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Quiet, hidden beaches that once defined the Caribbean are still favored by discriminating travelers. Serene and blessed with a few basic facilities (including parking, restrooms, and changing areas, as well food trucks), Brewers Bay Beach offers visitors an easily accessed, languid, sweeping shore. It’s an ideal spot for grabbing a towel, relaxing, and watching the sun set. With shallow, calm, clear, and reef-protected waters, the beach is popular with families, who can enjoy the gentle surf. Snorkeling is also popular, and the beach is home to stingray and turtle communities. Despite its secluded feel, Brewers Bay Beach is located near the University of the Virgin Islands campus and Cyril E. King International Airport.

Why we love it: A historic building turned stylish hotel with a buzzy restaurant and lavish spa

The Highlights:
- Chic decor that mixes historic preservation with contemporary style
- A rooftop cocktail bar with citrus-inspired drinks
- Amenities like an on-site boutique, open-air yoga, and house car service

The Review:
Much has been written about Charleston’s antebellum charms, but modernists seeking respite need look no further than The Dewberry, a 1960s federal building on Marion Square that’s now one of the city’s coolest hotels. Here, a wood-paneled lobby gives way to a cozy living room straight out of Mad Men, complete with mid-century furnishings, antiqued mirrors, live music, and a brass bar serving up deviled eggs and classic cocktails. Up a flight of stairs, the second-floor spa features tufted-velvet recliners and treatments that incorporate Lowcountry flora, plus a full-service fitness center and open-air yoga classes on the hotel rooftop.

The 155 light-filled guest rooms are equally stylish, with luxurious Irish linens, marble baths, and armoires clad in custom-printed linen by local illustrator Becca Barnet. Barnet’s work is also on display in the by-reservation-only Citrus Club, a rooftop lounge with craft cocktails and light bites overlooking the Holy City’s famed steeples. For a heartier meal, guests can head to on-site restaurant Henrietta’s, where traditional French brasserie fare meets local ingredients. Rounding things out are unique amenities like house car service in luxury Volvos, complimentary Papillionaire bicycles, and a boutique curated by Garden & Gun, with fashion, barware, jewelry, and more from Southern artisans and craftsmen.

Envisioned by Hong Kong-based architect Andre Fu, the Upper House was designed to give guests the experience of staying in a luxury residence within easy reach of the design stores, markets, and nightlife of the Wan Chai neighborhood. Every detail here has been carefully considered, from the environmentally friendly paint to the arrangement of the hotel’s 400-plus works of original art. As they climb the levels of the hotel, guests encounter sculptures with names like Silence, and Rise, and Lifted, which take them on an upward journey that ends at the 49th-floor Sky Bridge—a candle-lined walkway overlooking the atrium that’s lit by a James Turrell–esque skylight.

All the rooms, suites, and penthouses offer a choice between two color schemes: “bamboo,” with ash flooring, bamboo timber, and lilac upholstery, or “celadon,” furnished in green tea upholstery, limed oak flooring, and creme oak timber. Particular attention was given to the bathrooms. Each is nearly 300 square feet and outfitted with concealed televisions and sound systems as well as open-plan rain showers. Some have soaking tubs carved from Turkish limestone, from which guests can take in views of Victoria Harbour or the surrounding mountains. In contrast to many Hong Kong hotels, the Upper House’s restaurant, Café Gray Deluxe, emphasizes simple dishes prepared from the best local and organic produce. The result is high quality but not pretentious, much like the hotel itself.

Few local D.C. residents know about St. Matthews Cathedral, and I would really be surprised if any visitors to D.C. knew about it, since it’s the National Cathedral that gets the mention in the guidebooks. That’s too bad, really, because this tiny Catholic church, with its unassuming exterior, has a glorious interior that few people see and appreciate. (Believe it or not, I get to come here for my Spanish classes.) Although it is a neighborhood church, it’s had its moments in the national spotlight. There have been many funeral services held here for notable people, including President Kennedy. For a cathedral, it has a very small interior—there are only seven chapels. The walls and ceiling are decorated with stunning images of angels and saints, including Matthew, rendered in marble and mosaic. The center dome helps to make the space feel larger. Last, but not least, there is a beautiful organ that is often featured in concerts and recitals; the sound of the music that pours forth from it is amazing! If you are visiting from out of town, I would recommend going to the church in the late morning. Then walk back toward the White House, stopping for lunch in McPherson Square. That’s where some of D.C.’s fleet of food trucks parks every day. Find a spot in the park to eat and enjoy your time in D.C.! The church is located about five blocks north of the White House and is a short walk from the Farragut North Metro station.

When I go to Stuart for the day with my husband or my sister, I enjoy shopping, lunch, and then a walk along the river walk. The river walk runs along the edge of town that lies on the banks of the St. Lucie River. The views are beautiful. I see boats, fish, birds, the river, and the amazing structure of the new Roosevelt Bridge. If you are in Stuart for dinner or a show at the Lyric Theater, don’t miss the chance to see the Roosevelt Bridge at night. It is lit up and if you walk the river walk you can walk right up to this structure and view the underside that just glows in the dark. It is quite a beautiful sight. If you enjoy taking pictures while traveling, don’t forget the camera.

The trek to the HOLLYWOOD sign may be the most famous L.A. hike to outsiders, but if you’re looking for downtown views, celebrity sightings, and a typical L.A.-style glamour hike (not necessarily strenuous, but very fashionable), the 3.3-mile Runyon Canyon loop is your best bet. You’ll still get a great view of those giant letters, but you’ll also be able to spot the who’s who of the Hollywood Hills, with plenty of locals out on their routine pre-Sunday-brunch ritual. (And there are lots of grade-A brunch spots nearby, such as the Griddle Café, if you too are in search of a pancake-heavy menu.) The trails are dog-friendly, and dog-loving Angelenos take full advantage, so your pooch will have no shortage of company if you decide to bring him along.

These beautiful hot springs are located several kilometres into the gorge. To get there you must drive or cycle to the parking lot and then walk down a long wooden staircase built into the cliffside. At the bottom you’ll find a quaint Japanese-style changing room. From there you cross the river on a suspension bridge and then walk down to an open marble basin filled with flowing hot water. The view from the bottom of the gorge is spectacular, the water is blisteringly hot, and the river is near enough to jump in to cool off. And the best part: it’s free.

A half-hour’s drive from Bridgetown on the east coast, these gardens on just 2.4 hectares (six acres) of lush grounds are home to an astounding variety of tropical and subtropical plants, from orchids to palms and species found only in Barbados. The gardens were the personal project of Iris Bannochie, one of the island’s leading 20th-century botanists, who began designing them in 1954 and left them to the Barbados National Trust upon her death in 1988. An on-site café is a good option for a light lunch.

Across from St. Mark’s Cathedral, the 15th-century Gabrielis Palace hosts the Town Museum of Korčula. An account of the island’s history is presented in both Croatian and English, and vividly illustrated by artifacts ranging from coats of arms and Greek amphorae to ship models and typical local household items. The museum’s most prized possession—the Psephisma of Lumbarda—dates back to the 4th century B.C.E. This stone plaque, written in ancient Greek, is the oldest written document found in Croatia.

Set on a village site that dates back a thousand years, this park aims to show visitors what life was like on Guam 500 years ago, when the Chamorro had the island to themselves. Walk through a small botanical park to the re-created village. What’s most interesting is the specialization: a cooking house, a men’s house (common in Micronesia), even a house for the sick. And, of course, the biggest house of all was the chief’s. The park offers an excellent introduction to the Guam that existed before the Spanish arrived.

A short drive north of the South Island town of Oamaru, Riverstone Kitchen is often lauded as one of New Zealand’s best regional restaurants. The stylish dining room is anchored by a robust fireplace crafted from local river stones, and much of the seasonal menu is crafted from the restaurant’s own organic orchards and gardens. A more relaxed café ambience for daily breakfast and lunches segues to a more formal mood at dinner from Thursdays to Saturdays, and the savvy drink list includes wines from the nearby Waitaki Valley as well as small-batch beers from around New Zealand. Ask if any of the excellent Belgian-style farmhouse ales from Oamaru’s Craftwork Brewery are available.

Encircling the entire island of Bonaire—and the neighboring islet of Klein Bonaire—Bonaire National Marine Park is home to some of the best snorkeling and diving you’ll ever do. Thanks to long-standing protective measures (dive-site moorings that preclude damage from anchors being dropped nearby, for example), the coral and fish here are some of the healthiest in the region, so expect a profusion of marine life, whether in the form of tiny sea horses, massive morays, or a zillion creatures in between.

This spot near Eagle Beach is pure Caribbean. The live music is infectious, the plates come piled high, and the tables are situated outdoors, under the sky or a tin-roof overhang. Plus, there are more local patrons than visitors. While the atmosphere is laid-back, the menu is full of sophisticated presentations, from island favorites to international dishes. Popular picks include the crab cakes, almond-dusted grouper, and lobster ravioli. The wine list is also excellent, as is the craft beer selection. Note: Reservations are recommended. The restaurant is closed on Sundays.

The second, and smaller, inhabited island of Îles des Saintes is Terre-de-Bas, reached by boat shuttles from Terre-de-Haut. There’s not much to do here other than explore nature in its wildest state, but one of the sights that makes it worthwhile is the only beach on the island: Grande Anse. It’s mostly undeveloped and rarely crowded, and offers nearly a mile of golden sand and blue bay water. You’ll find a local restaurant there for a plate of fresh seafood and rice, at cheaper prices than on Terre-de-Haut.

With sand between your toes and frothy waves running over your tired feet, enjoying a long walk on the beach with your beau is about as romantic as life can get. Many hotels make it easy on couples, thanks to their convenient waterfront location, but Hapuna Beach on the Big Island and Honokahua Bay on Maui are two other pacific coves that inspire hand-holding and quiet whispers. For complete intimacy, Lumahai Beach—fitted into the bay near Hanalei on Kauai—is difficult to find, but its remote coast and soft sand have been the scene of more than one knee bent into the sand for a proposal.