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When hotelier Sean MacPherson opened the Ludlow he totally nailed the unique spirit of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The 175-room hotel is the perfect mix of gritty and stylish, cool and calm. Rooms are done up in that signature MacPherson style with unique artisan touches including handmade silk rugs, artisan—crafted Moroccan pendant lamps and Indo-Portuguese-style beds. The “and” factor amenities include bathrobes from cult Paris fashion label Maison Martin Margiela and a Rockstar suite with a 1,100-foot terrace with Williamsburg Bridge views. The lobby is always abuzz, no matter what the hour and features a rotating selection of art curated by Vito Schnable as well as an outdoor “secret” garden that’s perfect for hiding away with your laptop or a good book. Breakfast is included for guests and the warm pastry basket should not be missed. Perhaps the highlight of any stay is the fact you’re right above Dirty French, one of NYC’s buzziest restaurants. Being an elevator ride away from the complimentary herb-seasoned flatbread is reason alone to book a stay.

Isla Blanca is in fact a narrow peninsula some 30 minutes north of Cancún, with the lagoon to the west and the Caribbean to the east. Seemingly no one except the locals come to this untouched, isolated beach, dotted with tiny seafood restaurants, the occasional vacation cabin, intermittent lounge-chair rentals, and a growing camp of kite surfers. You’ll need to arrive by car via coastal highway that quickly turns to rough dirt path, but the experience transcends the rusticity once you hit the Caribbean’s pristine white sands and cool turquoise surf; the lagoon’s shallow, brackish waters, just steps from the ocean, provide ideal fly-fishing and kite-surfing conditions.

One of the more remote sections of Kruger National Park, the area surrounding Satara Rest Camp is worth the drive to see the large pride of lions that calls the region home. Once you reach the camp, head east to the S100 gravel road, which travels through a grassland habitat that’s home to a diverse range of herbivore species. One of the most popular drives in the region, the S100 is also a great place to spot apex predators like cheetahs and the aforementioned lions. If you want to see leopards, hang by the dense forest that runs along the tributary to the Letaba River.

Housed in Hangar 1 at what used to be Lowry Air Force Base on the east side of Denver, the Wings Over the Rockies Museum devotes more than 182,000 square feet to everything flying-related, including space vehicles, historical military uniforms, modern and classic aircraft, and flight simulators. In addition to exhibition space, the museum offers an extensive calendar of special events like its Cine-Talk Series (which shows films that feature flying or space travel), the weekly Little Wings Club, Cockpit Demo Day, regular workshops and lectures, and a hugely popular annual Holidays at the Hangar.

If you’re on your honeymoon or traveling with one other couple, Acacia Villa is a great choice. Priced at around the same rate as a four-star hotel room, but you get the privacy of staying in a home. The villa has an open and airy feel and is built facing east so you get the cooling trade winds the islands are famous for. The only downer is it is on the leeward side of Provo -- on the waterfront -- and not on the beach side. That said, Grace Bay Beach is just a short drive away and you do have your own private swimming pool.

Owner Cesare Maranza managed to bring a little bit of Italy to the middle of the Atlantic more than 35 years ago, when he opened Portofino, named after his hometown. Just a short walk from Front Street in Hamilton, you’ll feel like you’ve arrived in a northern Italian taverna. “It’s a lively and rustic restaurant,” Rebecca says, “and a great place for groups for a fun night out.” While they serve a number of hot and cold appetizers—calamari, prosciutto and melon, grilled vegetables—as well as soups and salads, Rebecca recommends that you order a pie instead. “To get better Neapolitan pizza, you’d have to keep traveling east to Naples!”

Visiting the 17th-century Büyük Valide Han in Eminönü is my all-time favorite experience in Istanbul. It’s an Ottoman inn that accommodated traveling merchants over 350 years ago and also stored the Oriental and European wares from the wooden ships moored in the Golden Horn. The han is hidden away in the backstreets of the Spice Bazaar, though got some big-time exposure when featured in a montage in the 007 movie Skyfall. Artisans still make and repair some of Turkey’s well-known handicrafts in the timeworn workshops upstairs, but my favorite feature is the view from the roof. To experience this you need to locate the building off Çakmakçılar Yokuşu. Then go up the steep stairs and say, “Merhaba” (hello) to the craftspeople. If you’re lucky, the caretaker will agree to unlock a door that hides a secret staircase to the roof. Do give him a tip for his kindness and time because the view of the Bosporus, dividing Europe and Asia, is spectacular. A little word of warning: The roof is flat (with some domes), and there are no safety rails—so watch your step. Please respect the history of the building too and collect only memories and leave only your fondness for Istanbul to waft away in the Bosporus breeze.

The Maiden’s Tower, which seemingly floats in the Bosphorus off Asia, is one of the more popular symbols of the city. Once a Byzantine tollbooth and later an Ottoman lighthouse, it’s most famous for a legend involving a princess and a prophecy that she would die from a snakebite. Her father exiled her to the tower in the hope of protecting her but, alas, the prophecy could not be avoided—a snake made its way to the island, either in a bouquet of flowers or a basket of grapes (depending on the version of the tale).

Across the Cumberland River from downtown, residential East Nashville got its first taste of hipster cool in 2016 when this Instagram-friendly bed-and-breakfast opened in a renovated Queen Anne mansion. Like its sister property in Brooklyn, Urban Cowboy’s eight suites and freestanding cabin are each uniquely named—Midnight Rider, the Lion’s Den—and decorated with geometric inlaid woodwork, Southwestern-inspired designs, and handcrafted furniture, plus custom wallpaper and copper and claw-foot tubs. The communal music parlor encourages interaction among guests with a collection of gently worn instruments, as does the all-weather fire pit, where blankets and good cheer are plentiful, especially after enjoying craft cocktails and wood-fired meals at Public House, the property’s on-site restaurant and bar.

In the Akihabara neighborhood, giant anime billboards, towering Sega arcades, and electronics shops dominate the streets. The area’s denkiya, or electric appliance stores, boast an unparalleled selection of gadgets for gear geeks. The giant among them is Yodobashi-Akiba, an electronics megastore located directly east of Akihabara Station. Yodobashi-Akiba has nine levels of appliances, electronic toys, sports gadgets, and travel items. Check out 700,000 yen (about $7000 USD) Leicas as well as the many non-electronic offerings: lightweight kimonos known as yukata, anime figurines, bicycles, and books. The first and eighth floors offer sustenance and a break from shopping, with restaurants serving up ramen, tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet), soba, and sushi at any hour from the popular Tokyo chain Sushi Zanmai. The ninth floor is devoted to golf and baseball, complete with a driving range and batting center.

If you’re visiting NYC, head to the East Village for bars and restaurants. Specifically head to Avenue C if you love cocktails. There is a stretch of great cocktail bars, a few dives and a collection of restaurants on Avenue C between 5th street and 11th street. The Wayland is by far the best. The decor is old, worn-in New Orleans. They have free live music a few nights a week, amazing cocktails, some of the best share plates and sandwiches in the city … and killer oyster shooters. They come with a tequila shot, an oyster and a Sangrita to wash it all down. Perfect recipe for any leisurely afternoon. Other good bars on this street include Summit Bar, Esperanto (good patio), Royale for a burger and Evelyn. For more info, visit the link below

This stunning white-sand stretch, just a five-minute drive east of Port Antonio, is the only beach in Jamaica with waves high enough to surf. Boston Bay is also one of the few remaining public strands on the island. It continues to attract more locals than tourists and as such is nearly vendor-free. You can watch kids splashing about on their boards, or you can rent your own for a Surfing 101 lesson. Be forewarned: As at many beaches, sometimes the waves are flat, but you can console yourself with a short stroll down the beach to the famous Boston Bay jerk chicken stands.

Located on East Beacon Drive, off of Route 12 in the town of Rodanthe, is perhaps the most famous beach house in the Outer Banks. The Inn At Rodanthe was the actual setting for the movie based on Nicholas Spark’s prized novel “Nights at Rodanthe” starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane. Designed to have the look and feel of a traditional seaside inn, it features six bedrooms and suites, balconies providing stunning views of the Atlantic, and the famous blue shutters and house sign so prominently featured in the film. One can rent the house through Sun Realty and I’m sure you’d have an amazing stay. Or if you’re driving by, the house is easy to spot with beachgoers parking their cars along the street and coming out to take pictures.

For the past 10 years, Mario, the owner of VEBorange, has been selling DDR (East Germany) collectables and other German antiques. Most items in the shop on Oderberger Strasse are objects made and sold between 1950 and 1980, making this a great place to find kitschy and totally unique goods. When I visited on a sunny Saturday afternoon, Mario was tinkering with a Sputnik relic from the CCCP. Not everything that he collects or receives ends up on the shelves. Behind the counter are the things deemed interesting or noteworthy—things that might fit in a museum. If the nearby Mauer Park turns out to be too disappointing for you, head over to VEBorange (a short three-minute walk away) to find truly unique and special items. You can find everything from old Soviet war medals to clothes and furniture.

Since opening as a preserves shop in 2011 (and adding breakfast and lunch service in 2012), Sqirl has become an East Hollywood staple. The tiny space—only 800 square feet—invites crowds of hip Angelenos looking for a bright space for all-day breakfast and brunch that’s carnivore-, vegetarian-, and vegan-friendly. There’s an airy outdoor patio where diners can take in the L.A. sun and sip on the fresh-squeezed juice of the day while ruminating over the eclectic menu. The buckwheat pancakes make for a great healthy unhealthy breakfast: They’re made with buckwheat and cactus flour, cocoa nibs, and toasted coconut, making them vegan, gluten-free, and not-so-sinfully delicious.