QT Melbourne

An ideally located and eclectic hotel brimming with public spaces for guests and locals alike

A far cry from its previous existence as a scuzzy Greater Union cinema, Melbourne’s ideally located QT Hotel is opulent and super-trendy. Arriving at the big copper doors of the 188-room hotel, guests are greeted by smiley “Directors of Chaos,” whose identically matched outfits and wigs are nothing if not theatrical (and a little kooky). Inside, the foyer is lush and textured—stone, velvet, leather, timber …

Word of Mouth: Honolulu

The tropical metropolis is making big waves with authentic outposts that celebrate Hawaii's rich cultural history

From the time local swimming champ Duke Kahanamoku turned surfing into a modern sport and Elvis Presley began to rock-a-hula, people have swarmed to the shores of Waikiki to soak up its prolific Polynesian sunshine. Today’s tourist seeking big waves and beautiful rainbows should know Oahu’s near-perfect weather hasn’t changed, but that the city of Honolulu has. The tropical metropolis has steadily developed into a …

The Silo Hotel, Cape Town

An opulent dreamscape of refracted light tops the city's forthcoming contemporary art museum

Walking into the three-room Royal Suite on the ninth floor of Cape Town’s Silo Hotel is a little like entering a physical manifestation of “Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes.” Your dropped jaw is followed by a grin, and as the golden sun bursting through the floor-to-ceiling windows dances across the colorful space, you join in. It becomes easy to understand why Paul Simon …