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Duffy’s calls itself a “bar that serves great food.” Its brand of fruity tropical cocktails (some served in ceramic skulls) and casual fare seems somehow perfect for a relaxing Caribbean vacation. The restaurant claims to have hosted “pirates, debutantes, nerds, and rock stars.” From the outside, Duffy’s looks unassuming, but inside the colorful tiki bar decor features standard elements, such as bamboo-pole siding, spruced up with maritime mementos from around the Caribbean.

The apéritif of choice in the Dordogne (and in many parts of France) is this sweet dark liquor called walnut wine, but there’s nary a grape in site. The vin de noix is made from young green walnuts harvested between La Fete de St. Jean (June 24) and Bastille Day (July 14), when the shells are still soft and green. Walnut wine is a typically home-brewed concoction. Think moonshine, with a sophisticated French flair. Though I have found it commercially, the best accompanies a good meal with friends around a kitchen table or at the region’s numerous Fermes Auberges (Farmhouse Inns), where all products are made on site. Walk in to any home and you’ll likely be offered a sip. There are hundreds of family recipes for this elixir, each claiming to be the best, bien sur! But most agree, the longer it sits in the cupboard, the better (6 months to years). But it’s worth the wait. Recipe: green walnuts, dry red wine, sugar, and some patience. Et Voila! I’ve often been asked what it tastes like, and my description usually results in a nose wrinkle. A blend of port and prune juice---and it’s delicious. My friend Roland, knowing my love of the apéritif and the memories it summons, sent me these two glasses he’d found in an antique shop in Perigueux, along with a small bottle of his homemade walnut wine. I set the glasses out on my terrace, poured in the chocolate-hued liquor, and toasted to the memory of my beloved Dordogne, and the people from there who have flavored my life.

One of the perks of staying at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort is the opportunity to test your skills at the Royal St. Kitts Golf Club, an 18-hole, par 71 course laid out along the island’s Caribbean coast. If you’re not a Marriott guest, however, head to the Irie Fields Golf Course at Kittitian Hill, where organic farms fringe the fairways. Designed by World Golf Hall of Famer Ian Woosnam, the course is maintained without pesticides or chemicals—if you see a herd of sheep grazing on the back nine, let them play through.

Chef Thierry Blouet’s Café des Artistes made an immediate impression on the region when it opened inside the JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach Resort & Spa in Puerto Los Cabos. Blouet has spent more than a quarter century perfecting his Café des Artistes concept, one that blends gourmet French techniques with highly curated Mexican flavors. The results are magical: A tuna tartare is stacked delicately with pickled vegetables, avocado slices, and crispy fennel; pork belly is served with hibiscus and red wine sauce; and shrimp comes with a plum-habanero mole. The setting is equally striking: A sophisticated dining room opens to a terrace with breathtaking views of Cabo San Lucas Bay and, in the distance, city lights.

Hull Bay Beach—on the north shore of St. Thomas, west of Magens Bay—has the wave action surfers crave. When there’s a northern swell, the beach is considered the best surf spot on the island. The rest of the time you’ll find snorkelers, local families, and fishing boats bobbing out in the bay. The beach bar is a popular island spot.

In 2013, Jason Boso, the founder of the popular Twisted Root burger joints, felt the city was lacking a bar where he could feel equally comfortable taking his dad for a beer, hanging out with his buddies at night, and treating his wife to brunch—so he created one. Granted, this is no ordinary bar: Truck Yard draws inspiration from traditional beer gardens, old-school honky-tonks, and a treehouse Boso had as a child, all ringed by colorfully painted and graffiti-adorned trailers. Enjoy cocktails in the treehouse bar and craft beers in the outdoor seating areas as you wait for eats from the rotating collection of food trucks; depending on the schedule, you might find BBQ, Greek favorites, gourmet sliders, authentic tacos, and more, as well as the house signature Philly cheesesteak. The casual vibe and national praise mean there’s always a lively crowd.

There is perhaps some irony that one of the most distinctive contemporary buildings in the historic heart of Montréal is a showcase for some of the city’s oldest artifacts. The modern structure that houses this archaeology and history museum opened in 1992, to coincide with the 350th anniversary of the establishment of Montréal. The highlight is its crypt, where you can wander through the digs of the city’s 18th-century market. A new pavilion, “Where Montréal Began,” opened in 2017 on the occasion of the city’s 375th anniversary. Its display of artifacts emphasizes the spiritual traditions of both the French settlers and Québec’s Algonquin, Huron, and Iroquois peoples. Temporary exhibitions on subjects like hockey and the archives of Bell Telephone help bridge the gap between Montréal’s early history and the present day.

The Pacific Ocean is a force that calls to some to jump in and join the dolphins that frequent its waters. Temperatures are warmest in August and September, but wet suits are available to rent year-round. Go surfing or take a stand-up paddleboard lesson to more fully appreciate the SoCal spirit and connection to the waves. For a more passive yet still exhilarating way to enjoy the coast, you can parasail above the waves or join a sailing charter from Marina Del Rey.

This lovely, nostalgic shop has been selling traditional Hawai‘ian designs—bright and botanically themed—alongside contemporary creations by owner Michael John Gillan for decades. The classic buy is a kapaeke (an heirloom quilted handbag), but you can pick up everything from USB-stick holders to kits that teach the craft. The oldest retail quilt company in Hawai‘i, it has catered to local royalty, as well as Hollywood stars, and pioneered the islands’ fabric-art tradition in Japan. Its instructors offer lessons and demonstrations at Waikiki’s Beach Walk every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon, as well as at the Big Island’s Queens’ Marketplace every Sunday from 1–3 p.m.

Among California’s 21 Spanish missions, the late-18th-century national landmark Mission Santa Barbara is considered the “queen of the missions.” Those interested in early California history will also want to stop by the whitewashed, red tile–roofed El Presidio de Santa Bárbara, a late-18th-century Spanish military outpost that was built by local Chumash Indian laborers. The park’s nearby adobe homes have exhibits of historic objects found in the area. The legacy of this period lives on at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, a masterpiece of Spanish colonial revival architecture built in 1929 and just five minutes on foot from the Presidio.

For a break from Port-of-Spain’s congestion, a 15-minute drive up curvy roads outside the city leads to Mount St. Benedict Monastery, with its fine hilltop views over the plains, the coast and the Northern Range. Just over a century old, the enormous yellow monastery (also known as The Abbey of Our Lady of Exile) sits on a large swath of land whose hikeable woods are filled with birds. The monks sell their popular homemade yogurt while the guesthouse serves traditional afternoon tea.

The 32 points of a compass face are called rhumb lines and in Cruz Bay, all those lines point to this Asian-influenced restaurant. Owned and operated by longtime St. John residents, Rhumb Lines is located inside a mini-mart. The restaurant’s humble setting has been transformed with fairy lights, colorful decor, and a palm-shaded garden, which, the owners say, reflects the “comfort and ambiance of a well-appointed south seas home.”

Modest in keeping with the sometimes understated influence of its namesake, the Camille Pissarro Gallery is a rare treat in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. One of the original French Impressionist painters, Pissarro was born on the island in 1830. The gallery is located in his childhood home, the loft section of a merchant’s building at 14 Main Street. Several of Pissarro’s Caribbean-inspired works are on display at the gallery, along with those from about two dozen other artists, including Jenine Wesselman and Sylvia Kahn.

Following the success of its first hotel in the vibrant Shoreditch neighborhood, The Hoxton group opened this second outpost in 2014 in the less “happening”—but super-central—Holborn area, just a short walk from the British Museum, Covent Garden, and The Strand. Set in a former telephone exchange building (part of which is historic Victorian, the other part mid-century concrete), the hotel encourages socializing and working in its open-plan lobby, which is outfitted with library-style wooden tables, book-lined shelves, retro couches, and a couple of guest-use computers, plus plenty of places to plug in. You can order drinks and coffee all day in the lobby, three meals of large-portioned favorites (from fish and chips and burgers to banana splits) in the industrial-chic Hubbard and Bell restaurant, and rotisserie chicken and sides in the speakeasy-feeling basement Chicken Shop.

These communal spaces come in particularly handy if you’ve checked in to one of the smaller rooms—the 174 accommodations come in sizes from Shoebox and Snug to Cosy and Roomy (which is not all that much bigger). The spaces are cleverly designed to feel larger than they are, though, with large, circular mirrors, bespoke wallpaper printed with Charles Dickens scenes, comfy beds, and artwork by students of the prestigious Central St. Martins university. There are also useful perks like free Wi-Fi and one hour of international calling, a light breakfast delivered to your door daily, complimentary water and milk in the mini-fridge, and beer and wine available at the front desk for regular grocery store (not hotel) prices. If you want to linger, late checkout is available for an additional £5 per hour.

Sitting at the tip of the peninsula of St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, which juts out into the Mediterranean, the iconic Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, is now under the management of the Four Seasons brand. Located halfway between Nice and Monaco in the striking Antibes cape, the beyond-glamorous property first opened in 1908, and remains the epitome of the bonne vie, Jazz-era French Riviera. A destination resort, it has hosted everyone from Winston Churchill to Charlie Chaplin to Pablo Picasso, and is set on multiple lushly landscaped acres full of gardens, pools, and tennis courts that tumble down to the Mediterranean. Rooms are in three buildings. Try for one in the hotel’s original core, as these have soaring ceilings and floor-to-ceiling, sliding-glass-door windows looking out to the sea. The suites are also enormous, but ask for a higher floor for the best ocean views.