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Privacy and discretion reign supreme behind the iconic red door of this Jacques Garcia-styled hideaway between the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysées. The smallest of the capital’s Palace hotels, La Réserve Paris is set up in a former mansion that belonged to the Duc of Morny (Napoleon III’s half-brother). The hotel maintains the feel of a private home, thanks to a mix of Second Empire decorative touches, including parquet floors, crown moldings, cordovan leather paneling, and velvet drapery. It’s easy to linger in the public areas, including the library packed with 3,000 books reserved for guests during the day, the fumoir that looks out onto a leafy courtyard, and salons with plush banquettes and club chairs.

When it opened in 1889, the Jerome lured New York City socialites and European aristocrats with its mix of rough-and-tumble mountain swagger and “modern” amenities (plumbing and electricity). In December 2012, the 94-room property emerged from a five-month renovation overseen by designer Todd-Avery Lenahan. The original front desk remains, and the tile floors have patterns inspired by Ute Indian weavings. The new lobby bar, the Living Room, serves craft cocktails amid mounted deer heads, mining artifacts, and a framed antique American flag. The rooms and common spaces feel inspired by a Ralph Lauren men’s collection, with lots of plaid, leather, and rich fabrics. Even the elevators are lined with old leather belts. Minibars are stocked with complimentary snacks such as organic chocolate peanut butter cups, and downstairs, guests can dine in the Living Room, the signature restaurant Prospect, or the legendary J Bar, which once poured pints for 10^th Mountain Division soldiers and Hunter S. Thompson. The new Jerome proves that a hotel can step into the future while completely respecting the past. This grande dame remains the epitome of mountain town luxury.

Jerome commands big-sky views from its mile-high perch on Cleopatra Hill: look out over red rock mesas and volcanic peaks while standing above a network of 88 miles of mine shafts descending over 4,000 ft. Founded in 1876, Jerome’s population fell from its 1920s boom of some fifteen thousand to a dwindling fifty-something in the 1950s; it almost became a ghost town. Day-tripping visitors hungry for Old West ambiance keep it alive today in its post-copper-bust reincarnation. (Sedona is just up the road.) Plenty of haunted Victorian bricks remain, along with art galleries, jewelry designers, and saloons still frequented by leather-chapped regulars. Mexican, Irish, Chinese, Italian, and Croatian miners once climbed up and down these hilly streets; on weekends now, art collectors, college kids, and bandanna’d bikers stream into the town that 444 residents still call home. (A 90-mile drive from Phoenix, it makes for a great day trip if you’re in central Arizona. And just a few miles from Jerome are the well-preserved pre-Columbian hilltop ruins of Tuzigoot National Monument.)

The charming and scenic Jerome, Arizona is tucked on a mountainside 30 miles southwest of Sedona. Once a thriving mining town, it survives today as a tourist destination and artist community. One surprise highlight among the shops on Jerome’s small Main Street is Nellie Bly, the world’s largest kaleidoscope store. You’ll find all price ranges of magical, mesmerizing kaleidoscopes—created by over 90 different artists—on display here alongside the $6 cardboard and plastic varieties that you may have owned as a kid. This is a store where you’ll want to stay and play all day. Luckily, the store’s policy is: Please touch! Next door to Nellie Bly, check out its sister shop, Nellie Bly II, an equally enchanting jewelry and crafts gallery. After you’ve finished exploring Nellie Bly and the other local shops and museums, don’t miss the Gold King Mine and Ghost Town! It’s a worthwhile place to spend another hour or two, and just a few minutes drive from Jerome’s Main Street. http://nellieblyscopes.com/ http://www.azjerome.com/ http://www.goldkingmineghosttown.com/

The Palais Garnier, the national opera house of Paris, is a magnificent building dripping in ornate details and glittering with gold. The five-ton chandelier, made famous in The Phantom of the Opera, still takes center stage in the auditorium. It is surrounded by a swirling, colorful ceiling painting by Marc Chagall. The decoration goes beyond the auditorium: The grand foyer rivals the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, and the grand staircase is an entryway fit for royalty. You don’t need to buy a ticket to the opera to see the space: Tours are given daily in a variety of languages.

Were it not for Santa Barbara’s landmark Arlington Theater just across the street, you may forget that DIANI Boutique isn’t in London, Paris, or Barcelona. When Caroline Diani opened her namesake boutique in 2002, her objective was to create a chic, casual European-style shop with edgy inventory—just like the clothes by designers like Jerome Dreyfuss, Mother Denim, and Lovely Bird that hang on the racks today. Diani, who was born in Kenya and raised in England, also owns DIANI Shoes. DIANI Living, a retail collaboration with her husband, opened in 2014 and stocks Bwindi bowls, Michanga baskets, Mali pow pillows, as well as assorted linens and serving platters.

A favorite of Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse, the Café de la Fontaine is the little brother of Michelin-starred l’Hostellerie Jérôme. The rustic bistro is the perfect place for a light lunch or afternoon drinks while watching the world go by from the center of La Turbie.

This isn’t your local Walgreens—the edgy glass-and-steel facade should tell you that. And while you can buy aspirin at its pharmacy or Le Figaro at its newsagent, Publicis is really about upmarket retail: Petrossian caviar, Acqua di Parma cologne, Harmon Kardon speakers, an 1,100 euro handbag from Jerome Dreyfuss. You can also pick up a fine cigar from its humidor or a fine Bordeaux from its wine cave. The two-story “drugstore” also houses a cinema, brasserie and two gourmet restaurants.