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Why we love it: A design-savvy boutique hotel with direct beach access

The Highlights:
- Bright design that’s full of personality
- A focus on exploring the hotel’s natural surroundings
- Direct access to pristine Seven Mile Beach

The Review:
A welcome departure from the classic Negril resort scene, this stylish boutique hotel—opened in 2018—melds local flavor, a vintage Havana feel, and a contemporary sensibility in a way that speaks to the curious, independent traveler. Set along 220 pristine feet of Seven Mile Beach, the hotel features a clean-lined, mid-century modern-inspired aesthetic throughout, accented by bright textiles, artwork, and a curated soundtrack that celebrates the history of Jamaican music.

Room options range from studios set on the second floor of the accommodation wing, to options with patios or balconies looking out at either the garden or the ocean. All have air conditioning, USB outlets, Bluetooth radio, free Wi-Fi, and mini-bars. Skylark is big on encouraging guests to explore the area, whether that means taking advantage of the direct beach access (the hotel provides loungers, paddleboards, snorkeling gear, and beach games, plus food and beverage service), going for a boat ride, hiking to a waterfall, or zip-lining through the jungle.

Without a doubt Versailles is the most luxurious palace in Europe, built to astound visitors and impress the king’s subjects into awed submission with crystal chandeliers, gilt, and fine art. This opulent monument is also attractive to those with simpler tastes: Visitors with green thumbs will love the king’s kitchen gardens while others may want to rent bicycles to pedal the lavish grounds, and animal lovers will enjoy the sheep, goats, and chickens receiving the royal treatment at the queen’s quaint hamlet. La Petite Venise, an excellent restaurant on the grounds, offers garden seating on sunny days.

The historic MV Liemba is the oldest functioning ferry in the world, and a voyage down Tanzania’s Lake Tanganyika on this landmark is a colorful experience. Your fellow passengers will include traders loading and unloading cargo (anything from pineapples to flip-flops) and locals using the ferry for transport. On the southbound journey, the boat departs from the town of Kigoma and travels 300 miles to Zambia, where its makes its first port of call on land. But in between those two stops, while still on the water, travelers can transfer to smaller ships in order to reach places like Lagosa (a jumping-off point for the Mahale Mountains National Park) or the peaceful beach area of Kipili.

Villaggio Mall makes a fantastic destination for families with children because in addition to the hundreds of stores, the mall has its own theme park. Gondolania Indoor Theme Park, the largest family entertainment center in Doha, offers attractions such as the classic Ferris wheel, 12-lane Bowling alley, bumper cars, a roller coaster, kiddie rides, a state-of-the-art Go Kart Racing, billiard tables, 4D Theater, free-fall drop tower, a horror-themed monorail, a large soft-play area, and an impressive array of simulation games. Just outside Gondolania, the mall offers an Olympic-size ice skating rink (skates and helmets available for rent) and a Venetian-inspired Gondola Boat Ride that takes the whole family around the mall—gondolier clad in red and white striped shirt, included.

Hogfish Bar and Grill, under a thatched palapa roof with open sides, is tucked in among the boats and gulls of Safe Harbour Marina in Stock Island. In short, a meal or a drink there makes you feel like an insider, a salty local far from the crowds downtown. That in-crowd feeling is burnished on weekends, when local bands play sets, or during one of the events held by Hogfish during the season, like shrimp boils. The simple food is served generously on plates crowded with side dishes. The hogfish sandwich, served fried on Cuban bread, is the stuff of late-night-post-beer legend.

Turneffe Atoll’s sprawling central lagoon is a beautiful natural playground marked by thick mangrove islands and littoral forest, and hosts dozens of remarkable marine species – including crocodiles. Yes, the central lagoon is pretty to look at and one of the best places in Belize to watch the sun rise, but I wouldn’t recommend you go for a dip. Crocodiles spend their days escaping the heat in the thick mangroves, then swim out into the open ocean at dusk to feed. I saw two crocs during my time on the island; a very young juvenile whose curiosity had brought him right up to the sandy patch of beach behind the Blackbird Caye Resort, and a suspicious adult who kept his distance (thankfully). Still, the lagoon is a great place to spy on the aforementioned crocodiles, photograph marine birds, and more. Photo Finish: Nikon D800 | 24-70mm f/2.8 lens | Aperture f/6.3 | ISO-400 | Shutter 1/60 sec.

Gülhane Park, recently renovated with the zoo and other structures removed, sits on Sarayburnu peninsula at the base of Topkapı Palace of which it was formerly a part. In April, millions of tulips bloom in colorful displays to celebrate Turkey’s national flower, but all year round the promenade, green lawns, and tea gardens overlooking the Bosphorus are a great place to unwind and watch the world go by.

Hull Bay Beach—on the north shore of St. Thomas, west of Magens Bay—has the wave action surfers crave. When there’s a northern swell, the beach is considered the best surf spot on the island. The rest of the time you’ll find snorkelers, local families, and fishing boats bobbing out in the bay. The beach bar is a popular island spot.

Nothing is a more powerful symbol of the City of Light than the Eiffel Tower. Designed by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 Paris Exposition, it’s one of the world’s most-visited monuments, with nearly 7 million people ascending the 1,062-foot wrought-iron structure each year. Glass elevators spirit you to the top—hardy souls can take the stairs part of way—where in addition to unparalleled panoramic views of Paris, you can toast your arrival with a glass of bubbly at the Champagne bar. Evenings there’s a grand light show: every hour on the hour, the tower sparkles for five minutes with 20,000 bulbs.

The Bo-Kaap was one of the few Cape Town neighborhoods to escape apartheid’s bulldozers—the cluster of bright buildings, once known as the Malay Quarter, housed many of the slaves who worked for the 17th-century Dutch colonialists. In this colorful area, you can also see some of the oldest, most beautiful mosques in the country, including the Auwal Mosque on Dorp Street. Upscale shops have been moving in lately, but don’t miss one of the originals, the spice merchant Atlas Trading Company. To go back in time, explore the Bo-Kaap Museum, furnished like the house of a typical 19th-century Muslim family.

Central Vienna lies not on the Danube proper, but on its curved canal whose banks were utterly neglected for decades. Today, in warm months, the canal’s banks are a recreational paradise packed with fishermen, bike riders, dog walkers, and joggers. Entire beaches with imported sand and swimming pavilions host a city’s worth of bars and restaurants. Guests at the Strandbar Herrmann, in front of the elegant art nouveau Urania observatory, lounge on deck chairs, while the Badeschiff is a docked boat with a pool. On the left bank of the canal, Tel Aviv Beach bar hosts lively DJ parties on summer evenings. On Danube Island, which sits in the middle of the river, Copa Cagrana Beach has been popular for several decades.

GoBananas on Baina Beach is India’s first and only facility offering underwater sea walking, the latest trend in aquatic adventure sports. After some brief instruction and a crash course in sign language, a boat ferries participants to Piccanye, an uninhabited island offering tame and clear waters. Walkers are set up with equipment that includes a fiberglass helmet and a four-kilogram lead waist belt before sinking three meters below the surface and effortlessly walking along the seabed, exploring coral colonies, schools of fish, and other marine life. Sessions last 20 minutes and no swimming experience is required! Note: Though considered zero-risk, underwater sea walking is not recommended for those suffering from claustrophobia.

When the crush of 14 million people (and what seems like an infinite number of rude taxi drivers) gets to you, Istanbul has a cure for what ails you: a peaceful ferry ride across the Bosphorus and a seat in the leafy garden at Viktor Levi wine house. The son of a fisherman, Viktor Levi started bringing back his favorite wines from the Aegean Islands more than a century ago, and his namesake restaurant, tucked into a side street in Moda in Kadiköy, now has more than a dozen house varietals, most under 100 lira. A meal by the fountain or inside the restored town house might inspire your own trip to Bozcaada, or just a return trip on the ferry.

My bucket list included seeing the Northern Lights. This took me to the Chena Hot Springs Resort located an hour outside of Fairbanks, Alaska (the address is WRONG on the map). The Northern Lights are best seen in clear dark skies which is abundant in the Fairbanks area. It was 22 below (which is way cold!), but you could stay snuggly warm in the natural hot springs. The medicinal powers of the hot springs are also a high point. Maybe my imagination, but I went into the pool with an achy hip and came out pain free. The rock hot springs pool is surrounded by snow covered trees. This one looks to me like a tree nymph pointing to the sky and promising you a night time glimpse of the Northern Lights. What a spectacle it is! Mother Nature at her best is the colorful dancing lights that can be seen in this Alaska wonderland. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the Northern Light will appear so I am not promising you or guaranteeing you that if you go you will definitely have that remarkable experience. But, if you are one of the lucky ones that are blessed with a view of this remarkable phenomenon, it is worth the trip. If not, you may also see shooting stars in the dark night sky filled with more stars than you can imagine, go on a one horse open sleigh ride or go mushing in a sled pulled by a group of eager sled dogs! Also enjoy the cozy pub that has a great menu and drinks aplenty! Call the resort to confirm what activites will be available during your stay.

Waterfront Park runs a picturesque half-mile along the Cooper River, from an exuberant fountain at its north end (near the cruise ship terminal), to North Adgers Wharf at its southern border. There is much to recommend a stop in this small eight-acre space: a great path for running or strolling with expansive views of ships moving in and out of the harbor; a fountain topped with a pineapple sculpture that splashes water into a small wading pool where children are permitted to play; and, also welcome on hot Charleston afternoons, a tree-shaded promenade lined with benches for those in search of a sea breeze.