Stay: Hotel Pulitzer: Clean lines and lashings of leather ensure a rewarding stay despite the downtown location – not always an appealing choice for visitors. Drinks at 13th-floor Sky Bar are a must.
hotelpulitzer.com.ar

Service: The Barber Job: For beard management and haircuts, Peluca is your man at tbj. Go for a traditional wet shave and then linger for a beer at the bar.
thebarberjob.com/sobre-nosotros/

Coffee shop: Lab: Tostadores de Café: The husband-and-wife team behind Lab started out roasting beans for others before having the good sense to start out on their own. The flat white rules, as does the lemon cake.
labcafe.com.ar

Drinks: Los Galgos: Watch the world pass by through the sash windows of this gem of a 1930s corner bar while sipping on a negroni.
501 Avenida Callao

Lunch: Chori: A place that has single-handedly revived the fortunes of Argentina’s humble choripán (a simple sausage in a bun). The folks behind La Carnicería cure distinctively flavoured chorizo – and the Argentinian lamb dish is superb too.
1653 Thames

Stay: Gastwerk Hotel Hamburg: Housed in the former gas plant that first brought light to the port city’s streets, Hamburg’s best contemporary stay features 141 brick-walled loft-style rooms.
gastwerk.com

Buy: Uzwei: Styled by theme with departments dedicated to chapters from fashion to beauty and jewellery, the shop also features a florist and deli. 
uzwei.de

Bookshop: Sautter + Lackmann: This family-run independent shop’s floor-to-ceiling shelves are filled with an impressive international selection of books, ranging from art and architecture to design and photography.
sautter-lackmann.de

Breakfast: Hejpapa: Unpretentious and cosy, Hejpapa serves a delicious start to your day with seasonal, sustainable produce prepared in an open kitchen.
hej-papa.de

Drinks: Neumann’s Bistro & Weinbar: This neighbourhood joint serves a stellar selection of wine, champagne, prosecco and beer alongside great food in an atmospheric wood-panelled bar. 
77 Grindelhof

Stay: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi: The Four Seasons just broke ground but for now the Metropole is the only high-end game in town. Head to the terrace for a serving of colonial-era charm.
sofitel-legend.com

Buy: December 19 Street: Bookshops spill out onto the thoroughfares of this cultured capital. Opening in April, Hanoi’s newest ode to the author is a street dedicated to all things literary with seminars, a small square, and stalls that stay open until late.

Service: Toong: A shared office space located in a walk-up French villa in Hoan Kiem. Think rugs, colourful walls, solid wooden desks and rotating exhibitions featuring Vietnamese artists.
toong.com.vn

Breakfast: Pho Gia Truyen: Hanoi is the home of pho. Line up alongside the locals for a breakfast bowl of fresh noodles in a beefy broth.
49 Bat Dan

Drinks: Tadioto: Hanoi’s strict midnight alcohol curfew is being gradually relaxed as more and more tourists flock to the capital. Enjoy your favourite libation among the liberal-minded types at Tadioto.
24 Tông Đả

Stay: East Hotel: As more offices move east to the former dockyards in Taikoo Shing this well-connected business hotel serves a harbourside view with its post-work sundowners.
east-hongkong.com

Buy: Grana at Fashion Walk: Amble along Fashion Walk’s pleasant promenade to see a collection of local and international brands.
grana.com

Service: Ten Feet Tall: Relax like a local by ending a day of hiking up and down Hong Kong’s steep shopping streets with a late-night foot massage.
tenfeettall.com.hk

Coffee shop: La Station: Flaky croissants and strong café crèmes are in abundance at Wan Chai’s answer to Paris’s tucked-away boulangeries.
Sunlight Tower, 248 Queen’s Road East

Lunch: The Night Market: Tasty Taiwanese street food is served alongside the best Hong Kong design. Marvel at the interior by Alexi Robinson, furniture by Michael Young and graphics and ceramics by Latitude 22n.
thenightmarket.com.hk

Stay: The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto: Opened in 2014 and situated next to the Kamo River, this hotel is full of just-so Japanese design details and boasts a stunning view of the Kyoto mountains.
ritzcarlton-kyoto.jp

Buy: Arts & Science: This Kyoto shop opened in 2016 and sells a great selection of men’s and women’s clothing.
arts-science.com

Service: Rinka: Located in a shotengai (covered street mall), this tiny shoe workshop is the go-to place to repair your beloved kicks.
kyoto-rinka.com

Breakfast: Rokyousha: One of Kyoto’s kissaten: a kitsch-but-cool mid-century tea and coffee house. Tuck into toast topped with a hardboiled egg and enjoy the retro interior.
Nakagyo-ku

Drinks:  Bar K-ya: This hidden drinking establishment is housed in a beautiful old Japanese machiya (wooden townhouse). Sit back and enjoy a Japanese garden-view with a gin and tonic among friends or colleagues.
604-8072 Kyoto prefecture, Nakagyo Ward

Lunch: Kiln: Situated next to the Takase River, this cosy spot excels at cooking excellent ingredients on its charcoal-and-wood-fired barbecue. The steak course or Wagyu burgers are a sound option for the peckish.
kilnrestaurant.jp

Stay: La Casita Mercedes: A converted 1930s family home featuring seven rooms over three storeys, this b&b provides a comfortable base in the heart of the lively poblacion (old downtown area).
lacasitamercedes.com

Buy: Univers d’Homme et Femme: Head to this multibrand shop in the upscale Rockwell area for an eclectic mix of high fashion and streetwear brands alongside a selection of international publications. A sister shop stocking less outré styles is located nearby.
hommeetfemme.ph

Breakfast: Wildflour Café and Bakery: Manila’s food crowd swears by this homegrown establishment, which opens at 06.00 and now has several branches in the capital. Check out the original in Bonifacio Global City.
Net Lima Building, 26th Street

Lunch: Manam Comfort Filipino: Manam offers up classic Pinoy cuisine such as pork sisig (typically made from parts of a pig’s head and liver) in various sizes, with the option of a modern twist.
momentgroup.ph/manam-comfort-filipino

Drinks: Blackbird: Few Manila buildings survived the Second World War so savour a cocktail in the garden of this converted 1930s air-traffic control tower in the centre of Makati. An international menu from Scottish chef Colin Mackay complements the art deco architecture.
blackbird.com.ph

Stay: Belmond Copacabana Palace: This luxury hotel opened its doors on Copacabana Beach in 1923. The 239 rooms are a masterclass in perfectly delivered grandeur.
belmond.com/copacabana-palace-rio-de-janeiro

Place: Ipanema Beach: Take a dip in the ocean at Arpoador right at the tip of the beach or enjoy a walk along the waterfront and stop off at the buzzing Azur kiosk in Leblon for a refreshing coconut water or caipirinha.

Refreshment: Mil Frutas: Since its opening in 1988 this Carioca ice-cream shop has won plaudits for the delicious results of its experimentation with the vast bounty of tropical fruits that Brazil has to offer.
milfrutas.com.br

Drinks: Jobi: This 1950s bar draws a rowdy crowd that spills onto the street each weekend. Ice-cold beers and petiscos (finger food) are served until late.
1166B Avenida Ataulfo de Paiva

Lunch: Rubaiyat Rio: Overlooking the city’s picturesque horseracing track, Rubaiyat’s menu revolves around sumptuous cuts of beef from the restaurant’s own ranch in western Brazil.
rubaiyat.com.br

Stay: Hotel Skeppsholmen: A 17th-century royal estate on an islet within earshot of Östermalm, revived to the right side of modern by architecture and design firm Claesson Koivisto Rune.
hotelskeppsholmen.se

Buy: Nitty Gritty: A careful selection of men’s and women’s clothing, with brands ranging from apc to the more rarefied Spalwart. Visit the in-house barber at the Södermalm outlet.
nittygrittystore.com

Coffee shop: Konditori Valand: An affable bakery with original 1950s decor courtesy of owner Magdalena’s husband Stellan. Beyond the movie-set-worthy look it also stocks Vasastan’s best semla (fluffy buns filled with almond paste and whipped cream).
48 Surbrunnsgatan

Breakfast: Pom & Flora: Where Södermalm’s cognoscenti while away their free mornings. The regularly changing menu is equal parts healthy and hearty; grab the ever-popular avocado on rye if time is scarce.
pomochflora.se

Lunch: Taverna Brillo: The Jonas Bohlin-designed establishment, featuring a bakery, deli and restaurant (not to mention a 150-year- old olive tree), has much to recommend it, including a superlative choice of seafood served in hearty portions with plenty of good cheer.
tavernabrillo.se

Stay: Eslite Hotel: Eslite owns one of the biggest bookshop chains in Taiwan and its first foray into hospitality does not disappoint. Looking out over the serene Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, the hotel pays homage to its literary roots with a handsome lobby-cum-library.
eslitehotel.com

Buy: Vision Stationery: Search out the hidden Vision Stationery for fountain pens, inks and quality paper. Tools to Liveby is also a treasure trove of tasteful desk-toppers.
vss.com.tw

Bookshop: Tsutaya: Japan’s Tsutaya has opened its first overseas bookshop in Taipei, providing some friendly competition for homegrown bookseller Eslite. Alternatively, if you’re after a blend of Japanese and Taiwanese literary culture, make an appointment at vvg Chapter, a reading library that is set in a colonial building.
tsutaya.tsite.jp

Drinks: Backyard: A well-aged whiskey bar with knowledgeable waiters, Backyard (to the confusion of many a visitor it’s sometimes referred to as L’arriere-cour) offers a fine selection of about 400 tipples.
No. 4, Lane 23, Section 2, Anhe Road, Da’an District

Lunch: Fujin Tree Landmark: The latest offering from Taiwan’s hospitality group of the same name, Fujin Tree Landmark opened in late 2016 at Huashan 1914 Creative Park and offers a casual café-style lunch with a side order of shopping. Head to leafy Fujin Street if you want to see where it all began.
fujintreegroup.com