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Located in the center of Barbados in the highlands, the Harrison’s Cave underground system of rivers and caves is one of the Caribbean’s great natural wonders. Visitors tour deep inside the crystallized limestone caverns via small electric tramcars and are allowed to get off at certain points, including at a 15-meter-high (50-foot) “cathedral” and a “village” with multiple stalagmite columns. Lights illuminate the waterfalls, pools and magnificent geological formations.

Last April, I spent a morning hiking along the San Pedro River, just NW of Bisbee, AZ; the caterpillars were astoundingly abundant. When I stopped, I could hear them munching on leaves all around--a surround-sound of crunching, the aural fecundity of spring. Between Sierra Vista and Bisbee, the high grassland highway slowly slopes down to this cottonwood-lined river--one of the few free-flowing rivers left in the Desert Southwest. This ribbon of forest stretches from the Mexican border up towards the lower-elevation desert, providing a flyway for migrating birds and even habitat for the occasional jaguar (very rare). In the late 1980’s, this area was made a National Conservation Area, and it’s a nice shady walk in what can often be sun-blasted country.

A good start to your visit to Québec City is a stop at the Observatoire de la Capitale, just past the Parliament Building. The observation deck on the 31st floor of the Marie-Guyart Building stands 725 feet high and offers 360-degree views of the city. From here, the highest building in the city, you can get a sense of the lay of the land—Old Québec jutting out into the St. Lawrence River, Cap Diamant to its south, the Louise Basin marina and St. Charles River to its north. New signage added in 2016 provides cultural, economic, and historical background on the sights below. After you have surveyed the city, descend and explore it on foot.

The 921-meter long Valens Aqueducts - a prominent landmark in Istanbul’s Fatih district - played a vital role in supplying water to the people of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. The Roman Emperor, Valens ordered the construction of the aqueduct in late 4th century AD to feed water from the hills beyond Istanbul to hundreds of underground cisterns inside the city, including the famous Basilica Cistern located opposite the Hagia Sophia. The best place to view the towering stone aqueduct today is where it crosses the busy Ataturk Boulevard near the Mosque of Şehzade. The boulevard is the main thoroughfare between Taksim Square and the Aksaray neighborhood.

Another Hong Kong “who knew?"—you can surf right off of Hong Kong Island at the aptly named Big Wave Bay Beach. Follow the local surfers to the scenic eastern end of the island near the Dragon’s Back hiking trails. It’s considered the best spot in Hong Kong for beginners; there are board rentals and lessons, too. Expect weekends to be crowded. While you’re there, check out prehistoric rock carvings nearby that depict animals and geometric designs, similar to other carvings found along the shoreline of Hong Kong. To reach the beach, get out at the MTR Shau Kei Wan Station, Exit A2, and then take the red mini bus marked Shek O.

Within the Aysén Region, the Chonos Archipelago, named for an extinct people, is laced with innumerable islands around which blue whales thrive. Both the Darwin and Moraleda channels traverse the archipelago, which extends down to the 17,420-square-kilometer (6,726-square-mile) Laguna San Rafael National Park in the Northern Patagonian Ice Field. The San Rafael Glacier and a 16-kilometer-long (10-mile-long) fjord are found within the park that is part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Limo offers Peruvian fusion par excellence that uses typical ingredients in daring new ways. It’s particularly known for fish, including many types of sushi, as well as a variety of entrées that feature tuna, shrimp, octopus, crab, salmon, or trout, some inspired by Andean recipes, others taken from the Japanese tradition. Not a seafood lover? No problem! Limo also has delicious options featuring chicken, pork, beef, and alpaca. This second-floor restaurant overlooking the Plaza de Armas is also a great place for sampling pisco cocktails. Reservations are a good idea, especially if you’d like to score a balcony table with a town-square view.

Stretching along the Narrows—the channel between St. Kitts and its sister island, Nevis—Cockleshell Bay’s powdered sands and crystalline waters are among the island’s prettiest. The beach is a popular place to swim, snorkel, or sip cocktails while listening to live local music.

The historic King George Hotel has the kind of glamorous gravitas found only in a royal residence. Open since 1930, the King George has hosted celebrities and dignitaries to Athens in grand style ever since, and became a member of Starwood’s Luxury Collection in 2013. Refined guest rooms and suites have herringbone wood floors and marble bathrooms, and might include a window seat or a private balcony. While the dazzling rooftop pool is private only for guests of the two-bedroom Presidential Suite, mere mortals can enjoy a similarly spectacular setting next door at sister property Grande Bretagne (guests can use both hotels’ facilities). The King George has a small gym with Finnish sauna, and the lobby’s exclusive Valmont boutique has high-end cosmetics as well as a perfumery. Emphasis at the award-winning Tudor Hall restaurant is on seasonal ingredients and slow cooking, with local wines carefully chosen to complement the dishes. With a location right on Syntagma Square, views of the Parliament and Parthenon are a matter of course, and all of Athens is within easy distance.

Despite being just a 40-minute drive away from the airport, the Mandarin Oriental is located in the heart of Hong Kong’s Central district, surrounded by major business hubs, the thriving art scene, and cultural sites.

Inside the 432 rooms and 67 suites, the decor nods at the hotel’s Chinese heritage, and there’s high-speed Internet and an interactive entertainment system. A SMART lighting system and pillow menu make sure you have a restful night’s sleep, and butler services are on hand as well. For an ultimate indulgence, the stunning 3,843-square-meter presidential Mandarin Suite provides a stay that you will never forget.

You’ll have to spend quite of time in Hong Kong to work your way through the hotel’s many gastronomic offerings: 10 on-site restaurants, including three with Michelin star accolades, will satisfy every craving. Meanwhile, the award-wining spa specializes in traditional Chinese medicine therapy to ease post-travel muscles. A 24-hour indoor pool and fitness center allows you to keep to your exercise routine while away from home.

The Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, is truly representative of contemporary luxury, and has remained one of the most iconic hotels in Hong Kong for over 55 years.

Superlatives reign at this massive Palm Beach resort. Among the outsize offerings? The biggest casino in Aruba, with more than 500 slot machines and 26 gaming tables, as well as the island’s largest spa. Its 414 accommodations aren’t lacking for space either: Each room has a walk-in closet, double-sink bathroom, and private balcony; the highest-end suites are so palatial their balconies alone measure up to a sprawling 500 square feet—with ocean views to sweeten the deal. When you’re not playing roulette or indulging in a moisturizing coconut-milk wrap, kick back in one of the beachside palapas, or practice your breaststroke in the free-form pool, complete with cascading waterfalls and a volleyball net (a serene adults-only pool features a swim-up bar if that’s more your speed). In keeping with the more-is-more theme, guests are spoiled for choice with seven on-site restaurants, bars, and cafés, including a Ruth’s Chris Steak House, where the 500-degree plates ensure another best—the hottest meal in town.

Nuzzled up against the Arizona border about 100 miles west of Four Corners are some 30 square miles of the most iconic scenery in the American West. Monument Valley is one of those places that you’ll recognize as soon as you see it, even if you’ve never been there before, as dozens of movies, TV shows, and even video games have used the area as a setting. It’s made up of mesas both small and large reaching up from the valley floor, some rising as high as 1,000 feet into the sky. Part of the Navajo Reservation, the area charges a $20-per-vehicle entrance fee to drive the dirt-road loop. Once in, however, you can also enjoy a number of hikes, or hire a guide for a horseback tour.

A short trip to the hilltop town of Monreale, just outside Palermo, offers the chance to explore some exceptional Norman-era buildings, most notably the Monreale Cathedral. The church’s interior has an extravagant mosaic that covers more than 6,000 square meters (66,000 square feet), much of it glittering with gold. Afterward, stroll through town to window-shop along the narrow lanes and enjoy the view of Palermo in the valley below.

The small “motu” islets surrounding many of the islands are the perfect spots to enjoy an al fresco island feast. These miniature, palm-covered paradises offer a get-away from the big island and you’ll get a taste for paradise in the buff. You won’t find roads, cars, markets or restaurants, just secluded atmosphere, pristine surroundings and a romantic ambience. Plus you get a unique view perspective of the Pacific Ocean and the lush mountains of mainland Tahiti. Motu Martin (Motu Au’) is the only private island in the North East Coast of Tahiti. The departure is from Venus Point Lighthouse.

There’s no cost attached to one of Istanbul’s most distinctive photo ops, and the only lines are from fishing poles. Cross the historic Golden Horn via the Galata Bridge, where fishermen from every walk of life jostle for space, and tourist restaurants line the lower level (stop in for a drink if you’d like, but the food tends to be overpriced and mediocre). Galata Bridge isn’t beloved for its architecture (fun fact: It is supposedly the bridge for which the card game is named), but rather its views: Topkapı Palace and several domes and minarets in the Old City on one side, and the Galata Tower on the other.