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Propped up on stilts, each of Jungle Bay’s 35 cottages feels like a private tree house, complete with an open-air shower. Overlooking Point Mulatre Bay, the hillside resort offers a full schedule of outdoor activities, from walking along the White River to swimming at the base of roaring Victoria Falls.

Luxury yoga retreats are one of the hottest trends in travel—experience it firsthand at Jungle Bay. This award-winning boutique wellness resort seamlessly blends adventure, relaxation, and creature comforts, like a pampering foot massage at the Spa du Soleil—an ideal way to unwind after a day of hiking. Practice yoga in two expansive outdoor studios overlooking the Caribbean Sea, dine on local specialties made with freshly caught fish and organic ingredients, and stay in one of 30 eco-villas outfitted with bamboo furnishings, hand-painted beddings, and jungle spa bathrooms.

—This appeared in the November/December 2010 issue.

Head to the deep southern end of Belize and you’ll find yourself in a world of Maya villages. Belize’s first inhabitants continue to live traditionally in the countryside in beautifully thatched homes, close to rivers, cooking by fire hearth, and practicing their medicinal and spiritual beliefs. You can immerse in Mayan culture by doing a homestay, or better yet, spend a full day in Indian Creek Village with EcoTourism Belize—a sustainable tour company that reinvests 100 percent of tour monies into the area’s conservation programs. During the visit, you’ll learn about the Maya way of life, make caldo and tortillas for your lunch, and spend the afternoon hiking and swimming in the river.

Hopkins Village is a coastal escape with a perfect balance of culture, local and international dining, and some of the best accommodation options in the country. Once a remote Garifuna fishing village, Hopkins has become a full-fledged tourist destination without losing its local flavor. You’ll find yourself immersed in the Garifuna way of life, laid-back during the day and alive at night. The village’s main stretch of beach is one of the safest in Belize, even if the sea isn’t that typical turquoise hue. Inland, explore a host of activities ranging from Garifuna drumming classes at Lebeha Drumming Center or cooking classes at Palmento Grove Cultural & Fishing Lodge to hiking at nearby Mayflower Bocawina National Park. Nights bring options for drinks and dining—try a Garifuna restaurant, but also treat yourself to alfresco gourmet meals at Chef Rob’s. Weekly drumming nights are popular on the beach, as is gazing at the stars from your hammock.

Hopkins Bay Resort is located on the beach right near the town of Hopkins; accommodations include one-, two-, and three-bedroom beach houses. Local art and polished mahogany furniture signal that this is no cookie-cutter chain hotel. The spacious houses are perfect for families or small groups traveling together. Resort activities include dance and music performances that reflect the traditions of the local Garifuna people, descendants of Africans brought to the New World as slaves. Staff can also arrange excursions to numerous cultural and historic attractions, not only in and around Hopkins, but also to iconic sites such as Xunantunich, a Maya site, and the Blue Hole, one of the world’s most popular destinations for scuba diving.

This atmospheric all-inclusive resort opened in 1986 on the white sands of Little Cayman’s Preston Bay and consists of eleven rooms in wood and stone cottages, some of which are oceanfront. Guests, mainly advanced divers and repeat visitors, come for healthy corals, diverse marine life, and the hospitality. Since 2015, owner and manager Susan Howard has carried forward the legacy of her mother and the original owner of Pirates Point Resort, Gladys Howard, by fostering an “Island Home Away From Home” vibe. In addition to complimentary bicycle rentals and island-wide conservation efforts, Howard opens up her home on Friday nights for a champagne and sushi cocktail reception.

The resort operates on a safari schedule with wake up and breakfast bells, daily and untimed dives at numerous sites, and hearty lunches upon return to the lodge around 3pm. The hotel sea front view is lovely, with hammocks strung on the white sand beach and easy, protected swimming and snorkeling within the barrier reef.

This small Bavarian village is best known for its horrible history during the Holocaust, with the concentration camp on the outskirts of the village. But Dachau has another side—a quaint, quiet place that appears to come from a story book.

The government said the cliffs of Calcata, a medieval hill town 30 miles north of Rome, where crumbling and the residents would have to abandon the village for a new one a half mile away. They were right. Sort of. There was a government policy, created during the Fascist era, that stated any village that was so decrepit it was dangerous, the government would destroy it and build a new town nearby. The residents of this cramped hill town, tired of the poor living conditions, took advantage of this law. By the 1960s, the new town, Calcata Nuova, was ready and the old residents slowly moved. At the same time, hippies and artists discovered this slowly abandoned village and bought up the houses, knowing the village was to be condemned. They eventually had the law reversed, saving the village, and went on to fix up Calcata. Today home prices have soared and it’s become one of the most beautiful (and bizarre) places in Italy.

If you love textiles as much as I do, you’ll love Guatemala. Everywhere I looked, there were beautiful embroidered as well as woven fabrics. I came home with more than my fair share! If you go to Guatemala and you find yourself in Antigua, consider taking a short trip to the nearby village of Santiago Zamora. There, you will find an enterprising group of village women who have formed a cooperative to sell the traditional Guatemalan handicrafts that they make themselves and these include textiles woven on simple backstrap looms. The village girls contribute as well, making small stuffed animals from the fabrics woven by the older women. The money from the sales of the handicrafts goes directly back into the village, primarily for the welfare and education of the children but also for the overall benefit of the village. You do have to pay a bit more by buying from the women in Santiago Zamora but it does go to a good cause and you will return home not only with a beautiful textile but with some priceless memories as well.

If the hustle and bustle of Pune gets too much, escape to a themed Rajasthani village for a few hours. Chokhi Dhani is a mock-up Rajasthani village that comes alive in the evening and transports its visitors to a simpler, more carefree place. The village is set up like a village fair, with a crafts market, local artisans hawking their talents, and even camel rides. Authentic replicas of traditional Rajasthani dwellings double as venues for art and music. Your kids will love the traditional puppet shows and the magic. You can also try your hand at Indian fair games, have a henna tattoo, or consult with astrologers and fortune-telling parrots. The entry ticket includes the option for a vegetarian Rajasthani meal.

Heritage Park’s antique steam train thunders through the Living Historical Village, giving the park a sense of place in time that deepens the experience for visitors young and old. History comes alive on two wheels at Heritage Park, though numerous other attractions shed light on Canadian history from as far back as 1860. Many of the park’s exhibits are interactive, while the guides and costumed interpreters are knowledgeable and approachable. Still, it’s OK to admit that you came out West to put on your conductor’s hat.

What a safe and easy way to escape the city! From Dublin’s Connelly Street, you can be there in 20 minutes using the DART. It’s quick, easy and safe. I decided to venture out to this fishing village and I was not disappointed! Great down time, stunning views (great change from looking at all the city buildings) friendly folks and out of this world dining!!! Seafood is definitely the order of the day but I can’t guarantee that it was caught from off the nearby pier!

Just outside Gelgel and Klungkung, which were the seats of the Majapahit Kingdom from the 15th until the second half of the 17th century, is the village of Kamasan. This village was and is still of great cultural importance to the Balinese as it has been the core of Balinese traditional arts for the past 600 years. It is most famous for its painters, who have been painting in the ‘Kamasan style’ for many generations. This style is derived from the Javanese style that came to Bali with the Majapahit Kingdom and is now the basis for all traditional Balinese styles. You can tour the village and chat to the painters in their workshops and also buy directly from them. There are also textile workshops and silversmiths in the village you can visit. Kamasan is about 40 minutes from Ubud or 1 1/2 hours from Kuta or Seminyak.

Mandarin Oriental’s first Caribbean resort has all the amenities you’d expect from the luxury brand—with the price tag to match. Nestled within lush greenery overlooking the white sands of Godahl Beach, the 26 suites and villas, which sit on the grounds of a 1,200-acre estate on the island of Canouan, are elegantly appointed with modern furnishings, marble baths, and rosy accents befitting the hotel’s name. Here, though, it’s all about the public spaces, including a Jim Fazio–designed golf course overlooking sparkling blue waters, a hilltop spa specializing in island-themed treatments, and four elegant restaurants serving every kind of cuisine, from pan-Asian to Italian. At Turtles, a cocktail lounge straight out of the Hamptons, opt for the Pepper Bliss, made with rum, bell pepper syrup, and pineapple juice.

Goldeneye, to be clear, is not an easy place to leave. The land—the former home of Ian Fleming, where he wrote each of the 14 James Bond thrillers that would cement his place in literary and cinematic history—sits next to the tiny town of Oracabessa, on the northern coast. A warm, blue-green lagoon curls from the ocean around a small island and then lets out into a bay. You can look one direction and see a jungle, then turn around and see pristine white sand.

Blackwell bought the property in 1976 as a vacation home and a space to entertain family and friends but later he decided to transform it. In 2016, Goldeneye debuted a jumble of new huts, arranged around a small cove, a short walk from Fleming’s house and the resort’s original villas. The huts vary in height, designed to capture cooling breezes and allow guests to forgo air conditioning. And, crucially, they’re much cheaper to book than the Villas. Which is key because, up until this point, if you wanted to plan a visit to Goldeneye, you needed to either know Blackwell personally or have the excess capital to shell out potentially five figures on a vacation. (Part of the resort’s enduring gravitational pull is that many of the celebrity guests check both boxes.) With the beach huts, Blackwell has expanded, once again, the ambition of his famous resort.

Why we love it: A luxury resort with top-notch amenities in the heart of Malta

The Highlights:
- A variety of room types to accommodate all travelers
- Five on-site bars and restaurants, including the historic Villa Corinthia
- A regal pool surrounded by loungers and gardens

The Review:
In 1959, the Pisani family patriarch bought the historic Villa Refalo, intending for it to be a home for him, his wife, and their six children, as well as a restaurant. When he died unexpectedly, his children took over the property, first turning it into a wedding hall, and then a luxury hotel called Corinthia Palace. Even though the Pisanis have since expanded the Corinthia brand to 14 hotels around the world, they still own and operate the Malta original, running it with all the amenities required of a five-star stay. Here, guests find five bars and restaurants, a swanky outdoor pool and garden area, tennis courts, a deluxe spa and fitness center, and friendly, attentive service. The afternoon tea, served in your choice of British or Maltese style in the Orange Grove Brasserie, is a must, while the daily breakfast spread is generous and tasty.

Ranging from superior rooms to executive suites, accommodations feature comfy beds and private balconies or terraces. All come with complimentary access to the Athenaeum Spa, but higher category options also include entry to the Executive Lounge, where guests can enjoy a daily breakfast buffet and complimentary wine, spirits, and canapés each evening. Speaking of the spa, it’s currently being renovated and will be unveiled in April 2020 with a new design by Goddard Littlefair, a new parternship with ESPA for treatments, and new facilities including seven treatment rooms, a relaxation lounge, and a thermal area.