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Steeped in history, this Parisian landmark was commissioned by King Louis XV in 1758, though it didn’t open as a hotel until 1909. Since then, it’s seen such notable guests as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Leonard Bernstein, Madonna, and more pass through its doors on Place de la Concorde. Designed in the grand, neoclassical style, it reopened in 2017 as the Hôtel de Crillon after a significant four-year renovation, which revamped most of the public spaces in the luxurious 124-room building. The new lobby feels airier—thanks to higher ceilings—yet more intimate, made possible by converting the formerly open space into a series of sitting rooms. Also new to the hotel is the 28-seat fine-dining restaurant L’Ecrin, a Sense spa with treatments inspired by centuries-old French remedies, and a jewel-like, glass-ceilinged pool. Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld even designed the two most luxurious suites, the fourth-floor Les Grands Appartements, adding bespoke furniture, his own artwork, and over-the-top bathrooms and dressing rooms.

“I’ve never seen so much red – except at a French brothel,” a fellow guest said to me as we rode the elevator together. She was right. From the moment you enter the lobby, the Rouge lives up to its colorful name with its red quartz tile, red lamps, and the Red Hot Room (for meetings). You’ll find crimson headboards and velvet drapes in each room -- although there’s plenty of zebra print, too. One of eight Kimpton hotels in Washington, DC, Rouge is certainly the rosiest. Stylish and eclectic in that Kimpton fashion, my street-facing room was both comfy and oversized – and convenient. It’s just three blocks to DuPont Circle and then only a bit further to Rock Creek Park (great for jogging, biking, or just walking). The White House is five blocks away and Whole Foods Market just two. For the athletically minded (like me), the good news is that each room has a yoga mat in the closet and nearly all are large enough to do a complete Vinyasa flow. The less good news: the small fitness room in the basement is dreary (but for $5 you can get a pass to the local “Y,” which has every amenity, including a 25-meter pool). The Rouge’s guests are as idiosyncratic as its décor. Families, business warriors, and hipsters seem to be the main human food groups –converging for the hotel’s wine hour from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and at then, again, breakfast. If eclectic’s your thing, the Rouge is your place. Leave the rose-colored glasses at home – you won’t need them here.

In the middle of a metropolitan area of twenty million, Seoul’s historic Bukchon neighborhood has kept a traditional village feel. “Hanok"—traditional courtyard houses, with upswept tile roofs and latticed sliding doors—line the hilly streets. Some of them have been opened as small guesthouses. After a trans-Pacific flight, and then a bus ride into the city (from the new airport, built on reclaimed land in the Yellow Sea), I walked a few blocks up narrow lanes and through a wooden gate. I felt as if I’d stepped back into the Korean countryside of a century ago. A rooster and a rabbit shared the courtyard, filled with hydrangeas and herbs. A persimmon tree towered overhead. My room had sliding papered doors; a simple low bed and table; no TV...but free Wi-Fi! The friendly owner, whose family lives in one wing of the house, showed me the hot water machine where I could make instant ginseng tea and “ko-pi” (coffee). Not all hanok lodgings are so spartan. Behind the main courtyard of this house, a “sarang-chae” is also available—it’s like a mini-house (or casita), with its own private garden: rustic luxury. While staying here, I met an Israeli man and his Japanese wife on their way back to the Middle East, as well as a couple of professors of Indian languages from Seattle on their way to New Delhi. Bukchon is becoming more widely known as one of Asia’s urban gems. (For more information: http://www.seoul110.com/html_en/1.html)

Situated in the center of the USA’s largest Japantown, this Joie de Vivre Hotel unveiled a $32 million renovation in May 2018. While the property’s historic exterior hasn’t been changed—it was once a 1960s Community Center and the former Japanese Consulate—the interiors have been redone by Brooklyn-based MARKZEFF Design with custom leather furniture, shibori accents, and contemporary Japanese art. Each of the 13 new Garden Suites face the Japanese zen garden that includes a koi pond, firepit, and a custom Godzilla mural by San Francisco-based artists Yukako Ezoe and Naoki Onodera of Bahama Kangaroo. At the center of the renovation is the living-room like lobby decorated with mid-century couches and lit with vintage factory pendants. The seasonal cocktail menu at the lobby bar focuses on Japanese whiskey and sake, while the bar menu includes Japanese-inspired bites like shishito peppers and chicken katsu sliders. There are happy hour specials every weekday from 4 to 6 p.m. and every Monday between 5 and 6 p.m. the bar hosts a vinyl hour where you can pick a record to play from the hotel’s collection of classics. For wellness-minded travelers, the new 3,000-square-foot fitness center located one level below the lobby looks out onto an open-air tea garden and features a yoga room and a Peloton bike (guests also have complimentary access to the nearby Kabuki Springs & Spa communal baths).

A landmark property perched between the city and the ocean, the El San Juan blends Old World elegance with tropical vibes. The famed hotel reopened on December 14, 2018 after a full restoration following Hurricane Maria and now features updated guestrooms, public spaces, and landscaping. Thankfully, the original feel was left intact, and details like the iconic chandelier and hand-carved mahogany ceiling in the lobby remain. Guests can still sip Champagne under sparkling crystals at the Chandelier Bar or party the night away at BRAVA, but now they can also sample Puerto Rico’s national spirit at rum bar 1958, grab a glass of vino at Wine Bar, or refuel with locally roasted Alto Grande coffee at El Cafecito. Also new to the property is Caña, a locally minded restaurant from Puerto Rican chef Juliana Gonzales, and Chico Cabaret, a hotspot off the lobby featuring live entertainment.

Ranging from guestrooms in the grand tower to villas surrounding the pool and beach, the 388 rooms all feature floor-to-ceiling windows with city, ocean, or pool views, as well as modern conveniences like sensor-activated air-conditioning, large HDTVs, and complimentary Wi-Fi. When not lounging on their Lovell Plush mattresses made exclusively for the hotel, guests can take a dip in one of four pools, sunbathe on the two-mile-long Isla Verde Beach, or visit the brand-new, tri-level Well & Being center for balancing spa treatments and fitness classes on the open-air rooftop.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC)—new home for both the National Library and National Opera, designed by Renzo Piano and financed to the tune of €630 million—is a wonder to look at, walk through, and relax in. The library and opera are state of the art; the 42-acre grounds include a salt-water canal where you can learn to sail or kayak, fantastic playgrounds and fountains to keep kids entertained, and the Great Lawn where free concerts, open-air screenings and festivals are staged year-round. Take advantage of the center’s location and drink in the 360-degree views of the city and sea from the Lighthouse, a glass-walled lookout and terrace shaded by a vast solar panel that powers most of the sustainably minded complex. This neighborhood is, after all, called Kallithea, which means “wonderful view.”

The intimate, dimly-lit setting of Lodi – the Garden Restaurant provides the perfect place for a romantic rendezvous or a business dinner. There’s a beautiful outdoor deck that overlooks the lush Lodhi Gardens or you can opt for the cozy confines within. The food is absolutely something to rave about, bagging the award of one of the best restaurants in Delhi. You’ll find all the Mediterranean staples like hummus, tabouli, shish taouk, and shwarma, but their specialties are Pistou Soup and River Sole Steak Creole. It’s one of the very few places in Delhi that serve actual beef, so feast your senses on real steak. And the best of all is the dessert menu — it’s killer! There’s also live jazz bands for your entertainment, usually on the weekends, but call before you go to check. You’ll come in hungry and leave happy!

If you need a sugar fix after hours in Central Park or the Museum of Natural History with the kids, try Sugar & Plumm, a sweets store and bistro on the Upper West Side. Outside, the store beckons with its sweet colors and whimsical decor. Inside, it is a high-end mash up of Willy Wonka, Candyland and Dylan’s Candy Bar. Here you will find a varied choice of desserts, all of which are guaranteed to entice kids (and adults with a sweet tooth) - homemade French macarons, cookies, cakes, all-natural chocolates, ice cream, smoothies, sundaes and sorbets all made daily. There is a sit-down bistro, but your best bet is to buy something at the takeout counter and take a leisurely walk in the neighborhood - better for your wallet and your waistline! Sugar & Plumm’s flagship store is located on Amsterdam Avenue, with a smaller store on Bleeker Street in the Village. www.sugarandplumm.com 377 Amsterdam Avenue (at 78th Street) 257 Bleecker Street

I have eaten a lot of pizza in my time, but Kesté is different. It’s been been firing up serious, foodie-level delicious pizza on Bleecker Street since 2009. Owner Roberto Caporuscio was born and raised outside Naples, Italy, where he studied the art of pizza making with the masters. His pizzeria has won accolades from national food critics, as well as pizza lovers. The 950-degree oven turns out perfectly-cooked pizzas—with bubbling, chewy, slightly burned crusts—in less than two minutes. The wide-ranging menu covers traditional pizzas, gluten-free options, panini (lunch only), and creative pies, including: Pistacchio e Salsiccia (pistachio pesto, sausage, pecorino romano, homemade buffalo mozzarella, basil); Pizza del Papa (butternut squash cream, red and yellow peppers, zucchini, imported smoked buffalo mozzarella); and Sorrentina (imported smoked buffalo mozzarella, sliced lemons, basil). My favorite is Salciccia e Friarielli (broccoli rabe and sausage with imported smoked mozzarella). The slight bitterness of the greens, the hearty sausage, and the smoky, creamy cheese on their trademark crust smells, looks, and tastes heavenly.

Simply put, Ramiro is the best seafood restaurant Lisbon. It is a 100% local customer based and long established “Cervejaria” (literally translated to place where beer is dispensed), with an buzzing ambience and above all, very high quality cooked on the spot seafood. What I love more about this place is its unpretentiousness and the “no fuss” approach to seafood. Eating with your hand is more than recommended and don’t be scared to dunk the freshly bake buns in the fresh crab meat which comes in the shell or in the velvet buttery sauce of the “bulhão pato” clams. Green wine is the eternal companion of seafood in Portugal, and don’t forget to ask for Palacio da Brejoeira for a taste of crisp slightly bubbly 11º white wine. Desert as a special meaning in this place, and it comes in the shape of a charcoal grilled fillet steak in a bun. Yes, you are in Portugal and after a seafood meal you can further indulge your umami taste buds with some animal protein. Although it is open from 12h00 to 24h00, it becomes extremely busy at the end of the week evenings, and the over 1h wait for a seat can be a turnoff. I would always recommend my clients at the Palacio Belmonte, to either go before 19h00 or after 22h00 to avoid the queues. In the case there is a slight waiting period, you can always go for a very Portuguese “at the counter nibble” of some “black pork aged ham” and a cold draft beer, to pass the time. You cannot leave Lisbon without trying this place!

Over the past few years, the Catskills region has been heating up with boutique lodgings that make it easy to soak in fresh mountain air in style. One such spot is Eastwind, a 1920s bunkhouse with 16 cozy, Scandinavian-inspired rooms (think reclaimed-wood flooring, Turkish rugs, Frette linens, and en-suite baths with farmhouse sinks and walk-in showers). For those who prefer to commune more closely with nature, the hotel also offers three minimalist, A-frame glamping cabins with private fire pits, as well as a hot tub and sauna for soothing steams after a day spent hiking Kaaterskill Falls or swishing down the slopes of nearby Windham Mountain. Each morning, guests can enjoy an impressive breakfast spread of pastries, eggs, make-your-own crêpes, and more in the bar-cum-living-room, equipped with a communal table, velvet armchairs, and a wood-burning fireplace. Come evening, they can return to the same space for expertly made cocktails and games like chess and backgammon.

It sounds like a Portlandia sketch: the Northwest pizza joint with an on-site chicken coop, where you can get any pie topped with a soft-cooked egg. But Humble Pie is quite serious about their pizza (and their chickens); their goal is balancing Asian and Pacific Northwest architectural elements with sustainable urban farming. That means sunny wooden picnic benches right next to the outdoor coop, and sharing a table with new friends during their busy happy hour. The menu is heavy on local and organic ingredients, including the beer and cider selection. Our favorite was the pulled pork, pickled onion, and Beecher’s mozzarella cheese pizza — with an egg on top, of course.

When Garden Village Bled opened in 2014 it took the concept of glamping to an entirely new level. Guests can choose to stay in glamping tents (some come with their own hot tubs), treehouses or pier tents. Treehouses are great for families as they come with kitchenettes, hammocks, and two bedrooms. The pier tents are the most basic, but are still done up with electricity, and super comfy beds. Each tent is set on a pier on the river so guests can fish right from their deck and the chef will cook up their day’s catch. I loved falling asleep to the soft rumble of the river below.

Named after the reef it overlooks, the Alexandra Resort, located about halfway down Provo’s famed beauty, Grace Bay Beach, is a great spot for families or couples. Rooms are in groups of four-story buildings circling a lagoon-style swimming pool. There is also 600 feet of pink-sand beach in front of the hotel leading directly into the emerald waters of the South Atlantic. Beyond its mid-range accommodations and excellent location, the Alexandra recently debuted a new restaurant, Asu, which has a fantastic location right on the beach and does a barefoot al fresco dinner -- book for sunset and then after the sky blackens lantern baskets provide a romantic glow.

A stone’s throw from downtown Split, Marjan is a hilltop park about the same size as New York City’s Central Park. Known as “the lungs of the city,” it’s the ideal urban escape, offering places to run, bike, swim, and even rock-climb. A serene path through fragrant pine forests leads up to Telegrin Peak, revealing charming chapels and sweeping sea views. Along the park’s waterfront, there are also several popular beaches, Kašjuni Cove being the favorite.