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This restaurant feels like you stepped back in time - think Mexico in the 70s. The story goes - it all began in the VW van in Playa del Carmen. Tacombi used to sell tacos out of the van, and now he has a nice, cozy spot in Soho where the van is parked. It’s a garage with lights strung in the air. It just feels cool to be in. The design is great, but the food is even better. Virtually any tacos you order are wonderful. I also recommend the guacamole appetizer - yum! And don’t leave without ordering a drink.

Suppose I told you there was a small, remarkably idyllic and fairly unpopulated island in the Caribbean just a short distance from the mainland United States, an island so immaculate, plans were in the works to make it a National Wildlife Refuge, an island with a beach rated one of the best beaches in the world, an island where you could basically do whatever you wanted along its iridescent shores with little chance of being interrupted by prying eyes.... What’s the first thing you’d do? Well, if you were the U.S. military back in 1901 and the destination in question was the island of Culebra, you’d blow it all to hell! For nearly 75 years, bombs pounded Flamenco Beach on Culebra, la “Última Virgen,” while the U.S. military used it for target practice. Protests drove the Navy away, but some relics remain on the once pristine sands as a reminder of how never to treat one of the best strips of beach in the world. During the weekends, Flamenco Beach can get fairly crowded with “mainland” Puerto Ricans taking the ferry over for a day in the sun, so I recommend you make time during the week for a more secluded experience. There are vendors nearby, but not too near, to make your stay a pleasant one with local cuisine and plenty of ice-cold beer.

Wonderful catamarans that you can rent right off the beach.

In 1971, squatters moved into the barracks on an abandoned military base and established Freetown Christiania, an autonomous district in the middle of the city. Later, many dwellers built their own homes on the 86-acre property. Although the Danish Supreme Court ruled this year that the state owns the land, the area’s nearly 1,000 residents have yet to be evicted. Today, visitors can bike along tree-lined paths and check out the handmade structures before they disappear. christiania.org. This appeared in the July/August 2011 issue.

A wildly colorful, cartoonish emoji mural sets the scene for fun, fabulous Lalo, the casual-chic outpost from chef Eduardo García (whose Máximo Bistrot is adjudged one of the finest spots in the city). Tables for two are the first to fill, so diners usually find themselves at a long shared table, choosing from a menu of small(ish) plates that pack real flavor and cleverly blend familiar comforts with more-unusual, yet equally tempting, combinations. Breakfast faves include a sinful French toast or less conventional choices like chilaquiles in salsa verde; fluffy omelettes contain amazing cheeses and surprising ingredients. And don’t be shy with pastries. Lunch swings to raved-about pastas and pizzas, or the salad whose ingredients all come fresh from nearby Xochimilco. Artisanal beers and homemade sodas are a sensation as well.

Built in 1928 by Asia’s oldest hotel brand, the Peninsula Hong Kong is one of the most historic properties on the Kowloon Peninsula, just across Victoria Harbour from Hong Kong Island. Designed originally as an upscale accommodation for passengers riding the adjacent Kowloon-Canton railway, the Peninsula has been a fixture of Hong Kong society throughout the region’s history. It was a magnet for Hollywood stars and dignitaries, the site of Hong Kong’s surrender to Japanese forces at the start of World War II, and temporary housing for residents following the war.

In 1994, a 30-story tower was added to house 135 additional rooms and suites as well as shops, a spa, a fitness center, twin rooftop helipads, and Felix—the hotel’s 28th-floor fine-dining restaurant, designed by Philippe Starck. The entire property was renovated in 2013 to update rooms with creamy colors, polished wood, and stitched leather and introduce high-tech extras that include a bedside control panel allowing guests to adjust the room’s light, sound, and temperature without getting out from under the covers. Today, the hotel is sleek and modern, but historic relics evoke the glory days that established the Peninsula as the “Grande Dame of the Far East.”

The Castelo de São Jorge, is one of the Alfama neighborhood’s most historically significant monuments. Plan a visit late in the afternoon so that you can explore every nook and cranny and learn about the castle’s abundant history. Stay for golden hour so that you can capture the light as it dances on the castle walls, and later to watch the sunset dip below the horizon.

Smokemont’s horseback-riding routes, which average $30/hour per rider, can easily fill the better part of a day spent outside. The most popular ride is a 2.5-hour expedition that climbs uphill to a hidden mountain waterfall. It’s possible to extend the ride to four hours, adding a second waterfall and a scenic trip along the Oconaluftee River. For those not inclined or physically able to ride a horse, calmer horse-drawn wagon rides are even more affordable and offer many of the same views of the river (there’s also no minimum age for a wagon ride, but only children five and older are allowed on horseback). Smokemont’s season runs through October, making it one of the finest ways to take in Appalachia’s changing autumn colors.

Forget everything you thought you knew about the food court: In China, mall restaurants are often quite good, with queues of hungry diners eagerly plotting out what they’ll order. Ban Ban, on the fifth floor of IAPM mall, is where it’s at. These dishes are Asian fusion, but healthy, bursting with color from a mélange of vegetables. The menu is labeled clearly, so you know what’s spicy or raw, and what contains nuts or dairy. Order one of the cheekily named bowls on the menu, like Hippie in Me and HCMC Is My Jam, or put together your own with a base of brown rice, greens, or soba noodles, a protein (tofu, beef, fish, shrimp, or chicken), and toppings from creamy avocado to sour pickled cucumbers.

This pristine white-sand beach is one of Okinawa’s finest. Snorkeling here is a must as the coral reef is fairly close to shore and has an abundance of colorful, diverse marine life. The area is peaceful and not too crowded.

What kind of cuisine do Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette proffer at Little Donkey? All of them. The James Beard Award–winning chefs have described their Central Square eatery as an exercise in indulgence—a place where they can slip the bonds of convention and make whatever they want. The good news is that anything these two plate is delicious. Local color can be found in the Parker House rolls, and Little Donkey honors the Jewish fondness for Asian flavors with a schmaltzy matzo-ball ramen bowl. It’s the type of food chefs cook for themselves at home, only now you get to join in the fun.

Located in East End Village and painted in Anguillan flag colors, the Heritage Collection is Anguilla’s only museum. It showcases the island’s history and geology from the time of the Arawaks to the 1969 Anguillan revolution, with additional displays on the British invasion (derisively called the “Bay of Piglets” by the press) as well as on Queen Elizabeth II’s royal visit. Established in 1996, its collection includes photographs and artifacts from the island’s major eras, including the days of slavery and the phosphate trade. If you’re lucky you’ll meet Colville Petty, the museum curator and founder, and garner some of his unique insight on Anguillan history.

Most of the year, Punta Cana’s white, sandy stretches of sand are blessed with gently lapping surf, which means that night swimming isn’t as dangerous or daunting an exercise as it can be on other Caribbean islands. Slip into the water near the Westin’s covered pier, and have the ocean all to yourself. Under the bright light of a full moon, you might even catch a glimpse of a sea turtle inching its way along the beach.

A whole lot of history converges at the Fairmont San Francisco—as do all of the city’s cable car lines, which offer easy transportation to the Financial District, Union Square, and Fisherman’s Wharf. The hotel was built in 1906 but damaged in the Great Earthquake and subsequent fires before it even opened, so celebrated architect Julia Morgan was brought in to repair the building. Once it debuted, the hotel quickly became a city favorite, hosting more than its share of historic events, including the series of meetings in 1945 that resulted in the formation of the United Nations. The hotel’s storied bar, The Venetian Room, also featured big names, from Ella Fitzgerald and Nat ‘King’ Cole to Tony Bennett, who first performed I Left My Heart in San Francisco here in 1961 (Bennett still frequents the hotel).

Today, the Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar is a draw for tourists and locals seeking a kitschy, iconic San Francisco experience, with live music, Polynesian food, and Mai Tais severed against a backdrop of occasional staged thunderstorms. Other dining options include Laurel Court for all-day coastal California fare and the famous Afternoon Tea, a local tradition since 1907. The opulent design of the hotel extends from its lobby—with marble floors and sumptuous fabrics—to the 606 luxurious rooms, each outfitted with comfortable furnishings and modern technologies. Of the 62 suites, 10 also include balconies with city and bay views.

The gallery, boutique, and tearooms of Morocco’s most famous living artist, Hassan Hajjaj, is an essential stop for any art lovers staying in the city. Tucked away down a narrow alley behind the Rahba Lakdima (otherwise known as the Place des Épices), it’s like stumbling into a jewel box filled with pop-art treasures. Hajjaj made a name for himself with a series of photographs titled Kech Angels, which depicted local girls on mopeds dressed in eye-popping robes. The collection has been exhibited all over the world in such illustrious venues as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Institut des Cultures d’Islam in Paris, but nowhere beats enjoying the work on home turf. While you’re there, treat yourself to his iconic recycled home and fashion pieces, such as a sardine-can lantern, a pair of babouches (Moroccan slippers) cut from a flour sack, or a stool from an oil drum. And if you hang around for a pot of mint tea in the courtyard, you might even meet the man himself.