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The two owners of Galapagos Safari Camp dreamed up the idea for this luxury tent camp while sitting in a tree and admiring the views on the 135-acre farm where the lodge now sits. Opened in 2007 in the highlands of Santa Cruz’s transition zone at 1,575 feet above sea level and bordering Galapagos National Park, the camp is modeled after African safari camps but sports an Ecuadoran theme. The main lodge, complete with a 15-foot Balinese teak dining table and a glass wall looking out to sweeping vistas of the Pacific Ocean, anchors the rural property. The luxury tents are connected to the lodge by a volcanic rock path and sheltered under three layers of covering to protect from sun and rain. They sit on elevated platforms and are outfitted with balconies and en-suite bathrooms with hot showers. Part of the owners’ vision for the property has been to rid the former cattle farm of invasive species, allowing the endemic plants that are better protected in the national park to once again flourish. These measures will increase the activity of the giant tortoises that occasionally make their way onto the property.

Amanzoe was one of the first ultra-luxury resorts by a global brand in Greece when it opened back in 2012 in pretty Porto Heli, on the east coast of the Peloponnese. Since then, it has become a much-loved retreat with monumental architecture, all soaring columns and vast expanses of marble that call to mind Greece’s ancient heritage sites.


The resort’s beach club has four pools, cabanas, a Japanese restaurant, and a seaside spa, and it’s from here that water sports and island-hopping cruises set sail. Lavish guest rooms are divided into either pavilion accommodations or larger villas, all with private pools. The most lavish of all is the Ed Tuttle- and Marios Angelopoulos-designed Villa 20, which doubled as Miles Bron’s island home in British murder mystery Glass Onion; it includes 9 bedrooms, 11 pools, a private spa, 2 barbecue areas, and its own Greek taverna.

Just down the road from the main entrance to Zion National Park and its vivid red, pink, and cream-hued sandstone cliffs is this family-owned property, whose reclaimed Douglas fir and redwood beams merge seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. The 73 rooms and suites, with their sleek kitchenettes, floor-to-ceiling windows, and pale-green-and-cream furnishings, are bright, modern, and spacious—upstairs accommodations feel even roomier thanks to high, cathedral-style ceilings. There’s an outdoor heated pool and a hot tub near a soothing rock waterfall for unwinding after an exhilarating hike or bike excursion, as well as private balconies or terraces in every room, equipped with wooden Adirondack chairs for soaking in the majestic views of the red rock cliffs and Virgin River.

From tiffins to appliances, steel is an essential part of most Indian kitchens. Sanath Nagar, a suburb of Hyderabad, is considered the heart of steel manufacturing. The shops are glimmering with anything and everything steel, including dishes, plates, cutlery, containers, and pots. Though unlikely you will return home with a new oven, you can find smaller and easier to pack items like platters and jars. Sanath Nagar is also known for green spaces, so pack a picnic in your shiny new tiffin and enjoy lunch in one of the municipal parks.

Part cigar store, part bar, and part lounge: Corona Cigar Company is pretty much cigar nirvana for some. With indoor and outdoor seating, including sumptuous leather and wood chairs, this is a chilled spot for a smoke and a drink. Go before a movie or after dinner at the Colonial Town Park.

Located 1.5 hours outside Hyderabad is Pochampally, a village known for its traditional weaves of ikat in cotton and silk. Many Indians call Pochampally “Silk City,” and the community is widely recognized for creating the Pomchampally Saree. Take time to interact with the families, many of whom still weave on looms in their homes. Also visit the Pochampally Handloom Park, a combined effort of the governments of India and Andhra Pradesh to encourage sustainable employment in a craft whose art has been significantly impacted by modernization and mechanization.

If you are a fan of mochi, this is a MUST stop on your visit in the Hilo area. The place is tiny, there is usually a long line, takes cash only, and parking is a bear, but once you take one bite into their massive (and most famous) strawberry mochi you will be hooked for life! They have a wide variety of flavors and all the mochi is fresh, dry where it needs to be dry, and with perfectly seasoned filling.

For the best views in Gardiner, pop down onto the big patio at the Iron Horse Bar & Grill and gaze out over the river, mountains, and unspoilt terrain of Montana and Yellowstone National Park. Order up a heaping pile of elk nachos, a few craft beers, a hulking bison meatloaf, and perhaps a mulberry margarita or two, and chill on Gardiner’s only real cowboy pation. Keep an eye out for bears on the banks of the river.

Get it? Play on words right there. Ha. This beautiful water lagoon is a playground for the awkwardly beautiful pink flamingo, a honking, goofy, loveable bird that is all legs and beak. I didn’t expect to see flamingos in the Galapagos, so this was quite a nice surprise, given the spectacular setting and all. Santa Cruz is one of the most stunning of all the islands in the Galapagos, marked by tortured volcanic terrain, pretty lagoons, and spiraling mountain peaks.

Outside of Chattanooga’s downtown tourist district is the unexpectedly fantastic Chattanooga Zoo. The award-winning wildlife park has exhibits featuring some of the world’s most exotic animals. Chimpanzees, jaguars, snow leopards and sloths are among the exhibited creatures classified by habitat and part of the world they come from. If you and your family are on a budget, you can visit the zoo for less than $10 per person. The zoo is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm.

With over 7,000 images from 850 artists, the Museum of Photographic Art displays a collection of pictures depicting the transformation of photojournalism and social documentaries from the early 19th century to modern day. Boasting works from Alex Webb, Margaret Bourke-White, and Ruth Bernhard, this museum is a must see in San Diego’s art scene. So stop on by MOPA, and make sure to leave enough time to explore the rest of Balboa Park surrounding it!

The city’s oldest tourist attraction, Zoo Atlanta actually started by accident. In 1889, a traveling circus went bankrupt and sold its animals to a local businessman, who decided to open a zoo in Grant Park to house his new pets. Over the years, he acquired more animals, including some from Cola-Cola heir Asa Candler Jr.’s private collection. Today, the zoo is home to such stars as Willie B. Jr. the silverback gorilla and Lun Lun the giant panda, who gave birth to twins in 2016.

It takes some German engineering to surf in land-locked Bavaria. But endless rides are possible on the Eisbach wave, a man-made, standing curl in the middle of a narrow artificial stream that runs through the English Garden. It has drawn both international river surfers—even in winter—and gawking crowds since soon after the wave was created in 2000. The Eisbach wave is located at the southern edge of the English Garden park, near the Haus der Kunst art museum. This appeared in the November/December 2011 issue.

After a $90 million expansion that unveiled five new lodges and raised the facility’s total number of rooms to 590, Canyon Lodge & Cabins, in Canyon Village near the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, has more accommodations than any other hotel in the park. The new LEED-certified structures were modularly built with sustainability in mind, incorporating countertops constructed of recycled glass and fly ash (a by-product of coal burning) and trim made with beetle-damaged wood from blue-colored pine bark, which would have otherwise gone to waste. The new lodges also feature two bedroom suites (king/queen) that include a sitting room with sofa bed; some have walk-out patios and decks. Budget-minded visitors who don’t want to sacrifice canyon views opt for the nearby cabins, which are modest yet comfortable. There’s also a $6 million refresh of the lodge’s food service on tap, with new cafés and restaurants offering updated menus and Mad Men–era Mission 66-inspired design.

It’s an unforgettable experience: Getting up at the crack of dawn in mid-winter, walking through the large municipal park on the Pest side of town, checking in to the Széchenyi Thermal Bath (mostly with Hungarian pensioners because tourists usually arrive later), and slowly easing into one of its three large outdoor hot spring pools, surrounded by the golden yellow neo-Baroque palace—built in 1913 for the baths—while old men playing chess in the water. Then watch as the sun rises slowly, and your breath dissipates into the cold, crisp air. The spa has 15 indoor baths, too, as well as 10 saunas at various temperatures. This spa isn’t about being posh, it’s about easing into the kind of everyday self-care that Hungarians have known and avidly practiced for centuries. Just join them.