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One of the few hotels on picture-perfect Grace Bay Beach that can work for both honeymooners and families, Seven Stars sits on 22 acres of lush grounds at the edge of Princess Alexandria National Park and has studio to four-bedroom plantation style suites available. All feel very private. Besides wraparound terraces with awesome ocean views, the rooms here all feature full kitchens, making it easy to cook your own lunch or make snacks for the kids. That said, the house restaurant, aptly named Seven, is very good, so plan on dining here at least a few times. The spa is also excellent - perfect for honeymooners - and there is a dedicated activities concierge that will arrange all sorts of water sports and even a kids’ camp.

When you’ve had enough of the hectic hustle of tourists and traffic in Times Square, seek refuge at Haven, a rooftop lounge located on the top of the Sanctuary Hotel on 47th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. The owners of this chic establishment spent a considerable amount of time in Saint-Tropez and have made an effort to make their guests feel like they have been transported there. Chill at the bar, relax under oversize umbrellas at one of their cedar tables, or go all out in an open air cabana, swathed in sheer white drapes while re-fueling with foods from their French inspired menu. You can even get your anti-oxidants while you drink by ordering a Night Sky- one of their signature cocktails made with acai blueberry vodka and fresh lemonade, garnished with a skewer of blueberries. The manager Katerina was wonderful, making sure we had everything we needed and even shaking cocktails herself to help out the busy bartenders. If you’re looking for some excitement after your rooftop recharge, Haven hosts a rotation of DJs, features events such as burlesque shows, and has a VIP area overlooking the main roof that is available to rent out. With plans to install heating and encase the rooftop, Haven will soon be able to provide the refuge you need before a show, after work, or after hours all year long.

There are few places where you can better learn about the beauty and complexity of desert ecology than the Desert Botanical Garden, not far from downtown Phoenix. Check out the Desert Discovery Loop Trail for a look at local flora, go for a flashlight tour or cooking class (using plants found in the region, of course), or catch one of the musical performances that are part of the garden’s concert series. Make a point to visit the Desert Terrace Garden for the best views of the surrounding buttes and desert.

The renowned Meadowood Resort mixes the grandeur of a chalet with the amenities of a five-star resort—located in a private canyon within minutes of downtown St. Helena. The shaded, secluded property revolves around 99 rooms, most of which have high and exposed ceilings, private patios or balconies, wainscoted walls, and beds so comfortable you may never want to get up. Other amenities make Meadowood distinctive, too: Many rooms have heated bathroom floors; some also have deep soaking tubs. Elsewhere on the 250-acre property, all guests have access to the on-site spa, which was renovated in 2017; an on-site fitness center; hiking trails; tennis courts; and a daily wine reception. There’s even a croquet lawn—feel free to grab a mallet and hit some balls or sign up to take lessons with the Napa Valley’s only croquet pro. Of course the on-site restaurant, The Restaurant at Meadowood, is another big draw. More casual meals can be ordered from The Grill. Guests are entitled to a complimentary house car for transport into St. Helena or Yountville.

This tiny island is north of Isla Mujeres and Cancun and is only 26 miles long and offers visitors in search of a “Robinson Crusoe” experience the perfect escape. Long, sweeping beaches beckon with water sports, snorkeling, sport fishing, and total R&R. A shallow lagoon gives sanctuary to thousands of flamingos, pelicans and other exotic birds and creatures, allowing visitors the perfect spot in which to commune with nature. Several good restaurants and hotels are available and tours to area attractions can be arranged by ferry and small plane. Getting around the island is via bicycle or golf cart.

Guests at this 13-room retreat in Costa Rica’s central highlands can tour the estate’s 36 acres of coffee fields. After the walk, try a “cupping,” or tasting, of the shade-grown organic blends. End with a soak in your suite’s jungle-view tub. From $250. (305) 395-3042


After a couple days resting up at The Retreat Costa Rica, I was off on my next adventure. Finca Rosa Blanca, which doubles as a boutique hotel and coffee plantation, proved the perfect setting for exploration both near and far. I stayed in the La Guaria junior suite—each has it’s own name—this one named after a local flower. Having come from New York where apartments are cramped, I was pleasantly surprised by the spacious layout of the villa. The entrance leads into a circular area, with sky lights above that form a sort of dome. There’s a separate kitchen and dining area, a bathroom complete with a whirlpool, and a separate bedroom featuring a kingsize bed. My favorite part of La Guaria were the two balconies. There’s a small one right off of the bedroom, where I’d usually listen to the rain falling hard against the roof in the afternoon. In the mornings and again in the evenings, I’d make myself a cup of coffee and catch up on my emails outside on the larger terrace. It overlooks a large grass farm, as well as the flowers that grow on the property.


Speaking of coffee, Finca Rosa Blanca, is also a coffee plantation. On my first full day at the hotel, I signed up for their guided coffee tour, where I learned the ins and outs of coffee-making in Costa Rica—things like how Arabic coffee is the only type of coffee grown here and how the blonder the roast, the more caffeine it has; I always assumed the opposite. Our tour group was small but we had a guest appearance by the finca’s two adopted dogs—aptly named Finca and Rosa. It’s a mother and daughter, and I loved watching them run around the plantation and play in the little waterfall separating one bank from the other. The second part of the tour was an actual coffee tasting, where we sampled a “good” cup of coffee and an “over roasted” cup. I was surprised how many flavors and aromas I could pick up despite always claiming that I have a poor sense of smell...and silently resolved to skip the milk and sugar next time.


As for the food and lounge areas, there are some really creative spots. The El Tigre Vestido restaurant has both outdoor and indoor seating; I mostly ate in their open-air sections but definitely took advantage of the fire crackling in the evenings. It can get a little chilly there at night. On my last full day at Finca Rosa Blanca, I went all out. First up was a scenic (and very uncrowded) hike to Barva volcano. I learned that, while a national park, it’s one of Costa Rica’s hidden secrets. There were few tourists along our path, allowing us to feel like we had wandered into an enchanted forest out of a story book. Back at the finca, I indulged at their spa, with their Pura Vida Coffee Detox Package: a Swedish full-body massage, a coffee and chocolate body scrub and a refreshing facial. After a challenging hike that morning, it was just what the doctor ordered. Fun fact: There’s some great art here and I’m not just talking about the murals on the walls (there are some super colorful ones at the pool); One of the owners, Glenn, is an artist by trade and he designed all the metal work seek throughout the property, right here on-site.

If you’re looking for tropical tranquillity, bypass Maui’s buzzy resort enclaves and head away from the coast to the island’s laid-back Upcountry, where you’ll find Lumeria. At the 24-room wellness retreat, visitors can start the day with a guided sunrise meditation, then strengthen their yoga practice, learn to hula or surf, and go snorkeling off the North Shore. Spa treatments include Hawaiian massage and acupuncture as well as nontraditional therapies like crystal healing and shaman-led journeys. The schedule is flexible, so you’ll have plenty of time to learn about Hawaii’s paniolo (cowboy) culture or just take in the ocean views from your private lanai. Guest rooms feature art by local Maui artists, four-poster beds topped with organic linens, and stone-tile showers stocked with Aveda products, while the Wooden Crate restaurant prepares farm-to-table meals with nearly 200 types of fruits and vegetables that grow on the property.

The Avenida da Liberdade in Lisbon is the wide avenue in the center of town. After the earthquake of 1755, the Minister Pombal designed the new Lisbon and for the main avenue, he used the Champs Elysees in Paris as his model. This is a beautiful street with small side streets lined with trees. There are many upscale stores, boutiques, and hotels lining the avenue. As you stroll along you notice an unusual feature.You look down and see the unique black and white tiles in all sorts of patterns. All of the main and side streets in Lisbon have these tiles. I am always fascinated with the complicated designs. If you are lucky, you’ll get to see workmen replacing missing tiles. It seems as though this is a daily occurrence. You don’t want to drive in Lisbon. It’s too busy and the buses, metro, elevators, and ancient trolleys are much more fun. Buy a Lisboa Card and the transportation is usually free. You can look up your choice of transportation in the booklet that you get when you make your purchase. Any information center sells the card. Information centers are indicated on maps of the city. Pick one up at the desk at your hotel. Strolling down the Avenida with it’s tiles is something that makes me feel happy. Can’t wait to go again to this beautiful, ancient, European, capital city.

Just a short hour drive away from Kelowna, and only a 5-10 minute drive from Penticton, Naramata sits hidden with acres of green vineyards cascading off of clay cliffs into Lake Okanagan. In the heart Naramara is the historic Naramata Heritage Inn & Spa. Built in 1908, some say it’s haunted with its history of being a school and the first cultural hub upon Lake Okanagan. Today it functions as an ideal getaway with nearby beaches, over 100 wineries and the variety of adventure activities nearby. I always make time to stop in during my wine tasting trips to sit in the sun with a glass of local wine and a variety of local cheese and charcuterie selections. This is foodie stop one shouldn’t miss while visiting the area if not staying with the hotel. Take a tour through the chefs garden, tour the quirky town of artists and vintners, or enjoy the cycling, zip lines, hikes, fishing and water sports all within the Central and Southern Okanagan.

Hidden Pond blends Maine cottage living with its own quirky, Instagram-worthy take on luxury. The enclave of 14 colorful one- and two-bedroom clapboard bungalows is spread over 60 acres of birch groves and balsam fir, just a 10-minute drive from downtown Kennebunkport. Each private house comes with a full kitchen that practically begs to be used, with first-rate cooking equipment and serving pieces and, for guests staying in the two-bedroom cottages, the option to send along a grocery list prior to arrival. However, dining at Hidden Pond’s farm-to-table Earth restaurant, with its awe-inspiring chandelier made from a preserved apple tree, shouldn’t be missed. For an even more memorable experience, guests can supper in one of two private garden sheds, which are outfitted with a sole table surrounded by hurricane lanterns, pitchforks, and potted plants, and situated steps from a chef’s garden that supplies ingredients for every meal. The Tree Spa is aptly named: Treatment rooms are nestled in the treetops eight feet above ground and are reached via wooden footbridges.

Formerly the Majestic Yosemite Hotel, this stone-and-timber lodge—arguably the finest example of U.S. “Parkitecture”—has hosted such luminaries as John F. Kennedy, the queen of Nepal, Lucille Ball, and Brad Pitt. Its grand public spaces served as Stanley Kubrick’s inspiration for the hotel in The Shining, but don’t let that—or the price—scare you away. It’s worth the splurge just to have this place to yourself after the swarms of tourists have left for the day. Accommodations range from classic hotel rooms that face the back of the building, to suites and cottages with fireplaces and views of Yosemite’s most famous sites, including Half Dome, Glacier Point, and Yosemite Falls. The formal dining room, with its soaring ceilings and oversized windows, requires reservations, especially for the popular Sunday brunch. If you’d rather not plan ahead, you can grab a casual bite at the hotel bar, which features an outdoor area with breathtaking views of the park.

The three-towered, blue-and-green glass property is remarkable for its connecting, undulating tiered design inspired by terraced Balinese rice paddies and the elevated gardens that seem to hang from above. Designed by Singapore starchitects WOHA, the Parkroyal on Pickering is almost an extension of the green space in front of it—Hong Lim Park—with 160,000 square feet of gardens, reflecting pools, waterfalls, planter terraces, and vertical landscaping. Eco-mindfulness is evident elsewhere: photo sensors monitor light usage, showers are low-flow, sheets are changed on alternate days (less frequently if requested), and rooms have refillable glass water bottles. The property’s most striking space is the fifth-floor wellness area, where cabanas are shaped like giant bird cages, and the infinity pool looks out above the park with a view of the shophouses across the way. The generally compact rooms espouse the Scandinavian-sleek look.

This boutique hotel in the downtown business district exudes timeless class, with accents of wood and leather throughout. While the rooms are spacious and elegant, the most impressive features are the amenities. They rebooted the hotel’s historic 1915 beginnings as the Minneapolis Athletic Club with a massive modern fitness center, including a full indoor six-lane lap pool, running track, and racquetball, handball, and squash courts. The swanky hotel lobby serves food and drinks from the infusion specialists at Six15 and has a complimentary wine reception hour for guests each night.

I love staying in a private villa home over a hotel when traveling with a small group, and Breezy Villa by Island Escapes is both affordable and impressively chic. In a secluded hillside location, complete with multiple, swaying palms for privacy and glassy sea-foam green lagoon views that are just a shade lighter than the infinity pool melting into them, it’s easy to check skinny-dipping in paradise off the bucket list when sleeping here. If naked swimming isn’t your thing, no worries, the pool is also perfect for nighttime stargazing floats. And then there is the leeward lagoon location itself -- it is super calm and you can wade for ages through calm and crystalline water here without gaining much depth. There is no direct beach access, but a series of steps wind their way down from the travertine-tiled pool terrace to a small pier where a ladder offers direct sea access. Breezy Villa’s stylish interior is equally appealing. From the arched doorways and pitched roof in the open living room and modern L-shaped kitchen to the square-shaped original ocean-hued paintings hung on either side of the front door to the Grecian-Roman columns on terrace, I love the Zen beach house meets Italian palazzo vibe. Similar-sized sleeping quarters, each featuring a unique wooden bed frame and French doors opening directly to pool terrace, make this three-bedroom home equally perfect for families, especially those traveling with a nanny. It also works well for multiple couples.

Remote and difficult to access, this three-mile beach on the Dominican Republic’s southwestern Caribbean coast (15 miles from Pedernales and close to the Haitian border) is also blissfully uncrowded. Playa Bahia de las Águilas, which translates to “Bay of Eagles,” can only be reached via a four-wheel-drive vehicle on an unpaved road, or a 15-minute speedboat ride from the little village of La Cueva at Cabo Rojo. Once there, however, you’ll discover a pristine beach, bordered by rocky cliffs and free of any hotels or restaurants—the beach is located in the Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve, so building is forbidden. Turquoise water laps the white sand, while well-preserved coral reefs wait just offshore. Don your mask and snorkel to see starfish, sand dollars, and maybe even a manatee. Also remember to bring water and sunscreen as there’s virtually no shade, and pack lunch or plan to eat in nearby La Cueva.