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Far above the plains where lions roam, there’s another Kenya, where life moves slowly and the people run fast. Writer Matt Gross tries to keep up.

Uncorking Switzerland’s Secret

What could an Alaska local ever discover on a voyage through the Inside Passage? Just the essence of the place he thought he knew.

The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel sits on the Big Island’s Kohala Coast. Beautiful sandy beaches cater to sun worshipers while the proximity to Waimea and Kailua-Kona make it a great place for travelers who seek ocean sports, coffee culture, or horseback riding. After absorbing the sun, snorkeling, and surf, a trip to the beach bar is the perfect place to enjoy a bit of shade while sipping on cold, refreshing, tropical drinks. An evening at the beach bar with a Dirty Hula Girl may be the perfect ending to a day at this beach hotel.


The sweet smell of plumeria floats on gentle trade winds into each guest room at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel. When entering the room, you may be surprised that floor-to-ceiling picture windows and a beautiful private lanai (patio) beckon you to step back outside—closer to the rhythmic surf and paradise in nature. In the hotel’s main building, each morning you can wake up to warm accent colors in your room that recall the previous evening’s sunset. Natural light fills the entire space and you can brew a lovely cup of Kona coffee before leaving your room to face the world. A 2009 remodel of the main building rooms along with a 2013 beachfront wing renovation enable guests to unwind in the comfort of updated interiors that still remain true to Laurance S. Rockefeller’s original vision.


Local beach access at the Mauna Kea Resort: If you go early (7:30 a.m.) there are only 40 parking spots open to get to this hidden gem. Locals know that you say “beach access” at the imposing gate for those who want to swim in its clear blue water; check it out in North Kohala. Spectacular white sand beach with some shade trees. The 40 parking spots get filled by 9 a.m. or sooner so go early. It’s also good for boogie boarding.

PropertyThe architecture at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel certainly evokes Laurance S. Rockefeller’s sense of outdoor space with breezy landscaped covered walkways and a sparkling blue tile floor in the lobby that seems to bring the calm waters of Kaunaoa Bay right into the hotel. Another not-to-miss feature on the grounds includes the Collection: a fascinating assortment of Pacific and Asian art. More than 1,600 museum pieces blend into the hotel’s ambiance so well that you will always find new treasures on each visit. Better than a museum, these pieces of history are tangible to guests who want to inspect the stitches in a quilt, photograph the colors in a carving, or feel the texture of embellishments on a statue.


After absorbing the sun, snorkeling, and surf, a trip to the beach bar is the perfect place to enjoy a bit of shade while sipping on cold, refreshing, tropical drinks. An evening at the beach bar with a Dirty Hula Girl may be the perfect ending to a day at this beach hotel.
Vino and Vinyasa (Friday evenings): Follow your sun salutations with sauvignon blanc and your planks with pinot noir at this weekly class-slash-happy hour held ocean-side on Friday evenings. It’s only fitting that the sessions focus on Vinyasa, a yoga style that synchronizes movement with breath, because you’ll want to inhale the salty sea air deeply as you gaze at a fiery Big Island sunset.


Glow Stand-Up Paddling and Canoeing: Kauna’oa Bay’s large plankton population attracts manta rays, and you’ll find yourself gliding alongside them during this nocturnal excursion. Thanks to LED lights carefully strapped on your board, your hour-long jaunt may also include a parrotfish sighting (they’re intrigued by the boards’ shimmery glow.) You can treat stand-up paddle boarding as a workout, or simply stargaze as you float. New paddlers can take an introductory canoe ride while more seasoned guests can explore the Kohala Coast’s caves and coves on a private group charter.

Why we love it: A family-oriented resort where you can disconnect together

The Highlights:
- A ruggedly beautiful setting where the forest meets the lake
- Family-friendly activities like hiking, boating, and fishing
- A relaxed vibe that allows for disconnecting from the daily grind

The Review:
The most remote drive-in resort in northern Minnesota, Big Lake Wilderness Lodge transports guests to summer vacations of a bygone era. Surrounded by the Superior National Forest and a short walk or paddle from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the property focuses on simple pleasures, from lake views and starry skies to clean air, pure water, and freshly caught fish. Here, guests can hike on nearby trails; hit the lake in a kayak, canoe, or paddleboat; spend the day fishing for walleye; or simply relax lakeside and take in the scenery. On especially clear nights, you can even see the northern lights.

Pet-friendly cabins include well-equipped kitchens as well as picnic tables, Weber grills, and patio furniture. Most feature satellite TV, and the newly remodeled Horizon and Call of the Loon cabins come with a free pontoon boat rental. Plan a romantic getaway in a lakeshore studio cabin, or bring the whole brood to a two-bedroom or family-size option. When you’re ready to socialize, there’s a communal lodge with free Wi-Fi, TV, books, games, and a snow cone maker, as well as a wading beach with a water trampoline offshore. In case you forgot anything or need some tackle and live bait, there’s also a store stocked with the essentials for a week of family fun.

A walking path, golf course, fishing pier, paddleboat rentals, and volleyball courts ensure that everyone gets to experience nature in their favorite way at this 76-acre park. In the summertime, listen to one of the frequent live concerts while the kids burn off energy running around on the grass.

When the swell is up and the waves are high, Sunset Beach is Surf City, UAE. Count on left-breaking waves at the Jebel Ali end and right-breaking waves at the northern tip of the beach. In between, expect a busy beach full of tourists, locals, and expats soaking up the sun. Palace Beach offers easy access to the waterways of the Palm Jumeirah (perfect for kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders), a glimpse of the great sail of a building that is the Burj Al Arab in the distance, sugary white sand between the toes, and crystalline water all the way to the horizon. If you forgot your water-sports equipment at home, Club Joumana at the sprawling JA Jebel Ali Beach Resort rents it all—from Zapcat inflatable racing boats to paddleboards.

This historic wooden badi situated along the pretty tree-lined Utoquai near the Zurich Opera House has welcomed lakeside idlers since 1890, and parts of the original swimming “palace” still remain intact. There are now mixed and separate pools and sunbathing areas (with the occasional nude bather), plus floating decks and diving platforms. On any given summer day, there’s a lot of lake traffic nearby—crisscrossing sailboats and paddleboats—which is great if you want to feel part of the action, though a slight nuisance if it’s tranquil waters you’re seeking.

Banff and Jasper are top of mind when it comes to Alberta‘s Great Outdoors. Travelers flock to Moraine Lake by the busload for postcard-perfect snaps and zip through the province’s northern parks on the trail of grizzlies, elk, and moose. Waterton Lakes manages to fly just far enough under the radar that it never feels crowded or bustling, even on a wild Canada Day long weekend, which makes it a wonderful alternative for the “been there, done that” crowd. For an iconic view of Waterton Village and Upper Waterton Lake, test your mettle against the Bear’s Hump, a mile-long trek that begins at the Waterton Visitor Resource Center. The trail opens to a grand rocky plateau atop what was once called Bear Mountain by the Blackfoot people. Begin your trek early in the morning or late in the afternoon to have the mountain to yourself, but be warned that the wind atop the Hump can be ferocious. Knock your hat off and dump you off the mountain ferocious. Still, the views of Waterton Valley and Mount Cleveland are worth the challenge. [Flash traveled to Alberta courtesy of Travel Alberta.]

If you’ve kids in a tow, hiring a boat for a float around Houhai is a great way to relax. Houhai is a man-made lake that was once the royal family’s private pool. Today, it’s a popular place for families who come here to cycle around the lake, as well as couples who stroll hand in hand. Renting a covered paddleboat is ultra popular at the weekends, and you’d do well to arrive early, especially on sunny spring or fall days. Rentals at the boathouse are cash only, and you’ll need to leave a deposit, so bring a couple hundred renminbi.

Located in South Walton—roughly in between Panama City and Destin on Florida’s scenic coastal route, 30A—Rosemary Beach’s perfect white sand and clear turquoise waters are as close to the Caribbean as Florida comes. Unless there’s a storm a brewing, the Gulf of Mexico waters are delightfully calm and very nearly lake-like, making the beach a favorite for families with young children as well as those who love paddleboarding and kayaking (you can rent gear nearby). And classic Gulf of Mexico sunsets, as you might imagine, are another Rosemary Beach specialty.

Vancouver’s serene waters serve as the perfect playground for kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders. Newbies can book two-hour “tasters” at Ecomarine’s Granville Island or Jericho Beach locations, while more adventurous paddlers—of any level—can jump right into tours, like the summer sunset excursion along the scenic shores of False Creek (a protected inlet) and English Bay (part of the Strait of Georgia). While most tours last a half or whole day, Ecomarine also offers more hard-core expeditions, like the weeklong trip to Haida Gwaii. This craggy, rain-forested archipelago is often referred to as Canada’s Galápagos for its vast number of endemic species. It also has a wealth of First Nations heritage sites just waiting to be explored.

Hit Seven Mile Beach, a beautiful and—as the name would suggest—long stretch of shoreline to see why it’s one of the Cayman Islands’ most fabled features. Facing out to sea, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were beholding a life-size Rothko installation, with bands of the palest aqua, the richest cobalt and every gradation of blue-green in between. Also keep an eye out for the schools of fish that sprint along the water parallel to the shore.

Once summer has arrived in all her glory, city folk yearn to escape the concrete jungle. The cheap and chic solution for locals is to pack a picnic and head for a beach day on the Toronto Islands, just a short ferry ride away. Of the three primary islands, all of which are connected by paths and bridges, Centre Island boasts the highest number of visitors; people head straight to its main strip to get to the beach and the amusement park. Ward’s Island offers more charm: In addition to the sandy shore, there are small summer cottages and gardens. Those intent on exercise can rent bicycles or paddleboats.

The 53-mile South Coast Track is the most epic odyssey in Tasmania’s most epic national park. It’s challenging and requires camping, not to mention advanced mountaineering skills, but it’s worth the effort for the primordial scenery, the sheer solitude, and sightings of such rare Tasmania wildlife as the near-extinct orange-bellied parrot. For a water-based expedition, Roaring 40s Kayaking arranges three- and seven-day trips that fly to the gravel airstrip at Melaleuca and paddle through the tannin-stained waters of Bathurst Harbour and Port Davey—maybe to forested islands or through The Narrows; it all depends on the notorious weather. Either way, you’ll stay at the pre-erected Forest Lagoon camp and savor your dinner and drinks like never before.