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This stylish wine bar, bottle shop, and all-day restaurant is the brainchild of two food and wine world forces: Jessi Singh, the chef from San Francisco and New York City’s acclaimed Babu Ji, and James Beard Award–winning sommelier Rajat Parr. Opened this year, Bibi Ji, which takes its name from an Indian term of endearment, pays tribute to the women in the cofounders’ lives who cultivated their love for food and hospitality. The seafood-focused menu with Australian and Indian influences changes regularly, depending on what’s available at the Santa Barbara farmers’ market. Oysters are accompanied by pickled green mango butter, sea urchin is featured in the uni biryani dish with fried rice, and the seafood coconut curry can include prawns or vegetables. The presentation is almost so pretty you don’t want to disturb it, but let that moment pass and dig in. Pair your meal with any of the limited-run, small-keg draft beers; the rotating new beers in the beer fridge; wine from the bottle shop—or surrender to the experts and let them do the pairing for you. Whether you sit indoors or outside, the California spirit blends with Singh’s and Parr’s beloved India, making the restaurant what the owners call a “good-time place.”

In the Old Souq at Deira and in traditional boutiques in malls you’ll see colorful jalabiyas or women’s kanduras, which are increasingly being bought by foreign women. When out in public or in the company of men who aren’t family, Emirati women wear the ubiquitous black cloak-like abaya and black shaylah wrapped around their head - tightly if devout, more loose if less conservative. The most religious women we’re a Saudi-style niqab that ties around the head and covers all but the eyes. When worn with gloves and socks, so not an inch of skin is revealed, it’s known as hijab. Underneath the abaya and shaylah, young Emirati women wear designer fashions and jeans and t-shirts. However, when they’re at home with family, along with older ladies, more traditional-minded women will wear a jallabiya or women’s kandura. Some of these are very simple, made from floral cotton prints, while others, like those in the photo above, are a lot more elegant, made from silks and linens, and decorated with applique, sequins, gems, tassles, and crocheted and embroidered features. In the days before the discovery of oil, Emirati women didn’t wear abayas and shaylahs. They wore these dresses in public with a gauzy face veil and baggy pantaloons. These days the pantaloons have been replaced with smart matching trousers. Over the years, jalabiyas and kanduras have increasingly become a popular souvenir. If you’re going to get one, make sure to buy some pretty sequined slippers to match!

In a tucked away corner of Lisboa, in the no-man’s land between the core of Lisboa and Belem, is the bustling new design and arts district, the cornerstone of which is the LX Factory. Set on movie-set looking ground of an old manufacturing district, the LX Factory is a great place to get away from the more tourist parts and hang out amid the design firms, production studios, restaurants and shops — all having a design-centered focus. Very cool retail and restaurants, even a hotel, all tucked under the constant roar of the off/on ramps to the Big Bridge. It’s a destination place, so don’t do what I did and try to walk there from Barrio Alto on a 98 degree day! The cool thing is they didn’t gloss it up, but kept the place to its core history, with wonderful decay and industrial bones still in place. Two great places to be sure to check out: the 1300 Taberna restaurant, set in beautiful space with factory skylights and extremely nice people and, the Ler Devagar bookstore — which is the store that attracted me to this special place and often cited as one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. It is set amidst an old printing plant, which like the rest of the area, they left all the old parts in place, so the whole bookstore is built around the old two story printing press, with seats, racks and even a cafe nestled amidst the old printing units, catwalks and folders. So cool. Worth the trip. A lot happenin’ here.

This funky boutique hotel on the edge of the Britomart shopping district goes way back in Auckland history. Built in 1841 as The Commercial Hotel, the DeBrett building survived two fires and two rebuilds plus a stint as a hostel before becoming the quirky place guests experience today. The Housebar has always been the center of hotel life, and today, the intimate wood-and-mint venue exudes its original art deco style and serves classic cocktails and local beers and wines alongside refined pub snacks.

In addition to restoring the bar and adding a glass-roofed atrium that houses the hotel restaurant, DeBretts Kitchen, the current owners affixed contemporary artwork and photography throughout and sheathed the entire building in candy-striped carpeting, custom designed from 100 percent New Zealand wool. Besides the carpet and small-batch minibar selections, no two rooms are the same. Each features unique furnishings from the 1930s on, and every bed has an original screenprinted throw. Two of Hotel DeBretts centerpieces, the chandelier and water sculpture in the restaurant, were crafted by Auckland artists from materials salvaged during the latest renovation. The result is a local experience from top to bottom that gives guests a real taste of New Zealand.

Stepping into the London EDITION, it’s clear to see that Ian Schrager, the man responsible for the legendary nightclub Studio 54, and mastermind of the first-ever “boutique hotel,” has yet again repeated his successful formula. Since it launched in September 2013, the EDITION has become a celebrity favorite, with all the attendant publicity that brings. It’s not without merit, either. The open-to-all Lobby Bar is—in signature Schrager style—the communal hub of the hotel, where freelancers click away on free-to-use iMacs during the day and a statuesque, fashionable crowd transforms the space into a lively cocktail bar at night. The EDITION’s somewhat unlikely partnership with Marriott seems to be a hit, with Schrager bringing his particular brand of cool to the marriage and Marriott investing a discernible level of service, which transforms what could have been an intimidatingly hip address into what is a genuinely comfortable place to be.

Business at the front, party at the back: that’s the ethos behind this hotel, which opened in London’s financial district in 2012. Weekdays, the clientele in the lobby bar and brasserie is all business, the conversation a gentle hum of meetings. But the hotel has a lively side. On weekends, a young, fashionable crowd from nearby Shoreditch and the ever-growing tech center Silicon Roundabout comes for the DJs that regularly include big names such as Ricardo Villalobos. Owners D&D London—the city’s leading hospitability group and brains behind such restaurants as Coq d’Argent—have made food the focus of their first hotel. Within one year of opening, the top-floor, fish-focused restaurant, Angler, already had a Michelin star. And then there’s the art. Sir Terence Conran’s design firm created modern interiors accented with pop-art prints, full-wall installations, and playful sculptures, many created by British artists living and working in the area.

Wong Kei is a place all Londoners know. It’s the go-to restaurant in Chinatown when you want a big plate of noodles or sweet-and-sour pork, and you don’t want to pay a lot for it. The service was legendarily rude. In the old days you would arrive at the door and be barked at: “Upstairs!” The multi-level restaurant is always busy, so you’re sent to whichever level currently has space. Then you sit at a table with others, and you order your food, which will be brought to you when the waiters can be bothered. Disappointingly, the service is now thoroughly civil; I can only hope it’s a temporary blip. Either way, this is a must-have London experience, and you’ll easily come away with leftovers.

Wing Lei was the first Chinese restaurant in the United States to receive a Michelin star, and this upscale eatery still is going strong. Chef Ming Yu’s menu mixes Cantonese, Shanghainese, and Sichuan flavors. Perhaps the most famous dish of all is the tableside-carved Imperial Peking Duck, which is both tender and crispy. Other entrées celebrate tradition but offer a new focus, like the wok-fried Maine lobster. Even the tea selection is exquisite—Jasmine Pearl and Tung Ting Oolong are among the varieties typically found only in China. The dining room is a sight to behold: The gold-and-red space draws inspiration from elements of classical Chinese architecture. The restaurant also has a view of a private garden with pomegranate trees and a golden dragon.

The name says it all: To dine at Bliss is pure euphoria. In an intimate space with just 52 seats, this Southtown restaurant offers a dining experience you won’t soon forget. Mixing hearty classics with Southwest-inspired cuisine, the menu ranges from braised beef short ribs with buttery mashed potatoes to vegetarian enchiladas stuffed with roasted butternut squash, cremini mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, eggplant, and cheese. Appetizers are equally enticing, especially the Japanese hamachi sashimi tostadas and the oyster sliders, served with candied bacon on buttermilk chive biscuits.

This late-19th-century city-owned seafood market, which was by and large abandoned after Hurricane Katrina, was reborn as an upscale food hall several years ago. The dilapidated structure was spruced up and the navelike interior painted an austere, modern white. Then a dozen or so food vendors moved in, serving as a sort of incubator for those with an idea but no desire to go the food-truck route. It’s a great place to swing by for lunch or a casual dinner—you can get craft cocktails and spend some time at the oyster bar, then browse the other offerings, which include crab mac and cheese at Fritai and alligator-sausage hash at Elysian Seafood.

Charlie’s is old-school New Orleans writ large. It’s one of a handful of surviving notable neighborhood steak houses (it’s not far from where the original Ruth’s Chris was also once a neighborhood spot), a no-frills joint with faux-wood paneling on the walls and no menus to hand out. The waiters ask you what size you want, and also if you’d like to start with an order of fried onions. (The correct answer is yes.) Pro tip: Kick off your evening an hour earlier and a couple blocks away at Pascal’s Manale with a dozen or two bivalves at the marble oyster bar of a revered Italian-Creole “red gravy” spot.

Why we love it: A seaside sanctuary that marries high design with local adventure

The Highlights:
- The mix of Mediterranean and mid-century California style
- Working record players and vintage vinyl libraries in place of TVs in guest rooms
- Complimentary morning yoga, plus an “Adventure Collection” full of bikes, kayaks, surfboards, and hiking and snorkeling gear

The Review:
Opened in 2018, Hotel Joaquin pairs downtown cool with coastal elegance. The property comes courtesy of Paul Makarechian, who grew up in Orange County and now owns Auric Road, a collection of “petite resorts” that also includes Korakia Pensione in Palm Springs and Sonoma Coast Villa Resort & Spa in Bodega, California. Once a roadside motel, Joaquin now blends elements of St. Bart’s, the Mediterranean, and mid-century SoCal beach culture for an exclusive yet relaxed feel, with curated artwork and vintage finds around every corner. Light floods the guest rooms, some of which have balconies and private patios (book La Vue for the hotel’s only picture window, framing views of the ocean and Catalina Island). Each room also includes a working record player and vinyl library, as well as Anichini linens, Le Labo bath products, and artisanal snacks curated by Farm to People. The bathrooms pull out all the design stops with imported marble, hand-painted tiles, and brass fixtures.

At on-site restaurant Saline, guests can enjoy smoothies and other light fare for breakfast, wholesome salads and sandwiches for lunch, and Mediterranean-inspired share plates for dinner, along with house spritzes and creative cocktails all day long. When not lounging at the pool, take advantage of the hotel’s Adventure Collection, which includes complimentary surfboards, diving gear, bicycles, and more for exploring Laguna Beach. Should you prefer to hang on the beach, hotel staff will even set up your chairs, pack you a picnic, and deliver water sport equipment to Shaw’s Cove, just a two-minute walk from the property’s garden gate.

Note: You must be over 21 to reserve a room and at least 18 to stay at Hotel Joaquin. Service animals only.

Why we love it: A plush beachfront resort, nestled on a stretch of scenic bluffs just north of central Santa Barbara

The Highlights:
- Two pools with unobstructed ocean views and the sweetest of casita-style cabanas
- Angel Oak, an upscale steakhouse that it is a destination unto itself, complete with killer cocktails and a 12,000-bottle wine cellar
- A new Jean Michel-Cousteau-curated educational program offering naturalist-guided hikes, animal-themed activities, and even the chance to learn video production à la Cousteau

The Review:
Set along two miles of pristine Pacific coastline, this Spanish Colonial–style resort has a distinctly regal feel, which is only amplified by its perch high up on the coastal cliffs of northern Santa Barbara. The 358-room property—which includes 23 sprawling suites—joined the Ritz-Carlton portfolio of hotels in 2017, and the recent updates and enhancements can be felt throughout, including in the freshly remodeled main lobby, bar, and ocean-view terrace.

While there is plenty to do in Santa Barbara proper, guests may be inclined to stay put at the oasis that is the Bacara. With everything from a new, 42,000-square-foot spa and perfectly situated salt-water pools with ocean views, to five on-site restaurants and a robust schedule of daily activities for guests of all ages, you could easily spend an entire weekend lounging at this luxurious resort. It’s hard enough just leaving the rooms, all of which feature an outdoor patio or balcony, an ocean or garden view, addictively comfortable beds, deep-soaking tubs, and decor that feels both rustic and contemporary.

A beach-view breakfast at The Bistro is a must, as is a decadent dinner and cocktails at the property’s sleek steakhouse, Angel Oak. Enhance your stay with Club Lounge access and you really won’t have any reason to leave. The newly opened lounge includes light breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and evening hors d’oeuvres service, along with wine, beer, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages.

Why we love it: A bit of serenity in Sin City

The Highlights:
- Signature Jacques Garcia design
- Standout eats and drinks from chef Daniel Humm
- A pool deck right out of Morocco

The Review:
The award-winning team behind the NoMad hotels in New York and L.A. landed on the Las Vegas Strip in 2018, opening an outpost of the boutique brand at the larger Park MGM complex. With the NoMad Las Vegas’ arrival, guests have the option of staying somewhere with a warm, residential spirit and intimate spaces, while also enjoying easy access to all the facilities and attractions of the greater resort—think a hotel-within-a-hotel for those that might want a respite from the action. Jacques Garcia’s signature design translates here into sophisticated, muted rooms that range from classic kings and queens to four types of suites. Each is outfitted with custom furnishings and artwork, walk-in Carrara marble–tiled showers, free WiFi, Bellino linens, Argan bath products, and mahogany writing desks; as with other NoMad locations, some rooms have freestanding tubs in the main bedroom, so be prepared if you’re sharing the space.

While the majority of the dining, drinking, spa, and pool scene options are part of the Park MGM at large, the NoMad has its own key standouts. Chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara’s NoMad restaurant and NoMad Bar continue to showcase the much-lauded team’s dedication to comfort-gourmet fare and exceptional drinks, while the Moroccan garden–inspired NoMad Pool serves as a lush oasis during the day, then transforms into the JEMAA pool party—complete with DJs and table service—on the weekends. Also of note: the very first NoMad Casino, with intimate, Old World-inspired spaces for roulette, blackjack and Baccarat, set under a Tiffany glass ceiling and around the cocktail-centric Casino Bar.

Why we love it: A boutique stay in Faubourg Marigny that’s full of history, character, and style

The Highlights:
- High design mixed with historic details
- A restaurant from a James Beard–nominated team
- Character-filled common spaces like the parlors and sun room

The Review:
Located in New Orleans’s culturally rich Faubourg Marigny neighborhood, the 71-room Hotel Peter and Paul comprises a historic church, rectory, schoolhouse, and convent, all built in the 19th century. When converting the site, local resident Nathalie Jordi and New York–based interior design firm ASH NYC took pains to preserve original features like cypress wood moldings, stained glass windows, and marble fireplaces, while adding signature details like antique chandeliers and custom rugs handmade in India. As a result, each guestroom has a personality all its own, evident in touches like canopy beds, Italian linens, and trays of locally sourced snacks.

That love for local eats extends to The Elysian Bar, where the team behind James Beard–nominated wine bar Bacchanal serves regionally focused fare like roasted Gulf shrimp and braised beef short ribs, and Sundae Best, which offers small-batch ice cream made with seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. Also on site is a cheery cafe for coffee and pastries; two grand parlors for reading the paper in a vintage rattan chair; a sun room modeled after Claude Monet’s Giverny home; an amber-hued bar serving low-proof spritzes for aperitivo hour; and a tranquil brick courtyard lined with palms, ferns, and vines. More impressive still is the decommissioned Catholic church, designed by famous New Orleans architect Henry Howard. Here, the hotel hosts a mix of private and public events, from weekly concerts to yoga and floral design classes.