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Located atop The McKittrick Hotel—site of the immersive theater experience “Sleep No More"—Gallow Green is a beguiling outdoor space overgrown with flowers and vines that offers up views of the Hudson River and the High Line. It’s as popular for late-night drinks as it is for weekend brunch; art lovers can fuel up here and then hop around the Chelsea neighborhood afterward. During warmer months, the rooftop hosts “Potions and Plantings,” a monthly tea party for kids (ages 5-10) and their adults. The event outshines all other kids’ tea times in the city (and there are many) and will make the grown-ups want to return for their own happy hour.

From its beachfront locale to the sweeping terraces and sliding-glass doors, everything about this hotel is aimed at maximizing views of Bali’s most sought-after shoreline. Local stone and wood put an Indonesian twist on the resort’s Thai design, which incorporates a dark-wood color scheme, a mini waterfall, and lattice screens. The hotel offers one-of-a-kind experiences, including special-occasion dinners on the beach and spice-infused cooking tours that introduce guests to regional flavors (don’t miss Spice Spoons, in which you’ll sample exotic fruit and other local ingredients, or the seaside Indonesian cooking class with a master chef). Bustling Seminyak lures travelers to its restaurants, bars, and nightclubs—often early into the morning—but Anantara’s spacious sundecks, refreshing pools, traditional spa suites, and umbrella-shaded beach chairs are waiting to revive you the next day.

Located at the northeastern end of Fakarava, Rotoava is one of the busiest towns in the Tuamotus, although it’s hardly a booming metropolis. While most of the island’s population lives here, there are just a few streets, and it is easy to explore on foot. Check out the churches, the two or three shops, the town hall and the village school. You’ll also find most of the guesthouses—and correspondingly, restaurants—here as well.

One of my most favorite recent additions to Marfa is the stunning and thoughtfully designed Hotel St. George. The new structure, owned by a longtime Marfa resident, occupies the same location as its historic namesake which shut down in 1929.

Just like the old days you will still find cowboys, travelers and locals mingling at the bar in addition to a more recent international arts crowd. The new St. George has quickly become a community hub for Marfa. Happy hour rocks and the food at the bar and in the dining room LaVenture is delicious. Important for Marfa where food options can be quite sparse, the St. George is open 7 days a week.

Staying at the hotel is a treat since you’re pretty much thrown right into the middle of Marfa’s universe. The rooms are spacious, industrial, and minimalist in design and totally comfortable. A great collection of contemporary art by local artists is on display in the guest rooms and public spaces. I just love the vibe of the place.

Not to be forgotten, one of my all-time favorite independent book stores, the Marfa Book Company has made its home at the St. George as well. Located at one end of the spacious lobby, it is always open, just in case you fancy a shopping spree at 3am.

>>>Warmest thanks to the awesome team at El Cosmico for another unforgettable Trans Pecos Festival of Music and Love–an annual gathering of friends, music, art, camping, sandlot baseball and a night sky full of stars in Marfa, Texas. Love you guys.

There are three Ezdan Malls in the country, but the largest and most centrally located is the one in the Gharafa area. Although it is next to a newer mall, across the street from the iconic Landmark Mall, and close to a hypermarket, Ezdan has set itself apart by opening 70 first-timer shops in Qatar out of a total of 140 stores. This introduction of new brands to Qatar has made locals, expats and tourists particularly happy as now they can find brands such as Old Navy, Hallmark, Nautica, Garage, Aftershock, Aeropostale, US Polo, and others, as well as snack places such as Tim Horton’s and Papa John’s. Ezdan Mall is not overpriced and offers sought after mid and mid-up brands. Another perk that comes with shopping at Ezdan is that, unlike many other higher-end malls, this one has plenty of parking spaces (more than 2,000), most of which are in the basement, away from the heat.

Tangier is full of history, with every turn holding an ancient secret to the city. The port is a popular place for locals to take in the ocean views, but all the action takes place in the winding streets of the Old Medina. My favorite stop was at the fruit stands. The tangerines are less than fifty cents and the best purchase you can make while in Morocco.

First, Brooklyn’s Coney Island is not, in fact, an island, having been attached to the rest of the borough by landfill since the 1920s. What the area is best known for, however, is its heyday from around the 1880s through World War II when it began as a posh seaside resort area and gradually became a beloved beach destination, thanks to a number of amusement parks. The appeals of Coney Island declined after the war (historians attribute this to the proliferation of both air-conditioning, which made escaping to the shore less important, and the automobile, which made it easier to reach nicer sandy stretches on Long Island). In recent decades it has increased in popularity again. Brooklyn residents, and visitors to New York, have embraced anew the retro charms of the boardwalk and the rides that are still operating, like the Cyclone roller coaster and the Wonder Wheel Ferris wheel. The towering Parachute Jump has been abandoned, but it still stands as an impossible-to-miss landmark. Brighton Beach sits next to Coney Island and is a largely Russian neighborhood where restaurants are happy to serve any diners who appreciate copious amounts of vodka and Russian specialties.

By far Nagasaki’s largest shopping area, this bustling strip, situated close to the Kanko Dori train station, brims with over 700 shops that range from tiny boutiques to sprawling department stores and high-end emporiums. If you can’t find what you want here, try the surrounding streets, which offer even more choices. The fact that Hamanomachi is a covered arcade means it’s perfect for rainy-day retail therapy, and there are also several key shrines and temples nearby if you need a culture break.

Feeding a healthy body and soul, Under the Bodhi Tree is commited to serving local, organic, and gourmet vegetarian and vegan foods from their Kamuela cafe. Beyond the menu, the restaurant supports the community with a fitness program and local fundraisers. While you’re lunching on the Fungus Humungus, a mushroom and quinoa dish, or the Better than Beef veggie burger, you can inquire about local yoga classes or find out when the next 5k comes to town. There’s no way to leave without feeling the radiating blush of healthier living.

Open for dinner under the stars from Thursday through Sunday nights, flavors, live music, and dance harmoniously come together for an incredible evening out at Blue Dragon Restaurant and Musiquarium. The menu focuses on the freshness factor and celebrates items made with ingredients from their own organic farm and more than forty Hawaii ranchers, farmers, and fisherman who provide the freshest foods to the table. The ambiance at Blue Dragon can be electric with live music every night that spans genres and encourages guests to get up and dance in the open air restaurant underneath the stars.

Although the Smoking Goat is credited with pioneering a culinary renaissance in a once-sleepy corner of North Park, nothing else about chef Fred Piehl’s flagship restaurant screams “culinary vanguard”—and that’s precisely what devotees love about the place. Regulars come here for the reliably exquisite staples: French onion soup with what’s essentially an open-face grilled cheese sandwich afloat in rich veal broth; duck fat truffle fries with pecorino romano and mustard aioli; beef cheeks à la Bourguignonne with carrots, cioppolini onions, cherry tomatoes, mashed potatoes, and braising jus; and other creations that blend traditional French tastes with sustainable, organic San Diego–sourced ingredients. While dinner at this rustic, romantic spot is hardly the time to eat lightly, if you want to go vegetarian, opt for the indulgent raclette au gratin with fingerling potatoes, cornichons, and toast, along with a salad of poached and raw pears with mixed greens, pistachio pesto, and champagne vinaigrette. And as befits the restaurant’s caprine theme, the goat cheese cheesecake with poached peach and whipped cream is a favorite dessert.

Vietnamese love the cool climes of this town 5,000 feet above sea level in the highlands of southern Vietnam. Da Lat was “discovered” as a site for a potential town in 1893 by French bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin; before long, it was established as a refuge where French Indochina’s colonial administrators living in Saigon could cool off during their downtime. French villas—many still standing today—and summer palaces of Vietnam’s last emperor, Bao Dai, soon followed. Today many visitors still come to escape the tropical heat typical of most of the country, wander round the man-made lake in the heart of town, and enjoy the locally grown fruits and vegetables sold at the morning market—strawberries, peaches, avocados, artichokes, and more. The Hang Nga guesthouse here is a small hotel with an unusual surrealist design. Da Lat is also a great destination for adventure travel, with outfitters offering mountain-biking, kayaking, white-water-rafting, and canyoning excursions; Phat Tire Ventures is the best operation in town.

Seclusion and tranquility are the new forms of luxury in a world that is so accessible and plugged in. Aqua Wellness Resort successfully marries contemporary luxury accommodations with serene surroundings, providing a memorable and rejuvenating experience for travelers. Accessible by a two-and-a-half-hour drive or 40-minute helicopter ride from Nicaragua’s international airport in Managua, Aqua offers peace and privacy so that you can enjoy the beautifully wild landscape of Nicaragua’s Pacific “Emerald Coast.” 24 Tree Houses accommodating 50 luxurious villas and suites dot Aqua’s forested hillside, which overlooks a private, white sandy beach.

Aguas Calientes is packed with restaurants catering to tourists: the offerings are usually very similar, and the prices are often too high for the quality of the food. The Tree House, however, is worth a visit. This restaurant is known for using traditional and organic ingredients to fuse local flavors with an Asian and Italian influence. Imagine grilled alpaca served with a traditional Andean potato and regional cheese pie and organic salad, or a quinoa risotto topped with lamb meat in a reduction of Andean corn beer and cilantro. For around 40 PEN, you can buy a lunch box to take with you up to Machu Picchu.

Lovers of Vienna’s homegrown early-20th-century Wiener Werkstätte design style will want to visit the Café Schwarzenberg: It was the preferred haunt of Josef Hoffmann. The illustrious architect who cofounded the Werkstätte drafted many ideas there that came to fruition. Opened on the Ringstrasse in 1861, the café takes its name from the nearby square that is itself named for the Prince of Schwarzenberg, a prominent Austrian field marshal in the Napoleonic wars. Guests are treated to huge vaulted windows under high ceilings and those who sit outside on the terrace enjoy views of the illuminated Karlskirche dome while they sip their Einspänner coffee with its dab of whipped cream on top.