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Las Ventanas al Paraíso represents the epitome of luxury, with gorgeous, gigantic rooms featuring traditional crafts, handmade mosaic headboards, and classy furniture and accents. Balcony railings are awash in pink blossoms of bougainvillea. Some rooms take amenities further still, with private kitchens and wine cellars, as well as personal butler service. The property is set between the desert and the sea, and common areas, such as pools, have exceptional ocean views. Service is ultra-attentive, as one would expect at this price point, and guests rave about on-site restaurants and dining, especially in La Cava, the resort’s private wine cellar. Concierges can assist with planning a host of excursions and experiences, from cooking classes to whale-watching trips.

Prague’s Astronomical Clock is the world’s oldest working one of its kind. Installed in 1410, it is located on the Old Town City Hall in Prague‘s Old Town Square. The medieval clock features an astronomical dial; “The Walk of the Apostles”, an hourly show of moving sculptures; and a monthly calendar dial with the 12 signs of the zodiac. The clock is the center of Prague and the city’s most popular sight. On the top of every hour, huge crowds gather to watch the movement of the Twelve Apostles. Two doors on either side of the clock open and the statues become animated with twelve moving disciples. Animated statues representing greed, vanity and death also add to the performance, which during the Middle Ages was one of the man-made marvels of the world. For centuries it has been displaying the time and date, the position of the sun, the phase of the moon and astronomical cycles. Even in the age of smart phones, that is pretty impressive! It’s easy to spend a whole afternoon, if not a whole day, here. You can visit the Town Hall, climb to the top of the tower for one of the best views in Prague, watch an Astronomical Clock performance, then enjoy a Czech meal in one of the local restaurants.

The belly button of the world lies eighty miles northwest of Athens, where the southern slope of Mount Parnassus, cut deeply by cascades feeding the River Pleistos, drops precipitously into the Gulf of Corinth. High above the ravine in a cleft between the Phaedriades, or “Shining Rocks,” a natural amphitheater was shaped by wind, erosion, and tectonic turbulence over the intersection of two underground faults. This is the omphalos—the spot believed by ancient Greeks to be Gaia’s own navel. Homer called it “Pytho,” because it was here that the Earth Mother gave birth to a female serpent. “Why is it the serpent is always a woman?” The goddess/serpent appears in everyone’s mythology, I remind KB as we approach six massive columns re-erected where the western pediment of Apollo’s temple once stood. “Yeah,” she replies, kicking a loose a chunk of limestone across the weathered foundation, “along with the ‘hero’ who kills her.” KB’s sinewy, suntanned legs straddle one of the pedestals at the entrance to the sekos—Apollo’s inner sanctum—and her belly button taunts me between the waistband of low-slung hiking shorts and the hem of her tank top. “Both Apollo and his twin sister, Artemis, whacked the serpent goddess,” I remind her. “Naturally, the locals erected a temple here to commemorate his bravery. It was named after a cult that worshiped the sun god in the form of a dolphin—Delphinios—Delphi for short.” “How do you remember all this stuff?” KB asks.

If you’re shopping for a foodie friend or you want to take some of the flavors of Mexico home with you, Bottega Culinaria is a one-stop-shop for food-related souvenirs. Here, you’ll find sal de gusano (sea salt mixed with ground worms from the Mexican agave) and Ancho Reyes, a chile ancho liqueur that’s perfect for cocktails. There’s also Mexican vanilla, chocolate studded with chiles, and other unexpected treats.

Booze Cooperativa is “a brain hub of tribes and nations in creative disruption.” That certainly sounds like millennial trendspeak, but the Cooperativa—a three-story neoclassical textile mill repurposed in 1989 into spaces for art, music, and people-meeting, and eating and drinking, has been promoting local artists, providing community for artists of all sorts (many of whom co-work, or play chess with their friends, at the six-meter-long—almost 20 feet—table by day), and acting as a nighttime watering hole ever since. Booze isn’t just about booze at all, but you can smoke here—its owner registered the building as a political party headquarters to get around the Greek indoor smoking ban.

Owners Laura and Riccardo Bonino opened this local staple in 2011, bringing inspired, authentic flavors from Italy‘s Piedmont region to small-town South Carolina. The late author Pat Conroy was fond of eating here, a fact that the restaurant plays up in their marketing. But hype aside, the kitchen’s use of seasonal ingredients in dishes like tagliatelle verdi (handmade kale pasta) and seared scallops makes for a memorable meal.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-shirts, Members Only jackets, Beavis and Butthead outerwear, Max Headroom sunglasses… oh yes, these are all the droids we’re looking for. Visitors on the hunt for totally tubular leg warmers, an acid-washed jean jacket, and a Michael Jordan bobblehead need look no further than Rad Vintage, supplying all the vintage toys, clothing, videos, and accessories that our inner kids could ever dream about. It’s one of the biggest vintage stores in Andersonville; the merchandise is in spectacular condition, and the prices are reasonable. It’s rad, man.

While Heath Ceramics is over 60 years old, having been founded in 1948 in Sausalito, their colorful bud vases, dinnerware and tiles have enjoyed a boom in recent years. Straddling the line between a rough, hand-crafted aesthetic and an elegant, understated quality, their pieces are hard to miss in the pages of design magazines as well as at the homes of some of your most tasteful friends. The new retail location on 18th Street includes a workshop alongside a café serving Blue Bottle coffee. There is also a smaller location in the Ferry Building.

With its world-renowned chef and ultrachic decor, Blue—tucked discreetly into the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman—seems the sort of place you’d find in New York or Paris. But the main draw is decidedly local: spectacularly fresh ingredients sourced largely from the sea right outside and served up in such specialties as lightly seared wahoo with bok choy and kimchi broth; or poached halibut with sunchokes, salsify, and truffle jus; or bread-crusted red snapper with squid and sofrito sauce. If you’re feeling ambitious, go for the gusto with a six- or seven-course tasting menu—and tack on the wine pairings.

The Louisiana-style, year-round barbecue at Buster’s is in a league of its own. Main-course options at this no-frills (read: It’s a glorified picnic shelter) Calistoga eatery include shoulder, pork ribs, tri-tip, chicken, pork loin, and pulled pork—all cooked medium rare unless otherwise specified. Most dishes come with sides such as baked beans, macaroni salad, and cole slaw. All portions are heaping, and every dish comes with signature garlic toast. Dessert options include house-made sweet potato pie and fresh-baked cookies. Because of Buster’s proximity to downtown Calistoga, the restaurant is a great stop after a morning hike on Mount St. Helena. On warm days, try to grab a table outside and watch the ‘cue masters work the outdoor grills, and on Sunday afternoons, stick around for live blues and jazz on the patio.

Unlike many of the cookie-cutter Vietnamese restaurants in Hanoi, there’s a good reason why many tour groups are brought here for their lunch. There are a la carte menus on offer, but most guests prefer to opt for the “popular” meal, which involves pointing at steaming vats containing things like Chinese braised pork and fat juicy ribs.

The success of the TV drama Borgen has piqued international interest in the building that houses the Danish government. Christiansborg Palace (from which Borgen takes its name) is also the tallest tower in the city center, and it’s free to visit though you will have to go through airport-style security to get in. There’s a viewing platform or, better yet, go to the casual restaurant in the tower. One of the most unusual and memorable places to dine in Copenhagen, the belfry-like eatery has a Harry Potter–like charm, with casts of sculptures left over from the time the space was used as a storage room.

Set on what was once the original campus of the University of Washington, this downtown landmark was opened in 1924, and now sits on the National Register of Historic Places. Its stately spaces have played host to generations of weddings, proms, banquets, and other opulent events, as well as a number of notable guests; John F. Kennedy stayed in the Presidential Suite during his visit to Seattle, for example.

Following a renovation in 2016, the Fairmont Olympic Hotel now features 450 rooms and suites with sophisticated décor, comfortable furnishings, and Le Labo products. Among the dining options are the elegant Georgian, a much-lauded favorite for breakfast, lunch, and the famous Afternoon Tea; The Terrace Lounge, for great drinks and live music; and Shuckers, one of the city’s oldest (and best) oyster bars. The latter pairs fresh seafood with local microbrews, including the hotel’s signature honey ale, made using honey from the building’s rooftop hives. Other amenities include a day spa and salon, and a health club with Jacuzzi, sauna, and indoor pool.

From its beachfront locale to the sweeping terraces and sliding-glass doors, everything about this hotel is aimed at maximizing views of Bali’s most sought-after shoreline. Local stone and wood put an Indonesian twist on the resort’s Thai design, which incorporates a dark-wood color scheme, a mini waterfall, and lattice screens. The hotel offers one-of-a-kind experiences, including special-occasion dinners on the beach and spice-infused cooking tours that introduce guests to regional flavors (don’t miss Spice Spoons, in which you’ll sample exotic fruit and other local ingredients, or the seaside Indonesian cooking class with a master chef). Bustling Seminyak lures travelers to its restaurants, bars, and nightclubs—often early into the morning—but Anantara’s spacious sundecks, refreshing pools, traditional spa suites, and umbrella-shaded beach chairs are waiting to revive you the next day.

“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.