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Most of Oaxaca‘s better restaurants are quite new, but La Catedral has been around since 1976. It is a Oaxaca institution, and besides reliably tasty food, you can also expect a lovely atmosphere and seamless service. You can pick a spot in one of the indoor dining areas, or in the lovely back courtyard next to the fountain. The menu at La Catedral is extensive and includes Oaxacan specialties such as mole negro and mole amarillo, as well as chiles rellenos and sopa de guias (soup made with zucchini shoots), but my favorite dish is the huitlacoche crepes. They also offer a buffet on Sundays from 2 to 7 pm that is popular with well-to-do Oaxacan families.

The largest mosque in Dubai and the only one open to non-Muslims, the Jumeirah Mosque dominates the upscale beach area. The cream-colored sandstone structure with two slim minarets holds some 1,200 faithful. Though it looks historic, the mosque only dates as far back as the late 1970s. An hour-long guided tour takes visitors through the pale-yellow-and-azure interior. As you admire the magnificent ceiling decorations, you’ll also get a nice break from the city heat and noise.

From the first “woof” of welcome from the resident Canine Ambassador, guests feel a part of this storied hotel’s century-plus history. Located in the Back Bay, not far from Beacon Hill, Newberry Street, and the Freedom Trail, the landmarked Fairmont Copley Plaza houses 383 comfortable guest rooms, each featuring modern-elegant decor as well as signature pillow top mattresses, 46-inch TVs, and coffee makers. Snag a room on the Fairmont Gold concierge floor for extras like private check-in, complimentary Wi-Fi, and use of a snack-stocked lounge.

Sweeping views of the city can be enjoyed from the 3,000-square-foot rooftop gym (which is lined with floor-to-ceiling windows) and the sophisticated event spaces (which, decorated with chandeliers and ornate furnishings, are a top pick of Boston brides). The hotel’s convenient location makes it easy to sample the city’s great eats, but you’ll do well if you stay in, too, thanks to the handcrafted cocktails and farm-to-table dishes served at the on-site OAK Long Bar + Kitchen.

Chef Patrick O’Connell opened his country restaurant out of a former gas station in 1978 and rave word-of-mouth reviews soon made it “destination dining.” He opened rooms in 1984 and a few years later, it became a member of the prestigious Relais & Chateau hotel association. Today, it remains one of a handful of country hotels worth the trip for the meal as well as the stay, and it continues to rack up stars and top lists for dining and accommodations.

Two dozen opulent rooms reflect the style of a whimsical English country manor (as interpreted by O’Connell and London stage designer Joyce Conwy Evans), setting the tone for an over-the-top dinner with an exacting attention to detail. Be sure to visit the kitchen after your meal to see culinary magic in action. Little Washington (the first town named by George himself) is a bit over an hour from its capital namesake, and the Inn’s campus of guest rooms, shops, and gardens are spread over the colonial town; take the Perimeter Path walk to visit all of the farm operations and the newest guest quarters: a Little Bug Inn for pollinating and beneficial insects.

If you’re in San Pedro on a Tuesday or Thursday night, head over to Wahoo’s Lounge on Front Street for the weekly Chicken Drop. It’s definitely one of the most unique experiences you’ll have on your Belize vacation. Place your bets, watch the lucky person who gently blows on the chicken’s butt and sets him loose on the bingo like board. As you can probably gather by now, expect the chicken to wander around until he finds some lucky person’s number to poop on. Join in the festivities by yelling for your number, as the pot can easily get up to several hundred dollars (Belize). However, before you are quick to run up and claim your winnings – guess who has to clean up the chicken poop?

The Pont Alexandre III bridge is probably one of the most striking structures to cross the Seine in Paris. It links the quarter of the Champs-Élysées to the Invalides and Eiffel Tower quarter in a most extravagant fashion. The golden statues of Pegasus appear to watch over the city, and if you stare long enough you are convinced that he might just depart his perch and soar off into the Parisian sky.

If it’s rhinoceros you want to photograph, you can’t miss Ongava Game Reserve just south of the border of Etosha National Park. This private breeding facility has black and white rhino and plays a critical part in conserving this species. When staying at Ongava, there are several options for accommodation including the three luxury suites at Little Ongava, the air-conditioned chalets of Ongava Lodge and the traditional safari tents at Ongava Tented Camp. Best of all, because Little Ongava is so small, guests share a private guide and 4WD vehicle. This allows you maximum flexibility for exploring both Etosha and Ongava’s reserve.

The Black Rose is reliable in every way: It’s a genuine Irish pub in a part of Boston where authentic can be hard to find among the tourist joints; the bar food is first-rate (you can’t go wrong with a pint of Guinness and the house-made corned beef on marble rye, hold the mustard); and there’s live music seven nights a week. Located across the street from the historic Custom House and close to Faneuil Hall, the Black Rose has thrived for 40 years by keeping it real, and you’ll find a lively crowd of locals and visitors here even on wintry weeknights to drink Irish beer poured by Irish bartenders and listen to Irish music.

Everyone goes to Santorini for the famous sunset in Oia. However, the moonlight at the black sand beach in Kamari is worth going as well. Plus, along the beach are shops, bars and restaurants one after another. Most of them are outdoor, so you can enjoy your favorite drink while enjoy the ocean under the moonlight.

If the horse races at Cagnes sur Mer aren’t hands-on enough for you, get up on that horse yourself. Les 3 Fers, an equestrian club in St. Raphaël, offers a trip that takes riders of all levels along the sea cliffs, as well as one on the beach. For more advanced riders, Les Ferrières follows a trail to an archaeological ruin through a forest, and longer trips lead riders through the Vars region of the Alps.

Simply put, Ramiro is the best seafood restaurant Lisbon. It is a 100% local customer based and long established “Cervejaria” (literally translated to place where beer is dispensed), with an buzzing ambience and above all, very high quality cooked on the spot seafood. What I love more about this place is its unpretentiousness and the “no fuss” approach to seafood. Eating with your hand is more than recommended and don’t be scared to dunk the freshly bake buns in the fresh crab meat which comes in the shell or in the velvet buttery sauce of the “bulhão pato” clams. Green wine is the eternal companion of seafood in Portugal, and don’t forget to ask for Palacio da Brejoeira for a taste of crisp slightly bubbly 11º white wine. Desert as a special meaning in this place, and it comes in the shape of a charcoal grilled fillet steak in a bun. Yes, you are in Portugal and after a seafood meal you can further indulge your umami taste buds with some animal protein. Although it is open from 12h00 to 24h00, it becomes extremely busy at the end of the week evenings, and the over 1h wait for a seat can be a turnoff. I would always recommend my clients at the Palacio Belmonte, to either go before 19h00 or after 22h00 to avoid the queues. In the case there is a slight waiting period, you can always go for a very Portuguese “at the counter nibble” of some “black pork aged ham” and a cold draft beer, to pass the time. You cannot leave Lisbon without trying this place!

You can drive the 71-mile circular road around Tahiti Nui in a day, either by renting a car for a day or by joining a guided tour (your hotel will have info for either). Either way, the loop road takes you along the wild and rocky east coast, where you will see spectacular black sand beaches, many hosting excellent surf breaks. By contrast, the island’s west coast is tamer and features peaceful lagoons for swimming and even a few white sand beaches, like popular Maui Beach. Extend the drive by continuing into Tahiti Iti, the smaller section of the island at the south end, and forming a figure eight loop to return to Papeete.

One of Japan‘s most talented chefs, Yoshihiro Narisawa presents Japanese ingredients in a style he calls “innovative Satoyama cuisine,” which highlights the country’s natural bounty. Narisawa works directly with purveyors to get the freshest seafood and produce. Bread is cooked on the table, there is soup made from soil (yes, literally dirt, along with burdock roots), and a forest-inspired dish that has a live audio feed from a forest in Japan. The exquisite meal is not gimmicky and involves a dizzying array of ingredients, and the wine-pairing option includes some very interesting, untraditional sakes, a great education in the spirit. Knowledgeable staff explain the provenance of each dish—it’s like an edible tour through Japan.

This national park is an ecological preserve with upland watersheds, mangrove forests, and estuarine and marine environments that support threatened and endangered species. The park also includes the Columbus Landing Site, a National Historic Landmark that is the only known place where members of a 1493 expedition led by Christopher Columbus (his second voyage) set foot on what is now United States territory. Columbus and his men met a tribe of Caribs here, so it was the first documented encounter between American Indians and Europeans.

This five-kilometer-wide, forest-covered, extinct volcanic cauldron hugs the green (Lagoa Verde) and blue (Lagoa Azul) lagoons and is visible from the Vista do Rei (King’s View) lookout. If the crater seems familiar, that’s because it’s the landscape depicted in countless postcard photos of the Azores. According to an ancient legend, the different colors of the lagoons are the result of one being formed from the tears of a shepherd and the other those of a princess with whom he shared a forbidden love. It’s a much more romantic story than the scientific explanation: the different colored algae found in each.