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Why we love it: A millennial-minded stay that looks great on Instagram

The Highlights:
- An affordable hotel in a prime location
- Playful but comfy design
- Fun spaces to meet fellow travelers

The Review:
The first California property from millennial-minded hotel brand Moxy, this Gaslamp Quarter hotel appeals directly to the Instagram-obsessed traveler. Everything here is designed for the perfect shot, from the neon sign in the entryway to the daily quotes scrawled in bright pink on the elevator mirrors. Guests check in either at the massive, square-shaped bar or the custom tricycle, at which point they receive a signature “Get Moxy #5” cocktail before being shown to one of 126 smartly designed rooms. Equipped with purposeful details like pegboards to hang clothing and beds framed by LED-lit platforms, rooms are small for two guests, but that’s kind of the point—at the Moxy, guests are encouraged to spend time in the hotel’s communal spaces instead.

With places like the lobby lounge and library to hang out, that’s not a hard directive to follow. A feast for the senses, the lobby blends industrial style (exposed electrical conduits, steel finishing, wood accents) with nautical details (camouflage wall coverings, porthole mirrors, a shipping container). An LED light fixture by Canadian-based Moment Factory hangs overhead, while the first San Diego mural by L.A.-based artist Paul Nandee decorates the lounge area, which also features pinball machines, Jenga, and other games to keep guests entertained. If you need a little alone time, head upstairs to the library, where you can read under a topographic map of San Diego Bay, or hit the gym, equipped with pink boxing gloves and candy (guests are asked not to take themselves too seriously during their stay). Come evening however, it’s time to hit Bar Moxy for local beers and handcrafted cocktails. Should you want to explore the city, there’s also a grab-and-go area, where you can pick up coffee, snacks, and drinks before heading out to Sixth Avenue.

Harry’s Roadhouse, a favorite haunt of locals and visitors, is conveniently open seven days a week. The massive breakfast menu melds regional Mexican and New Mexican fare with items like huevos rancheros and hearty chilaquiles (eggs any style with salsa and cotija cheeses). For your sweet tooth, try the french toast or lemon ricotta pancakes, washed down with a cup of joe.

This 30-square-kilometer (11-square-mile) protected habitat is located in the northeastern part of Saint Martin. Walking trails traverse the varied landscape, and there’s a wooden path through the mangroves, a winding passage over the arid forest, plus multiple lakes and a beach. Among the wildlife are tropical birds as well as iguanas and sea turtles. The surrounding waters are also protected, and dive outfitters provide snorkeling gear and instruction.

This bar in Gros is one, as the locals say, ‘de toda la vida’. A lifelong place to stop and enjoy one of their spectacular anchovy and tuna pintxos (I recommend the one that looks like a mountain of mayonnaise) or a pintxo moruno, a hanging kebab that is a house specialty. The pintxos are classic and delicious. Always a great ambience.

At Mopa Mopa in Oranjestad, local handicrafts aren’t just souvenirs—they’re decorative art. The gallery specializes in carved wooden figures, crafted lovingly in the traditional mopa mopa, or barniz de Pasto, style. To finish each piece, artisans paint them with vegetable dyes and resin-based lacquer, making for one-of-a-kind keepsakes. Visit the gallery to shop and speak with the artisans themselves, who will gladly answer questions and demonstrate their intricate techniques.

The Te Papa museum combines New Zealand’s dramatic history with its high-tech present. Don’t miss the traditional greenstone and wood carvings or the 60-foot wall of constantly changing images, videos, and words manipulated by remote-control-wielding visitors. 55 Cable St., 64/(0) 4-381-7000. This appeared in the October 2012 issue.

Take the Incline Railway up Lookout Mountain on your way to Ruby Falls and Rock City and you’ll understand why the journey is often half the fun. In operation since 1895, the funicular has a maximum grade of 72.7 percent, making it the world’s steepest passenger railway and earning it the nickname “America’s Most Amazing Mile.” For its age and impressiveness, the railway is now a designated National Historic Site and a Mechanical Engineering Landmark. Before your ride, visit the machine room to see the enormous gears that drive the train, then sit back and enjoy the sweeping views of the valley below as you creep steadily up the track. Sure, you could just drive to the top of Lookout Mountain, but where’s the fun in that?

Independence Square lies at the busy center of St. Kitts’ capital city, Basseterre. Known as Pall Mall Square prior to the island’s independence in 1983, it’s always been the center of commerce—albeit a darker business in years past. A careful look at the surrounding historic buildings reveals places where slaves were held prior to being auctioned off in the square. Today, however, an ornate fountain stands at the center of the park, and the grassy areas play host to parties and public gatherings.

A Hawaiian fantasyland on Oahu’s more remote leeward coast, about 40 minutes from Waikiki, Aulani is so seductive—for all ages—that many guests are loath to leave the property at all. And who can blame them? The beach is an idyllic cove (albeit a man-made one) stocked with kayaks, boogie boards, and everything else little beach bums could want. Then there are the three pools, including one for adults only and one filled with tropical fish for snorkelers-in-training, two impressive waterslides, and the biggest crowd-pleaser of them all, a 900-foot-long lazy river where guests, big and small, splash around on inner tubes as they meander around a faux-rock grotto. Goofy, Minnie, Mickey, and the rest—all in their vacation outfits—make occasional cameos at the breakfast buffet or by (sometimes, in) the pool. But while Aulani is most assuredly every kid’s dream, it is not every parent’s nightmare. The resort decor is more traditionally Hawaiian than obnoxiously Magic Kingdom; the lobby is built to recall an old canoe house, on a grand scale, and is covered in murals, painted by local artists, depicting island life. Hawaiian storytellers gather around a fire pit at night, and rooms have warm woods, with a single subtle reference to the Mouse King—a wooden carving of Mickey with a surfboard and ukulele that doubles as a desk lamp. Perhaps best of all, the Aulani has an outstanding, supervised kids’ club that’s free to guests ages 3 to 12. Babysitters are available for kids as young as six weeks old.

Goldeneye, to be clear, is not an easy place to leave. The land—the former home of Ian Fleming, where he wrote each of the 14 James Bond thrillers that would cement his place in literary and cinematic history—sits next to the tiny town of Oracabessa, on the northern coast. A warm, blue-green lagoon curls from the ocean around a small island and then lets out into a bay. You can look one direction and see a jungle, then turn around and see pristine white sand.

Blackwell bought the property in 1976 as a vacation home and a space to entertain family and friends but later he decided to transform it. In 2016, Goldeneye debuted a jumble of new huts, arranged around a small cove, a short walk from Fleming’s house and the resort’s original villas. The huts vary in height, designed to capture cooling breezes and allow guests to forgo air conditioning. And, crucially, they’re much cheaper to book than the Villas. Which is key because, up until this point, if you wanted to plan a visit to Goldeneye, you needed to either know Blackwell personally or have the excess capital to shell out potentially five figures on a vacation. (Part of the resort’s enduring gravitational pull is that many of the celebrity guests check both boxes.) With the beach huts, Blackwell has expanded, once again, the ambition of his famous resort.

You might not think of Vienna as a very Greek city, but guess what: The oldest restaurant in town is the Griechenbeisl, the Greek Tavern. Back in the late 15th century, Levantine traders lodged in this building on Fleischmarkt street, and its hodgepodge of rooms in which many a historic figure have dined hasn’t changed much since. The walls of the Mark Twain Room are decorated with autographs by the great scribe and many other notable figures. Despite its name, the Greek Tavern specializes in schnitzel and other dishes that are as pure Austrian as can be. And the live music you enjoy while dining won’t be made by a bouzouki, but by a Viennese zither. Out front there is a plaque commemorating the 17th-century minstrel Marx Augustin, famous as the subject of the song “Oh Du Lieber Augustin.”

Designed by Oscar Niemeyer and Roberto Burle Marx, this expansive park was meant to be an improvement to Central Park in New York City. Home to an impressive amphitheater, museums, water bodies, and lots of paths with some impressive landscaping, it’s well worth a visit. Come for a stroll, jog, picnic, open air concert or bike voyage on a Sunday. Various food vendors are strewn throughout with agua de coco and snacks. It’s best to check the website for events if you’ll be visiting on a weekend.

Started by a British master weaver almost 20 years ago, Mungo weaves a wide range of quality linens, throws, blankets, bedding, towels, and apparel, which are sold internationally. The company says that ethical trading and integrity underpin its philosophy, and it is particular about sourcing quality natural fibers. The linen in raw form comes from Belgium, while the cotton, mohair, and wool are from South Africa. You can view some of Mungo’s weaving on its 19th-century Hattersley looms at its Old Nick Village headquarters, outside Plettenberg Bay. Better yet, just go to the Cape Town store (with its own micromill) on Hout Street and see the products for yourself.

Royal Street is to antiques and fine art what Bourbon Street is to booze. This elegant urban thoroughfare is not only home to some of the best examples of the city’s early-19th-century Creole town houses, but is also loaded with high-end antiques retailers. These feature mostly ornate 18th- and 19th-century European sculptures and paintings, early furniture, chandeliers, and dinnerware used by the upper crust. Most of the inventory has a decidedly Continental air to it. Among the better-known shops are Waldhorn and Adler (343 Royal St.); Ida Manheim Antiques (409 Royal St.), run by the same family since 1919; and haute-upscale M.S. Rau (630 Royal St.), with its warren of hidden back rooms open only to serious customers.

Suburban Chicago isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you think of major religious centers. But Wilmette, a small town located less than 10 miles north of the Windy City, is home to the only Bahá’í House of Worship in North America. Dedicated in 1953, the temple—one of seven in the world—took more than three decades to build and features symbols from different world religions in its intricate design, signifying that everyone is welcome. An ornate dome crowns the nine-sided structure and symbolizes the unity of all people and religions under God. Visitors are welcome to explore the temple and surrounding geometric gardens. You can also call ahead to arrange a group tour.