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Ka’ana is described as a “boutique resort,” and it appeals to guests who want a sense of being in the Belizean rain forest while also enjoying the comforts and amenities of a full-service resort. Rooms and villas here seem to blend into the jungle, but it’s clear that all is carefully tamed to ensure that guests don’t feel overwhelmed by the wildness. Rooms are decorated in earth tones, with textiles and design accents all locally crafted. Furniture is sturdy local hardwood. Master suites have outdoor showers, and there are two spacious, private villas, each with its own plunge pool, garden, and outdoor terrace, among other luxuries. Staff can arrange land and sea excursions to the country’s most popular cultural, historic, and natural sites.

A quick drive from the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens, Chez Tante Athalie prepares memorable Creole cuisine in an idyllic setting. The restaurant only offers lunch, served Monday through Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. Whether you order from the prix-fixe or limited à la carte menus, you’ll get a traditional taste of Mauritian cooking. The airy dining space opens onto a garden that displays vintage cars and features a quaint stone patio; the setting is so picturesque that it’s been the backdrop for multiple photo shoots. Chez Tante Athalie has also become a community gathering spot for local book launches.

North of Georgetown, nestled on 5.5 acres of woods and gardens, this obscure museum is the former mansion of Geico Insurance executive and avid art collector David Lloyd Kreeger and his wife, Carmen. Designed and built by renowned architect Philip Johnson, the International Style masterpiece displays the couple’s collection of 19th- and 20th-century European and American art, and traditional African and Asian art, with an outdoor sculpture garden to boot. Highlights include paintings and sculptures by Picasso (their favorite artist), Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Rodin, Chagall, Mondrian, and local talents. The museum also functions as a venue for after-hours classical and jazz concerts.

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, Komodo National Park covers vast areas of land and sea between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores. It’s much more than the home of the legendary Komodo lizard (aka the Komodo dragon). Terrestrial denizens include Timor deer, 72 bird species and an endemic rat. And the underwater world is beyond compare, with pristine coral reefs and ocean currents patrolled by manta rays, dugongs, sharks, sea turtles, dolphins and at least 14 whale species.

Ciudad Perdida (or “lost city”) is believed to have been a political and spiritual center for the people that inhabited the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta highlands around 800 C.E. Treasure hunters “discovered” the complex in the 1970s and plundered its ceremonial artifacts. The subsequent arrival of archaeologists and anthropologists failed to turn up the site’s true origins with any certainty, but indigenous Arhuaco and Kogui people believe it was a sacred city. It seems to have been abandoned around the same time the Spaniards arrived. Today’s visitors can still see a network of 169 terraces carved into the mountainside, overlooking the Buritaca River. The city can be experienced two different ways—choose to hike in (a four-to-six-day guided trip) or to fly over on a helicopter tour (though note that aircraft are not permitted to land).

Park on Fremont is a everything that a gastropub and beer garden should be, with a very cool, hipster bar (featuring taxidermy—a must these days), as well as ample space to stretch out underneath cafe lights in the back. It’s like a little piece of Austin, Texas right in the heart of Vegas. Plus, it’s open for brunch on the weekends.

In other cities, Schloss Belvedere would be the grand attraction: The baroque palace turned museum is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and its French-style gardens, enormous pools, and upper and lower pavilions are stunning. But in Vienna, a city that’s chockablock with majestic palaces and marvelous art institutions, the Belvedere winds up being underappreciated by visitors. Formerly the summer palace of the French-born military commander Prince Eugene of Savoy, the early-18th-century palace was designed by Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt, one of the most celebrated architects of his day. Works in the building’s collection range from baroque masterpieces to 20th-century treasures such as Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss as well as pieces by Oskar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele.

Classic-film buffs well know the pivotal scene on the Riesenrad, the giant Ferris wheel in Vienna’s Prater park which lies between the Danube and one of its side canals. In the film version of Graham Greene’s noir tale The Third Man, Orson Welles, as Harry Lime, relates his famous Swiss cuckoo clock analogy to Joseph Cotten while on the ride. Built in 1897 for Emperor Franz Joseph I’s golden jubilee, the Ferris wheel was for a long time the world’s tallest. After a period of scruffiness late last century, the Prater and its old-fashioned amusement park are again popular. The greenery alone makes for wonderful strolling or biking, with the Schweizerhaus restaurant’s beer garden the perfect place for schnitzel or succulent Schweinsstelze (pig’s feet).

Perched over the river that runs through downtown Chattanooga, the Tennessee Aquarium offers a novel way to discover the magic of sea life. Exhibits here trace the path from mountain streams to the sea, showcasing aquatic animals in representations of their natural habitats. In the ocean display, visitors can see exotic fish gliding over multicolored coral reef formations, but the most popular attractions are the river otters cavorting in cascading waterfalls, and the penguins diving in and out of their cold-water habitat. The aquarium also features thousands of insects that flutter from flower to flower in the butterfly garden, as well as a gigantic IMAX 3-D theater that screens fascinating movies about nature and science.

Located in historic Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park, the Please Touch Museum has long been a favored attraction for families with kids ages 7 and under. (Parents—who are so often tired of saying no and holding kids in check in public places—are among the museum’s biggest fans.) Not only does the museum’s collection include over 25,000 toys, it houses a working carousel from 1908, and some of its permanent exhibits include a kid-size city, an interactive garden, and a space station. Special changing displays are also part of the fun. Current program updates and discount offers to followers are posted on their Facebook page.

Nestled under an old tree, Lazy Wave offers fresh Asian, Latin, and European fusion cuisine. The setting is wonderful, with fluffy cushioned couches and candle-lit tables in an exotic garden.

Located in a historic mansion on one of the oldest streets in Oranjestad, Bistro de Suikertuin is hard to miss. The building is painted a bright hue of yellow, reminiscent of the tropical birds that visit its namesake sugar garden, and the front porch features a blackboard with the daily menu. Tables are scattered inside and out, but the pretty garden is the preferred spot for savoring your morning coffee and Aruba’s traditional pancakes. Come lunch, the restaurant is all about salads, wraps, and broodjes (Dutch-style sandwiches with meat and/or cheese on baguettes). Note: Reservations are recommended for afternoon tea service.

Hong Kong has been one of the world’s most important ports for eons. This museum, an especially great destination for families with children, has more than a dozen galleries with exhibits highlighting the importance of the port of Hong Kong to China’s role in world trade throughout history. There are exhibits on sea bandits and on the development of Victoria Harbour. Explore collections of navigation equipment, ship models, nautical paintings, and photographs of traditional Chinese junks. There’s a cool gallery showcasing the sounds of the sea—whistles, bells, horns, the crash of waves, the clank of halyards, the thrum of engines—and another on passenger ships, whether they carry poor immigrants or leisure cruisers. A very realistic bridge simulator will give you a feel for maneuvering a range of vessels, from huge container barges to high-speed boats and even Hong Kong’s famous Star Ferry.

Taiwanese-style shaved ice desserts (known as “bao-bing” in Chinese) consist of large bowls of finely shaved ice topped with a variety of sweets, including condensed milk, beans, jellies, and fresh fruit. For fifteen years, Ice Monster was a tiny open storefront hawking mango shaved ice on Taipei’s famous foodie destination, Yongkang Street. Its recent move to the trendy East District includes a thorough re-branding as well as a creative expansion of their menu. Although Ice Monster’s mango shaved ice is still a must-order, non-traditionalists will enjoy digging into their new innovative creations like taro and red-bean milk “avalanches”, or sampling a few of their handmade popsicles. My personal favorite is a tribute to Taipei’s most famous drink: a “deconstructed boba milk tea” made with milk tea shaved ice and served with tapioca “bubbles” on the side. 886/(0)2-8771-3263

Stroll through Otrobanda for more than five minutes and you’ll immediately understand why locals call it the cultural heart of Willemstad. Located across the bay from Punda—Otrobanda literally means “other side"—the district is a fascinating mishmash of restored colonial buildings and run-down alleys covered in fading murals. Along the Breedestraat, the neighborhood’s main shopping road, you can find rows of Chinese and Indian stores, bars, lotto shacks, bakeries, and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. The best way to explore this area’s complex past is to join Shirley of Dushi Walks on a two-hour trek to her favorite sites—complete with history, art, and stories from the residents you’ll meet along the way.