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The most northern of the Northern Beaches, Palm Beach makes for a relaxing day or weekend trip. Here, a sandy isthmus straddles ocean waves and harbor sails, and the Barrenjoey Lighthouse stands watch a short hike up the hill. Snag a spot on the deck of the Boathouse—a Hamptons-style beach shack complete with crab traps, striped awnings, and all manner of flowers and produce on display—for a bacon and egg roll, croissant French toast, or beer-battered flathead and chips overlooking the water. After finishing that cappuccino, which started with an anchor stamped into the foam, take the ferry across the inlet to the Basin campground in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park to swim, stand-up paddle board, and search for wallabies in the wild.

On the west side of Arenal Volcano, this 900-acre tropical reserve was a labor of love for owner and architect Jaime Mikowski, who spent years planting acres of native plants and coaxing the land’s natural mineral springs into a river that now flows throughout the property, spilling over into dozens of waterfalls and pools that range from 72 to 105 degrees. Spacious rooms have marble floors and streamlined furnishings; splurge on a suite, which features a private terrace and a Jacuzzi tub—a little superfluous considering all the other options for soaking in warm water here, but who’s complaining? There are also five swimming pools, one with a swim-up bar and waterslide, and a spa comprising 12 bungalows with treatments that all include, you guessed it, a dip in a thermal spring-fed tub. While the property is also open to day trippers, guests of the resort have exclusive access to Shangri-La Gardens, an adults-only lounge area with pools, cabanas, and a folliage-filled bar.

Encyclopedic is one way to describe L.A.’s oldest art institution. Sprawling is another. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art opened in its current Miracle Mile location in 1965 and has not stopped growing, becoming the largest museum in the western United States. Its 135,000-piece collection spans 6,000 years of art. It also includes some of the museum world’s most photographed outdoor sculptures, such as Michael Heizer’s mind-boggling Levitated Mass and Chris Burden’s Urban Light. The museum hosts some 40 exhibits per year, plus a dynamic schedule of events, such as Tuesday film matinees and picnic-friendly Jazz at LACMA (held weekly on “summer” weekend nights—which in L.A. means April to November). While anyone can join free tours throughout the day, docents also lead customized experiences for a fee, which will take you through the galleries before or after hours to marvel at artists as wide-ranging as Henri Matisse, Ai Weiwei, Diego Rivera, and Catherine Opie. Kids are also catered to with a special gallery, Sunday activities, and a free membership, which includes entry for them plus an adult guest any day of the year. Pro tips: Plan to spend several hours at the museum, fueling up on wood-fired pizza midway through the day at Ray’s & Stark Bar. And if you’d like to experience the outdoor sculptures without the crowds, go early in the morning or on Wednesdays, when the museum is closed and gloriously quiet.

Among vacationers who’ve been coming to Grand Cayman forever, there’s a whole faction that essentially camps out at Rum Point all day every day, and you’ll understand why as soon as you see the place. Tucked away, super low-key, and graced with a ridiculously photogenic pier—its perfectly weathered planks cutting a striking figure against the tranquil, turquoise surroundings—this beach is the ultimate spot for settling into a lounger or hammock between water-sports outings. Rum Point’s namesake booze—which used to wash ashore by the barrel, according to legend—is available in all manner of cocktails here, of course. But order at least one mudslide at its spiritual birthplace: the beach’s beloved Wreck Bar.

No visit to Antigua is complete without taking in the sunset atop Shirley Heights Lookout at its weekly Sunday sundowner party. The view from Shirley Heights is without a doubt the most famous, most photographed, most celebrated vista gracing Antigua. Immediately below, English and Falmouth Harbours clutch their bays. On clear days you can see Guadeloupe to the south and Montserrat with it’s still active volcano to the south west. It does get busy, so expect a crowd and while there might be a couple locals sprinkled in here and there, it’s mostly visitors. Around 7ish, the tunes crank up with either some reggae classics, some pumping soca, or even live a steelpan band. Smoke from a collection of barbecues compete with the music to fill the air and stimulate your senses. Expect chicken and ribs slathered in local flavors, plus burgers for the less adventurous. I did have some trouble getting grilled fish on my last visit, but once I found some, it was charred to perfection.

With only 48 hours to spend in Istanbul, you really don’t want to have a bad meal. Doing my research before we left, one place that kept turning up with names like “Best Meals of 2012,” My Last Meal on Earth Would Be,"—plus recommendations from trusted friends—was Çiya. After a leisurely morning wander around the seaside neighborhood of Ortaköy, we hopped on a ferry, grabbed a glass of hot tea, and headed to the Asian side of Istanbul. In Kadıköy we found young buskers playing traditional music on almost every corner, and vegetable and fish sellers shouting the praises of their wares. And all of the sidewalk cafes were full. Çiya is spread out over three locations. We had the difficult choice of choosing one of them. We picked Çiya kebap. We ordered a thin and spicy lahmacun—a kind of turkish pizza—to start and then moved on to our meaty mains: Ayvalý Taraklý, an intense dish of tiny lamb chops smothered in a pomegranate and fresh quince sauce; a classic kebap plate with hand-minced lamb with lots of fresh mint; Kağıt Kebap, a spicy hand-minced lamb and hot chili pepper kebab. We were seated on the second floor with a view of the original Çiya Sofrasi, and we watched as plates from the two restaurants were passed back and forth. After all that food, the sun broke through the clouds, and we headed back out to the streets—to the crowds of Sunday shoppers and the sounds of the muezzin call.

A couple of blocks west of the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Hoan Kiem Lake—meaning Lake of the Restored Sword—is one of Hanoi’s anchors. It contains a number of sites worth visiting, like Ngoc Soc Temple and the picturesque, red-lacquered Huc Bridge. The greatest fun here is people watching, from men and women jogging round the perimeter to retired folks doing tai chi or dancing. Many locals come to socialize or just take a few moments to escape the city’s chaotic roads and traffic. Visit in the morning as the city is waking up and the air remains blissfully cool. Photo by Binder.donedat/Flickr.

Whistler Blackcomb receives lots of press about its big-mountain features, but the resort offers plenty of terrain for every family member and skill level. The Whistler Blackcomb Snow School, among the best in North America, is great for both seasoned skiers and kids as young as toddlers. Even tweens and teens can enjoy small-group lessons, which offer equal parts socializing and instruction in the terrain parks and beyond. Welcome on the Whistler and Peak 2 Peak gondolas, non-skiers will have the village to themselves during the day. When back with their group, they can hang at one of the more than 25 on-mountain restaurants.

In a valley only five miles from the Pacific Ocean, Folktale Winery lives up to its name: The Old World French-style château appears like a castle from childhood fables amid the vineyards and oak trees. On arrival, visitors are greeted with a taste of sparkling brut (NV). Like many winemakers in the area, Folktale focuses on chardonnay and pinot noir, but its wines stand out for their bright acidic style and the minerality of the terroir. Daily tasting hours run into the early evening, and individual glasses and bottles are available, as well as flights of Folktale and reserve wines from single vineyards. The restaurant serves such seasonally inspired small plates as brie and pear bruschetta, shared plates (the crispy octopus is a local favorite), salads, and cheese or charcuterie boards. Pro tips: Save room to sample wine ice cream pops, made of rosé or grenache. Tours (which require reservations) include visits to the vineyards, cellar, and barrel room. And check the winery’s events calendar for yoga classes in the vines, special workshops, and concerts.

The two-story Binh Tay Market is an impossible-to-miss Chinatown landmark on the edge of Ho Chi Minh City’s District Six; it boasts a distinctive Chinese-inspired clock tower, yet it was a French patron who financed the construction of the market in the 1880s. It isn’t geared toward foreigners like the more popular (among travelers, that is) Ben Thanh Market, so there are fewer souvenirs for sale—on the upside, that means prices are already low. The focus here is more on fresh food, though items like bags, clothing, and handicrafts are also sold; even if you don’t plan on purchasing anything, it’s a fascinating place to visit.

The Château Dufresne might not be high on most visitors’ lists of sights to see in Montréal, but as it is just across the street from both the city’s botanical garden and the Olympic Stadium, you may want to drop in if you are in the neighborhood. The mansion was constructed from 1915 to 1918 in the Beaux-Arts style popular in Montréal in those years. The 20,000-square-foot building is modeled on the Petit Trianon at Versailles and is actually two homes in one, as the brothers Oscar and Marius commissioned side-by-side mansions. The château served several different purposes after the Dufresne family lived there, first as a boarding school and later as the home of the Musée d’Art Contemporain. Today many of the rooms have been decorated with early 20th-century pieces, and a permanent exhibition provides an introduction of life in Montréal’s East End a century ago. Temporary exhibitions cover a range of topics, including some that highlight the collections of prominent Montréal patrons and others that focus on leading artists in the city.

Manhattan can, famously, feel like endless rows of apartment blocks and office towers for most of its length. At least above 14th Street, a regular grid of streets and avenues, bisected only by Broadway, has transformed the city into a dream for real estate developers. The green spaces interrupting the pattern—Union Square, Gramercy Park, Madison Square Park—are few and far between, with one enormous exception: Central Park. Running from 59th Street to 110th Street, and between Central Park West (Eighth Avenue) and Fifth Avenue, it is one of the world’s largest urban parks, measuring some 843 acres. It is the masterpiece of the 19th-century landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted working in collaboration with Calvert Vaux. Inside its borders are stately allées and naturalistic scenes, ice-skating rinks (in the winter), an enormous reservoir, and a faux castle. The park is hugely popular, and so to call it an escape from the bustle of the city is often not accurate, especially on mild summer days and the first warm ones in the spring when thousands of residents head to its playing fields, bike and run along the road that loops the park, and enjoy picnics on the Sheep Meadow or one of its other lawns.

To stay in Florence is a visual delight. And a stay at the stunning Il Salviatino hotel is simply magnificent. Tucked into the hills above the glistening city of Florence this restored and refined 15th century villa, Il Salviatino exemplifies the grandeur of Florence with great style in the quiet of the Tuscan hills. Surrounded by 12 acres of their private park, and just 15 minutes from the city center accessible by the hotel’s shuttle;, after being in the middle of the hordes visiting the Duomo and the Uffizi it is a most relaxing place to stay. There is a magnificent tiered pool to swim in, a spa, and horseback riding, hot air balloon rides, cooking classes and wine tastings available nearby. Built as a magnificent villa, each room is unique. Some have outdoor terraces, several feature a glass greenhouse enclosure. Another has a bathtub for two with views of the hills. One stunning room is the Affresco Suite, hidden behind a door in the library and boasting an intricate 1886 ceiling fresco by Bruschi, a sarcophagus tub, books on Florence and enough space for two to curl up to read with a glass of wine: this is the definition of refined luxury. From the remarkable stone terrace, one can see the rose garden, the Duomo, and Florence sparkling at night while dining. The hotel restaurant La Cucina del Salviatino serves local specialties with vegetables, herbs and fruit from their organic garden, paired impeccably with wines from their cellar. A most romantic repast here under the stars by their talented chef Stefano Santo will not soon be forgotten. And the opulent breakfast is the perfect way to begin your day of exploration in Florence. Il Salviatino refreshes, inspires and delights the savvy traveler who seeks the beautiful. Compliments to owner Alessandra Rovati Vitali for refreshing this Florence Tuscan paradise and to CEO Marco Milocco for the seamless operation. Be forewarned however, that after being looked after by the attentive and professional staff the hardest part is leaving. https://www.visitflorence.com all photos: Luxepaths Kurt Winner

With its world-renowned chef and ultrachic decor, Blue—tucked discreetly into the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman—seems the sort of place you’d find in New York or Paris. But the main draw is decidedly local: spectacularly fresh ingredients sourced largely from the sea right outside and served up in such specialties as lightly seared wahoo with bok choy and kimchi broth; or poached halibut with sunchokes, salsify, and truffle jus; or bread-crusted red snapper with squid and sofrito sauce. If you’re feeling ambitious, go for the gusto with a six- or seven-course tasting menu—and tack on the wine pairings.

Sure, you can fly straight into Zanzibar, but where’s the fun in that? The Azam Marine ferry makes for a wonderful adventure from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar, departing from the port in Tanzania’s capital four times a day. Passengers can sit out on deck as the catamaran edges away from the mainland, taking in the sea breeze, admiring the quaint little fishing boats bobbing about in the sunshine, and watching giant trawlers heading out into the glistening sea. The VIP experience is the way to go—VIP passengers are treated to reclining red-leather seats and a free coffee during the 90-minute journey. Suffer from seasickness? Beware: The water can be choppy in the afternoon, so opt for an early sailing instead. Advance booking is necessary.