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The Golden Gate Bridge is probably the most photographed site in California, but this vantage point never gets old. Explore the hollowed out fort, learn some history, and marvel at the view from the top floor.

Deep in the red-rock country of central Southern Utah, this hidden gem of a national park doesn’t draw much attention to itself, making it a great place to avoid the crowds. It’s situated along most of the nearly 100-mile-long Waterpocket Fold, a classic geologic monocline created by a shift in the rock layers. The majority of guests here drive the main road through the north-central section, where the visitor center is located, but there’s lots to see in Cathedral Valley in the far north and Strike Valley in the far south as well.

While you’re in Damaraland, the Organ Pipes are just a short drive away from Twyfelfontein and the Petrified Trees. After paying a small tip for a guide to accompany you (there was no real indication if this is necessary or not so you might just want to roll with it) you descend down into a crevice so that you can walk among the rock formations. No explanation is needed as to why this area got it’s nickname. Each basalt rock has a different hue, ranging from grey to reddish orange, further exposed over time as the land erodes away. It doesn’t take very long to walk a short loop to the exit and is an interesting geological site to photograph and visit.

I’m not one to skip breakfast, especially in Italy, where thoughts of cappuccino, pastries, and local ham tend to rouse me early from slumber. But on my first morning at the Hotel Sant’Angelo, in the old quarter of Matera, I was having a hard time dragging myself from the creature comforts of my cave. Staying in a cave, it turns out, can be surprisingly pleasant. There was just one small window high overhead, but the room and adjoining bath were in no way dank—a testament to the natural ventilation that keeps the caves cool and comfortable. The wavy contours of the white tufa-rock walls conjured a feeling of being enveloped in some primordial womb. Yet there were modern amenities: luxurious linens, Internet service, a telephone. Fred Flintstone never had it this good. I might have snoozed until noon, were it not for an impatient mate eager to see the sights. We had arrived in the village the previous night after a long drive across the treeless plains of the Basilicata region, located at the instep of Italy’s boot. Matera is an enchanted world of Stone Age splendor. Known as the sassi (Italian for stones), the bisque-colored hilltop cave homes comprise one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on earth, according to UNESCO. The caves have provided shelter for more than 7,000 years. A millennium ago, shepherds inhabited them and carved churches into the rock; during the Renaissance, the area prospered and elaborate buildings were carved out, the excess tufa sculpted into ornate facades. By the early 1900s, the sassi had fallen into neglect. Families and their animals crowded into the caves for warmth, and disease was rampant. When writer Carlo Levi brought this tragic state of affairs to light with his 1945 book Christ Stopped At Eboli, the Italian authorities moved residents en masse to modern housing—leaving the sassi abandoned, save for the occasional crew brought by film makers (Pier Paolo Pasolini and Mel Gibson among them) in search of a biblical-looking backdrop. It was only in the 1990s that the Italian government encouraged people to move back. Residents revamped the cave dwellings as homes, restaurants, and inns. When the Sant’Angelo opened in 2004, it was the area’s first luxury hotel. The 19 cave rooms are sparsely but tastefully appointed with rustic wooden furniture. Some carved decorations—crosses, hearts, an owl—date back hundreds of years. Fossilized shells embedded in the walls reveal that the region once lay underwater. Eventually, my fiancé and I did emerge from our cave to wander the town’s ancient alleys. A local guide named Dora Cappiello took us into some of the 150 chiese rupestri (rock churches), where she pointed out wine troughs and frescoes of San Nicola, the patron saint of local shepherds. We also visited a cave dwelling that had been restored to resemble its state when the caves were equal parts manger and living space.
Simple, delicious meals punctuated our explorations. The curvy walls of Baccanti, a cave restaurant, created a private nook where we feasted on silky pappardelle pasta with a cinghiale (wild boar) ragu, accompanied by a dry, fruity red aglianico from the nearby Vulture wine region. Tired and sated after a full day, we headed back to our cave—on moonless nights, a flashlight or trail of bread crumbs is advised for the stumble back to the hotel—where the promise of a deep, sound night’s sleep awaited. —Amy Cortese Hotel Sant’Angelo, 39/0835-314010, from $211 for a double. This appeared in the March/April 2010 issue.

It’s not just the real animals that attract people to Sweden’s largest zoo and wildlife park, located two hours’ drive southwest from Stockholm. Many Swedish children love to come because of Bamse’s World, an amusement park dedicated to a popular cartoon bear, Bamse, who is the world’s strongest bear due to his consumption of thunder-honey. There are real brown bears, too, at Kolmården, along with the big-name Nordic animals (moose, wolves, reindeer, etc.) and foreign visitors (elephants, giraffes, tigers, gorillas, and bottlenose dolphins in Scandinavia’s first dolphinarium), plus roller coasters and other rides.

It’s taken awhile for Marrakech‘s industrial quarter to establish itself as home to the best design workshops and ateliers in the city. It’s easy enough to get to, but petit taxis tend not to frequent its wide, blocky avenues, so getting back into town can be a pain. (Securing a driver who is prepared to wait or come back for you helps.) That said, it’s well worth the trip to shop with local tastemakers for furniture and housewares at flagship stores. Don’t miss Chabi Chic for groovy pottery sets; Le Magasin Générale for bigger items, such as the midcentury modern chairs and sideboards; and LRNCE for hand-painted vases that merge cubism with artisan savoir faire. Take in the ateliers of textile and garment makers, too, such as Angie Linen for gorgeous bespoke bed linens, and Salima Abdel Wahab and Topolina for a contemporary spin on traditional kaftans and must-have housecoats. Stop at Le Zinc, the neighborhood’s buzziest lunchtime bistro, before hitting Voice Art Gallery to peruse superbly curated exhibitions of North African and Middle Eastern contemporary artists.

Despite being just a 40-minute drive away from the airport, the Mandarin Oriental is located in the heart of Hong Kong’s Central district, surrounded by major business hubs, the thriving art scene, and cultural sites.

Inside the 432 rooms and 67 suites, the decor nods at the hotel’s Chinese heritage, and there’s high-speed Internet and an interactive entertainment system. A SMART lighting system and pillow menu make sure you have a restful night’s sleep, and butler services are on hand as well. For an ultimate indulgence, the stunning 3,843-square-meter presidential Mandarin Suite provides a stay that you will never forget.

You’ll have to spend quite of time in Hong Kong to work your way through the hotel’s many gastronomic offerings: 10 on-site restaurants, including three with Michelin star accolades, will satisfy every craving. Meanwhile, the award-wining spa specializes in traditional Chinese medicine therapy to ease post-travel muscles. A 24-hour indoor pool and fitness center allows you to keep to your exercise routine while away from home.

The Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, is truly representative of contemporary luxury, and has remained one of the most iconic hotels in Hong Kong for over 55 years.

Botswana’s most famous crafts are baskets woven from fan palm fibers. They are dyed with natural pigments: blue from fever-berry leaves, dark brown from magic guarri shrubs, and yellow from the roots of red star apple trees. Some baskets take a month to make. Nearly all lodges sell baskets, but you can also purchase them online.

Known for its international flair and heart-of-downtown location, Robson Street is nicknamed Vancouver’s Rodeo Drive for its big-name luxury boutiques concentrated around the intersection at Alberni Street. A short walk from its core is the Pacific Centre shopping mall, where there’s a Holt Renfrew, Canada’s equivalent of Saks Fifth Avenue. After a day of hustle and bustle, grab a bowl of ramen or a plate of sushi at one of the izakayas closer to Stanley Park.

In recent years, this pretty neighborhood, located just five minutes north of downtown Orlando, has become a dining, shopping, and entertainment destination in its own right. Edgewater Drive is lined with restaurants, shops, and offices, while the surrounding residential areas feature historic bungalows, Craftsman-style homes, brick streets, and lakefront views. Favorite eateries in the neighborhood include Jade Sushi & New Asian and K Restaurant, which is nestled in a cute old house. While there isn’t a college nearby, the area gets its moniker from streets named after famed universities like Princeton, Dartmouth, and Harvard.

This relatively short drive packs nine Grand Canyon overlooks into a seven-mile stretch along the South Rim to Hermits Rest. The road is open to private vehicles only during the winter months (December to February), but for the rest of the year, you’ll need to hop on either the free shuttle bus or a commercial tour if you want to see its stunning expanse. Every overlook offers a fresh, stop-you-in-your-tracks perspective of the canyon, but Hopi Point is particularly impressive because that’s where you’ll first spot the Colorado River. If you luck out with a quiet day, Pima Point is where you can actually hear the river as the water rushes over Granite Rapids, amplified by the canyon walls.

Built in the 1920s by a Croatian businessman, Palacio Astoreca underwent two years of refurbishment and restoration before opening its doors as a boutique hotel in 2012. The work was carried out to a meticulous degree, maintaining the original parquet floors, and adding splashes of color with art deco furniture and modern art, including one piece by Switzerland’s Frédéric Clot. The stucco-and-brick mansion rises up from the streets of Chile’s port city, Valparaíso, like a piece of red-and-white confectionary.

A statement staircase winds up to the 23 rooms, some of which have stand-alone bathtubs. And the basement level is home to a small spa with an open-air, wood-fueled hot tub set alongside a living wall. The reception level and entrance hall open out onto a terrace where lunch, tea, and cocktails are served, allowing guests prime views over the hilly city and Pacific Ocean. There are quiet corners for those seeking a solitary moment, including a library and a piano bar, which comes to life in the evenings with live music.

The beloved Dar Ahlam resort has taken its show on the road with Route du Sud, a six-night driving tour to five destinations with three private retreats that showcase the shape-shifting landscapes of isolated southern Morocco, one property at a time. The first stop is the hillside Maison des Arganiers, two and a half hours from Marrakech, in a rocky landscape facing miles of argan groves; next comes La Maison de l’Oasis, nestled in an oasis of palms; and the final private destination is the dramatic La Maison Rouge, which sits at the edge of a red canyon. Along the way you have beach picnics, nomadic campouts, and scenic drives through dramatic desert dunes.

The Columbia Icefield is one of the largest masses of ice south of the Arctic Circle, an otherworldly expanse straddling the Continental Divide. You can get on the ice in two ways: Take the Brewster tour company’s Ice Explorer snow coach (a massive four-wheel-drive vehicle), or climb the toe of the glacier with Athabasca Glacier Icewalks, a company specializing in half-day and full-day strolls toward the perfect photo op. The trek over the ice is easy enough for most families to do, and the sensation of gliding on top of a glacier borders on the spiritual. Get lucky, and your guide will let you check out a glacier crevasse up close.

A favorite among Hollywood royalty, the Big Island’s Four Seasons is more secluded than its sister property on Maui. It sits on 863 acres of palm-fringed coastline, with little else for miles in any direction, other than two exclusive golf courses and some of the most expensive vacation homes in the state. Yet, conveniently, the hotel is only a 15-minute drive from Kona International Airport, and it isn’t uncommon for guests to fly in, park themselves at the resort, and never leave. Why would they? It’s an immaculate, ingenious playground, shamelessly verdant against the area’s prodigious black lava. There are seven pools to choose from, including one rock-walled rectangle in the ocean, and another man-made lagoon stocked with thousands of reef fish for guaranteed snorkeling success. Kids can camp overnight in a rock amphitheater. Lovebirds can have candlelit dinners on the beach. Even the accommodations are a Polynesian fantasy, with tropical woods and large headboards. All that, along with a tiki torch–lit beachfront, a French head chef, a swank sushi bar, a staff that treats every guest like Hollywood royalty, and honest-to-goodness cultural cred (the on-site museum and cultural center are well worth visiting), and it’s easy to understand why one would happily pay a king’s ransom to spend a few days here.