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As soon as you try BBQ Express, you’ll understand why residents are obsessed with truki pan, the humble sandwich trucks parked all over Curaçao. This Caracasbaai staple is legendary for its enormous portions of barbecue ribs, pork, and burgers, but the real star is its one-of-a-kind pindasaus, a spicy Dutch-Indonesian peanut dip. From 9 p.m. to early morning, night owls and partygoers crowd around this mobile kitchen for an affordable taste of nirvana. Locals usually order their grub to go, but don’t be shy about digging in at one of the nearby picnic tables (remember that it’s BYOB if you’re thirsty).

A black-and-white tile courtyard pool deck lined with sun-bleached coral loungers, a chic indoor tiki bar off the intimate jewel-toned lobby and guestrooms where French claw foot tubs appear in unexpected places, The Plymouth Hotel earns serious style points. Designed by Fernando Santangelo (the man behind L.A.’s Chateau Marmont) and situated inside a historic Art Deco landmark on the corner of Collins Park, it feels like a hip hideaway reserved for those in the know—yet it’s only one block from the beach. The Plymouth is also home to an outpost of Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill where diners clamor for omakase and the famous fried chicken.

Aspen is known for its glitz and glamour, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a millionaire to vacation here. If your first priority is to be outside, then Hotel Aspen is an ideal and affordable base, located downtown at Main Street and Garmisch. The hotel boasts that it offers four-star amenities at three-star pricing. You won’t find a sceney restaurant and plush spa, but the hotel compensates with thoughtful staff and tons of complimentary services. While many hotels charge hidden extras, Hotel Aspen prides itself on free guest parking, free Wi-Fi, free breakfast, and even a free après-ski reception with wine and cheese. Even the most basic rooms—Deluxe Rooms—feel roomy and come with a refrigerator and coffeemaker. Families will like the spaciousness of Junior Suites, while anyone looking for a home away from home will want to book the one-bedroom apartment, which has a living room and fully stocked kitchen. Pets are also welcome, for a $20 daily fee.

The second, and smaller, inhabited island of Îles des Saintes is Terre-de-Bas, reached by boat shuttles from Terre-de-Haut. There’s not much to do here other than explore nature in its wildest state, but one of the sights that makes it worthwhile is the only beach on the island: Grande Anse. It’s mostly undeveloped and rarely crowded, and offers nearly a mile of golden sand and blue bay water. You’ll find a local restaurant there for a plate of fresh seafood and rice, at cheaper prices than on Terre-de-Haut.

Why we love it: A historic hotel where Old Florida elegance meets contemporary style

The Highlights:
- Unique amenities like a tennis complex, golf course, and private marina
- A wide range of dining options to suit everyone’s tastes
- A prime location near Tropicana Field and The Dalí Museum

The Review:
A member of Historic Hotels of America, the Vinoy Park Hotel opened in 1923—a Mediterranean Revival property overlooking Tampa Bay, designed for America’s elite. It served as a training facility for the Army Air Corps for a brief time in the early 1940s, but reopened as a hotel in 1945 and continued operations until 1974, when it closed in disrepair. Following a $93 million restoration and expansion in 1992, the hotel reopened once again as the Vinoy Renaissance, complete with a new guest tower and an 18-hole golf course designed by Ron Garl.

Today, the Vinoy also features 360 guest rooms and suites, complete with well-lit workspaces, pillowtop mattresses, and Aveda bath products, as well as two swimming pools (one heated), a spacious tennis complex, a 5,000-square-foot fitness center with complimentary workout classes, and an elegant spa offering massages in poolside cabanas. Thanks to the hotel’s waterfront location and private marina, guests can even charter a boat for the day and explore the bay. Dining options range from sushi on the Veranda Patio to farm-to-table fare at Marchand’s Bar & Grill. The culinary standout, however, is Paul’s Landing, named for a Navy carpenter who once fished, farmed orchards, and cured meats and seafood along the St. Pete waterfront. Don’t miss the citrus-glazed shrimp and grits, or the crispy Brussels sprouts with key lime.

This beautiful Parisian cemetery is on the Boulevard de Menilmontant and next to the Metro station Philippe August, in the 20th arrondissement. Upon entrance to the main gate, grab a map so not to get too lost. The art work on the memorials and the stories behind the names on the headstones inspire a mood of great tragedy and romance. The locals call it the la cite des morts (the city of the dead). The cemetery makes the ideal place to explore if you’ve seen a lot of Paris before and want to dig a bit deeper. Seek out the tombs of 1) Oscar Wilde (for all of those declarations and kisses left behind); 2) Georges Rodenbach, a Belgian writer and poet of the 19th century with a breathtaking tomb; 3) Victor Noir, who became more famous in death (by duel) than life. Seek the answer to the riddle of why his tomb is seen as good luck for fertility You’ll also see the gravesite of Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas, buried side by side in a testament to their love. The list of the celebrity dead goes on and includes Gericault, Piaf, Chopin, Heloise and Abelard. Even Jim Morrison. An afternoon here is guaranteed to leave you grateful for the treasures you found but weren’t expecting.

Cacao beans’ scientific name is theobrama cacao, which translates into “drink of the gods.” Casa Cortés in Old San Juan will truly please any god with its Cortés chocolate concoctions. This welcoming café fuses modern style of its seats and dishes with the antique charm of walls covered in Cortés chocolate molds and a short history of chocolate on a collage of artwork that exudes nostalgia. The menu features mouth-watering items such as a baguette filled with Brie, chocolate, and a hazelnut spread; a blood orange and passion fruit cheesecake topped with a chocolate mousse; and an Argentinian ice wine. I opted for the mallorca (a sweet bread dusted with powdered sugar) stuffed with Ibérico ham, Manchego, chocolate, and a guava spread, accompanied by a European hot chocolate that was to die for. My meal was perfect, but I’m sure everything I didn’t get to taste was just as amazing. That’s what you get when your chocolate comes straight from a nearby farm. While I waited for my food, I watched a video on chocolate production. There’s also a museum (unfortunately, I was unable to see it, but you can bet I’ll be back there next time I come home to my beautiful island) and some products for sale. Make sure to take a little piece of Casa Cortés with you for future indulgences—they advertise one chocolate tablet as being enough for two beverages.

Le Rivage, specializing in Creole cuisine, is a charming place to stop for lunch on the way back from hiking Guadeloupe National Park. This casual, family-friendly establishment has a wood-floored dining room with shutters opening onto views of Bananier Beach, welcoming in a constant breeze. The local drinks are made to order. Pick your rhum of choice from the display table and sip on a ti’ punch before savoring typical plates like cod fritters, fresh lobster stuffed with spices, and goat stew.

The state’s first dedicated craft-beer café and boutique showcases over 500 brews in the up-and-coming Kakaako neighborhood. All seven Oahu breweries rotate through here, including Home of the Brave. This nearby brewpub not only produces great suds like the smooth Remember Pearl Harbor Lager, but it squeezes World War II memorabilia into its Brewseum (brewseums.com). The shop is especially strong on Hawaiian beers with seasonal flavors like Lanikai Brewing’s use of Surinam cherries in a sour or Honolulu BeerWorks drawing pad thai flavors into a Hefeweizen. Look for beers steeped in terroir too: Waikiki Brewing is smoking its own malt with local kiawe wood, while Aloha Beer salted a German-style Gose with ocean water!

In the early 1900s, Lutheran missionaries arrived in the Western Arrernte community of Ntaria (Hermannsburg) about an hour west of Alice Springs. They offered food, shelter and education to the native people long oppressed by the white settlers who came in the wake of the Overland Telegraph Line, completed in 1872. The area was also hit by severe drought. While many cultural and religious shifts took place, perhaps the largest impact of the Hermannsburg missionaries on the indigenous people was the introduction of arts and crafts, namely watercolor and ceramics. Pottery arrived in the early 1970s and was first taught by Victor Jaensch, from Barossa Valley, who helped source local clay and set up a small kiln. The famous desert painter Albert Namatjira blossomed around the same time and had a lasting effect on the budding potters’ style and depiction of country. The first Hermannsburg potters were men, but now it’s largely a woman’s craft that was taught by accomplished ceramicist Naomi Sharp for 17 years. Today the terracotta pots are still made using the traditional hand-coiled technique before being shaped, burnished, decorated, and finally fired to produce distinctive Aboriginal art pieces that have a strong connection to the land and this singular slice of Australian history.

Entrega is Huatulco’s most popular beach, what with clear and calm water, clean sand and nearly a dozen food kiosks. Visitors who want to see marine life beneath the water’s surface can rent snorkeling gear and kick off right from the beach; expect to see plenty of colorful fish. The beach gets particularly crowded on weekends, when locals come to relax, so try to arrive early and stake your spot in the sand.

A tiny former ferry—the m/v Fremont Avenue—takes 50-minute spins around Lake Union, a glacial-gouged body of fresh water the size of Monaco. A cruise reveals gorgeous views of the Space Needle and Seattle‘s skyline, as well as the rusted splendor of the world’s last remaining synthetic-gas plant, now a postindustrial play space for picnics and kite-flying. Quirky narration highlights more hidden sights, like the studio of world-renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly and its birdhouses shaped like vintage RVs. Bring cash or checks for the $12 ticket and $2–$4 treats. Well-behaved, leashed pets are welcome, too!

Why would a local visit a tourist attraction? Because Kualoa is a beautiful escape and a place to appreciate Hawaiian culture. Building sprees that began in the early 1900s spread across Hawaii with no concern for desecrating places of cultural significance or taro farmland, making it more remarkable that this land system running from the mountains to the sea, known as an ahupua’a, still exists. The Morgan family, descendants of Dr. Gerrit P. Judd, land-owner after King Kamehameha III, have diligently kept the integrity of the area intact while providing a financial base to preserve Kualoa’s 4000 acres on Oahu. Drive out to the ranch on your own or arrange a Waikiki pick-up, then take in a full or half-day of tours, a beach day, and dinner show. Kualoa Ranch has been a scene-stealer in many movies and a tour will drive you through some of the locations. If horseback riding is your thing, experienced wranglers can set you up on well-kept horses. While your gentle mount does all of the work, magnificent vistas will leave you breathless. For those preferring their horsepower with four tires, there are ATV rides or, a jungle expedition in a Pinzgauer up mountain trails stopping for a stunning view of Kane’ohe Bay, an 800-year-old fishpond and a tiny island called Mokoli’i. There are easy options like the garden tour and fishpond boat ride. Everyone will enjoy the authentic Hawaiian show featuring ancient dances about Kualoa while dining under the stars.

New York is definitely one of the food meccas of the world, every restaurant, a living proof of the fusion of cultures that make up this amazing city. One thing you will find here is that some of the best restaurants are not obvious to the eye. Many have hidden entrances or disguised doors. While La Esquina is also an evident fast food restaurant, the real treasure lays hidden in the basement underneath. Behind a door labeled “employees only” a set of stairs takes you down to much larger room with rustic decoration and attractive murals that evoke the Aztec theme and welcome you to your next best meal! The food is a testament of the fusion of flavors of Mexico... the tostadas (bite size crisp tortillas) de pollo and cangrejo with the spicy mango relish or the taquitos are a great way to start! Then go for the juicy marinated Carne Asada with a hint of garlic and the classic mojo or the Camarones a la Plancha and pair them with the green beans and the rice for a meal to remember!!! and please... leave room for dessert, the Crema Cocida, a velvety panna cotta with a mexican twist, or the Torrejas Brulee, a moist bread pudding with bits of pinnaple, give you the perfect level of sweetness to end a superb meal! If you go with large group (>9) they will require you to do a family style menu for a fair value, which I highly recommend!! Trust me, there will be plenty of food and I promise, it will be a feast you will never forget!

Not everyone gets to live across the street from the White House. Before the current Italian-Renaissance hotel was constructed in 1927, the prime real estate was occupied by the homes of two little-known American icons: John Hay—personal secretary to Abraham Lincoln, ambassador to the United Kingdom, and Secretary of State under both William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt—and Henry Adams, Harvard professor and great-grandson of John Adams. Their houses were hubs of D.C. culture for decades at the turn of the last century, and so, when the Hay-Adams opened, it was only logical that the hotel would continue that tradition. Washingtonians play at the sultry bar scene, everyone from Amelia Earhart to the Obamas has stayed in its elegantly Old World rooms overlooking historic Lafayette Square and the White House beyond, and the hotel is known for its discreet and comprehensive, no-questions-asked service. Should guests need a ride to one of the District’s many important meetings, the house Mercedes drops off anywhere downtown, guaranteeing a first impression worthy of a luminary. Though if you insisted on the meeting coming to you, no Beltway insider would mind.

This hotel is on our list of the best hotels in Washington D.C.