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We had an unforgettable experience staying at Buena Vista Surf Club, while visiting San Juan del Sur. The eco-lodge is set into a hill overlooking the jungle and Playa Maderas with a giant sundeck where guests could enjoy the view. It was a great place to catch some rays and watch the dragonflies dance during the day. Guests can schedule sunset yoga classes on the deck for the ultimate zen experience.

Looking for authentic souvenirs of Costa Rica to bring back home? Kúkara Mákara offers a great selection of items, all 100 percent artisanal and officially Costa Rican. Its name—an allusion to children’s nonsense songs—hints at the relaxed, jovial mood inside the shop. The inventory changes constantly, so surprise is the order of the day. Recently we spotted original dolls, key chains, jewelry, satchels, handbags, decorative pillows, and objects made from recycled or repurposed materials. There’s also a small café that serves fresh, healthy fare.

At this colorful eatery in San Nicolas, the owner, chef, and namesake crafts piquant sauces to accompany a variety of fresh seafood and meat. The curry goat-and-chicken roti (spicy stew wrapped in flat bread) is a top choice, as is the fried red snapper with Creole sauce. Shrimp with red beans in garlic sauce also can’t be missed. The atmosphere is as friendly and laid-back as one would expect in a Caribbean family home. Just don’t ask Kamini for recipes—her sauces are closely guarded.

This Madrid-style tavern specializes in Spanish as well as Italian, Lebanese, and Mediterranean tapas. Like many other spots in Barrio Escalante, Olio is known for its lively atmosphere—yet not so lively you can’t carry on a conversation. Its exposed-brick walls and eclectic decor lend it a particular warmth. The restaurant is also famed for cocktails, European wines, and fusion sangrias in locally inspired flavors like pineapple or watermelon.

Stand on the the quais beneath the Pont Neuf bridge—the city’s oldest crossing of the Seine—and look up. Staring down at you are mascarons, stone faces that resemble gargoyles, but without bodies. No two of these grotesque visages are the same. Enjoy their individuality as you ponder the decades it took to build this stone structure: begun in 1578 by Henri III and inaugurated by Henri IV in 1607. From 1588 to 1599, construction was interrupted by the French Wars of Religion, which lasted 36 years. Then head up the stairs to walk across its two spans, which connect the Ile de la Cité to the Right and Left banks. Great views of the Louvre can be had from the longer, seven-arch span that stretches to the Right Bank.

Que Bonita offers furniture from the Sierra Madre, textiles from Guatemala, Peruvian ceramics, Native American jewelry from the Southwest—all on the way to (or from) Mt. Lemmon on Tucson’s northeast side. This family-owned gallery/furniture/clothing store has been in Tucson for three decades. When in southern Arizona, check this place out for items from all over Latin America. (It’s only a couple doors down from a good pub, and next door to a hotel, too!)

In the 8th arrondissement of Paris, just down the street from the Parc Monceau, is this unexpected piece of...China? On a corner of the Place du Pérou, this ‘pagoda’ has been a landmark in this part of the French capital for decades. Ching Tsai Loo, a Chinese art collector and dealer, transformed this 17th-c. building into a pseudo-Asian landmark in the 1920’s. Paris is a world unto itself...

Ask anyone you know who grew up in the Bay Area about the Exploratorium, and they’ll likely be able to share stories of class trips and seeing their hair stand on end at an installation about electricity or fun-house mirrors that taught about optics and visual perception. This is not, however, a museum simply for kids—though curious kids will definitely be entertained while learning. Instead, its exhibits aim to raise the scientific literacy of visitors of all ages, by providing engaging, amusing, and hands-on experiences. Long housed at the Palace of Fine Arts, the Exploratorium opened in its current, and much larger, space on Piers 15 and 17 in 2013. One advantage of the new waterfront location is the North Gallery and its outdoor spaces, focused on environmental phenomena like the wind, rain, and tides. The completely dark Tactile Dome and the disorienting Monochromatic Room may prove not just the highlights of your visit to the Exploratorium but the most memorable, or at least strangest, moments of your time in San Francisco.

When a place has not only the longest wooden bar in Texas (100+ feet) and is the oldest watering hole on the Riverwalk, you just know it’s worth a visit. But rather than rest on the above laurels, Esquire Tavern churns out some terrific and thoughtful scratch-made eats and drinks. From starters like pink peppercorn-flecked deviled eggs and mashed potato-filled tacos con papas to heartier fare like burgers, chicken mole and shepherd’s pie, the food takes comfort foods to the next level with fresh, well-sourced ingredients and modern executions. And as the icing on the culinary cake, the craft cocktail program here is award-winning and endlessly interesting. Plan for some enjoyable late nights at the Esquire on your next stop in SA.

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!)

Teatro Colón is considered one of the most beautiful theaters in the world. Though the theater was, to the great disappointment of many travelers, closed for years while undergoing major renovations, the Colón has now reopened and is playing host to a busy schedule of opera, ballet, and symphony. If you can’t get tickets for this legendary theater, try another elegant venue like Teatro Nacional Cervantes or Teatro San Martin. Check out Ciudad Cultural Konex if you’d rather see an edgier contemporary performance of modern dance or theater, or head to La Trastienda to hear live music by some of Argentina’s best young artists.

Ask any Montrealer the question “Which is the fanciest restaurant in town?” and chances are Toqué! will be a frequent answer. Indeed, quite fancy. But also quite expensive. Luckily, chef Charles-Antoine Crête, once mentored by Toqué’s Normand Laprise, decided that a more accessible and younger version of the famous restaurant would fit perfectly well with the new Place des Festivals—in style, location, and ambience. And he wasn’t wrong. I always go for the beef tartare, and not once have I been disappointed. The menu changes according to the season, but there is a constancy in quality, regardless of the time of the year. This is definitely the best way to get a taste of Montreal‘s finest, sans the waiting list and the steep check.

One of the few remaining tidal wetlands on the southern California coast, Batiquitos Lagoon in Carlsbad is full of hiking trails and a beautiful lagoon. Bird watchers will love trying to spot the 185 bird species, which naturalists can take in unique flora like pickleweed, lemonadeberry, and iceplant.

It didn’t seem to bode well that nearly a dozen buses were idling in the huge parking lot outside the giant modern building that overlooks Tokyo Bay from Kanaya Harbor. But the “tourists” that piled out of the buses were all Japanese, most from Tokyo, we were told, coming to shop in the market complex and dine in what, in San Francisco, would resemble a Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant. Ah, but the food was remarkable, and my lunch--above--was one of my favorite meals on the trip through the prefectures surrounding Tokyo on the Kanto plain. The name of restaurant? The Fish, of course. (If you get there, be sure to arrange a visit to the remarkable private Kanaya Museum across the street.)

Upon arrival try to snag the free daily garden tour! The gardens are divided into different ecosystems/themes such as the Australian Garden, Camellia Garden, Children’s Garden, Chinese Garden, Desert Garden, Herb Garden, Japanese Garden, Jungle Garden, Lily Ponds, Palm Garden, Rose Garden, Shakespeare Garden and the Subtropical Garden. Once you’ve finished the Garden tours, you can go to the Huntington Library, which is one of the largest research libraries in the United States. This is a nice escape from the big city if you have a day to spare while in Southern California. There is also a slew of different local restaurants to choose from including some found in Old Town Pasadena which is worth its own visit!