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Though the airport and city highlights are all a quick drive away, the Fairmont feels like a true getaway thanks to its setting on Palm Jumeirah island. There, surrounded by views of the Arabian Gulf and Dubai Marina, you’ll find 381 guest rooms and suites, each with warm, contemporary-Arabic décor, marble soaking tubs, Le Labo bath products, Nespresso machines, and furnished balconies. Many of the rooms are designed to be connected to form their own locked-off section, making the hotel ideal for family travel. Also great for groups is the wealth of amenities, starting with the 10 restaurants and lounges featuring everything from authentic Indian, Korean, and Taiwanese fare to Brazilian churrascaria and American burgers and shakes. A Kid’s Club, four pools, beachfront loungers, a health club, and a Willow Stream Spa help keep everyone entertained, as do off-property activities like water sports, speed boat rides, and golf at three nearby clubs.

The Atlanta of today owes much to the 1996 Summer Olympics. In preparation for the games, the city transformed a seedy neighborhood into a tourist-friendly destination, creating Centennial Olympic Park as the center of all activity—including, unfortunately, the tragic bombing that marred the entire event. Today, the park is still a hub, now for tourist attractions rather than medal presentations. Surrounded by everything from the Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola to CNN Center, the College Football Hall of Fame, and the Center for Civil and Human Rights, it often hosts concerts, movies, and popular events like the Music Midtown Festival. It’s also home to a playground and the Fountain of Rings, which puts on daily water shows.

Movie director Francis Ford Coppola had traveled the world, but when he visited Belize in the 1980s, in search of a “jungle paradise” like the one where he had filmed Apocalypse Now, he was taken by the untamed land and bought Blancaneaux, the first of two resort properties he would eventually own in Belize. (The other is Turtle Inn.) Initially, Blancaneaux was a family retreat, but by the early 1990s, Coppola decided to turn it into a small luxury resort. Today, guests with deep pockets enjoy visiting Blancaneaux for its sense of exclusivity; travelers have to really want to stay here. An hour’s drive down a bone-jarring road away from civilization, one doesn’t just happen upon the resort. Accommodations are gigantic villa- and cabana-style lodgings lavishly decorated with handmade furniture, textiles, and crafts. Hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and swimming are a few of the activities for guests on-site at Blancaneaux.

Seattle’s largest public park sits on a sea bluff that’s high enough to pierce the city’s infamous fog, revealing gorgeous views of the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges. Wander its 11 miles (18 km) of paths through forest groves, meadows fringing coastal cliffs, and active sand dunes on the protected tidal beaches. Once a military installation, the area now serves as an open space and wildlife sanctuary. Stop into the Daybreak Star Center, which celebrates American Indian culture and hosts the city’s powwow in mid-July. Around 25 drum groups and 500 dancers converge here for the event, along with close to 10,000 spectators.

Billy Club opened in Allentown toward the end of 2015 in a formerly boarded-up apartment building turned contemporary hideaway. From the start, owners Dan Hagen and Jake Strawser focused on cocktails, in part inspired by the speakeasy that operated out of the building during Prohibition. Drinks here are creative and delicious, made with top-notch spirits and local ingredients. There’s also a strong focus on whiskey, as well as a full food menu with dishes like house-made pasta, whole trout, and aged duck breast with figs. While you should definitely try one of the whiskey cocktails, you should also visit during Sunday brunch for the Bloody Mary—it’s one of the best in Buffalo.

Located on North Buffalo’s Hertel Avenue, MiMo Decor highlights mid-century, modernist, and contemporary design. Rated the best place in the city to find vintage furniture by local lifestyle magazine Buffalo Spree, the shop offers a range of upscale pieces, from bar cabinets to dresser sets. Father-daughter duo Joe and Jessica Buscaglia run the store, with Joe working to restore American and Scandinavian furniture and Jessica in charge of retail and design services. Visitors here can expect a showroom of unique items, plus a range of services, from rehabs and total rebuilds to in-home consultations, staging and furniture rental, upholstering, and more.

Named for its owner’s “poz-itive” vibe, this casual, welcoming restaurant ranks among Dominica’s best. Expect Cajun, Creole, and Caribbean fare in the mix, along with fusion dishes and strong vegetarian options. Menu standouts include callaloo soup, veggie rice, and snapper in coconut-curry sauce, but the lobster, grilled with lemon-garlic butter, tends to steal all the headlines—or at least those not occupied by the fresh juices and home-infused vodkas. Open for dinner only, Poz is quite small in size, so make a reservation to avoid waiting for a table.

A stalwart on the “best of” lists, this restaurant blends dynamic global cuisine with comfort food… set against a steampunky-sports bar décor. None of this should work, but it very much does. The industrial touches evoke the city’s heritage as a Western working town, as well as its iconic grunge epoch that swept the globe. (The bottle-cap portrait of local legend Jimi Hendrix is especially endearing.) Don’t miss the chicken khao soi, foraged-mushroom pizza with taleggio, or the sublime Vadouvan-spiced carrots with thin curls of feta smoked in-house. The restaurant’s connected to the Kimpton Hotel Monaco and also delivers a mean breakfast, from malted waffles to duck confit hash with cippolini and dried cherries.

The narrow Boca Paila highway runs down the edge of the Riviera Maya in Tulum, dividing the jungle from the sea. Tucked away at kilometer-marker 7.5 lies Casa Jaguar, a haven for the best of both worlds. The restaurant emphasizes Caribbean flavors, using fresh, local ingredients and prepared food and drink with Mexican flair. Try the grilled aguachile seafood cocktail, or the sea bass with corn masa, and wash it all down with a drink of copal mescal, the perfect foil for intense local heat. Beyond being a great restaurant, Casa Jaguar is famous for its “Dinner and Party” concept: there’s a jungle-focused celebration every Thursday with artists and alternative live music.

Owned by a Chinese chef who spent time cooking for French celebrities in Paris, Chez Nicholas is a small restaurant with big flavor. Here, Chef Nicholas serves five-star French cuisine to a smattering of tables (always make a reservation to avoid disappointment). For the best possible meal, don’t choose your own dishes—just order the five-course prix fixe, which comes in “simple” or “deluxe” versions with or without wine pairings, and let Chef Nicholas take it from there. Once a month, he does a Chinese weekend, with gourmet dishes from different regions of his home country. No matter when you stop in, however, expect exquisite food accompanied by the elegant sounds of French music and opera (the chef’s favorite).

If money is no object or you’re up for a blowout weekend in Bordeaux, make like an aristocrat at this elegant 19th-century mansion set in a quiet residential neighborhood. Six sumptuous rooms feature a riot of luxury fabrics and wallpapers, plus spacious marble baths. The real revelation, however, is the three-Michelin-starred restaurant, run by world-renowned chef Pierre Gagnaire, who earned the top place on Le Chef’s 2015 list of the best chefs in the world. Here, you can expect thrilling dishes like duck foie gras biscuits and glazed wild sea bass, with impeccable service to match.

One of the best dining deals on the rather posh, relatively expensive Riviera can be found in a school that prepares future chefs, servers, and sommeliers who will eventually work at the pricey coastal restaurants. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the school operates three restaurants, one with a 10-euro menu, the second with a 15-euro menu, and the chicest with a three-course lunch at 20 to 25 euros. All three offer panoramic views of the city, and delicious food prepared and served by students who are carefully overseen by strict-looking professors. The afternoon may become a cultural exchange as servers practice their English with guests. Reservations are required.

Also known as the High Test Deli & Sweet Shop, this local standby—situated just over the state line in Bryson City, North Carolina—has fueled hikers, area residents, and tourists for more than a decade. The signature Cuban is a best seller, but every sandwich is customizable, with more than a dozen bread varieties, nearly as many cheeses, and all the proteins you’d expect from a top-notch deli. Still, you wouldn’t be blamed for skipping the meats altogether and heading straight for the “frozen sandwich” section, where you can choose from a creative selection of ice cream sandwiches that will challenge even the most decisive sweet tooth.

Voted Croatia’s best restaurant several years in a row, Pelegrini is reason enough to visit Šibenik. The talented owner and chef Rudi Štefan continues to raise the bar at this gorgeous spot, which is housed in an ancient palace. In nice weather, book a table on the small terrace with sea views. Once seated, decide how many courses you want—there’s a minimum of three at lunch and five at dinner—then sit back and let the culinary adventure begin. Attentive waiters will bring out beautifully plated dishes celebrating regional flavors with a global spin. Think amberjack tataki, monkfish tripe, beef-cheek pasta, and tongue cubes with breaded sage, all paired with top-notch local wines.

Seattle’s most iconic restaurant has earned its laurels, reinterpreting Pacific Northwest classics like bonito with chrysanthemum and sea bean caper, and ricotta dumplings with mustard, rapini, and stinging nettles. in 2015, a young hotshot took the helm: Brady Williams, formerly from the two-Michelin-star Blanca in Brooklyn, New York. He ditched his goal of playing professional hockey to cook—and, boy, has it paid off! Among other distinctions, he was anointed a finalist for Rising Star Chef of 2017 by the James Beard Foundation (the year it won “Best Wine Program”). Reserve ahead and break out the grown-up clothes to check out his masterpieces, served high on Queen Anne hill overlooking the seaplanes and sailboats gliding on Lake Union.