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Each of the Como resort’s 33 over-water bungalows has a private terrace that lets guests jump straight into the lagoon and snorkel amidst colorful fish and coral. Some of the larger suites are built in the shape of dhoni boats, the traditional wooden vessels used by local anglers. Cocoa Island is home to some of the best diving in the Indian Ocean, with at least 25 sites near the resort, including a shipwreck. Como recently launched its Coral Propagation Program, which allows guests to help protect and regrow the 1,000-plus species found around the resort by planting a coral frame.

Azul de Oaxaca Hotel + Galeria is among the numerous lodging options in the city’s colonial Centro neighborhood, but the aesthetic of this hotel tends more toward the contemporary, even though it is housed within one of the city’s typical 18th-century buildings. Respect for the centuries-old style is evident in the preservation of the building and courtyard. Rooms, though, are decorated with contemporary art and furnishings. Guests can enjoy a number of common areas, including a library, chapel, gallery and gift shop, patio lined with tall cacti, and rooftop terrace bar. On Sundays, guests are invited to enjoy local specialties, including quesadillas, at the on-site restaurant, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week.

Situated between two lakes at the bottom of the Jungfrau mountain in the Bernese Highlands of Switzerland, this venerable five-star hotel and spa, which dates back to 1865, offers scenery and comfort in equal measure. Subtly balancing tradition and modernity, the rooms are bright, spacious, and brimming with refined furnishings and fabrics. Plus, all come with picturesque views across the town of Interlaken or the Harder Kulm mountain. There are several higher-end suites to choose from; modernists might like the clean lines of the stylish Bel-Air suite, while hedonists will love the lavish Tower Suite, with its two terraces, kitchenette, bar, and dining room.

The hotel’s two restaurants serve Mediterranean-inspired dishes from the south of France and Italy, and there are two handsome bars and a gloriously expansive spa for further diversion.

Set back in a leafy area behind Casino Square and facing the sea, the sprawling, elegant Hotel Hermitage is a slightly less ornate alternative to the glittery fussiness of Hôtel de Paris, though it’s equally steeped in neoclassic grandeur. Many of the rooms and suites feel more contemporary than the hotel’s hand-painted Belle Epoque frescoes and stained-glass winter garden lobby dome designed by Gustave Eiffel. Accommodations range from rooms with clean lines, soft colors, and walnut furnishings to the most sought-after suites, with private terraces and lovely sea views. Because of the hotel’s spaciousness, it’s particularly well suited to families who want a touch of nostalgic glamour along with high-tech plasma screens and other modern amenities. The hotel’s V.I.K. (very important kid) program offers everything from a game room with activities to access to the private beach and pool for children.

Set in a historic building renovated by local architects Hild and K and Albert Weinzierl, Munich’s Louis Hotel has a prime location on the edge of the vibrant Viktualienmarkt. Stylistically, it mixes the Baroque with the contemporary, complementing detailed stucco, French balconies, and walnut bed frames with luxurious Italian fabrics, oiled oak floors, and designer furnishings. In addition to 72 chic rooms, guests can look forward to a lobby with a large fireplace, an in-house gym and sauna, a trendy Japanese restaurant, and a rooftop terrace with sweeping views over city landmarks like St. Peter’s Church.

Located next to the picturesque Sant Felip Neri Square in the atmospheric Gothic Quarter, the Hotel Neri Relais & Châteaux comprises two historic mansions, one dating to the 12th century. The modernist aspirations of the hotel are immediately apparent, though, from the front entrance’s elegant combination of glass and metalwork to the stone walls of the lobby. Rooms are crisp and subtly decorated in grays and greens offset by the wooden floors, and they’re filled with high-tech features such as satellite TVs and Bluetooth speakers, as well as desks. Bathrooms feature natural stone and rain showers, and most rooms look out onto the Gothic Quarter’s cobbled streets. The hotel also has a romantic restaurant with 12th-century inspiration, and a roof terrace complete with hammocks and a beer-and-wine bar.

This luxury hotel melds historic charm with 21st-century designer sass. Located deep in the middle of Barcelona’s bustle, it occupies a 1920s building that’s been lovingly reworked by architect Oriol Tintoré. Original features, most notably the winding neoclassical stairway, are immediately apparent in the stately lobby entrance, and these heritage touches continue into the hotel’s public spaces and many of the rooms. Not that the rooms are traditional; on the contrary, they’re very slick, decked out with modern conveniences such as media hubs, complimentary minibars (restocked daily), and rain showers. The rooms, arranged so they face outward, are generously flooded with daylight, which highlights the restrained color palettes and elegant wooden floors. Shared facilities at the hotel include a roof terrace with infinity pool, a Mediterranean bistro-style restaurant, and a comprehensive spa and wellness center.

Built into the side of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Capella Ixtapa is a luxurious resort hotel with 59 rooms, all suites with ocean-facing views. As might be expected, accommodations are generous in size, with each guestroom featuring a master bedroom, a living room, and a private terrace with its own plunge pool. Decor features tiled floors, dark wood furniture, and local handwoven crafts as accents. Included in the room fee is a range of personal services and amenities, from standards like Wi-Fi and nightly turndown service to more coveted benefits such as a personal assistant who provides individualized concierge services. There are lots of common spaces in the hotel for guests to enjoy, among them an open-air lobby and a library, where drinks and snacks are served nightly. Two pools, an award-winning spa, and three restaurants round out what’s on offer here.

Situated on 10 acres in the heart of downtown, this 24-story hotel lives up to its name with 775 elegant guest rooms, appointed with handcrafted cherrywood Richelieu furnishings, floor-to-ceiling windows, Italian marble bathrooms, and spacious balconies. Public outdoor spaces include an immaculately manicured courtyard garden with a central fountain, a pretty-as-can-be terrace café serving house-made breads, and an outsize pool lined with loungers, all against a backdrop of classic white granite. To top it off, the hotel also features a colorful toy store with costumes galore, a jewel box of a sweets shop with macarons and other divine confections, and a men’s haberdashery. The lobby lounge hosts a live jazz band on weekend nights, and the staff tends to a crackling open fire during cool weather.

France’s chic, budget-friendly hospitality chain has gone Brazilian with this boutique hotel in Rio’s Santa Teresa neighborhood. Rooms are on the petite side, ranging from 160 to 280 square feet, but have whimsy to spare, with graphic rugs, minimalist furniture, and cheeky mirror messages scrawled over king-sized beds. Mama Shelter properties aim to be welcoming and lively, a fact that’s especially evident in the common spaces. The on-site restaurant features communal tables, stepped seating, and a menu that encourages sharing, while the Portuguese-tiled bar brings guests together over creative cocktails. While Mama Shelter isn’t on the beach, it does offer a lovely courtyard for lounging in the sun, as well as terraces with beautiful city views. It’s also right in the middle of one of Rio’s most happening neighborhoods, putting guests within walking distance of several trendy restaurants and bars.

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.”

Built in the 1840s as a sheep station that still operates today, Wharekauhau—meaning “place of knowledge” in Maori—pays homage to the area’s tradition of feeding the wise and the cultured. Thirteen cottage suites were positioned to take in this dramatic slice of North Island pasture that landslides into Palliser Bay southeast of Wellington. The cottages are unpretentious yet filled with such luxuries as four-poster beds with curtains, private terraces, separate lounge areas, writing desks, gas fireplaces, double baths, and walk-in showers. Each space is homey, cushioned by soft rugs and upholstery and enclosed by rustic wood panels and beams. The Edwardian main lodge, adorned with cream-toned furniture and antiques, invites guests to curl up by the fire, or chat with the chef in the open kitchen that flows into a charming country dining room. Outside, there’s inspiration all around, extending from the sheep herds to the Palliser Bay lighthouse.

The 29-acre Nizuc Resort & Spa excels in size, service, and amenities. The soothing design scheme blends calming neutrals and natural materials, which recur across multiple interior elements, including lamps, furniture, and tile flooring. Spacious, sun-filled rooms feature terraces and tropical gardens, and the private villas include infinity pools. Staff lead many activities to keep visitors as busy as they want to be; a typical day at the resort might include learning how to roll cigars, participating in a session of paddleboard yoga, or simply trying to choose a favorite between the two pools.

Just a few hours north of Lima, you can visit the sacred city of Caral-Supe, an ancient archaeological site that marks the earliest known instance of complex civilization in the Americas. The ruins at this UNESCO World Heritage Site date to approximately 3,000 B.C., and they are remarkably well-preserved for their age. Caral was almost certainly developed by a highly religious society, as evidenced by the stone monuments and pyramids, the the sunken circular courts, and the remnants of homes that likely belonged to the city’s elite. The physical setting is as striking as the cultural setting: the 626-hectare city is perched on a dry desert terrace overlooking the lush Supe River Valley, framed by mountains, close to the sky. You can hire a tour or take a car to visit this site on a day trip from Lima.

Hotel Empress Zoe, owned by American sisters Christina and Ann, is a little oasis nestled on old Istanbul’s most vibrant cobblestone streets. The hotel, just five minutes from the Blue Mosque and Aya Sophia, has 26 rooms featuring authentic Turkish furnishings, folkloric art, and marble hammam-style bathrooms in a setting resonating that of a charming Byzantine fortress. The décor throughout packs tons of character from the front door to the bar and restaurant area, right through to the villas and suites that line a tranquil archeological garden backing onto the stone ruins of the 15th-century Isak Pasha Hammam. Rest in this enchanting courtyard, and you’ll forget you’re even in Istanbul. The hotel also has a small rooftop terrace with views to the Marmara Sea and the minarets of the Sultanahmet area. Access to the rooms are via a spiral staircase, so those with mobility problems may wish to talk to management about their needs before securing bookings. Check their website for room styles, photos and pricing.