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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.

Why we love it: An all-American dude ranch where guests can play cowboy in luxury

Highlights:
- A superb riding program that brings over 150 horses to the mesquite corral each morning
- Luxury amenities like an outdoor pool and spa to balance out the adventure
- Regular dining events like private-chef dinners and barbecues

The Review:
Founded in 1868, this Tucson guest ranch sits below the Rincon Mountains, overlooking the rolling foothills of Saguaro National Park. It’s often ranked among America’s top resorts and wedding destinations—and for good reason. Not only does it deliver Southwestern charm in the form of pink adobe architecture, but it runs one of the nation’s top horseback-riding programs, with everything from team penning and mountain adventure rides to the signature “Harmony with Horses,” which teaches interspecies communication. The ranch also offers a host of other activities, including yoga, hikes, mountain biking, photography courses, and naturalist-led walks to explore the desert’s edible and medicinal plants. There’s even a kids’ day camp for ages four to 12 with tennis, arts and crafts, swimming, and more.

Rooms here feature exposed beams and brick, punctuated with dark wood furniture and pops of Southwestern fabrics. Each has a desk, coffeemaker, and small refrigerator, while the biggest suite also includes a fireplace and sleeps up to six. When guests start feeling saddle sore, they can rejuvenate with a full-body massage in the spa, or grab a prickly pear margarita at the Dog House Saloon. For a full meal, head to the on-site restaurant, which serves Southwestern cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or attend one of the specialty dining events held each week, including private-chef dinners and cowboy cookouts.

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.

Centrally located in the fjord region of Western Norway, the 124 room Stalheim Hotel has a tremendous view and a wonderful history. This isn’t an intimate hotel experience, meaning that with that many rooms and this being the perfect central location for adventures by land or nearby fjord, there are a lot of bodies from bus tours at breakfast. But the charm of the hotel that dates back to 1885 lies in the warmth of the staff, the pride and presentation of the local folklore and the unbeatable view from your room and the back terrace garden. Don’t miss the chance to have a tour of the on-site Stalheim Folk Museum and ask the front desk for directions to the start of their favorite hikes nearby.

The Chuzenji Temple in Oku-nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, was originally founded in 784 by a Buddhist monk known as Shodo-shonin and is located on the shore of Lake Chuzenji, which is approximately 1,300 meters above sea level. In the middle of the Meiji and early Showa periods, many European embassies built vacation houses around the lake, lending a unique atmosphere to the environs. There is something to do or see all year round here: cherry-blossom viewing in the spring, bird watching, marine sports and hiking in the summer, autumn colors in the fall, and the Snow and Ice Festival as well as cross-country skiing and ice skating in the winter. You can either rent a car or catch a bus from Tobu-nikko Station, about a 40-minute ride.

The country’s third-largest city, and the largest in central Vietnam, Da Nang has become one of the country’s key ports thanks to its location on both the coast and the Han River estuary. The city itself is a typical bustling Vietnamese metropolis with relentless scooter traffic, but a number of attractions make visiting worthwhile. The town’s Dragon Bridge opened in 2013, but what makes it special is that every weekend evening the steel-arch dragon that forms a part of the structure spits out real fire from its head (the bridge is closed to traffic at the time, allowing crowds to see the spectacle up close). The Marble Mountains—five hills that seem to have just sprouted up in the south of the city—are an arresting sight. The Son Tra peninsula, with a marquee attraction known as Monkey Mountain, offers some good hiking and excellent sea and city views; you’ll also find the 220-feet-tall, gleaming-white Goddess of Mercy statue here. The sandy stretch east of the city center (given the nickname China Beach by American soldiers during the war) is crowded with restaurants, bars, and some seaside hotels.

When people think of southern Arizona and its border with Mexico, cactus and sun-baked sand may come to mind — but a mountain canyon with fall foliage, homestead cabins, and deer? Go high enough, and you’ll find this and more. The Huachuca Mountains climb to over 9000 feet just north of the border in Cochise County, about an hour and a half from Tucson. Toward the southern edge of the town of Sierra Vista, the Nature Conservancy has set up the Ramsey Canyon Preserve, which is ideal for hiking and birdwatching. The deer are tame, wild turkeys are common, and fourteen species of hummingbirds have been spotted among the 150+ species of birds that find refuge in this “sky island” — a mountain range that rises high enough above the surrounding desert to provide a cooler and wetter ecosystem. By late fall, the cottonwoods, maples, and sycamores transform the canyon into a landscape that would be reminiscent of New England if it weren’t for the omnipresent agave plants. Watch your step, and stay alert for the occasional black bear, javelina, or mountain lion. Chimneys, log cabins, and apple trees remain from early homesteaders who found refuge from the desert in these mountains, which were originally named “Huachuca"—meaning ‘thunder'—by the Apaches.

Tucked in the Rainforest of Costa Rica is this incredible Ecolodge. We whitewater rafted all morning to arrive at the lodge, our river guides acted as chefs and general grounds keepers upon arrival, and we were treated to the absolute best food we had the entire trip in Costa Rica. The bungalows do not have any electricity, but the staff lights candles in all the rooms and pathways each evening, and dinner is eaten by candle light. Talk about romance!! While staying they have horseback riding through the jungle, hikes, rappelling, zip lining and of course more rafting. Definitely will not be our last trip to this lodge!! The attention to sustainability efforts was also fantastic and commendable.

At Lizard Island, luxurious amenities meet an ecologically diverse island paradise. The sole resort on the island, the exclusive spot features 40 rooms as well as 24 private beaches, all but guaranteeing your own pristine sliver of paradise. Accommodations range from posh villas set apart from one another (including the two-bedroom, cliff-top villa, with its 26-foot pool and endless views of the Coral Sea), to garden-view rooms with private terraces and pathways leading directly to Anchor Bay beach. Furnishings follow a tranquil white-and-gray color scheme, while amenities include LCD smart TVs and Apple docking stations. Guests also receive their own motorized dinghy, standup paddleboards, clear-view sea kayaks, and snorkeling gear for exploring Giant Clam gardens and the schools of brightly colored fish in the surrounding waters. The more adventurous can even arrange for private deep-sea dives to locations accessed exclusively by the Lizard Island Marine & Dive team, ensuring you’ll have the coral reefs all to yourself.

Located less than an hour from Dresden in Saxon-Switzerland National Park, the Bastei is a jagged outcropping of sandstone rocks that once served as the foundation for Neurathen Castle. While the castle is mostly gone now, its bridge (known locally as Basteibrücke) remains one of the park’s major highlights. Initially made of wood but rebuilt with stone, it clocks in at 250 feet and leads directly to the castle ruins, offering peerless views of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, the Elbe River, and the Königstein Fortress. For a small entrance fee, visitors can walk its length, then refuel at the Panorama Restaurant on the other end. Active travelers may even want to attempt the Golden Triangle hike between the Bastei, Wehlen, and Kurort Rathen, which also passes the ruins of Stadt Wehlen Castle.

Flagstaff, Northern Arizona‘s winter-playground-college-town, is often overlooked as visitors drive through it on their way to or from the Grand Canyon. But if you have time to linger, this town will reveal its charms. In recent years, it’s become a regional mecca for farm-to-table dining, with new restaurants repopulating its 19th-century downtown. After getting your fill of locavore dining and microbrews, work it off by going for a run or a hike up on McMillan Mesa, an ancient lava flow with superb views of the San Francisco Peaks, the highest mountains in Arizona. Buffalo Park has a two-mile loop through grassland and ponderosa pine forest, connecting to trails that go up into the wooded slopes. Remember, though, that Flagstaff is over 7000 ft/2133 m. above sea level--give yourself time to acclimate to the lower oxygen levels...

South Point on the Big Island is the most southern point in the United States. The cliffs were ancient mooring places for canoes belonging to the first settlers on the Big Island. Fishermen still use this place to cast their lines, and adventurous locals dive into the turbulent but clear waters below (not recommended for tourists who are not aware of ocean currents, as the undertow is usually quite strong and has swept many lives away in the turquoise clear waters). Several miles up the beach (toward the Hilo side of the Island) is the Green Sand Beach colored by olivine that formed as part of the volcanic eruptions long ago. It is worth hiking to (or paying for a local to drive you in their 4x4). Green Sand Beach is one of only four green beaches in the world.

After hiking, skiing, or Grand Canyon gawking, what better way to spend an evening than in Flagstaff’s oldest microbrewery? Wood-burning stoves in the entryway will keep you warm if the wait is long in this family-friendly brewpub. In addition to the handcrafted beers, you will find wood-fired pizzas, fondues, and apple cake made with oatmeal stout. I opted for the “Brewer’s Platter": bratwursts and spicy southwest sausage braised in their Railhead Red Ale, with caramelized onions, red cabbage, cinnamon apples, and skin-on mashed potatoes. So glad I listened to the guys in the mountain-gear-store up the street who recommended the place. For two decades, Beaver Street Brewery has been a Flagstaff institution, its sign a beacon on foggy winter nights... (Just remember, at 7,000 ft. above sea level, the brews go to your head much faster...so eat up!)

Herrsching is a lovely, small town in Bavaria, Germany on Lake Ammersee, about 30 minutes southwest of Munich. It is perfect if you are seeking a relaxed day trip from Munich or a longer stay to unwind from the stresses of daily life. A former fishing village, the town’s current local population is 8,000 year-round and 13,000 in summer. Herrsching is popular for its easy access to watersports (sailing, swimming, paddleboarding, etc), hiking, biking and Andechs, the Benedictine monastery and brewery which is a popular day trip from Munich. The town has a quiet waterfront with a 5-mile promenade that offers a small section for lakeside dining - perfect in the summer months. Sitting by the water under the shady trees, it is the perfect environment to enjoy a romantic dinner in a simple, tranquil setting. For those seeking quiet and a laid-back atmosphere, Herrsching delivers.

Overlooking Chesterman Beach, the Wickaninnish Inn, or “the Wick,” as locals call it, offers 75 cabinlike rooms with Adirondack-style furnishings. Amenities include a library stocked with board games and movies, a spa that offers West Coast–inspired treatments, and guided hikes to nearby tide pools every Saturday morning. Swing by the Henry Nolla Carving Shed on the beach, where local wood carvers⎯“Feather” George Yearsley, for one⎯craft wooden objects such as eagle feathers, dugout canoes, jewelry boxes, and First Nations masks. From $460. 500 Osprey Ln., (250) 725-3100. Image courtesy of Wickaninnish Inn