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Located at the Westin Puntacana Resort & Club, this open-air restaurant specializes in grilled meats and seafood but also offers several delicious pastas. The executive chef hails from Peru, which explains why the menu includes a traditional ceviche with sweet potato garnish, along with a few other Peruvian dishes. Look forward to everything from grilled rib-eye and salmon to penne with chicken and prosciutto, and be sure to save room for desserts like lemon pie and flan.

“Mixed-use space” doesn’t come close to describing this hip destination on the banks of the Garonne River. Covering nearly five acres, the Darwin Ecosystème is first and foremost an incubator for sustainable development. Here, in renovated warehouses on the former Niel military barracks, several businesses have set up shop to help propel the green economy. Also on-site is everything from a bike-polo field, skate park, music venue, and free-expression space for graffiti artists to an urban farm, gourmet grocer, and Bordeaux’s largest organic restaurant. When you visit, be sure to stop by Les Chantiers de la Garonne, a “beach bar” on the riverbank where you can relax on a lounge chair with some oysters and Darwin beer (brewed on the premises), then dance the night away to electro beats.

Lebanese food is ubiquitous in Abu Dhabi, but Almayass restaurant at the Sheraton on the Corniche combines Lebanese classics on the menu with an array of Armenian dishes that pair perfectly. If you try one dish on their impressive list of hot mezes, be sure to make it the ras asfour bi kara, marinated veal cubes topped with a sweet-and-sour cherry sauce. Armenian cuisine is famous for its sausages, and Almayass serves a delicious sujuk maa bayd ferri, Armenian sausage fried up with quail eggs. Almayass also answers the perennial Abu Dhabi question: “Where can we go to smoke a shisha outside?” Tucked into a private lagoon, Almayass’s outdoor seating area provides an intimate environment for some after-dinner shisha and cocktails.

Barba offers a fresh take on fast food, serving tasty items like octopus and shrimp burgers, anchovy sandwiches, and fried calamari, all made with today’s catch. Located on a small side street off Stradun, the shop is tiny and friendly—the perfect pit stop during a day of Dubrovnik sightseeing. Snag the prime table by the front window and watch the rivers of people entering town through the Buža Gate as you eat. Then, be sure to contribute to the restaurant’s growing collection of wooden forks, on which customers from all over the world write messages commemorating their travels.

A Swiss sojourn wouldn’t be complete with gorging on a plate, or five, of Raclette. For the best, head to the fairytale-esque Château de Villa, which sits on the mountainside in Sierre. Here, the house special consists of five cheeses from surrounding towns, each offering a subtly different flavor. Order it and you’ll get a map showing where each cheese is made, which you can study while your mustachioed waiter heats huge wheels of cheese until they bubble, then scrapes gooey portions onto your plate. Be sure to also order some wine, like the locally made La Petite Arvine, a gentle white that pairs perfectly with Raclette. Afterward, duck into the stunning wine cellar, where a local expert can guide you through Switzerland’s best bottles.

Hidden within a historic building in downtown Miami is Soya e Pomodoro, a traditional Italian restaurant placed within an old Beaux Arts office building.

The bohemian atmosphere is unlike anything else in Miami. The asthetic is simple, but very cool.

There’s live music, and books. The kitchen is small but fast and you’ll be sitting half inside, half outside. There is no air conditioning and it’s a very small space, only seating about 11 tables. You really feel like you are in Italy.

The staff is made up of mostly Italians and the food speaks true to the traditional recipes.

Be sure to go when there is live entertainment. You’ll sip chanti and listen to scatting jazz music by moonlight. It’s truly magical.

This reconstructed village is a glimpse into old oasis living. Heritage Village is a great place to see how the Emerati lived before skyscrapers. Scenes depict desert life in great detail and highlight their historic, nomadic lifestyle. Make sure you catch a performances that shows how different work was completed generations past. The Village is centrally located near Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi City.

Always a crowd, but how could it be otherwise? Shore panoramas frame breathtaking nature, turquoise seas and sugary, white sand. Mighty close to the perfect beach, dreamy and hot, with great sightseeing opportunities. Keep eyes peeled for jumbo starfish and other marvelous creatures, now a main beach attraction. The shopping’s good, too, especially for artisanal handicrafts and dishware.

Upon arrival try to snag the free daily garden tour! The gardens are divided into different ecosystems/themes such as the Australian Garden, Camellia Garden, Children’s Garden, Chinese Garden, Desert Garden, Herb Garden, Japanese Garden, Jungle Garden, Lily Ponds, Palm Garden, Rose Garden, Shakespeare Garden and the Subtropical Garden. Once you’ve finished the Garden tours, you can go to the Huntington Library, which is one of the largest research libraries in the United States. This is a nice escape from the big city if you have a day to spare while in Southern California. There is also a slew of different local restaurants to choose from including some found in Old Town Pasadena which is worth its own visit!

The Westin brand’s first foray into South America was, at least when it opened in 2011, the tallest building in all of Peru. That distinction has since been taken over by the Edificio Banco Continental (BBVA) nearby, but the glass-and-steel tower designed by Peruvian-born, Miami-based architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia stands over one of the busiest intersections in the city, and is still one of Lima’s most recognizable landmarks. While it was designed primarily to fit the needs of the growing number of high-end business travelers (the largest convention center in the city is attached to the hotel), the high-profile team, including interior designer Tony Chi, added on artfully modern touches. The striking interiors incorporate pre-Colombian motifs and gold, silver, and bronze finishes. The hotel is a hub of activity, with a full-service spa and high-end shopping, plus a lobby bar and lounges that serve as impromptu meeting spaces.

Shoppers with a discerning eye can find surprisingly stylish clothes in San Miguel…the ladies, that is; high-style men’s offerings are rarer. For something uniquely chic, try Angela’s exotic handpainted dresses at Sindashi, where different creators present everything from blossoms to Greek keys or motifs inspired by Mexico’s indigenous traditions in their quest for true “conversation pieces.” You’ll find the latest in Mexican couture as well, at Bendita, and updated serapes at Recreo. Patrice’s Abrazos carries items in colorful Mexican prints, everything from aprons to shirts. Get that bohemian look at Marcia’s Agua de Coco, or head to Girasol Boutique for linen clothing.

Usually, when you travel, it’s to experience a different side of yourself. The more adventurous side, the slightly less scheduled side, the sleep-in-without-guilt side. And when you stay at the Drake Hotel in Toronto, you can’t help but feel like your cooler side is making a much-needed appearance. The recently renovated property on Queen Street West features the kind of interior design that radiates style whether it’s in the kaleidoscopic lobby, the next door theater, or in two wings of suites. That’s because the hotel commissioned artists to showcase their work on plenty of open surfaces — from a black-and-white squiggle accent wall in guest rooms to personality-driven drawings in the elevator — and the results make for surroundings that are the material equivalent of black sunglasses. Paired with of-the-moment details like pink terrazzo showers and wraparound midcentury sofas, and the Drake Hotel is meant to cultivate a see-and-be-seen vibe.

But that’s not to say that the hotel sacrifices comfort for being camera-ready. The staff is kind and always available through text, the beds are soft and squarely stationed in front of a well-appointed bar and flatscreen television, and designer toiletries are filled to the brim. It’s also possible to eat throughout the day at the hotel’s delicious cafe and patio (get the French toast), and then spend the night at its second-floor bar or ground floor lounge. On weekends, even if you’re not a guest, you can stop by for regularly scheduled events including a DJ who spins old and new tunes. If you do plan on leaving the hotel to see the city, then you’re right in the midst of it, and the surrounding neighborhood can keep you readily entertained.

When you stay at the Drake Hotel, don’t be surprised if you feel relaxed, in-the-know, and decidedly cooler once you check out. These are sides of yourself the hotel may have encouraged, but feel free to hold on to them after you return home.

If you need to hone your surfing skills, no worries, Tahiti has some fabulous beginner breaks plus warm water! Tura’i Mataare Surf School offers private and small group surf lessons to anyone over the age of 5-years. The 3 hour and 30 minute lesson aims to help you master the basic techniques before you venture to multiple surfing spots along the western coast of the island. The company picks up from all the hotels, and rates include transport. If you already know what you’re doing and just want to ride the best waves for when you’re visiting Moana Surf Tours in Punaauia can provide guides or put together any combination of surfing, lodging and boat.

Founded by a surfer in search of the perfect wave, Nihiwatu is a model of sustainable luxury. The resort’s remote location on the jungle-edged coast of Sumba Island lures travelers looking for true escape and the hedonistic pleasures of private, candlelit dinners in a tree house and hikes to cliff-top spas. But it’s the cultural and community experiences that set Nihiwatu apart from other far-flung hotels. Sumbanese villagers make up 90 percent of the staff, and the resort contributes to the Sumba Foundation, which funds health clinics, water wells, and educational initiatives. Guests can observe island traditions, tour the projects, or volunteer at a school lunch program. From $900. This appeared in the Nov/Dec 2015 issue.

When visiting this dramatic, narrow beach in the wealthy La Jolla enclave, take time to admire—and photograph—its single surf shack. One of San Diego’s most important surf-culture icons, the wooden palapa is actually a designated historic landmark, built in the 1940s by soldiers and surfers who served in World War II and reconstructed as recently as 2016. Windansea is also known for its pounding, experts-only surf break; you should attempt it only if you’re experienced, but it’s just as fun to watch from atop the beach’s smooth sandstone rocks. For some peace and quiet, sunbathe in one of this stretch’s secluded pockets.