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Though the airport and city highlights are all a quick drive away, the Fairmont feels like a true getaway thanks to its setting on Palm Jumeirah island. There, surrounded by views of the Arabian Gulf and Dubai Marina, you’ll find 381 guest rooms and suites, each with warm, contemporary-Arabic décor, marble soaking tubs, Le Labo bath products, Nespresso machines, and furnished balconies. Many of the rooms are designed to be connected to form their own locked-off section, making the hotel ideal for family travel. Also great for groups is the wealth of amenities, starting with the 10 restaurants and lounges featuring everything from authentic Indian, Korean, and Taiwanese fare to Brazilian churrascaria and American burgers and shakes. A Kid’s Club, four pools, beachfront loungers, a health club, and a Willow Stream Spa help keep everyone entertained, as do off-property activities like water sports, speed boat rides, and golf at three nearby clubs.

Poke (pronounced POH-kay) is not only a staple of Hawaiian cuisine, it’s also a favorite of diners needing a meal on the run. These bite-sized chunks of raw fish are seasoned with everything from soy sauce to seaweed, and you won’t find a luau or community potluck that doesn’t have at least one type on the table. For those craving poke on the West Side of Maui, Foodland Farms supermarket is consistently voted as the best place for poke in the islands. At a small deli counter in the back of the store, you can choose from a selection of more than a dozen different varieties which boast seasonings from spicy to savory. The fish of choice is yellowfin tuna (ahi), and one variety—the “Flyin’ Hawaiian"—is part of a charity set up by Shane Victorino, a professional baseball player who was raised on the island. While the poke itself can fluctuate somewhere between $12-$15 a pound, budget diners can enjoy a “poke bowl” in which a third pound of fish is served over rice for a wallet-friendly $7. Can’t decide? Try the ahi avocado poke bowl served over a bed of brown rice. Want to blend in? Eat it with chopsticks.

The wax resist dying technique of batik is one of the symbols of Indonesian culture. Although it actually came from Java to Bali with the Majapahit Kingdom in the 14th Century, the Balinese now consider it as much part of their culture as the Javanese. You can find beautiful batiks all over Bali but one of the most impressive batik makers in Bali is Pak Tjok Agung who has a workshop and small shop in his home village of Pejeng near Ubud. This isn’t on the main tourist trail and purposefully so. Pak Tjok uses natural fibers and dyes and local workers to try to support the local community without the need for tourist dollars, which makes Pak Tjok’s textiles sustainable as well as stunning. Pak Tjok’s workshop is about 15 minutes north east of Ubud in the village of Pejeng. www.tjokagung-indigo.com

This three-mile beach, located near Frederiksted at the southwest end of St. Croix, is the longest in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Part of the 380-acre Sandy Point Wildlife Preserve, the beach is an important nesting area for the endangered leatherback turtle. Beach access is via a dirt road, open Saturdays and Sundays. The beach may be closed during turtle-nesting season, from March to August, so check with your hotel before you make the trek.

This used to be the old highway to get from the leeward to the windward side of the island. It was literally built into the side of a mountain and was barely hanging on. It’s now been replaced with a proper 4 lane highway complete with a tunnel, but parts of the old highway are still there to hike on. To get there you have to go through tourists. They are there for the lookout and the spectacular view – but you can go much deeper than that! From the lookout, go down to the right and go past the ‘closed’ sign, away from the tourists at the lookout snapping photos.

Take the old Pali Highway through dense jungle growing along the side of this lush mountain. We also picked fresh guava off the trees and snacked on them along the way down. We hiked about 45 minutes down and then slowly turned around and came back up. You can hike all the way through to the end though.

While Campobello Island is located in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, the only access to it by car is by crossing the International Bridge from Lubec, Maine. The 2,800-acre park honoring President Franklin D. Roosevelt covers most of the island’s southern end. The Visitor’s Centre and the Roosevelt Cottage are about a mile from the bridge. Begin there, and register for Tea with Eleanor, an engaging one-hour program during which park interpreters share stories about the former First Lady’s visits to the island over tea and cookies. After touring the 34-room, memento-filled, red-shingled cottage and the exhibits at the Visitor Centre, pick up park maps and explore the carriage roads, picnic areas, beaches, woodlands, lighthouse, hiking trails, and scenic viewpoints.

Not every celebrity who visits Harbour Island stays at the Pink Sands Hotel. Bill Gates, for instance, has his own home on the island. But Keith Richards has checked in here, as have Martha Stewart and Kate Moss. Since its opening in the 1950s, the 25-room hotel, like the island itself, has been a low-key enclave of the rich and famous, drawn not just by the like-attracts-like vibe (one of the previous owners was Island Records founder and Bob Marley “discoverer” Chris Blackwell), but by its location on Pink Sands Beach, widely considered one of the world’s prettiest. Accommodations are in plush one- and two-room cottages that have king beds and ocean or garden views; some have outdoor showers. Reserve a table at the British-colonial–inspired Malcolm 51 for island-style bouillabaisse and charred octopus salad, but don’t get too carried away with the sundowners. All manner of aquatic activities (snorkeling the nearby coral reef, bonefishing in the shallows, or merely swimming in the heated freshwater pool) await in the morning.

Slightly sweet, with pleasantly salty mineral umami--that’s what the yellow-orange goo from sea-urchins tastes like. The fresher the better for this roe--and if you visit the coast of Jeju island, the legendary “haenyo” women divers will have just plucked these spiny balls from the sea floor minutes before your arrival. Wildly popular with visitors from nearby Japan, where the delicacy is called “uni,” Jeju islanders call it “gusal;" mainland Koreans refer to it as “seong-geh.” I had just had some in a bowl of seaweed soup for lunch when my wife and I accompanied my mother down to the rocky cove beneath Seongsan Ilchlulbong crater to watch the haenyo emerge from the sea. My mother, who is Korean, had just retired, and was visiting a corner of her own country that she had never seen. Volcanic Jeju-do is a subtropical island with a culture distinct from the rest of Korea--"the island of wind, women, and rocks.” The haenyo are dwindling as younger women seek urban jobs; many of the divers are in their 50’s and 60’s and still dive without oxygen tanks, harvesting shellfish cooperatively... My mother struck up a conversation with one of the women as my wife and I soaked up the salt air. The haenyo, still dripping in their wetsuits, were spooning out the roe--and suddenly, a couple of spoons were being waved in our faces--a free sample! Fresh from the sea-floor, served by living legends--not a taste that fades quickly...

This former industrial site is a one-stop shopping spot for last-minute souvenirs. Weave in and out of the countless alleys and stalls; among the art galleries, toy shops, crafts stores, farmers market and waterfront restaurants, you’re likely to find something tasty to sample or so unique that you have to bring it home.

Located inside Aruba’s oldest surviving structure, this museum offers a fascinating look at the island’s evolution. Open weekdays, it boasts artifacts from the Caiquetio people and Dutch colonialists as well as items from modern-day Aruba. The complex itself, however, is the real draw. Dating from 1798, it was constructed to defend the island against pirates. The adjacent Willem III Tower was built in 1868 and served as Aruba’s first public clock and lighthouse.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the BVI for beachgoers is the sheer array of sandy shores to explore. On Jost Van Dyke, the sand at White Bay skews more toward the white-gold end of the spectrum and gives way like piles of sugar beneath your bare feet. Hit the Soggy Dollar Bar to try the iconic Painkiller (a mix of rum, orange, and pineapple juices and cream of coconut, sprinkled with freshly grated nutmeg) in the place where it was invented. Just around the headland on the beach at Great Harbour, the sand skews slightly more golden, and the famed Foxy’s Tamarind Bar, another classic BVI watering hole, beckons. And for the most diamond bright, sugar-spun sands in the islands, make your way to Anegada, the northern and easternmost island in the BVI. Here, Cow Wreck Beach is a calm stretch with one mellow bar and a gentle slope of white sand leading to the water’s edge. On the far eastern end of Anegada, Loblolly Bay lures with an enticing crescent strand and a beach bar called Big Bamboo that serves up a mean piña colada, best enjoyed with a plate of conch fritters.

Set against a backdrop of lush jungle, this secluded luxury resort offers a mix of accommodations, from gorgeous villas with their own private plunge pools located right on the resort’s powdery white sands to overwater bungalows with traditional thatched roofs, large lagoon-facing decks, and deep soaking tubs. The resort sits on the mountainous, verdant island of Taha’a, off the coast of Raiatea, and is accessible only by speedboat or helicopter. Taha’a is also known as the vanilla island, renowned for producing some of the finest Tahitian vanilla in the world, and the hotel offers excursions out to local vanilla plantations as well as to pearl farms, where guests can learn how famous black Tahitian pearls are harvested. Marine conservation tours are also available, and the hotel can even arrange yacht rentals for guests on request. Cultural activities include weekly Polynesian-themed evenings, complete with a Tahitian buffet and local performers, such as traditional fire dancers.

On the North Fork of Long Island, Shinn Estate Farmhouse Inn is tucked away on a peaceful vineyard. Rooms are in the estate’s historic 1880s homestead, and guests get to experience life on the vineyard—and taste the final product in the winery’s tasting rooms. There is also a lovely front porch and gazebo for kicking back with a glass of wine. A cozy wood-burning stove in the reception area is an ideal spot on a chilly day. Breakfast here is a slow and civilized affair, starting with hot coffee and finishing with a full farmhouse hot breakfast from chef David Page, made from farm-fresh ingredients. This is the pastoral North Fork at its best, designed for lazy afternoons, sleeping in, and one too many glasses of wine.

Set on the northern shore of Lake Union—a body of water the size of Monaco—this rustic-chic, nautical-themed restaurant offers dazzling views of the Space Needle and downtown skyline. Its menu blends Mediterranean flavors with local bounty: Expect highlights like grilled octopus with taramasalata, charred carrots with cocoa, and a salmon gravlax tartine with za’atar, green apple, and cauliflower labneh. Finish with a rhubarb-pistachio cheesecake or a cheese from Vashon Island’s Kurtwood Farms. For extra Northwest credit, arrive in a kayak or on a stand-up paddleboard, or rent a ride from the Center for Wooden Boats (cwb.org)—then moor near the waterside fire pit!

Occupying a modern tower next to Hong Kong Park and attached to the Pacific Place shopping center, Island Shangri-La is an earthly paradise on the edge of Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls in the lobby face a 140-year-old banyan tree; the outdoor swimming pool is set amid grass and trees as well as skyscrapers; and the Roof Garden on the 56th floor is enveloped in the misty greenery of Victoria Peak.

The hotel’s interiors are equally inspiring, with more than 900 works of art on display, including a 16-story silk landscape painting called Great Motherland of China cascading down the atrium. Accommodations combine Asian silks, floral wall paintings, and Chinese tea sets with European antiques and crystal chandeliers. In 2009, the Horizon Club Lounge became the highest executive lounge on Hong Kong Island, offering sweeping views of Victoria Harbour. Dark wood, black marble, jewel-tone leather, Austrian chandeliers, and qi pao-inspired staff uniforms create an elegant setting for complimentary breakfast, evening cocktails and canapés, or an afternoon work session.