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Why we love it: An amenity-filled property that sits near all the action

The Highlights:
- Amenities like four pools, a treetop spa, and an open-air yoga studio
- An on-site diving school and expedition boat
- The sunset views from the Bay View rooms

The Review:
Located near St. George’s University, the all-inclusive True Blue Bay Boutique Resort is also right on a marina and just a five-minute drive from the airport, putting it at the center of all the action. Though it doesn’t have its own beach, it does offer shuttles to Grand Anse, which is a mere 10 minutes away, plus there’s plenty else to do on property. There are four small but well-maintained pools; a spa that uses local ingredients like chocolate and nutmeg for its treatments; an open-air yoga studio with treetop views; and a top-notch dive school that offers quick courses as well as multi-day PADI certifications. Guests already certified to dive can take advantage of four dives per day included in their stay, while landlubbers can opt for rum and chocolate tastings, cooking classes, non-motorized watersports, and fun kids’ activities.

When hunger strikes, head to on-site restaurant Dodgy Dock, which regularly hosts theme nights like Street Food, Romantic BBQ, and Cocoa Thursdays. Should you prefer to cook for yourself, accommodations here, which range from rooms to suites to villas, include kitchenettes and outdoor seating with epic views. Villas can even sleep up to six people and feature private plunge pools for added luxury.

On the Dominican Republic’s northern coast, near the tip of the Samaná Peninsula, this unpopulated Atlantic beach stretches three miles from Cape Samaná to the cliffs of Cape Cabrón. To get here, you’ll need to take a four-wheel-drive vehicle or a boat charter from the small fishing village of Las Galeras, but once you arrive, you’ll find a nearly empty stretch of sand. The west end of the beach features calm waters ideal for swimming and snorkeling, while the east end has great waves for surfing. You’ll also find spots to rent kayaks, snorkeling gear, chairs, and umbrellas, as well as a few food vendors serving rice, beans, and seafood cooked over an open-hearth fire. This is the place to go when you want to get away from the crowds.

Some may scoff at the absence of beachfront acreage, but what all-inclusive Capella Marigot Bay lacks in sand it makes up for in amenities, including a cabana-lined pool area with swim-up bar and a ferry to nearby LaBas Beach. Backed by a see-and-be-seen marina that offers some of the island’s best people-watching, the hotel features 124 luxurious rooms and suites that are studies in restraint, with dark-wood accents and four-poster beds trimmed in mosquito netting. Guests are surprised with complimentary snacks each day, from house-made plantain chips to local Piton beer, but nourishment is also in abundance at the resort’s four restaurants—think fresh-caught snapper, jerk-spiced ribs, and lionfish ceviche—and during three happy hours. Meanwhile, the celestial-inspired Auriga spa offers locally focused treatments to those less interested in the fitness center and weekly activities such as body-scrub-making workshops and zip-line tours.

A hot lobster roll from Neptune Oyster is summertime heaven on a butter-soaked brioche, and bivalve lovers queue up daily to sample the two dozen varieties of oysters chilling in the front window of this diminutive North End restaurant. Fresh-off-the-boat fish and creative takes on New England seafood are the draws here—the clam chowder is made to order, the fish-and-chips uses Acadian redfish (not cod), and it’s probably the only place in town where you can get lobster tacos. Yeah, it’s pricey—hot or cold, the lobster roll will set you back around $30—but share the Neptune Plateau raw-bar plate with your friends and you’ll truly feel like the king of the sea.

Known as the “Jewel in the Crown” of the Southern Grenadines, Tobago Cays Marine Park comprises five picture-perfect, uninhabited islands surrounded by a clear lagoon. Here, you’ll find sea turtle nesting sites and feeding areas, small systems of mangroves, and the most well-developed coral reef complexes in St. Vincent. Swim with the resident turtles, snorkel around the almost 2.5-mile-long Horseshoe Reef, or simply relax on a magnificent white-sand beach—each island has at least one.

Local is the operative word in the Portland, Maine food scene. Ask a waiter what Atlantic Day-Boat halibut is exactly, and he’ll spin a story about the local captain who pulls in with the day’s catch. At the height of summer, it seems that every ingredient is caught, raised, foraged, or grown in the vicinity. So it’s no surprise that Maine oysters take pride of place at Eventide Oyster Co. Sure, there are some bivalves from New York and the West Coast, but my advice is to quiz the waitress about the ones from West Bath, Casco Bay, and the Damariscotta River. A hit of frozen Tabasco came on the house, but these plump beauties are best with just a squeeze of lemon.

Wonderful catamarans that you can rent right off the beach.

Set high above the St. Lawrence on Cap Diamant, overlooking Old Québec, this imposing yet inviting landmark is as much a lodging as it is a tourist attraction, borne out of its reputation as the most photographed hotel in the world. Opened in 1893 by the Canadian Pacific Railway to drum up luxury riders for its trains, the castle-like Fairmont Le Château Frontenac feels every bit as grand today as it must have when Roosevelt and Churchill secretly hatched plans for the invasion of Normandy here in 1943—and it continues to be the hotel of choice for A-list celebrities and other notables. A $75 million renovation in 2014 updated the 611 rooms with a more contemporary feel, draping spaces in chic furnishings and soothing shades of gray and cream, plus butter-yellow or soft turquoise accents. The spa features seven treatment rooms adjacent to an indoor pool, whirlpool, steam rooms, and a gym, but the hotel has become a destination for its food: Champlain restaurant is helmed by acclaimed young chef Stéphane Modat and offers a modern take on Québécois cuisine alongside magnificent views, while 1608 Wine & Cheese Bar highlights local wines, cheeses, and charcuteries.

As the first boutique hotel in Koreatown, the Line might have been able to get away with cutting a few corners while still attracting a cool clientele. It probably didn’t need to get the hottest young Korean-American chef in L.A. on board (to run one of the most comprehensive and exciting restaurant and bar networks yet seen, by the way), nor did the Sydell Group—the arbiters of cool behind the Nomad Hotel in New York—have to put their stamp on it. The hotel would have been nice enough had the concrete midcentury building not been entirely reimagined by designer Sean Knibb, known for designing half the cool spots in L.A. and more than a few celebrities’ homes. There didn’t need to be a desert greenhouse–inspired pool deck that’s become a hangout for beautiful people at all hours, nor did the famously trendy Houston Brothers (of no Vacancy and Harvard & Stone) have to throw in a midcentury-inspired cocktail bar. Nor did the typical hotel gift shop have to be reimagined as a design and lifestyle store curated by Poketo. The rooms and suites would have been just fine had they not been turned into artsy, industrial-style lofts, outfitted with original commissioned artwork, a minibar of Korean and Western snacks, and Baxter of California toiletries. Of course, all of this did happen, and now Koreatown is home to one of the hottest hotels in L.A.

Built in 1901, the legendary “First Lady of Waikiki” blends Victorian architecture with a golden beach and turquoise seas. Putting a luxury hotel in a deserted backwater was a bold move—but one that paid off. Tourism took off here and the Moana remains its ruling monarch. One of the most lovely, historical hotels in Hawaii, it still has Ionic columns supporting an elegant porte-cochère, plus a long shaded gallery along its facade where rocking chairs encourage guests to watch the world go by. A $21-million renovation brought it up-to-date in 2014 and added a new beach club. But an exhibit room still honors its rich past on the second floor of the Banyan Wing, and serves as a jumping-off point for free historical tours (11 a.m., Mondays and Wednesdays).

Many visitors are surprised to learn how many great hiking trails there are around Hong Kong. In fact, believe it or not, roughly three-quarters of Hong Kong (which, remember, comprises Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories) is undeveloped land. The mother of all hikes is the 62-mile MacLehose Trail, which winds across much of the New Territories from Pak Tam Chung to Long Ke. It’s considered one of the most gorgeous hikes in the world. The undulating trail snakes along gorgeous beaches, past sea caves, sea stacks, and interesting columns of volcanic rock, and in the middle, climbs to Hong Kong’s highest peak, Tai Mo Shan, at 3,140 feet. Do the whole thing or what most people do, just a part; MacLehose is divided into 10 sections ranging from three to 10 miles, with campsites set up along the way (one of the best is Stage 2; the starting point is the end of Sai Kung Man Yee Road along the High Island Reservoir). Keep your eyes peeled for rhesus monkeys, wild boar, and barking deer.

Look to the top of Seoul’s 860-foot-tall Namsan Mountain and you’ll see the N Seoul Tower, which rises an additional 777 feet. This aerial perch is the highest point in the city and offers incredible views. Far below, Seoul sprawls out like a toy wonderland, while, on a clear day, North Korea lurks on the horizon. N Seoul Tower also boasts the world’s highest mailbox, so after taking in the views, buy a postcard and send it to someone special.

There aren’t too many opportunities in the Caribbean to ride on horseback to a cave. In Los Haitises National Park, located three hours west of the resorts of Punta Cana, Fun Fun (pronounced “Foon Foon”) Cave is officially known as the largest cave in the Caribbean. Though the cave itself is in the National Park, access to the land goes across a private ranch and requires a guided tour. While the nearly three-hour drive from the resorts of Punta Cana is a lengthy, bumpy, journey into the interior, the scenes from the window provide an authentic glimpse into rural Dominican life. Sugar cane sways, schoolchildren wave, and mangoes drip from the trees. Upon reaching the ranch where you begin the tour you are shimmied into a jumpsuit and saddled onto your horse. A 45-minute ride through the shaded forest brings you to the edge of the National Park. From here it’s another 30 minute walk through sun-swallowing trees until you reach the entrance of Fun Fun Cave. Sliding into a harness and climbing gear, entering the cave requires a 50 ft. repel into a tiny hole which can barely fit your shoulders. Once at the bottom, it’s a one hour slog through the depths of the darkness before reaching the other exit. Inside the cave, stalactites and stalagmites pepper the areas which fall in the beam of your flashlight, and at some areas you are forced to swim through the soothing, subterranean waters. Here, a lone rope helps guide visitors through the hidden recesses of the cave.

Botswana’s most famous crafts are baskets woven from fan palm fibers. They are dyed with natural pigments: blue from fever-berry leaves, dark brown from magic guarri shrubs, and yellow from the roots of red star apple trees. Some baskets take a month to make. Nearly all lodges sell baskets, but you can also purchase them online.

If you only see one temple in Bangkok, make it Wat Pho: home of the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand. The 141-foot-long statue is an artistic masterpiece plated in gold leaf and inlaid with mother of pearl. You could easily spend all day wandering the grounds, looking at reliquaries, visiting the massage school, and admiring the 400 statues of Buddha in the outer cloister—each posed and sculpted slightly differently. Before you leave, drop some money in one of the 108 begging bowls (one bowl for each of the characters of Buddha). The money goes to maintaining the Wat and the gift will bring you good luck. That seems like a fair trade.