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While everyone and their mother (and aunt and grandmother) are on the waiting list to have afternoon tea at Brown’s or Claridge’s some time next April, head to Soho for the no-longer-a-secret-but-still-unknown tea room inside the Coach & Horses pub. Once you arrive, you’ll be shown the way under the bar and up a flight of stairs where, just like Alice, you’ll find yourself in a quaint square room in which teas, biscuits, and the like—all made fresh daily—are served in mismatched vintage china. Sit back, relax, and be a part of the “secret” show. You should reserve ahead, but a day or two will do.

One of my favorite places in the whole world—Vieques! I’m actually a little apprehensive to share, because I’d love to keep it the semi-secret it is. If you time it well, you can have this beach all to yourself.

Avenida Central was the city’s great commercial core in the first half of the 20th century; though its heyday has ended, the swarm of humanity packing into its various shops, bars, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses attest to ongoing vibrancy. The classic stretch extends from Plaza Santa Ana to Plaza 5 de Mayo, where art deco and streamlined moderne landmarks are still on view. El Banco Nacional, the former Kodak building, and “La Pollera”—thus nicknamed for the resemblance its balconies bear to the traditional full skirts of the Los Santos region—figure among them. These avenue blocks are pedestrian-only; peddlers and street vendors selling every imaginable snack and trinket abound.

Though it’s mere minutes from the chaotic pedestrian street Nanluoguxiang, Dali Courtyard, in a charming brick courtyard house, is as tranquil as the nearby streets are buzzing. Dinner is a set menu here (from ¥150 per person), a small parade of dishes from southern Yunnan Province. Star dishes, like rubing (fried goat cheese), guoqiao mixian (“crossing-the-bridge noodles”), and anything with mushrooms, a food for which Yunnan is known, always make appearances. Other dishes include things like grilled fish colored in chilies, stir-fried wild vegetables, and tofu and mint salad. The food here is on the spicy side, so be sure to ask for it mild. If you’re a vegetarian or have dietary restrictions, have the information written down in Chinese and give it to your server before you order.

An ornate late-Victorian heap of red sandstone, the Kelvingrove (located within a lovely park of the same name) is Glasgow’s signature museum—and one of the most popular attractions in Scotland. Free to enter, it features a full house of historic exhibitions on everything from animals to Ancient Egypt and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, plus a wide range of important Scottish art (like Colourist Samuel John Peploe’s Roses), several French and Dutch works, and Salvador Dalí’s iconic Christ of Saint John of the Cross. Visiting exhibitions, such as Leonardo da Vinci drawings, round out the offerings. There are also regular organ recitals and free tours on weekends, making the Kelvingrove a perfect family attraction.

Go shopping at Villagio Mall, an opulent Venetian-style shopping mall traversed by water canals and a fleet of gondolas offering rides to the shoppers. The Mall is inconspicuously partitioned into two sections: one geared to cater to middle class patrons which resembles an elegant shopping mall in the USA, and the exclusive side with high-end boutiques (Cavalli, Roles, Versace, Louis Vuitton, etc), French restaurants and designer jewelries, all under a lavish glass dome and flanked by balconies evocative of an old Italian town.

Located 100 miles south of Santiago, the Colchagua Valley has in the past decade become one of Chile‘s wine hotbeds for the production of robust red wines. Stretching from the Andean foothills in the east through the coastal mountains to west, always following the Tinguirrica River, the valley is renowned for its “big” reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Chile‘s flagship wine, Carmenere. The majority of the vineyards lie in the center of the valley around the small country town of Santa Cruz with its charming colonial plaza and several hotels. New vineyard plantations are also extending into the hillsides in prestigious sub appellations like Apalta nearby and to the west towards the sea. Besides red wine, Colchagua is also steeped heavily in Chile’s country traditions and cowboy culture as an agricultural valley, making it an ideal weekend getaway. For wine enthusiasts, every March during harvest the valley puts on its annual harvest festival during a whole weekend with tastings from valley wineries, regional food, music, dance, and local color.

The peak called Monserrate towers over central Bogotá and lends its name to the church that tops it. Perched more than 10,000 feet above sea level, the sanctuary—dedicated to the Passion of Christ—has beautiful gardens showcasing marvelous highland vegetation, and the city views from here are spectacular (sunsets are especially recommended). Ascend Monserrate by cable car, via railway, or on foot (this last is only for the fittest and those already acclimated to the altitude). That beautiful white house on the mountainside is Casa Santa Clara restaurant, a better-than-expected, special-occasion-suitable venue at which to try traditional Bogotá favorites like ajiaco, a thick potato-and-chicken soup.

Duffy’s calls itself a “bar that serves great food.” Its brand of fruity tropical cocktails (some served in ceramic skulls) and casual fare seems somehow perfect for a relaxing Caribbean vacation. The restaurant claims to have hosted “pirates, debutantes, nerds, and rock stars.” From the outside, Duffy’s looks unassuming, but inside the colorful tiki bar decor features standard elements, such as bamboo-pole siding, spruced up with maritime mementos from around the Caribbean.

Teshima’s Restaurant is a historic Japanese diner on the west coast of Hawaii Island in Kealakekua. Welcoming and reasonably priced, the diner serves Hawaiian Japanese comfort food. The set meals are the best value, a sampling of small dishes that might include sashimi, sukiyaki, fried fish, rice, and sides of cucumber, cabbage, and miso soup. The ahi is excellent (and the wasabi so soft and fresh), but the restaurant is really known for its shrimp tempura: Every local we asked about Japanese food told us to try it here. You can get it on its own, or as part of the “deep sea trio” of shrimp tempura, fried fish, and sashimi.

Small enough to get around without being overwhelmed, the Musée d’Orsay is a favorite stop in Paris not just for its size but for its collection of Impressionist, Postimpressionist, and art nouveau art. Perfectly set in the center of the city, on the banks of the Seine, and opposite the Tuileries Gardens, the museum is housed in the former Gare d’Orsay, a railway station that was built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900—so the building itself could be seen as a work of art. The extraordinary collection spans art created in the period between 1848 and 1914.

Store Bay, just outside Scarborough, is one of Tobago’s most popular beaches. Reserve some time after your swim for a visit to the dozens of bright and cheery craft shops and food stalls that make up the Store Bay Beach Facility. Need souvenirs? Browse for island crafts like batik, sandals, jewelry and items carved from wood and coconut shells.

Brought to you by the fine-dining folks at the gourmet-minded State Capital Kitchen, this highly touted food truck called Gnar (short for gnarly, or awesome) carries farm-fresh delights from chefs Arthur Martel and Mark Connell. Decked out in artist David Santiago’s fierce female-centric portraits, the tiny kitchen doles out affordable grub like stuffed waffle-pressed sopaipillas or Wagyu beef burgers alongside heaping bowls of pho. Afterward, wash everything down with thick chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry milkshakes.

About an hour’s drive south of Barcelona, past scruffy beach towns along the Costa Dorada, Le Meridien Ra Resort and Spa stands out from its neighbors on a beautiful length of the Mediterranean. Inside the resort gates, an elegant central building, buffed out for the 21st century, does not fail to impress. Originally built as a tuberculosis hospital for children, the hotel has turned its focus from illness to wellness: A three-story modern addition contains the Explore spa, with treatments ranging from all sorts of massages and facials to ayurvedic experiences and thalasso body masks with iodine-rich algae. After treatment, clients are encouraged to prolong the self-care vibe with a visit to the roof, where an indoor-outdoor complex offers glamorous sun beds on a deck, steam and sauna rooms, as well as a pool with stations for bubble jets of varying intensities as well as shoulder-massaging water spouts and soothing currents. Guest rooms are spacious and cleanly modern with midcentury design touches (an angular sconce beside the bed, a curvy Hans Wegner-inspired chair and stool) and a mild color palette. Generous cabinet space speaks to the resort’s summer season—many repeat guests come for a week or two. (For additional space, families can opt to rent one of the on-site apartments.) The resort’s kitchen, which draws inspiration from Catalan traditions, is inventive and playful, employing some molecular gastronomy techniques without any fussiness. Small dishes—accompanied by tiny pearls filled with local vinegar or topped with foam or served in paper cones—are perfect for summer appetites (and can be augmented by more traditional seafood, fish, and ham dishes). The beach itself is a wide, sandy stretch planted with a few palm trees and several rows of beach loungers and umbrellas. Beach servers ferry food and drink from the airy dining pavilion, and a masseuse offers complimentary chair massages. The Mediterranean here, a vivid blue, contains 10% more iodine than elsewhere—a health benefit espoused both by the religious order who ran the sanitarium and by the resort now. As a brand, Le Meridien supports local arts and culture and this hotel is a bright example of that ethos: among many offerings, it hosts literary festivals, visits to the nearby studio of a ceramic artist, cooking lessons on the nuances of Catalan rice dishes, winery tours, live music in the gardens, and is home to four grand bronze sculptures by Salvador Dali. But for all these options, days can pass lazily, too, with a lunch under the grape arbor, or a round of backgammon on the shady terrace facing the beach, accompanied by a glass of rosé. ¡Salud!

Among the neighborhood’s art-minded hotels, the Gladstone is the most interactive, with shows, classes, and ongoing events. The 37 rooms, all designed by local artists, have breathed new life into the 128-year-old icon, which filmmaker Christina Zeidler took over in 2003 and revitalized in 2005. The Victorian landmark, named for its avenue (in turn named after four-time Canadian Prime Minister William Gladstone), has been a gathering spot for over a century. And it was home to legendary Toronto characters like cowboy Hank Young, who became a fixture at the hotel as a country singer in 1961 and manned the hand-operated elevator from 2005 to 2009, and Peter Styles, former host of Karaoke Night, with applause sign in hand. The legend of Hank lives on in a framed photo in the stairwell en route to the second floor.

The Gladstone continues to push the boundaries of community and culture with creative events like its educational workshop series, Get School’d, and its annual alternative design event, Come Up to My Room (CUTMR), which runs alongside the city’s Interior Design Show. Begin your stay in this architectural gem with a drink at the Café or Melody Bar (that is, if you’re not first thrust into Fameless Karaoke Night).