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Without a doubt Versailles is the most luxurious palace in Europe, built to astound visitors and impress the king’s subjects into awed submission with crystal chandeliers, gilt, and fine art. This opulent monument is also attractive to those with simpler tastes: Visitors with green thumbs will love the king’s kitchen gardens while others may want to rent bicycles to pedal the lavish grounds, and animal lovers will enjoy the sheep, goats, and chickens receiving the royal treatment at the queen’s quaint hamlet. La Petite Venise, an excellent restaurant on the grounds, offers garden seating on sunny days.

With just nine suites in the middle of untouched and wildly gorgeous, pink-sand wonder of 11 Mile Beach, Lighthouse Bay Resort is Barbuda’s most exclusive lodging option and the ultimate spot to just unplug from digital reality for a few days. On a spit of land between the untamed Atlantic and a calm, shallow and picture-perfect lagoon, Lighthouse Bay is beyond secluded. There isn’t much to do beyond just being Zen, although boat tours to the famed Frigate Bird Sanctuary can be arranged, as can massage therapy or horseback riding along the sand. Also make sure to rise at least once for sunrise: it is an utterly stupendous experience. Because there is literally no other businesses anywhere near this property, prices are all-inclusive for meals and drinks. And the food served in the al fresco air restaurant is quite good – don’t skip the lobster salad. The beachfront bar is open until 11:30pm and makes all the classic island cocktail concoctions plus a mean fresh fruit smoothie.

North of Tbilisi, you’ll find some of Georgia’s most iconic attractions: Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, both UNESCO World Heritage sites, located in Mtskheta, the former religious center of Georgia. Then drive along the stunningly scenic Georgian Military Highway to Stepantsminda, commonly known as Kazbegi, where neighboring Mount Kazbegi makes for great walking or biking. Stay at Rooms Hotel Kazbegi in the 6,000-mile high Kazbegi village. This improbably stylish mirage of a mountain lodge was the brainchild of a local gambling tycoon, Timur Ugulava. A minimalist Scandinavian aesthetic (and barely any closet space) dominates inside the serene 156 guestrooms, all with breathtaking views on snow-covered slopes. The public spaces are decorated with fascinating Georgian vintage film posters, old rugs, bookshelves, and leather couches that invite endless lingering. The restaurant does stylish takes on Georgian dishes; don’t miss the khachapuri (cheese pies). There’s also a cozy bar with its own fireplace and cigar menu, a sweeping sun deck, an almost Olympic-size indoor swimming pool, and mountain bikes for the guests. The building is fashioned from metal, glass, and local wood reclaimed from old buildings.

Hiking the French Valley is part of the W-trek through Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park. It’s about 16 mi round-trip from Refugio Paine Grande to the French Valley Mirador, to see the French Glacier and the Paine Massif as close as you can get. The trail is diverse and only reaches a steep height at the last 5.5 km on the way there. You begin at Lago Pehoe and take grassy paths through the forested valley, on an terrain that the locals call “Patagonia flat,” i.e. an undulating up and down of several feet. On the way you’ll see tiny magenta--and edible--berries that taste just like apples; you’ll cross small glacial streams where you can fill up your water bottle with fresh, wild water. You’ll trek right by the Cuernos, or the “Horns,” another well-known set of peaks in Torres del Paine. Over the French River you go as you get deeper into the valley, over wobbly rope bridges. The final 5.5 km to the French Valley Mirador has you balancing on thousands of loose boulders on your way up. The very top of the trek feels like being in the middle of a Patagonian fishbowl: Paine Massif to your left, French Glacier in front, the Aleta de Tiburon (the Shark’s Fin) and the Cuernos to the right, and turquoise Lago Pehoe behind you.

The Viceroy Riviera Maya is a 41- villa resort set on the sugary-white-sand beach along the Riviera Maya. Surrounded by a lush jungle ambiance dotted with dense with ferns, palms and guava trees, it offers a luxurious retreat for guests 16 and older. Guests are treated to an ancient Maya blessing, performed by the onsite shaman - guaranteed to transform worries into a relaxed mindset to mesh with the tranquil resort. The spa employs Maya healing techniques and traditions, while a lagoon pool, fine-dining restaurant, seaside grill, private pier, fitness center and a library lounge are some of the many guest amenities. A menu of artisanal soaps offers a choice of scents. Once the selection is made, the Soap Concierge slices personalized bars from large blocks of soap for their use. Pet packages are available and include a blessing from the shaman, personalized, hand-made portable pet palapas and personalized menus designed by resort chefs.

Petra flourished more than 2,000 years ago, trading with Rome as an equal before being abandoned after a series of earthquakes in the 4th and 6th centuries C.E. It wasn’t until the 19th century, when European explorers “rediscovered” it, that the ancient city returned to the public consciousness. Now, visitors can walk down the narrow canyon of the siq to the city entrance—as dramatic an approach as any to a tourist attraction on the planet. The canyon opens up onto the carved facade of the Treasury, Petra’s most iconic site. From there, you can explore the cliffside tombs with their colorful bands of sandstone, the Street of Facades, and the amphitheater hewn from living rock. The ancient center lies some distance off, along with the splendid old Monastery, which sits at the top of a steep but rewarding climb. Consider buying a three-day ticket and visiting at different times of day to enjoy the changing light—early in the morning is best for the Treasury, while late afternoon is better for the Royal Tombs.

The Inca Trail is perhaps the most famous trek in Peru. This is the road to Machu Picchu, an ancient route that leads from the Sacred Valley into the heart of the Andes. You must obtain a permit and hire an official guide in order to hike the Inca Trail proper. There are plenty of tour operators in Cusco that offer trips up to Machu Picchu, so you should definitely look at reviews before you choose. For better or for worse, the tours are all-inclusive. The local tour operators employ porters to carry your packs and set up a camp. A team of local chefs will prepare three meals a day, and many hikers come back raving about the delicious meals. Keep in mind that the trek can be tough, especially in the first few days. The trail is often narrow, and it flirts with formidable heights. The mountains in this part of the Andes can rise well over 13,000 feet, and many hikers find themselves suffering from altitude sickness. Make sure to take a few days (in Cusco or the Sacred Valley) to acclimatize before you begin the journey. Finally: make sure to plan ahead! The Peruvian government limits trail access to 500 people per day, including porters. This regulation protects the local ecosystem and the delicate ruins, and it ensures that the trail won’t be too crowded. However, it also means that permits for the peak summer season sell out months in advance. If you aren’t able to get a permit for the classic Inca Trail, never fear: there are various other trails that lead to Machu Picchu.

In 1986, self-described Connecticut Yankee Will Jackson bought an 850-acre cattle ranch with beachfront property and a tiny inn, a few miles north of Fort Bragg. In September 2015, after six years of securing permits and four years of construction, he and his heirs opened The Inn at Newport Ranch, still a working ranch (cattle, quarry, timber) but now surrounded by over 2,000 acres of coastal headlands and rolling hills. The Inn comprises four rooms and four suites (plus the owner’s four-bedroom vacation home), each uniquely configured and appointed. The use of woods, stone, concrete, steel, glass, and plaster, and the attention to detail (it will take more than a weekend stay to discover all the architectural and design treasures) are as spectacular as the panoramic views of the north coast bluffs, beaches, and Pacific Ocean sunsets. We stayed in the Grove Suite, so named because many of the building’s two-dozen 25-foot-tall redwoods (bark still on) come up through the floor as soaring columns in the living/dining areas. The main inn has a water-tower rooftop hot tub, and each suite has its own. Innkeepers Creighton and Cindi Smith have impeccable and down-home hospitality chops. There’s a breakfast spread every morning, wine and appetizers in the evening, and dinner upon request. With a modest footprint, the Inn is Mendocino County’s new great leap forward in accommodations.

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On this episode of “View From AFAR,” safari industry veterans Nicky Fitzgerald and Joss Kent discuss how social media, overcrowding, and poor regulation are threatening East Africa’s iconic wildlife migration.

On this week’s episode of Unpacked, we take an immersive trip to Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge and touch the roots of a 2,000-year-old rainforest.

Explore the varied wildlife of Kenya and Tanzania while immersing yourself in the region’s culture.

On this week’s episode of Travel Tales by AFAR, Dolly Parton opens up about her new hotel, HeartSong Lodge & Resort, and the ways travel has shaped her life.

A week of lakeside stays, outdoor play, campfire stories, and easy travel days for a memorable family getaway