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A village unlike any other in the world, Combarro is a mystical seaside town that has a single narrow road winding through it. On both sides of this souvenir alley are different witch objects for sell, along with the city pride and joy: Orujo - a type of Brandy - which is sold in flavors from rice pudding, almond, coffee, and black cherry. It is said this is a magical city where witches still reside, the people all have a twinkle in their eye and are friendly from the bottom of their hearts. It’s a truly warming experience to visit Combarro. Photo by Guillen Perez/Flickr.

Browse accessories designed and handcrafted in Barcelona at Iriarte Iriarte. Sleek yet sturdy leather bags with brass finishes make timeless investment pieces for any wardrobe. Iriarte Iriarte pieces have popped up in the pages of Spanish Vogue and The New York Times Style Magazine. Studio visits are available by appointment. Addresses: Iriarte Iriarte Studio and Shop Plaza Real, 08002, Barcelona Iriarte Iriarte Shop Cotoners, 12 08003, Barcelona

At the Playa de la Malvarrosa in Valencia, you’ll find this striking sculpture, called “Water Boat Fountain” or “Fuente del Barco de Agua.” The metal frame forms the boat’s frame and mast, and ingeniously placed jets of water create the illusion of the boat’s hull and sail. It’s a charming piece of art that beachgoers of all ages can appreciate — and, even better, it’s located just a short stroll away from some excellent beach-front paella restaurants.

Even if you can’t be in Valencia for its fiery Les Falles festival, you can view the popular ninots (figures and effigies) at the Fallero Museum. Some ninots are chosen to be spared from the flames by popular vote—and then end up on display at the museum, where visitors can also view photos of the festival’s best falles (the scenery created around the ninots), as well as winning designs from the festival’s annual poster competition.

Amble down La Rambla, stopping to admire fresh flowers, original artwork, and Barcelona souvenirs at your leisure. Watch living statues come to life when you drop a euro in their cups—most will pose with passersby, for a price, of course. Keep an eye out for the pavement mosaic by Joan Miró at 80 Pla de l’Os and the Canaletes Fountain at the top of La Rambla (across from No. 133), where FC Barcelona fans come to celebrate victories.

It’s one of the most recognizable facades on Passeig de Gràcia: a modernist fantasy of undulating stone, brightly colored mosaics, and stained glass—one that could only come from the mind of famed Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. Designed in 1904 as a home for local industrialist Josep Batlló, the building pays homage to the legendary tale of Saint George and the Dragon. The balconies are reminiscent of skulls, and exterior columns look like bones—recalling the dragon’s human victims—while the roof’s arched shape and scale-like tiles mimic the dragon itself. The interior is just as fantastical, all sinuous lines and curving forms. To avoid the crush, try going first thing on a weekday morning, or shell out a bit extra for a Fast Pass timed ticket online (28.5 euros, or about $37—5 euros more than regular admission).

Just to the southwest of Tucson, on the San Xavier Reservation, sits the late XVIII-century Mission San Xavier del Bac, one of the finest examples of Spanish colonial architecture in the U.S. The combination of late Baroque and Moorish-inspired design is a beacon any time of the year, but on this winter day, the flooded fields worked some magic—panoramas of reflected landscapes are almost nonexistent in southern Arizona! The ‘white dove of the desert’ is the oldest intact European structure in Arizona, and it still serves as a parish church for the Tohono O’odham people.

Sarma is the third outpost in restaurateur Ana Sortun’s Boston empire after the acclaimed Oleana and Sofra. Meyhanes—literally, “houses of wine”—have been social gathering places in Istanbul since Byzantium, and Sarma channels the communal spirit of these traditional Turkish bar/restaurants while serving up craft cocktails, local beer, and of course wine, not to mention typical meyhane snacks like parsnip fritters and lamb kofte (albeit the latter in slider form). Mezes, the eastern Mediterranean’s version of tapas, are also dished up alongside sarma wraps and shish kebab: Chef/owner Cassie Piuma gets creative with the latter, skewering and grilling scallops, quail, and barbecued duck.

If it’s paparazzi and scenesters you’re seeking, look elsewhere. This 19th-century ducal palace has seen its fair share of rich and famous faces over its years first as the Duke of Santo Mauro’s residence, then as the Canadian embassy, and now as an Autograph Collection hotel, but it also knows how to be discreet. Tucked away in the exclusive Chamberi area—a leafy, scenic neighborhood where Madrid’s 19th-century aristocracy built their private mansions—the AC Santo Mauro hides its secluded gardens, wrought iron balconies, and ornate sitting rooms behind carved stone walls.

Those who cross the threshold are treated to a haven of contemporary luxury: the hotel is still a palace, complete with acclaimed dining in the wood-paneled library, a decadent spa with a 1920s-inspired indoor pool, and the same original architectural features commissioned by the Duke himself. But the rooms have a bit more 20th-century flair, with modern art on the walls, clean-lined furnishings offsetting the building’s gaudier nature, and oversize marble bathrooms fit for a king. Luckily, you don’t have to be a king (or even a duke) to get the royal treatment here.

There is a beautiful beach in Lagos, Nigeria. 30 minutes outside of the city limits, reachable by speed boat, this exquisite place is a sight for sore eyes. True, Lagos proper can be daunting, but when you land on this bucolic, ocean-lapped stretch of sand, all the troubles of the city melt away. Populated mostly by Ghanaian fishermen and their families, one notices instantly upon disembarking here that the usual frenzied Naija-style pace is lost on the peaceful, humble denizens from Ghana who have made this little paradise their adopted home.

About an hour’s drive south of Barcelona, past scruffy beach towns along the Costa Dorada, Le Meridien Ra Resort and Spa stands out from its neighbors on a beautiful length of the Mediterranean. Inside the resort gates, an elegant central building, buffed out for the 21st century, does not fail to impress. Originally built as a tuberculosis hospital for children, the hotel has turned its focus from illness to wellness: A three-story modern addition contains the Explore spa, with treatments ranging from all sorts of massages and facials to ayurvedic experiences and thalasso body masks with iodine-rich algae. After treatment, clients are encouraged to prolong the self-care vibe with a visit to the roof, where an indoor-outdoor complex offers glamorous sun beds on a deck, steam and sauna rooms, as well as a pool with stations for bubble jets of varying intensities as well as shoulder-massaging water spouts and soothing currents. Guest rooms are spacious and cleanly modern with midcentury design touches (an angular sconce beside the bed, a curvy Hans Wegner-inspired chair and stool) and a mild color palette. Generous cabinet space speaks to the resort’s summer season—many repeat guests come for a week or two. (For additional space, families can opt to rent one of the on-site apartments.) The resort’s kitchen, which draws inspiration from Catalan traditions, is inventive and playful, employing some molecular gastronomy techniques without any fussiness. Small dishes—accompanied by tiny pearls filled with local vinegar or topped with foam or served in paper cones—are perfect for summer appetites (and can be augmented by more traditional seafood, fish, and ham dishes). The beach itself is a wide, sandy stretch planted with a few palm trees and several rows of beach loungers and umbrellas. Beach servers ferry food and drink from the airy dining pavilion, and a masseuse offers complimentary chair massages. The Mediterranean here, a vivid blue, contains 10% more iodine than elsewhere—a health benefit espoused both by the religious order who ran the sanitarium and by the resort now. As a brand, Le Meridien supports local arts and culture and this hotel is a bright example of that ethos: among many offerings, it hosts literary festivals, visits to the nearby studio of a ceramic artist, cooking lessons on the nuances of Catalan rice dishes, winery tours, live music in the gardens, and is home to four grand bronze sculptures by Salvador Dali. But for all these options, days can pass lazily, too, with a lunch under the grape arbor, or a round of backgammon on the shady terrace facing the beach, accompanied by a glass of rosé. ¡Salud!

I broke off from my friends in Barcelona to go on a solo excursion to Montserrat, a short one hour train ride from the city. I wasn’t sure what to except but had only heard that it was beautiful with weird rock formations and good trails so knew that I needed to make it before my week in Barcelona was up. This view is proof that I made the right decision. After a fairly strenuous 2 hour hike to Sant Jeroni peak (1,236m), you are rewarded with a 360° view of the green Catalan countryside and the distant Pyrenees. It is absolutely breathtaking and a must-do for the adventure-hearted visiting Barcelona for 3 or more days. One bit of advice would be to get to Montserrat by 9am so that you can descend in time to watch the world renowned boys choir perform in the Basilica of Montserrat at 1pm (something that I wish I had known).

Located in the center of Barbados in the highlands, the Harrison’s Cave underground system of rivers and caves is one of the Caribbean’s great natural wonders. Visitors tour deep inside the crystallized limestone caverns via small electric tramcars and are allowed to get off at certain points, including at a 15-meter-high (50-foot) “cathedral” and a “village” with multiple stalagmite columns. Lights illuminate the waterfalls, pools and magnificent geological formations.

I have visited Napa and Sonoma, and have been to Tuscany, and Bordeaux, but no wine region of the world has surprised me with its beauty as much as the Douro. If your find yourself in Porto, it is well worth renting a car (or better yet, hiring a driver) to explore the region. I did a day trip and my favorite stop was Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo, a 300-acre estate with a working vineyard, chapel, and an 18th-century manor house that has been turned into an 11-room hotel. If you stay the night you can follow walking routes that begin at the hotel and explore abandoned pre-phylloxera terraces, and the vegetable garden. There is an on-site pool and of course a cellar and tasting room. But the highlight of the trip was an alfresco lunch from chef Tavares Pinto. Our three-course meal was paired with Quinta Nova wines and was the most memorable of my year. The food was simple and rustic but perfectly executed. We started with a perfectly tender octopus with marinated, shaved fennel and moved on to a juicy pork chop with mango chutney and ended with a chocolate shortbread ice cream sandwich. I often dream of flying back to Portugal just to relive that meal.

The mysterious rooftop of Casa Mila both charms and haunts visitors. The glorious October sky above frames the organic forms, each sculpted face watching as I creep up and down the rolling ramps. Children can’t resist playing here, and fortunately there are now fences all around. In my mind, I erase all of those pesky safety features to envision the smooth sculptures growing towards the sky from a scrolling sandy field. Once a site for a scene from Star Wars, the rooftop is now a destination for lovers of Barcelona and Antoni Guadi’s “Modernisma” style. When you visit, you’ll learn the secret behind those long vertical faces rising up above the mystical rooftop.