Travel + Lesiure

Either way, you’ll feel less like a hotel guest and more like you’re staying in the home of a (very stylish) friend. The glass-and-steel structure is fitting for this futuristic metropolis, and the floor-to-ceiling windows in all 515 guest rooms of the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Shanghai Pudong offer some of the best bird’s-eye views of the city. This new vitality and sophistication are finally reaching the hotel sector with the opening of the city's first true boutique hotel, Palacio Solecio. The town’s artisan culture comes through in every room, with blown glass lamps and hand-carved wood furniture, but despite the elegance, the hotel retains the intimate feel of a private home — albeit one with a second-floor pool and craft cocktails.

After an expansive $90-million makeover, Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas is a cruise ship that offers those who are looking to stretch their time — and their dollar — a Caribbean retreat without missing a beat in their daily hustle. Departing from Miami on a Friday afternoon, the Mariner of the Seas sets sail on a three-night escape to the Bahamas, stopping in Nassau and on Royal Caribbean’s very own private island, CocoCay. And, while you’re sipping on that strawberry daiquiri, consider a small splurge: the deluxe beverage package, which, at $55 per day, gets you unlimited amounts of beer, wine, and cocktails — a steal for anyone who’s looking to kick back and relax poolside for hours on end while the ship brings you closer to another kind of paradise, Royal Caribbean’s very own private island, CocoCay. But let’s be honest: as much as you could spend your days lounging on the top deck with your posse, working on absolutely nothing other than your tans, the biggest reason to hop aboard the Mariner of the Seas is because you can just as quickly hop off the next morning, finding yourself transported to a tropical island in less than 24 hours at CocoCay.