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I realize that this is a highlight that may not even need words, since the image is so very convincing. If you find yourself exploring the Costa Brava (‘Rugged Coast’) of Spain, be sure not to miss the beach town of Calella and have lunch at the Hotel St. Roc to sample the local specialties and witness this view. Once you descend on foot from the Hotel St. Roc, you’ll start to see footpaths and stairs headed down to a few, beautifully quiet beaches. The water is clear, the swimming great, and siesta seems to never really end in that glorious sunshine.

Each wooden suite—spread out over the waters of a coral-lined lagoon—has a smartly designed sea-level sun deck, a deepwater pool, and a glass spy hole carved into the floor so you can watch the stingrays and reef sharks glide below. The property underwent massive renovations during 2019 after a fire ravaged the hotel, but it took the opportunity to expand and improve. The resort reopened with 45 luxury villas with furniture made from locally sourced materials.

Great Wolf Lodge Colorado Springs is a family vacation resort and conference center whose showcase feature is a 50,000-square-foot water park, heated to a humid 84 degrees Fahrenheit (a treat in the middle of the high Colorado desert). It’s next to Interstate 25, just north of Colorado Springs. Though the water park is accessible exclusively to guests at the hotel, the Adventure Park is open to the public, with completely dry activities including a ropes course, climbing wall, mini-golf, gem-panning, bowling, arcade, and several hotel-wide scavenger hunt games. Meals are not included in the room price, but there are restaurants on the property, including healthy options, allergy-friendly kitchens, and, exclusive to the Colorado property, Barnwood, a farm-to-table restaurant and bar in the lobby, which sources as many local ingredients as possible. To avoid crowds and lines, the water park at Great Wolf Lodge Colorado Springs is only open to guests of the hotel, which has 311 suites, differently configured, themed, and sized to accommodate families of all sizes; rates begin at $199 per night and include access to the water park. In celebration of the grand opening, they’re offering discounts of up to 30 percent on multi-night stays through the end of March. Pro tip: bring your own bathrobe and flip flops.

At the edge of the Baja Peninsula, One&Only Palmilla was originally built in 1956 as a 15-room hideaway for Don Abelardo Rodriguez, son of the then-president of Mexico. Today, it’s one of the region’s most luxurious resorts, composed of 174 oceanfront rooms and suites and two villas decorated in neutral hues and splashes of red; many have infinity pools and patios that face the Sea of Cortez.


One&Only Palmilla has one of the area’s few swimmable beaches, plus three private rocky coves complete with floating beds, lounge chairs, and dedicated butlers. Activities include snorkeling, surfing, parasailing, and golfing the award-winning 27-hole course designed by Jack Nicklaus. The massive spa’s wellness garden features a juice bar and 13 treatment villas; several have private plunge pools, rain showers, and swinging daybeds.



One&Only Palmilla is a member of EarthCheck, a scientific benchmarking certification program, for its sustainability efforts, which include a state-of-the-art water purification system that produces and bottles filtered water on site. The resort works with the Red Committee for the Protection of the Sea Turtle by helping with daily patrols of nearby nests, an activity guests can join.

No matter what kind of getaway you have in mind, you can find a guestroom to fit at Castle Hill Inn. Rooms in the main house vary in size and décor, but each is kitted out for romance with a fireplace, a king-sized bed, oversized tubs, and windows looking over the water and expanses of lawn. The Turret Suite, a bi-level space, has a bedroom on the first level; on the top floor, a soaking tub on a raised floor takes advantage of the 320° wrap-around windows. Below the main house, the Harbor House’s modern guestrooms feature front-porch views of Newport Bridge and the hotel’s Grace Kelly Beach. At the far end of the 40-acre property, the Beach Cottages and Beach Houses are set along the private beach, offering views that take in both the mansions along Ocean Drive and the wild Atlantic itself. The cottages, slightly smaller and closer to the beach, have peaked ceilings with rafters. The airy Beach Houses, compactly outfitted with galley kitchens, sunny decks, ceiling fans, fireplaces, and curated shelves of books, cast a kind of never-leave spell.

Sailors place the Grenadines, with its 32 breathtakingly beautiful islands and islets, among the world’s best places for boating. For help getting out on the water, turn to Horizon Yacht Charters, which rents monohulls and catamarans (either bareboat or crewed) out of Blue Lagoon Marina on St. Vincent. Enjoy a multi-day or week-long sail around the Grenadines, or opt for the one-way charter and sail south through the Grenadines all the way to Grenada, where Horizon has another facility.

After hopping off a boat off the coast of San Cristobal Island, you enter the freezing water of the Kicker Rock channel (or Leon Dormido). Above you Blue-Footed Boobies perch on the rock, while Frigate birds fly in the clear blue sky. Underneath you an aquatic world awaits, filled with playful Sea Lions, Razor Surgeon Fish, Parrotfish, Sea Turtles, and if you’re lucky you might even spot some (or 40) White-Tipped Sharks...Don’t worry, the locals swear the sharks are vegetarians!

When eating at the Sea House Restaurant, it’s hard to decide what is actually better: the view of Molokaʽi across the water, or the Molokaʽi sweet potatoes used in the frittata. Either way, both combine for a memorable breakfast on the island’s northwestern corner. Opened in 1963 when tourists were just discovering Maui, the Sea House restaurant celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013—thereby making it one of the oldest restaurants in West Maui. Even with the history, fame, and ocean views, it’s one of the island’s most affordable restaurants. Most items on the breakfast menu will cost you $12 or less, and when you’re done with your meal, you can splash in the waters of protected Napili Bay. The Sea House sources many of their ingredients from local Hawaiian farmers (such as the Molokaʽi sweet potatoes), and they also follow traditional fishing calendars when choosing their fish for the menu. This is a great option for beginning the day on the island’s northwestern coastline and is a filling starting point for later adventures toward Honolua Bay and beyond. Or, just relax on the sands of Napili beneath the shade of a rustling palm. After all, there are only three hours between the end of breakfast and the start of the Sea House happy hour—an affordable menu that starts at 2 p.m. and has been voted one of the best on Maui.

Built in the 17th century, Nymphenburg Palace is one of the largest royal castles in Europe. Planned as a summer residence for the Bavarian monarchy, it was expanded over time and now features additional pavilions and gallery wings, plus a French Baroque façade by Joseph Effner. The palace exterior and expansive, English-style gardens—complete with lakes, geysers, and waterfalls—are the real highlights here, but the interior, with its Baroque, Neoclassical, and Rococo era rooms, is also worth seeing. Be sure to check out the Steinerner Saal (Stone Hall) with its striking ceiling frescoes, the Schönheitengalerie (Gallery of Beauties) with works by court painter Joseph Karl Stieler, and the palace chapel of St. Magdalena. There are also a few interesting museums on site, including ones dedicated to royal coaches, porcelain, and natural history.

Set across from the University of Pennsylvania, the Inn at Penn holds its own against the new Center City crop and is one of the most technologically advanced hotels in Hilton’s portfolio. Built in 1999, the hotel was renovated top-to-bottom in 2011, solidifying a stuffy-enough Ivy League air. Above an efficient wood-paneled check-in, a double-fireplace library lined with classic tomes creates a sophisticated lobby-cum-cocktail lounge. A Frank Lloyd Wright–inspired aesthetic is pervasive with geometric lamps, wood-paneled walls, Craftsman wood furnishings, and the hotel’s riff on the architect’s iconic font on all signage. The Inn is teched out with free, fast Wi-Fi; TeleAdapt MediaHubs connecting phones, tablets, or computers directly to high-def TVs; and iPads accessing hotel services and information in multiple languages. The Inn’s environmental stance is also impressive: fabrics, wall coverings, and bathroom tile are made from recycled materials; energy-efficient lighting, heating, and cooling is state-of-the-art, and WaterSense showerheads ensure no water is wasted.

The 245 guestrooms and suites are classy, efficient, and relatively spacious, though it’s worth upgrading to a suite for a separate sitting area. Gold, leather, and wood hues are complimented by pops of red and orange with large work desks. Thanks to the 2001 renovation, the bathrooms are big, have glass-encased showers, and are stocked with Crabtree & Evelyn amenities.

Thousands of years ago, the entire Yucatán Peninsula was under water, as evidenced by its massive network of rivers that flow beneath the region’s limestone surface. No place better presents the area’s captivating caverns and underground water systems than majestic Río Secreto, a nature park just south of Playa del Carmen that offers adventurous travelers wide-ranging cave tours. Extending for miles, its river system wasn’t discovered until 2006, when a local man accidentally stumbled across an entrance while chasing an iguana through the jungle. When you go, guides lead you through a maze of stalactites and stalagmites that ends with a swim in subterranean waterways that vary based on the path you choose.

This three-mile stretch of white sand is the only public beach at the gated Puntacana Resort & Club. Even so, non-guests can only reach the beach after dining at the resort’s oceanfront Playa Blanca Restaurant. It’s worth it, though, as the calm turquoise water is ideal for swimming, kayaking, and catamaran sailing. A mesh barrier keeps seaweed out of the swimming and beach areas, ensuring pristine water and sand as far as the eye can see.

Bota Bota began its life on the water as a ferryboat. Then called the Arthur Cardin, it sailed between the cities of Sorel and Berthier, just east of Montreal, back in the 1950s. Many years later, someone had the idea to transform this mothballed boat, docked in the old port of Montreal, into a floating spa. Mission accomplished. With its 25,000 square feet, 21 treatment rooms, 6 terraces, and 40 different types of services, the Bota Bota makes a pretty grand spa, if you ask me. What’s even greater about the spa is the location. Docked in the old port with stunning views of downtown and Old Montreal, the Bota Bota offers its passengers (not customers!) the healing benefits of a spa while they are lulled by the natural movements of the St Lawrence River.

Part of the Auberge Resorts Collection, Solage is one of Calistoga’s top lodging options; the trio of overnight accommodations, spa, and Michelin-starred restaurant practically force guests to unwind and relax. The experience starts in the 89 studios and suites, which are built like stand-alone cabins and are furnished comfortably. Most have private patios; larger rooms and suites have private backyards (some even have sunken hot tubs); all have in-room showers lined with rocks that feel great on bare feet. With three geothermal pools, the on-site spa is second to none in the Napa Valley. The property’s signature treatment, dubbed the Mudslide, revolves around mineral-enriched mud that guests are encouraged to slather all over themselves and later incorporates a session in a soaking tub and time in a sound chair. Elsewhere on the property, at the Solbar restaurant, chef Massimo Falsini gives farm-fresh cooking a Mediterranean twist. The Monterey black cod in coconut-turmeric brodo is a crowd pleaser. Another must-order: the Macallan 18 butterscotch pudding, made with aged scotch.

With its thatched roof, bamboo bar, and surfboard decor, this beloved watering hole—often voted Maui’s best bar by locals—checks all the tiki boxes. Head here for live music, lanai seating, and late-night dancing, plus fun and fruity rum cocktails like mai tais, zombies, daiquiris, and piña coladas. Beyond its drinks, South Shore Tiki Lounge was recognized by the state of Hawaii as an outstanding business for its regular fund-raising efforts, which benefit local organizations like the Keiki Cupboard, Hawaii Wildlife Fund, Maui Humane Society, and Hawaii Animal Rescue Foundation. All that to say, you can feel good coming here to wash down a massive chili-cheese hot dog with a lychee-watermelon martini.