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Somewhere between a hip designer’s loft and a rock star’s party pad, the Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles is located in the Spanish Gothic–style United Artists building built in 1927 for actor and producer Mary Pickford and her team of silver screen stars. The hotel was painstakingly designed to showcase both historic and contemporary artistry, from Noguchi lamps and Pendleton blankets in loftlike rooms to original art deco floors and hand-drawn portraits of famous Angelenos on the restaurant’s walls.

The Rossio railway station was designed between 1886 and 1887 by Portuguese architect José Luís Monteiro. It makes connections with the village of Sintra, and the 2,600-meter tunnel was excavated under the city. It is considered one of 19th-century Portugal’s most important works of engineering. It has a beautiful Neo-Manueline façade, where two intertwined horseshoe portals stand at the entrance, a clock sits in a small turret, and the sculptural decoration is abundant. Inside you can now find a Starbucks, Lisbon Destination Hostel, and a souvenir shop.

Why we love it: A food-focused retreat in the scenic Willowemoc Valley

The Highlights:

• 600 acres of private land for hiking, fishing, and more
• A nine-course dinner included with each stay
• Cozy common spaces for soaking up the peace and quiet

The Review:
Set on a ledge overlooking the Willowemoc Valley and its namesake river, The DeBruce brings a touch of sophistication to an otherwise quiet corner of the Catskills. Here, in a restored inn from the 1880s, guests find 14 modest rooms spread over three floors. Designed to create a sense of calm, all feature down duvets, Sferra linens, and tile-and-marble bathrooms stocked with Malin & Goetz toiletries, while some also include clawfoot tubs and expansive views of the surrounding scenery. Guests spend little time in their rooms, however, as The DeBruce is home to several cozy common spaces, including the Great Room (filled with antique couches and wingback chairs), the Conservatory (with an original fieldstone fireplace and comfy reading chair), and a serene pool (surrounded by lounge chairs, a firepit, and manicured gardens). The property also sits on nearly 600 acres of private land, which spans two mountains, a river, and several ponds. Simply walk over the private bridge for access to trails for hiking, birding, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing, as well as a half-mile of river for fly fishing.

At the center of all of this is the restaurant—a glass-walled dining room overlooking the valley, where guests enjoy the a la carte breakfasts and multiple-course dinners included in their stay (one night is always a nine-course tasting menu). Chef Aksel Theilkuhl, formerly of BLT Steak Group in New York City, draws from a bounty of local, seasonal products for every meal, impressing with dishes like smoked trout and mushroom three ways. Should guests prefer something more casual, there’s also the Club Room in the basement, where Theilkuhl serves bar classics and small plates in an intimate setting. For more insight into The DeBruce’s culinary program, sign up for sessions with Theilkuhl and help with kitchen prep, sample new dishes, or forage the hotel grounds for ramps and more. Other activities like Pilates and yoga classes, exploratory nature walks, and fly-fishing lessons are also on offer, giving guests plenty of ways to while away their days in the Catskills.

Overall:
Housed in a restored 19th-century inn, the 14-room DeBruce is a warren of cozy common spaces that invite travelers to linger in wingback chairs next to stone fireplaces or chat on porch swings hung from the verandah. Guests may take a dip in the outdoor pool or join a fly-fishing or foraging excursion, but the main event is dinner. Chef Aksel Theilkuhl, formerly of BLT Steak Group in New York City, serves a nightly tasting menu in a 32-seat dining room facing the lodge’s ponds and rolling hills.

At the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, above the town of Sandy, Utah, the Alta Resort offers 2,200 skiable acres and an average of more than 550 inches of snowfall a year. While the steep slopes of the Wasatch mountains draw expert skiers, there is plenty of terrain for intermediate skiers and a number of programs within the ski school to get beginners and first-timers out and enjoying themselves. As for families, even those with little ones as young as two months old, day care is available all day long and into the early evening through Alta Children’s Center, and on Fridays and Saturdays until 6:30 p.m. with its Après-Ski Care. To get tykes skiing and on the slopes, Alta partners with the ski school.

Housed in Johannesburg’s historically significant University of Witwatersrand, the Origins Center details the history of humankind through displays, artwork, and more. Touring the interactive exhibits, either with a guide or a headset, will not only change the way you think about human existence, but also provide further insight into the way we’ve developed over the ages. While the museum focuses most on South African human development, there’s enough on offer to keep everyone engaged. Be sure to check out the 11 panels depicting the history of the San people in South Africa. Created by local women’s groups, the works serve as a timeline, covering everything from the distant past and the colonial period to issues affecting the San community today.

A little gem of a store located on a cobbled brick side street in Ballard, Horseshoe has a fun, casual hipster-boho-chic aesthetic and beautiful clothes and jewelry, whether you’re shopping for a professional work look or a wedding outfit. Their flattering clothes feature graphic prints, bold colors, and edgy, asymmetrical details, and if you’re feeling spendy, you can top off your look with timeless Frye western boots or a beautifully worn-looking leather tote. Want to represent your home state? They also carry Kris Nations’ charming state-name necklaces in gold and silver — a thoughtful present for a friend.

Parisian Brasserie dining, and a few hundred bottles of good wine standing sentinel for good measure. It didn’t take me long to get used to afternoons and evening at La Coupole. I had an equally delightful time at breakfast; a bit of yogurt and granola, some bread and cheese, and NHL highlights from the night before. I’m a simple guy, what can I say. Fine dining, good wine, and hockey fights go together like PB&J. In my book, anyway.

Constructed across four city blocks around Denver‘s original 1908 municipal auditorium, the sprawling 12-acre Performing Arts Complex now contains 10 venues under one roof. It’s the largest performing arts center under a single roof in the country, and it includes the historic Ellie Caulkins Opera House (formerly a large part of the aforementioned municipal auditorium), the Buell Theater (also reincarnated from the onetime auditorium), and the Boettcher Concert Hall. It’s also home to the resident companies of the state symphony orchestra, the state ballet company, Opera Colorado, and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. With all these venues and arts groups under one glass roof, several events happen nightly, including touring Broadway shows, concerts, dance performances, and more. Check the calendar and catch a show or take a guided tour.

Standing in Plaza Congreso, you might find yourself staring up at the Moulin Rouge-like windmill adorning an Art Nouveau building on the corner. Approaching the door, you’ll see it’s covered in cobwebs - this architectural landmark, once a glamorous cafe where politicians had coffee and tea between meetings, has been abandoned for years. Confiteria El Molino (‘el molino’ means ‘windmill’) has been closed since 1996, though local activists keep pushing to fund its restoration. So far, it hasn’t happened, and the fairy tale-like building on the corner adds an eerie ghostly feel to the busy urban intersection.

Architecture lovers flock to the Huangpu River’s western side to stroll the Bund, a waterfront tourist magnet in central Shanghai. There’s a glorious mishmash of late-19th- and early-20th-century styles here, from Gothic revival to art deco. Walk by the Fairmont Peace Hotel—first opened in 1929 as the Cathay Hotel—to behold its copper pyramid roof turned aqua with age. (Talk about aging gracefully.) Then hit the marble-floored HSBC Building (No. 12) to admire the domed ceiling’s eight mosaic murals, with frescoes depicting the 12 zodiac signs.

An Art Deco landmark on Rio’s famous stretch of sand, the Belmond Copacabana Palace has set the standard for visiting celebrities and discerning guests for nearly a century. In the luxurious rooms, muted colors, original artwork, and botanical murals serve as the backdrop for views of the ocean and black-and-white boardwalk. Outdoors, guests can lounge around the almost Olympic-sized pool—much like Marilyn Monroe once did—or take advantage of the hotel’s beach service, complete with assistants to watch your belongings while you swim. Visitors also have access to the hotel spa, which uses Brazilian fruits and Amazonian ingredients in its treatments, as well as an impeccable concierge team, which can arrange exclusive sunrise visits to Christ the Redeemer before it opens to the public.

The restaurant and nightlife scene may be hotter in Ipanema these days but Belmond guests are spoilt for dining choices. Hotel Cipriani Restaurant—named for the Copacabana’s sister hotel in Venice—serves elegant Northern Italian, while Pérgula is bustling day and night thanks to caipirinha cocktails prepared tableside and a menu of Carioca favorites like grilled seafood and steaks. For an award-winning meal, there’s also Mee, which holds a Michelin star for its haute Pan-Asian dishes and extensive sake selection.

Why we love it: A reimagined motel with quirky design, mineral pools, and a spa straight out of a Wes Anderson movie

The Highlights:
- Three different mineral pools for soaking in the sun
- A laidback spa with a twist on Calistoga’s classic mud baths
- Fun amenities like bikes, lawn games, and Polaroid cameras

The Review:
Inspired by classic roadside motels, Calistoga Motor Lodge sits at the end of the Silverado Trail, offering guests a casual, quirky stay in Napa’s northernmost town. The boutique property features a design by New York-based firm AvroKo, with lots of midcentury-modern furniture, bright pops of color, and retro details to transport visitors back in time. Simple yet cozy, rooms feature bold carpets, vintage-inspired fabrics, and cheeky art (think needlepoint signs reading “No selfies in the bathroom” and fabric animal heads mounted on the walls), plus tiled bathrooms with rainfall showers and signature bath products from on-site MoonAcre Spa. In addition to custom-designed hoodie bathrobes and freshly ground pour-over coffee, guests can look forward to unconventional extras like hula hoops, Mad Lib books, and Etch A Sketches for passing time between activities. If you bring along your pet, the hotel will even provide a dog bed, water and food bowls, and treats to make your four-legged friend feel at home.

Committed to local culture, Motor Lodge often hosts community events like group hikes, outdoor movie nights, and festivals. On Maker Mondays, local artisans even pop up at the hotel to host lessons in print making and more. When it comes time to relax, guests can repair to the three on-site mineral pools, all fed by natural geothermal hot springs and surrounded by loungers and cabana beds, or the whimsical spa, which offers everything from massages and body scrubs to less-traditional mud baths and salt soaks in clawfoot tubs. Afterward, soak up the sun in the spa garden, play a round of cornhole on the lawn, gather around the firepit, or grab a complimentary bike and make the short ride into town. Just be sure to borrow a Polaroid camera from the lobby so you can document your adventures at the surrounding wineries, boutiques, and galleries.

Described by Napoleon as the “Drawing Room of Europe,” Venice’s principal public square is dominated by Saint Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace—as well as its famous pigeons. Wander the framing porticos, have coffee at Quadri or Florian’s and just take it all in. Even on the most crowded days, there’s a feeling of calm in the eddying whirls of people who gather in this impressive space.

A short boat ride north from San Pedro will deposit you onto a portion of Ambergris Caye that feels worlds away from any town or city. Once ensconced in a private bungalow on a private beach, there isn’t much to distract the guest from complete enjoyment of the charms of Caribbean water, sunshine, and the slower pace that characterizes day-to-day life in the North Islands. Massage therapists are available, as are spa services, and a full range of excursions and activities can be arranged via the concierge. Thirteen exclusive villas are available, one of which includes a steam room and private infinity pool, while other villas either feature beach access, jacuzzi tubs, private outdoor showers, or decks that stretch over a saltwater lake. El Secreto’s full-service restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a bar is poolside in the main lodge. Rates begin around $3,000 for a three-night stay, and more information is available at www.elsecretobelize.com.

Sitting at the edge of Kenya’s capital city is Nairobi National Park. Kenya’s first national park is home to a huge range of wildlife, including buffalo, rhino, zebra, and lions. You can drive on your own around the park, or book a game drive with the Kenya Wildlife Service in advance. The best times to view the animals are at dawn or dusk; while away some of the time in between by heading to Ololo Lodge for lunch and a swim, or stay the night at Nairobi Tented Camp. Helping fund the park with tourism is more important now than ever: It is under pressure from developers, and there have been a number of incidents involving wildlife straying into nearby farmland, due to the encroachment of humans on the animals’ habitats in recent years.