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The island’s only permanent settlement, Olonkin City (Olonkinbyen in Norwegian) houses the handful of people who work at the research stations. The accommodations are surprisingly comfortable, with a lounge, a bar, and telephone and Internet connectivity via satellite. A full-time chef cooks all meals for the close-knit population, which doubles in the summer months as good weather means maintenance crews can work efficiently.

More and more cruise ships are arriving to the well-known Greek islands for day exploration. And while that is a boon to the local economies; crowded restaurants and beaches are not what you have come to experience. Some of these popular islands actually have very few year-round residents as the cruise visits are seasonal. So that “real Greek” town that you came to see, really isn’t. The solution? Try one of the lesser-know but equally beautiful Greek Islands like Ios in the Cyclades Islands. Here you’ll find five-star hotels, mom and pop inns, historical monuments, miles of sparkling beaches, dynamite restaurants, vibrant mountain towns, incredibly reasonable shopping, breathtaking vistas, and local wines, but most of all Ios can be your own paradise. The island of Ios is still a place where real people live and work, but there is plenty of support for tourism (sometimes it’s party central at Mylopotas Beach) and you will find true hospitality, safe streets to wander and new activities like the recently opened hiking path system. Imagine walking at your own pace to archeological sites, beaches, churches and mountain villages just like the early inhabitants did for centuries? The Greek Cultural Mountaineering Club of Fyli has long wanted to repair and connect the ancient paths and a few months ago the project was completed with the help of volunteers and the Municipality of Ios. Over thirteen kilometers of paths are open and well-marked by signs connecting other paths and old roads of Ios for you to enjoy. Not a hiker? The shopping is sublime. Not for the collectors of designer handbags but those desiring handmade leather sandals, precious gem jewelry and smart local-style clothing designs. Lounging by the pool is always a favorite. Stay at the elegant Liostasi Suites and you will be pampered like a jet-setter. Wish for a low-key stay? The Pavezzo Hotel and Suites is painted in beautiful colors and embellished by flowers offering family-style rooms, rooms for one or two and vantage points with sea views set on the side of a mountain with cooling breezes and the friendliest owners. If you are a fan of Greek cuisine there are many terrific restaurants, some right on the ocean like Drakos Taverna at the end of Mylopotas Beach. A favorite in Chora, the town above the Ormos harbor which is completely accessible on foot, is Elia. Visit the cathedral and one of old windmills the island is famous for while wandering the maze of winding stone streets that spill down from top of the hill. Or down in Yialos by the harbor pop into one of the very casual tavernas. Be sure to visit the food shop called Mosenta at the port to watch them create, and for a taste of sesame seed and honey cakes. They also package local wild herbs and make a great body cream that is made from their own honey and olive oils. Insider Tips: Go in Fall for peace and quiet and best rates on rooms. There is no airport so take the ferry from Pireaus, Athens or Santorini. Images Kurt Winner Photography

This 2.5-kilometer (1.5-mile) promenade along the vast Guayas River is part public park, part urban playground filled with restaurants, cafés, shops, a clock tower, an IMAX theater and even a Ferris wheel. From the docks, small boats leave on river tours or head to Santay Island, a wildlife refuge on the eastern side of the river. At La Rotonda, a statue of Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín commemorates their meeting in Guayaquil after the liberation of Ecuador from Spain.

Known to New Zealand’s indigenous Maori people as pounamu, jade or greenstone is treasured throughout the country, and in the North Island city of Rotorua, Rakai Jade provides travelers with the opportunity to craft a special memento of their visit. Working with local Maori artisans, a one-day Carve Your Own experience takes you through the full process from initial design to final product. Popular traditional varieties include pendants and stylized fishhooks, but if you can’t spare the time for a custom bauble, many excellent already-carved pieces are also available. (Reserving at least one day ahead is recommended for a design-and-carving session.)

Founded as a priory by Queen Margaret in the 11th century, Dunfermline was turned into an abbey by David I and later became a royal mausoleum. It’s believed that Robert the Bruce is buried here, along with seven other Scottish kings. Following the Protestant Reformation of 1560, Queen Anna of Denmark built an imposing palace on the site, with the abbey complex at its center. It was here that Charles I—the last Scottish-born British king—was delivered in 1600.

Today, visitors can explore the abbey remains, admiring the impressive nave and towering monks’ refectory. You can also wander through the palace, checking out the refectory floor and kitchen area, before heading outside to admire the breathtaking views across the glen.

Within the Aysén Region, the Chonos Archipelago, named for an extinct people, is laced with innumerable islands around which blue whales thrive. Both the Darwin and Moraleda channels traverse the archipelago, which extends down to the 17,420-square-kilometer (6,726-square-mile) Laguna San Rafael National Park in the Northern Patagonian Ice Field. The San Rafael Glacier and a 16-kilometer-long (10-mile-long) fjord are found within the park that is part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Just seven hectares (17 acres) in size, the Botanical Gardens in Scarborough pack a tropical punch. They were founded in the 19th century on a former sugar plantation, with views of the town and bay. Visitors will see orchids and bromeliads, royal poinciana and silk-cotton trees, a huge saman tree with spreading branches and an allée of stately palms. Keep an eye out for the island’s colorful blue-crowned motmot bird flitting about the grounds.

One can’t help noticing Brazil’s stark social contrasts, especially visible in Rio thanks to rich neighborhoods that often sit cheek by jowl next to some of its poorest, the city’s famous favelas. High up in the favela called Tavares Bastos, visitors can take in an evening that includes some of the city’s best jazz, yet in a setting like few others: a boîte called The Maze. The owner, a British artist and longtime Rio resident, first decided to mount a First Fridays show in 2005, and those monthly events have become a citywide musical tradition. Those who journey up—aboard a minibus or in a taxi—will get breathtaking vistas to go with the great entertainment.

There are no inhabitants on Petite Terre, a protected pair of islands a few miles southeast of Grande-Terre. One of them is off-limits due to conservation efforts, but Terre-de-Bas is open to visitors and home to iguanas, birds, and hermit crabs, with a reef-protected shore and waters abundant with turtles and colorful fish, including lemon sharks. You can day-trip over from the shores of Saint Francois and enjoy white-sand beaches, swimming, snorkeling, wildlife spotting, and hiking to a lighthouse.

From the Adirondack chairs lazily spread across the pier and the seafood restaurant’s waterfront deck, it’d be easy to confuse the Hotel J for somewhere in New England. Even the rooms are decked out in a healthy dose of Americana, with tasteful white cotton and stars-and-stripes accompanying the natural wood furnishings and nautical memorabilia. And the seafood-focused restaurant—which, frankly, feels like a luxury yacht—channels American favorites in its brasserie-style menu.


But, fear not, the Hotel J is also very Swedish. Located on Nacka Strand 20 minutes from Stockholm, it capitalizes on the Swedes’ love of boating, especially in the summer months, when the archipelago’s 30,000 islands become day trip and vacation destinations for the entire city. Not only is it affiliated with a local kayak and canoe rental center—just ask if you’d like to spend a day on the water—but the ferry to and from Stockholm stops in front of the restaurant, allowing city dwellers to make pilgrimages to the eatery at will. The hotel’s sprawling, wooded grounds, too, are exceptionally Swedish, especially with the 19th-century summer mansions that dot them; most are used as event spaces now, but don’t let that curb your exploring.

The area of gently rolling hills just to the northeast of Lucca is famous not only for its impressive villas, but also for olive oil and wine. A perfect gastronomic stop-off between visits to the magnificent Villa Mansi and Villa Torrigiani, the 30-hectare farm estate Colle di Bordocheo produces both, and offers tastings and tours for visitors. Estate wines such as the complex, spicy Picchio Rosso (a blend of sangiovese, merlot, and cabernet grapes) and the white Bianco dell’Oca (chardonnay, vermentino, sauvignon) marry well with the house extra virgin and platters of local cheeses and foccaccie. Book ahead and you can add lasagne and cold cuts to the basic €15 per head package, making a fine, rustic lunch. There are also apartments for rent on the estate, which lies in a strategic position for visits to the coast, the lush, mountainous Garfagnana region, Florence, and, of course, Lucca.

For local history that stretches back to long before the Dutch arrived, head to Boca Onima and follow the signs to the area’s famous limestone ledge. Look up, and—amid the pockmarks and other ravages of time—you’ll see reddish-brown pictographs that are believed to have been created by the island’s Arawak residents at least six centuries ago. The first forms you’ll swear you can make out among all the dots and spirals? Perhaps not surprisingly, fish.

Niçois chef Nicolas Rondelli has earned a Michelin star for this fine-dining restaurant by the sea. Reigning over a private beach with a view of the Lérins Islands in the distance, the kitchen honors the riches of waters below by serving line-caught fish from local fishermen, whose names occasionally appear on the menu. It’s not all fish—meat eaters will find entrées of pigeon, lamb, and beef. All vegetables are sourced from small local farms. Sailcloth canopies protect diners from the sun at lunch, and in the evening the stars twinkle above.

Of all the Greek islands, sybaritic Mykonos has the most to offer big spenders. Instead of worry beads and flip-flops, the shopping scene is more Louis Vuitton and Lalaounis jewelry. Ergon, a stark white concept store with rag rugs installed between the rafters, stocks an exciting collection of clothing and accessories by Greek designers. Embroidered caftans, tasseled espadrilles, and colorful straw fedoras are just the thing for sashaying through town or showing off your tan at beach bars such as Alemàgou and Scorpios. Gifts inspired by ancient Greece include a Trojan horse paperweight, a minimalist amphora pendant, and gold olive-branch earrings. You can also customize your own espadrilles, T-shirt, or beach tote.

Opened in 2011, this luxury hotel from the Malta-based Corinthia brand occupies a Victorian building (once home to the Ministry of Defense) in the heart of the city, not far from Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery, the London Eye, and the theater district. The overall vibe is one of a 21st-century grand hotel, with a series of elegant public spaces—some vast and high-ceilinged, others warm and cozy—unfolding along the ground floor. Find modern, British-accented fare and a decadent breakfast spread at The Northall restaurant; all-day dining and a recently reimagined afternoon tea service (complete with Champagne trolley) at The Crystal Moon Lounge; and, in good weather, al fresco drinks, bites, and cigars at the leafy Garden Lounge. In summer 2018, the Bassoon Bar re-launched as a 1920s-era, New Orleans-inspired hangout, complete with a creative cocktail and bubbly menu developed by award-winning bartender Marcis Dzelzainis and wine expert Michael Sager. Shortly after, the hotel also opened Kerridge’s Bar and Grill, the first London restaurant from Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge.

Beyond its common spaces, the Corinthia is home to 283 residential-style rooms and suites, which include chic London and Garden suites (launched in 2018) and seven themed presidential suites, all crafted by David Collins Studio. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, Nespresso machines, high-tech media hubs, and marble bathrooms with rain showers, bathtubs with built-in TVs, heated floors, and ESPA products. Some of the higher-level suites even come with private outdoor spaces, butler service, and expansive views. Further relaxation can be found at the flagship ESPA Life by Corinthia Spa, one of the largest in the city with 17 treatment “pods,” a 24/7 gym, a nail studio, and a vast thermal floor with multiple pools, sauna and stream rooms, ice fountains, and sleep pods for extra serenity. To engage both visitors and locals, the hotel regularly offers unique programming and partnerships, including hosting in-residence experts—from neuroscientists to “futurist” trend forecasters—who lead talks and events throughout their stays.