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More and more cruise ships are arriving to the well-known Greek islands for day exploration. And while that is a boon to the local economies; crowded restaurants and beaches are not what you have come to experience. Some of these popular islands actually have very few year-round residents as the cruise visits are seasonal. So that “real Greek” town that you came to see, really isn’t. The solution? Try one of the lesser-know but equally beautiful Greek Islands like Ios in the Cyclades Islands. Here you’ll find five-star hotels, mom and pop inns, historical monuments, miles of sparkling beaches, dynamite restaurants, vibrant mountain towns, incredibly reasonable shopping, breathtaking vistas, and local wines, but most of all Ios can be your own paradise. The island of Ios is still a place where real people live and work, but there is plenty of support for tourism (sometimes it’s party central at Mylopotas Beach) and you will find true hospitality, safe streets to wander and new activities like the recently opened hiking path system. Imagine walking at your own pace to archeological sites, beaches, churches and mountain villages just like the early inhabitants did for centuries? The Greek Cultural Mountaineering Club of Fyli has long wanted to repair and connect the ancient paths and a few months ago the project was completed with the help of volunteers and the Municipality of Ios. Over thirteen kilometers of paths are open and well-marked by signs connecting other paths and old roads of Ios for you to enjoy. Not a hiker? The shopping is sublime. Not for the collectors of designer handbags but those desiring handmade leather sandals, precious gem jewelry and smart local-style clothing designs. Lounging by the pool is always a favorite. Stay at the elegant Liostasi Suites and you will be pampered like a jet-setter. Wish for a low-key stay? The Pavezzo Hotel and Suites is painted in beautiful colors and embellished by flowers offering family-style rooms, rooms for one or two and vantage points with sea views set on the side of a mountain with cooling breezes and the friendliest owners. If you are a fan of Greek cuisine there are many terrific restaurants, some right on the ocean like Drakos Taverna at the end of Mylopotas Beach. A favorite in Chora, the town above the Ormos harbor which is completely accessible on foot, is Elia. Visit the cathedral and one of old windmills the island is famous for while wandering the maze of winding stone streets that spill down from top of the hill. Or down in Yialos by the harbor pop into one of the very casual tavernas. Be sure to visit the food shop called Mosenta at the port to watch them create, and for a taste of sesame seed and honey cakes. They also package local wild herbs and make a great body cream that is made from their own honey and olive oils. Insider Tips: Go in Fall for peace and quiet and best rates on rooms. There is no airport so take the ferry from Pireaus, Athens or Santorini. Images Kurt Winner Photography

This 2.5-kilometer (1.5-mile) promenade along the vast Guayas River is part public park, part urban playground filled with restaurants, cafés, shops, a clock tower, an IMAX theater and even a Ferris wheel. From the docks, small boats leave on river tours or head to Santay Island, a wildlife refuge on the eastern side of the river. At La Rotonda, a statue of Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín commemorates their meeting in Guayaquil after the liberation of Ecuador from Spain.

There’s a quiet fish shack tucked away in Soliman Bay, 15 minutes north of Casa de las Olas, known by locals as Chamico’s. The idyllic setting seems almost too good to be true. The cerulean blue waters sparkle from the light of the sun, and picnic tables are sprinkled throughout the palm trees. Hammocks drape the area, and a large fishing boat sits on shore, making it a photographer’s and foodie’s dream alike. The restaurant’s namesake, Chamico, is busy on the wood fired grill, where he cooks fresh caught fish from the bay. Local favorites include the fresh ceviche with baby lobster tail and whole fish fried to perfection. Directions aren’t readily available, but ask your hosts at Casa de las Olas, and they will gift you a hand drawn map to this secret spot that only locals know.

Known to New Zealand’s indigenous Maori people as pounamu, jade or greenstone is treasured throughout the country, and in the North Island city of Rotorua, Rakai Jade provides travelers with the opportunity to craft a special memento of their visit. Working with local Maori artisans, a one-day Carve Your Own experience takes you through the full process from initial design to final product. Popular traditional varieties include pendants and stylized fishhooks, but if you can’t spare the time for a custom bauble, many excellent already-carved pieces are also available. (Reserving at least one day ahead is recommended for a design-and-carving session.)

Within the Aysén Region, the Chonos Archipelago, named for an extinct people, is laced with innumerable islands around which blue whales thrive. Both the Darwin and Moraleda channels traverse the archipelago, which extends down to the 17,420-square-kilometer (6,726-square-mile) Laguna San Rafael National Park in the Northern Patagonian Ice Field. The San Rafael Glacier and a 16-kilometer-long (10-mile-long) fjord are found within the park that is part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Just seven hectares (17 acres) in size, the Botanical Gardens in Scarborough pack a tropical punch. They were founded in the 19th century on a former sugar plantation, with views of the town and bay. Visitors will see orchids and bromeliads, royal poinciana and silk-cotton trees, a huge saman tree with spreading branches and an allée of stately palms. Keep an eye out for the island’s colorful blue-crowned motmot bird flitting about the grounds.

The mountainous northeastern tip of Corfu lies smack in front of Sarandë. These days, more high-speed hydrofoils than ever are heading from Sarandë to Corfu Town, which is called Kérkyra in Greek, named after a beautiful nymph brought to the island by Poseidon, the god of the sea. The old town, with several fortresses, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; it’s filled with Venetian villas and magnificent British residences like the early-19th-century Palace of St. Michael and St. George.

Chef Edgar Nuñez staged at some of the world’s top restaurants, including Noma and the now-shuttered el Bulli, before returning to Mexico to hang his own culinary shingle. The lessons he absorbed during his training have been put to good use, earning him the #27 spot on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The menu at Sud 777 is divided into sections such as “River and Sea,” “Heaven and Earth,” and “Mexican Coasts.” The domestically sourced ingredients reflect the clean, fresh flavors of Mexican produce and seafood. Look, too, for a restaurant inside the restaurant: kokeshi is a Japanese-inspired spot with an extensive sushi menu and plenty of sake.

There are no inhabitants on Petite Terre, a protected pair of islands a few miles southeast of Grande-Terre. One of them is off-limits due to conservation efforts, but Terre-de-Bas is open to visitors and home to iguanas, birds, and hermit crabs, with a reef-protected shore and waters abundant with turtles and colorful fish, including lemon sharks. You can day-trip over from the shores of Saint Francois and enjoy white-sand beaches, swimming, snorkeling, wildlife spotting, and hiking to a lighthouse.

You want locally sourced? The sourdough starter at this East Austin restaurant was made using wild grapes foraged from a nearby alley and a recipe from the Chez Panisse cookbook. That should tell you almost all you need to know about Dai Due. A butcher shop and restaurant (may as well throw bakery in there as well), Dai Due was started by Jesse Griffiths, a chef who had previously run a supper club and a stand at a farmers’ market. The restaurant offers quintessential Texas food. All the ingredients are local, or only from about as far away as the Gulf of Mexico, and Griffiths has the sense to do just enough to let the ingredients shine while staying out of their way. Beet-cured onions add zing and earthiness to a killer pastrami sandwich, honey shines up a pork chop, and pickled cabbage enlivens the huge beef rib.

For local history that stretches back to long before the Dutch arrived, head to Boca Onima and follow the signs to the area’s famous limestone ledge. Look up, and—amid the pockmarks and other ravages of time—you’ll see reddish-brown pictographs that are believed to have been created by the island’s Arawak residents at least six centuries ago. The first forms you’ll swear you can make out among all the dots and spirals? Perhaps not surprisingly, fish.

Perhaps you’ve enjoyed Mexico‘s Pacífico beer, somewhat less known than the more ubiquitous Corona, but even if you’re familiar with the brew, do you know its backstory? Brewmasters were among the German immigrants who came to Mexico in the 19th century; Pacífico started production in 1900 and has been brewing pilsners ever since. Learn more on a tour of the brewery.

Huset defines its food as cocina del campo, or “country cooking.” The humble description does nothing to deter the throngs of locals and travelers who show up to indulge in Chef Maycoll Calderón’s wood-fired oven-prepared plates. One reviewer described the effect as that of an “elegant picnic” with “rustic” dishes like clay pot-baked focaccia and smoked tomatoes in olive oil.

Niçois chef Nicolas Rondelli has earned a Michelin star for this fine-dining restaurant by the sea. Reigning over a private beach with a view of the Lérins Islands in the distance, the kitchen honors the riches of waters below by serving line-caught fish from local fishermen, whose names occasionally appear on the menu. It’s not all fish—meat eaters will find entrées of pigeon, lamb, and beef. All vegetables are sourced from small local farms. Sailcloth canopies protect diners from the sun at lunch, and in the evening the stars twinkle above.

Of all the Greek islands, sybaritic Mykonos has the most to offer big spenders. Instead of worry beads and flip-flops, the shopping scene is more Louis Vuitton and Lalaounis jewelry. Ergon, a stark white concept store with rag rugs installed between the rafters, stocks an exciting collection of clothing and accessories by Greek designers. Embroidered caftans, tasseled espadrilles, and colorful straw fedoras are just the thing for sashaying through town or showing off your tan at beach bars such as Alemàgou and Scorpios. Gifts inspired by ancient Greece include a Trojan horse paperweight, a minimalist amphora pendant, and gold olive-branch earrings. You can also customize your own espadrilles, T-shirt, or beach tote.