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Located just outside of Santa Cruz in the heart of the Colchagua Valley, Clos Apalta Residence (formerly Lapostolle Residence) is known for its premium Chilean wine. In 2005, the Marnier family opened the stunning property on a steep hillside in the micro region of Apalta. In addition to a state-of-the-art, gravity-fed winery, they built four villas, giving wine lovers a unique place to stay. Today, Clos Apalta functions as a Relais & Chateaux luxury hotel, complete with beautiful views of the valley and its surrounding mountains. Guests can relax on their private terrace, in the lodge, or by the infinity pool, sipping house wines while enjoying the vistas. They also have exclusive access to the dining room, where chefs use produce from the hotel’s own organic garden, and tours of the owners’ wine cellar during visits to the winery.

While most pizza in the Napa Valley is made with thin crusts and cooked in wood-fired ovens, Velo Pizzeria takes a different approach, featuring a yeast crust that’s doughy and chewy and using pizza ovens. The result is more like the stuff you might find in New York City. Options abound but the Nineteen Steps is by far the most creative, topped with rosemary fries, fennel sausage, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and citrus zest. (There’s also a white pizza topped with wine grapes and gorgonzola.) The menu at Velo also offers pasta, subs, and salads. Inside, the pizzeria has a warehouse vibe, with exposed brick walls and steel railings that lead to a second-floor loft. The restaurant looks out onto the Napa River, providing great opportunities for people-watching on sunny days.

About 25 miles north of the site of the 2018 Winter Olympics, and just 25 miles south, as the crow flies, of the heavily fortified DMZ, the Jujeonggol valley in Seoraksan Nat’l Park is an oasis of jade-colored waters beneath pinnacles of pine-studded granite. Hiking in this valley, you begin to understand where the Asian landscape aesthetic comes from; the first time I came here, I felt as if I were moving about inside a silk scroll painting. Downstream is a Buddhist temple site with its famed Osaek medicinal springs--the high mineral-content water comes out of the stone slightly bubbly: natural carbonation! The tranquility of these valleys, far from the pulsating night lights of Seoul, belies the occasionally troubled past of Korea’s history; fierce battles were fought near here just six decades ago during the Korean War. But people have been seeking, and finding, solace in these mountains for thousands of years. Before today’s hikers came yesterday’s monks; some of the world’s earliest Zen temples are located in this region, built at a time when leopards and tigers were a very real threat in these forests. While much of Seoraksan National Park is easily accessible by public transportation from the nearby coastal city of Sokcho, this section is less-well served; renting a car would be a good option here.

The soft, gold sand of Batibou Beach stretches along Dominica’s northeast coast, where the Atlantic is calm enough for swimming. Visitors and locals alike come here to relax in the shade of towering coconut trees, or sip rum punch in a hammock at the tiny, rustic beach bar. To reach Batibou, walk 20 minutes down a rough, often muddy trail, or hire a roundtrip ride from the Hampstead Country House. If you’re seeking solitude, avoid Sunday afternoons, when the barbecue scene is particularly lively.

While few in number, Milan‘s canals can be charming. Naviglio Grande, the largest, is my favorite to walk along. Lined by shops, outdoor cafes and bars, there is life alongside the water anytime of day. If you’re lucky you’ll catch the Antique Market that fills up the walkways on some Sundays. It is a treasure trove of pottery, jewelry, vintage designer clothes, and Murano glass—Milanese have impeccable taste for both the old and new.

A region of dramatic mountain peaks, ancient rain forest, deep river valleys, and spectacular gorges, this park is most famous for the pristine rivers that twist their way through the wilderness. The Franklin River itself has become synonymous with Australia’s largest conservation battle—a fight that lasted from the 1960s into the ‘80s to save the Franklin from a proposed hydroelectric dam and power plant, which would have flooded several natural features and lakes. The legendary waterway, which Outside named one of the world’s best white-water journeys on earth, was the impetus for the establishment of the Wilderness Society as well as the Green Party (both founded by Tasmanian conservationist Bob Brown) and continues to inspire awe and action among locals and travelers today.

Hard Rock Hotel’s pools might be famous for its hard-core Sunday party, Rehab, but there are acres of non-party pools for guests to enjoy, too. I love this view, taken from one of the top-story suites, where you can see the pool and the Strip. The beach-like atmosphere (there’s sand instead of concrete) lends itself to a frozen drink or three. Enjoy! Note: technically, Hard Rock isn’t on the Strip, but it’s so close that I kept it on the Strip Wanderlist, as “off-Strip” usually indicates downtown, Summerlin or Henderson.

Off of busy West Peachtree is Cypress Street Pint and Plate, a neighborhood bar surrounded by apartment buildings. The welcoming patio and weekly specials make it a favorite of locals. On Mondays you can get their tasty Philly cheesesteaks for only $5 and brunch is every Saturday and Sunday. There are 14 draft beer and 40 bottled selections as well as wine and spirits. Every Tuesday is Beer Geek Tuesday, where the experts at Cypress Street celebrate one brewery or style of beer. The food menu is delicious, especially the aforementioned cheesesteaks, buffalo chicken sandwiches and meatball sliders.

After a March week that included a freak snowstorm, a windstorm, and pounding rain, we woke up to a sunny day in Brussels—a perfect day to explore the Jeu de Balle market. We walked by jumbles of scarves, old records, antique silverware, vintage postcards, and loads of ashtrays (the bane of any market stall, I assume, because really, does anyone still buy ashtrays?) When I saw these two older gentlemen playing backgammon in that rare March sun, I shot a quick photo to capture the serenity, brightness, and intensity of the moment. That was right before one of them stood up, and shouted what I can only assume were obscenities in the not-oft heard Bruxellois dialect. His partner followed suit, and soon a loud volley of words flew back and forth across the board. Seconds later, they both took their seats and resumed the game as though they had never even moved.

Though my favorite Provencal hotel is now gone from Saignon, it is still the quintessential, hilltop town worth visiting when you’re biking, hiking or driving through this area of France. The dreamy town center (all of three streets) will provide you with views of this fountain, as well as the gorgeous Luberon Valley. The small church in town is a pilgrimage stop for those walking from Rome going to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. No place in Provence ever stole my heart quite like Saignon did. It’s a quiet place with just one bakery in town and only a handful of restaurants, but it has plenty of charm. For a great walk and the best view around, follow the sings for ‘the rock’. Due to its height and location in the valley on this rock formation, Saignon was used as an ancient observatory and a signal station.

There are helipads but no cell phones or young children at Triple Creek Ranch, a 600-acre luxury Western playground on a slope of 10,157-foot Trapper Peak, Montana’s highest mountain, near the Idaho border. Owned by Craig and Barbara Barrett (he, the former CEO of Intel; she, a former astronaut and U.S. ambassador to Finland), this elegant, high-end dude ranch offers sapphire pan mining, scenic trail rides, fishing from stocked trout ponds, and guided hiking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing (including starlit expeditions), as well as themed weekend stays focusing on art, food, and wine. The owners’ no-hunting policy has resulted in large herds of elk and other game gravitating to the property, and guests frequently spot animals from huge log cabins decorated with leather furniture and original Western-themed art and equipped with wood-burning fireplaces, private decks, bar, Blu-ray players, and working Wi-Fi connections. (Though the ranch deliberately has no cell phone signal.) From May through October, for additional fees, the ranch pairs up guests with professional rodeo trainers and Orvis-endorsed fly-fishing operators. In winter, the lodge facilitates transportation, tickets, and equipment rental vouchers for the nearby Lost Trail Powder Mountain downhill ski center (300 inches of snow annually) and Chief Joseph Cross Country Ski Area.

One of the largest urban parks in the world, Munich’s English Garden was founded in 1789, when Elector Carl Theodor ordered a public park to be built along the Isar River. Having undergone many alterations over the centuries, it now offers a slew of contemporary leisure activities. Cyclists, joggers, and rollerbladers make use of almost 50 miles of pathways, while less-active visitors head to the Japanese teahouse (opened in 1972) or one of several beer gardens (the one next to the Chinese Tower is Munich’s second largest, with seating for 7,000). Additionally, there’s a man-made lake, soccer fields, a small amphitheater, a carousel, a Greek temple, and even a popular surfing wave on the river. The park’s large meadows are ideal for picnicking, barbecuing, and sunbathing, making the English Garden one of Munich’s most popular hangouts in summer. That said, autumn is also a spectacular time to stroll the grounds and peep all the changing leaves.

Italian-born architect, artist, philosopher, and ceramicist Paolo Soleri originally came to Arizona to study with Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin West. His legacy is seen all over Scottsdale, notably at the Soleri Bridge and Plaza in downtown, which spotlights his signature hand-casted ceramic and bronze wind bells. The bells are still hand-poured at Cosanti, Soleri’s studio and former home, where bells of all shapes and sizes can be bought.

The most enviable address in Waikiki, the beachfront Halekulani is all about restrained elegance and pitch-perfect service. The hotel dates back a century, though it was entirely rebuilt in the 1980s—and the room decor—fifty shades of white and plantation shutters framing the turquoise sea—complements the scene outside. The beach itself is small and usually mobbed, but the pool is a dream—a giant oval big enough for laps, and quiet enough (few kids here) for a long doze under your chaise’s umbrella. The grassy courtyards and seaside restaurants are just as improbably serene; some might say stuffy, but for others, the reliably hushed atmosphere is a welcome tonic to the hubbub of Waikiki, just outside the Halekulani’s marbled entrance.

Since 1974, Starr Interiors has showcased a handsome array of Zapotec Indian (Indians of the Oaxaca Valley in Mexico) weavings, which the owner hand-selects. Expect a great selection of gifts from coasters, place mats, wood carvings, Oaxacan Masks, hammocks and hand crafted sterling silver.