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It’s back to the bistro at the Bachaumont hotel restaurant with a menu of updated French classic dishes like steak tartare and quasi de veau imagined by chef Gregory Marchand of Frenchie. The dining room is equal parts glam and sophisticated thanks to a sharp design job by Dorothée Meilichzon; chairs and banquettes in patchwork patterns and fabrics, Backgammon-inspired wood tables, mosaic marble flooring, diamond-shaped light fixtures and touches of brass. The entire dining program is managed by the Experimental Group (of Experimental Cocktail Club fame), which means you can also expect their singular brand of cool at their moody cocktail bar called Night flight, where skilled barmen churn out superior craft cocktails into the wee hours.

Kompong Phluk is a floating village located in the middle of Cambodia‘s largest lake, Tonle Sap. The term “floating” is a bit misleading: the houses are actually built on very tall stilts around 8 meters high. During the rainy season, the lake rises and covers the stilts, giving the illusion that the homes are floating in the water. We learned that these types of villages are built in the middle of the lake to make it easier for fishermen and rice farmers to gather during harvest season.

Lone Star Court is a modern hotel with a timeless twist. Inspired by the motor courts of yesteryear, guests experience in retro-style accommodations and first-rate hospitality. Adding to the property’s rustic charm are an outdoor dipping pool, Airstream food truck, and courtyard fire pits. Live bands play every Wednesday through Saturday in the hotel’s bar, the Water Trough. The hotel’s location in North Austin makes it accessible to many of the city’s points of interest.

Las Cumbres is the newest of the bunch of hotels to open in 2015 in Lastarria. Cuddling the backside of Plaza Mulato Gil, the hotel fused itself to the existing colonial structure with an edgy, modern architecture. Inside the rooms have clean lines and an understated design overseen by king designer, Enrique Concha. Sporting 73 rooms, conference areas, an outdoor pool, and tapas bar, it’s just brought more buzz to an already happening area of town.

My island destination has to have very few things to make me happy, but I always insist on them. And if they don’t have then, well that’s a deal breaker. Milos, part of the Island chain of Cyclades has them all. I want a clean room with a comfy bed, overlooking the ocean- check. I’d like a cool drink on a hot afternoon in the village taverna or while enjoying a swim at the beach- yes they have it. I want to sit by the sea and enjoy the sunset turn brilliant shades of orange and gold-yupppers. But Milos has so much more. The Aphrodite of Milos or the Venus de Milo was found here in the 1800’s by a wandering islander. The French soon ran off with the beautiful Greek woman from 100- 130 BC and put her in the Louvre so all could adore her, although she probably preferred the Greek island life, because she was dressed for it. The Franks stopped by and built a castle ostensibly to protect their interests in the Mediterranean. A plethora of hot springs to bathe in dot the island and there is fresh seafood and wine, and stunningly captivating white villages sparking in the sun. This island of Milos is a pearl, and worth a stay during your Greek island tour. How to arrive? Take the various ferries or charter a sailboat or yacht. http://www.milos.gr/en/

I awoke at 6:30 this morning to find this view greeting me from our 12th floor balcony. This is looking eastward across Memorial Drive and Buffalo Bayou Park toward the Houston downtown skyline just about an hour before sunrise. Waking up at this hour every morning to see what uniquely beautiful view the dawn has to offer has become my ritual. So far, no two have been quite the same. A larger version of the photo can be seen by following the link below to my online gallery.

Etihad Towers offers much more than a beautiful and feminine architectural crown to the Abu Dhabi skyline. The five blue-tinted structures are home to Jumeirah Hotel, an office building, and three residential towers. Shoppers will find many of the finer things in life on sale at the Avenue, a high-end mall of refined shops and several cafes in the podium of the Towers. An observation deck can be accessed on the 74th floor with a stunning view of Abu Dhabi Island and the Arabian Gulf. Among others, fine dining options include Tori No Su, Pearls by Michael Caines, Nahaam, and Rosewater.

One of the most cost-efficient hotels in Montreal! Hotel ZERO1 is located in the heart of Montreal’s Festival District and minutes from Chinatown, Old Montreal, and the Latin Quarter - in other words, the location is unbeatable. Rooms are modest in size (it is a 3* hotel after all) but the decor is sober, yet stylish and very modern with apparent concrete walls and large windows. Some rooms even have a small kitchenette area. Good to know: the airport shuttle bus stops right across the street.

If you want a more back-to-nature romantic sleep, head off the main island of Providenciales and onto the less resort oriented Grand Turk and stay at the historic Grand Turk Inn. A charming bed-and-breakfast in a 150-plus year old Caribbean clapboard inn, it doesn’t allow children under the age of 16, and has an old fashioned allure, where time still feels like it moves slowly. In a prime Front Street location, it was originally build as the Methodist Manse, but today has been converted into a stately B&B with just five elegant, sunny suites and overlooks the beach and turquoise waters of the Columbus Landfall National Park. Despite the historic style of the inn, rooms are modern and have satellite TV and air-con, as well as full kitchens and West Indies colonial era furnishings made from rattan and bamboo. Don’t skip the huge rooftop sundeck facing the ocean and historic waterfront. The included breakfast is delivered to your room each morning based on your menu selection from the night before. There is also an on-site restaurant serving an Asian influenced menu. Also take a stroll down Front Street to explore more restaurants and listen to local artists playing nightly on the street.

UNESCO got it right when it declared Quito’s historical center the world’s first Cultural Heritage site. Hidden among the baroque churches, cobbled streets, and colorful markets lies a square of endless entertainment. If you find yourself in Plaza Grande on Sunday, then cancel your plans for the rest of the day. From morning to night, this square, no bigger than two soccer pitches, chimes with traditional music, vendors peddling their wares, theatrical performances, and religious preachers. On stone benches, gray-bearded men strum the hypnotic sounds of pasillo music. Sprawling up one side of the Catedral de Quito’s steps, hundreds of locals watch a group re-enact Ecuador’s fight for independence. Up the other side, howls of laughter bellow against the 16th-century white walls as a face-painted comedian delivers his routine. Then, as the clouds above the Presidential Palace turn a deep red later in the day, suited men divulge the secrets of the Bible in front of studious locals.