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Often described as a Greek paradise, the Polilimnio Waterfalls in Polilimnio Gorge offer something different from Messenia’s usual beaches. Visitors are immersed in a scene of lush greenery, gushing cascades, and green lakes filled with fresh-water crabs perfect for a relaxing dip. And if you’re adventurous, cliff diving is also an option at the highest and deepest of the pools. The hike to the Polilimnio Waterfalls takes about an hour and a half, with the trailhead beginning in Haravgi Village. Follow the paved road until it turns into dirt and you’ll eventually come to a car park at the start of the trail. Make sure to wear sturdy shoes, as the ground can be uneven or slippery—especially after it rains—in some sections. For a guided experience, Navarino Outdoors offers an Ancient Messene & Polilimnio Falls Excursion where you’ll explore the area’s historical stadium and theater; eat traditional Greek food; and visit the beautiful Polilimnio Waterfalls.

Why we love it: A historic property teeming with rich, Moorish style

The Highlights:
- Iconic architecture and bold interior design
- A serene pool area surrounded by lush greenery
- A focus on sustainability, with low-energy lighting and water-efficient landscaping

The Review:
Built by Frank Miller and Arthur Benton in the early 1900s, this regal stone building presides over Laguna Beach, echoing the area’s Spanish Mission roots with white stucco, red terra-cotta roof tiles, secret turrets, and spacious patios. Inside, renowned interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard enhanced the castle-like structure with hand-painted furniture, Moorish tiles and lanterns, and wainscoting worthy of a Marrakech palace, giving the hotel a bohemian vibe. He also added softer notes like oxblood-leather armchairs and cerulean velvet couches that echo the blue of the Pacific below. Despite being a registered historic structure, Casa Laguna became the area’s first hotel to receive the Green Eco-Leaf rating from iStayGreen.org. Its sustainable initiatives range from bulk amenities and soaps to low-energy lighting and water-efficient landscaping.

The 23 suites all feature custom marble vanities, handcrafted natural fiber mattresses, and Martyn Lawrence Bullard fabrics and wallpapers. Expect beautiful attention to detail at every turn, from Dean & DeLuca snacks to Cowshed amenities made famous by the spa in Somerset, England. If you’re visiting for a special occasion, book the Bungalow, a freestanding, 600-square-foot sanctuary that offers ocean views from the living room and jetted clawfoot tub. It also has a large private balcony with a hammock for two. When not relaxing in their rooms, guests can enjoy a complimentary European-style breakfast as well as Mediterranean small plates throughout the day, all of which are available in the lobby, by the pool, or packed up for a picnic on the beach. There’s also an intimate spa with an outdoor area, where you can enjoy ocean views from the soaking tub before indulging in a hot stone massage.

About an hour’s drive south of Barcelona, past scruffy beach towns along the Costa Dorada, Le Meridien Ra Resort and Spa stands out from its neighbors on a beautiful length of the Mediterranean. Inside the resort gates, an elegant central building, buffed out for the 21st century, does not fail to impress. Originally built as a tuberculosis hospital for children, the hotel has turned its focus from illness to wellness: A three-story modern addition contains the Explore spa, with treatments ranging from all sorts of massages and facials to ayurvedic experiences and thalasso body masks with iodine-rich algae. After treatment, clients are encouraged to prolong the self-care vibe with a visit to the roof, where an indoor-outdoor complex offers glamorous sun beds on a deck, steam and sauna rooms, as well as a pool with stations for bubble jets of varying intensities as well as shoulder-massaging water spouts and soothing currents. Guest rooms are spacious and cleanly modern with midcentury design touches (an angular sconce beside the bed, a curvy Hans Wegner-inspired chair and stool) and a mild color palette. Generous cabinet space speaks to the resort’s summer season—many repeat guests come for a week or two. (For additional space, families can opt to rent one of the on-site apartments.) The resort’s kitchen, which draws inspiration from Catalan traditions, is inventive and playful, employing some molecular gastronomy techniques without any fussiness. Small dishes—accompanied by tiny pearls filled with local vinegar or topped with foam or served in paper cones—are perfect for summer appetites (and can be augmented by more traditional seafood, fish, and ham dishes). The beach itself is a wide, sandy stretch planted with a few palm trees and several rows of beach loungers and umbrellas. Beach servers ferry food and drink from the airy dining pavilion, and a masseuse offers complimentary chair massages. The Mediterranean here, a vivid blue, contains 10% more iodine than elsewhere—a health benefit espoused both by the religious order who ran the sanitarium and by the resort now. As a brand, Le Meridien supports local arts and culture and this hotel is a bright example of that ethos: among many offerings, it hosts literary festivals, visits to the nearby studio of a ceramic artist, cooking lessons on the nuances of Catalan rice dishes, winery tours, live music in the gardens, and is home to four grand bronze sculptures by Salvador Dali. But for all these options, days can pass lazily, too, with a lunch under the grape arbor, or a round of backgammon on the shady terrace facing the beach, accompanied by a glass of rosé. ¡Salud!

The resplendent Raffles Hotel reopened in late 2019 to great fanfare after two years of restoration. Originally built in 1887 as a 10-room hotel, it now features 115 suites with oriental carpets and teak floors to complement four-poster beds and colorful Peranakan-tiled bathrooms. An in-room tablet controls everything from the mood lighting to calling your butler for a glass of bubbly. All have a private veranda to enjoy balmy evenings outside.




The building was declared a national monument in 1987, so the façade has changed little, but the hotel’s food and drink concepts have been revamped with a focus on marquee restaurant collaborations with the likes of Jereme Leung (yi) and Hawaiian-born Jordan Keao (Butcher’s Block). Not forgetting Singapore’s rich food culture, the hotel offers a self-guided Raffles Singapore Hawker Food Trail video hosted by hawker champion and Makansutra founder KF Seetoh. Raffles also offers an exclusive private tour of the Intan, a home museum filled with more than 1,500 objects from Peranakan culture.





The famous Singapore Sling continues to be a draw at the evocative 1920s Malayan-style Long Bar and its peanut shell-covered floor. The iconic drink now has sustainable twist: the hotel plants one native tree in the Kalimantan or Sumatran rain forest for every 25 Singapore Slings ordered.

Hopkins Bay Resort is located on the beach right near the town of Hopkins; accommodations include one-, two-, and three-bedroom beach houses. Local art and polished mahogany furniture signal that this is no cookie-cutter chain hotel. The spacious houses are perfect for families or small groups traveling together. Resort activities include dance and music performances that reflect the traditions of the local Garifuna people, descendants of Africans brought to the New World as slaves. Staff can also arrange excursions to numerous cultural and historic attractions, not only in and around Hopkins, but also to iconic sites such as Xunantunich, a Maya site, and the Blue Hole, one of the world’s most popular destinations for scuba diving.

Wonderful catamarans that you can rent right off the beach.

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.

For a glimpse of Sydney‘s high society, visit Vaucluse House, a beautiful villa and garden in the Eastern Suburbs near Watsons Bay. A gothic revival mansion built in 1803, Vaucluse House once belonged to ex-convict Sir Henry Browne Hayes, who was shipped to Australia from England for abducting a banker’s daughter. Some punishment. The mansion also served as the home of writer, explorer, and local dignitary William Charles Wentworth. Once you’re done eyeing the antiques and memorabilia, check out the tropical gardens and settle in for a cup of English breakfast and a warm scone at the well-appointed tearoom. There’s also Milk Beach and the Hermitage Foreshore Track nearby, a gorgeous coastal walk for those looking for a little more adventure.

Surprisingly enough, you can round the point at Point Dume and discover your own hidden nooks to spend the day. With cliffs at your back and a private beach with decent size waves in front of you, it’s not a bad place for a picnic.

Technically part of Tahaa in French Polynesia, Vahine Private Island Resort is an escape from reality. The hotel features three beach bungalows, three self-contained beach suites and three overwater bungalows, all with beach views and designed using only natural materials in such a way as to make you feel like you’re in a traditional Polynesian home. Moreover, the resort is set on a 23-acre private island lush with coconut trees and white sand beach.

Snorkel in their vibrant coral gardens, kayak to nearby motus or to natural sting-ray pools, take in a coconut show, learn how to tie a pareo or weave palm leaves, paddle a traditional Polynesian outrigger canoe or take an excursion to the nearby mainland of Tahaa (the “Vanilla Island”) or a private motu. Guests love their food and beverage program, with French dishes crafted using local cuisine and cocktails infused with local fruits and juices.

Tip: Don’t leave without having a traditional massage with scented Monoi oil on your deck, where you’ll hear nothing but the billowing palms and gentle crashing of waves.

This sprawling resort features three luxury properties on one Nusa Dua site: the Mulia, the Mulia Resort, and the top-tier Mulia Villas. Choose a full board or half board package for an all-inclusive experience, complete with butler service (at the Mulia and Mulia Villas) and access to nine different dining venues and bars; there are also beach-level pools—one of them resembling a statue-lined Roman bath—and rows of umbrellas on Bali’s eastern shore. The villas feel like traditional Balinese homes, with indoor-outdoor living rooms that have hydrotherapy pools as well as views of colorful gardens or the Indian Ocean. And the spa is one of the most outrageous wellness temples in Bali, featuring a Finnish wood sauna, aroma steam room, and the region’s only ice fountain.

You have to climb a few steps to reach this romantic restaurant, but it’s worth the effort, even after Machu Picchu. Beautifully presented dishes range from beef tenderloin to grilled trout with golden aguaymanto berries. The Tree House is one of Aguas Calientes’s best places to try alpaca steak, yet vegetarians find tempting options, too, like ravioli with goat cheese and mushrooms. The tight dining room, nestled in the boughs, is romantic and dreamy. Be sure to make reservations.

Zanzibar is a place I enjoy returning to whenever I am in the area. Located on a trendy strip of Midtown Sacramento, next to wine bars and upscale restaurants, this quirky shop sells fair-trade products from around the world. Despite its global origins, the shop most notably reflects the local Latino population through its array of beautifully painted Day of the Dead items. In fact, the store offers classes in making sugar skulls for Dia de los Muertos each October.

In the Hawai‘ian language, lauhala means “leaf.” A fourth generation family business, the Kimura Lauahala Shop is more than just a roadside store, it is a landmark of sorts, and a steadfast member of the Holualoa community. The custom made hats, baskets, handbags, placemats, and slippers made for the shop are woven by hand by artisans like they have been for years. The beautifully woven pieces that shoppers take home are great value for the quality of workmanship. Beyond the woven goods, Kimura’s sells local greeting cards, koa wood products like bowls and utensils, and kona coffee.

Four Seasons might have spruced up the property slightly when it took over management from Viceroy in 2016, but the original clean lines and sharp angles of the midcentury modern architecture coupled with Kelly Wearstler’s playfully eclectic interiors are still unmistakable at this stunning property overlooking Meads and Barnes bays. Epitomizing tropical modern luxury, the property is awash in marble, natural stone, and wood, with dramatic views of the Caribbean Sea from dining rooms and infinity pools that seem to hover from their cliffside perches. Spanning 35 acres, the resort is home to 166 spacious, serene, and stylish accommodations ranging from suites to townhomes and private villas. Indulge at five dining venues, including the aptly named alfresco Sunset Lounge for sushi and the fine-dining Cobà, where fresh seafood is paired with choice cuts of meat and an impressive wine list. With three swimming pools and two distinct beaches to choose from, the most stressful part of the day is deciding where to lounge.