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One of the best bakeries on the Côte d’Azur, Boulangerie Jean-Luc Pelé is the perfect place to pick up a picnic for the beach. The savory selection, including gourmet salads, sandwiches, wraps, and even a house-made bagel, can please just about any appetite. And there is no lack of temptations for dessert: A glass case holds macarons, cakes, fruit tarts, and items that look almost (but not quite) too pretty to eat. The shop’s chocolates make good souvenirs to bring home—if they don’t get devoured along the way.

The Homer Spit is home to, for the most part, summer-only businesses that cater to tourists, fishermen, and weekend adventurers aplenty. So there’s long been an emphasis on fried halibut and other related goodies. The Spit’s food cred took a serious bump up when La Baleine opened. Though the restaurant has a seriously casual beach-town vibe, the food is not your everyday sandy-feet fare. Emphasizing organic and local ingredients, chef Mandy Dixon—who grew up in the kitchens of her parents’ Alaska lodges (Within the Wild)—serves up elegant but generous dishes, including salmon bowls with brown rice and roasted root vegetables and miso-marinated sablefish. The breakfasts are hearty enough to take you through a full day of paddling the bay.

This brightly colored shopping center that is part of the Playa Dorada tourism complex houses a mix of stores. There are the typical souvenir outlets hawking T-shirts, knickknacks and beach hats, along with shops selling handicrafts made of beads, leather and straw. You can also score local rum, coffee and cigars at decent prices. Feel free to haggle for bargains; it’s expected here.

Offering sleek and stylish accommodations set in the CBD, Novotel Danang Premier Han River makes for a suitable starting point for plush business and holiday travellers exploring this part of Vietnam. Novotel Danang Premier Han River has a full-service spa, an outdoor pool, and a steam room. Complimentary wireless Internet access is available in public areas and a computer station is located on site. Business amenities at this 4.5-star property include a 24-hour business center, meeting rooms, and limo/town car service. Dining options at the hotel include 3 restaurants along with 3 coffee shops/cafés, a poolside bar, and a bar/lounge. The staff can provide concierge services, tour/ticket assistance, and wedding services. Additional amenities include a seasonal outdoor pool, a children’s pool, and a nightclub. Guests receive complimentary transportation including a shuttle from the airport to the hotel, during limited hours, a beach shuttle, and an area shuttle. Guest parking is complimentary, and available on a limited first-come, first-served basis. This is a smoke-free property.

Half Moon Cay’s tropical setting will put many travelers in a mood for romance. If you want to get married or renew your vows on the island, Holland America Line can help with that. The Bahamian Church is located just off of Half Moon Beach and is built in a typical Bahamian style, with a trussed roof ceiling. From its front porch you’ll have views of the Exuma Channel and your ship anchored off the island.

There’s a carefree summer camp spirit at Ruschmeyer’s, a boutique retreat in Montauk where a central garden full of hammocks and picnic tables creates a relaxing backdrop. First built in 1952 in a shaded stretch of lakeside woodlands in Montauk, the hotel now features recently renovated rooms inspired by camp cabins with cedar-plank walls, a hammock, and some with an outdoor charcoal grill. Ruschmeyer’s has an appetite for culture, seen in a rotating series of music performances, guest DJs, and artists-in-residence. This is a place to play, and the hotel happily arranges paddle boarding, fishing, and yoga. Start your stay on the central lawn, called the Magic Garden, with a game of ping-pong before drinking and dancing the night away at the hotel’s bar, the Electric Eel.

The famous Hotel St-Barth Isle de France officially became a Cheval Blanc property in 2014, reopening as the Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France. In 2018, after a renovation made necessary by Hurricane Irma, the property also debuted a design concept by architect Jacques Grange, complete with 19 new rooms, freshly landscaped gardens, and one-of-a-kind artwork by Jean-Michel Othoniel. In addition to two gourmet restaurants overlooking the ocean, the resort features the only Guerlain spa in the Caribbean, staffed by Cheval Blanc’s trademarked “alchemists”—employees whose sole purpose is to tailor-make memorable experiences for guests. While Cheval Blanc is always popular with couples, its clientele shifts depending on the time of year. Around the holidays and spring break, families come for offerings like the “Pour les Bébés” menu of homemade baby food. In the late spring and summer, honeymooners are drawn by poolside champagne tastings.

A laid-back beachy vibe with a compelling overlay of French style is the hotel’s hallmark. Comfy rattan furniture is offset by a palette of blues and light shades, and rooms are stocked with custom Leanor Greyl products to protect from salt and sun.

Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market is crammed with 120 vendors, butcher counters, bakeries, ethnic eateries, and seafood shops. But there’s one reason why most people come here: the peameal bacon sandwich, which is dished up at the Carousel Bakery. It’s not really bacon—or at least not the bacon you usually eat—but rather tender, thicker strips of pork, cut from the loin and then rolled in peameal (like cornmeal but made from peas), and served on a kaiser roll with a swipe of mustard. It’s a porklicious treat!

Since it was constructed at the top of Telegraph Hill in 1933, Coit Tower has been an integral part of San Francisco’s downtown skyline. Named after a 1920s patron to the city’s firefighters—but not designed to resemble a firehose, as the urban legend goes—Coit Tower’s observation deck will give you 360-degree views out over San Francisco, including the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Entrance fees range from free (children four and under) to $7 (adult non-residents); visit the website for all prices. Coit Tower is open from 10 am to 6 pm May through October and 10 am to 5 pm from November through April.

With its world-renowned chef and ultrachic decor, Blue—tucked discreetly into the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman—seems the sort of place you’d find in New York or Paris. But the main draw is decidedly local: spectacularly fresh ingredients sourced largely from the sea right outside and served up in such specialties as lightly seared wahoo with bok choy and kimchi broth; or poached halibut with sunchokes, salsify, and truffle jus; or bread-crusted red snapper with squid and sofrito sauce. If you’re feeling ambitious, go for the gusto with a six- or seven-course tasting menu—and tack on the wine pairings.

Experience fine dining in a tropical outdoor setting at Coco Bistro, one of the top restaurants on Providenciales. Not only is the dining room set among the largest palm grove on the island, but also the chef is known for artfully blending island flavors with continental ones. Entrées may include homemade conch ravioli or jerk pork tenderloin with sweet potatoes and hot pepper honey. You can also pick up a copy of The Coco Bistro Cookbook to replicate your favorite restaurant dish at home.

Conch is as ubiquitous on Turks and Caicos restaurant menus as palm trees on the beaches, and at Da Conch Shack, you’ll find it prepared any way you can imagine. Of course, there are the classic dishes of conch fritters, conch chowder, and conch salad, but you’ll also find entrées such as curried conch and conch creole. The breezy beachfront restaurant on Provo also serves fresh catch, local lobster, and non-seafood items like steaks and burgers.

Owned by a Japanese-Israeli couple, Sakana is situated near the red cliffs of Vagator Beach. The interior is fittingly adorned with photos of sake and kimonos, and an oversize sakura tree sparkles with white lights. Though one of few Japanese restaurants in Goa, Sakana still works hard to stand out with traditional dishes like sushi, udon noodles, beef yakiniku, salmon rolls, and chicken katsu with pickled radish. The sake is flowing, naturally, and there are cocktails and refreshers like lemon soda on hand, too. If they’re available, order the amaretto or cherry ice cream for a light and sweet finale. Note: Sakana is closed during monsoon season, so make sure you eat there before the end of May.

Hop on the free ferry from the city’s Central Station for the 15-minute ride to the NDSM wharf, an old shipyard that’s transformed into a hipster haven with restaurants, bars, and artists’ studios. The waterfront “beach bar” Pllek is a popular spot here; built out of old shipping containers, the soaring, dual-level space has an industrial vibe, with corrugated-metal walls warmed by bright artwork, an indoor fireplace, and huge windows looking out over the IJ River. But it’s the man-made beach that draws crowds in warm weather, with comfy beanbags and loungers where you can while away the afternoon. There’s a nice selection of beer and wine; the food is simple but surprisingly good, and it’s crafted with fresh, organic ingredients. Pllek also hosts live-music events, DJs, dance parties, films, and morning yoga classes.

At the Half Moon Lagoon Aqua Park, located right on Half Moon Cay’s main beach, kids can zoom down a waterslide designed to resemble a shipwreck, splash around a water-filled playground and fire the water cannons of a pirate ship. Other water toys are shaped like fantastic sea creatures. There is no additional charge to use the park, which offers hours of fun for younger passengers as long as they are prepared to get wet in the process.