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We know that you love the DoubleTree chocolate chip cookies. But along with cookies, at the DoubleTree By Hilton Alana-Waikiki Beach you will also get a great room for a terrific price in a convenient location right in Waikiki. Sort of a secret known to some smart leisure guests and a score of business travelers, the DoubleTree Alana is a quick two-block walk to the most beautiful stretch of Waikiki Beach in front of sister hotel the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort. Here guests can book a spa day or arrange S.U.P. or surf lessons with beach services at the Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon. You can enjoy a day of sun and fun playing in the gentle waves of Waikiki, or stay and frolic in the DoubleTree Alana‘s sparkling, heated pool. Check-in is a breeze here with a valet right out front to take care of your car. Some of the friendliest front desk personnel in Waikiki will greet you with their warm aloha spirit and there is even a desk to arrange any tours or excursions you might like. Up in your recently-refreshed room or suite, you can step out onto your private lanai for partial or peek-a-boo views of the Pacific Ocean or Oahus verdant mountains. We did mention convenience. If you like to shop, Ala Moana Shopping Center is a 10 minute walk and even faster by car. Also in center of Waikiki there are lots of high-end shopping, most notably is the new International Marketplace. If sightseeing is more your speed the hotel is right on Ala Moana Blvd. which can take you either towards Kalakaua Ave. and Diamond Head, the Honolulu Zoo or Waikiki Aquarium or in the Ewa direction to visit ‘Iolani Palace, Chinatown or out to the North Shore. Several packages are offered online to make this hotel an even greater value. Check out the breakfast packages too. The hotel has a lovely restaurant called Trees Restaurant & Bar so named because it is surrounded by palm trees. The morning buffet begins at 6 am and features local produce, fruit, a made-to-order omelet station, and island favorite baked goods like poi malasadas. Happy Hour heats up at 4:30 pm with tropical drink specials and local brews along with island-style pupu (nibbles) until 7pm. But you can stay and enjoy pizzas, Angus Rib Eye, Garlic Shrimp and burgers available for dinner until 10pm. Downstairs there is also a unique breakfast hot-spot called Hiking Hawaii Café. It‘s open from 7am to 5pm with local, organic items made from scratch and healthy raw energy juices made to order. What about the hiking? Well the owner loves to feed people healthy food and she loves to hike. So in addition to her café, she offers daily hikes to her favorite spots with a few secret spots thrown in. Sign up for a hike right there. For menu: www.hikinghawaii808.com Well why wait a minute longer to book? Your cookie is waiting, Aloha. For additional info on the island of Oahu visit : https://www.gohawaii.com/islands/oahu

Forget Google Maps: You’ll quickly locate this venerable tapas bar in El Poble-Sec by the line out the door. With standing-room-only space for just 20 people, this sliver of a spot fills up fast—and stays that way until closing time. In a room lined floor-to-ceiling with bottles of wine, liquor, and pricey vinegar, you can sample a dizzying variety of tapas and montaditos (small bites served atop slices of bread). Many of the ingredients—namely the mussels, sardines, and tuna—come from cans, which sounds suspect, but Spanish conservas (tinned food) is actually of the highest quality. The cheeses—all fresh—are also top-notch.

In a city that takes itself so seriously—running the United States is an intense business, after all—the Hotel Madera is a breath of fresh air. Just a couple of leafy blocks from always-lively Dupont Circle, the Kimpton-run boutique hotel looks like a 1960s apartment building on the outside, belying interiors adorned in colorful, batik-inspired fabrics and perks like in-room yoga mats and an evening wine hour. In other words, the Madera is the kind of place where you relax. The laid-back and trendy restaurant takes its design cues from a fairy-tale forest, and pets are as catered to as children and bachelorette groups. It’s hard to beat the Dupont Circle location, too, which puts the White House, the Kennedy Center, and trendy neighborhoods like Logan Circle and U Street all within throwing distance. No, it’s not the fanciest stay in town, but D.C. doesn’t need another fussy hotel to attract visiting dignitaries—and you’ll have more fun at the Madera, anyway.

Chef Peter Merriman’s flagship restaurant in Waimea is known for some of Hawaii’s best farm-to-table foods. At the forefront of the local menu movement, his award-winning dishes include Bulogogi Spiced Kauai Prawns, Hirabara Farm Earth Grown Lettuce, and an Original Wok Charred Ahi that can be paired with a carefully selected wine from a global list of vineyards. But, for the most authentic flavors, check out seasonal Hawaiian choices that could include a Waipio Taro Enchilada or mahi mahi served with mushrooms from the Hamakua region on the Big Island. No matter what you choose to indulge in, it feels good to eat at Merriman’s when you know the restaurant sources ingredients locally, gives back to the Island community, and even offers a culinary scholarship. After you’ve enjoyed the beautiful meal, be sure to pick up the Merriman’s Hawaii Cookbook so you can indulge your palate at home as well.

Located at the end of the town pier in Fort William, on the historic Road to the Isles, Crannog Restaurant is purely of its place. Local fisherman Finlay Finlayson opened the restaurant after converting his bait shed—which served as a lookout point during World War II—into this beautiful, red-roofed building, choosing the name “Crannog” as a reference to his concept of catching, curing, and cooking the finest West Highland seafood. Over the past 26 years, the eatery has become synonymous with relaxed fine dining, drawing diners with a regularly changing menu of local catches like West Coast mussels, Loch Creran oysters, and hake, which comes crusted in herbs and topped with basil-walnut pesto.

Good luck if you’ve come here to witness the eponymous monster—though, given the dark, brooding waters of Loch Ness, seemingly anything is possible. At the very least, you’re bound to enjoy some beautiful scenery, from verdant shores to snowcapped peaks. One of the best ways to experience the loch is by boat tour, several of which leave daily from the Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition in Inverness. Alternatively, you can drive up the A82 highway along the lake’s western shore, stopping at such spots as Castle Urquhart, a romantic stone ruin that’s some 1,000 years old.

Fancy trying to get a gander at the Loch Ness Monster? There’s only one way and that is on a boat trip out onto the deep and foreboding waters of Loch Ness. “Nessie” has certainly defied many a scientific attempt at location. The earliest mention of the serpentine beast with a snakelike head dates back to Adomnán’s account of the life of St. Columba, completed in the late 7th century. Cruises leave from just south of Inverness and feature interpretive guides who can tell much more than monster stories.

Ah, The Langham for tea? Excellent choice. You’ve dressed up, of course, and the top-hatted gentleman nods his approval before opening the door to a most glamorous afternoon tea. Tea in the Palm Court is an elegant affair. A jazz pianist provides perfect accompaniment to the clinking champagne glasses and china teacups. The discrete, well-trained staff floats among the tables delivering tray after tray of delectable sandwiches, cakes and scones. A tea sommelier stands at the ready to help you choose the perfect blend. You while away the afternoon piling feathery scones with clotted cream and preserves, sipping tea from Wedgwood cups and enjoying the the relaxed luxury of afternoon tea in Palm Court. Just when you think you can’t eat another bite, the dessert tray arrives bearing sweets almost too beautiful to eat. Almost.

The Arabian oryx was hunted to extinction on the Arabian Peninsula by the mid-1970s, but became the first animal species upgraded from Extinct in the Wild to Vulnerable by the IUCN index when conservation efforts bolstered wild population numbers to over 1,000 by the early 2010s. Today you’ll see oryx all over the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, as well as the Arabian Wildlife Park on Sir Bani Yas Island, standing as a testament to humankind’s ability to reverse the ecological damage we’ve done to parts of the natural world. Flash traveled to Dubai with Goway Travel, the global leader in tailor-made experiences to Dubai, and has been curating experience-driven expeditions to the world’s most remarkable destinations since 1970. Goway can arrange custom trips to Dubai, the Arabian Desert, nearby Abu Dhabi, and beyond. www.goway.com

The best drive in Northern Ireland, this is a dramatic 120-mile coastal route between the green Glens of Antrim on one side and the spectacular coastline with its cliffs, unusual rock formations such as the giant’s face (pictured, above) and Giant’s Causeway on the other. There are also mysterious ruins from the past, such as Dunluce Castle. The drive starts near Larne, north of Belfast, and goes right the way around the north coast, and can be done in one day or a few days – take your time and stop off at some of the scenic points, towns and villages along the way.

Safa Park is a regular stop on the weekend itineraries of most Dubai families, and as such, has a place in the childhood memories of many of the city’s residents. The family-oriented public park is ideal for a relaxed picnic in the shadow of the park’s older trees, away from the city’s clamor. The Dubai Water Canal runs through the park and the walkway that follows its route makes a pleasant place to stroll and enjoy beautiful views of the city. This park is near the city center, near many of its landmarks and shopping areas, such as Boxpark and the Business Bay.

Even Londoners need to escape the city every now and then. Kew Gardens offers a perfect day out...spectacular gardens, hidden meadows, glorious glass houses and lush forests. With over 300 acres to roam, it’s a great place for the kids to roam and adults to wander. Bring a book, find a bench and plan on spending a lazy afternoon lounging in the sun or shade. Kew has so many hidden corners, it’s also a perfect place for a blanket, two lovers and a bottle of wine (or two). Stop at Oliver’s Whole Foods or the market stands to pick up some wine and lunch before heading to the Gardens.

“It’s not even a town or a village, don’t call it that; it’s more of a pit-stop, really.” Solitaire, Namibia, the pit-stop Moose McGregor calls home, contains nothing more than a general store, a small lodge, his bakery, and the only gas station for many, many miles. This makes Solitaire an inevitable pit-stop for travelers driving to Sossusvlei from Swakopmund or Windhoek. Sadly, Moose passed away in early 2012. His legendary apple strudel lives on. Solitaire worth a visit even if your vehicle has a full tank.

Don’t be deceived by its West London locale. Notting Hill may be one of the city’s poshest neighborhoods but all that is forgotten when it comes to its outdoor flea market. Portobello Market is mainly known for its impressive collection of antiques but you can also shop for fresh food and score some unbeatable deals on clothing. I walked away with £5 dresses on more than one occasion. To get here, take the Tube to Notting Hill Gate, which is on the District, Circle, and Central lines.

A sliver of a boutique, with several levels, and discreetly tucked into a quiet street in the Juarez neighborhood, Loose Blues artfully serves up a clever selection of accessories and apparel for its deliberately insouciant, hipster clientele. Its curatorial strategy starts with staples like vinyl LPs and midcentury barware, then drills down to men’s and women’s clothes and footwear that walks a line between Bettie Page, lumberjack, and future shock. Once you’ve loaded up on Hawaiian shirts and skinny-girl jumpsuits, as well as tattoo-inspired and other Mexi-kitsch artworks, retreat to the upstairs café and restaurant, whose airy industrial vibe complements a menu of delights like herbal teas, artisanal brews, and light Japanese fare.

One of Scotland’s most important stately homes, Scone Palace has a colorful history. It’s believed to have been the capital of the prehistoric Pictish people, who inhabited much of northern Britain in the early centuries B.C.E., and also served as the seat of parliaments and the crowning place of the Kings of Scots, including Macbeth and Robert the Bruce. The palace visitors see today only dates to 1802, though parts of a 17th-century house, erected on top of a 12th-century abbey, remain. The famous Stone of Scone, upon which royalty sat to be crowned, was here until 1296, when it was stolen by Edward I of England (today, it’s housed at Edinburgh Castle).

Visit the castle and tour the main State Rooms, full of everything from porcelain, ivories, and clocks to furniture, paintings, and other important family belongings. Then explore the expansive grounds, home to the Market Cross, the Old Scone graveyard, a 16th-century archway that once served as the grand entrance to the city of Scone, and a pinetum full of giant redwoods and noble firs.