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Snorkel, fish, relax and recover while you’re in Panama on Contador Island, in the Pearl Islands Archipelago. These beautiful boats are ready for hire (in hugely affordable fashion) once you’ve left Panama City and landed on this enchanting island. With Air Panama there appear to be two or three short (45 minutes) flights a day that will get you there from Panama City. Be sure to pack your swimsuit, a good book and some sunscreen. This is a very small island and you can explore land on foot or by a rental scooter to see it all. In Spanish, Contador means ‘the one that counts’, and it’s easy to make your day on the island count with a local rental boat. Your captain (that will inevitably also be fishing while you’re moving) are a reliable way to go and find nearby remote snorkel locations. Be sure to agree on the price before you head out for your big day on the water.

This Little Burgundy mainstay is the headquarters of chefs David McMillan and Frédéric Morin, the acclaimed and enterprising minds behind an evolving blackboard menu that has been known to feature smoked meat croquettes, house-cured ham with truffles, lobster spaghetti and horse meat steaks. The duo is known to do absolutely everything in-house, even brew their own beer and distil their own absinthe. Stroll down Rue Notre-Dame, past their other restaurant, Liverpool House, to the nearby Lachine Canal after an evening at this inviting space with vintage wooden chairs, leather banquettes and a permanent air of celebration.

No visit to Antigua is complete without taking in the sunset atop Shirley Heights Lookout at its weekly Sunday sundowner party. The view from Shirley Heights is without a doubt the most famous, most photographed, most celebrated vista gracing Antigua. Immediately below, English and Falmouth Harbours clutch their bays. On clear days you can see Guadeloupe to the south and Montserrat with it’s still active volcano to the south west. It does get busy, so expect a crowd and while there might be a couple locals sprinkled in here and there, it’s mostly visitors. Around 7ish, the tunes crank up with either some reggae classics, some pumping soca, or even live a steelpan band. Smoke from a collection of barbecues compete with the music to fill the air and stimulate your senses. Expect chicken and ribs slathered in local flavors, plus burgers for the less adventurous. I did have some trouble getting grilled fish on my last visit, but once I found some, it was charred to perfection.

You might think of Vienna’s Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery) as a Mittteleuropa Walk of Fame. Some of the city’s most important figures are buried in this graveyard that opened in 1874, from Beethoven (his remains were moved here in 1888) to 1980s pop star Falco, with Brahms, Schubert, and Schoenberg in between. The cemetery, which measures almost one and a half square miles, has a section for Austria‘s presidents, and another for Sephardic Jews who came from the Ottoman Empire—the elaborate Alhambra-style Elias family mausoleum is especially impressive. Thanks to shady groves of maple and ash and a beautiful church constructed in the early-20th-century Jugendstil style, it is worth the effort to travel to Simmering, a neighborhood southeast of the city center—even if only for the bucolic setting.

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Every time I get a chance to spend some time in NOLA, you’ll find me on Frenchmen Street, Marigny, Bywater, 9th area. This art market, while not really a hidden gem, is always worth a visit. Grab a cocktail and catch some music to loosen up and chat it up with the incredible artists and business owners selling really fun swag in the heart of The Frenchmen Street party.

“Ready!” I grip the bar tightly and lean forward. “Set!” I bend my knees and my heart starts racing. “HUP!” Before I have time for doubts, I take a deep breath, and jump off the platform. The next 40 seconds are a pure adrenaline rush as I soar through the air on a flying trapeze—a thrilling introduction to my first class at the satellite Trapeze School N.Y. in the Navy Yard district of Washington, D.C. I try to stay calm and oriented as my teacher yells instructions to swing my legs and lift my knees up to hang from the bar. This simple move is the foundation for many tricks that we six beginners in the class get to practice many times. By the end of the two-hour class, I’m already doing flips into the net and performing basic catches with one of the instructors. I start to wonder if my childhood dreams of joining the circus are possible after all. Class is over, I’m tired and my legs already ache from the climbs up the ridiculously long trapeze ladder (for me, the scariest part of the class). The school’s motto was right: “Forget about fear. Worry about addiction.” The school offers a variety of trapeze, aerial, trampoline, and acrobatics classes for adults and children.

It’s easy to see why Eagle Beach is touted as one of the world’s best shorelines. Studded with iconic fofoti trees and backed by sparkling waters, the powderlike sand hosts sunworshippers and, a few months out of the year, the highest concentration of nesting turtles on the island. The eco-pioneering Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort is especially mindful of its unique setting, supporting local wildlife initiatives and ensuring it has the lowest electricity usage (per occupied room) of any hotel in Aruba. A focus on health pervades the property, which has its own certified wellness specialist; yoga, Pilates, and meditation classes; a restaurant that sources organic produce; and air dehumidifiers and purifiers in each of its 104 rooms. Yet guests can still expect traditional island-style pampering: romantic offerings include beachside dining in a private, candlelit cabana under the rustle of swaying palm fronds. The resort is adults-only.

Occupying an elegant mid-20th-century building on a chic Barcelona avenue, with a double Michelin-starred restaurant and one of the best spas in the city, the Mandarin Oriental Barcelona aims to impress. The hotel’s striking façade, created by designer Manuel Ignacio Galindez, sets the bar high for guest’s expectations, and justly so. The plush public areas carry an air of Asian opulence and grandeur, thanks to the hardwood floors and delicate ivory decor, while the 120 guestrooms and suites—many looking out onto the upscale boutiques of the Passeig de Gràcia—feature strong, crisp lines and sophisticated color schemes. From the plump armchairs and cloudlike beds to the iPod docks and toiletries by Acqua di Parma, the experience here is 100 percent deluxe.

This oval-shaped atoll in the Tuamotu island group strung across the South Pacific Ocean some 300 kilometers from Tahiti is covered in pink and China white sand and surrounded by a jaw-droppingly beautiful turquoise, jade, and cerulean hued lagoon and is considered to have the best beaches in all of French Polynesia. Most are empty – it has a Robinson Crusoe vibe and still remains mostly undeveloped.

Beyond the sand you’ll find excellent snorkeling and even surfing in spots where the reef breaks. For scuba you’ll want to head to the magnificent Tuheiva Pass, where you’ll likely encounter sharks and manta rays. Lagoon excursions are also popular, and allow you to snorkel in the out-of-this world hued waters.

The Tikehau Pearl Beach Resort is the most exclusive place to sleep on the island, but there are also a number of excellent small family-run guesthouses right on the beach for those wanting to experience its “paradise lost” ambiance at more affordable rates.

Air Tahiti flies to Tikehau from Tahiti daily.

The Raiatea Lodge Hotel located on the island of Raiatea is one of French Polynesia‘s only 3-star hotels (most are budget pensions or luxury resorts). Guests can enjoy comfortable and stylish accommodations in an intimate boutique hotel that features 15 rooms. Room amenities include balcony views overlooking the garden and pool, rain showers, air conditioning, sumptuous bedding, a television and free WiFi. Make sure to wake up early to see the sunrise over the lagoon from your balcony and hear the birds singing early in the morning. Moreover, they offer a range of free activities, like snorkeling in the lagoon, kayaking to the nearby Motu Miri Miri and cycling around the island, as well as guided tours for a fee. Don’t leave without having an artisanal breakfast or piece of fresh fish from the lagoon in their restaurant, or a cocktail enhanced with fresh local fruits and flowers from their bar.

Opened in 1946 as a restaurant (where the famous regulars included Churchill and Hemingway), La Maison Arabe later expanded to a small hotel, then grew again under its current French-Italian owner. Today, it features 26 garden- or patio-view rooms and suites, individually designed in either a traditional or slightly more modern Moroccan style. All have air-conditioning and heating (a must for the varied desert temperatures) as well as Wi-Fi, satellite TVs, and marble-and-granite bathrooms stocked with aromatic toiletries. Also available to guests is an idyllic swimming pool, around which the hotel serves a home-cooked breakfast each morning, and the clubby, 1930s-inspired Piano Bar, where guests can enjoy live jazz and pre-dinner drinks by the fireplace. When it’s time to unwind, head to the cozy spa for an array of face, body, and hamman treatments, all performed with products made exclusively for the hotel.

Much like in the past, La Maison Arabe revolves around food. Guests can choose between Le Restaurant, where a gorgeous fountain and hand-painted ceiling set the stage for authentic Moroccan fare, and the intimate, lantern-lit Les Trois Saveurs, which serves a sophisticated menu of French, Moroccan, and Asian dishes. Additionally, the hotel offers some of the city’s best cooking classes, which are open to outside guests. Led by a dada (a traditional Moroccan cook), the lessons take place either at the main hotel or the Country Club—a satellite property located 15 minutes away by complimentary shuttle, where students can also find a larger pool, lush gardens, a restaurant, and a bit of calm away from the bustle of the medina.

This urban luxury resort in Shanghai has a polished, cool contemporary feel, mixing Eastern and Western sensibilities. Interiors lean toward dark tones and clean lines, with clever landscaping providing a sense of escape. Organic materials include liberal use of wood, stone, and marble. Large windows bring in natural light, and decor mixes contemporary with touches of traditional Chinese. Environmentally sensitive practices take multiple guises: Solar panels gather energy for hotel operation. The heatproof facade limits the need for air-conditioning. And sunshades in each room open and close automatically to let in or keep out the sun’s light and heat. Rooms also have dragon-scaled screens and cast bronze basins. Club rooms come with the perks of 24-hour check-in/check-out and butlers.

St. John is the least developed and most sparsely populated of the three main islands in the U.S. Virgin Islands. That’s not surprising, since more than half its land is protected as a U.S. National Park. Most visitors reach St. John by ferry from St. Thomas, landing at the dock in Cruz Bay, St. John’s main settlement. A village with only a few thousand residents, Cruz Bay has gained a reputation as an upscale retreat for movie stars and other high-profile people looking for a secluded getaway.

It all started back in 1956, when businessman and conservationist Laurance Rockefeller, who had bought extensive land holdings on St. John, opened the low-key but luxurious Caneel Bay Resort. It’s still going strong, and visitors can stop in for lunch and a swim in the beautiful bay. Rockefeller later donated much of his estate to the national park.

Snorkelers should make time for an underwater tour in Trunk Bay, where the National Park Service maintains a submarine snorkeling trail. And no sightseeing drive around the island is complete without a stop to see the fabulous panoramic view from the Bordeaux Mountain Overlook. Back in the town, the boutiques at Mongoose Junction offer one-of-a-kind souvenirs, while Cruz Bay Landing is a perfect spot to grab lunch and drinks.

La Glorieta attends to those attracted to tango’s drama but who eschew slick, three-hour dance extravaganzas in downtown cabarets. Free and open to the public, this gazebo, in a plaza near Belgrano’s Barrio Chino, transforms on weekend evenings into an open-air gathering place for tango dancers—young and old, experienced and rookies alike. If you’re looking to learn the dance’s steps (as well as its complex etiquette), go early for classes (5–6:30 p.m.) before the dance floor opens. Dancing goes on until 11 p.m. and is canceled on rainy nights.

Why we love it: A wellness-focused stay where relaxation comes first

The Highlights:
- A staff nutritionist who can create customized menus before your arrival
- Suites with outdoor clawfoot tubs for alfresco bathing
- Yoga mats available in every room

The Review:
If you’re dreaming of making your wellness fantasies a reality, Sanará checks all the boxes. In addition to minimalist white interiors that encourage meditation—or, at the very least, tranquility—the boutique resort offers daily morning and evening yoga sessions, vegan meals made with locally sourced produce, and organic bath products crafted on site. Even the mosquito spray is biodegradable (but don’t worry, the 17 guest rooms have air conditioning). Though there’s no pool on the grounds, the resort is steps from a white-sand beach kissed by lapping waves and dotted with shady loungers. If you’re in need of even deeper relaxation, Sanará’s five serene treatment rooms set the tone for crystal healing, Mayan-inspired remedies, and bio-magnetic therapy, as well as soothing facials and massages.