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For the time it takes most Angelenos to commute to work, you can be ferried into the alternate reality of Catalina Island, a romantic escape far from the daily traffic jams and urban sprawl. The evergreen-shrubbed hills spotted with an artists palette of summer homes and surrounded by bright hues of blue waters, coves and marinas feels more like the islands off the coast of Spain than the United States. It is rejuvenating to arrive at a place so close to the city yet feel so completely removed.

Following the success of its first hotel in the vibrant Shoreditch neighborhood, The Hoxton group opened this second outpost in 2014 in the less “happening”—but super-central—Holborn area, just a short walk from the British Museum, Covent Garden, and The Strand. Set in a former telephone exchange building (part of which is historic Victorian, the other part mid-century concrete), the hotel encourages socializing and working in its open-plan lobby, which is outfitted with library-style wooden tables, book-lined shelves, retro couches, and a couple of guest-use computers, plus plenty of places to plug in. You can order drinks and coffee all day in the lobby, three meals of large-portioned favorites (from fish and chips and burgers to banana splits) in the industrial-chic Hubbard and Bell restaurant, and rotisserie chicken and sides in the speakeasy-feeling basement Chicken Shop.

These communal spaces come in particularly handy if you’ve checked in to one of the smaller rooms—the 174 accommodations come in sizes from Shoebox and Snug to Cosy and Roomy (which is not all that much bigger). The spaces are cleverly designed to feel larger than they are, though, with large, circular mirrors, bespoke wallpaper printed with Charles Dickens scenes, comfy beds, and artwork by students of the prestigious Central St. Martins university. There are also useful perks like free Wi-Fi and one hour of international calling, a light breakfast delivered to your door daily, complimentary water and milk in the mini-fridge, and beer and wine available at the front desk for regular grocery store (not hotel) prices. If you want to linger, late checkout is available for an additional £5 per hour.

As rivalries go, this one is up there with Coke vs. Pepsi. Which of these two cultural institutions’ pastry chefs make the best version of Vienna’s famous Sacher torte? The Hotel Sacher is a historic property and, by legal right, has been recognized as the original home of the classic dessert. But a few blocks away on posh Kohlmarkt street, just steps from the Hofburg Palace, the pastry shop Demel proudly still carries the official title of royal confectioner. Both houses ship this spongy chocolate cake, covered with chocolate icing and layered with apricot jam, all over the world. But nothing beats tasting the sweet treat right there in old Vienna.

This superb beach on the island’s northwest shore is accessible only by water. It’s easy to find a boat; they depart frequently from Porto Vromi, Ágios Nikólaos, Cape Skinari and Zákinthos Town. At Navagio, sheer limestone cliffs cradle sugar-white sands and an azure bay. As for the shipwreck that gave the cove its nickname, the story goes that a freighter smuggling cigarettes, wine and women ran aground here in 1981 while fleeing the Greek navy. The ship’s remains can still be seen in the dunes. Note that this secluded spot has no facilities, so bring your own food and drink—as well as a sun umbrella because the beach heats up dramatically by midday.

The tiny Abbey of San Fruttuoso is nestled in a cove between Camogli and Portofino, and accessible solely by foot or boat. If you want to hike it, find the trail at the far end of Camogli, and be ready for a steep, but gorgeous, two hour hike up and over the mountain. If you would prefer a quick 15 minute boat ride, catch the boat for a few euro in the harbor of Camogli and ride to San Fruttuoso in style. The abbey itself is beautiful, but it is also nice to simply sit and have a cocktail at the beachside restaurant (look closely - their kitchen is upstairs, so they send the food down in a small wicker basket when it’s ready!).

If you are looking for a quiet meal, this is not the place for you. But if you want mouth-watering, inventive food with attentive service and authentic Israeli hospitality, Machneyuda hits the spot. Situated in the iconic Jerusalem shuk, or marketplace, the restaurant is the brainchild of three acclaimed chefs: Yossi Elad, Assaf Granite, and Uri Navon. The kitchen showcases locally sourced ingredients prepared with modern creativity and classic techniques. The lively dining room is focused on creativity. For the restaurant’s signature dessert presentation, tables are covered with aluminum foil and covered with a dizzying variety of cakes, fruits, ice creams, and sweets.

These green huts are known as Cabman’s Shelters. They first started appearing around London in 1875 to provide cheap hot meals to cabbies. Even though the huts are pretty small, there’s enough room inside for a little kitchen and some seats. I wasn’t particularly aware of these huts until I saw a documentary on TV. Apparently, there are now only 13 of them left. This one is located at Thurloe Place in Kensington, opposite the Victoria & Albert Museum. As you can see, it’s located in the middle of the road, and cabbies, stopping for a bite, park their taxis behind it. I walked past the back of the hut and peeped through the window. The place was packed full of diners (around 10 of them) all squeezed in side by side, enjoying their meals.

The Alma G is a freighter that blew ashore during Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Rent a boat in Treasure Cay and head to Guana Cay for a day of snorkeling on the Atlantic side of the island. On your way from Treasure Cay, the Alma G will be visible off the starboard side. If you wish to explore the ship up close you can anchor in a protected cove about 100 meters slightly astern of her starboard side then quite easily walk the remaining distance. While some of the ship’s iron has been salvaged there is still plenty of the interior to see via the gaping hole on her starboard side. Lots of sharp edges and rusting metal so keep little ones close if they’re with you.

Essentially a grand-scale gallery and performance space with meticulously designed guestrooms, this seaside retreat south of Haifa defies easy categorization. Built in 1968 as a sanitarium, the sinuous white building won Yaacov Rechter the coveted Israel Award for Architecture. Arts patron Lily Elstein bought and reimagined the space in 2005, enlisting Rechter’s son to oversee the transformation to boutique-hotel-cum-museum-and-theater. In a nod to the property’s original purpose, the on-site spa is truly sublime, so, if you’re not relaxed enough from catching a Debussy sonata before bed or waking up to expansive Mediterranean views, head there for the signature massage, which includes shiva lingam stones and, naturally, music therapy.

A short walk from the city sits imposing Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, covering almost the whole of San Lázaro Hill, 135 feet above sea level. The castillo bit is something of a misnomer, as the structure is not technically a castle but a fort; it happens to be one of the most impressive the Spanish ever built, resisting a number of land and sea attacks. Allegedly its tunnel system was engineered so that the slightest sound anywhere within it would reverberate a warning of approaching danger or attempted escape. Audio guides, available in English, Spanish, and other languages, recount the full story. The castle also happens to be one of the best spots in the city from which to watch the sunset.

The chance to try Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s first Pan-Asian restaurant is what brings most people to this Disney Springs spot, which opened in 2015. The menu blends flavors from China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia, while the decor impresses with a glass staircase, sparkling chandeliers, and a 270-foot-long bar. This is the kind of restaurant where sharing plates makes for the most satisfying meal, so come with a group and cover your table with Peking duck, sushi and sashimi, shumai dumplings, pad Thai noodles, and more. Just be sure to save room for the revelatory desserts, which range from Oreo tempura to house-made churros.

Cypress Point Park offers a relaxing nature escape in the city. Plentiful amenities include a children’s playground, a disc golf park, covered pavilions, and jogging trails.

Bourbon Beach, a popular beachfront music venue on Negril’s Seven Mile Beach, hosts local bands, reggae artists, or themed parties on an almost-nightly basis, to the delight of tourists and locals. People-watching at Bourbon Beach is great, the drinks stiff, and you get to dance in the sand to live reggae in Jamaica. The music starts up around 10 p.m. and continues until 2 a.m. Upstairs, a wide-open deck is open for stargazing or getting away from the crowd. Cover charges are only collected on nights when a recording artist performs. Alfred’s, nearby, is another longstanding option, offering live local acts three times a week for a US$5 cover.

My uncle and I stood with my tripod on the lakeshore behind our houseboat, trying desperately to capture the massive red rock wall before us. It was one of my first lessons in night photography, and it wasn’t going great: there just wasn’t enough light despite the starry starry sky. I tried over and over, different shutter speeds, using spotlights, nothing worked...too dark. On my last try, I set the shutter speed to a few minutes, as the shutter opened, all of a sudden a houseboat from the next cove over set off fireworks. Their fireworks lit up the entire night sky, and shone their glorious light right on my rock face, resulting in this image.

This Altstadt institution known for its specialty coffee beans, teas and spices also sells a small, but excellent selection of specialty Swiss chocolate bars, including Akesson’s and Idillio Origins, and delicious chocolate oddities like dark-chocolate covered Criollo beans and ginger sticks.