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At Pier 39, more than 20,000 sea creatures from the San Francisco Bay and California coastline await your visit. Walking through the aquarium’s transparent tunnels immerses you in the bay’s diverse aquatic life, as you come eye-to-eye with the native sevengill sharks, watch the hypnotic motion of the jellyfish, and even touch a grand bat ray’s wing, if you dare. Four adorable otters live here, too. The aquarium hosts daily naturalist-led animal feedings, and curators give talks about tide pools, octopi, and climate change, interactive experiments. New virtual-reality experiences allow you up-close “access” to whales and polar bears. Otters, considered watershed ambassadors, are indicators of healthy waterways. Splurge on a behind-the-scenes tour and shark-feeding tour in addition to the regular admission ticket, and you’ll have an unforgettable day at this amazing waterside habitat.

Two broad snouts snuffle up from the water at the edge of the walking path along Coffee Pot Bayou. A manatee and her baby drift over to the storm drain to drink fresh water coming down from nearby Lake Crescent. The baby cuddles close. A small group of locals lean over the edge of the concrete bulkhead to watch “their” manatees. They speak in happy whispers and take photos with their cell phones to send to friends in colder climes. Common to the bayou for most of the year, manatees are almost an everyday sight during the cooler winter months when colder waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay drive them to the shallow warmer waters of Coffee Pot Bayou. As spring approaches groups of courting manatees can be seen rolling around each other in the shallow waters. Keeping them company are statuesque Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets, shy Green Herons, and gregarious Laughing Gulls. Red-ear slider turtles can often be seen popping their heads up in the water or sunning themselves on boat ramps. Even a dolphin or two join in on the fun. The broad sidewalk along Coffee Pot Bayou is part of a 2-mile walking/biking path that extends from downtown St. Petersburg and follows the edge of Tampa Bay before entering Coffee Pot Bayou. It is a safe, well-lit path with fantastic views, comfortable benches for resting, access to a small beach off of North Shores Park, and opportunities for fishing. Our manatee spot is at Coffee Pot Blvd and 23rd Ave NE.

The final stop before the Hana Highway, Pā’ia was once a plantation town; today it’s a boho enclave full of galleries, independent boutiques, lazy cafés, and a Tibetan Buddhist stupa (place of meditation). Stock up on fuel for exploring at Mana Foods: Like Doctor Who‘s TARDIS, this indie health-food store is bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside. (It also has a shockingly vast selection at reasonable prices.) Other highlights include Mahina, often voted Maui’s best boutique, and the funky soaps, jewelry, clothes, and Hawaiiana of Alice in Hulaland. Downshift at Baldwin Beach Park, the best for bodyboarding and swimming. Then drive out to Ho’okipa Lookout (before the Mile 9 marker) to marvel at the massive breakers in winter or advanced windsurfers streaking across the sea almost all year round.

Opened in 1950, the Jamaica Inn is one of the oldest and most gracefully aged of the classic Jamaica luxury resorts. It sits on its own private beach, which is rare in Jamaica, and each of the 52 suites and cottages has a Caribbean view. It is a timeless place, which may be why there are no TVs, radios, or clocks in the rooms, with a quiet serenity about it that may have been the appeal to such guests as Marilyn Monroe, Ian Fleming, and Katharine Hepburn. The grounds are immaculately kept, and the dining is as romantic as starlight and live music can make it. But the standout feature is that each suite has an oversize covered veranda that guests could literally live on. On it, they’ll find a full-size sofa, wingchair, breakfast table, coffee table, and, should one want to write home about it, writing desk.

Facing the Arabian Sea and the Gateway of India monument, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel blends Moorish, Florentine, and Indian architecture. The historic palace wing reopened in 2010 with 243 new rooms and 42 suites, including one that houses the sitar on which legendary Indian musician Ravi Shankar composed his Concerto No. 1. George Harrison checked into the Taj in 1966 to take lessons from the maestro.

Las Ventanas al Paraíso represents the epitome of luxury, with gorgeous, gigantic rooms featuring traditional crafts, handmade mosaic headboards, and classy furniture and accents. Balcony railings are awash in pink blossoms of bougainvillea. Some rooms take amenities further still, with private kitchens and wine cellars, as well as personal butler service. The property is set between the desert and the sea, and common areas, such as pools, have exceptional ocean views. Service is ultra-attentive, as one would expect at this price point, and guests rave about on-site restaurants and dining, especially in La Cava, the resort’s private wine cellar. Concierges can assist with planning a host of excursions and experiences, from cooking classes to whale-watching trips.

Near the Dominican Republic’s northwestern border with Haiti, the city of Montecristo, and El Morro National Park, this 12-room lodge makes a great base for exploring subtropical forestland and boating through mangroves. Warm woods, neutral tones, and black-and-white photos decorate the lovely understated guestrooms, while comfy loungers and lush greenery surround the bean-shaped pool. Spend your days bird-watching in the national park, deep-sea fishing, kayaking, or snorkeling off the cactus-covered Seven Brothers Island, then head back to the hotel for traditional Dominican dishes at El Morro, wood-fired pizzas at Restaurant Bubí, or drinks at the lobby bar.

If money is no object or you’re up for a blowout weekend in Bordeaux, make like an aristocrat at this elegant 19th-century mansion set in a quiet residential neighborhood. Six sumptuous rooms feature a riot of luxury fabrics and wallpapers, plus spacious marble baths. The real revelation, however, is the three-Michelin-starred restaurant, run by world-renowned chef Pierre Gagnaire, who earned the top place on Le Chef’s 2015 list of the best chefs in the world. Here, you can expect thrilling dishes like duck foie gras biscuits and glazed wild sea bass, with impeccable service to match.

Near the far northeastern tip of Bequia, the Sugar Reef Café is a breezy spot just steps from the crashing sea. Here, diners can enjoy healthy, locally sourced dishes for both lunch and dinner, from fish roti with mango chutney and papaya-black-bean salsa, to blackened chicken and Callaloo lasagna with Caribbean spinach and rosemary. Sugar Reef’s own estate produces the honey and fruit, while St. Vincent farmers and fisherman are responsible for the fresh produce, meat, and fish. The restaurant even uses coconut milk instead of dairy and coconut oil for frying. Daytime is casual, while evening brings a more romantic vibe.

It’s all about the fruits of the sea at the Old Fisherman, a local favorite in the center of town. Although the decor is nautical and the dishes are named for seafaring icons, the atmosphere isn’t exactly what you’d expect on vacation. No matter, you—and the locals who pack the place at lunchtime—came for the food anyway. Among the must-try dishes are the Charlie Brouns (fried fish roe in garlic sauce), Juan Henriquez (grilled catch of the day in a mango-coconut-wine reduction), and the Jan Semeleer (conch). Pair your order with an ice-cold Balashi (the local beer) or non-alcoholic awa di lamoenchi (house-made lemonade).

Established in 2001, Snæfellsjökull National Park—the first ever national park created in Iceland—covers an impressive 65 square miles around the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, which itself extends some 44 miles into the sea from Iceland’s west coast. The park is dominated by the Snæfellsjökull volcano, whose 4,741-foot-high ice cap—made famous by Jules Verne’s novel Journey to the Center of the Earth—is sometimes visible from Reykjavík. The volcano remains one of the main draws of the park, thanks to its opportunities for climbing, sledding, and skiing, but the rugged coastline of the peninsula is also dotted with picturesque fishing villages and full of native birdlife and lava fields such as Búðahraun, a designated nature reserve, ripe for exploration.

Dasheene, the restaurant in the award-winning Ladera Resort, is a magical place unlike any other on the island. The open dining room, overlooking the sea, is so close to the Pitons that you feel as if you could reach out and touch the peaks. The menu, which focuses on ingredients sourced from local farms and plantations, puts a creative spin on classic St. Lucian cuisine, including plantain gratin with a coconut rum sauce, and roast conch. The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch as well, but there’s no beating the romantic atmosphere and sunset views at dinner, which make a meal here well worth the high price.

Voted Croatia’s best restaurant several years in a row, Pelegrini is reason enough to visit Šibenik. The talented owner and chef Rudi Štefan continues to raise the bar at this gorgeous spot, which is housed in an ancient palace. In nice weather, book a table on the small terrace with sea views. Once seated, decide how many courses you want—there’s a minimum of three at lunch and five at dinner—then sit back and let the culinary adventure begin. Attentive waiters will bring out beautifully plated dishes celebrating regional flavors with a global spin. Think amberjack tataki, monkfish tripe, beef-cheek pasta, and tongue cubes with breaded sage, all paired with top-notch local wines.

Seattle’s most iconic restaurant has earned its laurels, reinterpreting Pacific Northwest classics like bonito with chrysanthemum and sea bean caper, and ricotta dumplings with mustard, rapini, and stinging nettles. in 2015, a young hotshot took the helm: Brady Williams, formerly from the two-Michelin-star Blanca in Brooklyn, New York. He ditched his goal of playing professional hockey to cook—and, boy, has it paid off! Among other distinctions, he was anointed a finalist for Rising Star Chef of 2017 by the James Beard Foundation (the year it won “Best Wine Program”). Reserve ahead and break out the grown-up clothes to check out his masterpieces, served high on Queen Anne hill overlooking the seaplanes and sailboats gliding on Lake Union.

While the surroundings of the gilded tower of the Waldorf Astoria Beijing aren’t exactly inspiring, the sea of people pouring into Wangfujing gives the neighborhood a lively feel. Opened in 2014, the elegant Waldorf Astoria is undoubtedly designed to cater to nouveau-riche Chinese. The lobby is classic Art Deco, with traces of the orientalism that so fascinated the West during the early 20th century. The Waldorf Astoria Hutong Courtyard, where you’ll find the Waldorf Hutong Villa and four Hutong Studios, evokes the Beijing of bygone ages. It’s not exactly historic, but it does offer a sense of hutong living.