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This intimate, 110-seat restaurant has been hailed as one of the West Village’s true gems since it opened in 2008, both due to the chef’s fresh take on classic Italian cuisine and the inviting ambiance the cozy, dimly-lit eatery exudes. An open kitchen grants diners front-row seats to a culinary production with a rotating cast of fresh pastas starring tagliatelle, orecchiette, and garganelli. Seafood also features prominently in the form of charred octopus, roasted cod, scallops or Arctic char. Oenophiles will delight in the extensive list of Italian wines by region, including an impressive 2,500-bottle cellar that also plays host to private dinners. Just be sure and save room for dessert; the buttery olive oil cake flies out of the kitchen every dinner. Don’t have time to make it down to L’Artusi for dinner? The weekend brunch menu is equally divine.

This is where the cool kids (Uma Thurman, Led Zeppelin, Anthony Bourdain) lay their heads when they stop over in the Big Easy. The look is modern but not excessively so, location-appropriate, but not in an overly Fleur-de-Lys kind of way. Think: creamy hues, contemporary furnishings, and lofty ceilings paired with intricate woodwork, ornate chandeliers, and black-and-white photos of jazz greats. The former bank is also well positioned for late-night revelry, while still being far enough away from the French Quarter action—so you can get a good night’s sleep in one of the just-renovated king-size Apple rooms.

All of Mexico City‘s neighborhood markets are fun to browse, with their rows and rows of colorful stalls and equally colorful characters, and you can’t go wrong ducking into any one of these mercados as you come across them in your wanderings. Mercado Medellín is particularly favored among expats from other parts of Latin America, as it specializes in foodstuffs from Caribbean and Central and South American countries. This is also a superb market to visit if you’re hungry. Vendors sell everything from Colombian ajíaco to Cuban ice cream, so don’t hesitate to graze your way through the treats on offer.

Pass through the iconic arched doorway at College Green and enter the elegant quads, handsome architecture and verdant lawns of Trinity College, one of Ireland‘s most prestigious universities. Among its many attributes is the atmospheric 18th-century Old Library, whose most precious tome is the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells, a priceless illuminated manuscript. Also worth a visit are the college’s Douglas Hyde Gallery, devoted to contemporary art, and the thought-provoking Science Gallery.

In 1995, Scottsdale residents voted to set aside a large parcel of undeveloped city land as protected open space. Today, the roughly 30,000-acre McDowell Sonoran Preserve provides an opportunity for adventure. Hike, bike, and rock climb, or take to the trails with local guides from Arizona Outback Adventures and learn all about the desert along the way. Because most of the creatures that live in this desert habitat are more active at night, the best time to view animals is on early morning or evening hikes.

The Grill is the only restaurant in Arizona to receive the “Award of Ultimate Distinction” from Wine Enthusiast. History, quiet service, and the most romantic dining in Tucson are all here. For the best dinner-with-a-view, ask for a table in the West Patio where you’ll have a panoramic view from the city lights to the peaks of the Santa Catalina mountains. The ranch on which The Grill is located, Hacienda del Sol, began in the 1920’s as an exclusive private girls’ school in the still-wilderness foothills above Tucson. In the 1940’s, the 34-acre estate became a guest ranch popular with the Hollywood stars of the time—Spencer Tracy, John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, and Clark Gable.

Perched 300 feet above the Pacific on 15 verdant acres, Hotel Wailea is a former members’ club that still feels like a hidden enclave of cool. In 2014, new owners invested $15 million in a redesign that left 72 one-bedroom suites with white oak floors, Sub-Zero appliances, and Hawaii-inspired art. Still, it’s the pool that really wins over guests—it’s calm and quiet (thanks to the hotel’s no-kids policy); there are umbrella-shaded loungers and bungalows with fans for when you’ve had too much sun; and the beyond-gracious staff are always at the ready with water, cocktails, kombucha, and coconut water. The hotel lounge offers free wine and appetizers at 5 p.m. on Friday nights, while the farm-to-fork restaurant highlights produce grown in the resort’s own garden. Complimentary on-site activities include yoga, outrigger canoeing, and mixology classes, but guests can take the hotel’s Tesla Model X house vehicles anywhere in Wailea or rent an electric bike and cruise the South Maui coast if they want to get off property.

If you’re looking for a day of grape-free respite in Mendoza, head off-the-grid to the hot springs of Cacheuta. The Terma Spa welcomes guests with an assemblage of thermal baths overlooking the scenic Mendoza River flowing downstream from the Andes. The indoor/outdoor thermal spa circuit winds through waters ranging in temperature from 73 to 105 degrees. Bubble beds, a water volcano and foot baths are strategically placed throughout the circuit to knead tense muscles. The Natural Solarium has a basin of therapeutic mud for slathering all over your body and baking on the pool deck. Scrub yourself clean in the bithermal hydrojet shower and kick back on the flowering Andaluz patio. Next, head underground to the vaporarium and detoxify in its natural steam. Relax in the verdant garden until you’re ready for an afternoon spa treatment or another convalescing soak in Cacheuta’s healing mineral waters.

This west-facing beach may appear to be white sand at a glance, but your bare feet will quickly discover that it’s made of corse shards of coral, so watch your step. Rough edges aside, this beach is seldom visited (some people may have been known to camp on it) and is an excellent place to enjoy the sunset with a few Taiwan Beer and good company.

Stretching a formidable 27 miles, Jasper’s Skyline Trail is a challenge for all but the most seasoned hikers. The journey is worth undertaking—nearly two-thirds of the route is above the tree line, which means you’ll enjoy stunning panoramic views as the rule rather than the exception. The path runs from Maligne Lake back to the town of Jasper at the foot of Signal Mountain, traversing the Maligne Range mountains in the middle. There’s a short window during which you can enjoy this trail, typically from late July until mid-September. The classic trip includes two nights of camping at Snowbowl and Tekarra campgrounds, but if you’re pressed for time, hike like the locals: Many Jasperites choose to start early and finish late, conquering the entire length in a single day.

Many who have not visited Arizona think that its saguaros grow in a Sahara-like setting...but the mountainous desert around Tucson hides many lush spots, like this riparian canyon on the NE edge of the city. Late fall paints the cottonwoods along the creek below cactus-studded slopes in Sabino Canyon. Hikers hike, runners run, and deer roam...

Just a stone’s throw from the Arizona border, the eponymous main draw at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is the result of rose-hued Navajo sandstone eroding over time. Like any dunes, the ones here constantly shift under the wind’s influence, but when the breeze isn’t blowing, they offer a fascinating landscape to explore. Divided up into motorized and nonmotorized areas, the park is a favorite of ATV riders, especially because, when the wind picks up, all the tracks are erased, leaving a clean slate for new adventurers. Visitors can additionally hike, ride horses, watch wildlife, and—of course—capture breathtaking photos.

A ten-mile drive from downtown Flagstaff will take you back about a thousand years if you take a quick hike down into Walnut Canyon National Monument. From about 1150 AD to the early 1300’s, this meandering section of forested canyon was home to a thriving village of cliff-dwellers, part of the Sinagua culture. A series of steep stone steps leads down from the visitor center to the dwellings. The area is often snowy in winter; blanketed in white, it’s a striking contrast to most people’s mental images of Arizona. Coming from Flagstaff’s Victorian downtown, these ancient ruins are a testament to the complex layers of human settlement in the Southwest. The Sinagua culture is thought to have eventually merged with the modern Hopi people to the northeast.

From the moment you touch down on the grounds of the 135-acre working cocoa farm, a stay at the Fond Doux feels like a step back in time. It begins in your suite, one of 15 cottages that have been lovingly restored by owners Lyton and Eroline Lamontagne in the colonial style, with traditional gingerbread trim, four-poster beds, and pastel walls. Though some cottages have private plunge pools, you’ll want to make your way to the cascading main pool, which overlooks a verdant rain-forest glen. If all this sounds a little sleepy, don’t fret: A free shuttle is available to whisk guests to nearby Sugar Beach, and frequently rotating minibuses pass the hotel on their way to restaurants and shops 10 minutes away in Soufrière.

What began in 1854 as a high school—then grew into a college and, later, a law school—has served as one of San Antonio’s top hotels since 1968. Located near the River Walk, not far from the city’s historic district, the leafy former campus is centered around a seven-story, Spanish colonial-style main building with 338 guest rooms. Each one mixes original touches like wood-beamed ceilings, exposed brick walls, and French doors with modern amenities like HDTVs, marble baths, and Wi-Fi (complimentary for loyalty club members). Some even look out on the River Walk, while others offer views of a verdant garden. Healthy extras like in-room fitness kits, a 24-hour gym, and a year-round heated pool help offset the indulgences served at the on-site restaurants and bars, which include the fine-dining Las Canarias (don’t miss the popular Sunday brunch.) Younger guests can look forward to game-filled backpacks and scavenger hunts, while adults will enjoy the award-winning spa and restaurant at La Mansion’s sister property, Mokara, located across the river.