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Coda is a locally owned shop in Houston Heights with a unique collection of rustic, industrial, and contemporary home decor and gifts. I especially love the candles and handcrafted bath and body products. Ask the friendly owner, Frank, for help picking something out if you need a second opinion.

For a unique dining experience, try Divan—a Mediterranean restaurant and hookah lounge. Guests are transported to Arabia, surrounded by pillows and curtains. Order small bites like the lamb kufta and hummus while you smoke the hookah. Divan also has a full bar.

Brit-born cycling fanatic Gareth Jones first opened a bike shop called Vicious Cycles, then expanded into the next-door space with the Handlebar, a funky restaurant/bar/“cycle” cafe on a grungy, graffiti-lined backstreet in the increasingly touristy Psirri neighborhood. The simple brunch, bagels, and (mostly vegan or vegetarian) snacks fare here consistently earns rave reviews, and so do the DJs’s mad mixes of house music and more. The beer is cheap, and the young, edgy crowd is consistently enthusiastic. The bar closes at midnight so this isn’t a late-night venue. But where else can you eat well, drink inexpensively, listen to great tunes and get your bike fixed, all at the same time? Keep an eye out for occasional record launches, live gigs, and street parties.

Offering something more immersive than classic resort dining, Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru has a four-course menu that can be served right on the beach. Watch a chef prepare your gourmet Maldivian lobster dinner right in front of you while you listen to the soothing sounds of waves lapping at the shoreline and enjoying the fresh sea air. Alternatively, choose the Sharkpoint option and tuck into sea scallops and lobster on a secluded stretch of sand. For a dose of culture, head to the open-air Naiboli Bar on a Friday night and take in a traditional bodu beru performance on the beach.

The actual name of the place is Adega Rio Douro (since it’s facing the river) but everyone knows it by Tasca da Piedade, named after the owner Mrs. Piedade. It’s also known for having “fado vadio” - traditional Portuguese music, here sang by non-professionals every Tuesday in the afternoon from 4pm until 7pm. While the music flows you can try a lot of Portuguese “petiscos”, such as stewed chicken guizzards, meat croquettes, “bifanas” and the crown jewel “iscas de bacalhau” - boiled codfish loin enveloped in a parsley omelette. The symbiosis between food and music is guaranteed, as everything here is done with passion. You might even be lucky to listen to the owner singing a few “fados”.

Bavaria Film Studios is to Bavaria what Universal Studios is to California. The 90-minute guided “Filmstadt Complete” tour starts off with movie magic by way of a 4D motion simulation cinema. Your guide then leads you into studios where movies and television series were filmed. Many of the sets are from German movies, which not everyone will be familiar with, but it’s still interesting to see how movies are made. The standout of the tour, and a movie that most people will be familiar with, is a visit to part of the Never Ending Story set. If you’re lucky, you’ll even have a chance to ride Falkor and watch yourself fly over mountains on the screen while listening to the theme song “The Never Ending Stoooooorrrry.”

Medellín’s botanical garden is a 35-acre oasis of green amid the bustling city. Stroll through lush tropical vegetation, towering trees, and flowering bushes to a quiet, picturesque pond amid the gardens. Or peek into a butterfly farm, a maze, and an orchid exhibit beneath an arbor. The gardens are a public space for all sorts of activities like yoga, martial-arts classes, and outdoor movie screenings; a farmers’ market for organic goods takes place the first Sunday of every month. The park is also home to one of Medellín’s best restaurants, In Situ, which in addition to its normal gourmet fare sells lunchtime picnic baskets—complete with red-and-white-checkered blankets and a bottle of wine—to enjoy on the garden grounds.

In the cool underground, beneath the historic Hôtel de Paris, lies one of Europe’s greatest private wine cellars with over 400,000 bottles from mythical estates Lafite, Cheval Blanc, Yquem, Romanée-Conti as well as more modest houses making perfectly balanced, complex wines. Private visits can be organized to see where Hollywood star Grace Kelly and her Prince Charming celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary, admire the world’s last few bottles of Petrus ’45, and get the inside scoop from one of the many sommeliers who curate this extraordinary collection. For more information, send an email to restaurationhp (at) sbm (dot) mc. Photo : Sylvia Sabes

Even Londoners need to escape the city every now and then. Kew Gardens offers a perfect day out...spectacular gardens, hidden meadows, glorious glass houses and lush forests. With over 300 acres to roam, it’s a great place for the kids to roam and adults to wander. Bring a book, find a bench and plan on spending a lazy afternoon lounging in the sun or shade. Kew has so many hidden corners, it’s also a perfect place for a blanket, two lovers and a bottle of wine (or two). Stop at Oliver’s Whole Foods or the market stands to pick up some wine and lunch before heading to the Gardens.

All the redwood trees in the parks can start to blend together, making it hard for any one area to stand out. But Lady Bird Johnson Grove will. There’s a reason Johnson gave her name to this patch of enchanting tall trees and rolling fog. What makes the grove unique is that you drive uphill to get to the trailhead. Most of the groves in the park are in lowland areas, but the elevation at this one means you often find yourself among the clouds as the mist bounds in around the trees. The trail loop is about 1.5 miles and fairly flat. It’s especially appealing for kids, who want to be a part of the nature experience but aren’t always ready for more-strenuous hikes. Once you pass the dedication plaque, you’ll be fairly secluded among the vegetation—even though this grove actually isn’t far from the Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center.

Glassblowing and shaping will make an artist out of anyone. GatherHouse owner and artist John Hudnut holds glassblowing demonstrations on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 2 to 6 p.m., and offers hands-on glassblowing classes by appointment. The three-hour classes are limited to four students, who learn the basics of glassblowing by assisting in the process; then John helps them find inspiration to make something simple on their own, such as an ornament, vase, or tumbler that the student will get to keep. Students can choose from a variety of colors and types of glass for their project, so every item that comes out of the studio is totally unique. There’s also a one-hour mini glassblowing class.

This busy restaurant sits on Rue Saint-Paul, a street in Lower Town that’s lined with antique shops, hence the name. Buffet de L’Antiquaire is a classic diner—but with a Québecois twist—that has been a mainstay of the city’s dining scene for more than 40 years. The reasonably priced menu lists traditional dishes like boudin (blood sausage) and pork stew among the entrées and sugar pie and crepes among the desserts. (You can also order more typical diner fare, from burgers to omelettes.) It is open early to late, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, adding to its popularity.

Opened in 1962, Curtain Bluff is Antigua’s oldest luxury resort, and one of the island’s finest. It is the kind of place guests return to through the generations, with the same expectation of timelessness they’ve experienced for as long as they can remember. Located at the southern end of the island on a promontory that divides an often roiling Atlantic from a much calmer bay, the resort offers sea views from every room, two beaches, a top-notch tennis center, a pair of restaurants that can boast one of the Caribbean’s most outstanding wine cellars, and a staff whose commitment has often been passed from parent to child. And except for spa treatments, a premium bottle of wine, and the occasional Cuban cigar, there is little that’s not included in the rate, making a stay a better value than the price might at first indicate.

Restaurant Chez Yvonne is one of Strasbourg’s oldest and most famous winstubs (wine lounges)—and a less-expensive alternative to the city’s Michelin-starred Au Crocodile. The cozy eatery was a favorite of former French president Jacques Chirac, who often came here to discuss politics over wine and sauerkraut. Offering traditional Alsatian dishes, this is not a place for fussy eaters. Look forward to everything from liver dumplings, veal tongue, and braised pork knuckles to more standard fare like roasted chicken and fillet of beef, all doused in sauce and served with something sautéed.

With a smart and simple chalkboard menu of cheese plates, salads, sandwiches made with homemade bread, good coffee, and Argentinian wines by the glass, Pain et Vin is a lovely venue for lunch or an afternoon glass of Malbec rosado. The Palermo Soho eatery doubles as a tasting space and shop: look for Friday evening events open to the public, or stop by to choose from the excellent selection of boutique wines to take on a picnic to the park.