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Perched just up the hill from the white sands of Oneroa Beach on Waiheke Island, the Boatshed fulfills the wainscoted, shuttered, pitch-roofed holiday images that dwell in the minds of beach lovers the world over. Originally the vacation cottages of designer David Scott, the Boatshed now offers six sun-drenched accommodations that complement the laid-back island vibe—a magnet for a free-spirited set of artists, vintners, chefs, and water lovers. Many furnishings were custom-designed by the Scott family and exude the feeling of a boat cabin, especially when placed among the built-in shelves and cabinetry of the bachs—the local word for an authentic New Zealand beach shack. Accommodations range from old boat sheds to a three-story tower that feels like a lighthouse, and outdoor decks provide many opportunities to enjoy the sea breeze. The boutique hotel was the realization of Daniel Scott’s dream—to share the simple pleasures of the beach life with travelers from around the globe.

The French chef Daniel Boulud made his name in New York, where he oversees seven restaurants and has since expanded his culinary empire to six other outposts around the globe. His venture in Montréal makes perfect sense, with Québecois cuisine combining French traditions and techniques with New World ingredients—not unlike Boulud himself. The space—by Super Potato, one of the hottest design firms today—is elegantly restrained, with smoked glass details, wooden floors, and a contemporary enclosed fireplace warming and lighting the room. Boulud uses the best of Québec’s produce in dishes centered on local foie gras, duck, and salmon. The result is refined yet soulful contemporary French dishes, prepared by Maison Boulud executive chef Riccardo Bertolino. In warmer months, guests can dine alfresco, while in the winter you can take in the snowy scene from the restaurant’s enclosed greenhouse. Image courtesy of Ritz-Carlton Montreal.

Dosas, thalis, and tiffins! Saravana Bhavan specializes in South Indian cuisine. Each dosa comes with unlimited sambar and three chutneys - the tomato chutney being the house favorite. It is authentic, vegetarian, and very popular with the locals. Waits, especially on weekends, can be lengthy. Be sure and sample the Rava Masala Dosa, washed down with fresh lime juice.

One of the largest craft museums in India, the National Handicrafts and Handloom Museum displays tribal and rural art and artifacts. With over 35,000 pieces ranging from textiles to clay, the space is a welcoming community of artisans and art lovers. The museum was created over a 30-year period to preserve the sacred and traditional artistry of the region. Each month, approximately 50 craftspeople from across the country are invited to reside on the property and demonstrate their talents. Don’t miss the Village Complex, an exhibition that displays village life from varying regions in India. Note: Closed on Mondays.

It can be extremely difficult to keep up with cool restaurant openings in NYC. My trick? I look for the lineups. On Soho’s edge, Jack’s Wife Freda had a buzz that caught my attention. When I returned, I was able to get a table solo at this packed boite. Duo Dean and Maya Jankelowitz (ex-Balthazar) make an inventive brunch menu stemming from Israeli and South African influences. I was in a Dr. Seuss mood and had the green shakshuka - yes, green eggs, no ham. I’m a fan of their housemade juices as well. Next time: rosewater waffles.

When Southern Ocean Lodge, the flagship property of Australian hotel brand Baillie Lodges, opened in 2008, it was Kangaroo Island’s first true luxury lodge, known for its cinematic spot atop grass-covered limestone cliffs, with curved guest suites facing the namesake seas. Surrounded on three sides by national parks, Southern Ocean Lodge connected travelers with Australia’s powerful natural landscapes. Then in early January 2020, wildfires consumed more than half of Kangaroo Island, reducing the ecological paradise to sandy hills and blackened branches. Southern Ocean Lodge was a casualty of the blaze.


As AFAR’s Katherine LaGrave reported in her feature on the island, rebuilding began in earnest in February 2022, with the goal of becoming more sustainable: “The new lodge will use 25 percent less energy than the original lodge, and diesel fuel consumption will be halved. There will be rainwater harvesting, reliance on a hybrid solar-and-battery system, and elevated boardwalks to minimize impact on the health of coastal plants. Smart landscaping will create a sort of buffer around the lodge.”



Along with the new sustainable choices, the lodge has replicated the footprint of the original property, with 25 guest rooms slightly reoriented to optimize sea views. A new ultra-premium suite, the Ocean Pavilion, has up to four bedrooms and bathrooms (or two separate suites) with an outdoor terrace and private pool. And the ever-popular main lodge still has a Great Room with a suspended fireplace and a deck with a plunge pool that juts toward the sea.

The Forbidden City gets top billing in Beijing, and that’s good news for visitors to Jingshan Park. The 23-hectare (57-acre) park is just north of the Forbidden City, separated by a moat. A former imperial park dating to the 11th century, this was where the emperor and his family, living in the Forbidden City, would come to stroll. The big draw here is the hill (shan means mountain) with five summits, each of which has a mid-16th-century pavilion that once housed copper Buddha statues, destroyed at the beginning of the 20th century. Stake out a spot on Wanchun (Ten Thousand Spring) Pavilion from where, on a clear day, you have a stunning view of the entire Forbidden City, the Bell and Drum towers, Miaoying Temple, and Beihai Park.

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.

Many New York hotels have style, but not all have character—the Marlton is a fine example of a property where the two are powerfully present. Originally built in 1900 as a cheap place to stay (and attracting the likes of writers including Jack Kerouac) this nine-story property was taken under the wing of hotelier Sean MacPherson (the Bowery Hotel, the Jane) and transformed into a downtown hot spot where no one seems to care that the rooms are tight on space, even according to New York standards. What square footage the rooms lack, the common spaces make up for—there’s a fire burning in the lovely lobby, complete with an espresso bar, along with a cocktail bar and French-feeling restaurant, Margaux, at the back, with a gorgeous, sunny solarium (a charming feature that has inspired many return guests). Rooms are thoughtfully designed, with inviting bathrooms. Striking the right balance between hip but not too fancy, the Marlton is a comfortable property that provides much more than just a place to sleep.

As its name suggests, the Bespoke Inn is one of the more eccentric accommodations in downtown Scottsdale. This compact bed-and-breakfast, opened in 2013, has just 10 rooms. Each is decorated with homey, eclectic details that reflect the creativity of the hotel’s previous owners, who designed and built most of the inn’s furnishings themselves. The current owners, Jeremy Ferris and Robert Marchetti, brought in elements of Marchetti’s Italian heritage, which are evident in the updated courtyard and six new rooms. The result is a surprising blend of style and comfort, reinforced by the hotel’s ability to make guests feel they have all become friends. There are other surprises, too. In 2013 Esquire magazine called the café—which has its own odd appellation, Virtù Honest Craft—one of the 20 best new restaurants in America. And the hotel provides Pashley bicycles for guests to use during their stays.

A throwback to the roarin’ twenties, you can find (or maybe not find) an emerging speakeasy-style bar culture hitting the streets in Wellington. Themed bars that you would never know about or find unless someone told you first are all the rage. The aptly-named Motel Bar is right off of Courteney Place, one of the most popular nightlife areas of Wellington, and from the outside it looks like a dingy U.S. motel from the 1970s, complete with flashing neon “Vacancy/No Vacancy” sign. Buzzing the door will lead you up a dark staircase. Behind one of the unmarked doors at the top, you will find the small, cozy, New York-jazz-club-style bar and lounge: the Motel Bar. Complete with beautiful 1950s decor, elegant cocktails (more than 200 to chose from), and a record player humming in the background, you will be shocked that you doubted the entrance even for a moment.

Clyfford Still brought new energy to the art world after World War II with his large-scale, color-splashed paintings, and is considered one of the most important American artists of the 20th century. Though his influence on the Abstract Expressionism movement was at least as important as that of contemporaries Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, Still eventually broke all ties with the art world after moving to a farm in Maryland, and following his death in 1980 a huge collection of his work was sealed off completely for more than 30 years. His is widow donated his pieces to the city of Denver in 2004, and in 2011 the Clyfford Still Museum opened, housing 94 percent of his life’s work, including some 825 paintings on canvas and 1,575 works on paper, as well as sketchbooks, journals, and his library—in a museum considered one of the best examples of contemporary architecture in the city.

Yes, Hauz Khas Village is perhaps most known for its artsy vibe, boutique shops, and trendy restaurants. But before it became a lively commercial district, Hauz Kaus was (and remains) a 13th-century historical complex with a mosque, tombs, and an Islamic seminary. Take a break from the bustle of shopping and dining to explore the sites from Muslim royalty, then spend some time at the charming lake with its swans, ducks, and other wildlife.

At this luxury property perched over Matauri Bay near the top of the North Island, the colonial-style buildings are dwarfed by the endless wavy greens of a championship, par-72 golf course that ends at the Pacific. The ocean views and holes positioned adjacent to plunging precipices make Kauri Cliffs one of the most famous golf resorts in the world. The hilltop infinity pool is another crowd-pleaser, especially when it reflects the pinks and purples of the sunset. Featuring a beach-meets-country vibe, lodge interiors are outfitted with New Zealand artwork and furnishings imported from Europe and Australia. Outdoors, patches of totara trees dot the 6,000-acre property—one section houses the tranquil spa. Walking paths lead to a waterfall, three secret beaches, and picnic sites that offer sweeping views of Cape Brett and the Cavalli Islands.

Rising before one of the world’s most famous sailing sites—the host of the Louis Vuitton Regattas, the Volvo Round the World Race, and the Auckland International Boat Show—the Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour blends French and South Pacific influences while respecting the maritime heritage of the area. Glass walls maximize views of the marina and its many yachts as well as the reflective pools that create optical illusions in the hotel lobby. The color palette sets cherry and dark woods, jade greens, and slate grays against cream and white backdrops, while artwork—from ceremonial pieces to a Maori tribal sculpture in the atrium—pays homage to indigenous New Zealanders. Some of the treatments at the SO Spa, like the greenstone massage, also reflect local culture, while others use French products in a nod to the hotel brand’s heritage.

References to Auckland’s volcanic origins also abound, most notably in the back-lit marble walls of the Lava Dining restaurant, an all-day spot for French- and New Zealand-accented dishes; the casual 21 Viaduct Café and panoramic Sabrage Bar are other dining options. And then there are the rooms: from the Superiors and Junior Suites to the exclusive Opera Suite, all have contemporary décor, signature MyBed mattresses, marble baths with Lanvin products and separate showers and tubs, and walls of windows opening out onto a Juliet balcony with views of either the hotel’s atrium, or the city, harbor, and beyond.