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Why we love it: A centrally located stay near Laguna’s best beaches, parks, and restaurants

The Highlights:
- A dreamy setting right above Main Beach
- Delicious breakfasts and daily wine receptions
- A location within walking distance of Laguna’s best restaurants

The Review:
Galleries, restaurants, and nightlife lie just steps from the Inn at Laguna Beach, while Heisler Park sprawls along the nearby bluffs, offering a place to stroll, see art, or simply lounge in the sun on a grassy lawn. Still, guests don’t even have to leave the hotel to enjoy sand, surf, and epic Pacific sunsets. Here, the 70 guest rooms mix modern comforts (European-style duvets, pillowtop mattresses) with coastal style (louvered shutters, rattan furniture). Some even include private patios or balconies, but all feature extras like newspaper delivery, iHome docking stations, and loaner umbrellas and beach chairs.

Following a multimillion-dollar renovation in 2012, the Inn now boasts a more sustainable design, complete with low-VOC paint, renewable bamboo furniture, low-flow faucets and showers, tile made from recycled stone, and birchwood key cards. Not everything is paired back, however, especially the hotel’s signature breakfast, which includes artisan pastries, bacon brioche sandwiches, and bowls of fresh sliced fruit. Guests can also look forward to a daily wine reception, chilled milk and cookies in the lobby every evening, and cocktails at the Pacific Terrace Bar, which sits high above Main Beach. Best of all, the Inn is dog-friendly, so you can bring along your four-legged friend for a couple of days on the beach.

Built in the Roaring Twenties, the Royal Hawaiian ushered in the glam age of Waikiki Beach. The so-called Pink Palace, a Spanish Moorish–style confection set on bright-green lawns was, at the time, the priciest hotel project in the Pacific and a fast favorite of Hollywood royalty and East Coast blue bloods (who, in those early years, arrived by steamship, along with their piles of trunks and chauffeured cars). For those first few decades, anyone who was anyone, it seemed, stayed at the Royal Hawaiian; on any given day, you might see the likes of Spencer Tracy autographing a coconut or Joe DiMaggio surfing off the hotel’s beach. Once other luxury hotels sprouted up on Oahu, the Royal Hawaiian’s star faded some, but after a massive renovation in 2008, it became a member of Starwood’s Luxury Hotel Collection and, once again, one of the top spots on the island. The makeover managed to keep those graceful old bones and art deco flourishes (miles of tile, sweeping arches), while giving the whole place a long overdue upgrade. Genteel surroundings aside, the hotel is as lively as ever. But at night, when the oceanfront Mai Tar bar is rocking, guests can still scope out quiet corners. Retreat to the gracious portico lined with rocking chairs or the garden pathways dreamily lit by torches, and you’ll discover that the romance of old Waikiki lives on.

Okay, some of these restaurants are technically still in Charleston, but what they have in common is food that merits a trip outside the well-trodden tourist area. Get there however you can, but don’t miss the extraordinary things—soul food, Chinese food, barbecue, French-accented local, whatever!—being cooked up in these remarkable South Carolina kitchens.

With the temperature sitting pretty around 75 degrees at all times, walking around Medellín is pure pleasure. To get a deeper understanding of the history of and life in Colombia, don’t miss the Museo Casa de la Memoria, which recounts Colombia’s brutal civil war. After, head to the Parque de los Pies Descalzos, where you get to kick off your shoes and, like all the other kids and adults, run through fountains. For a stellar view, hop a Metrocable car to the neighborhood of Santo Domingo.

You can cover a lot of ground if you have two weeks in Kenya—not only enjoying a few of Nairobi’s best restaurants and shops, but also two or three of the spectacular national parks, a visit to the coast, and even, if you’re energetic, a trip to the hippo-filled Lake Naivasha for its epic views of the Rift Valley. Here’s just a handful of the options available to you if you have two weeks in Kenya.

The Spanish capital will not disappoint—with knock-out museums like the Prado and Reina Sofia, art galleries, historic sites, busy and colorful markets, green spaces like Retiro Park—even if you just linger in the Plaza Mayor and people-watch, the city will win you over.

Sydney takes its coffee seriously. Even casual joints serve espresso drinks with foam flowers, and locals sip from mugs all day long, even when it’s hot outside. More recently, third-wave coffee has taken over, bringing pour-overs, cold brews, and a new crop of bean geeks to the city.

This 7.5-mile round-trip walk has some of the most amazing coastal views in Sydney and is a great introduction to the city’s Eastern Suburbs. Starting from Icebergs pool in Bondi, the path hugs cornmeal-sand coves, natural seawater pools, a marine reserve (Gordons Bay) that’s great for snorkeling, and unique attractions from ancient Aboriginal rock art sites to the oceanview Waverley Cemetery. In late October, site-specific art installations pop up along the cliffs between Bondi and Tamarama beaches as part of the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition, one of the largest outdoor sculpture events in the world. Spring (September through November) is also an excellent time to see migrating southern right whales spouting in the sunset. Toast your trek with a drink at the Coogee Pavilion.

Here’s your chance to ride on a hands-free Segway, where you can tour the boardwalk on a 30-ft promenade over three miles long. The Hollywood Beach Boardwalk is one of the best beachfront paths. You’ll see all kinds of restaurants, the gorgeous emerald waters of the Atlantic, and plenty of locals. You’ll pass historic hotels, volleyball courts, and shuffleboard players. You’ll hit top speed going north for a full mile. The wind hits your hair as you cruise the intracoastal waterway going south. It’s truly the best way to fly across the boardwalk.

While all of the beaches in St. Vincent and the Grenadines are technically public, some of the best ones are accessible only by sea. If you’re lucky enough to be cruising around the Grenadines, be sure to stop for a swim at the beautiful, remote Mahaut Bay Beach on the northern tip of Canouan. You won’t find any restrooms or facilities here but you’ll likely have the beach all to yourself.

Mustique has nine magnificent beaches, but Macaroni Beach—an isolated strip on the eastern side of the island—is touted as one of the best in the world. Access is limited to on-island residents and guests, however, as Mustique is virtually private. If you can get here, look forward to a blissfully quiet stretch of sparkling white sand, bordered by lush greenery and bright-blue water.

Tourists visiting Tanzania usually spend a few days on safari, spotting lions and zebras from their 4x4 vehicles. But clever tourists go on to experience an equally thrilling marine safari off the coast of Pemba Island. Among the island’s several luxury resorts is Fundu Lagoon, a boutique beach hotel founded by British fashion and film designer Ellis Flyte. The property has its own diving facility, called Dive 710. The shallow coral lagoons, warm clear water, and unique locations like the Emerald Reef—an undersea garden of green-hued corals—make this region one of the best dive sites in the world. Divers off Pemba can expect to see fish of every color as well as sea turtles and rays.

Long considered one of the top hotels on Oahu, the Kahala has always been a particular favorite among the type of guests who travel with their own security detail. A number of past U.S. presidents, plus kings, queens, princesses Grace and Di, a handful of Nobel Peace Prize winners, rock stars, and movie stars, all have slept under its venerable roof at some point during the hotel’s 50-year history. The see-and-be-seen set moved on long ago, but privacy seekers still make a beeline here. They’re drawn less by the property’s fabulous beach (though that’s reason enough to stay here) than by its exclusive location—in a well-fortified cul-de-sac in the ritzy Kahala neighborhood. But there’s a warm and fuzzy side to the hotel, too. A pod of dolphins has full-time residency in the hotel lagoon, and visitors of all ages can swim with them (for a fairly steep fee). Rooms have a preppy beach house vibe—raffia ceiling fans, linen loveseats—and many come with heart-stopping sea views.

Ocean State of Mind is a flourishing store right in the ever-growing center of Rincon, PR. The town center has attracted many new businesses with the installment of its popular “Art Walk” on Thursday nights. You can find artisans from all over the northwest corner of the island. One shop in particular features handmade silver jewelry using beachcombed finds from Puerto Rico. The shop features sarongs, handmade bikinis, ocean finds and all sorts of home decor and gifts. It’s the perfect stop to pick up a special piece for someone back home, or to splurge on yourself for something you will always remember from Puerto Rico!

On a promontory within Bouddi National Park, overlooking a secluded bay and a short walk to an empty rust-red beach, Pretty Beach House lives up to its (classically understated Aussie) name. It’s hard to believe this intimate retreat is only a 90-minute drive from Sydney city center. Its location is spectacular and historic—spot the 2,000-year-old Aboriginal rock drawings on a nature walk nearby.

There are four guest pavilions, each outfitted with wood-burning fireplaces, deep-soaking clawfoot tubs, and sun-drenched decks overlooking Broken Bay and Angophora treetops (three have their own private plunge pools). Dining is included in the stay, and it’s exceptional: Celebrated chef Dean Jones takes freshly caught seafood and local produce and crafts them into modern Australian dishes, which you can enjoy anytime you like in the Beach House’s safari-chic dining room or poolside beneath the shady gums.