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This large, modern hotel on the Lapad peninsula—about a 15-minute bus ride from the Old Town—overlooks the green hills above Lapad Bay, the Adriatic, and the beachfront. Completely refurbished in 2015, its lobby and lounge feature floor-to-ceiling windows, low furniture, and white decor, so nothing distracts from the views of the sparkling sea and sky. For even more gorgeous vistas, guests can go just below the hotel to the long pedestrian boulevard, which is filled with cafés and restaurants with plenty of outdoor seating. Guest rooms here are done up in restful tones of sisal and cream, with oversize charcoal sketches by a Croatian artist hung on wall panels behind the beds. The full-service spa has an indoor pool, Finnish sauna, and steam room, while a large deck features a bar and outdoor pool. Also on site is a restaurant with a wide terrace, and the top-floor Zenith Bar, which is best for sunset views.

Gaon takes diners on a fine-dining journey through Korea’s culinary heritage. For its thoughtful interpretation of traditional food, the Gangnam-based restaurant holds an elusive three-Michelin-star rating, making it more than worthy of a splurge. Here, the experience is intimate—diners are seated in sleek, private rooms adorned with elegant art. Seasonal set menus, with courses like grilled Jeju perch and chicken stewed in red ginseng, are beautifully presented on custom tableware specially designed for the restaurant by the famed ceramics maker KwangJuYo. The highly trained staff offer impeccable service and speak English well. Advance reservations are required, as the restaurant only has four private dining rooms.

Head chef Bee Satongun and co-owner Jason Bailey, a husband-and-wife team, are dedicated to bringing back lost recipes and techniques of heirloom Thai cooking. Paste is one of Bangkok’s most exciting Thai restaurants, and the Michelin judges have duly noted that fact by gracing it with a star. The cuisine is based on century-old family recipes served with innovative twists and an attention to detail that make it as aesthetically pleasing as it is delicious. Signature dishes include black cod poached in duck lard and larb salad with pheasant, hog plum leaves, and edible flowers, but really everything is good.

Commissioned in 2006 by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, Royal Mansour is like a medina within the city’s Medina. Fifty-three private riads, each three stories high, feel like mini-palaces, with open-air courtyards and on-call butlers. Every detail is an homage to Moroccan craftsmanship, down to the gorgeous zellige ceramic tiles, intricately carved woods, and molded plasterwork created by local artisans.


From April onward, access to a pool is essential to your enjoyment of Marrakech—and canny entrepreneurs have ensured there’s something for every budget. The city has some mega-luxury treats within walking distance of the medina, like the poolside pavilions at the Royal Mansour’s Le Jardin and the pool that launched a thousand photo shoots at La Mamounia. Expect to spend upward of $80 just to get in. There are also plenty of accessibly priced options a little out of town. The top of our list are the ultra-deep, black-tiled, 115-foot long twin pools at the Beldi country club, where $40 gets you a pool pass, a sun lounger beneath the olive trees, and a slap-up barbecue lunch. It gets busy, though, so if you’re after something a little more serene, book a car to take you out to the Jnane Tamsna in the middle of the Palmeraie, where gloriously scented gardens and five serene turquoise pools are hidden away among the date palms. Pool access, including a three-course lunch that fuses Moroccan Mediterranean with more fiery Senegalese flavors, is about the same price. Out at the Fellah Hotel, up-close views of the mighty Atlas Mountains can be soaked up from a shabby-chic poolside terrace over lunch (not included) while rubbing shoulders with the foundation’s artists in residence. Pool access costs $22.

One of the best views of Florence can be savored from the Piazzale Michelangelo, a short walk across the Arno River from downtown Florence. For a fun afternoon head to the square and enjoy an enchanting panorama of the city, followed by a relaxing alfresco lunch at one of the nearby restaurants. The Piazzale Michelangelo is also worth a visit at night to get a very different glimpse of Florence. The lights of the Duomo and the buildings surrounding it make for a magical nighttime scene.

Rio’s Rubaiyat retains the essence of its São Paulo and Spanish predecessors, with its signature line of luxury steaks (all from the owners’ hacienda) with service to match and, in this case, surroundings worthy of a commemorative photo. The restaurant is part of the Jockey Club, from whose outdoor spaces you take in the horse races from right beside the turf, as if in a luxury box. You can also spot Cristo Redentor, high atop Corcovado, with just a slight turn to the left, following the curve of the racetrack.

At Little Italy’s Herb & Wood, Chef Brian Malarkey’s wood-fired dishes include roasted parsnips with pickled raisins, parsley-shallot verde, and molten Marin County brie; roasted beets with sherry, walnut pesto, jamón Ibérico, and burrata; and grilled flat bread with whipped eggplant, za’atar, onions, and pine nuts. But the Mediterranean- and California-inspired menu isn’t the only big draw here: The industrial-boudoir aesthetic is equally inviting, with tufted sofas, soft lighting, and feathery fronds under the soaring ceilings of this onetime warehouse. A charmingly tattered edition of Emily Post’s Etiquette book has pride of place on the hostess stand. But the restaurant is unlikely to call guests on any manners infractions except one. In calligraphy at the bottom of the menu, you’ll find the following note: “Substitutions and additions politely declined.”

For an elegant island dining experience, opt for an evening at Le Corail at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa. The formal and contemporary dining room, right beside the lagoon, seats only 28 at a time, so the mood is intimate and romantic. Tables by the windows, with a view of the resort’s overwater wedding chapel, are the most coveted. The French-accented seven-course tasting menu rotates with the seasons and is plated artfully, in keeping with the modern surroundings. With advance notice, the kitchen can accommodate those with allergies and dietary restrictions. Open six nights a week for dinner, from April to November.

The fabulous restaurant at Hótel Grímsborgir, Selfoss, Iceland. I love it when the people at a restaurant take the time and make the effort of decorating with pieces that mean something. The blue plates on the walls are Norwegian Porsgrund Christmas plates and every year they make a new one and the people at the restaurant add it to the wall. I am a huge Christmas fan and collect ornaments from all of our travels so this to me was so nice. Also they had displayed such cute presents from people around the world...like the Matryoshka dolls on top of the piano from a couple in Russia who stayed at the hotel. It makes the place have a soul, in my mind. The food served here was amazing, service was excellent....best lamb I’ve ever had and hubby had some amazing cod.Not on the cheap side but oh so worth it.

A scenic 60-minute drive up the coast from Catania, the picturesque town of Taormina overlooks stunning beaches and the Ionian Sea from its hilltop perch. You can enjoy an incredible view of Mt. Etna from the ancient Greek Theater and visit locations used in the filming of the Godfather movies. And when you feel like hitting the beach, Lido Mazzaró, one of the island’s best, is just a quick cable-car ride away.

What do Al Capone and Bruce Willis have in common? They both did time here at Eastern State Penitentiary. (OK, Willis wasn’t an inmate, but he did shoot the film 12 Monkeys here.) The facility’s first inmate was brought through these doors in 1829, and the prison was in use until 1971. After closing, it became a target for vandals and housed a sizable colony of stray cats. Real estate developers proposed repurposing it as condominiums (high-security, of course), but preservationists won out. They raised funds to stabilize the crumbling interior and remove trees that were growing inside some cells. Wander through its stark interior and learn about the fascinating history of this unique site and its previous tenants, including Capone. Don’t miss the special art installations that are on display here all year round.

Offering traditional Peruvian dishes as well as others with more of a gourmet-fusion twist, this restaurant is an object lesson in using a country’s gastronomical variety to the very fullest. In particular, it’s one of the best places in Cuzco to try alpaca steak, which is grilled to perfection and served with a variety of sauces such as mango and ginger, mushrooms, or good old salt and pepper. A lovely rooftop terrace with fabulous city views is a great spot to try some mighty tasty pisco cocktails. The bar also features a plethora of infused piscos (think fruits, spices, and even chili peppers), which are great fun.

The Rome Cavalieri, like the Hassler and St. Regis, is synonymous with five-star luxury in Rome. The hotel, opened in the 1960s, channels a Versailles-meets–Dolce Vita vibe, and given its unbridled opulence, it’s a top destination for honeymooners and jet-setters seeking the ultimate comforts. Its location atop Montemario, a hillside residential district north of the Vatican, offers spectacular views of the city from various terraced levels and many of the rooms. The very location, affording such panoramas, is also a drawback for travelers wishing to be in the thick of it all, so the Rome Cavalieri is best suited to those who relish spending significant time in the hotel rather than out on the town.

There are plenty of appealing amenities for guests who choose to stick around the property. The outdoor pools, the finest in Rome, are set amid lush gardens. The pool area doubles as a sort of private club for local elite and is ripe for Italian athlete and celebrity sightings. Back inside, the lobby and rooms are sumptuously furnished and feature antiques and original works of art.

Fans of the movie Apocalypse Now probably know it was shot in Baler, some 150 miles northeast of Manila. At the time, locals were already well aware of the area’s killer waves, which caused trouble for the fishermen. But attitudes toward the waves slowly changed, thanks to the film: Residents used the surfboards left behind by the crew to learn to ride them. Surfing culture in the Philippines was born, and the big waves were no longer considered a threat, but rather an opportunity to bring in surfing tourism and events each year from October to February. But Baler has a lot to offer for the non-surfer, too, even if you just sit on the beach and watch the ocean. Couples love the long stretch of sand at Sabang, which is perfect for romantic beach walks, and the sunrise here is a must-see. From a historical perspective, Baler is significant because it was the last stand of Spanish forces in the Philippines; the yearlong siege that began in July 1898 is one of the longest in the country’s recorded history. The undermanned Spanish troops, not knowing the war was over, held onto their fortress in the only stone building in the area, the San Luis Obispo de Tolosa church, for 337 days.

Part of the spectacular wind- and ocean-eroded shoreline of the Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reserve, Cathedral Cove, on New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula, is reached via an undulating coastal track that takes around 40 minutes to hike. To avoid the inevitable crowds, it’s best to visit the massive stone arch early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and the natural shower of the arch’s waterfall is a refreshing option after the walk. The stunning beach is also popular for swimming, and en route there’s good snorkeling at Gemstone Bay and Stingray Bay. To arrive at the cove by sea (a short hop from the nearby resort town of Hahei), contact Cathedral Cove Water Taxi.