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Sanur is a beautiful and quaint part of Bali with hotels along the boardwalk that lines the beach. The boardwalk really makes Sanur special, as walking in Bali can be treacherous in most of the towns with narrow streets and tiny sidewalks, but this paved path in Sanur is great for biking and long walks along the beach. Walk to the south end of the boardwalk for a great view of the sunset and find a nice little cafe to have a Bintang (beer) or a Bali kopi (coffee).

This elegant mall bridges glitzy Kalakaua Avenue and up-and-coming Kuhio Avenue. Its heart: a treehouse in an enormous Indian banyan tree. The tree was planted around 1850 and briefly owned by Queen Emma; at one point, one of its tree houses contained a radio station. A $500 million renovation overhauled the market place, a Waikīkī classic, in 2016. Now ten restaurants and 75 retail stores preside here, anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue—the first in Hawaii. While the International Market Place has lost its manic, Mad-Man-era, free-for-all vibe, it maintains quite a bit of character for a mall with touches like a three-story waterfall. Visit at sunset to catch traditionally dressed performers singing, dancing, blowing conches, and lighting the Lamakū Torch Tower.

A family favorite on the southern tip of Sanibel Island, Lighthouse Park Beach is home to the island’s famous lighthouse. It’s also a popular spot for shelling, windsurfing, and fishing off the pier. Restrooms and picnic facilities are available, and leashed pets are welcome.

Set behind a thick yellow facade with climbing green plants, Kinich offers mostly alfresco dining, with tables beneath palapa-style roofs. This popular restaurant has a fresh, elegant, not-too-touristy feel, and gets its share of locals. Yucatecan favorites make up the menu; the food is homemade, flavorful, and high-quality. Women in traditional dress grill tortillas as diners look on. The poc chuc (citrus-marinated pork) is delicious, especially when accompanied by a beverage made from a local plant, chaya, considered a superfood.

The Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal is a majestic resort that sits at the spot where the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortéz meet. All 119 rooms have an ocean view, complete with binoculars for whale-watching, as well as a private plunge pool, a fireplace, a rain shower, and a welcome bottle of Clase Azul tequila. Decorative accents include tasteful local art, such as hand-embroidered pillows, ceramic sculptures, and hand-forged metal light fixtures. On the service side, every guest is assigned a round-the-clock personal concierge. The relatively small number of rooms keeps the vibe intimate and creates a sense of privacy throughout the property.

Linked to the historic Canal du Rhône à Sète, Aigues-Mortes in the Petite Camargue wetlands is a finely preserved medieval town. The outstanding crenellated 13th-century Constance Tower replaced an earlier one built by none other than Charlemagne. Visitors walking its ramparts are treated to views over the purple-blue lagoon waters where fishing and saltworks once dominated. The area is still known for its uniquely small Camargue bulls and horses.

Lying off the northern Freguesia de Santana peninsula, Ilha Grande’s Blue Lagoon (Lagoa Azul) is not a proper lagoon despite its name but rather an area of shallow Caribbean-colored waters. From Abraão, schooners bring you there to snorkel with striped and colorful fish. An old whitewashed church is all that remains onshore from the colonial era, and over a post-snorkel lunch in the small village that sits on Japariz Beach, you might spot dolphins swimming in the sea.

Shoushin is, hands down, Toronto’s finest destination for fish—and for convincing customers that they’ve somehow been transported to Tokyo. The fish isn’t gussied up with sauces and you won’t find a dragon roll in sight; instead, simplicity reigns supreme. The kitchen serves Edomae sushi, which is prepared in the most traditional way. (The ancient name for Tokyo is Edo.) Order either from the set menu or opt for an omakase dinner and leave the meal entirely in the chef’s hands.

Tayrona National Natural Park has become such a popular destination during typical vacation periods that authorities have had to limit admission. But an off-season visit offers singular luxuries like miles of all-but-solitary beaches, jungle trails, and a unique way to observe a variety of monkeys and tropical birds in every brilliant hue. Tayrona can be experienced as a day trip from Santa Marta or as a several-night stay at one of the park’s accommodations. From the main entrance at Cañaveral (El Zaíno), visitors can take a leisurely hike to the ocean while a donkey handles the luggage; horses are also available for those who prefer not to walk. This same park entrance also leads directly to high-roofed, native-wood cabins known as ecohabs, a slightly fancier option for staying in the park.

You know you’re in Southern California when you have your own “beach bonfire concierge” who brings you warm drinks, blankets, and fresh marshmallows under the stars. Distinctive and without pretense, the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach creates seamless only-in-Surf City experiences for its guests. Its on-site outfitter, Toes on the Noes, rents surfboards, cruiser bikes, and even GoPros to guests. The hotel also offers private surf lessons and yoga classes. The sprawling Spanish-style property has several pools—for serenity, hit the lagoon-style Mankota’s; with kids, make your way to the water playground—as well as a spa where treatments incorporate ingredients from the sea. Of the five restaurants, Watertable is the one not to miss, especially in the fall and winter months when it hosts its California-fied version of Sunday supper, a family-style feast that includes sumac-crusted branzino and whipped goat cheese tartlets along with innovative cocktails. The 517 rooms and suites were recently reimagined in Andalusian style, with grass cloth–covered walls, coral sculptures, and hand-painted tiles; opt for one on the ground floor to have your own private fire pit. Pro tip: On Saturdays during the summer, the sandcastle concierge—yes, there’s one of those, too—gives tutorials on building architectural wonders by the surf.

Owners Bryan Lewis and Eric Gaspard recently opened the Twisted Cork Café, a wine-focused restaurant located in the historic Frenchtown district of Charlotte Amalie. The neighborhood, which is busy with cruise passengers during the day, slows down to a more mellow island speed in the evenings. Daily specials, which often feature just-caught fish and produce from an on-site garden, are recommended.

Talk about first impressions: Carved sandstone elephants welcome guests into a two-story chandeliered lobby at this palace-style hotel. Attentive service starts at check-in, with gifts of bindis and fresh jasmine necklaces. At 550-square-feet or larger, rooms are palatial themselves, and richly decorated with oriental carpets, jacquards, and hand-embroidered brocades. Those on higher floors offer panoramic city views, but many visitors choose spaces overlooking the internal courtyard or expansive garden (and away from a 16-lane highway) for a sense of calm. The hotel’s Edwardian-inspired bar draws locals and guests alike with its 25-page whiskey and scotch menu, as does a rooftop pool with stunning vistas over New Delhi’s urban landscape. Unique amenities include an on-call astrologer and, for women travelers, the option of an all-female service staff, including butler, gym instructors, and private city guides.

On the prowl for one-of-a-kind, handmade St. Lucian arts and crafts? This gallery, in the fishing village of River Doree, is filled with creative art from local artists—from paintings to handmade furniture, jewelry, and wood carvings. Not just the artwork is local: Most of the materials used are locally sourced, too, making this the best stop for an authentic piece of the island. Owner-artist Hattie Barnard is an entertaining wealth of information and will share her creative process with visitors.

One of the most luxurious Western guest ranches, opened in 2005, Paws Up Montana, in Greenough, sprawls over 37,000 acres of classic Montana landscape: elk-filled meadows, rocky peaks, and ponderosa pines in the Blackfoot Valley, with the river of the same name running through it all. The most sought-after accommodations are the “glamping” tents on the banks of the Blackfoot or along Elk Creek that are available May through October and organized into five separate camps, taking just six guests each. The camps combine a Western lifestyle with an African safari formula: canvas suites with private baths, a communal dining pavilion with fireplace and fire pit, private camp chef, and butlers to help organize guest activities. Families and friends who prefer four walls between themselves and nature stay in enormous wood-and-stone villas with heated hardwood floors, fireplaces, leather furniture, huge flat-screen TVs, and panoramic windows; some of these homes come with outdoor hot tubs and tented bedrooms for kids.

All guests have the opportunity to hike, rappel, canoe, play paintball, take cooking classes, and more, but the main action is on-site fly-fishing and horseback riding for all levels on 100 miles of private trails or in a 23,000-square-foot equestrian arena; adults and kids 12 and up can help move small herds of Black Angus cattle on sample stock drives. If parents want private adventure time, kid wranglers entertain young’uns. In the evening, communal entertainment takes place in a renovated barn that serves as stock sales venue, dance floor, and movie theater. Despite the busy activity menu and flow of golf carts transporting guests to and fro, the ranch is large enough, and accommodation so widely spaced that guests can survey the landscape and not see anyone.

The Pacific Ocean is a force that calls to some to jump in and join the dolphins that frequent its waters. Temperatures are warmest in August and September, but wet suits are available to rent year-round. Go surfing or take a stand-up paddleboard lesson to more fully appreciate the SoCal spirit and connection to the waves. For a more passive yet still exhilarating way to enjoy the coast, you can parasail above the waves or join a sailing charter from Marina Del Rey.