Stay: Conservatorium Hotel: An oasis of calm in the busy museum district.
conservatoriumhotel.com

Barber: Cut Throat Barber: A busy spot in De Wallen just off Dam Square that also offers superlative coffee and craft beer. Open daily but times vary.
cutthroatbarber.nl

Newsstand: Athenaeum Nieuwscentrum: The city’s best newsstand since 1969.
athenaeum.nl/magazines

Coffee: Monks Coffee Roasters: A newcomer to the city’s bubbling coffee scene.
Bilderdijkstraat 46

Drinks: Hiding in Plain Sight: A seriously fun and equally discreet cocktail bar.
hpsamsterdam.com

Stay: Grand Hyatt Erawan: The city’s anticipated Park Hyatt Bangkok opens in mid-2017 but until then the Grand Hyatt Erawan is central, polished and plush – with a good gym.
bangkok.grand.hyatt.com

Buy: JBB: Linen suits and breathable Oxford shirts.
bangkok.grand.hyatt.com

Bookshop: The Papersmith: Nab a copy of Art 4D and the rest of Southeast Asia’s best print.
Gaysorn Plaza, 999 Ploenchit Road

Coffee: Casa Lapin X49: Hard to find but worth the hunt. A bright café with a high ceiling, great brews and a decent stack of magazines.
Opposite Samitivej Hospital, Sukhumvit Soi 49, 10520

Breakfast: On Lok Yun: Grab a Thai breakfast. The grilled toast with coconut custard is superb.

Drinks: Sugar Ray, You’ve Just Been Poisoned: For cocktail connoisseurs. Open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
77 Ekkamai 21

Lunch: Err: Small space staking a claim to the city’s best sharing skewers.
errbkk.com

Stay: Hotel Oderberger: Designed by celebrated Berlin architect Ludwig Hoffmann, this family-run hotel opened in a former public bathhouse in the leafy neighbourhood of Prenzlauer Berg last year.
hotel-oderberger.berlin

Buy: Kadewe: This historic department store designed by Johann Emil Schaudt in 1907 is currently being revamped and offers everything you could ask for, including one of Europe’s best foodhalls. It’s a high watermark of retail that has a mix of reverence for the past alongside contemporary displays.
kadewe.de

Bookshop: Bücherbogen: Located in Savignyplatz on the site of a former garage that refitted cars for those fleeing East Germany, this bookshop is one of the city’s largest – and is dedicated to architecture and design.
buecherbogen-shop.de

Breakfast: Distrikt Coffee: This spot, open since 2014, serves an unbeatable all-day breakfast. We recommend the buttermilk pancakes or the poached eggs. Even the simplest dishes are somehow elevated by this superb kitchen’s lightness of touch.
distriktcoffee.de

Drinks: Hops & Barley: On tap are pilsner, dark malts, cider and Berliner Weisse (a wheat beer dubbed the “champagne of the north” by Napoleon’s troops). Our editors are pretty partial to a drop too.
hopsandbarley-berlin.de

Stay: The Gunawarman: Old-world charm by Indonesian artisans, with 35 grand suites and rooms.
thegunawarman.com

Buy: Ara: Concept shop with ready-to-wear collections from Indonesia’s finest fashion labels.
arajakarta.com

Bookshop: Art & Science: Homegrown bookshop Aksara and boutique retailer 707 partnered for this multibrand emporium for books and clothes.
aksara.com

Coffee: One Fifteenth Coffee: Family-run affair named after the ideal coffee-to-water ratio.
1-15coffee.com

Drinks: Cloud: The drinks are good but you’re here for the 360-degree view of the city.
cloudjakarta.com

Stay: Crosby Street Hotel: A time-tested 97-room nod to civility is far enough from the crush to feel calm but close enough to be convenient. The views over the roofs of Soho and Kit-kemp designed rooms are also a draw.
firmdalehotels.com

Buy: Totokaelo: Originally from Seattle, Totokaelo now has a New York outpost. Selling everything from clothing to tasteful ceramics, the shop is as beautiful as the products and outstanding in a city that already excels at retail.
totokaelo.com

Bookshop: Strand: Don’t just come to this New York mainstay to pick-up a paperback; rest assured, its extensive used and rare collection rewards some serious digging.
strandbooks.com

Breakfast: Café Cluny: Nothing says classic West Village quite like Cluny does. Its France-meets-New York aesthetic is cosy and welcoming (we love the portraits of patrons hanging on the wall). Great for brunch too.
cafecluny.com

Lunch: Agern: True, the New Nordic cuisine movement has taken an age to cross the Atlantic and land in NYC but the class of Claus Meyer is undeniable. Plus it’s a good excuse visit Grand Central and take in it’s architectural allure with a full-stomach.

Stay: Hôtel Daniel: Just off the Champs-Élysées, this 26-room Tarfa Salam-designed space is a classic with good reason.
hoteldanielparis.com

Buy: Japan Best: Tableware and handy tools from more than 10 Japanese brands.
japan-best.net

Grooming: Aesop x Paulin Paulin Paulin: The Aussie skincare brand’s first treatment room, with decoration from the Parisian family firm.
aesop.com/paulinpaulinpaulin

Breakfast: Biglove Caffè: Perfect pizza and all-day brunches in the Marais.
30 Rue Debelleym

Dinner: Clover Grill: Left-bank rotisserie and grill from chef Jean François Piège.
clover-grill.com

Stay: Hotel G-rough: All 10 suites in this 17th-century palazzo forego rococo interiors for stripped-back walls and 20th-century nods including furniture from Gio Ponti.
g-rough.com

Buy: Strategic Business Unit: Brothers Cristiano and Patrizio Perfetti design the minimal menswear – and Japanese denim jeans are their speciality.
sbu.it

Salon: Genco: Open since 1900, this teeny salon is tended by Roberto Polidori. His signature Genco shave is a 50-minute affair but quicker services are available.
gencosaladabarba.com

Coffee: Sciascia Caffé dal 1919: The green velvet chairs and wood panelling aren’t the most decadent features: the chocolatey cappuccino is.
sciasciacaffe1919.it

Breakfast: La Casetta a Monti: Meaning “little house” in Italian, this breakfast spot offers forest-fruit croissants and fresh orange juice at cute schoolroom-style tables and chairs.
62 Via della Madonna dei Monti

Drinks: Lanificio: Former wool factory that has an experimental menu. Negronis are served on the terrace and records spin long into the night.
lanificio.com

Stay: Park Hyatt Tokyo, Shinjuku: The hotel, inside a Kenzo Tange-designed skyscraper, has 177 rooms – including 23 suites – and panoramic city views.
tokyo.park.hyatt.com

Buy: United Arrows Roppongi Hills: The fashion retailer’s flagship shop in Roppongi Hills (designed by Wonderwall’s Masamichi Katayama) sprawls across two floors with 550 men’s and womenswear brands.
united-arrows.jp

Bookshop: T-site Daikanyama: The shelves at Tsutaya Books, at Daikanyama T-site, are crammed with 140,000 books and magazines and the Anjin lounge, which has art and armchairs, is a haven.

Coffee/tea: Sakurai Japanese Tea Experience: At its new location in Omotesando, Shinya, Sakurai stocks a fine selection of Japanese teas and a few of Sakurai’s own blends.
sakurai-tea.jp

Barber: Barber Oikawa: In business since the end of the Second World War, the Barber Oikawa at The Imperial Hotel sees second-generation snipper Keikichi Oikawa, now 82, continue to sharpen his skills.
imperial-arcade.co.jp

Stay: Rosewood Georgia: Vancouver’s oldest hotel will be celebrating its 90th birthday this summer.
rosewoodhotels.com

Buy: Litchfield: Stocks clothing, books, homeware and other goodies. Owner Jonathon Litchfield opened the place back in 2013.
litchfieldtheshop.com

Bookshop: The Paper Hound: The jumbled interior stuffed with rare titles is a favourite among bookworms.
paperhound.ca

Lunch: Ask for Luigi: A cosy 34-seat Italian in Railtown in east Vancouver. Handmade pasta is the highlight.
askforluigi.com

Drinks: The Diamond: A Vancouver favourite since 2009. The snug Happy Hour Bar, tucked behind the main dining room, is an evocative setting for a late-night cocktail.
di6mond.com