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Superlatives abound at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown. The 73-story structure is the tallest building west of Chicago and, at 889 rooms, the largest InterContinental in the Americas. Opened in 2017, the hotel was also downtown’s first LEED Gold Certified building for Building Design and Construction. All that record setting is matched by a big personality and plenty of luxury, too. Inspired by architectural historian Reyner Banham’s book Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies, the hotel features light fixtures based on schematic maps of L.A.’s freeways, hand-painted murals, and billboard-style headboards with city scenes.

Club Level suites are stocked with Le Labo Santal 33 amenities, customized with guests’ names. And on the 71st floor, bathrooms are cheekily decorated in Marie Antoinette and cowboy themes. The Versailles-inspired restaurant La Boucherie is an American steakhouse with a French twist. In the restaurant’s VIP Starlight Booths, diners enjoy wine-paired chef’s tasting menus along with jaw-dropping views. Another restaurant, Sora, is the place for intimate Japanese omakase. Be sure to order the 1100 Feet—an original blend of liqueurs reflective of L.A.’s confluence of cultures—at Spire 73, the Western Hemisphere’s highest open-air bar. Pro tip: Book the Presidential Suite, and you’ll be rewarded with another kind of epic view—an infinity bathtub that fills from the ceiling.

The trendy Amsterdam-Noord district is home to the city’s newest outpost of the famed burger joint called the Butcher. Set inside the hip designer hotel Sir Adam, the sprawling, dual-level space is pure fun, with table tennis, pinball, billiards, and live DJs five nights a week. Open 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays, and until 1 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays, this is where you’ll find chic young locals devouring gourmet burgers and fries and sipping fancy cocktails. The waterfront terrace offers excellent views of the IJ River. It’s a free five-minute ferry ride to the restaurant from Amsterdam’s main train station.

Cypress Point Park offers a relaxing nature escape in the city. Plentiful amenities include a children’s playground, a disc golf park, covered pavilions, and jogging trails.

The name lets you know what you’re in for, but it doesn’t capture the scope of the canyon or the sheer number of ferns. Shooting up from a creek, the canyon walls are 50 feet high in places and completely covered in ferns and mosses, some of which are species that have been on Earth for hundreds of millions of years. And if it feels like you’re walking through Jurassic Park, that’s not just the prehistoric foliage: Part of The Lost World: Jurassic Park was shot here. Fern Canyon has also been home to a number of other dinosaur specials made for the BBC and IMAX. Compounding the whole otherworldly vibe, you might even spot a giant salamander! Fern Canyon is located in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, which adjoins the two other state parks and the Redwood National Park. It can only be this green with lots of water, so expect to get wet, though there are footbridges in the summer. You can hike in-and-back, or do a full loop up and out of the canyon.

Almost any time of day, the Sea Point Promenade is filled with walkers and joggers, many of them residents from the apartments nearby. Though named after Sea Point, the best known of the areas the walkway fronts, the three-mile promenade begins in Granger Bay, closer to the city, then goes past the red-and-white-striped lighthouse of Mouille Point and continues to Sea Point itself (don’t miss the Art Deco Pavilion, site of many international fashion shoots), before curving around to dramatic, Riviera-like Bantry Bay. A path high above the cliffside apartments of Clifton extends for several more miles to Camps Bay. All along the promenade’s way (except along the fairly long Clifton stretch), there are restaurants and coffee shops.

The beautiful “suburb” of Genoa, Nervi boasts a lovely series of green parks (something Genoa lacks overall) and a well-tended passeggiata path that runs directly along the rocky shore. Especially popular with families on the weekend, the path is easily accessible from the Nervi train station (a 10-minute ride from Brignole Station in central Genoa). Spend the day escaping the bustle of central Genoa by walking along the shore, enjoying the museums tucked into centuries-old palaces in the parks, and having dinner at a small fish restaurant along the coast.

I had one free night in Tokyo—only one chance to connect with a Japanese acquaintance from a dive trip on Midway Atoll 10 years earlier. Our mutual friend, Shintaido master Haruyoshi Fugaku Ito, suggested we meet at the Shinjuku rail station and walk around the corner to Fukuhachi (“Happy Eight”) in the district’s legendary yakitori alley (“Omoide Yokocho,” which apparently translates as something less savory). Operated for decades by Ito’s old friends Kazuko and Hatsumi Muraoka, Fukuhachi is a classic, serving grilled skewers of various meats, organs, and vegetables to mostly locals. Because of the connection through friendship, we were able to slip down a sub-alley and enter through the rear, squeeze ourselves into the back corner, and eat round after round of yakitori, washed down with lots of cold beer, and lots of laughs—a world apart from the supermodern high-rise glitz of the neighborhood beyond the alley.

While several spots can justifiably claim to serve up the best burger in Berlin (the Bird, Burgermeister, Shiso Burger), there is something effortlessly simple and exquisitely tasty about Tommi’s version that makes it particularly good. The limited menu, handwritten on signs above and to the side of the counter, basically consists of the extra toppings (bacon, avocado, cheese) or sides (fries) you may want with your handmade patty of organic Scottish beef. The burger is flame-grilled and placed between a soft, freshly baked bun filled with crunchy lettuce, tomatoes, and other delicious additions. Despite the American-influenced, casual shacklike interior, this place is actually run by an Icelandic family that has similar outlets in London, Copenhagen, and Reykjavík.

Named after the fast-flowing river that runs alongside it and located just an hour from Reykjavik in the middle of an isolated, windswept plain, Hotel Rangá is an immediately homey place. Built in a log-cabin style, the country lodge embraces its surroundings with neutral color schemes, comfy leather sofas, and natural textiles. Quirky extras include a 10-foot stuffed polar bear that greets guests in the reception area and stools with human-like legs in the bar. Standard and Deluxe rooms face either the East Rangá River or the famous Mount Hekla volcano, while suites are designed and themed around the seven continents. But right here is where you want to be. The hotel has an observatory with a retractable roof and high-powered telescope for stargazing, plus some of the darkest skies in Iceland.

If you find yourself at the pointy intersection of two 17th-century buildings in the 3rd Arrondisement, under a landmarked “Boulangerie” sign from one of Paris’ earliest bakeries (where Victor Hugo used to get his bread), you’ve arrived at this charming four-star hotel. Past the low-profile entry lie eclectic, eye-catching interiors designed by fashion legend Christian Lacroix, starting with a ground-floor public space awash in swirl of bold colors, oversized armchairs, and theater-backdrop-style wallpaper. The décor varies between the 17 rooms, as the designer worked within the different sizes and shapes to create unique personalities, so you might be surrounded by animal-print wallpaper, yards of taffeta, fresco-style paintings, a wall decorated with patterned tiles, or a ceiling adorned with stars. Aside from the two cozy Comfort level rooms, most are decently sized, and all feature high-end linens and pillows, Hermès bath amenities, free Wi-Fi, and either a shower or tub.

Enjoy breakfast in the bistro, which becomes a guests-only bar on Thursday through Saturday nights, or hang out in the lobby lounge with something from the honor bar and one of the MacBooks and iPads available on loan from the front desk. Complimentary bikes are on hand when you want to explore the lively Marais or head over to sister hotel, Le Pavillon de la Reine, to make use of its spa and gym.

A Disney-fied take on an African safari experience, the Animal Kingdom Lodge feels like a trip around the world. The thatched-roof main building follows the theme in the grand lobby, where a mud fireplace meets soaring wood columns. Guest rooms are outfitted with carved-wood furniture and private balconies; some have bunk beds perfect for families, but the savannah-view rooms are worth the splurge for the chance to see zebras and giraffes up close as you sip your morning coffee. You have your choice of watering holes: the 10,000-square-foot Uzima pool has a waterslide, wading area, and two hot tubs, while the Samawati Springs pool, though half the size, has an even bigger waterslide and adjoining playground. Dining options are appropriately over-the-top. At Boma, the market-style buffet features carving stations and flavors from 50 African nations; Jiko pairs a Mediterranean-inspired menu and sub-Saharan flavors with South African wines. Cultural representatives from countries including Botswana, Namibia, and Kenya lead free tours of the resort, pointing out details of the continent’s art, cuisine, and natural history in its design. But nothing is as far-flung as it seems—the Lodge and villas are connected to the rest of Walt Disney World and the Orlando Airport by complimentary bus transportation.

One of the country’s largest Asian markets, this massive complex has anchored the International District since 1928—and contains a Japanese bookstore, a 12-station food court, and a Taiwanese hot-pot hot spot: The Boiling Point. Its shelves stock everything from curry to durians and juicy kalua pork, plus surprisingly good, affordable freezer bags to preserve your haul on the way home. Fancy a quick bite in the food court first? Hit Uwajimaya’s Asian deli last and pay at the express lane. While one-stop shopping rocks, fans of Asian curios and calligraphy supplies may want to wander to nearby Kobo (koboseattle.com) or Deng’s Studio and Art Gallery.

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.

Between 1812 and 1815, the British ordered the construction of 300-foot-long Jasper Rock Tunnel (more commonly known as Black Point Tunnel) to provide better access from the cane field to the sugar factory to the ships for export. Slaves were responsible for the actual building, manually cutting through the mountain with shovels, picks, and sledgehammers. Now part of the Black Point Historic and Recreation Park, the tunnel also served as the site for several scenes in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Nestled within a landscape of moss and lava less than an hour from Reykjavik, the Ion Adventure Hotel is one of the few true luxury hotels outside of Iceland’s capital. Under the careful eye of owner Sigurlaug Sverrisdóttir, a no-frills barracks for geothermal power plant workers was transformed into a concrete-and-glass Nordic-modern showpiece that wears its reverence for the natural setting on its sleeve. Sverrisdóttir is committed to using local products—everything from the artwork to the bath products to the food are sourced from the area—and the hotel’s sustainable materials and practices, like using geothermal cooling for power, have earned it a number of awards. Plus, all 45 of the sleek but comfortable rooms feature fair-trade organic linens and floor-to-ceiling views of Lake Thingvellir or Mount Hengill, an active volcano. The glass Northern Lights Bar juts out toward the horizon, providing a perfect viewing spot when the aurora borealis appears; beneath it sits a large rectangular hot tub adjacent to the spa. As for adventure, the hotel is happy to arrange any number of excursions, including fly-fishing, horseback riding, kayaking and, for the truly bold, snorkeling in the Silfra fissure.