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You won’t find crowds on a beach that is accessible only by foot or boat. Hike to beautiful Jack Bay from Point Udall or from the east end of the beach at Grapetree Bay. Like beach at Isaac Bay, Jack Bay’s is home to protected hawksbill and green turtle nests. Enjoy the privacy on Jack Bay, then hike around the bend to see more of the same kind of paradise on Isaac Bay.

About 500 yards north of the Grand Turk Cruise Ship Center, this beach bar and grill makes an ideal place to while away a sunny afternoon sipping drinks with your toes in impossibly blue water. The family-owned tiki hut has a large patio, lounge chairs, and its resident goldendoodle, Topher, serves as a friendly ambassador. The smell of grilling jerk chicken will lure you up from the beach (Jack’s also rents beach chairs, in case you want to stay local after your meal). The menu offers a simple yet filling mix of conch, burgers, and local seafood to go with the selection of fruity cocktails.

Beaches are often named for their principal attributes, and such is the case with Playa Mansa. Mansa means “calm” in Spanish, and the waters are typically placid here, ideal for families with children and swimmers who prefer smooth-as-glass seas over surf’s-up breakers. In contrast to another Punta del Este beach, Playa Brava (Fierce Beach), Mansa’s water is usually warm, and the soft sands are perfect for a long walk. Plenty of bars and food kiosks will keep you sated.

First, Brooklyn’s Coney Island is not, in fact, an island, having been attached to the rest of the borough by landfill since the 1920s. What the area is best known for, however, is its heyday from around the 1880s through World War II when it began as a posh seaside resort area and gradually became a beloved beach destination, thanks to a number of amusement parks. The appeals of Coney Island declined after the war (historians attribute this to the proliferation of both air-conditioning, which made escaping to the shore less important, and the automobile, which made it easier to reach nicer sandy stretches on Long Island). In recent decades it has increased in popularity again. Brooklyn residents, and visitors to New York, have embraced anew the retro charms of the boardwalk and the rides that are still operating, like the Cyclone roller coaster and the Wonder Wheel Ferris wheel. The towering Parachute Jump has been abandoned, but it still stands as an impossible-to-miss landmark. Brighton Beach sits next to Coney Island and is a largely Russian neighborhood where restaurants are happy to serve any diners who appreciate copious amounts of vodka and Russian specialties.

You can drive the 71-mile circular road around Tahiti Nui in a day, either by renting a car for a day or by joining a guided tour (your hotel will have info for either). Either way, the loop road takes you along the wild and rocky east coast, where you will see spectacular black sand beaches, many hosting excellent surf breaks. By contrast, the island’s west coast is tamer and features peaceful lagoons for swimming and even a few white sand beaches, like popular Maui Beach. Extend the drive by continuing into Tahiti Iti, the smaller section of the island at the south end, and forming a figure eight loop to return to Papeete.

This 27-acre attraction in North Vancouver gets the heart racing with a suspension bridge that bounces 230 feet above a forested river gorge. Even more spectacular, however, is the Cliffwalk, a labyrinth of walkways along the granite flank of the valley. Get a bird’s-eye view of the area during the Treetops Adventure, a canopy expedition through the upper tiers of 250-year-old Douglas firs. The experience doesn’t come cheap at $46.95 per adult, but it does include free shuttle service from downtown and mini-tours that cover the flora, fauna, and First Nations involvement in the park. From late November to late January, Capilano strings holiday lights around the canyon and decorates the world’s tallest living Christmas tree.

Part of the North Shore mountain range, this 4,039-foot peak offers jaw-dropping views of the city. It’s busiest in the winter, when four chairlifts service 33 ski runs, but remains popular in the summer thanks to the steep, 1.8-mile Grouse Grind hiking trail. Those wishing to skip the sweat can ride the gondola to the summit—the ticket price includes access to lumberjack shows, the grizzly refuge, and guided eco-walks. Pay extra to zip-line, throw axes, or ascend Eye of the Wind, the world’s first and only wind turbine with a viewing pod. Afterward, hit one of the eateries like the self-service Lupins or The Observatory, which serves upscale West Coast cuisine.

One of El Salvador’s great surf spots, El Tunco is a beach whose crescent of sand is reached by scrambling over sea-smoothed stones.

El Tunco is also the name of the town where the beach is located, and a popular places for Salvadorans and foreigners alike to come and relax, chill, and enjoy a laidback vacation by the ocean.

When the tide’s just right, you can explore beach caves, which are tall enough to walk through. Even if you don’t surf, you’ll want to leave time to spend some time swimming as well—this is one of the area’s better swimming areas.

If you’re here in the afternoon or evening, take a short walk to Monkey La La, a bar and hotel on the other side of the Rio Grande to catch the sunset, cold beer in hand.

The beaches of Bermuda are justifiably famous, but this strand in St. George’s owes its fame to its awesome expanse of sea glass. Sitting under the Alexandra Battery, a fort constructed in the 1860s, the entire stretch of coast is blanketed in weathered, colorful glass pieces. The mother lode of treasures is found in an adjacent cave, which is best accessed at low tide. Among the smoky fragments of amber, green, and white glass, there are scattered remnants of pottery and the occasional blue piece. There’s even more sea glass to be found snorkeling offshore; this area too is easiest to navigate at low tide.

Fans of the Montage brand’s Laguna Beach and Beverly Hills flagships will love this mountain version, a ski-in, ski-out hotel wedged into the head of Empire Canyon. The sprawling, Craftsman-style manor debuted in 2010, solidifying Deer Valley’s standing as one of North America’s most luxurious ski resorts. Service shines, starting with the “Mountain Host,” who greets guests in the majestic lobby rotunda. Up the grand staircase, the full-service Vista Lounge acts as a communal living room, with vaulted ceilings, exposed wood beams, floor-to-ceiling windows, and leather furnishings gathered around limestone fireplaces. To further entertain guests, there’s also a museum-quality collection of Western art, including Carl Runguis panoramas, John James Audubon prints, and Frederic Remington portraits.

The hotel’s X-shaped footprint means nearly every room has small deck with mountain or valley views. Averaging around 600 square feet, large guestrooms are airy and inviting with lofted ceilings and soothing natural hues. Remote-controlled gas fireplaces are the centerpiece of each room, though the bath suite with heated limestone floors, marble vanity, rain shower, and soaking tub could occupy your entire evening.

Completed in 1916, this Italian-inspired villa on Biscayne Bay was the home of the early 20th-century industrialist James Deering and is now a National Historic Landmark. The house was modeled after historic villas and country estates in the Veneto region of northern Italy. The heart and main living area of the house is the Courtyard, which was originally open to the sky. Diego Suarez, who had worked in Florence, designed the gorgous formal gardens with classic Italianate flair, but modified for the heat and humidity of southern Florida. Thousands of varieties of orchids flourish in the greenhouse, while subtropical trees, palms, and low hedges highlight the lines of the gardens’ layout.

Location, location, location—it’s an adage that holds true at Lido House. Opened in 2018, the boutique hotel took over Newport Beach’s former city hall complex—putting it in the center of town and, most notably, right down the street from the stylish shopping and dining hub Lido Marina Village. The hotel’s rooftop bar (the only one in Newport), spa, and cabana-lined saltwater pool have also become destinations in and of themselves. An upscale Cape Code sensibility prevails in the 130 guest rooms and suites; there are also five three-story cottages, each with a private roof deck and one-of-a-kind furnishings selected by a local interior designer. The Lido Limo provides surfboards, bikes, and shuttle service to the beach a few minutes away. At the hotel’s restaurant the Mayor’s Table Pacific Pub & Kitchen, it’s worth splurging on the eight- to 14-course no-menu meal at the chef’s counter, where executive chef/partner Riley Huddleston makes magic with the freshest ingredients available. Fair warning: Morning mimosas from the champagne cart and Dungeness crab doughnuts at night might become hard-to-break habits.

Featuring Polynesian-Asian-French-fusion cuisine, this contemporary-chic beachfront eatery in Maharepa, owned by French-born restaurateur Bruno Jamais, is a sunny spot where you can indulge in some upscale Papeete-meets-Paris dining—maybe paired with a glass of bubbly. Devotees adore dishes such as marinated tuna tartare with wasabi, avocado and fried shallots. A three-course lunch runs about $60 per person (without beverages).

In the shadow of El Yunque, The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort is situated on 486 acres of former coconut plantation and native maritime forest. There are still plenty of palms here, but now the flora also includes all manner of tropical flowers and trees, positioned around numerous trails for walking, running, and biking. Families love the resort for its many amenities, from four tennis courts and a Robert Trent Jones Jr.-branded golf course to a luxurious spa and state-of-the-art fitness center. A new partnership with Aquavento Water Sports provides equipment for everything from kayaking and paddle-boarding to fishing and sailing on nearby lakes, while the Soul of Bahia program gives guests the opportunity to volunteer with a rescue organization for local cats and dogs or help maintain a turtle sanctuary during hatching season. Still, the most popular activity might just be lounging at the pool or on the two-mile-long golden beach.

Part of a $60 million renovation following Hurricane Maria, the hotel now features a design by celebrated Puerto Rican designer Nono Maldonado and San Francisco-based firm Hirsch Bedner Associates. The plantation-style dark woods and warm browns have been swapped out for more modern, sea-inspired colors, and the 139 rooms have a chic, residential feel, with sprawling bathrooms, private terraces, and glass bar cabinets that can be stocked to your personal tastes by a 24-hour butler. Occupying a two-story building overlooking the ocean, the Casa Grande lobby is the place to go to experience the hotel’s daily Champagne sabering ritual, enjoy live music from a Steinway piano, admire the mural over the St. Regis Bar, or enjoy Greek-inspired fare at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Paros. The poolside restaurant and beach shack have also been redone to ensure uninterrupted views over the water.

Life in Montevideo is focused on its seafront, both the working port and the beaches. Few capital cities can boast as many stunning beaches, many lined by waterfront promenades. Pocitos, ten minutes from downtown, is an affluent neighborhood and home to many of the city’s most beautiful buildings including a number of embassies. It’s a good place to experience life by the seashore, perhaps with a glass of wine at one of the many sidewalk cafés with views of the beach and the Río de la Plata.