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The all-suite historic Carillon Miami Beach sits along private white sands forming its own luxury haven. An anchor for the North Beach neighborhood, the hotel is the perfect base for exploring the endless attractions and events that surround it. Boasting South Florida’s largest spa combined with one of the most comprehensive wellness programs on the East Coast of the U.S, the resort also offers an extensive array of recreational activities allowing you to create the ideal vacation stay.

Personal Concierges can arrange it all for you, whether it’s a night out on the town, a spa treatment, or dinner in the hotel’s new THYME restaurant. You don’t have to be a VIP, as every guest is given the same superior service from the moment you check into one of the 150 one- or two-bedroom suites. On-site active offerings include more than 40 complimentary indoor and outdoor fitness and movement classes each day, a two-story indoor rock wall, and four swimming pools—including an adults-only rooftop pool.

Health and wellness options feature nutritional counseling, acupuncture, diagnostic testing, and functional medicine. Pampering time in the magnificent 70,000-square-foot integrated spa and wellness space can get you indulging in European-inspired Thermal experiences, as well as such treatments as massages, facials, sound therapy, and even the chance to enjoy your therapies side-by-side with your traveling companion.

Executive Chef Fritz Zwahlen delights with four dining venues featuring fresh, local produce. The latest restaurant, THYME, pairs American fare with views of the water. Carillon Bar & Lounge, The Cabana, and the Juice Bar are more choices for meals and drinks.

On the banks of the river Zaan, time stopped three centuries ago at Zaanse Schans. In this recreation of a Dutch village in the 17th–18th centuries, stroll down streets lined with typical green wooden houses, manicured gardens and graceful bridges. Poke into tradesmen’s workshops, historic windmills and tiny boutiques. See how wooden clogs are made and watch pewter jewelry fashioned before your eyes. Discover how artisanal Dutch cheese is crafted and purchase a wheel of Gouda or Edam to take home. Refuel with coffee and apple pie in one of numerous restaurants within the village. Explore a few museums and round off your visit with a boat trip on the river. Although several museums at Zaanse Schans charge for admission, there’s no entry fee at the popular tourist attraction created by relocating houses, windmills, storehouses and barns to form a replica of a typical Zaanse village. Alongside clusters of windmills, characteristic wooden houses and unique shops, traditional Dutch crafts are showcased and the lifestyles of people who lived in Holland long before sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll entered the picture are revealed.

My ideal habitat is a warm day on a tropical beach. I’m also a sucker for beauty in all its most unusual forms (part of the reason I’m on the Board of Burning Man). So, when I heard about the Harbin International Ice & Snow Festival in northeast China (Manchuria meets Siberia: that just sounds frozen!), my initial reaction was, “How far would I travel and how cold would I get all in the name of experiencing an aesthetic phenomenon?” So, after 90 degree humidity in Malaysia, two planes delivered me to this cursed, desolate part of China (20 degrees below zero). Amidst the Siberian wind gusts and short days of daylight, Harbin is a revelation, a place where the light of collective aesthetic joy is experienced by 800,000 visitors annually for the Ice & Snow Festival (90% from China as this is one of the country’s top winter destinations). Oddly, I kept having Burning Man flashbacks...night being preferred over day due to the psychedelic visuals enhanced by the dark, the fact that thousands of artists (15k in Harbin) labor 15 days around the clock to create something out of nothing only to know that these beautiful structures will either melt (Harbin) or burn (Burning Man), and, finally, the sense that no picture or video can capture the sensory overload of being surrounded by spectacle. Think: “You had to be there.” Remember the spectacle of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony? I heartily recommend this trek that takes place late December through February.

Within the 18th arrondissement in Paris France, high atop the city, resides the wonderfully beautiful, hilly neighborhood of Montmartre. This diverse and eclectic section of the city can be a bit busy with tourists, but the views of Paris and the splendor of the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur are certainly worth it. Riding the funicular is rather novel, but not necessary if you’re willing to climb the 300+ steps to the summit. This is an area to be explored on foot, as is nearly all of Paris. The shops, theaters, and forever famous Moulin Rouge should not be missed. The streets are intimate, the shops unique, and the overall feel of this place speaks of a youthful, colorful Paris.

Orlando’s first resort Wave Pool opened Memorial Day weekend 2017 at The Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate just south of Disney World. Along with the exciting new wave pool, there is also a new zero-entry family pool with slides designed for younger kids. The two new pools join the existing family of pools and water fun which includes a zero-entry family pool with a 125-ft corkscrew waterslide, a peaceful formal pool perfect for quiet sunbathing, and the fun and relaxing 850-foot Lazy River that circles under tall shade trees, fountains, and waterfalls. All pool facilities provide ample lounge chairs as well as cabanas available for rent. When the munchies hit, Croc’s Pool Bar and Grill is centrally located near the two family pools and wave pool. The poolside restaurant offers sit-in dining and the menu includes salads with regional ingredients, grilled sandwiches, tasty appetizers, and beverages and cocktails. On our visit, we spent much of the afternoon floating on the Lazy River. It was so relaxing, I didn’t want to get out. I’m pretty sure we covered close to a mile floating under the shade trees. When we weren’t on the Lazy River, we relaxed in a cabana on the formal pool having a delicious lunch and played a round of put-put golf on a mini-course adjacent to the pool area. All the pool facilities were clean and well-maintained. And as always, Omni hotel staff was friendly and helpful. The Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate is located just a short distance down the I-4 from Disney World. Spending half a day at the pool makes for a refreshing recharge in between park hopping.

If visiting a miniature version of a country the size of a postage stamp makes no sense to you, stay away from Madurodam, a top tourist attraction in Den Haag featuring historic Dutch towns, ports, canals, roads and monuments re-created on a 1/25 scale. On the other hand, if you fancy learning about the history of a nation that would be underwater were it not for Dutch ingenuity, by all means visit this interactive park that tells the story behind the battle against water, as well as many historic venues that still exist in Holland today.

Let the Urubamba River set your course during a thrilling rafting adventure along the Ollantaytambo rapids, available through the Belmond. The river helped form what is now the Sacred Valley, and along the way you’ll not only sense its power, but also get a feel for some less visited corners of the region it created. You’ll pass towering eucalyptus trees and the ruins of Inca terraces and more as you make your way down river, ending with a picnic lunch before returning to the hotel by car. Photo by Rod Waddington/Flickr.

Both of Waikiki’s Outrigger hotels are a good value, but this one is a little bigger and a little quieter. It’s right on the beach, just north of the main resort cluster, and though a short walk to the middle of the action, far enough to feel out of the fray. The hotel itself is a quintessential Hawaiian family resort—big and friendly, with an unmistakable good-time vibe, old-school Polynesian decor throughout, and any number of activities on offer. The pool is set back from the beach and nothing fancy (no waterslides, no swim-up bar, and up against a giant wall), but it’s large enough for a serious game of Marco Polo, and there are plenty of lounge chairs to go around. Perhaps the best reason to stay here is the beach—a fairly narrow but sparkling white strand with more elbow room than its sister beaches; the rocky bottom may have something to do with that, but it’s a good place to learn to surf and a great place to catnap in the sun. One warning: the hotel lobby may feel overly commercial to some, what with a row of gift shops and a hard-to-miss timeshare desk, but it’s easy enough to ignore, if you wish.

This tiny island is north of Isla Mujeres and Cancun and is only 26 miles long and offers visitors in search of a “Robinson Crusoe” experience the perfect escape. Long, sweeping beaches beckon with water sports, snorkeling, sport fishing, and total R&R. A shallow lagoon gives sanctuary to thousands of flamingos, pelicans and other exotic birds and creatures, allowing visitors the perfect spot in which to commune with nature. Several good restaurants and hotels are available and tours to area attractions can be arranged by ferry and small plane. Getting around the island is via bicycle or golf cart.

On most days in Prague, it feels like every tourist in town has gathered on the Charles Bridge. And for good reason — this 14th-century cobblestone span crosses the Vltava River, connecting the Old Town with the Lesser Town (Mala Strana) and providing picturesque views of both sides of the river, medieval churches, towers, and Prague Castle on the hill. King Charles IV commissioned the bridge in 1357. The bridge has 16 arches and protected by towers on either end: the Old Town Bridge Tower in Old Town and the Judith Tower and Lesser Town Bridge Tower on the Mala Strana side. The bridge is lined with 30 large statues of religious figures and luminaries, dating from the Baroque era to the present day The best time to go is at dawn, sunset or after dark after the crowds have thinned and romance is in the air.

In many ways, the Fairmont Orchid is the quintessential Hawaiian luxury resort. Its big, elegant lobby is blooming with purple orchids and birds of paradise, its enormous, 24-hour swimming pool wends its way around black rock islands, and its 32 lush acres include tropical gardens and a white-sand beach that frames an aquamarine cove. The 540 guest rooms and suites, located in two six-story towers, all have lanais; half have ocean (or partial water) views, the others overlook the spotless grounds. It’s the dream Vacationland, and as such, the mood is jolly round-the-clock. Cheerful staff oversee the long list of activities—canoe excursions, petroglyph hikes, stand-up paddle-boarding, and about a zillion other options are available both on property and off (some activities are complimentary, others cost extra)—and the crowd tends to be a fun-in-the-sun bunch. On any given day, there might be a Canadian family in a heated volleyball game on the beach, or a group of Silicon Valley execs soaking in the hot tub.

Carve out a day to spend at the award-winning Spa Without Walls, where the Hawaian-influenced treatments are performed in 17 treatments rooms, some with ocean views and private outdoor spaces. Them, fuel up on Japanese meats and sushi, fresh seafood, robatayaki (grilled) items, beachside classics, and more at the numerous dining outlets. Along with repeat guests, the hotel’s most frequent visitors are the giant sea turtles that regularly hang out at the Orchid’s beachfront. They’ve become such an integral part of the property that even guests at other hotels drop by for a peek.

Pier A has a long and storied history, but its life as a restaurant and bar is relatively new. Opened in 1886 as the headquarters for the Harbor Police and Department of Docks, it served numerous other official government functions before opening in late 2014 in its current iteration. The whispers of the past are hardly visible today, amid the din of happy drinkers quaffing a Pilsener or downing glasses of prosecco or cava while slurping oysters and chatting. Most stick around for sunset: the view of the harbor is stellar.

Italy never had Prohibition (can you imagine the country going wine-free?), but this intimate bar, opened in 2017, brings a touch of that era’s speakeasy style to central Florence. Owner and veteran bartender Cristian Guitti places equal importance on taste and aesthetics, creating concoctions that both excite the palate—with a hint of smoke here, and some barrel aging there—and also do your Instagram proud. The menu is heavily inspired by ‘20s-era cocktails, with nods to both America and Italy, so you’ll find drinks like Old Sport (based on Wild Turkey 81 Bourbon), Coney Island (rum with popcorn, chili, dark chocolate, and more), and Aglio Olio & Peperoncino (tequila blanco with olive oil and the essential oils of orange and chili). Guitti considers this a “cocktail experience,” which means the multi-step drinks may take a while to be prepared, but you’ll have fun soaking up the retro atmosphere while waiting for them to arrive.

The north coast is home to a handful of beaches that are accessible for a fee and attract cruise ship day-trippers. One of these is the laidback Reggae Beach (US$6 pp.)–a spacious blond stretch that’s worth the short taxi ride. There are restroom facilities, along with a lively bar and grill. While it’s popular, it doesn’t feel cramped and makes for a fun day at the beach. (Image courtesy of Dub Dem Sound System)

Tel Aviv is known for its picturesque stretches of soft sand beaches filled with lively tanned locals and tourists swimming, snorkeling, and playing matkot (the Israeli version of the raquet sport paddle ball). But with a handful of different spots, including the ports of Jaffa and Tel Aviv, it can be difficult to decide where to put down a towel. A tried-and-true local favorite is Gordon Beach, with its volleyball nets set up on the sand, selection of restaurants and bars lining the boardwalk, and the adjacent saltwater Gordon Pool. A handful of water activities, such as kitesurfing and stand-up paddleboarding, are also available at neaby beaches. Visitors often stay after hours to watch the unrivaled sunset.