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The newest hotel in Jackson Hole sets the standard for comfortable luxury in downtown Jackson. The Hotel Jackson boasts a central location (just one block from Jackson Hole Square and the infamous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar) and beautifully appointed guest rooms that seem to bring elements of the outdoors in, but most impressive is the hotel’s ability to create a a welcoming and distinctive sense of place to both visitors and Jackson locals alike. During the warmer months The Back Deck bar and restaurant comes to life with live music in the evenings and offers a modern yet casual outside vibe. The Back Deck had only been open for four weeks when I visited, yet it felt a bit like “Cheers” - everyone seemed to know and love the jovial owner of the hotel and his son, Jim and Sedek Darwiche. The hotel’s more formal restaurant, FIGS, serves surprisingly delicious Mediterranean cuisine inspired by the owner - who is originally from Lebanon, but has been a beloved figure in Jackson Hole since he opened his first business here in the 1970s (a tiny jewelry boutique that you can still visit within the same square block). Even if you choose not to stay at Hotel Jackson during your time in WY, I highly recommend stopping by the property for a drink or snack. You’ll be treated like a local, and that, in my opinion, is key to any great hotel experience.

An address won’t help you much on Burano. If you’re looking for a specific spot on this tiny archipelago off the Venetian coast, let color be your guide. According to legend, island homes were painted in vivid hues to help fishermen find their way in the fog as far back as the 6th century. While neon shades of blue, green, orange, and lavender may seem random, they’ve been determined by a regulated system for centuries. Even today, property owners must request permission and a selection of permissible colors from the Italian government before slapping a new coat of paint on their aging buildings. Visitors who make the 45-minute vaporetto ride from Venice to Burano are rewarded with a kaleidoscope of tropical hues and a serene island ambience that seems worlds away from the madding crowds in Piazza San Marco. While edible vestiges of its roots as a small fishing village remain in waterfront restaurants serving up heaping plates of frittura mista, seafood risotto, and spaghetti vongole, Burano is better known today for its hand-hewn lace and colorful homes. In the 15th century, its artistic prominence surged when island women began making the famed lace. Demand peaked after Leonardo da Vinci visited to shop for the Burano lace that covers the main altar of the Duomo in Milan. If you’re lucky enough to visit Burano during the pre-Lent Venice Carnevale, you may find new dimensions of color on its four canal-laced islands and picturesque footbridges. A multicolored palette of some 3,000 islanders provides a rainbow of backdrops for costumed revelers. Primping and posing, the fantasy personae inspire storms of clicks from photographers eager to capture the visual feast.

If you want a more back-to-nature romantic sleep, head off the main island of Providenciales and onto the less resort oriented Grand Turk and stay at the historic Grand Turk Inn. A charming bed-and-breakfast in a 150-plus year old Caribbean clapboard inn, it doesn’t allow children under the age of 16, and has an old fashioned allure, where time still feels like it moves slowly. In a prime Front Street location, it was originally build as the Methodist Manse, but today has been converted into a stately B&B with just five elegant, sunny suites and overlooks the beach and turquoise waters of the Columbus Landfall National Park. Despite the historic style of the inn, rooms are modern and have satellite TV and air-con, as well as full kitchens and West Indies colonial era furnishings made from rattan and bamboo. Don’t skip the huge rooftop sundeck facing the ocean and historic waterfront. The included breakfast is delivered to your room each morning based on your menu selection from the night before. There is also an on-site restaurant serving an Asian influenced menu. Also take a stroll down Front Street to explore more restaurants and listen to local artists playing nightly on the street.

On this episode of View From Afar, host Billie Cohen talks with Visit Florida Keys and Key West CEO Kara Franker about why Key West—home of Fantasy Fest, the Conch Republic, and one of America’s most welcoming communities—refuses to be anything but itself.

On this episode of Unpacked, we tune into the soul of modern music on the Mississippi Blues Trail.

From adrenaline-pumping surf sessions to an awe-inspiring aerial tour, Turtle Bay Resort offers incredible excursions for the adventurous traveler.

Thank you to everyone who attended our session “Storytelling in Motion: Choosing the Right Channels to Amplify Your Message.”