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Located in the heart of hip Northcote, Ruckers Hill is a great place to take in the Melbourne city skyline. Bike over in the afternoon along the Yarra River and Merri Creek (which will take you past Abbotsford Convent, Collingwood Children’s Farm, and Yarra Bend Park) to enjoy the view at sunset. Then, get a taste of Northcote’s nightlife at one of the many bars and eateries along High Street. Try Wesley Anne for beers, Pizza Meine Liebe for thin-crust pies, or Camus for authentic African fare.

Maputo’s heart is the Praça da Independência, or Independence Square, sitting amid a surprising blend of architectural styles and straddling the city’s uptown and its historic downtown area called Baixa. Renamed in 1975 after Mozambique won its independence from the Portuguese, the square is dominated by a large statue of the country’s first president, Samora Machel, who died in a mysterious plane crash. On the north side of the square, look for the neoclassical city hall. To its east, the Art Deco Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, which resembles a wedding cake and was consecrated in 1944, is impossible to miss. Nearby, the French-Mozambican Cultural Center hosts everything from jazz performances to art exhibitions, and the Tunduru Botanical Gardens, a few blocks away, are worth visiting for some shade from the African sun.

Only in Rio can you happen onto a tropical paradise without leaving city limits. About 22 miles west of Copacabana lies Prainha. The name calls up a small beach that’s in fact a sand formation in an ecological reserve surrounded by the Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica), with its complete variety of plant and animal life. Known as one of the city’s surfing meccas, it’s a gem for anyone keen on sun and waves. Eat fresh seafood right on the beach, and if you brought your board, take the surf-bus that connects to the city’s most popular tourist areas.

From October to February, sperm whales, humpback whales, and pilot whales make their way from the cold Atlantic to the warm waters of St. Lucia to breed and mate. Whale-watching tours leave from Castries and some of the other towns on the west coast and sail north to south to spot the whales, breaching and spouting, from a safe distance. Over the last few years, sperm and pilot whales have more frequently been spotted than humpbacks. It’s not unusual to see schools of spinner and bottlenose dolphins along the journey. Some whale-watching trips offer lunch as well as a chance to snorkel and swim, so shop around for the excursion you want.

Diani Beach is a 25km strip of pale, sugary sands backed by the cerulean Indian Ocean. As one of the more developed towns on the Kenyan coast, there’s a great variety of restaurants, cafés, bars and shops here. Also on offer are activities from horse riding to kite-surfing and tours of the ancient Kaya Forest. Popular haunts in Diani include the Forty Thieves Beach Bar - renowned for their fun beach parties and tasty pizzas, as well as Ali Barbour’s restaurant – set inside a candle-lit cave which opens out onto the starry night’s sky above. However you choose to spend your time in this idyllic costal location, one thing is for sure: as the sun sets, castling a golden glitter on the sea below, and the beach-front restaurants lay flickering lanterns on the sand, there are few other places in the world you will want to be.

Marrakesh’s legendary La Mamounia, which dates back to the 12th century, reopened in 2009 after a meticulous three-year renovation by noted French architect and designer Jacques Garcia. Step behind its fabled doors and a sensory feast awaits, from the gentle tinkling of the numerous water fountains and basins; to the fragrant waft of jasmine, orange blossom, and cedar; to the lush Arab-Andalusian interiors, filled with traditional Zellige tilework, sculpted wood, and carved plaster. There are 209 rooms and suites, with the largest topping out at more than 1,000 square feet. Views range between Koutoubia Mosque, the snow-capped Atlas Mountains, and La Mamounia’s own legendary gardens, which abound with 2,000-year-old rose bushes, 700-year-old olive trees, and flowering bougainvillea and jacaranda. Three secluded, standalone riads each feature three bedrooms arranged around a central patio and private pool, though guests would be remiss not to hang around La Mamounia’s dreamy central pool, lined with palm trees, loungers, and lanterns.

New Orleans may be home to America’s most festive thoroughfare, Bourbon Street, but Key West’s Duval Street is a close second. This two-kilometer-long (1.25-mile-long) road runs from north to south, from one end of the island to the other, and passes through the city’s historic Old Town. It’s lined with bars, restaurants, stores and galleries—many of which are among Key West’s most famous, including Sloppy Joe’s, a Hemingway hangout back in the 1930s and still a hotspot today. By day it’s mostly for shoppers, but it really heats up at night, with huge crowds strolling up and down the street, live music spilling out from the bars and a party atmosphere all around.

On the west side of Arenal Volcano, this 900-acre tropical reserve was a labor of love for owner and architect Jaime Mikowski, who spent years planting acres of native plants and coaxing the land’s natural mineral springs into a river that now flows throughout the property, spilling over into dozens of waterfalls and pools that range from 72 to 105 degrees. Spacious rooms have marble floors and streamlined furnishings; splurge on a suite, which features a private terrace and a Jacuzzi tub—a little superfluous considering all the other options for soaking in warm water here, but who’s complaining? There are also five swimming pools, one with a swim-up bar and waterslide, and a spa comprising 12 bungalows with treatments that all include, you guessed it, a dip in a thermal spring-fed tub. While the property is also open to day trippers, guests of the resort have exclusive access to Shangri-La Gardens, an adults-only lounge area with pools, cabanas, and a folliage-filled bar.

While many walked through the streets of the small town, I decided to head along the river and came across this beautiful view of Lake Brienz.

Manhattan can, famously, feel like endless rows of apartment blocks and office towers for most of its length. At least above 14th Street, a regular grid of streets and avenues, bisected only by Broadway, has transformed the city into a dream for real estate developers. The green spaces interrupting the pattern—Union Square, Gramercy Park, Madison Square Park—are few and far between, with one enormous exception: Central Park. Running from 59th Street to 110th Street, and between Central Park West (Eighth Avenue) and Fifth Avenue, it is one of the world’s largest urban parks, measuring some 843 acres. It is the masterpiece of the 19th-century landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted working in collaboration with Calvert Vaux. Inside its borders are stately allées and naturalistic scenes, ice-skating rinks (in the winter), an enormous reservoir, and a faux castle. The park is hugely popular, and so to call it an escape from the bustle of the city is often not accurate, especially on mild summer days and the first warm ones in the spring when thousands of residents head to its playing fields, bike and run along the road that loops the park, and enjoy picnics on the Sheep Meadow or one of its other lawns.

Visitors often want to bring a souvenir from San Miguel back to the kids or friends at home...nothing too elaborate, but authentic nonetheless. Head to the three-block Mercado de Artesanías for a leisurely stroll amid the stalls. Start at the west end and work your way east to find silver, crafts, jewelry, pottery…if it fits in a suitcase, you can buy it here. To the east of the artisans’ market, visit the Mercado Ignacio Ramírez, where you’ll find head-high pyramids of fruits and vegetables, perfect for great photos; nightstand-worthy flowers; and food stalls offering everything from custom-made licuados—think smoothies, Mexican style—to peeled cactus leaves freshly prepared for a nopal salad. Good hunting!

Mary Ellen’s is known for its delicious grilled cheese sandwiches, which are made in nine gooey varieties and are accompanied to the table by a wide selection of dipping sauces. The menu makes a half-hearted (a little joke there) effort to promote healthy options like kale salad and avocado toast, but really it’s all about the bar food at this friendly neighborhood joint in Old Town. The game’s always on the television, and there’s a regular schedule of trivia contests, open-mic comedy nights, and beer-fueled spelling bees, all of which go well with grilled cheese.

Superlatives abound at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown. The 73-story structure is the tallest building west of Chicago and, at 889 rooms, the largest InterContinental in the Americas. Opened in 2017, the hotel was also downtown’s first LEED Gold Certified building for Building Design and Construction. All that record setting is matched by a big personality and plenty of luxury, too. Inspired by architectural historian Reyner Banham’s book Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies, the hotel features light fixtures based on schematic maps of L.A.’s freeways, hand-painted murals, and billboard-style headboards with city scenes.

Club Level suites are stocked with Le Labo Santal 33 amenities, customized with guests’ names. And on the 71st floor, bathrooms are cheekily decorated in Marie Antoinette and cowboy themes. The Versailles-inspired restaurant La Boucherie is an American steakhouse with a French twist. In the restaurant’s VIP Starlight Booths, diners enjoy wine-paired chef’s tasting menus along with jaw-dropping views. Another restaurant, Sora, is the place for intimate Japanese omakase. Be sure to order the 1100 Feet—an original blend of liqueurs reflective of L.A.’s confluence of cultures—at Spire 73, the Western Hemisphere’s highest open-air bar. Pro tip: Book the Presidential Suite, and you’ll be rewarded with another kind of epic view—an infinity bathtub that fills from the ceiling.

Hull Bay Beach—on the north shore of St. Thomas, west of Magens Bay—has the wave action surfers crave. When there’s a northern swell, the beach is considered the best surf spot on the island. The rest of the time you’ll find snorkelers, local families, and fishing boats bobbing out in the bay. The beach bar is a popular island spot.

Inishmaan is one of the Aran Islands of the west coast of Ireland—one of the most unspoiled spots in the country—and Inis Meáin restaurant uses the good things that come from the pure earth and sea around it. The garden and greenhouse grows salads, herbs, and vegetables, while the fish is wild caught from the Atlantic, and meat is homestead reared. The restaurant has large windows overlooking the ocean and island and seats just 16 guests for a four-course dinner. The menu changes nightly, based on what’s available and in season, and each dish prepared by chef and native son Ruairí de Blacam has just two elements, a unique dining experience indeed. Open from April to the end of September.