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Why we love it: A vast resort on Table Rock Lake with every imaginable amenity

The Highlights:
- A lakeside location surrounded by miles of Ozark hiking trails
- A full-service marina for exploring the water
- Family-friendly amenities like a kids’ club and movie theater

The Review:
Just 10 miles from bustling Branson, Chateau on the Lake offers luxury accommodations in a serene lakeside setting. Nicknamed the “Castle in the Ozarks,” the property, with its signature blue-green roof peaks, is sprawling. Even the smallest guest rooms measure nearly 400 square feet, each with French Country furnishings, deep-wood accents, and views of the lake—often from private balconies. If you really want to stretch out, book the palatial Presidential or Vice Presidential suite, where four-poster king beds, separate sitting rooms, and jetted tubs make for an upscale stay.

When not relaxing in your room, take a dip in the indoor and outdoor pools, practice your serve on the tennis courts, hit the movie theater, or drop the little ones at the Crawdaddies Kids Club and head to the 12,000-square-foot Spa Chateau for treatments like the Table Rock Hot Stone Massage. Also on-site is a full-service marina for boat rentals, sailing charters, and activities like water-skiing, tubing, and fishing, as well as more than two miles of nature trails for hiking and bird-watching. When you factor in dining options as varied as an award-winning grille, a café and wine bar, a bakery, and a deli, there’s really no reason to ever leave the property—except to swim in Table Rock Lake.

The Cayo District is home to many of Belize’s ancient Maya sites, including one of the largest, Xunantunich. Located atop a ridge near the Mopan River and the Guatemala border, Xunantunich’s “El Castillo,” the main pyramid, is certainly the most impressive. Visitors who brave the steep steps to the top are rewarded with unsurpassed views into Guatemala and neighboring areas of Belize. While the climb up can be pretty steep and rough, there are other routes to get down along the backside that make the descent a little easier. It took me multiple visits to finally gather the courage to climb to the top, but I’m grateful I did, as the views were absolutely worth it! Organized tours to Xunantunich often combine with other activities like zip-lining, cave tubing, or even trips to the Belize Zoo. Travelers who wish to explore all of Xunantunich’s six plazas, which contain more than 26 temples and palaces, should plan to book a private tour or visit on their own.

Since its founding in 1985, Studio Ghibli has become one of the world’s preeminent masters of film animation. The Ghibli Museum, opened in 2001, is nested within one of Tokyo’s most beloved parks, Inokashira Park—just 20 minutes by train from Shinjuku to either Mitaka or Kichijōji. Take time before or after your museum visit to stroll through the park or to rent a paddle boat. Included with the price of admission is one viewing in the Saturn Theater, where Ghibli’s short films—made exclusively for the museum—are screened. The tickets themselves are precious as well—each one is made of original 35mm film print. On the second floor, the permanent exhibits are set up as an animator’s workshop and display the many steps of the animation process. Tubes of paint, pencils, and figurines sit scattered across a desk alongside paint palettes and works in progress. A stack of books about World War II aircraft sits in the corner, while model airplanes dangle from the rafters. Visitors can see original concept sketches, storyboards, background matte paintings, and animation cels—a rare treat for fans. Other exhibits demonstrate the science of animation, including the “Bouncing Totoro” zoetrope. When illuminated by strobe lights, the figurines on the turntables spring to life. Admission is by advance purchase only. While it is possible to buy tickets in Japan at most Lawson locations, visitors outside Japan can buy tickets through an authorized travel agency. Photo: Grace Lingad

Willis Tower—originally known as the Sears Tower—was the world’s tallest building for 23 years until it was unseated in 1996 by the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. The 110-story skyscraper is still mighty impressive. Its “bundled tube” design by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill was originally inspired by a handful of cigarettes and the innovative bundling changed the construction of supertall, wind-resistant buildings thereafter. The tower’s height is even more thrilling when measured from the 103rd-floor windows of the Skydeck observatory and the Ledge, a glass-enclosed box which juts more than four feet out from the side of the building so that visitors can (gingerly) walk out and stand 1,353 feet above the street.

There is never a dull moment at Covent Garden, a labyrinthine open space peppered with restaurants, vintage markets, craft stalls, and independent boutiques. There is festivity in the air. This is compounded by singers, magicians, and miscellaneous street artists performing at every corner. Explore the rich history of the area by visiting the London Transport Museum or the Royal Opera House. Pick up a unique gift at The Apple Market, which boasts of a variety of quirky craft stalls. For lunch, head to one of Leicester Square’s numerous al-fresco restaurants.

Why we love it: A wilderness retreat full of natural beauty and rustic luxury

The Highlights:
- A wide range of accommodations, including luxurious glamping tents
- More than enough activities to keep the entire family entertained
- A spectacular spa with fireplaces in each treatment room

The Review:
Nestled deep in the Ozark Mountains, Big Cedar Lodge was built in the early 1920s as a lavish country retreat for two prominent Missourians. It was purchased in 1987 by Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, who turned it into a fishing camp, then converted it to a high-end wilderness resort spread over 4,600 acres of wooded hollows. Today, it’s a popular place to connect with the great outdoors—amid some serious luxury. Overlooking the blue-green Table Rock Lake, the resort is focused on water recreation, offering activities like fishing, water-skiing, tubing, and rides on just about any boat you could imagine. A favorite choice is the Goin’ Jessi, an exact replica of a 1934 Chris-Craft named after Waylon Jennings’s wife, on which guests can take hour-long tours with champagne. Also on-site are two full-service marinas, four golf courses, and a 50,000-square-foot entertainment center with everything from go-karts, bumper cars, and laser tag to a ropes course, bowling alley, arcade, and climbing wall.

When visitors aren’t busy having fun, they’re spending quality time in Big Cedar Lodge’s plentiful accommodations, which range from lodge rooms to cottages to private log cabins with stone fireplaces, private decks, and jetted tubs. For something really unique, however, book an overnight experience at Camp Long Creek, an area just minutes from Big Cedar with camp huts, cabins, and glamping units right on the lake. (Outfitted with king canopy beds, chandeliers, and outdoor living spaces with a fire pit, shower, and galvanized tub for alfresco bathing, the tents are particularly exceptional.) Dining options are equally varied, from a casual café to a fine-dining restaurant to a wine-and-whiskey cellar. Still, the Cedar Creek Spa & Salon is alone worth a visit, thanks to its beautiful stained glass windows, hand-hewn timber ceiling, and stone floors crowned by chandeliers. There’s even an ice room and a candlelit grotto with body jets, plus 12 treatment rooms equipped with fireplaces and robes that are warmed up for post-treatment relaxation.

The English novelist D.H. Lawrence came to New Mexico to recuperate after being diagnosed with tuberculosis. This 160-acre ranch, gifted to him by Mabel Dodge Luhan, is where he started work on his novel The Plumed Serpent. He wrote underneath a tall ponderosa pine, immortalized by Georgia O’Keeffe in her painting The Lawrence Tree. Take a tour of Lawrence’s estate, including the famous tree, “standing still and unconcerned and alive,” as Lawrence once wrote.—By Edmund Vallance

The ire of Mount Kilauea reforges the world before visitors’ eyes. Nicknamed “the World’s Only Drive-In Volcano,” it’s produced serious lava every day since 1983 with no signs of stopping. Pele—the fire goddess who lives here, according to Hawaiian lore—is on a roll. Occasionally the lava flows spill into the sea, releasing stunning plumes of steam. Don’t miss the petroglyphs, lava tube, lush rain forest, and more than 150 miles of trail, including the four-mile Kilauea Iki loop. The drive here from Kona or Kohala can take two and a half hours, a bit of a long day, so consider reserving accommodations in the town of Volcano. You’ll have plenty of time to explore this otherworldly landscape, and even see the lava glowing in the dark!

This former railroad bridge, built across the Mississippi River in the 1880s, is now a pedestrian and bike path perfect for strolling between parks. With panoramic views of the downtown skyline, river, and St. Anthony Falls, Stone Arch Bridge is a favorite trail for locals.

Cajones are the small shallow canyons on the Chame River, favored by nature lovers and thrill-seekers alike. The canyon’s walls are eroded in places in delineated strata that reveal the Isthmus of Panama’s geologic history. You can hike or rappel along the canyon, or swim, float, or tube down the river, through eight pristine pools that invite general splashing about. To get there, drive the Pan-American Highway west from the capital, then merge onto the Bejuco-Sorá road. Los Cajones is twenty minutes away by 4x4 (you can park at the entrance and, for a small fee, take a shuttle service). There are no facilities inside the park at all, so come prepared with food and water.

Constructed in honor of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), this seaside park and memorial is one Helsinki’s major attractions. The abstract monument, entitled Passio Musicae, was created by pioneering artist Eila Hiltunen and is actually a kinetic, musical sculpture—a bundle of 600 steel tubes that capture the wind like a pipe organ. When it was unveiled in 1967, it sparked a debate about abstract art. (To appease the critics, a second sculpture—a representational bust of Sibelius—was added to the memorial.)

The mountainous Coron Island, just northeast of Palawan, is part of the officially designated ancestral domain of the indigenous Tagbanua people (possibly descendants of the original inhabitants of the Philippines). They steward the land and sea, and control access to the island, much of which is off-limits to visitors. There is still plenty to attract travelers to the area, though: a small, sleepy town and clear lakes; limestone rock formations; and white-sand beaches. Those lucky enough to be welcomed into a Tagbanua community can learn about their culture and how they spearfish, as well as the special techniques for harvesting octopuses, seaweed, and sea cucumbers. For snorkelers, Siete Pecados offers rich coral reefs and the chance to spot dugongs, giant hawksbill turtles, and baby sharks. Divers can also hope to get a glimpse of puffer fish, eels, and giant clams. As well as the diverse marine life, there are numerous Japanese shipwrecks from World War II on view underwater. Add in the visibility of up to 80 feet, and this area is a superb playground for diving enthusiasts.

Occupying 25 floors of a 90-story tower on West 57th Street, Park Hyatt New York opened its doors in August 2014. There is an emphasis on art at this sleek hotel, with museum-quality pieces on display in both the common areas and the spacious, light-filled rooms. A rotating art program in the hotel’s Avenue Gallery space features rotating exhibits with emerging artists from around the world.

In recent years, the craze for artisanal beers has given rise to a burgeoning market. One brand, Hocus Pocus, has gone so far as to open its own taproom, where its ever-expanding variety of beers is on offer. The setting is a former workshop with exposed-brick walls and shared tables that add a twist to the usual Rio beer hall (though be prepared for crowds and the possibility of not finding a table). There’s also a full portfolio of the Brazilian snacks called petiscos, notably a tongue sandwich with mustard, tube steaks, and lots of deep-fried nibbles. Classic rock serenades the scene.

Tahiti is home to some of the most beautiful hiking trails in Polynesia. Stops can include spectacular waterfalls and natural pools, panoramic views, grottos, archeological sites and lava tubes. A favorite hike is to the three Faarumai waterfalls. From the car park it is a quick scramble through a forest of chestnut trees to the first waterfall, Vaimahutu. Continue on for another 20 minutes or so to reach the other to falls Haamarere Iti and Haamarere Rahi, which are almost side-by-side. With hundreds of varieties of tropical trees, plants and flowers, Tahiti also has some of the world’s most beautiful gardens. Visit the water gardens of Vaipahi to experience the abundant flora and waterfalls that flow directly into Lake Vaihiria.