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Built in 1928 by Asia’s oldest hotel brand, the Peninsula Hong Kong is one of the most historic properties on the Kowloon Peninsula, just across Victoria Harbour from Hong Kong Island. Designed originally as an upscale accommodation for passengers riding the adjacent Kowloon-Canton railway, the Peninsula has been a fixture of Hong Kong society throughout the region’s history. It was a magnet for Hollywood stars and dignitaries, the site of Hong Kong’s surrender to Japanese forces at the start of World War II, and temporary housing for residents following the war.

In 1994, a 30-story tower was added to house 135 additional rooms and suites as well as shops, a spa, a fitness center, twin rooftop helipads, and Felix—the hotel’s 28th-floor fine-dining restaurant, designed by Philippe Starck. The entire property was renovated in 2013 to update rooms with creamy colors, polished wood, and stitched leather and introduce high-tech extras that include a bedside control panel allowing guests to adjust the room’s light, sound, and temperature without getting out from under the covers. Today, the hotel is sleek and modern, but historic relics evoke the glory days that established the Peninsula as the “Grande Dame of the Far East.”

The Castelo de São Jorge, is one of the Alfama neighborhood’s most historically significant monuments. Plan a visit late in the afternoon so that you can explore every nook and cranny and learn about the castle’s abundant history. Stay for golden hour so that you can capture the light as it dances on the castle walls, and later to watch the sunset dip below the horizon.

Fancy yourself a brave one, do ye? Aye, aye, then the Cliffs of Moher are right up your alley. Ireland‘s most popular tourist destination does not disappoint, though visiting during the middle of the day means you’re going to have to share the walking paths with plenty of other folk - most of them American visitors in their finest Notre Dame Fighting Irish t-shirts. Come early in the morning or late in the afternoon and you’ll have the cliffs, beautiful light, and ancient rock monsters all to yourself. That’s right; rock monsters. That’s one giving tourists the finger right there in the ocean.

Experience the khlongs, or canals, of the “Venice of the East” on a longtail boat and you’ll get a special look into the heart of Bangkok. Most of Bangkok’s waterways were dug in the 18th and 19th centuries, and while some have been filled in and paved over, there are still an amazing number to explore. Several of them, such as Khlong Saen Saeb, go through the center of the city, and the Khlong Bangkok Yai, on the western side of the Chao Phraya, cuts through one of the oldest parts of town. Many tours leave from the central piers on the river and are no more than a couple of hours long.

Even though you may have never been here before, Montréal’s Place St-Louis, in the Plateau neighborhood off of rue St-Denis, will probably look familiar thanks to the many tourism posters and guidebook covers that display its image. The graystone Victorian row houses, with details in pink, purple, and other eye-popping hues, embody a certain Montréal attitude—grounded in history yet with a playful, contemporary edge. The square was laid out in 1876 and has been described as one of Montréal’s most beautiful, with a European elegance thanks to its tree-lined paths and fountain. Students of poetry may want to pay homage to Émile Nelligan. A monument to the beloved Québecois writer sits in the southeast corner of the square near the house on avenue Laval where he once lived.

From October to February, sperm whales, humpback whales, and pilot whales make their way from the cold Atlantic to the warm waters of St. Lucia to breed and mate. Whale-watching tours leave from Castries and some of the other towns on the west coast and sail north to south to spot the whales, breaching and spouting, from a safe distance. Over the last few years, sperm and pilot whales have more frequently been spotted than humpbacks. It’s not unusual to see schools of spinner and bottlenose dolphins along the journey. Some whale-watching trips offer lunch as well as a chance to snorkel and swim, so shop around for the excursion you want.

The only existing French plantation house on St. Kitts, the Fairview Great House was built circa 1701 and originally housed French military officers. Today, guests can tour the beautifully restored property, taking in the period furnishings, kitchen, apiary, chapel, and bathhouse before exploring the two-and-a-half acres of botanical gardens, filled with tropical flowers, fruit trees, and monkeys. Visitors can also purchase day passes to the property’s swimming pool and sunny deck, or sign up for cooking classes and tastings of St. Kitts’ own Brinley Shipwreck Gold Rum.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Changdeokgung Palace is a prime example of pungsu, a style derived from the principles of Confucianism that harmoniously blends architecture with the surrounding landscape. Originally built in 1412 as a secondary palace to Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung eventually became the main seat of the Joseon Dynasty, Korea’s most celebrated empire. It was especially beloved for its huwon, a landscaped garden of pavilions, ponds, and pagodas. Today, the only way to see the huwon is to take the 90-minute Secret Garden Tour. Afterward, pay the extra fee to view the remaining 60 percent of the complex.

Take San Francisco’s defining features—its booming tech industry, its creative heart, its killer restaurant scene—and squeeze them into a 100-year-old building in a neighborhood undergoing a sea change. That’s Hotel Zetta. The dynamic property, which re-opened as Hotel Zetta in 2013, couldn’t be more, well, San Francisco.

In the lobby, there’s a chandelier fashioned from recycled sunglass lenses, a front desk made from reclaimed wood, and a two-story Plinko board (an interactive art piece) that descends from the Playroom. About that: The Playroom caters to the work-hard, play-hard set. A shuffle board, a pool table, and video games (both current and retro) spark friendly competition. A classic London telephone booth lets guests order room service or video chat. Modern amenities continue in the rooms. Desks built from kitchen butcher blocks encourage standing while working. A G-Link docking station facilitates wireless streaming from tablets and smartphones to flat-screen Samsung Smart TVs, which come pre-loaded with complimentary Internet service, apps and HD channels.

The art? A blend of analog and digital. Art in the guestrooms include work by Nick Gentry. He made an original work as a compilation of floppy disks. Then, the work was photographed and screenprinted as a giclee on a canvas for the rooms. Downstairs, two new ventures from famed Bay Area restaurateurs Anna Weinberg, James Nicholas and Chef Jennifer Puccio (of Marlowe and Park Tavern) ensure the young and hungry are adequately fueled.

New York is definitely one of the food meccas of the world, every restaurant, a living proof of the fusion of cultures that make up this amazing city. One thing you will find here is that some of the best restaurants are not obvious to the eye. Many have hidden entrances or disguised doors. While La Esquina is also an evident fast food restaurant, the real treasure lays hidden in the basement underneath. Behind a door labeled “employees only” a set of stairs takes you down to much larger room with rustic decoration and attractive murals that evoke the Aztec theme and welcome you to your next best meal! The food is a testament of the fusion of flavors of Mexico... the tostadas (bite size crisp tortillas) de pollo and cangrejo with the spicy mango relish or the taquitos are a great way to start! Then go for the juicy marinated Carne Asada with a hint of garlic and the classic mojo or the Camarones a la Plancha and pair them with the green beans and the rice for a meal to remember!!! and please... leave room for dessert, the Crema Cocida, a velvety panna cotta with a mexican twist, or the Torrejas Brulee, a moist bread pudding with bits of pinnaple, give you the perfect level of sweetness to end a superb meal! If you go with large group (>9) they will require you to do a family style menu for a fair value, which I highly recommend!! Trust me, there will be plenty of food and I promise, it will be a feast you will never forget!

Merida’s main market, Lucas de Galvez, covers 156,000 square feet and has over 2000 vendors that sell fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, seasonings, pots, baskets, animals, shoes, clothes...the list goes on and on. Roughly 100,000 visitors flock to the colorful stalls on a daily basis. It’s a great market to explore on your own, but if you’re curious about some of the unusual fruits, vegetables, herbs, ingredients and prepared foods you’ll likely find here, and may not be familiar with, sign up for a market (and cooking) tour with a chef like David Cetina. It is fun to walk the different food halls with a local-in-the-know. We got to see, smell, and taste tons of things, and we got a good inkling of what makes the Ycatean cuisine so darn delicious. MARKET HOURS: –everyday from 8am-6pm >>>A heartfelt thank you to Yucatan Tourism for an unforgettable 4 days in the Yucatan, my new favorite place in Mexico! @YucatanTourism #TravelYucatan

On the west side of Arenal Volcano, this 900-acre tropical reserve was a labor of love for owner and architect Jaime Mikowski, who spent years planting acres of native plants and coaxing the land’s natural mineral springs into a river that now flows throughout the property, spilling over into dozens of waterfalls and pools that range from 72 to 105 degrees. Spacious rooms have marble floors and streamlined furnishings; splurge on a suite, which features a private terrace and a Jacuzzi tub—a little superfluous considering all the other options for soaking in warm water here, but who’s complaining? There are also five swimming pools, one with a swim-up bar and waterslide, and a spa comprising 12 bungalows with treatments that all include, you guessed it, a dip in a thermal spring-fed tub. While the property is also open to day trippers, guests of the resort have exclusive access to Shangri-La Gardens, an adults-only lounge area with pools, cabanas, and a folliage-filled bar.

Botswana’s most famous crafts are baskets woven from fan palm fibers. They are dyed with natural pigments: blue from fever-berry leaves, dark brown from magic guarri shrubs, and yellow from the roots of red star apple trees. Some baskets take a month to make. Nearly all lodges sell baskets, but you can also purchase them online.

On most days in Prague, it feels like every tourist in town has gathered on the Charles Bridge. And for good reason — this 14th-century cobblestone span crosses the Vltava River, connecting the Old Town with the Lesser Town (Mala Strana) and providing picturesque views of both sides of the river, medieval churches, towers, and Prague Castle on the hill. King Charles IV commissioned the bridge in 1357. The bridge has 16 arches and protected by towers on either end: the Old Town Bridge Tower in Old Town and the Judith Tower and Lesser Town Bridge Tower on the Mala Strana side. The bridge is lined with 30 large statues of religious figures and luminaries, dating from the Baroque era to the present day The best time to go is at dawn, sunset or after dark after the crowds have thinned and romance is in the air.

Encyclopedic is one way to describe L.A.’s oldest art institution. Sprawling is another. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art opened in its current Miracle Mile location in 1965 and has not stopped growing, becoming the largest museum in the western United States. Its 135,000-piece collection spans 6,000 years of art. It also includes some of the museum world’s most photographed outdoor sculptures, such as Michael Heizer’s mind-boggling Levitated Mass and Chris Burden’s Urban Light. The museum hosts some 40 exhibits per year, plus a dynamic schedule of events, such as Tuesday film matinees and picnic-friendly Jazz at LACMA (held weekly on “summer” weekend nights—which in L.A. means April to November). While anyone can join free tours throughout the day, docents also lead customized experiences for a fee, which will take you through the galleries before or after hours to marvel at artists as wide-ranging as Henri Matisse, Ai Weiwei, Diego Rivera, and Catherine Opie. Kids are also catered to with a special gallery, Sunday activities, and a free membership, which includes entry for them plus an adult guest any day of the year. Pro tips: Plan to spend several hours at the museum, fueling up on wood-fired pizza midway through the day at Ray’s & Stark Bar. And if you’d like to experience the outdoor sculptures without the crowds, go early in the morning or on Wednesdays, when the museum is closed and gloriously quiet.