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It had been years since I visited my relatives in Tucson. And now I’m wondering why it took me so long. It’s the land where Sabre-toothed tigers and Mastodons roamed as recent as 10,000 years ago. It’s the land of cacti, cowboys, and tarantulas. But Tucson is also home to amazing views from hotels like the El Conquistador Tucson, A Hilton Resort, water parks and even some trendy bars, and restaurants. A great place to spend a Spring Break.

Georgia O’Keeffe called the grouping of weathered rock outcroppings near Abiquiu “The White Place” and immortalized it in paintings. The land is so arid, and so little changes in New Mexico, that the location and signature V shape have survived. A great hike, close to Abiquiu. Cowboys and Aliens was also shot nearby!

In the heart of D.C.'s Penn Quarter, Zaytinya serves up a variety of tapas inspired by traditional dishes from Greece, Lebanon, and Turkey. It also has a selection of wines from such Eastern Mediterranean countries and seasonally serves a hot tea with a blooming jasmine flower. Falafel, hummus, and roasted cauliflower are among my favorite menu items. Try the Turkish coffee at weekend brunch.

No need to jet to France for French bistro fare—holding court a stone’s throw from the famed 9th street Italian market, French husband-and-wife duo Charlotte and Pierre Calmels (formerly of Le Bec Fin fame) regale locals at Bibou with a masterful, market-driven menu that changes at the chef’s whim. A must on any visit to the City of Brotherly Love!

The Upper Piney trail is about a 12-mile roundtrip hike through aspen and evergreen trees. You can cut it in half by turning around at the picturesque waterfall about 3 miles in. Beyond the falls the trail gets steeper the closer you get to Upper Piney Lake.

The beef is local and grass-fed, the french fries and french toast are good, the people are nice, and it’s got views of a little bay. We ate one meal here, then another, and another. Sometimes when you find a good thing, you stick with it. Especially when you’re traveling with a 5-year-old.

At 185 acres, the Montréal Botanical Garden is less than a third the size of Mount Royal Park, but it manages to fit a remarkable collection of some 22,000 plant species and cultivars into that space, organized into 20 thematic gardens and including 10 exhibition greenhouses (ideal if you are looking for some tropical warmth in the depth of a Montréal winter). Everyone will have his or her own favorites when it comes to the different spaces—Alpine, Chinese, Japanese—but the First Nations garden stands out. Wandering alongside its pond and following its forested trails, you’ll feel like you are far from the city and instead in the northern reaches of the province of Québec—at least until you catch sight of the swoop of the nearby Olympic Tower, with its distinct incline. You can continue the naturalist itinerary at the Biodome, also nearby, where five different ecosystems of North America are re-created with flora and fauna—auks, lynx, penguins, and more.

While there are plenty of in-water activities around St. Thomas, one of the best is at the Coral World Underwater Observatory. At this interactive park, which is great for families, visitors can see marine life rescue efforts, play with crustaceans or hang out by the beach. They can also swim with the star residents of the observatory, the sea lions. Rescued several years ago from certain death, today the sea lions are crowd favorites. In a special interactive session you can learn more about the ongoing research and interact with them in a special pool. This activity is safe for the sea lions and the mental stimulation is an important part of their daily schedule.

There are few places where you can better learn about the beauty and complexity of desert ecology than the Desert Botanical Garden, not far from downtown Phoenix. Check out the Desert Discovery Loop Trail for a look at local flora, go for a flashlight tour or cooking class (using plants found in the region, of course), or catch one of the musical performances that are part of the garden’s concert series. Make a point to visit the Desert Terrace Garden for the best views of the surrounding buttes and desert.

Located between Akko and the Sea of Galilee, this working kibbutz and spa hotel is the perfect recharge. I know that sounds cliché, but bear with me. First off, the backstory goes like this: a German-born homeopathic doctor stumbled upon the hillside site in 1923 and decided it was his dream parcel; forty years later, he managed to build a clinic there. The sloping refuge into which he poured his heart and soul is now a 97-room health resort, one that is an institution of sorts in Israel. Among Israelis, Mizpe Hiyamim is (understandably) seen as a splurge. That said, it is not all that fancy by today’s rapidly escalating high-end standards, and therein lies its charm. Where else can you go straight from feeding goats to getting a facial or hot-stone massage? The farm’s bounty enhances the experience. It puts out 50 types of cheese and pretty much all the produce that ends up on the menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s not necessarily a California-style approach to holistic living—the restaurant caters to meat-eaters, and I found myself deliberating between goat neck, lamb shoulder, and veal tongue for the main course. The spa makes use of olive oil from trees that are grown on-site. This, then, is not just another modern temple to individual well-being, but one that combines land and history—human and natural—in a way that truly makes you truly appreciate your surroundings. That, to me, is the ultimate traveler’s recharge.

While some castle hotels can feel a bit dusty—with all those heavy curtains and canopy beds—the Lough Eske Castle Hotel feels more airy and contemporary than you’d expect from a 150-year-old castle. Located near Donegal Town in the northern part of Ireland, it’s the only five-star hotel in Donegal County. And while the Elizabethan manor house was once at the center of a farm, today it’s fronted by a formal rose garden and surrounded by 43 acres of forest on the banks of Lough Eske, a 900-acre lake.

The hotel has a glass greenhouse-style spa, an indoor pool with views of the grounds, and a restaurant, Cedars Grill, which serves fresh-from-the-sea oysters and filets of Irish beef. But best of all is the lovely, generous staff: Concierges in particular quickly arrive at a first-name basis with guests as they arrange outings and grant even somewhat-annoying requests. And since all guests do here is spa, stroll, and feast, the only real challenge is deciphering the staff’s thick Northern Irish accents.

St. Dymphna, a seventh-century peasant who was eventually canonized, is said to have founded the church that this atmospheric cemetery is centered around. Dymphna is the patron saint of mental and nervous disorders and if you’re uptight or have anxiety, Achill will definitely put you at ease. After all, this aesthetically pleasing cemetery isn’t the only reason to come to Achill Island, Ireland‘s largest island, located in County Mayo on the country’s western shores. There’s a ghostly deserted village, a 26-mile bike trail that leads you to the island (the Great Western Greenway, starting in the town of Westport) and people so friendly you’ll wonder what is in the water (or the Guinness). But the main reason to come to Achill are for the spectacular views. Drive around the periphery of the island—as I recently did—and prepare to be shocked and awed by some of the most stunning scenery your eyes will encounter while in Ireland. You’ll pray to St. Dymphna that luck and fortune will bring you back here some day.

As obvious as it may sound, what sets Sanctuary apart from any other Scottsdale resort is location. Sitting on the north side of Camelback Mountain yet minutes from downtown Scottsdale, it has a balance of desert mountain isolation and easy access that no other Scottsdale resort can match. Since Sanctuary opened in 2002, the combination has especially appealed to publicity-shy celebs (Beyoncé and Jay-Z even stayed here while on their honeymoon). The views from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the adobe casitas look out at the mountain and across Paradise Valley. The casitas have wood-block floors, glass-tiled showers, and, in many of them, oversize tubs with romantic votive candles.

Little-known fact: New Orleans was the first place in North America to license pharmacists (starting in 1769, when the city was still under Spanish rule). After Louisiana became a territory, the U.S. governor extended the requirement, also decreeing that pharmacists take a three-hour licensing exam in order to practice. And no wonder illness got such attention—the city was arguably the least healthy place to live on the continent; it was riddled with yellow fever, malaria, and dysentery. This dark but fascinating history is explored in this atmospheric 1822 town house, which was once the home and shop of Louis J. Dufilho, the first licensed pharmacist in the city—and hence in the country. Exhibits include apothecary jars, tools of the trade, and leeches. (Yes. Leeches.)

Cape Town’s Table Mountain National Park, which hugs the perimeter of the city, is so popular that the line for the cable car to the top can be longer than a queue for a Disneyland ride. But why stand in line when you can put your feet to use? There are several routes that lead to the top of the 3,562-foot, flat-topped mountain, including the two-mile Platteklip Gorge trail. Yes, it’s steep, but startling views of the city and the Atlantic await. Trek, get hungry, then picnic on local provisions—crackers, Dutch-style Gouda, and biltong, the thick-sliced South African jerky—before riding the cable car back down.