FAUNA Montevideo

Carrara marble staircases and stained-glass windows share the building with mismatched vintage furniture and art that someone clearly had fun choosing. This ten-suite boutique hotel on Montevideo's main pedestrian drag resists the usual solemn restoration treatment, keeping the old bones while refusing to treat them like a museum. Mercado del Puerto is a short walk; the Rambla waterfront is three blocks further. Candombe drummers and fruit vendors handle the ambient soundtrack.

One honor, in evidence: