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Across the bay from Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, Finch Bay is one of the few hotels in the Galapagos Islands located near a beach. While the hotel prides itself on its ecofriendly touches—such as its own water treatment plant, solar panels, a composting system, and the addition of 500 new mangrove plants surrounding the hotel—the atmosphere is more that of a contemporary resort than a rustic nature lodge. Outside, an oversized pool overlooks the ocean; inside, a Cordon Bleu–trained chef heads a modern restaurant. Dark volcanic stones line the walls in the suites, while standard rooms all come with hammock-slung wooden balconies. Like most hotels in the Galapagos, Finch Bay is all-inclusive, providing land and sea excursions to attractions like the highlands of Santa Cruz, to search for giant tortoises in the wild. Also included are daily excursions on the hotel’s private yacht to nearby islands like Bartolomé or North Seymour, national park highlights, which can be reached on day trips.

Hidden out past quaint Five Islands Village, Hawksbill resort is seamlessly sprinkled over 37 acres of Caribbean gardens right on the water. Sure, Antigua is known for its 365 beaches so it shouldn’t be a surprise when a resort has more then one beach, but Hawksbill has, an impressive, four secluded strips of sugar-white sand easily accessible to guests with a fifth accessible to truly intrepid sun worshipers. Besides the sheer quantity, Hawksbill also sports a one-of-a-kind beach for Antigua. Beyond the southern point of the the 99 non-smoking guest rooms, down a little path, through a white fence, and around the bend is Eden Beach — Antigua’s one and only extremely concealed clothing-optional shore. It’s here, a matter of meters into the Caribbean Sea, that you’ll find majestic Hawksbill Rock (so named for its uncanny resemblance to a hawk’s profile) from which the property gets its name.

On approach, Laughing Bird Caye is breathtaking: a narrow island, lined with multiple palm trees, with a single thatch hut where a resident park ranger awaits to welcome and inform visitors. It’s not so bad once you’ve arrived, either: brilliant white sand, iridescent turquoise water, pelicans overhead. This 10,000-acre protected marine park is more than a sight for sore eyes: It offers some of the best snorkeling in Belize, particularly on the leeward side of the island where large tropical critters thrive. Barracuda, nurse sharks, bonefish, and rays swim alongside smaller fish in colorful, healthy corals. Laughing Bird Caye, part of the Belize Barrier Reef and a designated World Heritage Site, is a popular snorkel day trip from Placencia Village, just 11 miles away.

Named after the reef it overlooks, the Alexandra Resort, located about halfway down Provo’s famed beauty, Grace Bay Beach, is a great spot for families or couples. Rooms are in groups of four-story buildings circling a lagoon-style swimming pool. There is also 600 feet of pink-sand beach in front of the hotel leading directly into the emerald waters of the South Atlantic. Beyond its mid-range accommodations and excellent location, the Alexandra recently debuted a new restaurant, Asu, which has a fantastic location right on the beach and does a barefoot al fresco dinner -- book for sunset and then after the sky blackens lantern baskets provide a romantic glow.

On Puerto Rico, horses roam the farms, the mountains, the town centers—and also the beaches. A couples’ horse ride at sunset is a perfect way to kiss the day good-bye. With Tropical Trail Rides, in the northwestern municipality of Isabela, you can take a two-hour ride through the forest and by the beach as the sun sinks down toward the water. Make sure you take the opportunity to break for a hike or a swim along the way. On the north side of the island in Manatí, Kerry’s Horses designs personalized sunset rides by the beach or through nature reserves.

“Dude” is a word that’s used a lot around Rancho Pescadero, a small hotel in the surfing town of Todos Santos, located in the Mexican state of Baja California. The rooms here, however, don’t reflect the dude aesthetic, which is to say they are clean and classy. Spacious suites offer comfortable spots to relax, with most having retractable glass doors that eliminate barriers between indoors and outdoors and open up onto terraces that have hammocks or lounge beds. Terra-cotta tile floors, rattan and wood furniture, and locally made accents—such as hand-embroidered throw pillows—are some of the decor elements found in rooms. Surfers won’t feel totally out of their element, though; world-famous breaks are less than 10 minutes away and staff can give pointers on the best spots to hang ten. Apart from surfing, the hotel encourages guests to spend a lot of time relaxing and immersing themselves in the laid-back Baja lifestyle.

At the mouth of the Amazon, Marajó is the world’s largest fluvial (that is, river) island. With an area of 40,100 square kilometers (15,500 square miles), it is just a little smaller than Switzerland yet with a population of only some 250,000 residents. During the rainy season, much of this flat island becomes a vast lake. It is a popular destination for surfers, given the large waves created by the island’s tidal bore, and bird-watchers, who come in search of colorful species from scarlet ibises to blue herons.

Swift streams and waterfalls continue to carve these vertiginous and rugged valleys as they pour into the sea. One of the most stunning wilderness areas on earth, it also contains ancient Hawaiian ruins of graves, temples, house platforms, and terraced fields. The fear factor increases past the initial two-mile path to Hanakāpīʻai Beach (best visited in summertime, as winter swells tend to wash it away). Only experienced hikers in good condition and with proper gear should venture further along the famous 11-mile Kalalau Trail. Check for path and park closures before making plans and don’t forget the $20/night permit to crash at a campsite. However long you trek, stay on the main path and pack out what you brought in.

The Feldherrenhallewas was modelled after the “Loggia dei Lanzi " in Florence. It was commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria and constructed between 1841 to 1844. It was built as a monument to celebrate the Bavarian army and its victorious generals. Unfortunately it’s also the place of a tragic incident. On November 9, 1923, a confrontation between the Bavarian State Police and an illegally organized march by the followers of Adolf Hitler took place here. When the police issued the stop of the march, the protestors continued. The State Police tried to regain control of the crowd and opened fire. Four policemen and sixteen marchers were killed and many more were injured as a result. Consequently, Hitler was arrested and sentenced to prison.

The mother church of the Diocese of the Windward Islands, St. George’s Cathedral (also known as Kingstown Anglican Church) was built in 1820 on the site of an earlier church that was destroyed by a hurricane in the late 1700s. It’s the biggest church on the island and features a number of unique adornments, from a gilded wood chandelier to a brass lectern and a circular mahogany pulpit. It’s also home to a stained-glass window gifted by Queen Victoria. As the story goes, the queen initially commissioned the window for St. Paul’s Cathedral in honor of her first grandson but was horrified by the angel’s red robe and immediately sent the window abroad to St. Vincent.

Ferries between St. Vincent and Bequia run frequently, all day and evening. The one-way trip takes about an hour, and the fare is about $10 each way or $17 round-trip. En route, passengers have breathtaking views in all directions, including volcanic St. Vincent and Kingstown Harbour, Young Island, Mustique and Canouan in the distance, and Bequia’s lovely Port Elizabeth. Once on Bequia, take an island tour, have lunch, go for a swim, or explore Port Elizabeth before heading back to St. Vincent at sunset. If you’re traveling in the other direction, spend the day on St. Vincent walking around historic Kingstown, touring the Botanical Gardens, or hiking the Vermont Nature Trail.

With more than 400 shipwrecks and its fair share of coral reefs, St. Kitts is a favorite of the scuba set. To try your hand at the hobby, consider staying at Bird Rock Beach Hotel, which houses one of the island’s most popular dive operators. Here, guests can charter a boat to nearby Devil’s Cave and swim among barracuda, lobsters, and nurse sharks, then retire to one of 46 tropical-hued rooms overlooking the sea. Less adventurous travelers can visit the on-site dolphin park, sunbathe on the private beach, or simply sip rum punches from the pool’s swim-up bar. Hotel staff is also happy to arrange off-site activities like catamaran cruises, rainforest treks, and volcano crater tours.

Updated in 2017, the rooms and public areas in this attractive, airy resort have an island-themed decor. Rooms now come equipped with marble bathroom vanities, Smart LED Samsung televisions, and Starbucks Coffee. But the star attraction remains a prime, crowd-free position on Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach, famous for clear water and powder-fine white sand. Resort sun loungers are spread far apart to give guests a sense of privacy. A day camp with fun activities and a healthy meals program for kids (ages 4-to-12) means parents get guiltless downtime (or scuba diving and other water sports). Shopping and alternative dining are within walking distance.

If one is going to throw around the word “iconic,” let’s make sure it’s used appropriately. As with Zuni. The awkwardly shaped restaurant—it’s in a narrow storefront with wider spaces on the mezzanine—was opened in 1979 by Billy West. West’s best move was hiring chef Judy Rodgers in 1987. She put in a brick oven—and thus the Zuni roast chicken was born. This dish, more than any other (except perhaps the Caesar salad), defines Zuni. The chicken is roasted in the brick oven and served over a bread salad: greens with chewy bread croutons. Simple, perfectly cooked, and seasonal. Rodgers died in 2013, but the restaurant soldiers on without her. The menu changes with the season and with what the local farms are growing, and will doubtless explain the provenance of your meat. Rodgers, along with her peer across the bay, Alice Waters, pioneered California cooking, and the cooks who have passed through here have gone on to define today’s vibrant restaurant scene.

When you think of a chocolate factory, a hip and airy space in the heart of one of the city’s hottest neighborhoods may not spring to mind. But therein lies the surprise that is Dandelion Chocolate: part factory, part café, part boutique, and located in the heart of the Mission. Like beans for coffee and grapes for wine, Dandelion brings the idea of single-origin sourcing to each bar it creates. Rather than add strange ingredients to alter the flavor of the chocolate, Dandelion uses just two ingredients—cocoa beans and sugar—which allows each bean’s unique flavor and terroir to shine. Drop in for hot chocolate (with handmade marshmallows) or a chocolate dessert created by Dandelion’s pastry chef, shop for gifts, and take a twirl through the factory, where beans are roasted, cracked, sorted, winnowed, ground, and tempered before being molded. Each bar is wrapped by hand in gorgeous paper and ribbon and affixed with a label that tells a story about the cocoa bean’s origin. For a deeper dive into chocolate, Dandelion has a schedule of classes for adults and kids, and even leads trips to cocoa farms.