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The customary dessert of Puerto Rico, the brazo gitano (gypsy arm), can be found at Franco’s in Mayaguez. This place has been around for generations, preparing the rolls for local markets and grocers and also for their own store. The cake is rolled into a log shape and then pumped with a filling. This one is a zanahoria (carrot) cake with a cream cheese filling. You can find many types of rolls, with all sorts of fillings. The traditional ones contain fruit jams. When in Mayaguez, be sure to stop here for this delicious roll.

Enter this restaurant and you will still be walking on Calçada Portuguesa (traditional Portuguese paving).

You will feel like home in this typical and familiar Portuguese restaurant, offering good food and a good place to dine with friends, before you head to Bairro Alto for a drink. If you don’t like to wait for a table, try to arrive a bit before 8pm.

My suggestion is Gambas à Guillo (garlic prawns) as an appetizer and tuna as the main dish.

Take a break from shopping along Istiklal Street at Hala, which specializes in authentic home-cooked Anatolian cuisine. You know you’ve found it when you see women with white headscarfs kneading dough in the front window. They’re preparing and cooking Turkish savory pancakes called gözleme. Hala is a great place to try gözleme along with other traditional staples like Ali Nazik kebabs and manti (meat dumplings served with yogurt and oil, caramelized with tomato paste, and seasoned with mint and red pepper). Wash it all down with a glass of Ayran, a salty yogurt drink adored by many Turks.

When it opened in December 1999, the Burj al Arab—a sail-shaped, all-suite skyscraper hotel built on an artificial island—put Dubai on the map as an over-the-top travel destination and became a landmark. Even today, the Burj al Arab sets the standard for outsized luxury with Rolls-Royce airport pickups, a helipad, gold-plated iPads, and butler-serviced duplex suites equipped with beds with mirrored ceilings, double Jacuzzi bathtubs, and full-size Hermès toiletries. The cool architectural exterior conceals a vivid interior with acres of gold leaf, dancing fountains, and room decor so distractingly jazzy that it may make guests feel as though they’ve drunk the world’s largest cup of Arabic coffee. (This is not the place for admirers of subtlety or minimalism.) The Terrace, an ambitious project even by Dubai standards, added nearly 2.5 acres of cabana, beach, pool, and restaurant space to the resort in 2016. Come sunset, though, the place to be is the 27th-floor Skyview bar.

The beach may be the magnet that draws crowds to Trancoso but its the Quadrado that is the heart of the town. The town square sits atop a hilltop offering stunning views of the mangrove forest and sea below. The 1,050-feet-long green park is anchored by the town’s iconic white church and bordered by 50 or so Crayola-colored old fisherman houses. During the day most of the homes stay shuttered due to the heat. But by 5pm, particularly during the peak summer season, they open their doors to reveal chic boutiques and art galleries, restaurants, and pousadas like Uxua and El Gordo. At sunset wild horses graze in the square sometimes interrupt the local kids’ soccer game. The square is filled with crowds after sunset, and artists and artisans come out to sells their goods while musicians come to play music and capoiera dancers come entertain passersby.

On the banks of the river Zaan, time stopped three centuries ago at Zaanse Schans. In this recreation of a Dutch village in the 17th–18th centuries, stroll down streets lined with typical green wooden houses, manicured gardens and graceful bridges. Poke into tradesmen’s workshops, historic windmills and tiny boutiques. See how wooden clogs are made and watch pewter jewelry fashioned before your eyes. Discover how artisanal Dutch cheese is crafted and purchase a wheel of Gouda or Edam to take home. Refuel with coffee and apple pie in one of numerous restaurants within the village. Explore a few museums and round off your visit with a boat trip on the river. Although several museums at Zaanse Schans charge for admission, there’s no entry fee at the popular tourist attraction created by relocating houses, windmills, storehouses and barns to form a replica of a typical Zaanse village. Alongside clusters of windmills, characteristic wooden houses and unique shops, traditional Dutch crafts are showcased and the lifestyles of people who lived in Holland long before sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll entered the picture are revealed.

Offering something more immersive than classic resort dining, Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru has a four-course menu that can be served right on the beach. Watch a chef prepare your gourmet Maldivian lobster dinner right in front of you while you listen to the soothing sounds of waves lapping at the shoreline and enjoying the fresh sea air. Alternatively, choose the Sharkpoint option and tuck into sea scallops and lobster on a secluded stretch of sand. For a dose of culture, head to the open-air Naiboli Bar on a Friday night and take in a traditional bodu beru performance on the beach.

Known for its elevated approach to Turkish cuisine, as well as its elevated views of Istanbul from atop the Marmara Pera hotel, Mikla is ranked 51st in the World’s Best Restaurants and should be at the top of your list for a memorable night out in Istanbul. Mehmet Gurs, Istanbul’s most famous chef, draws from his Finnish-Turkish background to combine traditional dishes, ancient cooking techniques, and local ingredients with a forward-thinking and environmentally sustainable perspective on food. The menu changes daily but might include manti (ravioli) with smoked buffalo yogurt or lor (cheese curd) ice cream. Even if you can’t get a reservation for dinner here, the city views can be enjoyed along with a cocktail at the bar or out on the terrace.

Mr. Armando and Mrs. Francisca run one of the hidden gems of Porto’s gastronomy - the Adega Vila Meã. The restaurant is located close to the São Bento train station, and inside you can sample Portugal’s bold flavors, from codfish to roasted veal and from hake fillets to grilled pork. On top of these delightful options, this restaurant is known for the “Cozido à Portuguesa” – a Portuguese food culture landmark! This traditional Portuguese dish is prepared with prime quality meats - sausages, veal and chicken, pork belly, bacon, all kinds of smoked meat, and vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, turnips and potatoes. The portions are huge, so remember that this will probably be the only meal you will need to eat during the whole day.

The actual name of the place is Adega Rio Douro (since it’s facing the river) but everyone knows it by Tasca da Piedade, named after the owner Mrs. Piedade. It’s also known for having “fado vadio” - traditional Portuguese music, here sang by non-professionals every Tuesday in the afternoon from 4pm until 7pm. While the music flows you can try a lot of Portuguese “petiscos”, such as stewed chicken guizzards, meat croquettes, “bifanas” and the crown jewel “iscas de bacalhau” - boiled codfish loin enveloped in a parsley omelette. The symbiosis between food and music is guaranteed, as everything here is done with passion. You might even be lucky to listen to the owner singing a few “fados”.

Located at the southern end of Hussain Sagar Lake, the Birla Mandir is a magnificent white-marble Hindu temple. The 200 tons of marble were imported from Rajasthan and the complex is open to everyone, regardless of religion or caste. The temple does not have traditional bells, instead cultivating a quiet environment that is conducive to meditation, and the main shrine is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara (Vishnu). There is also a temple dedicated to the Buddha, with fresco paintings depicting his life and work. Though divine in any light, try to visit Birla Mandir in the evenings, when the temple is illuminated with colored lights. The complex also comes alive every June/July for the Bonalu Festival—a spectacle not to be missed.

On the steep hills above the truffle-obsessed town of Livade in central Istria, Croatia, a man named Vlado Tomažič makes olive oil on his family’s farm. When my husband and I rented the apartment, Casa Maršić (casamarsic.com), adjacent to the farmhouse, we found it the perfect base for exploring the nearby medieval hill towns. We visited Motovun-Montona and Oprtalj-Portole, where we ate fuži, traditional Istrian pasta, with fresh mushrooms and grilled lamb chops at the fantastic Tončić agritourism (agroturizam-toncic.com). We happened to be at the farm during the October harvest and helped Vlado’s friendly crew rake the olives from the trees, taking frequent breaks for gemišt—white wine and sparkling water. Classic Journeys offers seven-night tours of Istria. This appeared in the August/September 2014 issue.

Los Danzantes is a hip restaurant offering contemporary Mexican cuisine. It’s located on Alcalá street, in the same building that houses the Oro de Monte Alban jewelry store. It’s in a large partially covered patio space, with adobe walls and a koi pond on one side, and a bar made of recycled materials. Many of the items on the menu are made with traditional Mexican ingredients, but combined in new and interesting ways, and presented artfully. If you’re not feeling adventurous, there are also a number of pasta dishes to choose from. For dessert, the cascada de chocolate (fondant cake), served with vanilla ice cream will satisfy any chocolate cravings you may have—but order it in advance because it takes about 20 minutes to prepare.

Reykjavík’s Dill restaurant, run by chef Gunnar Karl Gíslason and sommelier Ólafur Örn Ólafsson, is the first venue in Iceland to win a coveted Michelin star. It specializes in New Nordic Cuisine, which means that the kitchen updates traditional dishes such as arctic char, pork belly, and lamb shanks in highly creative and ultradelicious ways—often pairing them with healthy ingredients like barley, berries, and kale. The restaurant is open four evenings a week, and the seven-course menu changes regularly based on availability of local ingredients. Food can be paired with a fabulous selection of champagnes and wines. It’s not the cheapest choice in town, but it is one of the best.

This luxurious spa takes its name from the local “Sha Tin pomelo,” and its inspiration is inescapable from the minute you arrive. You’re first greeted with a refreshing pomelo drink, and treatments also put the fruit’s healing abilities into practice. Similarly, traditional Chinese medicine also comes into play to create a session that continues to pamper well after you’ve left the spa. Step (or slink) into one of the nine spa suites or indulge in a double suite to enjoy a private steam room. Regardless of which treatment you choose, from the ultimate Melo Meditations to the signature Vitality program featuring the Melo Marmalade Polish, your tired traveler’s muscles will thank you.