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Brussels is a city filled with fabulous dining experiences, but for brunch aficionados, the options are sparse. Enter Chef Alex Weston, who runs the popular catering company, La Britannique. Chef Alex has revamped the French table d’hote (or host’s table) concept, for Sunday Brunch lovers. Each week he welcomes a handful of lucky guests into his home, to dine on a multi-course menu of international goodies. The Sunday we attended the offerings included: pumpkin filled pastries (pictured), poached eggs with iberico-wrapped chicory, pistachio and pomegranate pilaf with shredded chicken, and a casserole of roasted Mediterranean vegetables. Oh, and dessert, and drinks, all for a reasonable suggested donation. A steal. It’s a great way to meet locals and travellers alike. And you get to watch a chef in action. Reservations are mandatory.

In the heart of Morne Trois Pitons National Park bubbles this deep, flooded fumarole—the second-largest of its kind in the world. The hike to this dramatic, blue-grey cauldron traverses steep, rain-forested river valleys and skirts around mudpots veiled in steam. The 8.1-mile roundtrip is best navigated with a local guide. Heed trail closures and never swim in the lake. The temperature occasionally drops, but scalding water and harmful gases could erupt at any time with no warning.

The name of this park, which alludes to going barefoot, is both description and invitation. Take off your shoes and tread among nature’s sublime textures in the park’s sandpits, Zen garden, fountains, and leafy grasses. You’ll also find a bamboo forest and an interactive science museum, but the biggest attraction is people-watching: children splashing in fountains, teens pitching woo, everyone soaking up the sun. A guided (barefoot) park tour offers insight into its history as part of a citywide renovation program.

Singapore Zoo has been recognized as a leader in creating naturalistic habitats since its opening in 1973, using concealed moats to separate animals from visitors and incorporating a local reservoir into the landscaping. There are dozens of themed exhibits here! Some highlights include the Fragile Forest, where guests enter a massive biodome that re-creates the diversity of the rain forest, and the Reptile Garden, home to Komodo dragons and giant tortoises. At the adjacent Night Safari experience, guests walk or travel in trams from tropical to mountain habitation zones, where rhinos, elephants, tigers, and some 130 other species can be observed.

The 2.5-hour walk to Mandor Waterfalls starts out from the town of Aguas Calientes and follows railroad tracks along a river, past homesteads and orchards to the cloud forest. While the falls are not as dramatically high as some, the hike is easy and full of local sights with marvelous orchids and hummingbirds abound the trail. Another plus? The water is cool and refreshing, particularly in the region’s sticky climate. Pack a picnic lunch (and insect repellant) and make an afternoon of it.

The province of Quebec is notorious for its quaint, picturesque villages. The compact forests and the thousands of lakes in the Laurentides region certainly make for the picture-perfect Canadian postcard, including the beautiful lakeside chapel in Saint-Alphonse or the wholesome locals of Old-Town Saint-Sauveur. On the other hand, the rolling hills of the Eastern Townships are as bucolic as it gets: villages like Hudson, with its gourmet market, microbrewery and century-old houses have a slight England feel, as does nearby Sutton. However, the ultimate wintery escape from Montreal surely is Quebec City, with the snow-capped Château Frontenac, 400+ year old historic center and festive winter Carnival every February.

This is a place where kids can be kids and burn off lots of energy while feeding their imaginations. Fairytale Town is a cute non-profit park across the street from the Sacramento Zoo. Kids love this place (mine included!). Nursery rhymes and fairy tales come alive here: there’s a giant shoe slide, a knights’ castle with roundtable, farm animals, a “crooked mile” that twists and turns through a tiny forest, an Owl’s tree house, Cinderella’s carriage, and much more. Admission is $4 on weekdays and $5 on weekends. Free parking is available on the streets or parking lots behind the park.

Head outside the city centre, to the commune of Tervuren, for one of the most beautiful parks near Brussels. Just behind the Royal Museum for Central Africa (pictured here) is a large garden. Joggers and walkers frequent the network of paths through the forest and lakes are populated with fishermen on weekends. The park is home to Flanders largest Giant Redwood tree and there is a good deal of wildlife inhabiting the lake and trees. It is particularly lovely in autumn, as the leaves are changing colour, and in early spring, as the sunshine filters through the newly sprouted leaves.

There is something fundamentally different in the air of this Eastern Townships winery—something I couldn’t quite grasp but that made me want to stay forever. The winery, which specializes in ice wines and ciders, was founded a few years ago by three young, passionate investors and lifelong friends, and it has since received immense praise, both from its clientele and the wine industry. For me, I think the setting is what sets it apart from other wineries. A charming bright-red barn overlooks acres of dense forest and rolling hills.

If these cabins could talk, their stories would reveal tales of prohibition, Polish immigrants, and Latvian priests. Rustic cabins, canvas tents, and a teepee now showcase a jumble of old books, antique lanterns, and the odd chipmunk. Guests can fish, launch a row boat, play shuffleboard, and hike in the surrounding forests. Cabin decks are outfitted with rocking chairs for taking in views of Elkhorn Lake, while the tree house is the perfect place to spend an afternoon absorbed in a book at the lounge (don’t miss the antler chandelier), in the loft bed, or on a hammock outside.

From $200, wandawega.com

Few cities in the U.S. can claim to be ‘sandwiched’ by a National Park; Tucson might well be the only one. Saguaro National Park is divided into Eastern and Western divisions that flank the city--plenty of wilderness hiking within a half-an-hour’s drive from the middle of town. If you’re here, like most visitors, in the winter, a perfect half-day’s hike is up to Wasson Peak in Saguaro National Park, on the western edge of the city. Seven-miles round-trip with a nearly 2000-ft elevation gain: it’s a moderate climb with 360-degree views from the top. (You do NOT want to hike this in the summer; there is no shade.) At 4687ft/1428m, it’s low compared to some of the 9000+ ft peaks on Tucson’s other horizons, but the panoramas are unbeatable, and the trek up through a saguaro forest is unforgettable. There are several routes, but perhaps the most popular is the Kings Canyon trailhead--directly across the road from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Hike the peak in the morning (give yourself around four hours so you can enjoy lunch and the view from the summit), and spend the afternoon visiting the animals across the road. (A new aquarium featuring the Sea of Cortez just opened; fall through spring also offer ‘raptor free flight’ demonstrations.) (From the top, the views: trail to the peak, looking south toward the distant Santa Rita mountains, looking over the NW part of the city to the forested peak of Mt. Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mtns.)

Why we love it: A family-oriented resort where you can disconnect together

The Highlights:
- A ruggedly beautiful setting where the forest meets the lake
- Family-friendly activities like hiking, boating, and fishing
- A relaxed vibe that allows for disconnecting from the daily grind

The Review:
The most remote drive-in resort in northern Minnesota, Big Lake Wilderness Lodge transports guests to summer vacations of a bygone era. Surrounded by the Superior National Forest and a short walk or paddle from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the property focuses on simple pleasures, from lake views and starry skies to clean air, pure water, and freshly caught fish. Here, guests can hike on nearby trails; hit the lake in a kayak, canoe, or paddleboat; spend the day fishing for walleye; or simply relax lakeside and take in the scenery. On especially clear nights, you can even see the northern lights.

Pet-friendly cabins include well-equipped kitchens as well as picnic tables, Weber grills, and patio furniture. Most feature satellite TV, and the newly remodeled Horizon and Call of the Loon cabins come with a free pontoon boat rental. Plan a romantic getaway in a lakeshore studio cabin, or bring the whole brood to a two-bedroom or family-size option. When you’re ready to socialize, there’s a communal lodge with free Wi-Fi, TV, books, games, and a snow cone maker, as well as a wading beach with a water trampoline offshore. In case you forgot anything or need some tackle and live bait, there’s also a store stocked with the essentials for a week of family fun.

On the northern edge of Tucson, you can drive through a condensed version of western North America’s ecosystem in about half an hour. On the way up the Mount Lemmon Highway (also known as “Catalina Highway” or “Sky Island Scenic Byway”), you traverse almost all of the different life zones you would encounter if you were to actually drive from Mexico to Canada: starting with the saguaro-studded Sonoran desert, up through grassland, junipers and oaks, pines, and finally a mixed-conifer forest with stands of aspen. You begin at about 2500 ft. and end up at almost 9100 ft. above sea level (about 760 to 2770 meters). In the summer, especially, southern Arizonans love this road: “thirty miles, thirty degrees cooler,” as the saying goes. When it’s 105 degrees down in the city, it’s a perfect 75 up on the mountain. In the winter, you can go skiing in the southernmost ski resort in the U.S.

On clear days—"when the mountains are out,” as locals say—this steep, ice-gilded volcano dominates Seattle’s horizon. In fact, the peak is 90 miles southeast of the metropolitan area. You can see lush green forests blanketing about 60 percent of Mount Rainier National Park, while the rest is covered in meadows, alpine heather, and the densest patch of glaciers in the contiguous United States. Easygoing hikers like to explore the wildflower meadows near the 1916 Paradise Inn, which transform into prime terrain for sledding, snowshoeing, and igloo-building come winter. Prefer the thrill of downhill? Head to Crystal Mountain, just northeast of Rainier, where the state’s first ski gondola still serves its most elevated restaurant.

Former professional cyclist George Hincapie, who competed in the Tour de France 17 times, is now trying his hand as a hotelier. In 2013 Hincapie opened Hotel Domestique in South Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Guests can sign up for multi-day “Climb with Hincapie” retreats that include morning rides, recovery massages, and trainer-led core building classes. The hotel can supply Trek road and mountain bikes and guests can send in measurements or get fit on site. More of a leisure rider? Cruise the area’s scenic bikes trails, which pass vineyards and forest. Even if you don’t ride, you can enjoy the hotel’s excellent restaurant or sign up for its cooking classes.