I don't like it when fantasy and magic is reduced to science and explained, but I'm also not a fan of fireballs and dragons all over the place.
I'm a fan of mystery and adventure where magic is more of curses and illusions practiced by discrete occultists rather than stereotypical wizards and the fantasy races aren't just humans with a different physical trait and forced into one personality. I like to reflect the unknown aspect of earlier history where people were insular and uneducated, most don't know what exactly is over the mountains etc. Lots of races are geographically isolated and interact just as much as the Romans did with the Chinese, basically everything you hear about the other side of the world is a rumor.
However I don't like the idea of it being a dark and dirty medieval, I like comfy too much so my villagers are usually well-fed and clean, not so much hardship in most of the world. Different regions have different themes, one is a dark hellsing country with vampire aristocracy oppressing the people and witch hunts all over, while other areas are flourishing cultures with decent kings and not much goes on aside from minor monster attacks.
