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The torrent of Anglo eateries that have popped up across Paris in recent years can largely be attributed to the searing success of Rose Bakery. I had my doubts years ago when I first heard about the internationally-staffed organic canteen - how good could English food be, really? Expensive though it may be, it’s one of my favorite places to go for warm cheese scones, fresh vegetable and a variety of cakes suitable for breakfast or afternoon tea. Rose began in London, hopped over to Paris on rue des Martyrs, expanded to the Marais, settled into a 3rd location within La Maison Rouge foundation in the 12th and most recently took over a 2nd floor corner of the chic department store Le Bon Marché. And that’s saying nothing of their international locations. Its appeal was virtually immediate and RB quickly established itself as the spot among hipsters, artists, celebrities (the likes of Natalie Portman and Julie Delpy, who I spotted last year) and tourists for organic, English fare. They open early, excel at pancakes and healthy veggie options and sell a number of British products to-go. Other establishments may have come onto the scene but Rose is a breakfast mainstay.

Nazare, a colorful fishing village, is about 1 hour north of Fatima in Portugal. It is famous for its fishing boats and traditional clothing of its men and women. The boats are gaily painted with upturned prows as they have been since the days of the Phoenicians. The men wear plaid shirts and long stocking caps in which they keep their cigarettes. The women wear the many colored skirts, shirts, vest, and 7 petticoats. The ladies sit outside their homes and entice you to rent their rooms, or they sit under umbrellas on the beach and chat as their salted fish stretched on wooden racks, dry in the sun. Some fishermen sit on the beach and mend their nets, others are out on the sea fishing. Before 1986, the fishing boats were hauled up on the beach by oxen. Today there is a large marina around the corner so you won’t get to see this ancient ritual. But Nazare is still old Portugal. It is charming . The beach and water are very clean and the waves can be a challenge. Surfers love this area with its huge waves. In January, 2013, a Hawaiian surfer rode a 100' wave off the coast of Nazare and broke a record. There are many shops and cafes in the town. Pick up a straw hat or a souvenir doll with her seven petticoats. Enjoy lunch at one of the great seafood restaurants. The choices are consistently fresh and well-prepared. Nazare is a must see for anyone traveling in Portugal. You can take a tour or drive if you have a car. However you get there, you will have a great time.

The Prague Castle complex, which sits on the top of the hill above the city, dominates the skyline, and houses multiple palaces, churches, halls, and museums. The crown jewel of the complex is St. Vitus Cathedral. Construction of this Gothic and neo-Gothic masterpiece began in 1344 and took nearly six centuries to complete. The largest and most important church in Prague, which is surrounded by smaller chapels, is also the spiritual heart of the city. Bohemian and Czech kings and queens have been coronated here and are also laid to rest here underneath the cathedral. The exterior with its heavy bronze doors and carved stone is massive and imposing, but once you enter, the soaring Gothic ceiling overwhelms you with a feeling of lightness. The interior is filled with golden sunlight and glowing colors from the stained glass windows, designed by prominent 20th-century Czech artists, including art nouveau master Alphonse Mucha.

Stromboli’s second settlement is Ginostra, a tiny village (with a population of around 40 residents) that clings to the rugged, rocky shoreline and is surrounded by olive and lemon groves. The Stream of Fire lava flow separates it from Stromboli Town, and no pathways connect the two villages by land—so the only way to see Ginostra is by boat.

A clifftop eco-hotel surrounded by 50 barely touched acres on the bucolic North Kohala coast, Hawaii Island Retreat feels as far away as it gets. There are no TVs in the guest rooms, no air-con, and Wi-Fi only in certain spots. Solar and wind power provide all the electricity, while much of the fruit and vegetables are grown right on the property. Resident goats and bees supply the cheese and honey. The inn has 20 simply-furnished bedrooms in the main house, overlooking groves of cedar and pine trees, plus seven yurts a stone’s throw away, so it’s possible—likely even—that a guest might spend days here and rarely see another soul. The owners, a local spa therapist and natural healer and her physician husband, opened the property in 2009 with the express purpose of creating a wellness-focused retreat, which is why guests can sign up for classes in yoga, tai chi, and meditation, as well as facials and massages. Outdoor massage tables, placed under a tent, overlook a deep green valley. There’s also a mediation rock. So health-minded is this little retreat that it’s become a popular spot for guests recovering from serious illness or simply in search of a detox. Various packages have a wellness or spiritual theme.

One of Lisbon’s most unique and interesting shops, this high-design destination features colorful items (backpacks, handbags, blankets, shoes, homewares) made from burel, a Portuguese wool that, until recently, was used for little more than the heavy cloaks worn by shepherds in the Serra da Estrela mountains. For Loja da Burel, the storeowners resurrected the fabric as well as its artisanal weaving process, breathing new life into a Portuguese mountain tradition. While not everything here is entirely practical, it’s all very well-made and quite beautiful, making the store worth a visit even if you’re not in the market for a wool baseball cap.

A maze of narrow medieval streets wind up and down this village perched along the Grande Corniche. The ruins of a château are now an exotic garden, and the 18th-century neoclassical Notre Dame of the Assumption church is a national monument. Spectacular views inspire artists and artisans, and their galleries fill the village. Exceptional restaurants like the Château Eza are happy to welcome guests for a drink or a Michelin-starred meal as they relax and savor the scenery.

The owners of Sidework hit on the idea for their cozy little eatery after listening to locals grumble about how hard it was to find a low-key place to have a drink and casual bite during the summer and winter tourist seasons. They already owned the brewpub around the corner, so they turned the adjacent space—which they used for “sidework” like filling water pitches and rolling silverware into napkins—into the spot everyone was craving. Today the narrow, intimate bar serves self-described “American-American comfort food,” which includes small plates like blue claw crab soup, fig flatbreads, and charcuterie boards, and larger dishes such as olive-oil-poached branzino and beef short ribs in red wine reduction. For the perfect start to your night, drop by during the daily happy hour for discounts on select wine, beer, cocktails, and mini filet mignon sliders.

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.”

You’d never know that the little house near the Texas State Capitol building was a restaurant, and its inside resembles a tony private residence. Chef-owner Michael Fojtasek—named one of Food & Wine‘s 2015 Best New Chefs in the restaurant’s first year of operation—has created a menu based on refined Southern dishes. Chilled melon gazpacho with crab salad, elevated ambrosia with granita, hoppin’ John, and grapefruit icebox pie are just a few of the dishes that blend Texas and the South to stunning results.

At the Fish Pot, right on the water on the northwest coast outside of Speightstown in Barbados, grilled lobster and seafood platters are as fresh as you’d expect. The ambiance is one of wicker chairs in a historic, old stone fort house with wooden floors and shutters and lime-colored wooden railings on the terrace.

Family run for almost two decades, this small restaurant is an excellent place to swing by for a seafood lunch or dinner. Dress code is relaxed (it is an island vibe, after all) and the company is excellent.

If the eyes are the window to the soul, they should be well framed. Choose your new pair from Italian names like Persol and Bulgari, or from the family-run shop’s own in-house designs. Even Pope Francis gets his specs here.

The bright colors and floral patterns that adorn Lisa Corti fabrics are inspired by her childhood in Ethiopia and her lifetime of travel to India and Asia. The inventory is extensive, with housewares, women’s clothing, children’s wear, and ceramics. Each handmade item reflects Italian design sensibility and craftsmanship. At her shop in the Sant’Ambrogio district, you will find hand-blocked tablecloths, bedspreads, and pillows alongside blue Jaipur tiles and ceramic serving bowls. Beach lovers can savor multicolored caftans and strappy sandals in the same riot of colors and prints.

The name translates as “Back Pocket,” an apt description for this one-room restaurant tucked into the side of the Royal Opera House. The tiled room is decorated with opera memorabilia, and sometimes you’ll find yourself dining next to tuxedo-clad members of the orchestra between performances. Diners perch at the counter at little tables affixed to the walls or, during the summer, outside in the sun. The food is traditional Swedish cuisine—husmanskost, as it’s known—with particularly good seafood, and best enjoyed with a Swedish beer.

Pack your bikini and a bottle of cold Ticinese rosé and head to the campanile-spiked hills above Locarno. In Switzerland’s sunny and steep-sloped Italian-speaking Canton Ticino, locals and visitors alike love a bracing dip in the cool mountain water—and there’s no better place to witness this than at the historic Ponte dei Salti (Jumping Bridge), a double-arched bridge across the Verzasca River where bronzed young Ticinese plunge into the river’s lustrous emerald depths. From the city of Locarno, the intense hike to the ancient Roman relic hugs the Verzasca River and passes through chestnut groves, vineyards, fragrant pine forests, and the iconic Contra (or Verzasca) Dam where scenes from the James Bond thriller GoldenEye were shot. If your time is limited, take the 45-minute PostBus to the bridge (included with a Swiss Travel Pass) and walk down. Or take the bus all the way to the end of the road in the Alpine village of Sonogno, where a jade-colored waterfall pool, the river’s source, awaits.