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Film fans may remember the scene in Out of Africa when Denys Finch Hatton’s little yellow gypsy plane swooped above the pink flamingo–filled waters of Lake Nakuru to the sound of the John Barry soundtrack. The lake is indeed known for the thousands of flamingos that nest along its shores, attracted to the lake’s vast quantities of tasty algae. (Recent rising water levels have resulted in many of the birds moving their nests elsewhere, but naturalists believe they’ll return when the waters recede.) In 1961, the lake and its surrounding land were named Lake Nakuru National Park, now protecting the black and southern white rhinos, warthogs, lions, baboons, and other wildlife that live here. The lake is a roughly three-hour drive from Nairobi.

Guests of sports bar Taco Mac in Sandy Springs might not know that there’s a secret beer heaven at their feet. Formerly known as The Fred Bar, named for beverage manager Fred Crudder, it is only available to members of Taco Mac’s Brewniversity and their guests. It’s now called the Georgia Chapter Room. Signing up for the program is free, but you must be at the “pledge” level, meaning you’ve sampled at least seven of their beers. To enter, go down to the loading dock area where the door on the left has a red button. Press the button, and an employee will let you in after verifying your credentials. The decor is swankier than upstairs, with leather chairs and curtains. The entire menu is available on an iPad placed on your table. The secret locale is also a step above when it comes to both food and drinks. The beer selection includes aged, rare, and lesser-known brews curated by the knowledgable staff. This is the place to splurge, as the staff can recommend something you will enjoy.

Known as the “Jewel in the Crown” of the Southern Grenadines, Tobago Cays Marine Park comprises five picture-perfect, uninhabited islands surrounded by a clear lagoon. Here, you’ll find sea turtle nesting sites and feeding areas, small systems of mangroves, and the most well-developed coral reef complexes in St. Vincent. Swim with the resident turtles, snorkel around the almost 2.5-mile-long Horseshoe Reef, or simply relax on a magnificent white-sand beach—each island has at least one.

This hotel has changed ownership and is now The Whitley, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Atlanta, Buckhead.

Located in one of the swankiest areas of Atlanta, this Ritz-Carlton property epitomizes Southern sophistication and class. From its large luxury spa and stunning pool to its suites with bay windows that frame city views, the hotel has all the major amenities and small touches you would expect from a four-star property. No matter what room you stay in, you’ll rest on 400-thread-count sheets and down pillows and get pampered with Asprey bath products from England. Club Level accommodations also include special access to the Club Lounge, where you can enjoy breakfast, snacks, and hors d’oeuvres while taking in panoramas of Atlanta.

During your stay, you don’t have to be an anonymous face. Get to know the hotel a little better at the manager’s reception every Wednesday evening in the lobby, where you can help yourself to wine and cheese, and the sommelier-led wine tasting in the Café every Friday evening. Both events are free for guests. Kids get special time, too: On Friday nights a family-friendly “dive-in” movie is projected at the pool and comes with popcorn.

This five-star beachfront hotel toes the line between being a hub of activity and a luxurious, only-in-Southern-California hideaway. For restoration, head to the sprawling spa for a customized wellness-oriented treatment or a meditation class. Mind cleared, make your way to the on-site outfitter Compass Sports—where staff will coordinate local mountain biking, paddleboarding, hiking, and surfing expeditions—or to the palm tree–lined, mosaic-tiled pool. Big ocean views and a light, airy design define the 250 rooms; for guests seeking extra solitude and space, there are bungalow suites, which are essentially private beach houses. At the hotel’s three eateries, it’s all seasonal all the time, from the fresh morning juices to evening cocktails. That ethos peaks at the fine-dining restaurant Studio, where executive chef Craig Strong creates elegantly plated French-meets-California dishes using locally sourced fish and meat, along with vegetables picked from the hotel’s 1,000-square-foot garden. Pro tip: In a setting this transporting, you almost want to break into song. Good news—the hotel will rent out mini guitars to guests for the duration of their stay.

What’s not to like about Museumplein? In summer, it’s as chill as Vondelpark, with picnickers playing instruments and getting high on the lawn. Add more grass and the field becomes stoners’ heaven as well as a magnet for art aficionados. The latter come for Amsterdam’s trio of world-class museums, all re-opened in 2013 after lengthy renovations—the stately Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, and the Van Gogh Museum. Tucked south of Leidseplein amidst upscale hotels and cafés, Museumplein is both a culture vulture’s paradise and an open space for those who want to escape the city buzz. In addition to repositories of priceless paintings, it’s home to the Concertgebouw at its southern end.

Cristina Hoyos, probably the most famous flamenco dancer of all time (her image from the 1960s is often used to represent the iconic flamenco dancer, with a slicked-back raven-black chignon and a fiercely passionate demeanor), founded this museum full of interactive exhibits. It also features a popular nightly flamenco performance. Even if you can’t make the live performance, video displays tell the story of the history and various styles of this noisy, sensual and compelling art form.

Why we love it: A laidback but luxurious coastal retreat set in one of Southern California’s loveliest villages

The Highlights:
- Comfortable, light-filled rooms with private balconies
- Outdoor dining with ocean views
- A beautiful beach just a short walk down the hill

The Review:
Self-described as “your home by the sea,” L’Auberge Del Mar feels more like a mansion plucked from a Nancy Meyers movie. The immaculate property comprises 121 estate-style bedrooms set around a central pool and dining terrace just steps from a textbook SoCal beach. Rooms are full of welcoming touches—plush bedding, marble bathrooms, private balconies or patios, and carefully curated books on local topics—while facilities include several upscale dining and drinking options as well as two tennis courts, a 24-hour fitness center, and an award-winning spa. The hotel even welcomes dogs—and remembers them from previous visits—adding a personal touch to every stay.

Stop by the Living Room for cocktails and regular live music, savor fish tacos at the outdoor Shoreline restaurant as the sun dips into the Pacific, or end the night by the firepits at Bleu Bar. During the day, head to nearby Powerhouse Park and Beach for surfing, swimming and sunbathing, or Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve for hiking. Both Del Mar village and neighboring La Jolla offer upscale shopping and dining, and San Diego is less than 30 minutes on the freeway. Should you wish to stay closer to “home,” there are Electra Beach Cruisers available to rent as well as a village shuttle that covers a one-mile radius around town.

The Jefferson Hotel has been the gold standard for discerning visitors to Richmond (including 13 U.S. presidents) since 1895. Not content to rest on their laurels, the hotel completed a renovation in 2016, restoring its landmarked public areas and refreshing and expanding the guest rooms and suites. The new rooms feel more like posh apartments, with doorbells, foyers to the sitting and dressing areas, and luxury touches like soaking tubs, walk-in showers, and in-mirror televisions. The alligator drawer pulls are a nod to the creatures who used to live in the lobby fountains in the early 20th century. The Rotunda and Palm Court lobbies, with their Tiffany stained glass ceilings, have overlooked many power meetings and celebrations, and provide a magnificent backdrop for decadent afternoon tea or the popular champagne Sunday brunch. The four-star Lemaire restaurant serves a New American menu of Virginia ingredients in their distinctive dining rooms, while the more relaxed TJ’s bistro is open for hearty breakfasts and classic lunch fare. Guests of the Jefferson may work off all that locally sourced food at the 3,000-square-foot gym or in the indoor pool with skylights and an outdoor pool deck.

Sunday is the day to go when food vendors from nearby sell their eats in one place. Maboneng is the arts district of Joburg. Arts on Main hosts several galleries, shops and vendors to enjoy. Many of the galleries feature young and emerging artists of Joburg who are very talented. The picture shown features some of these artists’ works. Jozi’s art scene is rapidly growing and on the same level as New York and other big art cities in the world. We stayed at the 12 Decades Hotel for a few nights and explored Soweto (for history) and Parkhurst for drinks/eats. I also heard from a local that Rosebank has a great market for crafts.

Step inside the Eye Film Institute to discover an homage to international cinema replete with interactive displays and perched like an ivory spaceship ready for launch on the northern bank of the IJ River. The striking facility, accessible via a free ferry from the main train station, houses four movie-screening rooms, a museum shop, and an exhibit space showcasing the works of masters like Fellini and Kubrick. Topping the contemporary structure is the eye-popping Eye Bar-Restaurant, where you can wash down a plate of bitterballen with beer on tap while musing about cinematography. On sunny days, a spacious terrace beckons.

This hotel is on our list of The 10 Best Hotels in Canada.

Set in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Banff National Park, the year-round Fairmont Banff Springs was the brainchild of Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway. On arrival at Banff, the tourism visionary made the canny observation, “Since we can’t export the scenery, we’ll have to import the tourists;” thus, he set about building a string of great railway hotels across Canada. The original wooden hotel that opened here in 1888 burned down in 1926, but was replaced two years later with the grander castle-meets-baronial-Scottish-hall structure that exists today. The public lobby spaces are vast, and there are countless nooks to curl up in with a book where guests will remain undisturbed. With its signature stone walls, turrets, and winding staircases, Van Horne’s gambit paid off: The Fairmont Banff Springs feels for all the world like an elegant and ancient castle, albeit one with all the modern conveniences.

Rooms in the main building come with quirky period details such as chandeliers and crown moldings, while those in the Stanley Thompson Wing (the old staff quarters) are more spacious and a solid bet for families—who will also enjoy the kids’ club packed with activities such as campouts, science projects, and arts and crafts. The hotel also has 11 different restaurants, cafés, and bars, with the choices so diverse—from sushi, fondue, and Italian to Canadian steakhouse and southern U.S. barbecue—that guests are issued a food guide upon check-in to help them make the most of the hotel’s offerings. Of course, there are also a wide array of activities to help round out your time between meals, from skiing and rounds on the resort’s 27-hole championship golf course to downtime in the expansive Willow Stream Spa, which features indoor and outdoor whirlpools, a European-style mineral pool, and 23 rooms for therapeutic treatments.

At the end of a secluded peninsula, right on Coco Point, which is Barbuda’s southernmost tip, Coco Point Lodge is one of only a few modern hotel resorts on the island. Although not five-star fancy, this all-inclusive property, is plenty comfortable offering a mix of rooms and private cottage rentals in small buildings scattered across the grounds. Bordered by some 2.5 miles of gorgeous white sand beach and safe, reef-protected swimming in the clear turquoise waters of Cocoa Bay, it is a good choice for active types as included activities feature everything from sailing to snorkeling, waterskiing to windsurfing and sea kayaking. Deep-sea, reef or bone fishing expeditions can also be arranged, as can day trips to the Frigate Island Sanctuary for birds.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC)—new home for both the National Library and National Opera, designed by Renzo Piano and financed to the tune of €630 million—is a wonder to look at, walk through, and relax in. The library and opera are state of the art; the 42-acre grounds include a salt-water canal where you can learn to sail or kayak, fantastic playgrounds and fountains to keep kids entertained, and the Great Lawn where free concerts, open-air screenings and festivals are staged year-round. Take advantage of the center’s location and drink in the 360-degree views of the city and sea from the Lighthouse, a glass-walled lookout and terrace shaded by a vast solar panel that powers most of the sustainably minded complex. This neighborhood is, after all, called Kallithea, which means “wonderful view.”

Years ago when Mexico City’s southern neighborhoods were in fact small, independent cities, the quarter known as San Ángel Inn was a sylvan getaway for well-heeled urbanites. No longer an inn, the area’s namesake—a former Carmelite convent from the eighteenth century—persists as an iconic, country-club-style restaurant and lounge. Its venerable walls, gardens, and fountains call up colonial gentility and ward away the urban chaos just outside the door; strolling mariachis are the sole “disruption.” Sip what many believe is the city’s best margarita amid an impeccable, songbird-serenaded garden.

This used to be a hacienda, but it was turned into a restaurant almost 50 years ago. The food is phenomenal and the margaritas are famous—in fact, they’re my favorite thing on the menu. There is always a band or a pianist playing.