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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.

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.

Parco Sempione is Milan‘s biggest park and it has everything- cute caffès, picturesque setting, a medieval castle, a modern museum, a pond and charming foot bridges. If the sun is shining, this is the perfect place for a morning or afternoon walk, a lazy picnic or just a day off. The surrounding area includes beautiful residences, historic monuments, like Leonardo’s Last Supper and the Castel Sforzesco, restaurants and shops. Expect some interesting developments as the city gears up for World Expo 2015, including a super-contemporary visitor’s center in front of Castel Sforzesco.

Set aside some time to indulge in a spot of pampering and preening. The lanes of Koregaon Park are home to a number of salons and day spas, many of which are adjacent to each other—so you can enjoy a set of salon treatments before stepping next door for a spa appointment. A good spa to visit is Four Fountains, which offers a full suite of therapies for de-stressing, detox, and beauty. Treatments include aromatherapy, reflexology, Ayurvedic massage, and the intriguing coffee and cane sugar body polish.

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.

Gramercy Tavern in the Flatiron District can fairly be described as a New York institution. When the restaurant opened in 1994, Tom Colicchio, who has gone on to fame as much as a television chef as one who cooks in his kitchens, presided over the restaurant. In 2006, he passed the reins to Michael Anthony. Gramercy Tavern is actually two restaurants in one. The Tavern, in the front, is a lively, buzzy space where the menu is à la carte; the more formal Dining Room, in the rear of the restaurant, also has an à la carte menu—as well as prix fixe and tasting ones—at lunch, though only set menus at dinner, when a three-course version is $129 and a seasonal tasting one is $179. The vegetable tasting menu at dinner, for $159, is perhaps among the most gourmet vegetarian meals anyone will ever experience. (All prices include gratuities.) The dishes in both spaces could be described as American comfort food elevated with some gourmet touches. You can expect fresh produce to be emphasized in plates like the duck meatloaf and the cobblers and pies—the restaurant is known for its desserts.

First opened in 2004 in a former office building in the Central Business District, the Loews New Orleans Hotel completed a $4 million renovation in November 2014. The new look is modern, but with a nod to the Big Easy: rooms and suites (which, by the way, are among the most spacious in town) are done up in soothing blues and grays, and feature local photography on the walls, and the carpets have a wrought-iron fence motif. Large picture windows afford vistas of the city or the Mississippi River.

Run by the legendary Brennan family and named after the vivacious Adelaide Brennan, the hotel restaurant also got a makeover—think canary-yellow seats, teal tufted banquettes, and Andy Warhol–esque pop art of its namesake.

Opened in April 2015, this is one of the newest additions to New Orleans’ hotel scene. It’s also one of the most unique. Set in an 1854 warehouse near the Port of New Orleans, the property pays homage to its past as well as to its Arts District location. The look is contemporary industrial, with plenty of original architectural details (hardwood floors, exposed piping and brick, wall-to-wall windows) paired with Tivoli radios, flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi, and other modern conveniences. The hotel lobby is part art gallery, with a rotating collection curated by the New Orleans Center of Creative Arts, part commissary, with locally crafted products displayed in chandlery cases, and part coffee shop, with pastries from the neighboring restaurant—which is one of the hottest openings this year.

Compere Lapin (French for “brother rabbit” and also a fictional character in Caribbean and Creole folk tales) serves food that draws on chef Nina Compton’s island roots, classic French training, and traditional Creole fare. The result is wonderfully colorful dishes like conch croquettes with pickled pineapple tartare sauce, roasted jerk corn with aioli and lime, and curried goat with plantain gnocchi and cashews.

An award-winning hotel company, Singita is lauded not only for its luxurious properties but also for its dedication to the environment and uplifting communities. To reach Singita Boulders Lodge, guests can fly direct from Johannesburg to Sabi Sand Game Reserve on Federal Airlines’ daily jet service. Once there, they can expect open-air common spaces that provide a continuous connection to the outdoors, as well as spacious suites with game-viewing decks and private plunge pools. Also on-site is a swimming pool in the main lodge area, spa and gym facilities, and a wine boutique selling premier South African vintages. In addition to daily game drives, guests can indulge in activities like guided safari walks, photography lessons, stargazing, and archery, making for the stay of a lifetime.

Starting in 2014, this collection of historic buildings was reinvented as a gastronomic hub—helping to revitalize the city’s downtown in the process. An early 20th-century citrus packing warehouse became the Anaheim Packing House, a virtual United Nations of food: Walking through the 42,000-square-foot hall, you’ll find citrusy ceviche at Urbana, fried chicken sandwiches at Sweetbird, garden-fresh hot pot at Rolling Boil, organic curry at ADYA, and matcha shaved snow at I Am. Craft beer—quickly becoming a signature of Southern California—is in no short supply, thanks to bars like Anaheim Brewery, housed inside a 1925 mission revival building. A circa 1917 marmalade factory became the MAKE Building, where you can linger over a flight of California reds at Pali Wine Co. or a plate of pulled pork at Jav’s Barbecue. The compact district is distinctly Californian, from the succulents and air plants inside to the palm trees and olive groves of Farmers Park outside—a grassy knoll where, at any given time, you might happen upon a free yoga class, a gardening demo, or a live acoustic band playing under the sun.

The Atlantis Hotel is the focal point of Dubai‘s giant cluster of man-made isthmuses that jut out into the Persian Gulf. Even if you can’t afford to stay at this spectacular hotel, you can still go see what the decadent expat lifestyle feels like for the day by swimming with dolphins in Dolphin Bay or splashing about in the rivers, slides, and pools of Dubai‘s largest water park: Aquaventure. If that doesn’t float your boat (sorry), there’s Atlantis’s dive center, in which you can go diving in a nearly 3 million–gallon tank. You’ll literally be swimming with the sharks (and stingrays) this time. In Atlantis, don’t be surprised to find yourself feeding the rays next to a celebrity—this is one of the places they stay in Dubai.

At Greenfield Village, part of The Henry Ford, the goal is to recreate what life was like in the early days of the United States of America. That goal is more than accomplished through the historic structures, activities, and even the work of the actors and employees who populate the 240 acres that make up the Village, which was founded on October 21, 1929. It’s not just American history that’s highlighted, as some structures, like the Cotswold Cottage and the Swiss Cottage, represent the cultures of other countries. Every year the Village also hosts the World Series of Historic Baseball. There are working farms, and craftsmen still create with traditional methods, such as glass blowing and metalworking. Inventors and important historical figures are also highlighted, such as the Wright Brothers, Henry Ford himself, Thomas Edison, and Abraham Lincoln.

Many temptations are under one roof at the Langham, New York, Fifth Avenue. This polished hotel bucks the trend of tiny Midtown hotel rooms with spaces that begin at 420 square feet and stretch up to apartment-style accommodations with full kitchens—an ideal setup for families. The style is modern and refined, from the sweeping staircase that connects the lobby to the Michelin-rated Ai Fiori restaurant of chef Michael White on the second floor. The hotel doubles as an art gallery for the work of American artist Alex Katz, whose bold figurative paintings hang on the walls throughout the hotel. There’s also Chuan Body + Soul, a day spa based on the principles of Chinese Medicine.

Just a short hour drive away from Kelowna, and only a 5-10 minute drive from Penticton, Naramata sits hidden with acres of green vineyards cascading off of clay cliffs into Lake Okanagan. In the heart Naramara is the historic Naramata Heritage Inn & Spa. Built in 1908, some say it’s haunted with its history of being a school and the first cultural hub upon Lake Okanagan. Today it functions as an ideal getaway with nearby beaches, over 100 wineries and the variety of adventure activities nearby. I always make time to stop in during my wine tasting trips to sit in the sun with a glass of local wine and a variety of local cheese and charcuterie selections. This is foodie stop one shouldn’t miss while visiting the area if not staying with the hotel. Take a tour through the chefs garden, tour the quirky town of artists and vintners, or enjoy the cycling, zip lines, hikes, fishing and water sports all within the Central and Southern Okanagan.

Hotel Monaco is charming, boutique hotel nestled in the heart of historic Old Town on a lively block of King Street, walking distance to the waterfronts and lots of shopping and restaurants. A sumptuous lobby greets guests with rich decor of peacock blue walls, crimson accents and cozy seating nooks. Rooms are colorful, comfortable an roomy. As with most Kimpton hotels, this one has excellent service and personal perks such as complimentary morning coffee and tea service, free afternoon wine receptions, courtesy shuttle service to Reagan National Airport, Dive-in movie nights by the pool, and umbrellas for use on rainy days. This is also one of the few pet-friendly hotels in the area and dog owners can bring their pets to Yappy Hours on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Guests can mingle with Alexandria locals and enjoy drinks with their canine companions on Jackson 20’s patio. TIP: Joining the Kimpton’s free InTouch loyalty program will get you complementary wi-fi access and $10 in credit to raid the mini bar GET THERE: 12 blocks from King Street metro (blue & yellow lines), free King Street trolley between station and hotel, a courtesy hotel shuttle service to Reagan National Airport