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The 29-acre Nizuc Resort & Spa excels in size, service, and amenities. The soothing design scheme blends calming neutrals and natural materials, which recur across multiple interior elements, including lamps, furniture, and tile flooring. Spacious, sun-filled rooms feature terraces and tropical gardens, and the private villas include infinity pools. Staff lead many activities to keep visitors as busy as they want to be; a typical day at the resort might include learning how to roll cigars, participating in a session of paddleboard yoga, or simply trying to choose a favorite between the two pools.

The 34,400-square-foot Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre engages visitors on many levels. Socially, it is the first joint cultural project between two separate native nations in North America. The center is also a stunning architectural addition to the community. The design of the concrete, cedar, and fir structure melds the longhouse of the coastal Squamish people with the traditional Lil’wat pit house. Permanent displays of carvings, dugouts, and implements used by the coastal fishermen and hunters are supplemented by temporary exhibitions, including a presentation about Canada’s infamous residential schools. The SLCC also anchors one of Whistler’s most exciting new projects, the Cultural Connector—a path that links six local arts institutions—which is another indication of Whistler’s rising status as a fine arts destination.

This Romanesque Revival landmark has become Nashville’s crown jewel. The city’s main train station from 1900 until the 1970s, when railway service was discontinued, the building sat vacant for decades until it was restored to its former glory and reopened as a boutique hotel in 2016. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel retains pieces of the past—including its iconic clock tower, an original arrivals and departures board, and the solid wood staircases—while providing all the comforts of the present. The 125 guest rooms skew contemporary, with soothing tones of gray and neutral walnut, as well as cowhide headboards and custom ironwork lights. By contrast, public spaces veer on the nostalgic: The atrium lobby has painted barrel-vaulted ceilings, 100-year-old stained-glass skylights, bas-relief moldings, and ornate crystal chandeliers. It’s an atmospheric backdrop for the hotel’s “Riffs on the Rails,” a weekly series of live music performances.

Under 20 minutes by car from Québec City (or, if you are feeling ambitious, less than an hour by bike, with most of the ride on a well-maintained path), Chute-Montmorency (Montmorency Falls) is the area’s most impressive natural wonder. If you visit the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec before you go, the sight will look familiar: Montmorency has long been a popular subject for local painters. Think Niagara is impressive? The cascade here is a full 99 feet higher—272 feet to the Horseshoe Falls’ 173 feet. In winter, spray from the falls freezes into a hill at its base, known as the Sugarloaf, and snowshoes are available for rent if you want to explore the nearby trails. In the summer, there’s a zip line for those in search of an adrenaline bump. Year-round, a cable car carries passengers to the top of the falls, providing bird’s-eye views en route.

Opened in 2004, the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art seeks to bridge the past, present, and future of art. The sleek complex consists of two wings, one dedicated to traditional Korean works and the other to international contemporary art. The traditional wing is shaped like a reverse cone, with a spiraling walkway that winds through galleries of ancient paintings, calligraphy, and crafts. In stark contrast, the glass-and-steel contemporary wing was built without supporting posts, encouraging viewers to move freely among distinctive works by Basquiat, Olafur Eliasson, and Takashi Murakami. The experience continues outside on the parking lot deck, where there is a polished sculpture garden.

The Maremma region of southern Tuscany, about an hour south of Siena, is an area of olive groves, wooded valleys, and ancient legends. One such tale, dating from the days of the Etruscans and Romans, chronicles an epic battle in which Jupiter threw lightning bolts at Saturn—and missed. As the story goes, when the bolts landed on the ground, they formed the bubbling hot springs now known as the Terme di Saturnia. Full of therapeutic minerals, the hot springs feed a variety of pools throughout the valley that have warmed and healed centuries of bathers. Today, you can soak up the goodness at the luxury Terme di Saturnia Hotel & Spa, which offers therapies performed with the waters, or at a free public bathing spot. To find the main one, head down a dirt path just outside of town, past a parking lot and changing area, until you spy a waterfall feeding a series of natural pools, each turned white by the mineral-rich water.

Opened in 2010, the Design Museum Holon is the first museum in Israel dedicated to design. The iconic building, which quickly became a city landmark, was designed by acclaimed architect Ron Arad. By mounting exhibits on historical and contemporary design from Israel and around the world, the museum aims to inspire and challenge the design community, as well as the general public’s perception of design and the way it impacts their lives. For professionals in creative industries, students, and design enthusiasts, the museum is a vital and dynamic resource. The building includes galleries for temporary exhibitions, an archive, the Design Lab, and Collection Windows.

The world-famous Road to Hana hugs a jagged black lava shore. Just past mile marker 16 lies the Keanae Peninsula, where visitors can explore a traditional village, a stone church from 1856, and vast taro fields. The peninsula itself was formed by a massive lava flow from Haleakala, then softened by native Hawaiians, who carried soil down basket by basket to blanket the young rock. Today, the area is covered in lush greenery, which makes for an impressive sight against the turquoise sea and Maui’s famous North Shore waves. Before getting back on the road, be sure to stop at Aunty Sandy’s, one of the best banana bread stands along the Hana Highway, for a slice, a shaved ice, or a pork sandwich if you’re hungrier.

Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is revered as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The temple is located on the grounds of the Grand Palace at the historic center of Bangkok, and it is a highly important site to the Thai national identity. The Emerald Buddha itself is a 26-inch-high statue hewn from a single piece of deep-green jade stone, and no one but the Thai King is allowed to touch it. Visit the shrine to understand an intimate piece of Thai culture, but be sure to exercise the utmost respect!

The Larco Museum is the starting point of your visit to Peru. It has the largest collection of pre-Columbian pieces in the Americas and tells the history of Peru without being tiresome. That’s a feat in itself, because we’re talking about 10.000 years of history! Everything you’ll see in Lima and around the country will make sense after this visit. The quality and beauty of the pieces are amazing, showing all the complexity of the local cultures. It’s a beautiful museum, very well curated, the exhibits are simple and to the point and everything is explained in displays and videos. The museum offers also a super interesting guided visit for families with children. Other famous part of this museum is two private rooms dedicated to erotic pieces, showing the connection between erotic and fertility.

The most famous and popular beach in Busan, picture-perfect Haeundae Beach boasts a gentle curve of white sand that extends an impressive kilometer and a half (roughly a mile) and is up to 50 meters (165 feet) wide in some places. A shallow bay and clear waters make it ideal for swimming and families, and it has plenty of other attractions besides the sand and sea: You’ll find everything from casual guesthouses to luxurious hotels, plus cultural events, festivals and entertainment throughout the year. There’s also an aquarium nearby, and Dongbaekseom (Dongbaek Island), at the south end of the beach, is a popular fishing area.

A modest entryway opens onto a bright, colonial Mexico fantasia, complete with blue tiles, crisp white linen, colorful pottery, and would-be-viceregal artworks. Since 1912, Café de Tacuba has opened early and stayed up late to serve classic Mexican fare like enchiladas and chalupitas, excellent tamales, hearty breakfasts, a wide variety of soups, and even more-ambitious entrees, attracting an amenable congress of families, foreigners, work groups, and confidence-exchanging senoras. Order the café con leche for a smart jolt of showmanship; Spanish troubadours serenade the proceedings most nights and weekends. Maybe it’s your grandmother’s Mexico, but the old girl knew a thing or two.

A Saint-Tropez institution since the 1950s, La Ponche has served all comers, from luminaries like Picasso and Sartre to fishermen and tourists. The restaurant feels a bit secluded, hidden around a corner in a small square overlooking a tranquil bay. Seafood takes precedence on the Mediterranean-influenced menu. Take your pick among tagliatelle with lobster, grilled prawns, mussels, and the catch of the day, be it sole or sea bass. Outdoor tables with a view encourage sticking around for another bottle of rosé—and should you really get comfortable, there are 18 luxury hotel rooms at your service.

If thrilling roller coasters, mind-blowing 3-D animation experiences, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter sound like your trifecta of fun, then Universal’s Islands of Adventure is really the only park you need to visit during your Orlando vacation. The most adult-oriented of Orlando’s theme parks, IOA, as it’s known, is home to one of America’s most exciting roller coasters, the Incredible Hulk, as well as incredible 3-D rides like the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Skull Island: Reign of Kong, and much, much more. The Hogsmeade portion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is IOA’s major new attraction and includes the extraordinary 3-D ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. If you want to see Diagon Alley and the rest of the Harry Potter attractions, be sure you buy the ticket that also grants access to the Hogwarts Express and Universal Orlando Resort.

The best of Brazil is only a short walk from Cabo San Lucas’s downtown tourist heart. Madeira Bistro, a burnt-orange corner joint, features a wide entrance and wall made nearly entirely of windows. The airiness invites breezes in and allows the intoxicating aroma of the rodízio-style grilled meats to waft out. Here, round after round of rib eye, hanger steak, top sirloin, and other preparations are served, along with sides of basil mashed potatoes, coleslaw, sweet potatoes, and more. The food keeps coming until you cry uncle. The knowledgeable staff is there to help with pairings and perhaps wheel you out.