Facelifts are nothing new on the UES, but when a hotel spends more than $60 million on a renovation, you hope for huge results. Impressing new and previous customers alike, the gorgeously revamped Surrey Hotel is making a name for itself in NYC—again.

The Surrey Hotel offers guests sophisticated environs including coffered ceilings, limestone walls and moldings, and marble floors in the lobby, along with soothing guestrooms outfitted with unbelievably comfortable, hand-crafted DUX beds by Duxiana and luxe Sferra linens. Special touches, like custom lighting panels in each room, bathrobes, and ipod docks make your stay extra homey.

The Surrey scores bonus points for a sumptuous spa (located on the second floor), featuring Aboriginal-inspired treatments, one-of-a-kind Australian products, and plush, personalized treatment rooms. In-room rain showers create a secluded atmosphere (read: no more embarrassments in the locker-room). Two private spa suites are also available, one with a sunken tub, perfect for rinsing off after one of the spa’s signature desert salt scrubs. —Alexis Korman

East 76 Street (between Madison and Fifth Avenue), New York,
NY 10021
(212) 288-3700
1 (800) 978-7739
www.thesurreyhotel.com

Komodo National Park in Indonesia is considered a holy grail of scuba diving, not only for its more than 1,000 species of exotic fish, but also for its relative inaccessibility. Located some 200 miles east of Bali, the 450,000-acre park—which is nearly 70 percent ocean—encompasses volcanic islands, isolated beaches, and …