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Arguably the most luxurious yoga resort in Bali, Como Shambhala has 30 rooms, suites, and villas set on 23 acres of jungle-covered riverbank near Ubud, each with its own butler and infinity pool. Yoga programs led by visiting masters such as Rodney Yee are held throughout the year and typically include five hours of daily practice over five days. The spa offers Balinese and Ayurvedic treatments, and off-site activities range from jungle treks to visits to Ubud’s famous temples.

With Indonesian names that translate to earthy concepts like “wind song” or “forest in the mist,” the terracotta and thatched-roof residences at the 22-acre Como Shambhala Estate encourage quiet reflection. They jut from the hillsides and line the Ayung riverbed, offering refuge from the frenetic scene nearby in Ubud.

Most people come here as part of a yoga or health retreat, and everything—from the dining experiences to the custom health programs—is designed to guide guests toward reaching their wellness goals with help from a cadre of resident experts, including a dietician, Ayurvedic doctor, reflexologist, and an Oriental medicine specialist, as well as fitness, yoga, Pilates, and qigong instructors. But it’s not all work. After a day of rugged outdoor adventure—the resort can arrange for hiking, biking, and paddleboarding down the Ayung—retire to your private spring-water infinity pool and meditate on the events yet to come.

Travelers looking to trade the urban confines of Hobart or Launceston for a more rugged experience without sacrificing on comfort should consider a weekend away at Cradle Mountain Lodge, a wilderness resort and spa that’s tucked away in Tasmania’s Central Highlands. While the forested location on the edge of Cradle Mountain–Lake St. Clair National Park and ample hiking opportunities are enough of a draw—it’s not uncommon to see rambling wombats or, occasionally, more elusive Tasmanian devils in the immediate surroundings—Cradle Mountain Lodge operates as a destination unto itself, with a glass-walled spa that looks onto verdant King Billy pines and hotel-style suites and stand-alone cottages with gas and log fireplaces and private balconies. Rough-hewn wood, leather, and stone greet you in the Highland Restaurant, which impresses with its extensive wine list and strong emphasis on locally harvested ingredients (think ratatouille ravioli and wallaby porterhouse with pumpkin cream).

Named after a Paiute word meaning “big fish,” Panguitch Lake originally served as a fishery for the area’s native people. The U.S. government built a dam to nearly double the lake’s surface area to 1,248 acres, increasing the shoreline to around 10 miles. It’s now a prime spot to set up camp and visit the three nearby national parks as well as Cedar Breaks National Monument. Thanks to its high-country location in Dixie National Forest, the area also stays relatively cooler than the surrounding lower elevations. The closest accommodations include three campgrounds; activities in the vicinity range from angling and hiking to ATV rides.

If you’re looking to calorie-load before a big hike—or just want to indulge in flavorful Southern vittles—Granny’s buffet is guaranteed to leave you stuffed and satisfied. Make the fried chicken your plate’s centerpiece, framed by mac-and-cheese, corn bread, and peach cobbler. Each day’s dinner menu features a rotating main dish, like chicken and dumplings and pork chops on Wednesdays, or meatloaf, turkey, and smoked sausage on Thursdays. The breakfast buffet is equally gut-busting, especially if you go the biscuits and sausage gravy route.

Bright Angel Trail was turned over to the National Park Service in 1928, but its history in the Grand Canyon goes back thousands of years as a natural route navigated by the region’s American Indians to reach the inner canyon. Today it’s one of the most popular Grand Canyon hikes and often is combined with the South Kaibab Trail for a longer excursion. Bright Angel is a shaded trail with plenty of natural water, so that means more plant and animal life for you to view. At Indian Garden, water is available year round, and there’s a must-see creek-side trail that snakes through ravines of water-sculpted stone and green cottonwood trees; from Plateau Point, you can see three miles of the Colorado River. Mules have the right of way on the trail.

Few people associate a wired city like Seoul with nature. However, South Korea’s capital is nestled amid 37 mountains, putting the great outdoors just a bus or subway ride away. Thanks to its location within the city, Bukhansan holds the Guinness World Record for the national park with the most visitors per square foot. You’ll find numerous trails of varying difficulty leading past temples, ancient fortress walls, waterfalls, and golden Buddha statues. The park is also home to Baegundae, Seoul’s highest peak, which offers a challenging but fun day-hike with a perfect picnic spot and bird’s-eye views of the sprawling metropolis.

At the edge of the Baja Peninsula, One&Only Palmilla was originally built in 1956 as a 15-room hideaway for Don Abelardo Rodriguez, son of the then-president of Mexico. Today, it’s one of the region’s most luxurious resorts, composed of 174 oceanfront rooms and suites and two villas decorated in neutral hues and splashes of red; many have infinity pools and patios that face the Sea of Cortez.


One&Only Palmilla has one of the area’s few swimmable beaches, plus three private rocky coves complete with floating beds, lounge chairs, and dedicated butlers. Activities include snorkeling, surfing, parasailing, and golfing the award-winning 27-hole course designed by Jack Nicklaus. The massive spa’s wellness garden features a juice bar and 13 treatment villas; several have private plunge pools, rain showers, and swinging daybeds.



One&Only Palmilla is a member of EarthCheck, a scientific benchmarking certification program, for its sustainability efforts, which include a state-of-the-art water purification system that produces and bottles filtered water on site. The resort works with the Red Committee for the Protection of the Sea Turtle by helping with daily patrols of nearby nests, an activity guests can join.

If you’re looking for tropical tranquillity, bypass Maui’s buzzy resort enclaves and head away from the coast to the island’s laid-back Upcountry, where you’ll find Lumeria. At the 24-room wellness retreat, visitors can start the day with a guided sunrise meditation, then strengthen their yoga practice, learn to hula or surf, and go snorkeling off the North Shore. Spa treatments include Hawaiian massage and acupuncture as well as nontraditional therapies like crystal healing and shaman-led journeys. The schedule is flexible, so you’ll have plenty of time to learn about Hawaii’s paniolo (cowboy) culture or just take in the ocean views from your private lanai. Guest rooms feature art by local Maui artists, four-poster beds topped with organic linens, and stone-tile showers stocked with Aveda products, while the Wooden Crate restaurant prepares farm-to-table meals with nearly 200 types of fruits and vegetables that grow on the property.

Hidden Pond blends Maine cottage living with its own quirky, Instagram-worthy take on luxury. The enclave of 14 colorful one- and two-bedroom clapboard bungalows is spread over 60 acres of birch groves and balsam fir, just a 10-minute drive from downtown Kennebunkport. Each private house comes with a full kitchen that practically begs to be used, with first-rate cooking equipment and serving pieces and, for guests staying in the two-bedroom cottages, the option to send along a grocery list prior to arrival. However, dining at Hidden Pond’s farm-to-table Earth restaurant, with its awe-inspiring chandelier made from a preserved apple tree, shouldn’t be missed. For an even more memorable experience, guests can supper in one of two private garden sheds, which are outfitted with a sole table surrounded by hurricane lanterns, pitchforks, and potted plants, and situated steps from a chef’s garden that supplies ingredients for every meal. The Tree Spa is aptly named: Treatment rooms are nestled in the treetops eight feet above ground and are reached via wooden footbridges.

Ladakh, a region in the Indian Himalayas an hour’s flight north of Delhi (elevation: 11,500 feet), became a lot more accessible 10 years ago when Shakti Himalaya started hosting homestays in restored village houses. Their spacious new four-bedroom Shakti Indus River House and the three-bedroom Indus Farmhouse are well-appointed bases for families or groups looking to spend a week meditating with monks, white-water rafting, and hiking to nearby villages and monasteries.

These beautiful hot springs are located several kilometres into the gorge. To get there you must drive or cycle to the parking lot and then walk down a long wooden staircase built into the cliffside. At the bottom you’ll find a quaint Japanese-style changing room. From there you cross the river on a suspension bridge and then walk down to an open marble basin filled with flowing hot water. The view from the bottom of the gorge is spectacular, the water is blisteringly hot, and the river is near enough to jump in to cool off. And the best part: it’s free.

More and more cruise ships are arriving to the well-known Greek islands for day exploration. And while that is a boon to the local economies; crowded restaurants and beaches are not what you have come to experience. Some of these popular islands actually have very few year-round residents as the cruise visits are seasonal. So that “real Greek” town that you came to see, really isn’t. The solution? Try one of the lesser-know but equally beautiful Greek Islands like Ios in the Cyclades Islands. Here you’ll find five-star hotels, mom and pop inns, historical monuments, miles of sparkling beaches, dynamite restaurants, vibrant mountain towns, incredibly reasonable shopping, breathtaking vistas, and local wines, but most of all Ios can be your own paradise. The island of Ios is still a place where real people live and work, but there is plenty of support for tourism (sometimes it’s party central at Mylopotas Beach) and you will find true hospitality, safe streets to wander and new activities like the recently opened hiking path system. Imagine walking at your own pace to archeological sites, beaches, churches and mountain villages just like the early inhabitants did for centuries? The Greek Cultural Mountaineering Club of Fyli has long wanted to repair and connect the ancient paths and a few months ago the project was completed with the help of volunteers and the Municipality of Ios. Over thirteen kilometers of paths are open and well-marked by signs connecting other paths and old roads of Ios for you to enjoy. Not a hiker? The shopping is sublime. Not for the collectors of designer handbags but those desiring handmade leather sandals, precious gem jewelry and smart local-style clothing designs. Lounging by the pool is always a favorite. Stay at the elegant Liostasi Suites and you will be pampered like a jet-setter. Wish for a low-key stay? The Pavezzo Hotel and Suites is painted in beautiful colors and embellished by flowers offering family-style rooms, rooms for one or two and vantage points with sea views set on the side of a mountain with cooling breezes and the friendliest owners. If you are a fan of Greek cuisine there are many terrific restaurants, some right on the ocean like Drakos Taverna at the end of Mylopotas Beach. A favorite in Chora, the town above the Ormos harbor which is completely accessible on foot, is Elia. Visit the cathedral and one of old windmills the island is famous for while wandering the maze of winding stone streets that spill down from top of the hill. Or down in Yialos by the harbor pop into one of the very casual tavernas. Be sure to visit the food shop called Mosenta at the port to watch them create, and for a taste of sesame seed and honey cakes. They also package local wild herbs and make a great body cream that is made from their own honey and olive oils. Insider Tips: Go in Fall for peace and quiet and best rates on rooms. There is no airport so take the ferry from Pireaus, Athens or Santorini. Images Kurt Winner Photography

It’s not exactly Portland’s highest point but, at 1,073 feet, it’s close. Irrespective of how Council Crest Park measures up, it provides a view of five surrounding mountains on a clear day: Rainier, Adams, Jefferson, Hood, and St. Helens, with helpful indicators showing which mountain is which for those not as versed in freestyle mountain identification as lifelong Portlanders are. Bolder folks may opt to hike to the summit along the trails here, though driving up the hill past suffering road bicyclists is an easier option year-round. The water tower that’s now part of the park was once a feature of the Council Crest Amusement Park, torn down in 1941.

Just five miles from downtown Telluride and accessible by high-clearance 4x4, Alta Lakes is a sonnet-worthy area of crystal-clear alpine lakes, studded on all sides by snow-capped peaks. Camping is primitive—don’t expect running water, much less a hot shower—but it’s precisely this lack of frivolities that keeps the surrounds so pure. Area residents love Alta for its hiking and mountain biking trails, and the fact that it’s an Instagram post come to life. When you’re done exploring in nature, be sure to stop by the hamlet of Alta itself, a former mining boomtown that looks like a spaghetti western set.

“I am grateful” is just one of the ways you order lunch at Cafe Gratitude. “I am whole” is another; as is “I am glorious.” Every dish on the menu has a name like this, and whether you’re in the mood for gratitude (the community bowl with shredded kale, black beans, garlic tahini, and quinoa), wholeness (the macrobiotic bowl with braised butternut squash, adzuki beans, and sautéed greens), or glory (the blackened tempeh Caesar wrap), Cafe Gratitude guarantees your meal will be as much an experience in self-affirmation as a delicious jaunt into vegan fair. The Venice location is eclectic in patronage and airy in design, while the swanky Larchmont restaurant draws a more Hollywood cast of characters. Other locations include the Arts District, Newport Beach, Beverly Hills, and a little further south in San Diego. For larger events, Cafe Gratitude can also be hired for catering services.