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Within shouting distance of Port Elizabeth on Bequia, Princess Margaret Beach features a broad strip of white sand framed by palm trees and seagrape plants. Get here by water taxi, car, or a fairly rough cliffside nature trail, then head to Jack’s Beach Bar for lunch, happy hour, or both.

For a refreshing swim, head to this deep mountain pool, which shines turquoise in the afternoon sun. On the upper reaches of the Hampstead River, the swimming hole even has a natural waterslide, fashioned from smooth, chafe-free rock. Pack and picnic and wear shoes suitable for the moderate rain forest hike in (1–2 hours roundtrip, depending on your route).

Made from lightweight glass and steel, this structure in Prague’s Letna Park today houses a global advertising agency, but the Expo 58 pavilion was originally designed for the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels. Designed by František Cubr, Josef Hrubý and Zdeněk Pokorný, won Czechoslovakia the grand prix for best pavilion. the pavilion was designed to be easy to assemble and disassemble. After the fair it was transported to its current location (on top of the foundations of a 17th-century wine press) where it functioned as a restaurant, followed by a casino, until it was abandoned and fell into decay before it was bought in 2000 by Havas Worldwide, which it houses today. Have a look at the building from all sides, as each provides a unique angle, and take in the sweeiping views of the city from the concrete platform just in front of it.

This hotel is on our list of The 10 Best Hotels in Canada.

Set in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Banff National Park, the year-round Fairmont Banff Springs was the brainchild of Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, president of the Canadian Pacific Railway. On arrival at Banff, the tourism visionary made the canny observation, “Since we can’t export the scenery, we’ll have to import the tourists;” thus, he set about building a string of great railway hotels across Canada. The original wooden hotel that opened here in 1888 burned down in 1926, but was replaced two years later with the grander castle-meets-baronial-Scottish-hall structure that exists today. The public lobby spaces are vast, and there are countless nooks to curl up in with a book where guests will remain undisturbed. With its signature stone walls, turrets, and winding staircases, Van Horne’s gambit paid off: The Fairmont Banff Springs feels for all the world like an elegant and ancient castle, albeit one with all the modern conveniences.

Rooms in the main building come with quirky period details such as chandeliers and crown moldings, while those in the Stanley Thompson Wing (the old staff quarters) are more spacious and a solid bet for families—who will also enjoy the kids’ club packed with activities such as campouts, science projects, and arts and crafts. The hotel also has 11 different restaurants, cafés, and bars, with the choices so diverse—from sushi, fondue, and Italian to Canadian steakhouse and southern U.S. barbecue—that guests are issued a food guide upon check-in to help them make the most of the hotel’s offerings. Of course, there are also a wide array of activities to help round out your time between meals, from skiing and rounds on the resort’s 27-hole championship golf course to downtime in the expansive Willow Stream Spa, which features indoor and outdoor whirlpools, a European-style mineral pool, and 23 rooms for therapeutic treatments.

Co-owned by French-Cambodians Nathalie Saphon-Ridel and Romyda Keth, the elegant Khmer Attitude was the first concept store in Siem Reap when it was opened way back in 2000 in Raffles Arcade. The women’s aim with Khmer Attitude (and Saphon-Ridel’s Galerie Cambodge in the same arcade) was to showcase quality Cambodian-made fashion, jewelry, accessories, silverware, silk, gifts, and objects that weren’t available anywhere else. The women work closely with Khmer designers, master craftsmen and artists to source and produce beautiful things that are luxurious in their materials used and excellent in their workmanship. Other than Romyda Keth’s Ambre, Eric Raisina, Garden of Desire, Jasmine, Theam’s House, and a handful of other boutiques, you won’t find exquisite things of this quality elsewhere in Siem Reap.

Perched over the river that runs through downtown Chattanooga, the Tennessee Aquarium offers a novel way to discover the magic of sea life. Exhibits here trace the path from mountain streams to the sea, showcasing aquatic animals in representations of their natural habitats. In the ocean display, visitors can see exotic fish gliding over multicolored coral reef formations, but the most popular attractions are the river otters cavorting in cascading waterfalls, and the penguins diving in and out of their cold-water habitat. The aquarium also features thousands of insects that flutter from flower to flower in the butterfly garden, as well as a gigantic IMAX 3-D theater that screens fascinating movies about nature and science.

An hour’s drive from Tórshavn, in one of the Faroe’s northernmost settlements, sits the family-run Gjáargardur Guesthouse of Gjógv, bordered by steep slopes and a natural harbor. With its wooden exterior and traditional, turf-topped roof, it practically blends into the surrounding nature, putting the focus on its sweeping ocean views. Rooms here are modern and spacious, with large windows that look out across the valley, and service is friendly and accommodating. An on-site restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner during high season, while a gift shop stocks postcards, ice cream, and Faroese woolen jumpers that make for perfect souvenirs. There’s even a small playroom in the basement for children, though most guests are here to hike Slaettaratindur—the highest mountain in the Faroe Islands, which looms over the guesthouse and its namesake village.

The award-winning Grillmarkaðurinn (Grill Market), known for working with local farmers and suppliers to create meals that are fresh, organic, seasonal, and delicious, is a definite culinary highlight for foodies visiting Iceland. The welcoming and impressive interior blends contemporary style with natural textiles, as well as elements like moss and basalt. The menu is generally centered around fish and meat, ranging from salted cod with lobster salad to grilled pork ribs and dry-aged rib eye, but there are vegetarian dishes available, too. Everything is grilled to perfection and artfully presented on wooden cutting boards. The wine list is expertly curated, too. Staff are professional and friendly.

Founded in 1913, this famous botanical garden was the first in the world dedicated to its country’s own flora. The spectacular, 90-acre plant haven forms part of a nature reserve that borders Table Mountain National Park. Besides numerous gardens and forests—some of which you can traverse on high via the futuristic Boomslang (Tree Snake) walkway—Kirstenbosch has a greenhouse, a restaurant run by the popular Moyo group, and a nursery for green thumbs who want to take a piece of the garden home with them. Spend five minutes here and you’ll realize why Kirstenbosch’s displays at the Chelsea Flower Show in London often win gold.

When Rush Creek Lodge opened in the summer of 2016 less than a mile from the park’s west gate, it was the first new resort in Yosemite in 25 years. A classy, family-friendly addition, it’s set amid 20 forested acres about 25 miles from Yosemite Valley—close enough for exploring the park by day, then leaving the crowds behind at night. The vibe here is log-cabin chic, with contemporary furnishings and amenities like Keurig coffee machines, satellite radio, and feather pillows. TVs were deliberately left out to encourage “an authentic and rewarding mountain experience,” but each room comes stocked with games as well as a private deck for leisurely tree-gazing. The 143 rooms fall into three types, most created with families in mind. Lodge rooms can accommodate up to four; suites feature sliding barn doors that separate the bedroom from the living area, which includes a queen sofa-bed and cast-iron fireplace; and large one- and two-bedroom hillside villas can fit up to six people. The onsite tavern serves the same impressive menu as the restaurant but in a more casual setting, plus there’s a bar in the pool area for sandwiches and snacks. There’s also a huge game room with billiards, shuffleboard, and a climbing structure as well as nightly s’mores by the fire.

You see it while dodging massive potholes on the dirt road just a bit past the entrance to Coconut Beach Club; looming atop Goat Hill. Fort Barrington was one of the first lines of defense for St. John’s reporting ship movements to nearby Rat Island via flag and light signals. While just a lookout station, being on the front lines wasn’t easy. Fort Barrington likely saw the most action of any fort on Antigua, being captured and liberated from the French going back as far as 1652. The fort as it stands today was built in 1779 and is one of the best ruins to explore. Not only does its position atop Goat Hill provide a short but invigorating climb, there are also several rooms to explore, and the view from the top is unmatched for its sea view — blue stretches for miles.

Sometimes Caribbean travel is about more than just a cold drink and a beach. It takes driving as far as possible (only about 40 minutes) from the tourists on the east side of the island in Nassau to find this moving piece of art, appropriately titled, “Sacred Space.” Located only a few hundred yards from the ruins of old slave quarters, and just above where the slave ships used to dock, these faceless carvings silently stare back across the ocean toward Africa. Trees that typically erode the coastline were cut down to create these powerful pillars that are still rooted in the ground.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico, is celebrated throughout the country on December 12. Festivities at the Basilica de Guadalupe in Mexico City are massive, but there are substantial festivities throughout the country. In Oaxaca, parents dress up their children in traditional peasants’ garb and take them to the Iglesia de Guadalupe on the north side of the Llano park. They enter the church to receive a blessing from the priest and outside they line up in front of the image of the Virgin. There are photographer’s stalls set up in front of the church to take a commemorative photo and the park is filled with food stands and mechanical rides for the kids’ entertainment after the religious duties are fulfilled. The feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe is the unofficial beginning of Christmas festivities in Mexico, which don’t come to an end until Kings’ Day on January 6.

On any given Sunday, a multitude of Mexico City parks find themselves playing host to groups of dance aficionados, who gather together to practice their steps in a jovial, non-judgmental atmosphere. But perhaps no park has a better Sunday scene than Plaza La Ciudadela, right in front of La Ciudadela craft market, where live music typically accompanies dancers of all ages, each of them dressed to the nines in their Sunday dancing best. Women wear flowers in their hair and men sport feathers in their hats. Shoes—and hair—are polished to a brilliant sheen, and the most courteous of exchanges are shared as people ask one another for a dance. If you’re without your own dancing shoes, a group of vendors who line the plaza’s edge can supply you on the spot. Don’t be afraid to join in; you won’t find a friendlier bunch of folks to dance with.

Calle Ocho or Little Havana is where all things Cuban and Latino come together in Miami. Start your walking tour of Little Havana at Maximo Gomez Park (aka Domino Park). If you play dominoes and have the patience to wait for a spot at a table, you will be in on the hottest game this side of the Florida Straits. Or just watch as all ages face off for hours and hours. Then follow the pink marble of the Calle Ocho Walk of Fame that honors Latin stars such as the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz. Stop for tostones (fried plantains) and ropa vieja (shredded beef), or a medianoche, a morning or late-night version of the Cuban sandwich with sweeter, lighter bread. And don’t be afraid to try some chicharrones (fried pork rinds). ¡Buen provecho!