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Named after the fast-flowing river that runs alongside it and located just an hour from Reykjavik in the middle of an isolated, windswept plain, Hotel Rangá is an immediately homey place. Built in a log-cabin style, the country lodge embraces its surroundings with neutral color schemes, comfy leather sofas, and natural textiles. Quirky extras include a 10-foot stuffed polar bear that greets guests in the reception area and stools with human-like legs in the bar. Standard and Deluxe rooms face either the East Rangá River or the famous Mount Hekla volcano, while suites are designed and themed around the seven continents. But right here is where you want to be. The hotel has an observatory with a retractable roof and high-powered telescope for stargazing, plus some of the darkest skies in Iceland.

The Mohawk is home for a diverse creative culture. This beloved Bar and Live Music Venue, located on the corner of 10th and Red River in Austin, TX. Handmade in downtown Austin Texas, The Mohawk was built in 2006 as a one of a kind Bar & Venue. Its mission is to host friends, musicians, and staff that represent all music tastes and all walks of life. All are welcome at the Mohawk Austin. Fall Happy Hours Monday – Friday, 5-8 PM. Weekly drink specials. Mohawk Crafted Cocktails.

We took a four night trip to the Peruvian jungle and the Macaws at this clay-lick were a highlight from the boat trip up the river.

Action-packed Hellshire Beach, the easy beach choice for many Kingston residents, is lined with dozens of wooden food shacks. Aunt May’s is a solid pick for a classic Jamaican beachside meal, serving fresh fish with festival (fried dumplings) or bammy (cassava flour flatbread), lobster, and other seafood. Hellshire is particularly busy on weekends, when locals take a break from their workweek, and sees relatively few tourists, so it has an authentic Jamaican vibe like few other beaches.

On Liberdade Avenue, amid famous designer stores, sits this five-star hotel. Each room is decorated in white and black with Victorian-inspired details. Enjoy one of the many sunny days in Lisbon, sitting outside in the terrace.

After the hip and edgy kids of Zurich West cool off at the graffitied Flussbad Oberer Letten on the banks of the Limmat River, they head to this buzzing spot nearby for excellent burgers from the grill and an impressive range of local beers. Photo © Caroline Minjolle/Zürich Tourism.

One of the most luxurious Western guest ranches, opened in 2005, Paws Up Montana, in Greenough, sprawls over 37,000 acres of classic Montana landscape: elk-filled meadows, rocky peaks, and ponderosa pines in the Blackfoot Valley, with the river of the same name running through it all. The most sought-after accommodations are the “glamping” tents on the banks of the Blackfoot or along Elk Creek that are available May through October and organized into five separate camps, taking just six guests each. The camps combine a Western lifestyle with an African safari formula: canvas suites with private baths, a communal dining pavilion with fireplace and fire pit, private camp chef, and butlers to help organize guest activities. Families and friends who prefer four walls between themselves and nature stay in enormous wood-and-stone villas with heated hardwood floors, fireplaces, leather furniture, huge flat-screen TVs, and panoramic windows; some of these homes come with outdoor hot tubs and tented bedrooms for kids.

All guests have the opportunity to hike, rappel, canoe, play paintball, take cooking classes, and more, but the main action is on-site fly-fishing and horseback riding for all levels on 100 miles of private trails or in a 23,000-square-foot equestrian arena; adults and kids 12 and up can help move small herds of Black Angus cattle on sample stock drives. If parents want private adventure time, kid wranglers entertain young’uns. In the evening, communal entertainment takes place in a renovated barn that serves as stock sales venue, dance floor, and movie theater. Despite the busy activity menu and flow of golf carts transporting guests to and fro, the ranch is large enough, and accommodation so widely spaced that guests can survey the landscape and not see anyone.

The roots of this Mediterranean Revival-style boutique hotel go back to 1914, when a local grocer created the tropically inspired property to house his visiting vendors. Nearly a century later in 2010, hotelier and style guru Liz Lambert added the place to her mini-empire, reviving the grounds that still feature magnolia, palm, and cypress trees planted by the original owner. Set on a quiet section of the River Walk near the museum corridor, the restored building (which is on the National Register of Historic Places) houses 27 guest rooms decorated in a designer-meets-flea market aesthetic, with bright pops of color and plenty of personality. All are pet-friendly, and feature stocked SMEG fridges, Red Flower bath amenities, custom serape bathrobes, and complimentary coffee and Wi-Fi; suites have sitting areas, terraces, or other perks. Room service comes from the in-house Ocho restaurant, but it’s better to head down and eat there in person to take in the cheery setting, river views, pan-Latin menus, and cocktails that highlight rum (as a nod to Havana) and tequila (an homage to San Antonio’s Mexican roots). A regular calendar of happy hours, musical performances, and cultural events round out life at this vibrant hotel.

Arguably the most luxurious yoga resort in Bali, Como Shambhala has 30 rooms, suites, and villas set on 23 acres of jungle-covered riverbank near Ubud, each with its own butler and infinity pool. Yoga programs led by visiting masters such as Rodney Yee are held throughout the year and typically include five hours of daily practice over five days. The spa offers Balinese and Ayurvedic treatments, and off-site activities range from jungle treks to visits to Ubud’s famous temples.

With Indonesian names that translate to earthy concepts like “wind song” or “forest in the mist,” the terracotta and thatched-roof residences at the 22-acre Como Shambhala Estate encourage quiet reflection. They jut from the hillsides and line the Ayung riverbed, offering refuge from the frenetic scene nearby in Ubud.

Most people come here as part of a yoga or health retreat, and everything—from the dining experiences to the custom health programs—is designed to guide guests toward reaching their wellness goals with help from a cadre of resident experts, including a dietician, Ayurvedic doctor, reflexologist, and an Oriental medicine specialist, as well as fitness, yoga, Pilates, and qigong instructors. But it’s not all work. After a day of rugged outdoor adventure—the resort can arrange for hiking, biking, and paddleboarding down the Ayung—retire to your private spring-water infinity pool and meditate on the events yet to come.

Off the coast of Port Antonio is a small, uninhabited plot called “Pellew Island,” otherwise known as “Monkey Island"--there used to be a colony of imported monkeys here. To get here, you could first head to San San Beach, a beautiful and private stretch open daily (10 a.m.4 p.m daily, US$5). Rent a kayak and snorkel gear and make your way over to the small plot, within clear view ahead. The island is completely covered in vegetation, there’s a small white sand beach, and the waters are shallow. Rest your kayak on shore and snorkel around the island for as long as you please. Visibility is incredible and this is one of the best snorkeling spots in the area. Just watch your step if you’re barefoot, as there can be sea urchins on the seabed.

Disneyland in Hong Kong is ideal for families with young kiddos. As the smallest of Disney’s worldwide parks, it’s easily walkable, and the tram service can get you where you want to go. Character meet-and-greet photo sessions are scheduled throughout the day and so are parades and shows like the 30-minute Festival of the Lion King, with acrobats and fire dancers playing the roles of Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa. The park is divided into themed sections: In Grizzly Gulch, rides and shows follow a Wild West frontier theme; in Fantasyland, the gentler mood focuses on Cinderella, Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White; Tomorrowland looks to the future with Buzz Lightyear, Iron Man, and Star Wars characters taking center stage; and Adventureland offers a jungle river cruise and Tarzan’s tree house. The park makes a great day out.

Years ago when Mexico City’s southern neighborhoods were in fact small, independent cities, the quarter known as San Ángel Inn was a sylvan getaway for well-heeled urbanites. No longer an inn, the area’s namesake—a former Carmelite convent from the eighteenth century—persists as an iconic, country-club-style restaurant and lounge. Its venerable walls, gardens, and fountains call up colonial gentility and ward away the urban chaos just outside the door; strolling mariachis are the sole “disruption.” Sip what many believe is the city’s best margarita amid an impeccable, songbird-serenaded garden.

This used to be a hacienda, but it was turned into a restaurant almost 50 years ago. The food is phenomenal and the margaritas are famous—in fact, they’re my favorite thing on the menu. There is always a band or a pianist playing.

The renovated Nanhui Power Station, situated on the banks of Huanpu River, is now home to China’s first state-run Contemporary Art Museum. From local artists to international icons such as Andy Warhol, the museum boasts a great selection of contemporary art. Open 9:00am-5:00pm, closed Mondays General Admission: Free

The Bayerischer Landtag (Bavarian State Parliament) is housed in the Maximilianeum, an impressive, palatial building at the end of Maximilianstrasse on the border of Haidhausen, overlooking the Isar River. Construction first started on the building in 1857. It has undergone numerous additions since. Stop by in the evening when it’s lit up and particularly impressive.

Encyclopedic is one way to describe L.A.’s oldest art institution. Sprawling is another. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art opened in its current Miracle Mile location in 1965 and has not stopped growing, becoming the largest museum in the western United States. Its 135,000-piece collection spans 6,000 years of art. It also includes some of the museum world’s most photographed outdoor sculptures, such as Michael Heizer’s mind-boggling Levitated Mass and Chris Burden’s Urban Light. The museum hosts some 40 exhibits per year, plus a dynamic schedule of events, such as Tuesday film matinees and picnic-friendly Jazz at LACMA (held weekly on “summer” weekend nights—which in L.A. means April to November). While anyone can join free tours throughout the day, docents also lead customized experiences for a fee, which will take you through the galleries before or after hours to marvel at artists as wide-ranging as Henri Matisse, Ai Weiwei, Diego Rivera, and Catherine Opie. Kids are also catered to with a special gallery, Sunday activities, and a free membership, which includes entry for them plus an adult guest any day of the year. Pro tips: Plan to spend several hours at the museum, fueling up on wood-fired pizza midway through the day at Ray’s & Stark Bar. And if you’d like to experience the outdoor sculptures without the crowds, go early in the morning or on Wednesdays, when the museum is closed and gloriously quiet.