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No hotel in Jamaica blends better with its surroundings than the aptly named Rockhouse, a string of villas clinging to the top of a sea cliff at the western tip of the island. Local stone, timber, and thatch are the building materials, and a harmony of design and setting is the result. The feel is rustic, but not rough (the showers might be outdoors, but the rooms are air-conditioned), and the feeling carries over to the pool, which sits on a rock platform halfway down the cliff face, from where sunbathers can don snorkel and mask and clamber down into a usually calm Caribbean. Even the restaurant hangs over the water, adding emphasis to the promise of dishes being fresh from the sea.

As does practically every hotel in Jamaica, Rockhouse has its celebrity stories, going back to the early ‘70s when Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones added their names to the guest register. But it wasn’t until 1994, when a group of Australian owners took over, that Rockhouse began to evolve its reputation as one of the most Jamaican of Jamaican hotels. It happened in part because Rockhouse has none of the formality that some of the island’s best-known hotels, with their British colonial roots, still possess. And in part because of its active role in funding local education projects, it’s a valued, and popular, part of the community. That, and the restaurant’s homemade jerk sausage is legendary.

This dramatic two-tier waterfall, whose name translates as “Golden Falls,” a reference to the shimmering mist that sometimes appears around the falls, is one of Iceland’s most famous—which is saying something in a country abundant with waterfalls. Saved from oblivion during the 1920s (foreign investors wanted to dam the falls to create hydropower), the waterfall lies in a canyon on the Hvítá river and is backed by scenic snowcapped peaks. It’s possible to follow the falls as they flow downstream through the canyon, either via a walking trail or on a rafting trip, though it’s worth noting that the paths are wet and can be slippery. The visitor center has a canteen that serves up surprisingly tasty local dishes like lamb soup; there are also a gift shop and a local exhibition centered around traditional life in the area.

Located on a half-mile stretch of white-sand Ha My Beach, a short drive from the UNESCO World Heritage town of Hoi An (a hotel shuttle can ferry you back and forth), the Nam Hai sits on the grounds of a former fishing village (a temple from that time is preserved on-site), and it still feels like a community. Guests bike between public spaces designed to evoke the high-ceilinged Tu Doc royal tombs found in the region, as well as 86 acres of tropical gardens and 100 villas, each outfitted with indoor/outdoor lounging spaces, king beds, lacquered bathtubs, and alfresco showers. The dining options range from a casual beachside spot to a fine-dining restaurant, and serve everything from Vietnamese and Western fare to Indian tandoori specialties; learn how to make some of your favorite dishes in a chef-led cooking class, or join the kiddos at the Junior Cooking Academy, part of the kids’ club. When you’re ready to take a break, don’t miss the central trilevel infinity pool and the exceptional spa, where the eight individual treatment pavilions appear to float on a koi-filled lagoon.

For anyone who believes that truly historic architecture doesn’t exist in the states, Mesa Verde National Park will make you think again. Still standing in the park are cliff dwellings built in 600 CE by the ancestral Pueblo people who once lived in the area. A transformative day trip, Mesa Verde is nearly two hours from Telluride but well worth the drive to see its 5,000 archeological sites, from Cliff Palace (a ranger will guide you on the hike up, which involves climbing ten-foot ladders) to Balcony House (which you’ll enter via a 12-foot tunnel).

Do you like discovering new spa treatments? I do too. Here is one I discovered at The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort in Mexico, called Flotation Therapy; and as far as I know their Remède Spa is the only place in Mexico that you can try it. For those who have not visited Riviera Nayarit, it is a stunningly beautiful beachfront enclave of upscale villas and hotels overlooking the Pacific Ocean.


The Flotation Therapy spa treatment utilizes a state-of-the-art float pod which creates a relaxing, zero-gravity feeling, giving you a completely neutral environment without distraction. Executive spa director at the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort Remède Spa, Alejandro Ortiz says of this treatment, “We consistently offer our guests the most exclusive and unique spa treatments and we’re proud to offer a new level of relaxation to our guests.” Flotation therapy or “floating” is the newest addition to the Spa’s abundant list of wellness offerings.


And just what does it do for you? Apparently the flotation pod is a powerful wellness tool providing a wide range of benefits, including supporting creativity, muscle recovery, and joint pain relief, among many others. Here’s what “floating” is. Ten feet of water is infused with 1,000 pounds of Epson salt-so now you are buoyant and floating. The water is heated to match the surface temperature of your skin to create an environment where the senses gently float away.

Right now is the perfect time to go to Mexico because the temperatures are mild yet the days are sunny, and the summer crowds have not yet arrived. And don’t forget the St. Regis brand is noted for their stellar St. Regis Butler Service so you can live it up like a queen (or king). And this St. Regis, the Punta Mita is also a culinary star with “Carolina“ the only AAA Five Diamond restaurant of Mexican cuisine when you want to wear your hi-heeled sandals, and the beach-y casual Mary Mita Boat Bar & Bistro right on the sand Riviera Nayarit where flip-flops will be just right.

Schloss Elmau, set at the foot of the craggy German Alps, has a fascinating past. A German theologian opened the hotel in 1916 as a place for visitors to commune with nature while attending religious lectures, public readings, and classical music concerts. In the aftermath of World War II, he lost the property to the U.S. Army, but it was eventually returned to his family. Then in 2005, a fire swept through the original Schloss (castle), causing severe damage, and the owners saw the disaster as an opportunity to rebuild and add another, all-suite hotel on the property to serve as a cultural gathering place. Today, Schloss Elmau still hosts music and literary events—more than 170 each year—and, impressively, served as the site of the G7 Summit in 2015.

Impeccably furnished in shades of soft red, cream, and gold, the 162 rooms are elegant yet understated so as not to distract from the sweeping views of the meadows and mountains beyond. Families will appreciate the larger rooms in the new building, but couples may enjoy soaking up the grand feeling of the original property. The real attraction here, however, is the spas. There are six in all, including one for families, with a large indoor pool and five different types of saunas; the adults-only Badehaus, with three pools, saunas, a yoga center, a beauty salon, and relaxation rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and open fireplaces; and the Shantigiri spa, featuring separate pools and facilities for adults, families, and “ladies.” Another spa is set on 40 acres with a stream. Once you’re sufficiently blissed out, there are 10 restaurants to choose from, including the Michelin-starred Luce d’Oro.

The Villa Necchi Campiglio, just to the east of the historic center of Milan, may look familiar. The house had a turn on the silver screen in the 2009 Italian movie “I Am Love,” starring Tilda Swinton. Even if you didn’t see the film, anyone interested in early 20th-century architecture should include this gem of Italian rationalism on their Milan itinerary. The house is named for the occupants of most of its history: the sisters Gigina and Nedda Necchi and Gigina’s husband, Angelo Campiglio. The sisters—a glamorous, cosmopolitan pair—commissioned architect Piero Portaluppi (who also designed Milan’s Museo Novecento) to build a house that was the height of fashion at the time, including such novelties as a heated outdoor pool and a tennis court. His rationalist style could be described as a no-expenses-spared modernism—simple, clean lines and rich finishes. Gleaming rosewood paneling, marble bathrooms, and customs pieces give this modernist structure an undeniable elegance. After a brief period when the home was commandeered by the Fascist Party, the sisters returned to their home. Architect Tomaso Buzzi was hired to give the villa some 19th-century touches and a less severe look, reflecting the fashion among upper-class Italians in the 1950s. Still, the home remained largely true to its original design when Gigina died in 2000 (at the age of 99) and left it to Italy‘s national trust. In 2008, it opened to the public as a museum.

With the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire, Iberian overlords set about imposing their customs on the subdued populace, eliminating traces of pre-Hispanic religions they deemed heretical by demolishing major temples and building churches and other structures atop their ruins. Centuries later, in 1978, workers laying electrical lines happened upon the remains of the Templo Mayor, the Aztecs’ most important ceremonial center (and, yes, the location of their notorious human sacrifices). Subsequent excavations have revealed superimposed pyramid foundations and priceless artworks, many now displayed at the on-site museum. Thrillingly, treasures keep turning up—including the spring 2017 discovery of a stone box containing some of the finest Aztec gold ever found, just off the Templo Mayor’s steps.

Huahine is home to the most extensive collection of pre European marae (traditional temples) in all of French Polynesia. These are found at Maeva, which is about 7 kilometers from the island’s only town, the sleepy port of Fare. Prior to European arrival, Maeva served as the seat of royal power on Huahine and you’ll find the 30 excavated marae (many of which have been restored) scattered among the village’s modern buildings along its shoreline and up the side of Matairea (Pleasant Wind) Hill. There is a designated walk around the site, which starts at the water’s edge and then leads up the slopes of Matairea Hill, where the most marae are located. It takes about two hours to complete. Make sure to bring plenty of water. You can pick up a brochure outlining the walk and what marae you’ll see along the way from the small archeological museum at the water’s edge. The museum also tells the story of the excavations which began in the 1920s.

There are a few countries in the world where the ocean encroaches deep into the heart of the desert: Qatar is one of them. There only 30 singing sand dunes sites in the world and Qatar has one of them. The combination of these two unique features makes a desert safari in Qatar an unforgettable experience. Several companies offer 4x4 desert safaris which include everything from the thrill of dune bashing—the drivers go up and down giant dunes—to stops at Bedouin tents for dates and tea, full BBQ dinners at campsites, overnight camping, camel rides, and shisha stops, among others. Singing sand dunes, also called booming sand dunes, are rare dunes of sand that emit an audible acoustic reverberation when the actual grains are disturbed or moved. Luckily, catching the singing dunes doesn’t require a tour company. It requires the right combination of sand particle size, temperature and humidity for sand dunes to “sing” and some sand-boarding down the dune to create an avalanche. The bigger avalanche the louder the sound is.

The Thermal Water Pool of Terra Nostra Park is without doubt a highlight of the Azores. Built in 1780, by Thomas Hickling, the American consul who had the original idea for Terra Nostra Park, the Thermal Water Pool began to form part of the assembly dominated by Yankee Hall, a holiday house owned by Hickling. The pool was significantly smaller at that time, but already consisted of an “island” in the middle, with a bridge linking it to the land. The Thermal Water Pool was enlarged in 1935, acquiring its present form, with the refurbishment of the Park, operated by Vasco Bensaude. It was also enhanced by quarry stone masonry, remaining unchanged to date, undergoing only a few minor repairs.

Shanghai’s arts and crafts enclave, Tianzifang, is a labyrinth of narrow lanes bursting with diminutive shops, restaurants, and bars. Most of the shops here are located inside shikumen, stone gatehouses dating to the early 1930s. Gear up for your shopping spree with a coffee alfresco at Kommune before checking out Xingmu Handicraft’s gorgeous handmade leather notebooks or Shanghai Code’s vintage Chinese glasses and watches. Pick up delicate stationery at Dongxi Workshop, Shanghai‘s very first boutique, and head to Sky Music Box for—you guessed it—music boxes from all over the world.

Huayna Picchu is the landmark peak at Machu Picchu from which the classic, shot-from-above postcard photos are typically taken. While the views are spectacular, of course, the trail is not easy, studded with precarious, sometimes uneven stone steps, and often directly flanked by sheer drop-offs (thus probably out of the question for anyone with a fear of heights). While most hike to the top and back, you can also go up and around to the other side, with a visit to the Temple of the Moon/Great Cavern along the way. Admittance to Huayna Picchu is limited and sells out two or three months in advance; pay for your entrance as part of your Machu Picchu admission.

The ire of Mount Kilauea reforges the world before visitors’ eyes. Nicknamed “the World’s Only Drive-In Volcano,” it’s produced serious lava every day since 1983 with no signs of stopping. Pele—the fire goddess who lives here, according to Hawaiian lore—is on a roll. Occasionally the lava flows spill into the sea, releasing stunning plumes of steam. Don’t miss the petroglyphs, lava tube, lush rain forest, and more than 150 miles of trail, including the four-mile Kilauea Iki loop. The drive here from Kona or Kohala can take two and a half hours, a bit of a long day, so consider reserving accommodations in the town of Volcano. You’ll have plenty of time to explore this otherworldly landscape, and even see the lava glowing in the dark!

Skimming along the Arizona border in the Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Buckskin Gulch is considered the longest slot canyon in the Southwest. After entering the intimate narrows of the canyon, the route continues on for about 15 miles until it reaches the Paria River. Along those 15 miles, the walls get as narrow as 10 feet and as tall as 500 feet above the canyon floor. While the route can be done in a day, many visitors take overnight gear and camp near the confluence before hiking out the next morning.