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When the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel first opened for business in 1912, Beverly Hills was just a suburb of Los Angeles, and the hotel provided a place for people to stay when looking at parcels of land to live on in the area. But as the city of Beverly Hills developed, the hotel—nicknamed the Pink Palace—became a perennial favorite among the Hollywood set ranging from Golden Age stars like Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe to modern day celebrities like the Kardashians, Saweetie, and Mark Wahlberg. Today the hotel is run by the global luxury hotel group Dorchester Collection, and the famous cursive sign, whose font was created by architect Paul Revere Williams, one of the few Black architects at the time in L.A., still greets guests upon arrival.


The 210 guest rooms in the main building and 23 bungalows sit on 12 landscaped acres. The guest rooms feature midcentury modern–inspired design, some of the most comfortable hotel beds in the game, and marble bathrooms. They include a dreamy one-bedroom, Rat Pack suite in the Crescent Wing that was a favorite of Frank Sinatra; it’s decked out with a full bar, grand piano, and a patio. Each bungalow is unique: Some are themed after famous former patrons. The Marilyn Monroe bungalow is resplendent with touches of pink while the Howard Hughes is aviation themed and features dark woods and forest greens.



The Beverly Hills Hotel feels like an urban resort, with a 19,000-square-foot spa, an iconic pool and lounge area decorated in a Barbie-esque pink, a bar, and three dining options. The poolside Cabana Cafe is best for soaking up those Southern California rays (the McCarthy chopped salad is especially popular), while the Polo Lounge is said to be a favorite among Hollywood executives. The Fountain Room Coffee Room, famous for its pies, cakes, and breakfast options, was where Geffen Records signed Guns N’ Roses onto its label.

Shanghai tailors are the best in the world, says fashion designer Christy Holzer, whose label, Dowry Designs, was inspired by the city. She suggests visiting the South Bund fabric market to order custom garments. DRESS: STALL 308 “A fun style to wear is the qipao [a centuries-old Chinese dress that got its form-fitting shape in the 1920s]. Traditional silk patterns make the garment look old, so request a solid-color silk.” SUIT: STALL 309 “If you want truly exceptional fabric, ask for 100 percent wool. Most of the wool fabrics they have are blends. Specify that they line your suit with 100 percent silk or cotton.” COTTON SHIRT: STALL 310 “Look at the buttons the tailors are planning to use, as they often choose cheap ones. If you don’t like the buttons, stop by a button stall at the market; it will be worth the extra investment.” Illustration by Michael Hoeweler.

One block west of the Bund you can find the Rockbund Art Museum, housed in Shanghai’s former Royal Asiatic Society building (1932). Like many of the grande dame Bund buildings, RAS was dreamt up by British design firm Palmer and Turner and done to the nines in art deco style. The museum hosts its share of heavy hitters from the contemporary art world, such as Zhang Huan, Cai Guo-Qiang, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Rockbund is small but charming, especially the tranquil top-floor café and lounge, which give way to a small terrace overlooking the Pudong skyline.

The Hyatt has it in spades when it comes to top views of the city, but while most flock to the Hyatts hidden in the JinMao Tower and World Financial Center (or the “Bottle Opener” as it is affectionally known), it’s the Hyatt on the Bund that claims the ultimate view of the city. Head up the Vue Bar on the 32nd Floor to see the city in a whole new way. You’ll want a seat at the window, so be sure to make a reservation.

If you’re looking for a little adventure, DownTown Racing boasts India’s longest and most sophisticated go-kart track. With bungee jumping, ziplines, ATVs, quad bikes, and paintball, this place is great for groups and adrenaline junkies. The facility also has an arcade and games section for those hunting virtual adventures.

Why we love it: A bungalow-based resort inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and his beloved Sonoran Desert

Highlights:
- Spacious bungalows full of mid-century style
- Decor from local nonprofit Cattle Track Arts Compound
- Desert-inspired treatments at the on-site spa

The Review:
Santa Fe meets Palm Springs at this bohemian resort in Paradise Valley. Designers saved the bungalows from the previous property, but added dramatic, low-slung buildings rich in glass and deep overhangs, plus an ample central pool and four conference venues. Inspiration came via icons Frank Lloyd Wright and Alexander Girard, who both retreated to the desert for its light and space.

Guests looking to follow their lead can book one of the Andaz’s 201 mid-century-style casitas, which come complete with Eero Saarinen–esque womb chairs and marble walk-in showers. Suites include an additional full bathroom and spacious living area, while The Retreat—a cluster of accommodations perfect for weddings or corporate retreats—features 20 bungalows, including the 1,800-square-foot Albers House, surrounding a private pool. Throughout, decor draws heavily from the Cattle Track Arts Compound, a nearby nonprofit workspace for painters, sculptors, jewelers, potters, blacksmiths, and performers. (The hotel actually hosts artists-in-residence from the organization on a regular basis). Also on-site is the Palo Verde Spa & Apothecary, where treatments blend desert elements with locally sourced botanicals, and the inventive Weft & Warp Art Bar + Kitchen, with dishes inspired by the surrounding Sonoran Desert. When guests wish to explore farther, they can catch a ride in the hotel Tesla anywhere within five miles, including to Chaparral Park and Old Town Scottsdale.

No trip to D.C. is complete without ordering the district’s signature dish, the half-smoke. And while many restaurants serve it, there’s only one worthy of your order: Ben’s Chili Bowl. The popular landmark diner has been feeding the community and cultural icons since the area’s “Black Broadway” days, when jazz greats such as Miles Davis enjoyed this comfort food classic. When riots broke out after Martin Luther King’s assassination in 1968, Ben’s remained open and served both police and protesters. While the U Street Corridor has undergone an urban makeover, Ben’s has remained the same, serving its quarter-pound of half-pork/half-beef smoked sausage on a bun with mustard and onions, all smothered in spicy homemade chili sauce. The prestigious James Beard Foundation even took notice, deeming it one of “America’s Classics.” Bring cash and come hungry.

Set deep in the jungle—about an hour from Cancún and far from the usual beaches and resorts—this adventure park boasts the region’s most impressive ziplines, designed for daredevil travelers in search of real adrenaline rush. Fun-loving guides glide heels-over-head through exuberant foliage along each circuit, from canopy-rope courses and traditional ziplines to a bungee swing and Superman-style flying above the tree line. You can even book packages that include a swim in a nearby cenote, complete with high-dive platform, or a (be forewarned, very dusty) ATV ride.

Since 1862, fresh flowers and plants have arrived by barge from the Dutch countryside to Amsterdam. While this assemblage of flora still shows up daily, it comes by van, not boat, to the Bloemenmarkt, the world’s only floating flower market. Here, you can browse 15 fragrant stalls on houseboats permanently moored on the Singel. Now the best-known flower market in Holland, this colorful attraction is packed with tourists on sunny weekends. Still, it’s a great place to pick up Dutch tulip bulbs in a plethora of shades and varieties, as well as many other types of bulbs, seeds, cut blooms, and houseplants. Ship a bag of bulbs home, or grab a souvenir at one of several shops hawking T-shirts, mugs, clogs, Dutch cheese, and other fun and inexpensive gifts.

Don’t expect to find any Beijing residents on Wangfujing Snack Street, home of spiders, scorpions, starfish and pretty much anything else that can be skewered and cooked. This is firm tourist territory, a place for visitors to test their mettle when it comes to snacking on creatures that have six or eight legs or float about in the sea. It’s almost a rite of passage, to experience foods that most locals would turn their noses up at, and one that usually ranks among the top memories of a trip to Beijing. Scorpions on a stick seem to be particularly fascinating to visitors. In fact, during the Beijing Olympics it would have been easier to make a list of the visiting journalists who didn’t write a story about them. But, and this seems to be rarely mentioned, not everything on snack street has a ‘Man v. Food’ feel. The stalls offer far more identifiable snacks. Fried dumplings. Steamed buns. Mountains of noodles. Jellied acorn and chestnut. Corn. And given the overall cleanliness of the spot, perhaps due to its high tourism profile, it is generally safe to eat here. So, don’t feel you have to stick to the scorpions. The steamed buns will do, too.

They are most famed for their mouth-watering BBQ pork buns and the queues of people that congregate outside their blink-and-you’ll-miss-it canteen. Welcome to Tim Ho Wan, the one of the world’s cheapest Michelin star restaurants. This is Yum Cha heaven, so if you need your fix you have certainly come to the right place. Seated in the 17-seat canteen the fast, hectic pace of the restaurant will keep you in the fast lane: have your order ready before you come inside, eat fast, and get out or watch as you get stared down by one of the grumpier ladies. Despite this fast-paced attitude the food is worth it. A full meal to feed three to bursting point cost less than AU$20/GBP£14/US$21 – and that’s with leftovers. BBQ pork buns are notorious for being overly sweet, so biting into Tim Ho Wan’s buns I was pleasantly surprised to be met with a beautiful sweet interior filled with soft pork pieces. The chiu chow-style dumplings were also beautiful; notorious for having soggy nuts, they had steamed these to perfection, with the crunch still intact amongst the soft exterior. Top picks? The famed BBQ pork buns, vermicelli rolls, turnip cake, and the chiu chow style dumplings. Delicious! -------- Details Tim Ho Wan Tsui Yuen Mansion, 2-20 Kwong Wa St (廣華街2-20號翠園大樓2期地下8號舖) Mong Kok, Hong Kong Other branches: * Sham Shui Po G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon * ICC Mall in Central (Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station (Podium Level 1, IFC Mall) , Central, Hong Kong

In a city built on dreams, Chateau Marmont is the place where imaginations run wild. Opened in 1929 as luxury apartments in the style of a French château, the building became a hotel in 1930 and, over the decades, has hosted an exhaustive list of some of Hollywood’s biggest names—Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, Jim Morrison, Mick Jagger, Johnny Depp, and many more. Celebrity hotelier Andre Balazs renovated the hotel from top to bottom in the early 1990s, maintaining its signature Old World elegance (crushed velvet armchairs, wrought-iron chandeliers, columns galore) while outfitting it with all the requisite modern luxuries.


From its secluded 1950s bungalows to its signature pool surrounded by gardens, the chateau is the kind of place where anyone can be somebody, and no secret will be spilled. Cameras are forbidden in the restaurant—a favorite spot for industry types and guests alike—and the famously solicitous staff won’t blink an eye if guests are misbehaving or just lounging all day by the pool.

Built by Kaiser Wilhelm I in the late 19th century as a gesture to parliamentarians, Berlin’s famed Reichstag came into its own during the Weimar era—Germany’s first attempt at democracy. The parliament building burned under mysterious circumstances in 1933, leading to the suspension of civil rights and Hitler’s ensuing dictatorship. Seized and shot to pieces by Soviet troops in 1945, then abandoned during the city’s division, the traumatized building reentered public life when the German government returned to Berlin following reunification. Today the Reichstag stands proud, topped by a glass dome designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster as a symbol of political transparency. Going inside the dome is very popular; you can look down on plenary sessions as well as admire sweeping city views.

Three blocks inland from the waterfront, on Frenches St., the Craftmen’s Centre sells locally made, reasonably priced crafts: intricate grass mats in sizes ranging from place mats to full floor mats, colorful batik cloth, handmade West Indian dolls, hand-painted calabashes, and more. Cash only! (P.S. The grass mats roll or fold into a neat bundle to carry home.)

Known for their ability to combine comfort with luxury, Dominica’s best accommodations range from oceanfront cabanas and cliffside condos to a hotel in a former military fortification and an eco-lodge on a working fruit plantation. Many focus on sustainability and adventure travel, while others highlight local art, world-class spas, and proximity to Dominica’s best beaches.