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From the outside, the Royal Ontario Museum appears to have been struck by a mineral formation from outer space. When the original building was overhauled by starchitect Daniel Libeskind, many locals were dismayed by the new addition, called the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, but most have come around to its angular charms. Visitors to this museum of world cultures and natural history can work their way through galleries showcasing Chinese sculptures, Canada’s First Nations artifacts and crafts, dinosaur skeletons, and Byzantine artwork. Special exhibits have included everything from the intricate textiles of Mexico to an in-depth look at the culture of tattoos.

Tucked away on an eight-acre estate at the top of St. Helena’s main street, Harvest Inn could easily be mistaken for a private country manse somewhere in England, or even northern France. Its lush gardens are traversed by winding pathways, and its brick-accented, Tudor-inspired architecture suggests somewhere far more Old World than upstart Napa. Even its sinuous pools and cozy rooms (many with fireplaces and private outdoor hot tubs, mind you) are reminiscent of a style somewhat less rustic-chic than tends to be in vogue here in wine country. Indeed, by Napa Valley standards, the intimate inn is part of the old guard, its original 25 rooms dating back to 1975, just after the famed Judgment of Paris tasting brought the region’s New World wines into the international spotlight.

But the Harvest Inn is no less luxurious than the new resorts popping up all over Napa Valley. It has one of the most desirable locations in one of the most desirable parts of the world, surrounded by celebrated vineyards and presiding over arguably the most picturesque town in wine country. It also features a popular restaurant, Harvest Table, which serves dishes full of ingredients from the hotel’s on-site vegetable and herb garden.

What began with Azul y Oro—chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita’s high-end university “refectory”—is now a multi-restaurant group famed for an almost museum-like reverence for traditional Mexican cooking in all its infinite variety. The downtown iteration, called Azul Histórico, is a gorgeous space in the courtyard of a 17th-century colonial palace (once inhabited by descendants of the Emperor Montezuma) and is now one of the Centro’s most sought-after tables, terribly romantic beneath its tree-and-candlelight canopy. Menus are seasonal and themed—often focusing on cuisine from Mexico’s regions and states—and are sure to present some delicacies even most Mexicans never knew before. Ask questions and swing just beyond your comfort zone. Out-of-towners and locals alike love the flair with which dishes emerge from the kitchen, in extravagant, eye-catching Mexican pottery.

A consummate purveyor of all things music and vintage vinyl, Phil Machemer sold records at the Peddler Flea Market before opening Revolver Records in North Buffalo in 2015. Now, he offers more than 30,000 new and quality used records at his brick-and-mortar space, helping shoppers choose from jazz, indie rock, soul, metal, hip-hop, punk, international, country, and anything else they desire. Machemer has had so much success with his store that he just opened a second location with a similarly varied selection in the heart of Elmwood Village.

Local Hawaiian Barbecue is easy to come by in the Islands. And, no fast food or plated lunch chain makes it easier to taste a bit of Island food than L&L Barbecue. Menu favorites include Kailua Pork and Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken. To try something new, there is Lau Lau (pork wrapped in taro leaf), Saimin (noodles and broth with choice of meat), Musabi (meat and rice block wrapped in seaweed), or Loco Moco (hamburgers, rice, gravy, and eggs).

Want to get that small-town-ice-cream-shop feeling in a big city? Head to Lick for fresh and unique seasonal ice cream. With each lick of your cone, a new complexity of flavor is revealed. Ice cream here is made with only wholesome ingredients, most locally sourced, and is free of high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colors or flavors, and preservatives. A double scoop—Caramel Salt Lick atop Pecans & Cream—is highly recommended.

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)

Forever on the verge of being the next big target of gentrification, the district known as Santa María la Ribera—northwest of downtown—retains its neighborhoody, down-at-the-heels charms. Its streets are home to a mix of old-school cantinas (all perfectly visitor-friendly) and mom-and-pop restaurants, alongside some neglected architectural gems, hipster coffeehouses, and standard-issue, sometimes grimy local businesses—in short, it’s still real. The district’s centerpiece is its central plaza, known as the Alameda, and its exuberant Moorish-style gazebo (it started life as the Mexico Pavilion at a long-forgotten world’s fair). Recently restored and awash in color, the kiosk is a gem—and the proud emblem of the barrio. Note some amazing old mansions and the spooky Institute of Geology lining the plaza. The nearby Museo Universitario del Chopo—housed in a glass-and-cast-iron former natural-history museum—is a renowned center for avant-garde art that leaves no viewer less than provoked.

We live in the age of artisanal everything, from chocolate and coffee, to, you guessed it, water. At Mexico City‘s Casa del Agua, staff produce and bottle “local water” on-site. The bottles—designed artisanally, of course—are charming souvenirs that you can use over and over again (with your own, less expensive water) once you’re home. Be sure to go to the second level of the shop to see the filtration process, and to the terrace level to see where the water is captured.

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!