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Upscale food halls are having their day and here James Beard-winner and Michelin-starred chef Michael Mina takes a star turn. Of special note is the Myna Bird cocktail bar, inspired by Don the Beachcomber, the joint that kicked off the 1960s tiki craze. Expect rum, pineapple, and little paper umbrellas, of course, but also fusion touches like mezcal! Save space on your camera, as bartenders don’t hold back on the presentation. Strong, thoughtfully balanced drinks roll out in everything from cantaloupes to conch shells. Don’t miss the two-person, crowning glory of the Pacific Rim section: the Abandon Ship! It blends together two rums, chai tea, passion fruit syrup, Benedictine, and lemon.

Before you even leave for Telluride, the staff at Madeline Hotel & Residences can help you arrange itineraries, transfers, and equipment rentals or book activities like snowmobile tours and alpine hikes. Once you arrive, however, you might be content to never leave the property. Guests can get acclimated with an altitude oxygen treatment at the spa, browse the 80 original paintings chosen by the in-house art curator, or find their Zen during a yoga class at the fitness center. There’s also an outdoor heated pool, a kids’ club with games and movies, and the Black Iron Kitchen and Bar, which serves local comfort food like Colorado bison chili and warm Camembert with honey and figs. Outdoor fire tables offer the perfect place for après-ski cocktails but the Madeline’s pièce de résistance is its Sky Terrace—a 9,500-square-foot outdoor lounge with fire pits and two hot tubs. Should you actually tear yourself away from the hotel, you can take the nearby gondola to Telluride’s nightlife and shopping, or use the slope-side valet to get on the mountain quicky and easily.

The Madeline is surrounded on three sides by the San Juan mountains, so many of the guest rooms offer stunning views. They also feature contemporary but comfortable furnishings, plus access to a “bath barista,” who will draw you a customized soak in your spacious tub. Suites have heated bathroom floors and a separate living area with a kitchenette and gas fireplace, while residences include full kitchens, laundry facilities, and balconies.

A bucolic resort in the Virginia Piedmont, the Boar’s Head Resort is as deeply rooted in Virginia as its owner and neighbor, the University of Virginia. The land has hosted travelers since 1759, with the original Birdwood mansion dating to 1830. A short drive from downtown Charlottesville, Boar’s Head has plenty to keep a visitor occupied without even leaving the property, including an 18-hole golf course, a full-service spa, a fitness center with squash and tennis courts, and three swimming pools. The resort has 175 rooms spread over 573 acres; suites feature a seating area and balcony or patio, and some have fireplaces. Dining options range from healthy café fare (necessary fuel for all those tennis matches), to a grill overlooking the golf green, to an elegant meal in the restored Old Mill Room. The Blue Ridge mountains are renowned for their fall foliage, but visit in summer for fewer crowds (and UVA students) and the English-inspired grounds and gardens in full bloom. Be sure to ask for details on arranging a hot-air balloon ride over the countryside to appreciate all of historic Virginia.

Dark and atmospheric, yet as cozy as any neighborhood bar, Charlie Was a Sinner offers up small plates and unique cocktails. Everything is vegan and delicious; even the pickiest meat eater would enjoy the creative meat-free sliders and the faux meatballs. A favorite of many locals, “Charlie Was” is often listed as one of Philly’s best eclectic restaurants. Happy hour is a great time to try featured menu items at a discounted price. Reservations are highly recommended. PS – You can ask, but nobody will reveal who Charlie is or what he (or she) did!

After marching within 100 miles of London to restore the Stuart monarchy to the British throne, Jacobite supporters, led by Bonnie Prince Charlie, retreated to this site near Inverness in 1746. Here at Culloden, they were slaughtered by forces loyal to King George I and the House of Hanover during one of the most harrowing battles in British history. The aftermath was equally brutal, as a massive military crackdown across the Highlands followed in order to prevent further uprisings from disaffected Scots.

Today, travelers can tour the richly researched Culloden Visitor Centre, which features artifacts from both sides of the battle as well as interactive displays that detail the background of the conflict. You can also walk the front lines where the Jacobites made their final stand, then look inside the newly restored Leanach Cottage—the only surviving building from the battle.

Crazy Uga’s main draw is an espresso machine—the only one on the island—which is essential for visiting Kiwis craving their morning flat white. The café also serves satisfying food, including freshly baked muffins and tuna panini. The lush views from the balcony are another reason to make this your breakfast or lunch spot. Crazy Uga’s is closed on Sundays.

From the outside, the Royal Ontario Museum appears to have been struck by a mineral formation from outer space. When the original building was overhauled by starchitect Daniel Libeskind, many locals were dismayed by the new addition, called the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, but most have come around to its angular charms. Visitors to this museum of world cultures and natural history can work their way through galleries showcasing Chinese sculptures, Canada’s First Nations artifacts and crafts, dinosaur skeletons, and Byzantine artwork. Special exhibits have included everything from the intricate textiles of Mexico to an in-depth look at the culture of tattoos.

1 a.m.
The Chillest Nightcap

The evening crescendoes across town at Chinese House, a refurbished colonial mansion. Behind the colonial facades you’ll find exposed rafters, distressed walls, antique Chinese furniture, and eclectic tiles, eliciting the vibe of a mellow after-hours house party. The bar serves classic cocktails to a well-heeled crowd that clearly doesn’t want the night to end. Duck into an intimate corner for sophisticated late-night Cambodian snacks such as crickets with lemon pepper dip and beef lok lak, as you groove to live jazz bands or guest DJs spinning Motown and Asian house.

This appeared in the September-October 2017 Issue.

The Sunriver Resort is near Bend, Oregon, which is a rightfully famous, and incredibly beautiful, area for outdoor adventure. In the winter, there is skiing at nearby Mt. Bachelor (25 min away), but the summer has even more to do, including golfing, hiking, mountain bike riding, tennis, and of course, swimming in the resort’s amazing pool, which has a water slide, sand play area, hot tub, and amazing views of Mt. Bachelor and the golf course. The rooms are up to date and nicely appointed. The main lodge has a great bar area, a nice restaurant, and a large “back lawn” with live music and kid-friendly activities. Overall, a highly-recommended place for a family vacation.

The sea has always played a big part in the lives of the people of Gothenburg. When you want to relax from city life this is where you go. A tram ticket will take you all the way out into the southern archipelago to enjoy the harsh beauty of the gray granite cliffs. Pack your swim gear and a book and head to an island such as Vrångö, Brännö, Styrsö, or Vargö. Take a walk to find your own private cliff or bay and then dive into the sea. It might be cold, but the cliffs are perfect for warming up against with their smooth, round shapes and ability to keep the heat from the sun. For a Swede, the combination of sea, cliffs, and solitude is bliss. Hungry? Bring a picnic or visit a restaurant like Brännö Värdshus or Vrångö Värdshus.

The most enviable address in Waikiki, the beachfront Halekulani is all about restrained elegance and pitch-perfect service. The hotel dates back a century, though it was entirely rebuilt in the 1980s—and the room decor—fifty shades of white and plantation shutters framing the turquoise sea—complements the scene outside. The beach itself is small and usually mobbed, but the pool is a dream—a giant oval big enough for laps, and quiet enough (few kids here) for a long doze under your chaise’s umbrella. The grassy courtyards and seaside restaurants are just as improbably serene; some might say stuffy, but for others, the reliably hushed atmosphere is a welcome tonic to the hubbub of Waikiki, just outside the Halekulani’s marbled entrance.

This tiny island is north of Isla Mujeres and Cancun and is only 26 miles long and offers visitors in search of a “Robinson Crusoe” experience the perfect escape. Long, sweeping beaches beckon with water sports, snorkeling, sport fishing, and total R&R. A shallow lagoon gives sanctuary to thousands of flamingos, pelicans and other exotic birds and creatures, allowing visitors the perfect spot in which to commune with nature. Several good restaurants and hotels are available and tours to area attractions can be arranged by ferry and small plane. Getting around the island is via bicycle or golf cart.

Captain James Cook set up his observatory at Point Venus, one of the loveliest spots on the island. The transit of Venus, which happens maybe once a century, lets observers here see the planet move across the sun. (That’s the official reason for the name, but there’s no doubt Cook’s crew, after months at sea, had a different Venus in mind when they saw Tahitian women.) Now the point’s a windswept corner of the island that feels like there’s nothing between you and another world but the sea. The lighthouse here, Phare de la Pointe Vénus, was built in 1868, 99 years after Cook’s visit.

In many ways, the Fairmont Orchid is the quintessential Hawaiian luxury resort. Its big, elegant lobby is blooming with purple orchids and birds of paradise, its enormous, 24-hour swimming pool wends its way around black rock islands, and its 32 lush acres include tropical gardens and a white-sand beach that frames an aquamarine cove. The 540 guest rooms and suites, located in two six-story towers, all have lanais; half have ocean (or partial water) views, the others overlook the spotless grounds. It’s the dream Vacationland, and as such, the mood is jolly round-the-clock. Cheerful staff oversee the long list of activities—canoe excursions, petroglyph hikes, stand-up paddle-boarding, and about a zillion other options are available both on property and off (some activities are complimentary, others cost extra)—and the crowd tends to be a fun-in-the-sun bunch. On any given day, there might be a Canadian family in a heated volleyball game on the beach, or a group of Silicon Valley execs soaking in the hot tub.

Carve out a day to spend at the award-winning Spa Without Walls, where the Hawaian-influenced treatments are performed in 17 treatments rooms, some with ocean views and private outdoor spaces. Them, fuel up on Japanese meats and sushi, fresh seafood, robatayaki (grilled) items, beachside classics, and more at the numerous dining outlets. Along with repeat guests, the hotel’s most frequent visitors are the giant sea turtles that regularly hang out at the Orchid’s beachfront. They’ve become such an integral part of the property that even guests at other hotels drop by for a peek.

Cyclone Cafe is one of very few Darwin coffee shops that sources its own beans from around the world and roasts them on-site. So you can expect a solid flat white, long black, and cold drip here as well as some fun additions like a triple-strength “hypercino,” the “cafe de coco"—choice of coffee blended with coconut milk—and a virgin espresso martini: a cold drip coffee shaken with with ice and a shot of vanilla that’s topped in foam. The food menu is equally satisfying with a breakfast burrito and “eggs in hell” (polenta poached eggs layered with tomato ragout, spicy chorizo and bocconcini) plus a Thai beef salad and a turkey cranberry for lunch—turkey is surprisingly hard to come by in Australia.