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No trip to Amsterdam is complete without a stop in one of the bruine kroeg, or brown cafés. These are the Dutch equivalent of Irish pubs, cozy spaces where people gather to relax over beers and comfort food. And Café Papeneiland is a classic. Stop in for a sip of jenever and a slice of Dutch apple pie.

At Graycliff Chocolatier on Nassau, you can do more than just taste delicious, gourmet chocolates—you can learn how to make them yourself with the help of Graycliff’s master chocolatier. The chocolate-making experience is part of the chocolate factory tour, in which guests learn how the chocolate goes from raw cocoa beans to a rich liquid that can be poured into molds. Then you’ll have the chance to mold your own chocolate bars. Of course, if you’d rather taste it than make it, you can purchase a selection of chocolate and truffles, or join one of the chocolate and spirits tasting sessions to learn how to pair gourmet chocolates with spirits like rum, whiskey, and port.

Junkanoo is one of the Bahamas’ most colorful traditions, a more than 200-year-old street celebration and parade, like Carnival with a Bahamian twist. It takes place during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. But visitors can learn about Junkanoo any time of year with a stop at the Educulture Junkanoo Museum on West Street in downtown Nassau. The museum’s exhibits highlight the history of the celebration, along with examples of the elaborate costumes, music, and dances that take place during the events. There’s also an interactive element, with visitors invited to make masks and learn how to dance to Bahamian music. The Educulture Junkanoo Museum is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The oldest wooden home still standing in Nassau, Balcony House is named for the long, second-floor balcony that stretched across the front of the home. Historical maps suggest that the house could date as far back as the late 18th century, during an era called the Loyalist period, and in the mid-1800s, this house was the residence of Stephen Dillet, the Bahamas’ first-ever black member of the House of Assembly, as well as a justice of the peace and inspector of the Nassau Police. Today, Balcony House has been restored into a museum where guests can climb the beautiful mahogany staircase and explore the rooms decorated with period furnishings. Admission is free, and donations are accepted.

Get an up-close look at one of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ most popular local delicacies with a visit to the Caicos Conch Farm, on the east end of Providenciales. Queen conch are large marine snails prized for both their beautiful pink shells and their delicate meat, which is used in a variety of local dishes from fritters to a ceviche-like salad. The farm raises the shellfish sustainably in ocean pens, and visitors can see the creatures at various stages of their life cycle. There’s also a hands-on experience with a pair of resident conch, and the gift shop sells conch pearls, as well as jewelry and other items made from conch shells.

Swim with large southern stingrays in the warm blue water around Gibbs Cay. This secluded seven-acre island is a short boat ride from Grand Turk and a popular day trip for many visitors. The stingrays are quite friendly after years of regular feeding and interactions with humans. Your boat guide will provide fish scraps to feed the rays as you snorkel in the shallow water. Day trips may also include time on the island and stops to snorkel and dive for conch.

Why we love it: A secluded safari camp offering Old World luxury and connections to the local community

The Highlights:

• An ideal location for witnessing the Big Five and Kenya’s famous wildebeest migrations
• Classic safari style that recalls Out of Africa
• Access to bush walks, hot air balloon safaris, community excursions, and other unique activities

The Review:
Romantic and luxurious, this tented camp transports guests to the Kenyan safaris of the 1920s and 30s. On the edge of the gorgeous Masai Mara, the secluded property was completely renovated in 2018 and now comprises two camps, each with nine tented suites featuring polished wooden floors, en-suite bathrooms with indoor and outdoor showers, and copper bathtubs with views of the night sky. Classically elegant, the tents also come with private wooden verandas overlooking the vast, game-filled plains; personal butlers who attend to every whim; and thoughtful details like handcrafted artifacts, map-inspired wallpaper, yoga mats, and a butler hatch for delivering morning coffee or tea.

Elsewhere on site are two swimming pools; a common sitting area outfitted with leather Chesterfield sofas and fine antiques; a state-of-the-art gym with views of the Mara; a massage room; a gift shop stocked with local handicrafts; and a stylish bar for Kenyan coffee and top-shelf gin. Of course, guests are really here to see the Mara’s magnificent wildlife, and while they can spot several animals on site, they also enjoy twice-daily game drives, as well as night excursions and bush walks (permitted because the lodge is on a private concession). Additionally, guests have access to breakfast and sundowners in the bush, Maasai talks and fireside dances (much of the staff is from the local Maasai tribe), the educational WILDChild program for kids, and visits to nearby schools or villages for an authentic look at life in the African bush.

Set in the former headquarters of a 19th-century bank, Hotel de Rome forms a major part of Bebelplatz, the historic square best known as the site of the Nazis’ infamous book burning in 1933. Across from the stately Opera House and the equally handsome Humboldt University, the hotel has retained the bank’s neoclassical exterior. Parts of the interior are original, too, most notably an elegant staircase that winds up to the fourth floor (the first three floors are also original), and the former bank vault, which has been transformed into a spa that is accessed via the vault’s original steel door. The high-ceilinged guestrooms and suites are suitably sumptuous, with marble in the bathroom and furnishings of mahogany; the color palettes, however, were devised by designers Olga Polizzi and Tommaso Ziffer and are ultra-contemporary. The hotel also has a swanky restaurant, a popular cocktail bar, and a rooftop patio with splendid views of Bebelplatz and the city beyond.

Like all of the best Spanish tapas restaurants, Barrafina has no tables. In London’s Covent Garden, all the eating is done at a long marbled bar, lined with red leather stools, and there are no bookings: you get here first, you get served, all the while watching the chefs at work. The idea is that it’s just like being in Spain (the inspiration for Barrafina was Barcelona’s Cal Pep), and it really is: the atmosphere is chaotic and the food comes from all corners. One minute you’re eating a ortiguilla (a type of sea anemone found in the Balearics) in a paper cone, the next a chicken wing served in a Canarian mojo picón sauce.

Do you fancy tootling around London on a classic double-decker bus whilst sipping tea and eating pastries? Of course you do. BB Bakery adds wheels and a French twist to the tradition of afternoon tea. A uniformed driver zips past London’s iconic sights as you enjoy your tea. ...the London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Hyde Park and more. Book early and get a seat on the top deck for the best view and don’t forget to raise a cup to the Queen as you roll past Buckingham Palace. It’s only proper.

Located in the exclusive Banjara Hills neighborhood, Lamakaan is an open event space that promotes art, literature, and dialogue. The non-profit center hosts concerts, book releases, plays, seminars, and poetry readings. Lamakaan also presents film screenings and exhibitions, including the Queer Art Fest and a monthly flea market held by the Tree Huggers Club. Check out the calendar for upcoming events and experience an eccentric space where tradition meets modernity. Not interested in the art scene? Grab a chai and samosa from the canteen and surf with free wifi.

Home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, this curved glass building is also a premiere venue for the Toronto International Film Festival. During the year, this iconic building in Toronto serves as concert showcase and special event venue. National Geographic’s Live Series, for example, is great for travel buffs. Tours are available by appointment.

It’s pronounced “Wool-zee,” and it’s a former showroom for the smart old cars that bear its name. Now a restaurant, it’s been restored to its original 1930s glamour with a gorgeous art deco slant. If you want a true taste of old Mayfair and St James—from the days when the streets were full of men in top hats carrying canes, and everyone had a gentleman’s gentleman—then a smart breakfast or lunch at the Wolseley can take you back in time. The food is classic British—and yes, that means there’s grilled kippers and kedgeree on the menu, as well as other retro dishes such as chicken Kiev—and the service is fabulous. Anything with eggs is a must—the souffle is particularly brilliant—and they also do a marvelous afternoon tea.

Older than both Stonehenge and the pyramids of Egypt, the monument at Newgrange was built around 3,200 B.C.E. Its use is a mystery, although it was most likely a place of worship, and there are legends that it was used as a burial chamber. The main circular mound has a passage with small chambers off it, and each year on the winter solstice, the sun travels along the passage and lights up the main chamber. Many of the curbstones at the front and stone slabs lining the passage have decorative examples of megalithic art, with zigzags, spirals, and other geometric designs. Access to Newgrange is by guided tour, and it’s part of the Brú na Bóinne complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which also has the passage graves at Knowth (on view by guided tour) and Dowth (not open to visitors).

One block west of the Bund you can find the Rockbund Art Museum, housed in Shanghai’s former Royal Asiatic Society building (1932). Like many of the grande dame Bund buildings, RAS was dreamt up by British design firm Palmer and Turner and done to the nines in art deco style. The museum hosts its share of heavy hitters from the contemporary art world, such as Zhang Huan, Cai Guo-Qiang, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Rockbund is small but charming, especially the tranquil top-floor café and lounge, which give way to a small terrace overlooking the Pudong skyline.