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Ocean Sole is an incredible Kenyan organisation which recycles flip-flops found on the beaches and in the waterways of Kenya and turns them into incredible works of art. Worth doing some shopping at when you’re next in town, each Ocean Sole product (everything from life-sized zebras to fridge-magnet turtles) is handcrafted to protect the oceans and teach the world about the threats of marine debris. It turns out that thousands and thousands of flip-flops are washed up onto the East African coast every year. Unused, they cause huge environmental damage, spoiling the natural beauty of the Kenyan beaches and also harming wildlife – the rubber soles are swallowed by fish and other animals, suffocating them.

San Miguel is chock-full of unique shops offering everything including art, antiques, collectibles, and trinkets. There’s something for everyone, from furniture to jewelry, at Mixta, a shop housed in a beautiful 18th-century structure on Calle Pila Seca. The idea—as the name suggests—is to mix local design with international ideas. As you find yourself seduced by the shop’s mishmash of old photography, shawls woven by an indigenous women’s cooperative, designer dresses, reproduction Eames chairs, silkscreen-print handbags, and colorful Chiapaneco table linens, the common denominator shines through, bright and clear: a brilliant eye for beauty.

There are a few contemporary boutique brands poised to put San Francisco on the fashion map. Freda Salvador shoes have become the “it” footwear for a subset of effortlessly cool creative women. Editors and designers can be spotted sporting the brand’s modestly heeled modern loafers, mules, boots, and sandals, which come in gorgeous colored leathers and satins. The shoes are all designed in Freda Salvador’s Sausalito studio by cofounders Megan Papay and Cristina Palomo-Nelson, and fabricated in a tiny family-run factory in Elda, Spain. Quality is paramount, as is wearability, but it’s the styles that have truly set the brand apart. The San Francisco flagship on Fillmore Street attracts a ladylike version of the obsessed sneakerhead—Freda fetishists who collect new styles like playing cards.

The landscape surrounding Phinda Private Game Reserve is totally different from what you’ll experience in Kruger, Madikwe, or the Kalahari. Here, moisture from the Indian Ocean breathes life into gently rolling hills; flat, grassy wetlands attract hippos, antelope, and far too many bird species to list; and dense forests house the Big Five and even cheetahs. The 25 rooms at &Beyond’s Phinda Rock Lodge sit atop a granite outcropping, overlooking these lush surroundings. No matter which one you’re in, you’ll feel as if you’re hovering high above the treetops and the valley below.

A stay at Phinda Rock Lodge is all-inclusive, complete with twice-daily safari drives, a Zulu village tour, bush walks, and other conservation experiences. Since the lodge is so close to the Indian Ocean, guests also have the unique opportunity to explore South Africa’s marine life. In the summer, you can join a nighttime excursion to watch leatherback and loggerhead turtles lay their eggs on the beach, or go snorkeling or scuba diving to explore the coral reefs near Sodwana Bay. While Phinda is approximately a two-hour drive from Richards Bay Airport, Airlink flies direct from Nelspruit to the lodge’s private airstrip, making it easy to connect a safari in the Greater Kruger National Park with a visit to Phinda.

The best time to hit the mineral-fed pools at Indian Springs is just before closing, right around 9:30 p.m. Grab a float noodle, place it behind your neck, float on your back in the 102-degree water, and look up at the stars. No matter how cold the air might be, you will immediately relax. The Calistoga resort has been offering guests a similar experience for more than 150 years, though recent renovations have modernized the offerings and brought a new level of luxury and sophistication. The main attractions are the pools: one for all ages and another only for adults. Elsewhere on the property, an expansive spa offers massages and mud treatments; a restaurant—dubbed Sam’s Social Club—serves healthy California cuisine along with house-brewed beer. Accommodations vary widely, ranging from two-room cabins and expansive one-bedroom suites to multi-room bungalows and full-scale houses. Once you’ve had your fill of shuffleboard and bocce, walk into downtown Calistoga to shop at the local boutiques, or take the short trail to the top of the hill for a stellar view of the north end of the Napa Valley. Don’t miss: Perhaps the most spiritual part of the Indian Springs experience is the Wishing Tree in front of the spa. Write your wish on a card and tie it to the tree with the hundreds of others already there.

For a seafood experience featuring fresh-caught Adriatic fish, book a table at this lovely restaurant in the small harbor of Foša Zadar, right by Zadar’s ancient city walls. The interior incorporates original details, like exposed bits of stone walls, in an overall contemporary design, but the real standout is the terrace that extends into the port. It’s the perfect setting if you want to pair your meal with stellar vistas. Though the meat dishes here are great, seafood is the highlight. The menu changes according to the morning’s catch, but often features shrimp gazpacho, gnocchi with black cuttlefish ragout, and grilled Adriatic Sea bream with fresh herbs.

Home to warehouses and bustling trolley stops in the 1920s and ’30s (with the warehouses becoming artists’ studios and storage facilities in the ’70s), these few blocks in South Dallas’s Oak Cliff neighborhood were designated a National Historic Landmark in 199O—right around the time the area was experiencing a decline. In the new millennium, however, there’s been a revival: Today the area’s brick buildings and charming former homes hold over 60 independent shops, restaurants, bars, cafés, and galleries. Grab a coffee or glass of wine and browse the tomes at the Wild Detectives bookstore, shop for furniture and local artwork at Neighborhood, and find unique gifts and design items at Bishop Street Market and We Are 1976. Foodies also flock to top spots like Hattie’s for Southern low-country–inspired fare; the much-acclaimed (and often hard to reserve) Lucia for Italian fine dining; Eno’s Pizza Tavern for thin-crust pies; Tillman’s Roadhouse for Texas- and Southwest-flavored favorites; and the legendary Lockhart Smokehouse for pit BBQ. Save room for artisan sweets from Dude, Sweet Chocolate (which has garnered national acclaim) and a slice of fresh-from-the-oven pie from Emporium, where the menu changes seasonally. With the area now firmly enjoying “features on travel TV shows” status, and private residences still lining the side streets, parking here can be tricky—especially on the weekends, or during a festival or one of the regular wine, art, or jazz nights.

Some may scoff at the absence of beachfront acreage, but what all-inclusive Capella Marigot Bay lacks in sand it makes up for in amenities, including a cabana-lined pool area with swim-up bar and a ferry to nearby LaBas Beach. Backed by a see-and-be-seen marina that offers some of the island’s best people-watching, the hotel features 124 luxurious rooms and suites that are studies in restraint, with dark-wood accents and four-poster beds trimmed in mosquito netting. Guests are surprised with complimentary snacks each day, from house-made plantain chips to local Piton beer, but nourishment is also in abundance at the resort’s four restaurants—think fresh-caught snapper, jerk-spiced ribs, and lionfish ceviche—and during three happy hours. Meanwhile, the celestial-inspired Auriga spa offers locally focused treatments to those less interested in the fitness center and weekly activities such as body-scrub-making workshops and zip-line tours.

Featuring a series of boulders that appear to have been gathered, piled, and deliberately set across a few square miles of desert, this site carries a certain air of mystery. Scientists remain baffled about the geological event that could have created the formations, while archaeologists and historians are fascinated by the petroglyphs and paintings drawn by the native Arawak people. Trails weave around the enormous stones, many of which have been named for the animals they resemble. Speaking of which, all sorts of creatures inhabit the area, from iguanas to burrowing owls.

Located in the heart of Bridgehampton, Topping Rose House occupies a grand old Greek Revival mansion, built back in 1842 for a local judge. The luxurious property features 22 guestrooms, including a number of cottages, with elegant décor like four-poster beds and glass doors that open onto verdant grounds. Also on site is a Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant, complete with a seasonal menu that incorporates ingredients from the property’s one-acre farm. Unusual for a small Hamptons hotel, Topping Rose offers a wide selection of amenities, including a lovely outdoor pool, a fitness center, yoga classes, and a spa with a range of massage and beauty treatments.

The Gant feels like your mountain home away from home. Tucked away on five acres at the base of Aspen Mountain, the Gant’s condos offer the comforts of staying in a home but with the service perks of a hotel. Guests can choose from one-, two-, three-, or four-bedroom condos, making this a great option for families and friends on ski getaways. Condos feature full kitchens so you don’t have to worry about booking reservations in town each night, and the staff can arrange for grocery and liquor delivery right to your door. Condos also have wood-burning fireplaces, large living rooms for lounging, and patios or balconies to soak in the fresh mountain air. A housekeeper comes to tidy up each day while you’re off hiking or skiing, and families have the option to book child care. The Gant is just steps from the Silver Queen Gondola and offers ski storage and overnight tuning. After a day outdoors, guests can relax weary muscles in one of the Gant’s three hot tubs.

Do you have a preference for Racoon, Bear, or perhaps Native American? Ski down the ‘Last Chance Run’ in Deer Valley and you’ll have your pick. Money will buy pretty much anything, and apparently that includes an entire theatrical production of wild creatures crawling about your million dollar ski chalet. Friendly or ostentatious competition? Who cares, it provides a little humor to the unsuspecting skier. A warm thank you for my Park City experience — courtesy of Park City Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau (http://www.visitparkcity.com/). #VisitParkCity

Union Market is the perfect D.C. destination if you’re searching for a weekend brunch spot, craving a snack on your way to visit the Capitol, or, you know, hungry. Oyster bar, bakery, taqueria, soda shop, sandwich shop, Korean taco grill—all of the food is here waiting for you. The 47,000-square-foot space is a throwback to the original Union Terminal Market, which opened in 1931 with more than 700 produce, meat, fish, and dairy vendors in airy indoor stalls. The market moved to a warehouse in the 1960s and closed in the 1980s before reopening in 2012. When you’re finished stuffing your face, you can shop for home goods and vintage finds at shops like Little Leaf and Salt & Sundry.

The Rua Santa Caterina is the most important shopping street in Oporto. It is a pedestrian street which is closed to traffic. Along the Rua Caterina you will find the Mercado Bolhao which is a lively market with many shops to delight the market lover. There are many clothing stores, restaurants and cafes along the street. One of them is the elegant Majestic Cafe established in 1921. It was a favorite meeting place for artists and writers.For a time it was abandoned when tea rooms fell out of favor but was restored to its former glory and reopened in 1994. The pastries are excellent and will satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth. Take time out from your sightseeing and shopping to just sit with a cup of tea and a pastry, or, perhaps, a cool drink. Enjoy the surroundings and chill out.

Every time I visit the flea market in Jaffa, I must stop for a cup of coffee or a bite at Pua restaurant. The space looks like a retro apartment my grandparents used to have, filled with furnitures and decorations well collected from the vintage stores next door. Beside the eclectic atmosphere and design, Pua serves a great, earthy and tasty food. Israeli breakfast is served all day (a great plus for those who love a good well-balanced mediterranean breakfast) and the menu changes according to the owner’s desire. Rest asure that every day will be a good one. I highly recommend to make reservations (if possible) or be patient as this place is very busy.