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Marino Las Baulas National Park is a protected area compising Playa Grande, Ventana and Langosta. Together they are the stage for one of the most magical occurrences in the animal kingdom: the nesting of the gigantic baula (leatherback turtle), an endangered species. The hatching of these turtles is a remarkable highlight each year as they make their way out to sea. The egg-laying season goes from October-November.

The tiny Abbey of San Fruttuoso is nestled in a cove between Camogli and Portofino, and accessible solely by foot or boat. If you want to hike it, find the trail at the far end of Camogli, and be ready for a steep, but gorgeous, two hour hike up and over the mountain. If you would prefer a quick 15 minute boat ride, catch the boat for a few euro in the harbor of Camogli and ride to San Fruttuoso in style. The abbey itself is beautiful, but it is also nice to simply sit and have a cocktail at the beachside restaurant (look closely - their kitchen is upstairs, so they send the food down in a small wicker basket when it’s ready!).

There is no better place for visitors interested in one-stop souvenir shopping than the Pennsylvania General Store, located inside the Reading Terminal Market. You’ll find everything from Amish quilts to just-made fudge, as well as food items unique to the region, including locally treasured Asher’s chocolate-covered pretzels. Also recommended are decadent, fresh-baked Hope’s Cookies, and tins of Rosie’s butterkins (butter cookies). If you’re not hungry, maybe you need a soft pretzel T-shirt, City of Brotherly Love shot glasses, or a bawdy coffee mug touting the town of Intercourse, Pennsylvania? Former Philadelphians who miss their regional treats can order care packages online from the General Store’s website.

Originally opened in 2006 by chef David Husereau, known for his appearance on Chopped Canada, Evil Dave’s Grill may have since changed ownership, but the menu remains prime-time ready. Try the Cowboy Sushi, the Luscious Lollipop Shrimp, or the Malevolent Meatloaf (best name ever), which is made with 100 percent lean ground bison and wild-boar bacon. Dinner dishes range in price from $23 to $40, and they offer more quality and creativity than most other comparably priced restaurants in town. Pair your meal with a cocktail from the elixirs menu—popular ones include the Karma Police, made from Malibu Mango rum, Hpnotiq liqueur, a mandarin wedge, and ginger ale.

Adobe streetfront: door...window...sky. Color. Much of Tucson, like most western U.S. cities, is devoted to strip malls and parking lots, but the historic core still has blocks of 19th-century Sonoran-style row houses. In the 1960s, acres and acres of the Barrio Viejo was razed, but fortunately not all of it. Today it’s a combination of gentrification and the pleasantly decrepit: attorney’s offices, student rentals, and family homes share this yard-less streetscape in a bilingual neighborhood. In reading about the history of the neighborhood, I came across this description, written back in the 1930s by Dr. James Harvey Robinson of Columbia University, who was visiting Tucson for the first time: “But this cannot be the United States of America, Tucson, Arizona! This is northern Africa - Tunis! Algiers! - or even Greece, where I have seen as here, houses built flush with the sidewalks with pink, blue, green and yellow walls, flowers climbing out of hidden patios and overall, an unbelievable blue sky. And the sweet-acrid smell in the air? Burning mesquite. Lovely! And the people - charming. But all this is the Old World, not America.” The Barrio Viejo is perfect for a bike ride. You do feel as if you’ve left reality-TV-obsessed Gringolandia...if only for a few blocks...

Located across the street from Ruby Park Bus Station, CP Burger is the ultimate family destination. They serve burgers, hot dogs, milkshakes and soft serve ice cream. For those that are gluten free they have my favorite, the ahi burger wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun. I am sure the gluten-free option of a lettuce wrap is available for any of their burgers or hot dogs. Place your order and when it is ready they will call the name of the famous person, like Marilyn Monroe, that appears on your receipt. Like a 50’s diner, the food is served on a red cafeteria tray but believe me it doesn’t taste like cafeteria food. It is delicious! Burgers with a special sauce and spiked milkshakes for adults. While munching on your food occupy the kids with a game of mini-golf in the summer or ice skating in the winter, operated by CP Burger.

Emporium Hotel is a unique, award-winning urban sanctuary that embodies much of the stylish and sunny sensibility of Brisbane today. Sunlight fills its soaring lobby through oversized floor-to-ceiling windows, while its rooftop bar is one of Brisbane’s most popular spots to toast the city.

Each of the 143 rooms at this 5-star, luxury property are decked out in dreamy details—from handcrafted touches and marble bathrooms to Tom Dixon amenities and ultra-plush pillows.

Situated in the chic Emporium Precinct in the buzzing nightlife hotspot of Fortitude Valley, it’s also a great location if you want to be close to the CBD, Queen St Mall, nightlife and the best of Brisbane’s dining and arts scene.

El Charro sits in a converted set of historic houses & buildings a block off Tucson’s old town district—the same location where it began serving food in 1922. We had lunch here, at a big old wooden table in a warmly decorated dining room. Ask to be seated inside, or else in the garden, if the weather’s amenable. It’s a bit cold and dim in the front of the restaurant. I had an amazing vegetarian burrito, stuffed with roasted veggies, avocado and a green corn tamale. The others went for the excellent chimichangas, reputedly invented here (you can read the story on the menu). The special-brewed beer, an amber, was great, the salsa verde addictive, the decor a great talking point.

Somewhere between a hip designer’s loft and a rock star’s party pad, the Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles is located in the Spanish Gothic–style United Artists building built in 1927 for actor and producer Mary Pickford and her team of silver screen stars. The hotel was painstakingly designed to showcase both historic and contemporary artistry, from Noguchi lamps and Pendleton blankets in loftlike rooms to original art deco floors and hand-drawn portraits of famous Angelenos on the restaurant’s walls.

Sunshine, surf, sea breezes, and an overflowing platter of curry prawns with rice. Welcome to Zeebop by the Sea, an award-winning eatery that specializes in Goan and South Indian cuisine. With the rolling dunes of South Goa as a backdrop, the ambience here is simple and unadorned. Don’t let the plastic tables and chairs distract you from the superstar menu: Try the stuffed crabs or the catch of the day, often red or black snapper, kingfish, or mackerel. Finish your meal by sipping a cocktail crafted with feni, a local spirit traditionally made from cashew fruit. Feeling active? Order your meal and head out to the beach; the waiters will call you when your food is ready.

Located between the two Koreas in the Civilian Control Zone along the 38th Parallel, Dorasan station has recently awakened as though from a spell. Once only used as a showcase boasting of hopes for reunification between the divided peninsula for visitors who passed through on designated DMZ tours, the station is now the last stop on the DMZ tourist train from Seoul. Twice-daily trips from the southern capital to the border bring visitors to the doorstep of the Hermit Kingdom and finally give Dorasan station a reason for that gift shop. Next stop Pyongyang?

Created from two renovated vintage motels in 2016, the 102-room Coachman blends midcentury bones with a modern, outdoorsy sensibility. A few blocks from both Lakeside Beach and Heavenly Ski Resort, it works equally well as a summer or winter base. The seasonal outdoor pool, year-round hot tub, nightly s’mores around the firepit, and lobby beer-and-wine bar make it easy to settle in after a day outside.

Accommodations range from guest rooms to one-, two-, and three-bedroom suites, plus a standalone cabin with a full kitchen that sleeps four. Rooms pair modern-rustic design with Bellino Italian linens, Malin+Goetz toiletries, Apple TV, and rubber flooring at the entryway—a thoughtful detail for wet boots and ski gear. A complimentary continental breakfast is included.

Discover more of our favorite Lake Tahoe hotels.

The Maya name for Laguna Bacalar means the Lake of Seven Colors, and spending a little time here will show you why it’s such an apt moniker: from turquoise to cobalt blue to jade green and everything in between, the colors of this fresh-water lake seem to shift and change against its white-sand bottom. When you’re ready to do something else besides admire the breathtaking view, you can go swimming or kayaking, enjoy spa treatments and yoga, or adventure off to a nearby cenote and fort. And there are plenty of comfortable hotels and good eats in the town of Bacalar. This oasis in the middle of the jungles of Quintana Roo is the perfect off-the-beaten-track destination for travelers ready to escape the touristy Riviera Maya madness. It is also a refreshing rest stop on the way to the ancient Maya ruins of Dzibanché, Kinichná, and Kohunlich.

Located in the charming Haidhausen district in the heart of Munich, with an in-house S-Bahn station providing direct connections to the central train station and the airport, Hilton Munich City offers an ideal balance between convenience and calm. Enjoy amenities like a 24-hour fitness center and onsite bike rentals, plus innovative signature cocktails at Juliet Rose Bar and delicious Italian fare at MONA, each an elevator ride away from a comfortable stay.

Hoi An is one of my favorite travel destinations in all of Asia. Sure, it’s undeniably touristy, but it’s also quite laid back and relaxed - nothing like other South East Asia tourist hotspots like Chiang Mai, for instance. Hoi An has a wonderful beach, gorgeous old town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and some of the best food on the planet - surely well known to AFAR readers by now. Hoi An is also a great place for shopping. Of particular interest here are tailored suits and dresses, but the city also has a neat little cottage industry of lantern makers. There are quite a few scattered throughout the city, with some of the best being found on the southern side of the river. That’s where I came across this atmospheric little shop. If I ever have a hipster wedding, I’ll be buying my lanterns in Hoi An. Prices are, as all things in Vietnam, wildly negotiable.