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The soft, gold sand of Batibou Beach stretches along Dominica’s northeast coast, where the Atlantic is calm enough for swimming. Visitors and locals alike come here to relax in the shade of towering coconut trees, or sip rum punch in a hammock at the tiny, rustic beach bar. To reach Batibou, walk 20 minutes down a rough, often muddy trail, or hire a roundtrip ride from the Hampstead Country House. If you’re seeking solitude, avoid Sunday afternoons, when the barbecue scene is particularly lively.

Once just a popular food truck in a temporary locale, Charly’s now has its own permanent location on Tulum’s hip hotel strip. Its chefs have managed to take traditional Mexican meat-based dishes and turn them into 100-percent vegan recipes while still maintaining the classic flavors. Try the vegetarian version of an aguachile (seafood marinated in lime juice, onion, and chili) or a trio of tacos with your fillings and toppings of choice, like imitation carnitas, porkless crackling, or mushrooms. Best of all is the restaurant’s garden location, whose atmosphere of cool, beachy charm features shady trees and wicker lanterns.

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.

If you only have a day in the city, go to Mont-Royal park for the views. But if you have more time, I strongly suggest you also visit Laurier Park, just a stone throw’s from Laurier metro station. It’s the park Montrealers enjoy the most. Mature trees, beautiful architecture in the surrounding streets and tons of take-away restaurants nearby (not to mention free wifi) make this park incredibly popular from early March to late November, from the first to the last rays of warm sunlight. It really is a great place for a picnic, for a tanning session or even an impromptu volleyball game.

One of my absolute favourite places to be at is the Meritus Club Lounge at the Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort in Langkawi. You have access to the lounge if you’re staying at one of the suites or Club rooms. Breakfast and tea are served here and it feels truly heavenly to be having your morning coffee and croissant under the coconut trees right by the beach. I especially love to come here for tea, around 5:30pm or so. A leisurely paced consumption of the delicious titbits served will ultimately end with a magnificent sunset.

Hallerbos (Flemish) or Bois de Halle (French) is a beech forest just south of Brussels. It’s a popular spot for walking, cycling and horseback-riding. Every spring, for a few short weeks, the forest makes a magical transformation into a blue carpeted wonderland. Millions of tiny bluebell flowers bloom under the shade of the beech trees and people flock to the forest to catch a glimpse. Timing is everything, too soon and the bluebells aren’t out yet; too late and you’ve missed the show for another year. But that’s what makes seeing it so special.

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.

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What do Al Capone and Bruce Willis have in common? They both did time here at Eastern State Penitentiary. (OK, Willis wasn’t an inmate, but he did shoot the film 12 Monkeys here.) The facility’s first inmate was brought through these doors in 1829, and the prison was in use until 1971. After closing, it became a target for vandals and housed a sizable colony of stray cats. Real estate developers proposed repurposing it as condominiums (high-security, of course), but preservationists won out. They raised funds to stabilize the crumbling interior and remove trees that were growing inside some cells. Wander through its stark interior and learn about the fascinating history of this unique site and its previous tenants, including Capone. Don’t miss the special art installations that are on display here all year round.

Stroll 15 minutes through a lush rainforest to this gorgeous 40-foot waterfall grotto, located deep within the World Heritage site of Morne Trois Pitons National Park. Railings and a broad, well-maintained trail make the trip accessible even to non-hikers, though the tree-fringed pool—which is open to swimmers—gets unpleasantly packed when cruise ships pull into port. Serious photographers should haul along tripods and cable or remote shutter releases to capture the low-light, but oh-so-lovely scenery, which has become one of Dominica’s top attractions.

On the edge of Zadar’s historic quarter, steps from Pet Bunara Square, this Slow Food–inspired restaurant invites you to linger over your meal. Grab a seat in the exposed-stone dining room or out on the olive tree–fringed terrace and dig into traditional Dalmatian dishes prepared with local, mostly organic ingredients. Pet Bunara even makes all its bread and pasta on-site. Try the orzotto (a pearl-barley stew with smoked mussels), the excellent octopus salad, and, for those with a sweet tooth, the divine fig cake.

I arrived in Sorrento on a hot Summer day. The sun was shining and the Bay of Naples sparkled under the clear blue sky. In the distance, I could see and Mt. Vesuvius on my right and to my left I could make out the Isle of Capri. After I checked into my hotel which stood high atop a cliff, I decided to check out this charming little medieval town, the sites, and the marina. Sorrento used to be a little resort that was a favorite of princes and aristocrats. Since the mid- 20th century, the town has grown and now visitors enjoy its charm and beauty. Sorrento is best known for its yummy limoncello -there are lemon trees all over. Almost every home in town has even a small lemon tree, and the lemon theme is on pottery and tablecloths. Walnuts, olive oil, and ricotta cheese in traditional handmade baskets are very popular items. Sorrento specializes in wood inlay and marquetry items. Then there is the lacework of Sorrento - intricate and very beautiful. The Piazza Tasso is the main square of the town. Make sure to stop and visit the Duomo. While in Sorrento, a trip to the Isle of Capri by ferry or hydrofoil is recommended. Don’t forget the Amalfi Coast. The drive down the coast is awesome. The beauty is stunning -the view around each bend is more gorgeous than the last! Sorrento is so Italy of 50 years ago. Very different from say, Rome or Venice. I’m glad that I didn’t skip this town. Hopefully, I will return. A good guide to Italy will give you info and web sites.

The hike up the Mayfield River to the waterfall nicknamed the Washing Machine requires walking in the river itself at times, and at one point, swimming through a tunnel. Along the way, you’ll be surrounded by lush fern trees and bamboo. You’ll need water shoes, a swimsuit, and a sense of adventure to take part in this, one of the best ways to see Jamaica‘s verdant interior. The trailhed is an hour’s drive from from Negril, and you’ll find lockers and a small restaurant there. Guides are always on hand to show you the way—you won’t make it without them, they know all the right places to place your foot. (Be generous with your tips—they may be having a great time, but this is their job.) The reward at the end of your hike? Two waterfalls. Swim underneath and feel the refreshing force of nature.

From the royal ambience of the lobby (bedecked with Murano glass chandeliers and a grand piano) to the classical elegance of the rooms, the Grand Hotel Oslo pulls out all the stops in making guests feel like visiting dignitaries—which should come as no surprise since the hotel has played host to countless actual visiting dignitaries. Nobel Peace Prize winners including the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela give interviews and greet crowds from the balcony of the eponymous Nobel Suite, but junior suites offer the best views overlooking buzzing Karl Johans Gate. Be sure to make time for a visit to the hotel’s Artesia Spa, where birch tree trunks separate the chromatherapy pool from a rooftop sun terrace.

Fireworks Gallery is that rare thing — an airport gift shop that you actually want to buy things from. A Seattle-based boutique with several locations, Fireworks is packed with designer jewelry, bags and wallets, housewares, novelty items, party supplies, decor, and children’s books and toys. During the holidays, they also have beautiful and elaborate tree ornaments and menorahs. They also have stores at the University Village shopping center and downtown at Westlake Center. So, just in case you suddenly realize you’ve forgotten a hostess gift, souvenir, or thanks-for-watching-my-pet present, Fireworks has a ready supply of last-minute gifts that will make you look like a savvy shopper.

Parque Forestal is Santiago’s lung and central park. Created for the first centennial celebration in 1910, the park has become an iconic area of the city with elegant residential apartment buildings along the perimeter. One of the most enjoyable ways to spend an afternoon is walking under the century-old trees and then strolling the cobblestoned streets of the adjoining Lastarria area. Parisian-style facades, cafés full of intellectual life, boutiques, museums like Bellas Artes (a copy of the Petit Palais in Paris), restaurants, and bars all bring this neighborhood to life.