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Indulge your fantasy of playing castaway on a secluded tropical paradise in French Polynesia. From the ultra-remote Gambier Archipelago to private islands closer to Tahiti’s international airport, French Polynesia is full of islands where you can spend days without giving a thought to the passage of time. Maybe try fishing and splitting coconuts with your bare hands, in the style of Robinson Crusoe.

In a city packed with new construction, this Art Deco landmark remains a fixture of the Huangpu River—just as it has for more than eight decades. A favorite of visiting celebs and dignitaries, the Fairmont Peace Hotel is divided into North and South buildings. Complete with a copper-sheathed roof, Italian marble floors, and Lalique glass artwork, the 1920s North building—known as Sassoon House for its British businessman owner Sir Victor Sassoon—was once home to the Cathay Hotel; guests included Charlie Chaplin, George Bernard Shaw, and Noël Coward, who completed Private Lives here. The 1850s Renaissance South Building, formerly the Palace Hotel and once the tallest structure on Nanjing Road, was occupied by the Japanese during World War II. The two buildings combined to become the Peace Hotel in 1965, operating continuously until closing in 2007 for an overhaul of the exterior, interiors, lobby, and guest rooms by Hirsch Bedner Associates.

Today, Art Deco influences and romantic flourishes are evident throughout the 270 rooms and suites, many of which boast Bund views. Fairmont Gold rooms come with private check-in and lounge access, while the each of the opulent Nine Nations Suites is named for a different country and features corresponding décor. The Dragon Phoenix and Cathay Room serve Shanghainese–Cantonese and European cuisine, respectively, and the legendary Jazz Bar takes you back to a 1920s-era private club. After a day spent exploring the city or shopping along nearby Nanjing Road, take refuge in the Willow Stream Spa, which has 11 treatment rooms and a skylight-lit pool.

If eating huge plates of pork, deciphering local slang, and snowshoeing through the woods of Québec can’t bring two siblings together, what can?

These Cape Town markets peddle everything from native crafts and flea market goodies to artisanal food, local designs, and fresh flowers. Some pop up weekly in neighborhood squares, others operate full-time in airy refurbished warehouses, others are in luxury malls, but what they have in common is that they all sell authentic local flavor.

Forget the novelty mai tai in a tiki mug—bartenders in Oahu take full advantage of their lush surroundings and are creating libations that use ingredients like passion fruit syrup, smoked sugar cane, lemongrass, and ginger. Sure, you can find the kitschy tropical drinks, but they’ll more likely feature a hint of mezcal and the freshest pineapple juice than the cocktails your parents enjoyed on their honeymoon. The craft beer movement has even washed up on the shores of Waikīkī. Get ready for a sip of something fresh.

Florence may be full of fancy restaurants, but it’s also easy to eat well and eat cheaply in this Renaissance gem. Look out for good value lunchtime menus at restaurants where dinner may challenge the wallet; delis offering cheap lunchtime snacks; wine bars serving up gourmet eats to pair with the best vintages; rosticcerias with a mouth-watering selection of food to go and mom-and-pop joints with the kind of authentic, homely cuisine rarely found in more up-market restaurants.

An amateur baker apprentices with a Paris boulanger and learns the secret of artisan bread.

There are bigger and flashier moonshine distilleries in East Tennessee, but none are more fun to visit than this humble facility in the quaint town of Piney Flats. The distillery is run by the ironically nicknamed “Tiny” Roberson, a mountain of a man who learned how to master steel and steam as a boiler technician in the Navy. After mustering out, Roberson used his experience to start his own business distilling fine corn liquor and, thus, Roberson’s Tennessee Mellomoon was born. Today, visitors can tour the facility to witness how Roberson’s self-described “hillbilly engineering” is used to craft White Lightnin’ and flavored moonshines, all of which are available for purchase in the distillery’s gift store and bottle shop.

Known for their ability to combine comfort with luxury, Dominica’s best accommodations range from oceanfront cabanas and cliffside condos to a hotel in a former military fortification and an eco-lodge on a working fruit plantation. Many focus on sustainability and adventure travel, while others highlight local art, world-class spas, and proximity to Dominica’s best beaches.

There are so many cafes in Cape Town, it’s not hard to find a place for brunch on the weekends or during the work week. A classic breakfast in Cape Town features eggs, slices of broiled tomato, Canadian-style bacon, and toast or pastries. Fresh fruit, granola and yogurt is also a common choice. For a local delicacy, try buttermilk rusks, which are best eaten after dipping for a few seconds in your morning coffee. These brunch spots will start your full day of sightseeing in Cape Town off right.

When traveling with family or friends in Turks and Caicos, a private villa rental often works out to be cheaper than sleeping in a hotel. Staying in a private villa also offers more privacy and flexibility when it comes to meals and experiences. From bare-bones to full-service with butler, maid, and chef, villa rentals in Turks and Caicos cover all budgets.

From the Inca Trail and the Sacred Valley to Lake Titicaca and the Andes Mountains, Peru has a lot to offer in the way of pre-Columbian sites and natural beauty—a fact that the country’s best hotels use to their full advantage. Here, visitors can stay by the gates of Machu Picchu, on the site of a former palace, along the edge of Colca Canyon, and more.

A journey into Morocco’s Berber territory, where tradition and modern life meet.

Singapore may not have bicycle lanes on its roads, but the country does have a wonderful and growing network of bike-friendly asphalt paths along its many canals and rivers that are sometimes joined up with pathways in parks and along old rail corridors (in Singapore, they’re called park connectors). An easy 3-mile round-trip stretch to sample runs along the Singapore River. Join the riverside pathway just off Zion Road near the Great World City shopping mall—you can rent your chariot nearby from Bike Connect, at 23 Hoot Kiam Road—or grab a two-wheeler from the now ubiquitous bike-share steeds parked everywhere. Pedal all the way to the old shophouses of Boat Quay where the river empties into Marina Bay and then the South China Sea at the heart of Singapore’s colonial core. From there, get a glimpse of the grand Fullerton Hotel (once the national post office), the Asian Civilisations Museum (originally intended to be the city’s courthouse), and several historic bridges.