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Housed in the former archbishop’s palace, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Tours features one of France’s most extensive art collections, with works by everyone from Rubens, Rembrandt, and Rodin to Monet and Degas. Outside, the courtyard is dominated by a splendid cedar of Lebanon, planted in 1804, and Fritz, a stuffed elephant who was killed in 1902 after a bout of madness during a Barnum & Bailey circus parade in the streets of Tour. After you’ve seen the museum, from its Italian, French, and Flemish galleries to its modern art collection, head across the park and refuel with a coffee and pastry at Aux Délices des Beaux Arts.

In an all-white open-air dining room that spills out onto the sand overlooking Meads Bay on Anguilla’s west end, Jacala serves just 35 guests a night. Chef Alain Laurent’s French-inspired menu includes dishes such as fennel-spiked conch chowder, snapper meunière, and a steak tartare prepared tableside upon request.

Open from first light until late in the evening, this relaxed bar, just around the corner from La Piazzetta, has an entirely different vibe from the fancier options there. You can have a quick caffè (espresso) standing at the bar with the locals or sit under the striped awning and watch the sunset over the Bay of Naples while drinking a spritz. This bar also serves as one of the island’s best bakeries. Try a flaky breakfast pastry with a morning cappuccino, then swing by later to order a lemon or chocolate version of the island’s famous dessert torta caprese, a flourless cake.

Whatnot and China Town is a hoarders dream. If you can’t stand chaos, maybe it’s best you wait outside. This antique shop is located just up from Main Road in Kalk Bay. Follow the yellow brick road painted on the sidewalk to the front porch, which usually holds the sale items. The first two or three rooms have antiques and the whole right wing of the house is full of porcelain china. Even if you’re not in the shopping mood, it truly is a sight to behold.

(Note: Google insists this is Kamuela, it is Kohala) The lava coast of Kohala on the Big Island is dramatic. Waves dash against the black rocks relentlessly until eons from now they will be sand. True, there are fewer white-sand beaches per square foot of land on the Big Island than others in the Hawaiian chain, but the island is huge. Beaches here often hold secrets, are the sources of legends, and are part of the circle of life for creatures indigenous to Hawaii. There have been lava flows since the ahapua’a land divisions were formed, but from the very tops of the mountains running to the sea, most beaches remain intact. One of my favorites is in a little inlets fronting the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel on Makaiwa Bay called Keiki Beach. Not for much swimming, it is a sandy-bottomed dipper’s delight or, as the name states, a place for children (keiki) to play in. A tree for shade, sand, tide pools to explore, a canoe house (hale) covering a koa canoe nearby, and a friendly turtle (honu) who feeds here are all part of what could be a perfect day. There is surf off the point in winter and snorkeling in other seasons. You might even want to rinse off and have lunch at the Mauna Lani pool restaurant. Parking is a good 15 minute walk via a trail. Follow signs to public parking off Mauna Lani Drive, bring water and beach gear, and get there early. Of course you could stay at the Mauna Lani Hotel and Bungalows too. http://www.maunalani.com/

With amazingly clear emerald waters, the calm sea off of Santa Margherita and Portofino is perfect for snorkeling and scuba diving (May-September is the best season, although it has been known to stretch!). Il Grande Blu provides all you need to enjoy the waters - instructors, equipment, even towels! And if you prefer to stay on top of the water, they have kayaks for rent, as well as a beautiful full-service beach. (If you are up for even more of an adventure - head even further around the bay to San Fruttuoso to scuba dive - there is a sunken Christ figure just a few meters out into the bay that is really gorgeous to view up close!)

While hiking in Cape Town, there are plenty of moments when you’ll stop for a water break, wipe the sweat from your brow, and ignore those voices inside yourself saying you can’t possibly take another uphill step. This moment is fleeting, however, and always superseded by the lasting memories of when you feel like you’re on top of the world at the end of your hike. Silvermine Nature Reserve is 20 minutes from the city center and the part of Table Mountain National Park that covers the Cape Peninsula near Kalk Bay and Muizenberg. The Echo Valley hike can be approached from the Silvermine entrance on top of Ou Kaapse Weg (one way), or, from the entrance on Boyes Drive in Kalk Bay.

The 6km range of mountains jutting out on the Atlantic Coast of Table Mountain are known as the “Twelve Apostles”. The 18 peaks located between Camps Bay and Llandudno make for a very scenic route by which you can travel from Cape Town to Hout Bay. If you have time, continue on all the way down to the Cape Peninsula. The 12 Apostles Hotel, an exclusive, five-star property, is nestled in these mountains. Dine at the on-site restaurant, Azure, where approximately 95% of their ingredients are sourced from the Western Cape. If a meal or overnight stay is beyond the reach of your budget, you can always stop by for a drink or book a spot at their afternoon “Tea by the Sea”.

Why we love it: A top Cabos stay with low-key sophistication and activity-focused fun

Highlights:
- Multi-bedroom villas for easy family vacations
- Activities like water sports, beachfront fitness classes, golf, and more
- One of the best restaurants in Los Cabos, right on property

The Review:
Esperanza has become something of a hospitality legend in Los Cabos, so it makes sense that Auberge Resorts’ sister property, Chileno Bay, has style and substance right out of the gate. Located on one of the area’s only swimmable beaches, the resort makes use of its prime location with a water sports center that offers glass-bottomed kayaks, snorkel gear outfitted with GoPro cameras, and more. If you’d rather stay on dry land, the property also provides access to hiking on UNESCO-protected mountain, camel-back rides through the Baja Outback, and dune buggy excursions on the shoreline.

Of course, no one would fault you for laying low by the triple-tiered pool, which winds down like a river to the beach; relaxing at the holistic spa with a salt inhalation room and reflexology pool; or even simply staying in your room. Here, the 60 earth-and-sea-hued guest rooms provide comfort in the way of spacious bathrooms with soaking tubs and private terraces with outdoor showers; some suites have infinity-edge plunge pools and outdoor hot rubs, while 32 multi-bedroom villas include fully equipped kitchens and expansive rooftop terraces with fireplaces. When it comes time to eat, there’s French Laundry alum Yvan Mucharraz’s modern Mexican restaurant Comal, plus a beachside taco bar and a courtyard coffee shop.

Port Royal, once known as the wickedest city on earth and the Sodom of the New World, revels in its pirate past. The once-great city, now a fishing port, was at its height in the 1600s, when numerous brothels and drinking establishments thrived on pirates’ plundered gold. In 1692, the effects of an earthquake submerged part of the port, a tragedy that has actually preserved the town from being torn down or built over. Entire buildings and streets are clearly visible just beneath the water. The town that remains on dry land offers visitors fascinating archaeological sites to explore, including fortified walls, cannons, and crumbling buildings.

Peter Tosh, the reggae artist and cofounder of the Wailers, was born in the scenic coastal village of Belmont, and it’s here you’ll also find his tomb and memorial. Fans can visit Tosh’s burial site on sprawling property maintained by his surviving family as the Peter Tosh Estate. Stop by the grounds and chat with family members, who will tell you about the life of Tosh, one of the most popular Rastafarians in the world, and let you visit his grave in exchange for a donation. Die-hard reggae fans will want to include this stop on the way around the western coast.

Frenchman’s Cove is more than a beach. It’s an idyllic escape. After paying a small entrance fee—used to preserve the grounds—you’ll hike about five minutes through verdant gardens flanked by an emerald river stream, before the views open onto a glorious beach and the Caribbean Sea. This cove was once a favorite romantic escape for Elizabeth Taylor and Burt Reynolds, and it’s not hard to see why. When you tire of the beach and waves, hop over to the river and swing from the vines into the fresh water. It’s an ideal spot to spend the day, for couples or for families.

A signature experience in Negril is to go on a two-hour glass-bottom boat snorkel trip, toward the cliffside or to the nearby reef around Booby Cay. Truth be told, snorkeling isn’t a must if you’re not up for it—but floating on a small boat amid deep jade and turquoise waters and being able to see marine life 20 feet or more below through the glass is a memorable experience. If you do want to snorkel, the cliffside has stunning limestone formations and underwater caves, while the reef is filled with all sorts of marine life, from stingrays to barracuda. A glass-bottom boat ride shouldn’t cost you more than US$20 per person. Look out for Famous Vincent‘s boat—the best pick—or approach one you see resting along Seven Mile Beach, across any reputable resort. The boats—including Famous Vincent—occasionally ride along the cliffside resorts in the mornings or afternoons, looking for anyone interested in an impromptu adventure.

Set within the 24-acre oasis of Montage Kapalua Bay, this pop-up bar and lounge pairs Veuve Clicquot Champagne with Maui’s world-class sunsets. Open Thursday through Sunday from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., the Champagne Hale (pronounced HAH-leh, which is the Hawaiian word for house) serves a range of bubbly, from Veuve’s signature Yellow Label, Rosé, and La Grande Dame labels to special Rich and Rich Rosé offerings, available for the first time on the island. Pair your sips with light bites like Kualoa Ranch oysters, bigeye tuna tartare, and burrata toast with pickled strawberries and pistachio pesto, then take in the views as the sun goes down over the Pacific. From the bar’s clifftop perch above Namalu Bay, you’ll enjoy stunning vistas of the ocean as well as Molokai and Lanai islands in the distance.

One of the island’s best lookouts, Drake’s Seat offers a panoramic view of Magens Bay and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands to the east. The site is named for Sir Francis Drake, who is said to have kept watch over the harbor from this vantage point. (Was Drake benevolently watching over his own fleet or looking for ships to plunder? The answer will depend on whether you subscribe to the British’s regard of him as a celebrated explorer or to others’ belief that he was a brutal privateer.)