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Rest your tired legs, read a book, engage in discussions with world travelers, sip your coffee or simply admire the art without anyone waiting for you to vacate the table. Kashi Art Café feels like an airy tropical garden that doubles as a hip and relaxed meeting place with an interesting gallery showcasing the works of talented artists. If you want to know what’s happening in Fort Cochin, chances are you’ll see all the information you need on posters in the café! As far as the food goes, breakfast is served through the day. If you’re hungry try a variety of sandwiches, salads, and soups for lunch, or snack on their freshly made cakes and pies with, of course, a cup of coffee or tea!

It’s a two-hour drive from Mombasa along open roads that parallel the coast to reach Kilifi Creek, a giant estuary of cerulean blue that spills out into the Indian Ocean. As you cross the majestic Kilifi Bridge, you’ll notice a few yachts cruising along the calm waters below and a handful of elegant villas scattered along the creek’s banks. After the chaos of the cities, the scene is delightfully calm. Were this spot of geographical beauty in Europe or America, it would be teeming with tourists, hotels, restaurant chains, and tacky bars by now. Not in Kenya and not in Kilifi. With its beautiful coastline, a smattering of creekside restaurants, and a few opportunities for sunset dhow-boat cruises, there’s little to do besides relax in this sleepy costal town.

Stroll through Otrobanda for more than five minutes and you’ll immediately understand why locals call it the cultural heart of Willemstad. Located across the bay from Punda—Otrobanda literally means “other side"—the district is a fascinating mishmash of restored colonial buildings and run-down alleys covered in fading murals. Along the Breedestraat, the neighborhood’s main shopping road, you can find rows of Chinese and Indian stores, bars, lotto shacks, bakeries, and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. The best way to explore this area’s complex past is to join Shirley of Dushi Walks on a two-hour trek to her favorite sites—complete with history, art, and stories from the residents you’ll meet along the way.

Devout foodies flock to the hawker stands in Singapore, one of the world’s cleanest cities. Check out the tasty Hainanese Chicken Rice at the famous Maxwell Food Centre; you’ll want to find the Tian Tian stall. Explore the other stands and salivate over the combination of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and European flavors with such items as barbecue pork, steamed pork buns, fish cakes, and Hokkien mee (seafood pasta infused with special flavors). —Susan Sparks This appeared in the August/September 2013 issue.

Sprawling over 10,000 acres in Lampe, Missouri, Dogwood Canyon Nature Park was established by Johnny Morris—founder of Bass Pro Shops and nearby Big Cedar Lodge—as a place for families to spend time in nature. Elk, bison, Texas longhorn cattle, and whitetail deer roam the property, which is dotted with soaring bluffs and cascading waterfalls that can be explored via Jeep, tram, and Segway tours. There are also paved paths for biking and leisurely strolls, rugged trails for horseback riding and challenging hikes, and spring-fed waterways filled with rainbow trout for catch-and-release fishing. When hunger strikes, head to the on-site Mill & Canyon Grill Restaurant, where you can eat an excellent bison burger while gazing at the blue-green Little Indian Creek and a 120-foot waterfall.

If you’re looking for a unique fine-dining experience under the stars, away from tourists and with gorgeous night skyline views, look no further than Robbie Joseph’s Seahorse Grill. Tucked on the grounds of the Montego Bay Yacht Club, this restaurant is popular among expats and residents and remains a best-kept secret. Classy yet unpretentious, it offers outdoor, waterfront dock, and terrace seating and “global cuisine with a twist of West Indian flair.” From a juicy steak night—hard to find in Jamaica—to pastas and Jamaican seafood specialties, you’ll be talking about that dinner under the stars for a while to come. The cocktails are pretty fabulous, too. This restaurant is a west coast gem.

As the patriarch of one of the most prominent real estate empires in the country, Trammell Crow’s work took him all over the globe—including on frequent trips to Asia, during which he and his wife, Margaret, developed a passion for Asian art. Over three decades beginning in the 1960’s, the Crows amassed a deep and diverse collection of important works from all over the region, from a six-foot Ming Dynasty-era seated Buddha and stellar examples of 18th-century jade sculptures to intricately-carved panels from Indian temples. For many years, these pieces were scattered between family properties and commercial buildings, until they all came together under one roof in 1998, with the opening of this Arts District museum. Featuring open galleries framed by natural light and greenery, the jewel box museum is a serene space in which to contemplate pieces from the ever-growing permanent collection, which now includes over 1,000 works from a dozen countries, as well as a library of over 12,000 books and journals; along with all the treasures inside, don’t miss the 15 sculptures in the garden, which span from the ancient to the 20th century. Temporary exhibits might highlight specific techniques (like lacquer work or miniature painting), genres (like the art of the Japanese samurai), or the works of contemporary Asian artists and sculptors. Entrance to the collection is always free; additional fees may apply for tours, talks, or events like yoga and meditations sessions. In 2019, the entire museum was donated to The University of Texas at Dallas, which will continue operating this original location, as well as a future outpost slated for the UTD campus.

In the Orange Walk district, in Northern Belize, lies one of the largest Maya ruins in the country: Lamanai. It is accessible by road but I arrived after a one-hour boat ride up the New River. The name “Lamanai” is roughly translated as “Submerged Crocodile.” Apparently, there was once a thriving population. The ruins may date back to 700 B.C. and estimates put the number of structures, which are part of the ruins, at around 700 buildings; however, less than 5% has actually been excavated. Thick jungle, filled with howler monkeys, birds and jaguars, conceal the remaining structures. The walk through the jungle from the landing dock is certainly evocative. Tall palm trees form a dense ceiling and thick underbrush conceals everything around the path, still littered with pottery shards and artifacts because excavation is still ongoing. The Mask Temple has the most well preserved details but the view from the top of N10-43 (or High Temple) is thrilling. I don’t recommend it for those who are afraid of heights because the climb down is steep and challenging. If you can make it, it’s worth every moment of struggle. I am no expert judge, but I would revisit Lamanai again in a heartbeat; of all the Maya historical places I have been, it was the most interesting and complete in terms of narrative and historical detail. A museum toward the entrance to the complex could easily take an entire afternoon to get through because of the volume of information it houses.

This elegant mall bridges glitzy Kalakaua Avenue and up-and-coming Kuhio Avenue. Its heart: a treehouse in an enormous Indian banyan tree. The tree was planted around 1850 and briefly owned by Queen Emma; at one point, one of its tree houses contained a radio station. A $500 million renovation overhauled the market place, a Waikīkī classic, in 2016. Now ten restaurants and 75 retail stores preside here, anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue—the first in Hawaii. While the International Market Place has lost its manic, Mad-Man-era, free-for-all vibe, it maintains quite a bit of character for a mall with touches like a three-story waterfall. Visit at sunset to catch traditionally dressed performers singing, dancing, blowing conches, and lighting the Lamakū Torch Tower.

It wasn’t so long ago that Sydney offered either fine dining or chips and burgers, but not much in between for foodists. Culinarily speaking, the city was just a bit jealous of its cosmopolitan peer, Melbourne. But Sydney visitors can now rejoice. In recent years the harbour city has really upped the gastronomic ante, with a raft of new restaurant openings. While a dinner out in Sydney can often induce sticker shock, you get what you pay for—meaning fantastic meat, seafood, and produce prepared with a playful Australian spirit.

Located in the exclusive Banjara Hills neighborhood, Lamakaan is an open event space that promotes art, literature, and dialogue. The non-profit center hosts concerts, book releases, plays, seminars, and poetry readings. Lamakaan also presents film screenings and exhibitions, including the Queer Art Fest and a monthly flea market held by the Tree Huggers Club. Check out the calendar for upcoming events and experience an eccentric space where tradition meets modernity. Not interested in the art scene? Grab a chai and samosa from the canteen and surf with free wifi.

Set aside some time to indulge in a spot of pampering and preening. The lanes of Koregaon Park are home to a number of salons and day spas, many of which are adjacent to each other—so you can enjoy a set of salon treatments before stepping next door for a spa appointment. A good spa to visit is Four Fountains, which offers a full suite of therapies for de-stressing, detox, and beauty. Treatments include aromatherapy, reflexology, Ayurvedic massage, and the intriguing coffee and cane sugar body polish.

The final mile of the drive from the resort town of Malindi to the secluded beachfront hotel Che Shale winds through lush vegetation and coconut-studded palms—a preview of the laid-back vacation that awaits you. The property itself is simple and stylish: guests sleep in thatched bandas made with locally sourced materials and dine with sand between their toes on soft-shell crustaceans from the hotel’s organic crab farm. There are hidden nooks up wooden ladders to read or snooze in, but the party is down on the beach, a snorkeler’s delight thanks to warm Indian Ocean waters teeming with tropical fish. This stretch of coastline also gets great waves, and kitesurfers flock here, though the staff can arrange lessons for novices. There’s also an on-site boutique filled with swimwear, beach bags, straw hats, and more should you decide to extend your stay.

Each of the Como resort’s 33 over-water bungalows has a private terrace that lets guests jump straight into the lagoon and snorkel amidst colorful fish and coral. Some of the larger suites are built in the shape of dhoni boats, the traditional wooden vessels used by local anglers. Cocoa Island is home to some of the best diving in the Indian Ocean, with at least 25 sites near the resort, including a shipwreck. Como recently launched its Coral Propagation Program, which allows guests to help protect and regrow the 1,000-plus species found around the resort by planting a coral frame.

Due to the heat of Vegas and our limited time, we decided to take the Grand Canyon Celebration 4-hour tour with Papillon Tours. Other tours we looked at consisted of bus and helicopter with a combination of boat rides or rafting—but it would have taken 12 hours of our limited time so when we saw the Grand Canyon Celebration tour with a 45-minute helicopter flight to the canyon (west rim), canyon landing with champagne lunch, followed by 45-minute helicopter flight back to Vegas we jumped at the opportunity. We booked online and got a $100 discount. Mike our pilot was informative and humorous and had us laughing the whole way. He also had a music soundtrack playing over our headphones which was perfect for the flight. The lunch was only 30 minutes which felt rushed but we understand this is by the agreement with the local Indian community, rather than the tour company. We loved it, even though we felt a bit of motion sickness on the way back!