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Chef Cristian Angiolin heads up the kitchen at this Venetian lagoon institution, which is open year-round except for January and Tuesdays. The restaurant is no longer a part of the Cipriani franchise, which began in Venice and has since expanded to places like New York and Miami.

What you come here for is the restaurant’s garden, which is open from late spring to early autumn and is one of the best places in the lagoon to visit with a large group of friends and celebrate into the evening. The bartenders make the best negronis and have an extensive wine list that includes pours from most regions on the Italian peninsula. If you don’t want to be marooned on Torcello Island, come for lunch. But it’s another one of those amazing dining spots with rooms, so that if you do come for dinner and miss the last boat back to Venice, you can always check into the hotel.

Housed in a Victorian home in the center of town, Explore Booksellers is an Aspen institution. Inside, books on business, history, art, travel, and more are crammed into every corner, with an entire room dedicated to children’s literature. The shop also stocks numerous regional titles as well as cards, journals, and gifts and regularly hosts events with local and visiting authors. When you’ve finished shopping, grab lunch on the second floor, where Pyramid Bistro serves healthy, veggie-forward fare.

Though not really a tropical island, the indoor resort called “Tropical Islands” outside of Berlin makes for a great (albeit unusual) day trip. Located inside a former Soviet air hanger, the building has been converted into a biosphere with a tropical climate. Inside the resort there is an artificial beach, swimming pools, saunas & a spa, water slides, a small rainforest and even a hot air balloon! To get there with public transporation, you can take a Regional Express train from central Berlin. Trains leave every hour toward Cottbus (depart at Brand-Niederlausitz). It takes about 50 minutes. From the train station, Tropical Islands offers a free shuttle bus for the 5-minute journey to the resort. If you buy tickets at the door, admission to the Tropical World or the Tropical Sauna & Spa complex is 34.50€ for adults and 27€ for children age 6-14. A Kombi-Ticket is valid for both areas and costs 39.50€ for adults and 27€ for children.

In the center of Trieste, the capital of Italy’s Friuli–Venezia Giulia region, the vast Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia looks out over the deep, blue waters of the Gulf of Trieste. This elegant seafront square is bordered on three sides by ornate Viennese-style government buildings and flanked by the winding streets of ancient Roman “Tergeste” and the grid-like Borgo Teresiano neighborhood. Facing the sea is the Municipio (city hall) building, with its clock tower and two bronze moors. On either side of the square are the stately Lloyd Triestino building and the Palazzo del Governo, whose golden, mosaicked façade sparkles in the sunshine. In front of the Municipio, the angel-topped Fontana dei Quattro Continenti pays tribute to the four continents that were recognized in the 18th century: Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. At the water’s edge sit the intriguing bronze statues of two young women known as Le Sartine, or “the seamstresses.”

Why we love it: A stylish but mellow alternative to the glitz of Los Cabos

The Highlights:
- Chic rooms, some with soaking tubs, outdoor lounges, or ocean views
- On-site restaurant Benno and its creative Mexican-Mediterranean fare
- Proximity to Todos Santos and the chance to connect with the local community

The Review:
Liz Lambert has made a name for herself converting quirky motels into cool-kid haunts in Texas and beyond. With Hotel San Cristóbal, she brings her magic to a transcendent Pueblo Mágico in the Baja Peninsula. Now she’s bringing her magic to a transcendent Pueblo Mágico in the Baja Peninsula. Just outside of Todos Santos proper, on the small fishing beach of Punta Lobos, the whitewashed, cubist property houses 32 serenely chic rooms, complete with crisp Sferra linens and serape-inspired duvets, vibrant ceramic-tiled bathrooms, and windows that overlook sunny Pacific waves (keep your eyes peeled for migrating gray and humpback whales).

Resist the urge to confine yourself to your Coco-Mat mattress, however. Adventure awaits in the form of surfing off nearby Playa Cerritos, learning to make pottery in an off-site class, or accompanying chef Edgar Palau on a trip to source fresh fish from local anglers. There’s also a beautiful central pool and lounge, a library, a seaside mirador, and a small retail shop on property. When hunger strikes, head to Benno, where biodynamic meals that fuse Mexican and Mediterranean flavors pair perfectly with small-batch mezcals and sustainably harvested regional wines.

Famous for being Southern Germany’s hub of the Enlightenment during the late 18th century (Hegel and Hoffmann both lived here), Bamberg is also home to a superbly preserved medieval town center, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993. Here, visitors find an endless array of architectural styles, from Gothic and Renaissance to Baroque and neoclassical, all spread through three distinct areas: the episcopal town, the island town, and the market gardeners’ town.

The Romanesque-Gothic cathedral of St. Peter and St. George is Bamberg’s most prominent building (it’s home to the famous Bamberg Horseman statue, the tomb of Henry II and Cunigunde, and the only papal grave in Germany), but the New Palace and the Alte Hofhaltung Palace are also must-sees, as are the town hall, the tanners’ cottages, and “Little Venice,” a former fishermen’s village with half-timbered houses and tiny gardens. If you’re a suds fan, be sure to sample Bamberg’s famous smoked beer before leaving.

Visitors flock to southern Arizona for sun and saguaros... ...but for a hole in the ground? Other than the ones on golf courses? From the 1960’s to the 1980’s, Tucson was ringed by eighteen steel-and-concrete-reinforced holes in the ground--highly secure shafts in the desert that housed intercontinental ballistic missiles tipped with multi-megaton nuclear bombs. “Peace through Deterrance” was the idea, as the propaganda-phrase goes... Of the 54 Titan Missile complexes that were scattered around the country, only this one, about 45 minutes south of Tucson, has been preserved and opened to the public. It’s a startling reminder of how thin the line was that separated the “Cold War” from “M.A.D."--"mutual assured destruction.” It would only have taken 30 minutes from its desert launch for this missile to deliver unimaginable destruction--via a 9 megaton nuclear warhead--up to 6300 miles (10,000km) away... On a lighter note, some of the filming of one of the Star Trek films took place here. You can visit the subterranean control bunker and staff living quarters, access corridors, and the missile silo itself. Tours are offered on the hour year-round, with additional tours offered every thirty minutes from January through April. Closed Christmas and Thanksgiving. Whether you’re coming from the left or from the right, politically, the sobering reality of this fusion of human nature and technology is worth going underground for if you’re driving down I-19.

The belly button of the world lies eighty miles northwest of Athens, where the southern slope of Mount Parnassus, cut deeply by cascades feeding the River Pleistos, drops precipitously into the Gulf of Corinth. High above the ravine in a cleft between the Phaedriades, or “Shining Rocks,” a natural amphitheater was shaped by wind, erosion, and tectonic turbulence over the intersection of two underground faults. This is the omphalos—the spot believed by ancient Greeks to be Gaia’s own navel. Homer called it “Pytho,” because it was here that the Earth Mother gave birth to a female serpent. “Why is it the serpent is always a woman?” The goddess/serpent appears in everyone’s mythology, I remind KB as we approach six massive columns re-erected where the western pediment of Apollo’s temple once stood. “Yeah,” she replies, kicking a loose a chunk of limestone across the weathered foundation, “along with the ‘hero’ who kills her.” KB’s sinewy, suntanned legs straddle one of the pedestals at the entrance to the sekos—Apollo’s inner sanctum—and her belly button taunts me between the waistband of low-slung hiking shorts and the hem of her tank top. “Both Apollo and his twin sister, Artemis, whacked the serpent goddess,” I remind her. “Naturally, the locals erected a temple here to commemorate his bravery. It was named after a cult that worshiped the sun god in the form of a dolphin—Delphinios—Delphi for short.” “How do you remember all this stuff?” KB asks.

One of New York’s loveliest historic districts, Brooklyn Heights sits along the East River to the south of the Brooklyn Bridge. Its streets are lined with beautifully preserved and restored 19th-century town houses while a promenade along its western edge offers views of the skyline of downtown Manhattan—especially stunning when the sun is setting over New York’s harbor. Simply wandering its streets, you’ll feel transported back in time, but there are some buildings of special interest you may want to seek out. The celebrated 19th-century preacher Henry Ward Beecher (brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe) presided at Plymouth Church (57 Orange St.). Truman Capote finished Breakfast at Tiffany’s and wrote In Cold Blood during the 10 years he lived at 70 Willow Street, and novelist Thomas Wolfe lived at 5 Montague Terrace from 1933 to 1935. Grace Church (254 Hicks St.) and St. Ann & the Holy Trinity (157 Montague St.) are outstanding examples of 19th-century Gothic Revival architecture. After you are done exploring, Atlantic Avenue, which marks the southern edge of the neighborhood, and Montague Street have a number of restaurants to choose from if you are ready for a meal.

The Herdade da Malhadinha Nova is located in Albernoa, in the heart of Baixo Alentejo and offers comfort and design in a perfect harmony between Nature and the surrounding Landscape. Its concept is based on offering experiences wrapped in the theme of wine, as well as Wine Tourism, Hotel and Restaurant. Wines are the Herdade da Malhadinha Nova ex-libris and reflect a huge respect for the Nature and for all the passion and dedication taken for their creation. The vine planted in 2000 takes now the total area of 33 ha. (81 ac.) - 27 ha. (66 ac.) on production and 6 ha. (15 ac.) of new vine. The enotourism experiences and the modern Cellar, combining traditional wine making methods with technology, are one of the best reasons to visit the Herdade. Besides the wine production the Herdade has complementary areas: the production of Olive Oil 100% Galega from the 60 ha. (148 ac.), traditional olive grove, breeding of the Alentejana DOP caw, an indigenous breed perfectly adapted to the conditions of the region, breeding of the Alentejano DOP black pig and the Lusitano thoroughbred horse.

A pioneer of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement, chef Mark Ellman showcases his thoughtful approach to cooking at Mala Ocean Tavern, a harbor-front eatery with dramatic sunset views. Come here for well-executed fusion fare like ahi bruschetta, whole wok-fried Hawaiian fish, and a vegan mushroom Bolognese pasta with local shiitakes, as well as signature cocktails like the Spa Day (cucumber, vodka, fresh watermelon juice) and the LBC (gin, passion fruit, basil simple syrup, fresh lime, and soda). Party animals will be happy to learn that the restaurant also offers a late happy hour each evening from 10 p.m. to midnight, plus live music and DJs spinning vinyl on Friday nights.

Spring is a wonderful time to visit Trelissick Gardens in Cornwall. Once a stately manor this country estate is now a magnificent garden on the banks of the River Fal. This is a garden where the plant hunters and travellers have left their mark with rhododendrons, magnolia and camelias blooming in springtime. Plant hunters were nineteenth century explorers who brought botanical species back to England and Cornwall has a sub tropical climate making it perfect for these varieties from the Himalayan Regions to grow.There are daffodils too, with Cornwall seeing these charming flowers earlier than other parts of England, formal flower beds and trails leading to secret corners of the garden. The clunking noise of a chain sounds in the distance. This is the nearby King Harry Ferry which takes cars across the river and a path leads to this historic form of transport at the bottom of the garden. Trelissick is a splendid place to visit and walk amongst the floral displays, the woodland and to enjoy the gardens with the river below. I particularly enjoy it in springtime.

There is a reason why renting a villa in Tuscany is so popular - rustic farmhouses, rolling hills filled with olive and plum trees, golden sunsets, locally-harvested wine, creamy cheeses, and cool evenings spent with friends and family. Renting a villa provides a relaxing base for your sightseeing in the region. Almost all Tuscan towns allow easy day trips to the main sights: - Florence‘s art and Renaissance history (Duomo, Uffizi Gallery, Michelangelo’s David) - Cortona’s steep, narrow streets and medieval walls - Siena’s cultural city center, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site - San Gimignano’s fortified towers set amidst picture-perfect Tuscan hillsides - Montelpulciano’s world-famous wineries and more This offers the best of both worlds - after a dusty day of sightseeing, you can relax at your villa with a jump in the pool and a glass of wine. Watch the sun go down in a purplish haze, unwind with friends, and enjoy the lovely moment. I recommend YourTuscany.com, which is where we found Villa Coloniale (above) in the town of Pergine Valdarno. The infinity pool and covered patio are guaranteed to put you in a relaxed, Italian frame of mind!

Reporting live from Upper Mustang: We’ve successfully hiked in and out of this remote, inaccessible region in north-central Nepal over terrain that was variously bleak and spectacular. We traversed rocky, sandy trails (I use that word loosely) through shale and limestone cliffs with only the occasional, teasing glimpse of a snow-covered peak. On the 7th day of walking 6-7 hours per day, the weather turned against us and we battled howling winds and freezing rain for the better part of an afternoon. Over the past week your faithful reporter has endured blisters, sunburn, intestinal parasites, an upper respiratory infection and a mild concussion (damn monastery door frames built for short people). Despite the aforementioned maladies there were some really bright moments along the way and the Tibetan/Nepali families we stayed with welcomed us into their humble kitchens and homes. I return to modern city life with a renewed appreciation for the simple comforts of indoor plumbing and reliable electricity. [Pictured: a herd of goats grazes at 4010 meters over Nyi La Pass - the highest point in the Kingdom of Mustang.]

In the middle of a private courtyard in Hyderabad lies a workshop where several women sit at traditional looms. The women, who are all widows, weave intricate cotton-and-silk floral patterns by hand as part of the Suraiya weaving center. Suraiya Hassan Bose, 83, started the center out of her home a little over 27 years ago to revive local and regional weaves which have nearly died out since they’re very time consuming and still not very lucrative. At the center, visitors can watch the weaving process from spooling to the rythmic loom work that takes two people (one to guide the pattern from above and the other to pedal the loom and weave the threads.) It takes about a month to make a three-meter piece of fabric, but luckily the women at Suraiya earn a fixed wage regardless of whether the fabrics sell. I arrived during a tea break, in which I got to meet with these lovely ladies before they got back to work. 1-86, Darga Hussain Shah Wali, Raidurg, Behind Traffic Police Station, O.u.colony Road, Mehdipatnam To Gachibowli Road., Hyderabad