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A reflective site for Marian believers, these stone caverns function as a New World counterpart to the famous French shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes, where it’s said the Virgin Mary’s apparition once appeared. You’ll marvel at the naturally formed twin grottos, positioned across the road from each other, as well as the oversize statue of the Virgin Mary, which weighs in at 1,500 pounds. A priest named Erkamp and his parishioners placed the imposing icon here in 1958.

In recent years, this pretty neighborhood, located just five minutes north of downtown Orlando, has become a dining, shopping, and entertainment destination in its own right. Edgewater Drive is lined with restaurants, shops, and offices, while the surrounding residential areas feature historic bungalows, Craftsman-style homes, brick streets, and lakefront views. Favorite eateries in the neighborhood include Jade Sushi & New Asian and K Restaurant, which is nestled in a cute old house. While there isn’t a college nearby, the area gets its moniker from streets named after famed universities like Princeton, Dartmouth, and Harvard.

The wonderful thing about the medina in Marrakech is the way in which it endlessly reinvents itself. Barely a week goes by without some hip, new trailblazer shimmying onto the scene and giving you just one more reason to love the place. When La Famille opened a couple of summers ago, it was like one of Ibiza’s secluded countryside restaurants had dropped in from across the Med. The leafy garden, driftwood furniture, herb- and flower-infused waters (no alcohol here, dears), organic salads served in Kilner jars, vegetarian quiches, and healthy cakes attract the city’s most beautiful groovers and shakers, who waft about in designer kaftans plotting their latest interior design projects for their riads. Drop in for an hour, but like all the best places, don’t be surprised to find you’re here for at least three.

Gandhi Smriti, previously called Birla House, is now a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, the man many consider the “Father of Indian Independence.” Gandhi lived in the house during the last several months of his life and was assassinated here in January 1948. View the modest rooms where he spent his days, and stroll the same prayer grounds where he held a nightly congregation. A visit to Gandhi Smriti offers insight into the last 144 days of Gandhi’s life, during one of the greatest periods in Indian history.

Carleton Point is the historic site of the first settlement on Treasure Cay Beach, where 600 Americans loyal to the British migrated in 1783, at the end of the American Revolutionary War, preferring to live in the British-controlled Bahamas rather than the newly independent United States of America. The settlement they built was named Carleton Point after Sir Guy Carleton, a British military commander in New York who oversaw the evacuation of the Loyalists. The settlement was short-lived, however, as the Loyalists abandoned it in 1785 after a hurricane hit, but artifacts have been uncovered at the site, and a plaque now marks its location.

Junkanoo is one of the Bahamas’ most colorful traditions, a more than 200-year-old street celebration and parade, like Carnival with a Bahamian twist. It takes place during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. But visitors can learn about Junkanoo any time of year with a stop at the Educulture Junkanoo Museum on West Street in downtown Nassau. The museum’s exhibits highlight the history of the celebration, along with examples of the elaborate costumes, music, and dances that take place during the events. There’s also an interactive element, with visitors invited to make masks and learn how to dance to Bahamian music. The Educulture Junkanoo Museum is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The sight of the little yellow streetcar rumbling across the top of the Lapa aqueduct’s arches, making its way uphill to the neighborhood known as Santa Teresa, is a city classic. An accident had it shut down for five years, and the new bondinho may lack some of its former authenticity (for one thing, there used to be more locals aboard); yet the tropicalized Lisbon flavor of the neighborhood’s streets is still in place. Visitors can access points of interest such as the Parque das Ruínas aboard the trolley, then wander the district’s streets on foot till they reach the famed Selarón stairs that go back down to Lapa.

Set directly above rocky low cliffs of Negril and lit at night by torches and candles, Rockhouse Restaurant provides the setting for an elegant and romantic evening. (The setting’s pretty great during the day, too—breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served in this open-sided palapa and patio.) The New Jamaican cuisine means a refined and more health-conscious preparation of classic island recipes, with as many ingredients as possible from the hotel’s small organic garden across the road. Among the notable dinner offerings are the blackened mahimahi with mango chutney, snapper steamed in a banana leaf, and coconut shrimp.

Established in 1919, O’Keeffe’s favorite café and grocery store still has pride of place in the center of Abiquiu. Stock up on supplies (they have everything from top-shelf liquor to handmade local soap) or dine on New Mexican staples like a green chile cheeseburger, posole soup, or a smothered enchilada. Georgia O’Keeffe biographies are also available. —By Edmund Vallance

Like the New York speakeasy Please Don’t Tell, the hidden Shanghai bar Keep it Quiet also has a request of drinkers in its name. In the corner of the garden at lauded Shanghainese restaurant Yongfoo Elite is a mid-size space decked out in heavy antique furnishings. Though the decor is on the dark side, a skylight and glass wall overlooking the garden let in enough light. Speakeasies can err on the side of pretentious, but Keep it Quiet doesn’t. You won’t see drinks here that require the concentrated labor of a mixologist nor the use of garnishes better suited to cocktail hour. The Rum Old Fashioned, for example, is simply rum (Bacardi and Ron Zacapa), bitters, a bit of sugar, and a squeeze of citrus.

Why we love it: An upscale stay in Victor with special fun for families

The Highlights:
- Proximity to Headwaters Club and its golf course
- Spacious log cabins that can accommodate large groups
- Tons of activities in every season

The Review:
Jackson Hole, on the Teton Range’s east side, hogs most of the high-end traffic, but this westside resort offers an appealing alternative, with big, open skies and out-the-door golf on a Byron Nelson–designed course at Headwaters Club. Guests here can also look forward to a 5,000-square-foot spa with a fireplace-equipped relaxation room, an on-site restaurant serving grill fare, and an outdoor heated pool with two hot tubs and a geyser play area for children.

Accommodations are spacious and appealing to families. Luxury suites feature fully equipped kitchens, dining areas, and living rooms with gas fireplaces, while freestanding log cabins—available in three-, four-, and five-bedroom configurations—afford groups some extra privacy. When not relaxing in your room, take advantage of the resort’s extensive activities, including hiking, kayaking, horseback riding, and hot-air ballooning in summer and heli-skiing and snowmobiling in winter.

Beginning right at the entrance to downtown Cancún (kilometer 0, where the median is also home to a spacious outdoor gym) and tracing the Hotel Zone’s entire northern stretch, this wide, red-paved path is a favorite for runners, in-line skaters, and cyclists in search of outdoor exercise with a merciful bit of shade (the path along Boulevard Kukulcan is lined with jungle flora, palm trees, tropical plants, and a smattering of hotel entrances). Locals especially love working out on the Ciclopista early in the morning and in the evening, when temperatures are cooler.

The Inn and Spa at Loretto, one of Santa Fe’s iconic boutique luxury hotels, could easily be mistaken for the ancient Taos Pueblo. The hotel’s angular architecture, soothing desert hues, and romantic lighting draw heavily on the original pueblo. Rooms are outfitted with both traditional touches (handcrafted furniture, Anasazi pottery and artwork, kiva fireplaces, colorful textiles) and modern luxuries (slate-floored bathrooms, iPod docks, flat-screen TVs, private balconies). The restaurant and spa are among the best in the state, and the atmospheric lounge one of the coolest spots in town to sip cocktails and catch live music. And, as if it needed another dose of history, the landmark Loretto Chapel sits on the grounds, guaranteeing both excellent views and easy sightseeing access. Now, if only more pueblos were like this.

Opened in 1987, the relatively youthful Fairmont Scottsdale Princess may not have the history of some of its neighboring resorts, but the North Scottsdale spot—with its fountained plazas, Mexican colonial–style architecture, and 65 scenic acres—has everything needed for a vacation in the sun. It’s big and it’s busy, and there is always something for everybody to do—just one of the reasons it’s popular for family events such as reunions, school holidays, and weddings. Drive a ball down a fairway on the two 18-hole championship golf courses (one of which hosts an annual PGA tournament), relax by one of the six pools (the newest, Sunset Beach pool, is surrounded by 9,000 square feet of white sand), or give yourself over to the innovative therapies and unique fitness offerings at the Well & Being Spa.

All the 750 rooms and suites are fresh and comfortable, with terraces, wet bars, and oversize bathrooms. Some, especially the casitas, are located about a five- to 10-minute walk from the main building, but golf carts are always just a call away. The wealth of top-rated foodie options—which include the Mexican-accented La Hacienda and the pan-Latin Toro, both by chef Richard Sandoval, and Bourbon Steak from chef Michael Mina—help make this one of the best destination-dining resorts in town.

Welcome to Laad Bazaar, tucked away on one of the four streets that lead from the Charminar. Also called Choodi Bazaar, the vibrant market features countless shops and stalls selling bridal wear, pearls, jewelry, and the famous Hyderabadi glass- and stone-studded bangles. These recognizable bangles are made from laad (“lacquer”), the material which gives the market its name. No cars or auto-rickshaws are allowed on the narrow street, and the crowds are limited to pedestrians, scooters, and bicycles.