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Mexico City’s Centro Histórico has some fine bars, clubs, restaurants, and hotels where you can enjoy a copa or a cocktail, but if you’re looking for a side of good jazz to go along with your drink, then, the place is Zinco. Housed inside the vault of a former bank, Zinco feels old-school atmospheric and its small size keeps things intimate. Shows feature both Mexican (yes, there’s a thriving jazz scene in Mexico and international artists. Arrive early to ensure you snag one of the few tables and a waiter who will dedicate himself to refreshing your cocktails throughout the night.

Apparently, you don’t need a rockin’ house or an haute hotel to throw a massive pool party. The only thing missing from the poolside shindigs at these downtown Scottsdale bars are the floaties. First, there’s Spanish Fly Mexican Beach Club with its private cabanas and day beds. Then just down the street is Maya Day and Nightclub, which not only has private plunge pools but also a taco bar, LED video screen and floating stage that hosts DJs and live music. Rounding out the trio is El Santo, a cantina and patio bar with a 15,000-square-foot Mexican resort-style pool.

The very first restaurant that was recommended to me by the bellhop at my hotel was Mother’s Restaurant. Mother’s is one of the oldest and most successful restaurants in the NOLA. The line to get inside stretches down the sidewalk to the back of the building. The menu has all of the Nawlins classics like Po-Boy sandwiches and jambalaya. Breakfast is also amazing. Creations like the shrimp creole omelet with grits really popped out on the menu for me. Try it, try it all!

It’s one of those buildings that you walk by all the time, yet have no idea what goes on inside. What does go on inside? Well, plenty. The Navarre Building was a bordello, fancy dining club, and jazz hot spot, and is now an art museum housing one of the best Western Art collections in the country. The Anschutz Collection is now open to the public three days a week. Go absorb some culture, and be sure to ask about the secret tunnels that used to shuttle “ladies of the night” to and from the Brown Palace hotel across the street.

Enjoy these stunning oceanview and beachside cabanas at The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort, a seaside resort in Cancun, Mexico. Enjoy the turquoise blue waters of the Caribbean, a sweet haven for the sun-seekers. A perfect place to soak under the sun, swim or people-watch. $400/night.

I’d like to believe that had my public library been as stunning as the Black Diamond in Copenhagen, I would have spent more time studying at the library and less time doing whatever one does when one is supposed to be doing their reading. But the reality is that I probably would have spent most of the time staring out at the water and at the handsome people who wander through its naturally lit halls. The Black Diamond is the newer annex to The Danish Royal Library. It gets its name from the black granite, tinted windows and trapezoidal design (isosceles I think; perhaps I would be more sure had I worked harder on that geometry homework). When you turn the corner, it peers out like a large warship: dark, massive, and slightly foreboding. But the people and bicycles scattered about near the library’s entrance bely the need for concern. At the library’s entrance there is a cafe perfect for you to steady yourself with coffee, pastries, and more people watching. The library holds an art exhibit, concerts, The National Museum of Photography, The Museum of Danish Cartoon Art, as well as its own collection. But the pièce de résistance is the atrium that overlooks the harbor. Take the escalator up a few floors and turn and seize the view. But don’t gasp too loudly: there are people probably trying to do their geometry homework.

Already a landmark on the Bangkok skyline, the 77-story MahaNakhon tower was designed by the Dutch firm OMA and opened at the end of 2016. The mixed-use tower encompasses the Bangkok Edition Hotel, nearly 50 floors of the super-luxury Ritz-Carlton Residences, and the MahaNakhon Observation Deck, offering tourists 360-degree views of Bangkok from its top four floors. At the base of the tower, the MahaNakhon Cube is home to markets and restaurants such as Dean & DeLuca and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon.

Ascona, on the shores of Lake Maggiore, has swaying palm trees and a mild climate, and is Switzerland‘s lowest-lying town (643 feet above sea level). The lakeside promenade (Lungolago) offers a Mediterranean feel with streetside cafés, warm breezes, and diners clinking wineglasses—all with a backdrop of historic 19th-century merchants’ houses. The town, a former fishing village, has become an upscale resort town—known for its water sports as well as some of the best hotels in the country. Ascona’s old town center, the Borgo, is a warren of charming alleyways and chic boutiques.

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).

Set along the sacred Ayung River, Four Seasons Resort at Sayan is a tropical paradise shrouded in giant palms and ferns. Designed by John Heah, the property was built and decorated using regional materials almost exclusively, from shells and coconuts to coveted ikat fabrics, giving guests an authentic Balinese experience just 15 minutes from Ubud. A serene lotus pond sits on the rooftop of the resort’s main building, and teakwood villas offer views of rice terraces and the longest river in Bali. Indonesian cooking classes, ancient wellness rituals, and plantings with local rice farmers are just some of the ways guests can connect with the local culture; the rest can be found in Ubud, where vibrant markets, temples, and museums counterbalance the hotel’s tranquil dining and wellness journeys.

Food, fun, and entrepreneurship come together at this 15-acre hub at the base of west Dallas’ Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. The complex was designed as an incubator to nurture and support startups in the worlds of dining, art, entertainment, and retail, allowing emerging businesses to connect with each other and the community. As a result, tenants may come and go, but you’re always sure to find a diverse selection of wares and eats; recent restaurants, for example, have spotlit sushi, kebabs, “next gen” Mexican, and vegan dishes, while shops have peddled handmade chocolates, Korean snow cones, Southern-style cakes, and works by emerging painters. Most of the spots have indoor seating, but it’s more fun to grab some favorites and sit out on the patio, looking out on the city skyline. Be sure to check the site for info on upcoming events like live music, trivia nights at the brewery, “pizza on the patio” evenings and more.

At this luxury collection of six historic homes—some from the 16th century—guests can book a bedroom or an entire house, all within blocks of Santo Domingo’s most important attractions. You won’t find out which room or home you’ll be staying in until your arrival, but you’re sure to be pleased. Located in the heart of the Zona Colonial, the casas are exquisite. Two were part of former convents, one was a monastery, and another was once the private home of a famous Dominican fashion designer. Each one features unique decor and its own courtyard, and five of the six have private swimming pools. Upon check-in, you’ll receive a loaner iPhone to communicate with your house butler and the round-the-clock concierge team, who can help arrange excursions like culinary tours in the Old City and visits to one of the Caribbean’s largest organic cocoa producers.

Upon your arrival at this 556-room resort, you might be disappointed to find a small pool instead of sandy palapas overlooking the sea. But the Renaissance makes up for its location on a busy thoroughfare in the capital city of Oranjestad with its own private island, a 40-acre oasis dotted with pink flamingos and iguanas. After an eight-minute water-taxi ride, you can choose between two distinct beaches—one adults-only, the other designated for families—plus an array of vacation-friendly amenities. A beachside bar and grill serves up burgers and wood-fired pizzas; an open-air spa offers Swedish and cold stone massages, as well as reflexology; and an extensive water-sports program includes activities like snorkeling, scuba diving, and ocean kayaking. If that’s not enough to tire you out for the evening, a steak house and casino await back at the main resort.

A stay at OneFortyEight, in Nairobi’s Langata suburb, feels like hunkering down at your most stylish friend’s home. The former private residence has eight eclectic rooms that blend regional artwork, custom furnishings (by local fashion designer Anna Trzebinski), gothic touches, and feminine finishes and come in a variety of layouts to satisfy every kind of traveler, from two-storey apartments to a three-bed loft perfect for children. A large, welcoming fireplace sits in the middle of the living area to greet guests, dinners take place around a giant wooden table, and a covered lounge overlooks gardens filled with grazing warthogs and tree-leaping monkeys. Days are spent visiting nearby sights—dropping in on the giraffes at the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife Center, adopting a baby elephant at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, or walking in the footsteps of Karen Blixen. Of course, no one could blame you for holing up for the night: each room has access to Wi-Fi and Netflix.

The phrase “Dedicated to Art” is engraved in stone over the entrance of the Renwick Gallery, a reminder of its rich history as the nation’s first building created expressly as an art museum. More than a century and a massive renovation later, this mission continues to hold true. The Renwick celebrates contemporary craft and decorative arts through immersive installations, special exhibitions, and impressive collections of jewelry, wood art, and studio furniture. The curated works are both elegant and innovative, much like the Second Empire architecture of the building when it was first designed by Renwick in 1859. As with all Smithsonian Institution museums, admission is free.