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While Victoria Beach is among Laguna’s most famous stretches of sand, it remains blissfully quiet and uncrowded. Park along the Pacific Coast Highway and follow Victoria Drive until you reach the steps, then head down to the secluded beach, where you’ll find everything from a volleyball court and circular pool to caves for exploring and prime spots for skimboarding. Head north and you’ll even come across a pirate tower.

The 60-foot-tall tower is a bit of a mystery to locals, though it was likely built in 1926 as an enclosed staircase to the beach for William E. Brown, a senator from Los Angeles. In the 1940s, the city of Laguna sold the tower to retired naval captain Harold Kendrick, an alleged pirate aficionado who dressed in full regalia. He’d often invite the local children over for scavenger hunts for real cash, and rumor has it that there’s still some money and candy hidden in the tower today.

Tucked inside the Künstlerhaus Bethanien, a visual arts venue that is itself hidden away in a beautiful former hospital built in 1846, 3 Schwestern (Three Sisters) is a unique but enticing proposition in Berlin. The refined, airy dining room, with its tall ceilings, whitewashed walls, and circular wooden tables, draws a wide range of diners—from well-heeled middle-aged types to bohemians—with its delicious seasonal Southern German-Austrian cuisine: Think pork roast with dumplings, käsespätzle (cheese and a kind of egg noodle) from Bavaria, schnitzel with asparagus. Wines are sourced from small, usually organic producers, and varied brunch dishes such as an English breakfast and huevos rancheros are served on weekends.

Henri Bendel is a small luxury department store located in what was originally three townhouses on Fifth Avenue. The building - which features Lalique windows, a grand circular staircase, high ceilings and marble floors - inspired Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to petition the city of New York to grant official landmark status in the 1990s. Founded in 1895 by Henri Bendel, the exclusive store has catered over the years to everyone from society ladies to young trendsetters. Whether you are in the mood to shop or just browse, Henri Bendel is a delightful riot of color and sparkle. You are greeted by fanciful fashion jewelry; candy-colored handbags; luscious candles; polished hair accessories; and high-end cosmetics, all displayed to perfection. Serious, over-the-top “eye candy”. Price points vary to suit almost all budgets. Wander to the second floor for seasonal accessories (beach wear or winter knits), more jewelry, plus an enormous array of scarves, sunglasses, coffee table books, and more handbags. Lingerie on the third floor. www.henribendel.com 712 Fifth Avenue (at 56th Street)

Sydney’s 158-acre botanic garden, which hugs the harbor between Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and the Sydney Opera House, is home to nearly 9,000 plant species. Depending on the season of your visit, you might seek out spring peaches and wisteria or tropical orchids and summer lotus flowers. On any occasion, don’t miss descendants of the 200-million-year-old Wollemi pine, a dinosaur of a conifer only discovered in 1994. The gardens are also studded with sculptures from historical statues to modern works by Bronwyn Oliver, Paul Selwood, and Keld Moseholm. The quartz-and-sandstone Wurrungwuri depicts an Aboriginal shield once used by the traditional owners of this land. Tours are offered throughout the year, including a 1.5-hour Aboriginal history tour on the food and medicinal properties of native Australian plants.

Riga has a number of astounding Art Nouveau buildings, but no better concentration of them than on Albert Street. A short road where every building tries to outdo the last, it’s the ultimate address for a pre-Raphaelite beauty (and the most expensive place to live in the whole of Latvia). As well as fantasising about living there - personally, I’d go for the central apartment in the picture above, with its circular balcony - you can visit the Art Nouveau museum at the top of the road, which showcases the interiors of the era. It’s an elegant, calm and uplifting place to spend half an hour, if geometric shapes and stucco reliefs are your thing. If they’re not, give it a go anyway. You might be surprised.

About 2 km outside of the town center of Sorrento, Italy is a natural pool set behind the bluffs that characterize the Amalfi coast. You can only reach it on foot (or Vespa) by turning right off of Via Capo at the sign on a red building that reads, “Ruderi della villa romana di Pollio.” At the very end of the cobblestone street, when you start to hear the rasp of waves on the rocks, you’ve gone far enough to see the pool and find the ruins above. Along the cliffs used to sit Pollio Felice’s villa, the abode of a Roman noble of centuries ago. The sea below feeds behinds the rocky shore through an arch and makes a circular pool with natural privacy. The water is a shocking cerulean blue, and calm—perfect for a dip. When I was there during a chilly weekend in April, there was no one to be found except two Italian women sitting on the cliffs, chatting in the sun and peeling oranges to eat. If you go when it’s warmer, you’ll encounter plenty of locals who come to swim. It’s a peaceful sojourn outside of Sorrento, and worth it to go swimming if the town’s thin beaches are too crowded or closed in the off season.

During three years of living in Washington, D.C., I made it my mission to visit as many museums as I could, and the National Museum of the American Indian quickly won me over. I was greeted by a live dance performance and welcomed into a circular space reminiscent of New York’s Guggenheim Museum. The exhibits are educational, informative and engaging, and the space itself is a captivating exercise in design. It may often be overlooked, but it’s one of the best D.C. museums with a notable food court featuring Native American-inspired dishes.

Whether boasting full-on winters is actually a curse or a blessing remains to be seen; but whenever a snowstorm hits and cover the city in a fresh layer of snow, one can hardly feel anything else than sheer excitement, especially in Old-Montreal. The Bonsecours Quay are not only iconic year-round, but also quite festive in the colder months thanks to a popular and entertaining ice-skating rink. For just $6, skaters can relish the view of downtown Montreal and the Old-Port, especially the historic Bonsecours Market, while enjoying the music and the colorful lighting, in a truly unique urban ambiance. Each night has a different theme (including Classical Mondays and Retro Fridays) and thus, from November to March.

Lake Tana is the largest lake in Ethiopia. It is the source of the Blue Nile River as well as home to several island monasteries and convents. Of the monasteries, Ura Kidhane Mihret is reputed to be the most beautiful. Like most tourists, we arrived by charter boat from the nearby town of Bahir Dar. The ride takes about an hour and once on land, it’s about a 10 minute or so walk to the monastery. Warning – the entire path from the boat jetty to the monastery is lined with souvenir vendors. Instead of shopping, I chose to enjoy the walk through the forest and attempted, to no avail, to spot monkeys leaping between tree branches. Ura Kidane Mehret sits in the heart of a glade that is surrounded by a forest of coffee trees. The church dates back to the 16th century and typical of churches in Ethiopa, Ura Kidane Mehret is circular in shape on the outside. Inside, the actual chapel is six sided and the walls on all six sides are beautifully painted frescoes depicting various scenes from biblical lore and the history of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. There’s a certain whimsy to the style of religious paintings in Ethiopia that gives them an almost child like charm. I smile just looking at them. There’s not much to see in the monastery – you’ll be in and out in less than a half hour. Although it seems like a lot of travel time and effort spent for a very short visit, it is worth it.

It might not be Niagara Falls, but as you pass through the Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park, the mist that brushes your cheeks is sure to cool your body and settle your spirit on even the hottest summer day. Created nearly 25 years ago, this public park covers 2.77 acres and features a 64-foot architectural fountain pumping 11,000 gallons of water a minute. It’s a wonderful place to take pictures (or people-watch: You’ll frequently catch engagement shots being snapped here). Bring a blanket and soak in the atmosphere! It’s a stunning and uniquely Houston experience.

The museum’s collection and calendar of exhibits is a little more daring than you might imagine, but the permanent installation of James Turrell’s Knight Rise presents visitors with the biggest art jolt of all. The work, open to the public for free, consists of a circular bench beneath a luminous domed ceiling. An elliptical hole cut into the top of the dome contains a glimpse of sky. When observed in this manner, even the clearest desert sky seems to shift and pulse and fill the window with pure exuberant color. Come at dawn or sunset for the best (and often most solitary) viewing.

Built on the site of Roman and Celtic ruins, the unassuming 5-star Widder Hotel comprises nine medieval townhouses that were painstakingly renovated over a 10-year period by Swiss architect Tilla Theus. The results are jaw-dropping, from the unusual structures such as circular rooms and passages that refer architecturally to a Roman well uncovered during construction, to the mix of antiques and modern designer furnishings (Eames, Frank Lloyd Wright) in the rooms.

Alongside the 35 standard rooms, 14 suites also mix the old with the new, featuring works of art by the likes of Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol, contemporary design classics by Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe, and original medieval frescoes, exposed-beam ceilings, and brick or stone walls. All rooms are equipped with a TV, Quadriga communication system, and two telephones.

Widder Hotel also features three great restaurants, a bar with more than 1,000 spirits, and a cozy garden restaurant and lounge open in the warmer months.

Take a two-hour dinner cruise along the Rhône River aboard the charming Mireio, the largest panoramic restaurant boat in the region. On the Saint Bénézet Cruise, you’ll pass the most beautiful sites in Avignon—from the famous Pont d’Avignon and the quays along the Rhône to the Palais des Papes, the clock tower, and the Rocher des Doms—all while enjoying delicious dishes like duck with Provençale herbs and seasonal vegetables, and fillet of beef with jus au Châteauneuf-du-Pape. For something even more lively, you can opt for the Dinner Entertainment Cruise, which includes dancing on board until 1 a.m., or the Dinner Show Cruise, complete with a candlelit dinner and Brazilian entertainment. There are also lunch cruises, though they’re often more crowded than the dinner options.

Why we love it: A lakeside resort made for family getaways

The Highlights:
- Spacious rooms with balconies for taking in lake views
- A full-service, on-site marina for boat rentals
- A Japanese-style spa with an infrared sauna

The Review:
Imagine you had a wealthy friend with a fabulous lakeside property, and you’ll understand what it feels like to stay at the Lodge of Four Seasons. At the waterfront resort, guests mingle around the lobby bar—which boasts circular seating, live piano music, and carefully crafted cocktails—much like they would in a fancy living room. When it’s nice outside, they hang together at the lakeside pool bar, or stroll down to the on-site marina and get out on the water. Here, it’s all about starting traditions with families and friends, whether over dinner at one of two restaurants or a round of golf on the championship course.

An Ozarks-chic vibe extends across the 358 spacious rooms and suites, which all feature flat-screen TVs, custom embroidered linens, and private furnished balconies with views of the lake or Japanese gardens. Choose from guest rooms in the Main Lodge and Seasons Bay buildings, or opt for a one- or two-bedroom condo with a kitchen in the Avila complex. Settle in, then head to Spa Shiki, where you’ll find eucalyptus-infused steam rooms, an infrared Himalayan salt stone sauna, a salt-purified whirlpool, and a relaxation room with a fireplace for relaxing post treatment.

The Museum of Islamic Art is one of the most loved buildings in Qatar. The best way to describe the building is to imagine five boxes—one per each floor—stacked up in different directions, but such description would not do it justice, for the building is a true gem of Ancient Arab-meets-Modern Architecture. The entry is free, there are world-class exhibits year round, a library with a children’s corner, weekend arts and crafts bazaar, an upscale gift-shop with affordable souvenirs, vast green grounds for everyone to enjoy, a terrace with giant arches from which camera lenses capture the beauty of the corniche and dhow harbor, an exclusive restaurant where you pay dearly for each glass of water, a 140-ft window giving spectacular panoramic views of the bay, and a mind boggling atrium with an ornate circular chandelier floating above a curved double staircase.