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GoBananas on Baina Beach is India’s first and only facility offering underwater sea walking, the latest trend in aquatic adventure sports. After some brief instruction and a crash course in sign language, a boat ferries participants to Piccanye, an uninhabited island offering tame and clear waters. Walkers are set up with equipment that includes a fiberglass helmet and a four-kilogram lead waist belt before sinking three meters below the surface and effortlessly walking along the seabed, exploring coral colonies, schools of fish, and other marine life. Sessions last 20 minutes and no swimming experience is required! Note: Though considered zero-risk, underwater sea walking is not recommended for those suffering from claustrophobia.

This small, undeveloped beach with views to St. Kitts is for couples, not kids. Located down a short path from the highway, the beach has an unspoken rule to come back later if you see another car parked on the shoulder—sort of the Nevis version of the towel on the doorknob. Not only does this system preserve privacy, it helps ensure that Lovers Beach remains one of the most secluded spots in the Caribbean.

At the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, above the town of Sandy, Utah, the Alta Resort offers 2,200 skiable acres and an average of more than 550 inches of snowfall a year. While the steep slopes of the Wasatch mountains draw expert skiers, there is plenty of terrain for intermediate skiers and a number of programs within the ski school to get beginners and first-timers out and enjoying themselves. As for families, even those with little ones as young as two months old, day care is available all day long and into the early evening through Alta Children’s Center, and on Fridays and Saturdays until 6:30 p.m. with its Après-Ski Care. To get tykes skiing and on the slopes, Alta partners with the ski school.

The unofficial symbol of St. Louis, the Gateway Arch is the tallest man-made monument in the United States, rising 630 feet into the air. It sits at the center of Gateway Arch National Park, which was established in 1935 to commemorate Thomas Jefferson’s vision of a transcontinental America. In 2018, the park emerged from a five-year, $380 million renovation, which added a grassy pedestrian walkway over the interstate as well as a revamped museum with new exhibits about the construction of the arch and how the expansion of the United States affected Native American communities. Tour the new sites, then take the four-minute, vertigo-inducing tram to the top of the arch, where you can see up to 30 miles east and west on a clear day.

Join throngs of locals on the five-minute ferry ride across Victoria Harbour between the Tsim Sha Tsui cruise pier in Kowloon, on the mainland side, and the Central Pier on Hong Kong Island (a slightly longer ride goes to Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island). This is not just any ferry: The historic green and white Star Ferries have been moving the masses back and forth for decades, with the origins of the company going back to 1880 with the service of a single steamboat, the Morning Star. Today, the classic wooden boats make the trip many times daily, and a ride provides a great view of the city’s famous skyline and a whiff of nostalgia to boot.

Marilyn Monroe once proclaimed that her favorite swimming pool was at the Arizona Biltmore. And Irving Berlin, obviously a person who didn’t know how to relax, is said to have written “White Christmas” while a guest at the hotel. Other musical guests have included Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., who were known to play on a piano in the lobby. But that’s history, and the Jewel of the Desert, as the 90-year-old hotel was once known, is now just one more sparkling gem in a treasure chest of Arizona resorts. To continue shining, the Biltmore underwent a major renovation that was completed in late 2016. Much of the update focused on restoring the hotel’s original main building, but the guest rooms, meeting spaces, ballrooms, and spa were also polished. The contemporary style that now dominates the Biltmore was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, who played a significant role in determining the hotel’s original look. In the guest rooms, Wright’s influence is most notable in the wall coverings, embossed with a design similar to that found on his “Biltmore Blocks,” used in the construction of most of the resort. Of course, for guests who didn’t come for the history, or the design lecture, there are still the eight swimming pools, seven tennis courts, and, next door at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club, 36 holes of golf.

The Grand Place in Brussels is the magnificent main square in Brussels. The square is the main tourist attraction in Brussels and is surrounded by numerous cafes and shops. Most of the buildings were constructed in the late 17th century, although market activity in the square dates back to the 12th Century. It’s a great place to hang out, grab a coffee or a liege waffle, and people watch.

The Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri, also called Steri Castle, was built in 1307 by Sicily’s powerful Chiaramonte family. Manfredi Chiaramonte later added the elaborate Hall of the Barons, whose wooden ceiling is blanketed with murals. Starting in 1601, the castle was a base for the Spanish Inquisition for 180 years. A tour of the prison cells offers a look at haunting graffiti carved into the walls by those wrongly imprisoned and tortured here.

The Hong Kong-based Swire Hotels launches in the U.S. with their 352-room EAST, Miami, located in city’s bustling financial district. L.A.-based Studio Collective and New York’s Clodagh Design paired up to design the interiors, which mix intricate woodwork with sleek furnishings. Original artwork from notable names such as China-born Zha Songgang and Miami-based Alexander Mijares hangs throughout the hotel, along with photographs that highlight Miami’s colorful scenery and Modernist architecture. Quinto La Huella, an outpost of a famous seafood restaurant in José Ignacio, Uruguay, promises to draw locals and visitors alike, while the hotel’s rooftop space serves Asian-inspired tapas with views of the skyline. From $259

One of the oldest and largest tailoring shops in town, Thu Thuy is well respected and is a good option for having a suit or a fitted dress run up. Good service and an adjoining coffee shop makes shopping here even more desirable.

This underground bunker lay undisturbed for 30 years after the end of World War II, and is now open to the public in its restored original state. The maps are as they were the day the war ended. It’s moving to contemplate that this is where Churchill and his staff planned the defense of Britain, and the free world. The adjacent museum to the Great Man offers a quite even-handed view of his life, which was relatively undistinguished except when it really counted

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.

In a country that has more cows than people, you can’t visit Argentina without shopping for leather goods. Prune opened its doors in 1999 and is one of Argentina’s premier brands for quality leather goods that are stylish and great value. They sell European-inspired handbags, clutches, leather jackets, belts and shoes. You can find Prune shops in both Palmares Open Mall and Mendoza Plaza Shopping in Guaymallen.

Malapascua, a tiny island in the Visayan Sea north of Cebu, is well-known for its thresher-shark cleaning station, where divers gather daily to see these beautiful creatures ascend from below to be cleaned by fish before returning to deeper waters. Reef sharks can be seen here, too. What fewer visitors know, however, is that behind the strip of resorts that line Bounty Beach is a traditional village. There are quaint shops and restaurants as well as a large church, and the people are wonderfully friendly and inviting. It’s a great peek into real Filipino island life, meaning Malapascua is a worthwhile stop even if you aren’t interested in the sharks.

Columbia Road is London’s main flower market. On Sundays, it’s totally filled with flowers. It’s an amazing place. —Sophie Howarth Columbia Road Sundays, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. This story appeared in the Premier 2009 issue.