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Roseau’s only oceanside dining option, the elegant Palisades pairs sweeping water views with one of Dominica’s best culinary experiences. Here, creative dishes showcase the island’s natural bounty, including produce sourced from local farms and fish straight from the Caribbean Sea. Start with dishes like BBQ jerk octopus and sesame-crusted tuna with a soy-chili dip. Then, move on to the lion fish, served with green-banana croquettes and mushroom sauce. Fancy something lighter? Try a lentil-black-bean cake or callaloo soup, made with baby taro leaves, coconut milk, yam, and green bananas.

An ancient atoll, Molokini lies 2.5 miles off Maui’s south coast, where the water is calm, clear, and teeming with marine life. Here, snorkelers and scuba divers can expect up to 150 feet of visibility, allowing for perfect views of yellow tang, parrot fish, black triggerfish, bluefin trevally, and even moray eels. To explore it for yourself, book a tour with Maui Classic Charters, which sails to Molokini in a 55-foot catamaran with a glass-bottomed viewing room. Choose one of the early-morning trips for a better chance of calm seas and bigger sea creatures like octopus and eagle rays, and bring along snacks, sunscreen, and, for those who run cold, perhaps a rash guard or thin wet suit, especially in the winter months.

Music producer turned hotelier Chris Blackwell has made a name for himself converting Caribbean properties (Pink Sands on Harbour Island, GoldenEye in Jamaica) into jetset destinations with studios where his rock-and-roll friends can kick back while recording their next album, but it all began at Compass Point. Bob Marley, the Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton have all stayed in some of the resort’s 18 rainbow-hued stand-alone huts, which are inspired by the colors of Bahama’s Junkanoo carnival and are simply furnished to encourage engagement with the outdoors; though the interiors are air-conditioned, most have sea-view balconies that are sighted to catch ocean breezes. In keeping with the theme, each comes with a surround-sound system and a library of CDs by artists who have recorded at Compass Point, but you’re just as likely to keep them off, preferring instead to listen to the waves that crash on the hotel’s small beach.

• Location: County Clare, Ireland
• Why we love it: A regal 19th-century castle that feels like stepping back in time—with all the comforts of today
• Loyalty program: I Prefer (Preferred Hotels and Resorts)
• From $3,800
• Book now

Dromoland Castle, located in Ireland’s County Clare, was built in the early 1800s and served as the ancestral home of the Irish Gaelic O’Brien clan for eight generations. Today, it’s a luxury hotel offering a range of refined experiences across its stately grounds—from hawk walks and boating on Dromoland Lake to golf, archery, and sporting clays lessons. Inside, original oil paintings, stained glass, antique furnishings, and the historic Ornamental Walled Garden evoke the castle’s storied past.



Recently refurbished rooms, such as the Grania O’Brien Suite, offer charming details like a hidden bookcase that opens into an adjoining room. The octagonal cocktail bar, once the O’Brien family library, now serves drinks named for Celtic deities. New to the 500 acre grounds is Dromoland Lodge, a five-bedroom private residence along the golf course for those seeking extra seclusion. If you’re looking for a royal stay that whisks you back in time, Dromoland is a great option, located a mere 20 minutes by car from Shannon Airport.

If there were ever a hotel with history, it’s the Singular Patagonia. Opened as a hotel in November 2011, the original building once served as a post-Victorian cold-storage factory built by the British in 1915 for the purpose of processing sheep’s wool and meat to be shipped back to England. Overlooking the waters of Last Hope Sound, the long, red-brick building is located just outside the town of Puerto Natales. After operating for almost 70 years as a factory, it was declared a national historic landmark before being transformed into a luxury hotel.

History is by no means forgotten. The hallways are still stocked with brightly colored machinery—from steam condensers to boilers and forges—all stamped with the name of the British city in which they were built: Derby, Birmingham, London, or Glasgow. Designed by Chilean interior designer Enrique Concha and local architect Pedro Kovacic, the 57 bedrooms stretch along a new wing that was added to the original buildings, and these rooms are furnished with Victorian-inspired furniture.

The Mexican food at Guisados is great simply because it doesn’t try too hard. The owners, Armando de la Torre Sr. and Armando de la Torre Jr., aim to make every dish just how mom used to make it, and they succeed on every level. From humble beginnings in Boyle Heights to outposts in Echo Park, Downtown L.A., West Hollywood, Burbank, and a Koreatown location on the second floor of the Platform 35 food hall. Guisados has flourished thanks to handmade tortillas anchored by braised chicken breast, flank steak, or pork. The mole poblano taco is especially mouthwatering, and the quesadilla con chorizo is big enough to share—though you probably will want to keep it all to yourself.

If you happen to be on the hunt for Mexican designer jewelry and you’re already at the Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo (University Museum of Contemporary Art), then be sure to stop by the museum’s large store, where the work of more than 200 designers is on display. The pieces tend more toward contemporary than traditional, though there’s a style and piece for practically every taste. And if you need a scarf, shawl, or purse to complement your newly acquired ring, bracelet, or necklace, the store sells those, too.

I first visited Wahoo’s Fish Taco in Denver and have been going back ever since. It seems much more appropriate that Wahoo’s, with its surfboarding theme, has a location in Hawaii. The location I frequented is in Ala Moana. Time permitting, I would get my food to go and sit at the Ala Moana Beach park for a picnic dinner. Wahoo’s has a good selection of burritos, salads, and tacos. A pitcher of margaritas or local beers are usually popular with a group as well! If you collect stickers, just ask at the counter and if they have any on hand, they will gift one to you.

Need some boba for bubble tea? Done. Seafood that’s alive and kicking? No problem. Fancy Russian chocolate? Easy. Dragon fruit? Cactus (edible cactus, of course)? Seven different kinds of eggplants? Frying cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano (not the parmesan that comes from anywhere buy Parma), brie, feta? Wine, beer, sake, lychee juice? Japanese curry, Thai curry, Jamaican curry? Wasabi mayonnaise? Lard, blood sausages, chicharrones? Eclairs, honey cake, baklava? You get the point, right? You even get your number one priority when looking for a farmers’ market: laundry detergent. This market has aisles for tons of cuisines, and free samples to boot! Try tacos, rice with furikake, you name it. And that doesn’t tie you over, buy some empanadas or korean sweets to eat on the spot.

Located in southern Seoul at the Sindorim Subway Station is D-Cube City. This retail monolith houses scores of shops and restaurants. There are the ubiquitous H&M, Zara, and Uniqlo, but also trendy Korean labels such as Bean Pole, Codes Combine, and Thursday Island. The food court is especially notable for the traditional Korean food section, where specialties like doenjang jjigae (a soybean stew) and pajeon (a green onion pancake) are served in surroundings meant to resemble a Korean folk village. Be sure to read the many signs and maps posted in English around the mall. My favorite? “D Cube City makes you feel like walking in the woods.” 662, Gyeongin-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul

Descended from horses brought over in the 16th century by Spanish conquistadors, hundreds of wild horses rule the little island of Vieques. The horses, an attraction in their own right, dot the landscape wherever you go. With every encounter, I couldn’t help but slow down and admire their beauty. They are naturally intelligent and curious, so don’t be surprised if they approach you or your vehicle looking for little treats. For a guaranteed encounter, look no further than Sun Bay—where I snapped this picture. Here, they graze, take frequent sand baths, and (if you’re lucky) cool their hooves in the blue waters of the Caribbean.

Cape Porpoise is quite the charming small village in the Town of Kennebunkport. The harbor is a safe haven for the many lobster boats & dingy’s that call this place their home & office. The islands can be a great escape for camping or exploration. Goat Island, one of the many islands that make up the neighboring islands of the harbor offers visitors a working lighthouse & gate keepers house for exploration. There’s a few good local restaurants specializing in Maine fare that are a great find too. An outing in Cape Porpoise really can’t be missed while visiting Kennebunkport. There’s always something going on & you can find a story threw the lens or chat with a local to find more about this charming spot.

Germans, especially Bavarians (who are or are not Germans, depending on whom you talk to) love eating their meat and potatoes. While there, I went for a giant joint of pork with kartoffel (potato) salad. Nobody does fresh potato salad better. Sure, the famous Hofbrauhaus in Munich is a great place to sit with friends and try to avoid spraining your wrist as you suck down liter glasses of beer, but it’s also a great place to eat. Filling up helps you enjoy the beer even more and fights off the eventual intoxication as well.

At Point Udall, on the east coast of St. Croix, a sundial called Millennium Monument was erected for the New Year’s celebration in 2000. The stark sculpture represents the azimuth of the first sunrise of that year, the new millennium, at this easternmost point of the United States. Point Udall also affords visitors panoramic views and marks the starting point of a hike that leads to the beach at Isaac Bay.

Too often us intrepid experiential travelers can get caught up in the whole effort of trying to do it all. “I must explore this off-the-map place!” “I have to try this exotic dish!” It’s easy to forget that sometimes the best way to get to know a place is to simply stroll aimlessly. Luckily, Barbados makes it an attractive prospect.