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Founded more than a century ago, the US Grant gracefully mixes its historic legacy with contemporary touches. Ulysses Grant Jr., the son of President Ulysses Grant, began construction on the property at the turn of the 20th century. A time capsule filled with family photos and newspaper articles that he left in 1907 is now part of the hotel’s permanent collection. Since opening in 1910, the hotel has played host to 14 presidents. For a dose of culture without leaving the property, check out the Celebration Fine Art Gallery, where you can view paintings, sculptures, glasswork, and ceramics by national and international artists.

Today, the US Grant’s prime downtown location in the Gaslamp Quarter is hard to beat. When you enter the Grand Lobby, crystal chandeliers and hand-loomed carpets provide a sneak peak of the elegant decor found throughout the property. Guest rooms impress with tall ceilings, Empire-style furniture, and commissioned French and Native American art. No detail has been left out; even the headboards—one-of-a-kind figurative drip paintings—are a work of art.

Home of the Venice Film Festival, the Lido is also where you’ll find Venice‘s beaches—Shelley and Byron went horseback riding here back in the day—as well as the Grand Excelsior Hotel, whose bar is often crowded with celebrities during the festival (and other times of the year, as well). If you’re a classic film fan, the hotel might look familiar: Luchino Visconti’s Death in Venice was shot here. The island has a decidedly lively feel compared with Venice itself, less a museum piece and more a buzzing destination, popular with Venetians and visitors looking to spend a day by the sea.

One part tourist trap, one part beloved café, Les Deux Magots is a legendary spot that everyone should visit at least once when in Paris. Most famous as the place where the likes of Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre and Ernest Hemingway spent their days writing at its tables, the café serves decent coffee and hot chocolate—but skip the spendy menu unless you’re really hungry. The best seats are on the terrace, under that iconic green awning, where you can just sit back and people-watch on this busy corner of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

Sydney’s 158-acre botanic garden, which hugs the harbor between Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and the Sydney Opera House, is home to nearly 9,000 plant species. Depending on the season of your visit, you might seek out spring peaches and wisteria or tropical orchids and summer lotus flowers. On any occasion, don’t miss descendants of the 200-million-year-old Wollemi pine, a dinosaur of a conifer only discovered in 1994. The gardens are also studded with sculptures from historical statues to modern works by Bronwyn Oliver, Paul Selwood, and Keld Moseholm. The quartz-and-sandstone Wurrungwuri depicts an Aboriginal shield once used by the traditional owners of this land. Tours are offered throughout the year, including a 1.5-hour Aboriginal history tour on the food and medicinal properties of native Australian plants.

When my husband and I visited Italy last year, we each chose one place we wanted to visit. I chose Venice: I wanted to see the famous canals and gondolas first-hand. My husband, a long-time lover of Ducati motorcycles, chose a tour of the Ducati Factory and Museum (http://ducati.com/company/visit_us/index.do?tab=museum). We arrived on a Saturday and, unfortunately, the factory tour doesn’t run on the weekends, but luckily the museum was open for tours and had a lot to offer fans of vintage Ducatis. The museum focuses on Ducati’s racing history, with examples of every major Ducati race bike to have won World Championships, the Paris Dakar Rally, and other famous races. My husband was in heaven, able to see up close the motorcycles he’d read about and seen in magazines. The museum tours last about a half hour and provides a lot of interesting information about this classic Italian brand. Tours run at three times on Saturdays: 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 12:00 noon, and while you potentially can get on the tour as a last-minute walk-up as we did, reservations are highly recommended (you can reserve a place on a tour online). If you find yourself in Bologna and are a motorcycle enthusiast, spend an hour at the fascinating Ducati Factory and Museum - I think you’ll enjoy it.

Louise Loubatieres’ gorgeous light-filled little concept store on increasingly hip Hap Guan Street is one of those stores you can easily lose hours in. The fascinating shop is located in self-styled Kandal Village, a compact neighborhood of three parallel streets wedged between the French Quarter and Old Market area that has become an emerging shopping, eating and drinking district. The lovely Louise, who can often be found out the back of the shop baking or making a pot of tea, is of Cambodian, French, British, and Vietnamese heritage, and her ancestry is reflected in her impeccable taste and passion for arts, crafts, textiles and design objects from Southeast Asia, and her carefully curated selection of beautiful things. Unlike some of my favorite shops, Louise doesn’t limit herself to ‘made in Cambodia’ products, and won’t hesitate to source pretty things from places like Chiang Mai or the Mekong Delta if she discovers something special. Louise largely stocks homewares, from colorful lacquer bowls to textiles that can serve as table runners.

When my husband and I went to Provence last summer I, uncharacteristically, did not do much planning. When we were checking into our hotel in Aix I saw a picture of the most brilliant blue water in a brochure and I asked the woman at check-in what this was. She told me it was Les Calanques, France’s newest national park, and it wasn’t that far. We set off for the park the next day and parked in the beautiful seaside town of Cassis. What followed was a highlight of our summer. It was hot and dry but the park’s cool blue green waters provided a respite from the heat. We hiked to the first three inlets jumping in to cool off each time. I loved the tingling sensation I felt when I would get out of the bracing water and feel the dry heat start to warm my extremities. Before we knew it, we had been in the park all day and we had to rush to get to our next destination before dinner. I felt alive, I felt like a kid again and it really felt like summer.

Each time I see the Barra or Aveiro Light on the Barra Beach, I marvel at its beauty and strength. The lighthouse is located on a barrier beach on its Atlantic side where Atlantic storms are frequent and powerful. The light is an active light and the lighthouse is a round tower with red and white paint decorating its 203 feet making it the tallest lighthouse in Portugal. The majestic Farol da Barra was built from 1885 - 1893. It was commissioned in 1893. In 1958 an elevator was installed. (There are also 291 steps on the spiral stairway). In 1990, the light was automated. This historic light is something you want to see while in the Aveiro area. It is open to the public so you can visit and climb the light and enjoy the views. There are some nice restaurants on the promenade. The beach is great... a vacation spot that feels like a party in the Summer ( late Spring,and Fall are great , too). There are hotels and condo rentals available. This is another super historic lighthouse. A great attraction for you to experience.

A lowly warehouse in Antwerp may not seem like a life-changing sort of place. However, this was the start of a completely new life for over 2 million emigrants and a lifesaver for many of them. The brand new Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp tells the story of these emigrants, who bravely travelled from Eastern Europe to North America, leaving everything they knew behind. Although the Red Star Line Museum primarily focuses on the immigrants who travelled on board RSL ships, there is also a modern side to the story. On the ground floor, the exhibit ‘Always on the Move’ deals with the current state of migration around the world. Coupled with temporary photography exhibits, this modern section of the museum reminds us that, even today, emigration isn’t always a choice for the migrants. The Red Star Line Museum tells a powerful and important story in a beautiful and moving way. It should be on the ‘must visit’ list for all expats and descendants of immigrants, so we never forget the struggle our ancestors made on our behalf. More Information: http://cheeseweb.eu/2013/10/red-star-line-immigration-museum-antwerp-belgium/

A marine sanctuary in northwest Maui, Honolua Bay delights snorkelers and surfers alike. The right side of the bay boasts dense, showstopping coral that attracts vibrant fish, while the shallower left-hand side features lava caves, archways, and sea turtles in the summer months. Come winter, some of Hawaii’s most beautiful barrel waves start peeling around the point, drawing only the most experienced daredevils. Note that fishing here is forbidden and parking can be tricky—visitors often have to park along the cliffs and hike down through a magical, Robinson Crusoe–type forest to the rocky shoreline. When approaching the bay, watch for mile marker 32. Just past it, you’ll find stairs down to Mokuleia Beach.

Staying at the elegant old Estancia Candelaria del Monte is like stepping back in time. The ranch dates from the 1830s, and it feels like it - it’s incredibly quiet here, seemingly disconnected from the modern world. Towering sycamore trees cast shade over the sprawling grounds and a picturesque swimming pool that looks like it belongs in an English period piece; inside the house, four-poster beds and afternoon tea call to mind gentler times. Hop up on one of the estancia’s rugged Criollo horses for a guided ride across the property - you can even help the ranchhands herd cows if you’re really in the mood. A beautiful park, from the 1830´s, jealousy guards the intimacy of the house and the swimming pool, with centenary Sycamores, Ginkgo Bilobas, Elms and a large variety of Pines that fragrance the air. And in the distance, rustic and timeless, it opens up the endless plain landscape of “The Pampas” where the green tone of the land and the deep blue of the sky combine with scattered sights of cows and native horses, together with the isolated flocks flying high up.

A beautiful drive through the mountainous west coast past the bayside city of Mayaguez opens up to windy roads lined with banana trees. Your destination is the coffee town of Maricao—a small, unassuming city that plays host to festivals, coffee tours, and aquaculture. Also the home to the hidden gem of Salto Curet waterfall. To get down to your starting point, a car with 4x4 is preferred but not always necessary (Going during the rainy season? Drive a truck or SUV). You’ll park in a vacant lot at the bottom of a hill and follow the trail over a river and up the mountain. You’ll eventually reach an abandoned ranger station; at that point you’ll turn left and trek up river. Just a short distance later is the isolated waterfall. Take a swim in the cool water, or hunt down the even smaller trail off to the left that takes you up the rocks to the higher and more roaring waterfall above. This is my most loved waterfall site. It’s secluded and never sees many guests at one time. Bring your camera and a waterproof bag, as it’s likely you will be caught in the rain. It is a rainforest, after all!

Wobbly floors, a crooked staircase, dusty books, an old piano, and a few hundred years of character mix together in the beating heart of old Dublin, the Temple Bar. I spend more than half of every year on the road, calling in at one hotel and the next, and I’ve been lucky to have spent time at some fabulous hotels and holiday homes. This joint at No. 25 Eustace St. is near the top of the list. From the Irish Landmark Trust website: “The Irish Landmark Trust saves heritage buildings throughout the island of Ireland that are at risk of being lost through neglect or inappropriate use; conserving and restoring these buildings so they can be let as holiday homes.” The next time you’re in Dublin with your family or a large group, forget about calling in on modern digs, and check out No. 25, or one of the other heritage properties managed by the trust. It was a beautiful experience, and I can’t wait to check in again. Next time I plan to visit an old lighthouse, fort, or country home.

This has GOT to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. Located in the German side of Switzerland, Lauterbrunnen is a place fairy tales are made of. Waterfalls falling everywhere around you, the sound of cowbells in the distance, and little wooden shacks in the hills like you pictured when reading “Heidi”. Pretend you are in a different age and be Swiss for the day by taking a gondola up the mountain and indulging in a hot pot of cheese fondue and sourdough bread.

Let’s face it, Stockholm is three things for travelers: It’s cold. It’s expensive. And it’s home to some of the most gorgeous human specimens on this dear planet of ours. I may have found the perfect place to remedy these issues, should they be considered as such—Gilda’s Café. Set in the heart of the boho district of Södermalm in south Stockholm, Gilda’s is the perfect place to shelter from the cold with a warm cup of coffee in hand, inexpensive pastries (fika, anyone?), and some good old people watching. Trust me when I say that people watching does not get any better than in Stockholm. Locals are very fond of hipster ways. They are relaxed, friendly, and could all be on the front cover of a fashion magazine. Beautiful people aside, Gilda’s is a little slice of heaven on its own. Think unmatched tableware, indie music, eclectic furniture, and delicious homemade dishes. Worlds away from the compartmentalism and practicality of Ikea. The change of scenery is most welcome and enjoyable. Save your precious kronors, daydream about a handsome Swedish Viking while sipping a comforting latte, and go to Gilda’s. It’s the ultimate south Stockholm thing to do, and you won’t regret it.