Like a Houdini stunt, these three hospitality venues—in addition to the others in this month's Building Type Study—are sensational exercises in escape. Yet, they are also firmly rooted in their varying contexts. These projects also document the range of ways we choose to spend our increasingly rare leisure time, whether sharing a meal in the breeze of the Pacific Ocean, enjoying a burger on a busy Shanghai street, or indulging in a cocktail on the Mediterranean coast—proof that good design is a journey in itself.

Read bite-size stories about these three projects:

• Blue Wave Cocktail Bar by El Equipo Creativo: Clad in tile, mirrors, and glass, this high-end lounge gleams as much as the water it fronts.

• Toro Gastrobar by  Studio Arthur Casas: This gut renovation of an existing Spanish Colonial–style structure in a resort town of Baja California reinterprets traditional forms and materials.

• Rachel's Burger by Neri&Hu Design and Research: Architects Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu channeled the classic 1950s American diner for their recent restaurant project in the former French Concession district of Shanghai.