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In a regal redwood grove along the Big Sur coast lies a place “where nothing happens,” according to its proprietors. The highway traffic noise disappears, the filtered sunlight takes on the quality of stained glass, and the earthy smell of the forest is enough to cleanse your mind of digital and other distractions. This quiet altar of wisdom and irreverence serves as a bookstore and art hub focused on promoting the works of author Henry Miller, who lived in Big Sur between 1944 and 1962. The library hosts events throughout the year, but especially from May to October, including concerts, lectures, and book signings. The annual Big Sur International Short Film Screening Series occurs outside, in the redwood amphitheater. In the winter, the library takes on the aura of a writer’s retreat, when time stretches endlessly forward and you can spend hours browsing books, nursing a cup of coffee, and watching the light and shadows change the landscape outside the windows. Unlike a library, there’s no borrowing here, but what you walk away with may just be richer than any physical possession.

Orlando’s centerpiece lake sits right in the middle of downtown, close to the pretty neighborhood and dining district of Thornton Park. A pedestrian-only path fringing the water stretches for nearly a mile, offering visitors a great place to stroll or jog. Along the lake you’ll also find an amphitheater for concerts and festivals, a picturesque pagoda overlook, and a kiosk where you can rent pedal boats shaped like swans. Bring the kids to feed the ducks and swans, or visit the farmers’ market, which takes place on the lake’s southeast corner every Saturday morning.

It appears small from the outside, but Gale South Beach manages to pack a lot into a modest space, including Italian restaurant Dolce, a cocktail lounge, and a nightclub. These attractions, and its prime location on Collins Avenue, just a block from the beach, make the Gale a social hot spot. The landmarked art deco building is, like many of its neighbors, protected from structural changes; as such, the hotel harks back to the golden age of American architecture. Inside, the decor evokes 1940s–1960s style, with throwback typography, black-and-white family photos, newspaper clippings, and mid-20^th-century memorabilia providing atmospheric design touches. The rooms are on the smaller side but tend to let in lots of natural light. The color scheme is nautical, with blue carpeting and white walls, and crisp, bright white linens embroidered with the hotel name in blue. Guests can take advantage of an outdoor bar on the fourth floor, and a rooftop pool. An annex of the hotel is set to open just a few feet away in December 2014. The Gale Suites at Kaskades is a 25-suite complex with a focus on luxury and privacy. It features rooms with Jacuzzi tubs and rain showers and has its own rooftop deck with cabanas.

If you love art in all its many forms, the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston is a ‘must-see’ destination. They have a great collection of Impressionism and Asian art works, from Monet and Van Gogh, to Chinese furniture and Japanese paintings, as well as the Egyptian collections. In addition, their newly opened west wing contains many stunning pieces of American art. Besides the arts, there is a cafe, a restaurant, gift shops of course, and a mini cinema for special shows. To get there: The MFA has its own subway stop called, what else, the MFA. If you drive, there are parking garage options as well. You can easily spend half a day here—or more!

One of Dalmatia’s most underrated cities, Šibenik is finally being recognized as an exciting coastal destination. Its medieval heart is a stone maze of steep alleyways dotted with charming squares and hidden cul-de-sacs, not to mention a pretty harbor and a seafront promenade lined with cafés. Crowning it all is the Cathedral of St. James, an architectural masterpiece incorporating style elements of both the Gothic and the Renaissance. The cathedral is said to be the world’s largest church built entirely of stone—most of which was quarried in the nearby Adriatic islands. Of particular note in this UNESCO World Heritage site: the frieze of 71 heads on the cathedral’s outer wall, which depicts 15th-century citizens of Šibenik with many different moods and personalities.

Yes, the name is a mouthful, but the castle complex is just as impressive as its title. This medieval castle dominates the city of Rhodes, and is one of the few examples of Gothic architecture in Greece. Having been around since the 14th century, the palace is certainly the highlight of the Old Town.

Aroos Damascus (which translates as “the Bride of Damascus”), on Al Muraqqabat Road in Dubai’s old Deira district, is an ode to Syrian cuisine. The lively atmosphere and great food draw a diverse crowd of South Asians, Filipinos, and locals looking for an alternative to enclosed malls and expensive restaurants. Platters of assorted appetizer, and entrees of kebabs, steaks, kibbeh, fatoosh, and flavorful Arabic pizzas (manaeesh) are served all day (and until late in the evening) inside or on the patio.

The Moka brothers in question are restaurateurs Daniel Urdaneta and Alex Molina, pals, partners, and owners of Beijing restaurants Mosto and Modo. The pair decided the capital needed a healthy-eats joint and, judging by the packed house, they were right. Moka Bros. has several branches in Beijing, including one in Sanlitun. Lean proteins, vegetables, and whole grains make up most of the dishes here. The menu sections let you know exactly what you’re in for—“Power Bowls” includes salmon sashimi bibimbap, with melt-in-your-mouth slices of salmon served on black rice, avocado, roasted pumpkin, carrots, and seaweed and topped with a poached egg. To drink are various trendy juices and smoothies, among them the fatigue-fighting C-Shot—mango, mixed berries, beetroot, lemon, and ginger.

With just a few tables and a handful of barstools, this bar may be tiny, but it packs a lot of character into its diminutive space. Walls are decorated floor-to-ceiling with a mix of beer posters and racy street art; at the small wood bar, eight curving brass taps dispense top-notch Belgian-style draughts like La Chouffe and La Trappe. Around 50 specialty beers are also available by the bottle, many of them rare craft brews. During evenings, the bar even manages to squeeze in a DJ, who spins funky old-school jazz.

On sunny days, Parisians head for the Luxembourg Garden, built by Marie de’ Medici in 1611 and modeled after the Boboli Gardens in her native Florence. In addition to the magnificent Medici Fountain, there are more than 100 statues arranged around the garden’s 20 hectares (50 acres), which encompass both formal French and English gardens. Here you’ll find chess players, puppeteers, children sailing tiny boats on the octagonal pool and sometimes a free concert in the gazebo.

Atop Nymph’s Hill, a quick climb from the Plaka, is the National Observatory of Athens, a research institute and true observatory. Visitors by day get a lovely view of the city from the tree-lined grounds which surround beautiful mid-19th-century neoclassical buildings designed by Theophil Hansen; and visitors by night get a chance to view celestial bodies through a 170-year-old telescope. In 2017, the observatory was the site of an extensive installation by Argentinean artist Adrián Villar Rojas.

Charlie’s is old-school New Orleans writ large. It’s one of a handful of surviving notable neighborhood steak houses (it’s not far from where the original Ruth’s Chris was also once a neighborhood spot), a no-frills joint with faux-wood paneling on the walls and no menus to hand out. The waiters ask you what size you want, and also if you’d like to start with an order of fried onions. (The correct answer is yes.) Pro tip: Kick off your evening an hour earlier and a couple blocks away at Pascal’s Manale with a dozen or two bivalves at the marble oyster bar of a revered Italian-Creole “red gravy” spot.

Even in a town where locals pride themselves on being earthy and fuss-free, you can still hit the salon and emerge camera-ready thanks to PURE Beauty & Wellness Spa, owned by British expat Joanna Lyons. This is the place to get faux mink or silk eyelash extensions, enjoy a massage in a new Polish salt cave, or even try a colonic with a certified colon hydrotherapist. If you’re still feeling chilled from a day on the slopes, hit the infrared sauna, inspired by age-old Scandinavian tradition but more vital than ever in today’s toxin-filled world.

One of Cancún’s oldest restaurants, La Habichuela was a 1970s original whose owner wanted a place to hang out with friends. It’s become an upscale dining room featuring local Mayan recipes alongside Mexican-Caribbean fare. The now iconic restaurant borders downtown’s Las Palapas Park, and has a charming backyard garden adorned with twinkly lights and climbing vines. Start the evening with balché, an ancestral Mayan drink made from the bark and roots of the balché tree that have been soaked in honey and water. For your entrée, try the amaranth fish bathed in flavorful tamarind and mango vinaigrettes.

There’s no better place in Hobart for a sundowner than this bar and restaurant, situated on the pier where the ferry to the Museum of Old and New Art departs. Its menu is filled with Asian-inflected dishes such as Korean fried chicken and pork belly bao.