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Although it’s in Amsterdam‘s Oud-West, you’ll feel like you’ve landed somewhere in the Far East when you dive into the Asian-inspired street fare at HappyHappyJoyJoy. The latest brainchild of Chef Julius Jaspers of TV’s Top Chef fame, as well as the inspiration behind such popular Amsterdam hotspots as Julius Bar & Grill, Supperclub and Nomads, features a fusion of Asian flavors in starter-size dishes with Thai, Malay, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Chinese and Korean influences. Bring a few friends and order two to four dishes each for an evening of tapas-style sharing. Choose from typical dim sum specialties like steamed dumplings and spring rolls. Or opt for bao buns, curry and noodle dishes, salads, soups and sweets, all spiced according to your taste. A selection of Asian sodas, teas and beers rounds out HappyHappyJoyJoy’s drink menu. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner, for dining in as well as take-out. But why would you want to eat at home when you can dine in buzzing surroundings in an upcoming Amsterdam neighborhood, with a view of sizzling woks and hissing steamers, under a ceiling of bright red umbrellas?

Jean-Michel Cousteau and family have created an award-winning, five-star resort on the island of Vanua Levu, in Fiji. No phones, no wi-fi and no worries at this casual, luxurious resort. The thatched “bures” are private rooms and suiteswith views of the ocean or gardens. “The Villa” is the ultimate in privacy and island-style luxury with a private infinity pool, Jacuzzi tub, your own waterfall and outdoor shower. If you are familiar with the Cousteau family and the work Jean-Michel, and his father ocean conservationist and scientist Jacques Cousteau have done, you will be happy to know that the resort continues their work to preserve ocean life and teach people to co-exist with the flora and fauna of earth. Recycling, earth-friendly lighting and growing their own food for the kitchen along with ocean activities that promote learning and understanding of our world are key features. If you are a diver, you are in true paradise here. The resort provides access to the best dive sites in Fiji and the South Pacific. The Jean-Michel Cousteau Dive Centre is located just minutes away from a host of exciting dive sites. Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort’s restaurant offers a diverse cuisine, using only sustainable fish and local products. You’ll have an extraordinary ocean views from your table. If you brought the children, they can attend the complementary Bula Club at the resort. Glass-bottom boat excursions with the resort’s full-time Fijian naturalist/marine biologist Johnny Singh is a highlight. Children under the age of five have their own nanny assigned to them included in the accommodation. Website www.fijiresort.com

Museum of Islamic Art Café, located in the atrium of the museum, overlooking the Doha Bay and skyline, combines French with Arabic cuisine in a limited, but superbly delectable, selection of homemade signature creations. The high-end menu, on a user-friendly iPad, includes a selection of foods created by Adam Ducasse, the famous chef preparing the food in the exclusive IDAM restaurant upstairs and a collection of teas and coffees, as well as mocktails. This mixture of Arab-French cuisine, the mind-blowing architecture of the museum, the view, the peaceful atmosphere of the atrium, make this café a mandatory stop after an afternoon at the museum or a stroll along the corniche.

After the evening call to prayer, several cafe trucks open up to people strolling along the stretch of Marina Island—across the water and parallel to the Abu Dhabi cityscape on the Corniche. From Arab coffee to karak (similar to chai tea), the drinks are the perfect way to end a day. On this particular evening, I enjoyed a piping hot Karak Zafron with a hint of saffron from the Street Bites Truck. With a park, a long jetty to a theatre, new restaurants, and some green park spaces, it is a local’s hot spot; yet the area remains mostly undiscovered by tourists and expats. The spit of land is perfect for long walks with a hot beverage from one of the trucks in the wintertime.

A city of red-tiled rooftops, pine- and cypress-shaded hills, and sparkling turquoise waters, the Old Town of Dubrovnik stuns with both its architecture and scenery. Its surrounding stone walls, built between the 11th and 13th centuries to protect the city from war and epidemics, stretch for a full 1.3 miles, comprising an immense system of forts, bastions, and walkways that offer breathtaking views. Hike along them, then be sure to check out the Lovrijenac Fortress, built atop a 100-foot rock looking out toward Venice (Dubrovnik’s historic rival). The Old Town’s main street of Stradun, known locally as Placa, is also worth exploring. It’s especially nice in the late afternoon, when the sun shines off the historic buildings and swallows soar in the blue sky above.

In a sleek, black brick building lies C27 Cheesecake & Coffee, a trendy café where chicly dressed Koreans take selfies as they sip cappuccinos amidst the whimsical interiors (the entire third floor has been transformed into faux kitchen Architectural Digest would be proud of). A glass case at the entrance displays—you guessed it—27 varieties of cheesecake, from the classic original, to flavors like green tea, Dutch apple, and marshmallow chocolate options. Hang out and choose from the surprising wine selection, or take your cheesecake to go, and they’ll wrap it in an adorable, cheese shaped box. 39, Dosan-daero 15-gil, Gangnam-gu

Elevate the normally mundane experience of shopping for medicine-cabinet basics like soap and toothpaste with a visit to one of the oldest pharmacies in the world. In this 13th-century chapel with early Renaissance frescoes, Gothic carved wooden cabinets, and crystal chandeliers, most items are still crafted according to formulas originally created by Dominican monks. A small museum displays equipment once used to make Santa Maria Novella products, as well as a collection of beautifully painted ceramic jars that held the herbs and powders. Linger a little longer in this fragrant world by ordering a pot of herbal tea or a small glass of one of the historic liqueurs in the tearoom.

Travel back 1,500 years to see how Vikings carried out their everyday lives. The Iron Age Farm is a re-creation of a 350-550 C.E. farmstead—with longhouses and burial mounds—based on excavations conducted by the Museum of Archaeology in the 1960s. Storytellers in traditional attire teach kids how to spin wool and make fires with rudimentary tools, in addition to sharing Viking history.

Walk, cycle or people-watch along the shores of Elliott Bay, a downtown stretch known for its circusy flair and spectacular vistas. You can ride the Great Wheel or visit the beloved Seattle Aquarium, home to wolf eels, sea otters, and the world’s largest octopuses. Refuel with chowder from local favorite Ivar’s Acres of Clams, then hit the market’s 200 owner-operated shops, ranging from a radical book collection to the Northwest’s oldest magic store. Just don’t turn your back on the famous salmon-slinging fishmongers: They’ve been known to wallop selfie-photographers with a plastic decoy for yucks!

You’ll find people queuing outside the doors in Gastown throughout the week to take advantage of L’Abattoir’s excellent bar-only Happy Hour from 5.30-6.30pm which offers half-priced appetizers from their award-winning menu, daily red and white wines for $6, beer for $5, and cocktail specials for $7. Away from the Happy Hour the bar program at L’Abattoir is one of the best in the city with an exceptional bar team shaking (and stirring) up classics and their own creations. My tip? Start the night with a light, bright Gastown Swizzle and end it with a deliciously boozy Donald Draper.

Café Latte | Quattro Sette is a great find if you’re in need for caffeine, tea, or a snack. It’s a fairly new addition to Merida, frequented by tons of expats, natives, and the occasional traveler. The coffee is delicious and strong, and the service super charming...as long as you play by the house rules below : ) REGALES DE LA CASA – House Rules No se permite hablar por teléfono dentro del Café. (No phone calls inside the Café.) El café Illy es elmejor del mundo: Si le gustaría un descafeinado, tome agua. (Illy coffee is the best in the world: if you’d like a decaf, drink water.) Los niños bien portados son bienvenidos. Los demás los convertimos en postres. (Well behaved children are welcome. The rest will be made into pies.) Hablando de postres: la gente flaca es mas fácil de secuestrar,acompag˜e su café con un pan. (Speaking of pies: skinny people are easier to kidnap, have a pastry.) Don’t bring anyone to Latte | Quattro Sette that you wouldn’t bring to your mother’s house on Sunday. (No triage a nadir a Latte | Quattro Sette que no traería a casa de su mamá el domingo.) OPEN: 8:00AM - 4:00PM +52 999 924 8895 >>>A heartfelt thank you to Yucatan Tourism for an unforgettable 4 days in the Yucatan, my new favorite place in Mexico! @YucatanTourism #TravelYucatan

This refined 28-acre resort set in the rolling hills between downtown Sonoma and downtown Napa makes guests feel relaxed the moment they check in. The vistas are unobstructed from the resort’s pool areas, and many of the property’s 94 stand-alone cottages with private balconies and six private homes offer views of the open space, too. By day, lawn games are usually underway on the grassy expanse called the Town Square, while in the evenings, a pavilion provides an unparalleled backdrop for stargazing. This is a hotel that values fresh air, as evidenced by the walls in the common areas, which retract to bring the outdoors in. There are other reasons to fall in love with Carneros—namely, the on-site restaurants. The casual Boon Fly Café is famous for breakfasts, with spicy bacon Bloody Mary drinks and tiny made-to-order doughnuts. FARM, on the other hand, is more formal, with menu items such as braised oxtail terrine and smoked Sonoma duck breast. While the hotel offers in-room massages, it will also reopen its spa after a full-scale renovation later in 2018.

Lovers of Vienna’s homegrown early-20th-century Wiener Werkstätte design style will want to visit the Café Schwarzenberg: It was the preferred haunt of Josef Hoffmann. The illustrious architect who cofounded the Werkstätte drafted many ideas there that came to fruition. Opened on the Ringstrasse in 1861, the café takes its name from the nearby square that is itself named for the Prince of Schwarzenberg, a prominent Austrian field marshal in the Napoleonic wars. Guests are treated to huge vaulted windows under high ceilings and those who sit outside on the terrace enjoy views of the illuminated Karlskirche dome while they sip their Einspänner coffee with its dab of whipped cream on top.

Sip afternoon tea under Al Bustan’s magnificent 38-meter-high (125-foot-high) domed lobby or have a stroll through the hotel’s gardens and lagoons. This place is more than just a hotel, what with its historic roots (it was constructed for the 1985 GCC Summit) and its endless private beach along the Sea of Oman. Visit the palace’s gallery and boutique where you can view and buy from collections by local Omani and international artists.

Before the French Revolution, this park used to be the site of the Royal Palace. Today, the garden, which separates the Louvre from Place de la Concorde, is a place where Parisians and tourists stroll amid Rodin and Maillol statues or relax alongside the many fountains after a long afternoon spent at the city’s museums. Done in a formal French style, the garden features manicured rows of trees and grassy areas punctuated by gravel walkways. There are benches throughout but the green metal chairs are the most popular choice of seating; pull one around the ponds as the Parisians do and enjoy your book or a snack while taking in the view. On warm days, people gather at shady cafés around the park; during chilly months, vendors sell mulled wine. Whenever you come, though, we recommend you don’t wear your finest shoes, as the gravel paths will get your kicks quite dusty.