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If the horse races at Cagnes sur Mer aren’t hands-on enough for you, get up on that horse yourself. Les 3 Fers, an equestrian club in St. Raphaël, offers a trip that takes riders of all levels along the sea cliffs, as well as one on the beach. For more advanced riders, Les Ferrières follows a trail to an archaeological ruin through a forest, and longer trips lead riders through the Vars region of the Alps.

The grand koa wood staircase was shining with a new coat of oil as the focal point of the room; it’s beautiful curves lead the eye gently from the second floor down to the first floor. Men and women dressed in ornate gowns and neck-restricting tuxedos floated around the staircase receiving each other with a proper handshake or curtsy. The party was just beginning as horses pulled up to the ultra modern palace depositing people of stature out of their buggies. The year was 1882 in the island nation of Hawaii. Even though I like to live in the present, I couldn’t help but imagine the past as I was led through the Iolani Palace in Oahu. The docent painted a perfect picture of arriving at a ball in the mid 1880’s – the sites, sounds, and even the dinner entries that would be served. After the docent led tour you can have the pleasure of saying the you’ve been in the only palace in America! More Info: Iolani Palace Tour Information: Guided Docent Led Tours – Adults: $20 / Children (5-12) $6. This tour is available from 9:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Audie Tours – Adults: $13 / Children (5-12) $6. This tour is available from Monday through Saturday 11:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Be sure to check the times and costs on the website which will have up to date information and details. Get all of the details including great historical information, information on the restoration, and learn about upcoming events on the Iolani Palace website: www.iolanipalace.org.

This is my favorite hike by far. Cueva Ventana (“Window Cave”) is a beautiful, scenic hole in the side of a mountain that opens up to a lush, green valley down below. You’ll trample through mud, hunker down under low-hanging stalactites, dodge around stalagmites, and never look up (there are bats, of course) while wandering through the cave. All this winding around through two caves leads you to one of the most spectacular views in all of Puerto Rico (but I may be biased). The hike to this cave is half the fun. You climb down into a small opening under enormous, ancient tree roots, and you get the feeling of a tomb raider. But, if you’re claustrophobic or don’t feel up to lowering yourself down a cave wall, there’s an additional path that bypasses the first cave and leads you straight to the easier hike to Cueva Ventana. There’s something for everyone! I’m pretty sure I saw one Puerto Rican woman doing the whole thing in heels. This is a must-visit site for anyone touring the northwest central part of Puerto Rico. Another tidbit is that it’s practically free! You can find the directions on PuertoRicoDayTrips.com, park at the adjacent Texaco gas station. UPDATE (2014): There is now an easier way to access this awesome view! There are now boardwalks for ease of access, and you must pay $11 to tour the site. You get a flashlight and hardhat for safety.

Aspen is a playground for the active traveler. No matter how many times I visit, I always set aside time to bike to Maroon Bells. Rent a bike from the Hub, a cycling store in town, and be sure to bring a water bottle and even some snacks for energy. The 11-mile ride from downtown will have your quads (and lungs) burning as you slowly make your way uphill. The steady climb makes about a 1,630-foot elevation gain. The views at the top are worth your efforts. The Maroon Bells and Maroon Lake are one of the most photographed areas in North America. On a sunny day the lake takes on magical turquoise and green hues. Relief comes on the ride back to town, which is all an easy coast downhill. Couch potatoes can opt to take a bus to the top.

One of the best views of Florence can be savored from the Piazzale Michelangelo, a short walk across the Arno River from downtown Florence. For a fun afternoon head to the square and enjoy an enchanting panorama of the city, followed by a relaxing alfresco lunch at one of the nearby restaurants. The Piazzale Michelangelo is also worth a visit at night to get a very different glimpse of Florence. The lights of the Duomo and the buildings surrounding it make for a magical nighttime scene.

Michael and I take the lead up a scree-choked stream draining from the Gangjam glacier. Two hours of climbing through talus brings us to ice-blue seracs rising like frozen waveforms from the mottled glacier. An hour further, in the cirque beneath the black wall of Kailash, we begin to sink up to our knees in sun-softened snow. Michael’s altimeter reads 17,500 feet, and above us, the mountain’s north face rises in a 4,000-foot vertical thrust of glazed rock, capped by a treacherous overhanging white cornice. Jaws gone slack, we lift our eyes in awe toward the Throne of Shiva. “How about it, bro? Break out the crampons?” “Jesus! I am not seeing a good route on that wall,” Michael replies, and we both laugh. Kailash remains one of the few legendary mountains on this planet left unclimbed—out of reverence. “And look at that freakin’ cornice!” Michael adds “Nevé ice for sure. Like frost on a windowpane. Won’t hold your points for shit.” There were rumors, nearly a decade ago, that the legendary Austrian mountaineer, Reinhold Messner had surreptitiously planned to bag Kailash, a task which he certainly had the skill and resources to accomplish. But when Messner saw the Precious Snow Mountain for himself, he realized what a desecration it would be to set crampons on its face or boots on its summit. He’s since become a vocal proponent of keeping Kailash off-limits to climbers in perpetuity.

Italy’s No.1 chef Massimo Bottura described Nottingham Forest as a blend of “Hemingway and the TV show C.S.I.” for its eclectic vibe. But for its cocktails, Bottura and many others feel Nottingham Forest is Milan‘s main innovator. Mixologist Dario Comini just happens to be considered one of Italy‘s best bartenders, thanks to a great mix of creativity and risk.

Hagios Demetrios is known as the largest church in all of Greece, and while this interior doesn’t look as large as other European churches, the entire building and grounds are a true showing of historic periods coming and overlapping one another. You’ll find ancient ruins with Christian worship, and many relics and antiquities to see.

One of the capital’s original contemporary cocktail bars, Limantour ranks #20 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list. Mixologists here take their sweet time to make drinks, so don’t plan on stopping by if you’re in a hurry; the idea is to slow down and savor the experience of having a drink crafted carefully for you. Cocktails are named for places that inspire them or from which their spirits were derived. Try the Pernambuco, prepared with paprika-infused Cachaça from Brazil and mixed with a compote of plantain, vanilla, and lemon.

I spent five weeks exploring the West Coast at the beginning of the summer. As a female traveling solo around California, staying somewhere that was safe and comfortable was paramount to me. As I did my research and planning, I noticed a pattern: Kimpton had hotels in most of the destinations I would be visiting. I’ve been frequenting their properties for over eight years and have been a member of their Karma Rewards program for just as long so I knew what to expect. I knew that the boutique brand offered unique perks and daily social activities for its guests. This would make it easy for me to meet like-minded travelers. The Shorebreak was no exception. I was warmly greeted at check-in and upgraded to a room with a giant, wrap-around balcony that overlooked the ocean for all the Karma points I had accumulated. The staff at the front desk gave me some local, veg-friendly restaurant recommendations and checked up on me as I came and went. The lobby and adjoining courtyard were almost always lively with guests – and their pets – which made it easy to strike up a conversation, especially during daily wine hours or s’mores sessions by fireside. The newly renovated property is designed for beach-goers. It has storage lockers for surfboards and the front desk lends courtesy beach chairs, umbrellas, towels, and toys to guests. I rarely needed to drive my car during my stay since the hotel was in the middle of pedestrian-friendly downtown. The laid-back vibe and location of the Shorebreak make it ideal not only for solo travelers like myself, but also for surfers, families (especially with teens), and couples looking for a getaway in Surf City, USA.

Why we love it: Tanzania’s first Design Hotel delivers eco-chic 20 miles off the coast

Highlights:
- A very haute take on African village architecture with 56 thatched bungalows, suites and villas
- The sight of dhows (traditional wooden sailboats) silhouetted at sunset
- Lush tropical landscaping with a spice garden flourishing over a quarter of the 32-acre grounds

The review: Set on the equator, Zanzibar glows with color from the pearl-hued beach to lush vegetation and the turquoise Indian Ocean. “Zuri” means “beautiful in Kiswahili, the island’s language, and the hotel delivers on this promise at every turn. Of especial note: the carved doorframes, contemporary African art and locally made furniture, often crafted from old dhows. Enjoy nice upcycled touches too like the rainbow of hanging lamps in the open-air Peponi bar, made from old bottles.

Tucked on a west-facing slope, most of the accommodations face the sapphire Indian Ocean, and all have large terraces with bold-colored hammocks and wicker furniture. They also boast outdoor showers, where concrete floors contrast with curtains of paper beads, handmade by artisans at the female-led social enterprise Chaka. Inside, the warm tones of Tanzanian teak and eucalyptus compliment the nyasi (grass) thatch from the mainland. Make sure to veil your bed with the mosquito net, which contains an energy-efficient cooling system!

Bungalows can sleep up to two adults and some have hot tubs. Suites step things up with larger terraces, living rooms and private outdoor Jacuzzis. Or really splash out with an exclusive oceanfront villa that can host up to six adults, complete with an infinity pool and private swathe of sand.

Guests can dine on the shore, at the pool or in one of the beachfront restaurants. Expect a fusion of African, Indian and Arabian cuisine, though European and Middle Eastern elements come into play as well. Zuri Zanzibar is especially strong on shisha (hookah) offerings and sugar-cane cocktails, along with dishes like beef samosas, coconut-milk ceviche, octopus-tentacle salad and pilau rice with kachumbari (a tomato-onion salad popular in the African Great Lakes region).

In 1929, the man who would become Latin America’s most celebrated architect, Luis Barragán, built two houses for Sr. Ildefenso Franco to rent. Many years later, an architecture aficionado purchased and restored one of the houses, preserving its original tiling, floors, and finishes while adding contemporary furniture and local artisan textiles. The house, which features five private rooms, now operates as an Airbnb, giving guests the chance to stay in one of Barragán’s earliest works.

If you choose to stay here, be sure to check out the hidden room above the garage. Working during an era when the Mexican government endeavored to suppress the Catholic Church, Barragán—himself a devout Catholic—built the secret room as a place where priests could lead mass in the old-fashioned manner, by turning their backs to the attendants. The space eventually became the servants’ quarters and fell into disrepair, but has since been restored to its former glory, along with its lovely terrace.

The Harvest Table opened Harvest Inn in 2015, and it quickly became one of the go-to spots in St. Helena. One of the main reasons: unpretentious food at reasonable prices. The 110-seat restaurant has a large horseshoe-shaped bar that serves upscale pub food, California style. Burgers are thick and juicy, and the fish and chips are crispy and light. The rest of the dinner menu is filled with hearty fare such as braised short ribs and grilled pork chops. Since its debut, the restaurant has launched its own beer program and now bottles microbrews, too. If you go, be sure to scan the crowd around you. Harvest Table has become the backdrop for many a business deal, and you never know which winery owner might be sitting nearby.

Vancouver’s most famous urban space, the thousand-acre Stanley Park, epitomizes everything that locals here love about the outdoors, and visitors have many ways to explore the expansive grounds. Hiking trails weave around totem poles and hemlock trees, while at the beaches, you can swim, people-watch and picnic. Rent a bike or a pair of in-line skates for a scenic ride along the Seawall, or wander through the many gardens where rhododendrons, azaleas and roses bloom.

Housed on the wilder south side of Tahiti near Teahupo’o, Vanira Lodge is easily the island’s best boutique lodging option. Its idyllic location—on the mountain side of the road up a very steep driveway—offers sweeping views of the lagoon, while its bungalows feature a beautiful mix of bamboo, coral, rock, reed, and stained glass. Each room showcases a slightly different design; some have hard-carved furniture and, others, outdoor kitchens. There’s also a swimming pool, lily pond, and plenty of space to children to play, as well as an onsite restaurant, which is a relief to families since the resort is a good 15-minute walk away from Teahupo’o village and the surf beach. During the day, the staff can arrange a myriad of activities, from snorkeling trips to surf lessons. Guests also have access to bikes, although having a rental car makes getting around much easier.