditzel, or Arne Jacobsen.

But the hotel doesn’t live only in the past. Its dedication to environmental responsibility is evident throughout, and nowhere more so than in its environmental certification from Green Key, a laudable feat even in eco-conscious Denmark.

One-hundred-fifty-year-old walls and tropical foliage frame the courtyard dining area at La Panga Antigua, an enchanting restaurant in downtown San José del Cabo. Walking through the unassuming front door is like taking a step back in time; there’s an old-world charm that envelops La Panga Antigua (and the whole arts district, for that matter). The menu, however, demonstrates a distinctly contemporary sensibility, blending ancient Mexican recipes with a 21st-century commitment to locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. Seafood comes from regional fishermen, vegetables from an organic farm in nearby Pescadero. The menu changes regularly, but you can expect items like scallop carpaccio, grilled rib eye, or the catch of the day, grilled with a pumpkin seed crust.

I forgave the service (slow as molasses) at Donald Link’s newest seafood spot, Peche, where highlights included crab-and-chilies capellini, fried bread, and fish sticks. Go with a crowd and order everything.

The location for the most charming scenes in the movie Amélie, this once-forgotten neighborhood is now a destination for the young and fun-loving. As soon as the weather turns warm, picnickers line the paths along this 19th-century waterway, watching bridges rise and turn to allow barges to pass. Shopping, food, drink, and diversions also abound here: Artazart (83 Quai de Valmy) is recognized as one of the best design bookstores in Europe, while Le Comptoir Général, just across the bridge, offers live music and cheap drinks. Chez Prune has one of the city’s most popular terraces for enjoying a glass of something refreshing and a chance to watch Paris go by.

This national park is centered along the spine plateau above Bryce Canyon, which drops to the east from the main park road. Along the road are numerous pull-offs for enjoying views down into the canyon, with its miles and miles of awe-inspiring sandstone hoodoo spires. Drive to the far south end of the park where the road terminates for the best views of Rainbow Point, named for the colorful rocks that lead into the Grand Staircase National Monument, then get away from the crowds by hiking one of the many trails that drop into the canyon. Visitors can also pick up a backcountry permit and stay overnight to see the stars. While most tourists come during the spring and summer months, Bryce is particularly stunning in the winter when it’s covered in snow.

Landing in heat-soaked Kuala Lumpur after being on the road for 24 hours can be disorienting. Incessant chanting (“vei vel shakti vel”), monkeys screeching, wafting incense, a glorious moon, and a million people.


Thaipusam falls on a full moon and is the celebration in remembrance of Lord Murugan (his statue pictured at the base of the steep 272 steps to the Waterfall Temple at Batu Caves - the top being the best view) who received the “vel” (sacred spear) from his mother, Shiva’s wife, to kill three demons. Killing internal demons seems to be the order of the day for devotees.


The festivities begin with a chariot bearing the statue of Lord Murugan being drawn through the streets starting from Sri Maha Mariamman Temple and then on the second day (when I arrived), the fulfilling of the vows by devotees takes place at the Batu Caves after people walk barefoot approximately 15 kilometers starting in the middle of the night from Kuala Lumpur. The chariot returns to the Temple on the third day.


The real highlight is watching devotees with huge decorated frames (“kavadi”= burden”) supported by spikes that pierce their chests and backs as penance for answered prayers. As one devotee said to me, “Life is an act of gratitude and this is the ultimate day of gratitude to our deities.” I felt a deep empathy for the intense devotion and commitment of the Tamil Hindus I witnessed. This is truly one of the world’s great festivals of purification and atonement.