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Blue Lagoon Beach is a small but beautiful beach with clear water and white sand a couple of minutes walk past the end of Padang Bai’s main strip. When the tide is in there is hardly any beach at all so you have to time your day accordingly, but there are also a few little restaurants where you can sit and hang out if you happen to arrive when the tide is high. There are a few hawkers but they are usually pretty nice if you don’t want to buy anything, although if it’s a slow day they might just hang around for a chat. Snorkling is really lovely at the Blue Lagoon, but do be aware the tides can be strong. The stairs going down to the beach are pretty steep but you can stop to admire the view and catch your breath on the way back up.

If you’ve never been to the Marin Headlands, you MUST go! The views are stellar, but make sure you get there early (well, early enough to get there before all the tourists!) Ht up the headlands for a nice hike and view and then drive to Bar Bocci in Sausalito for lunch or dinner. You won’t be disappointed.

The Banff Ave Brewing Company uses pure Canadian Rockies glacier water as its beer’s not-so-secret ingredient. The water makes for a perfectly imperfect beer, as it comes chock-full of minerals usually removed before the brewing process. Open since 2010, the Banff Ave Beer Co has six handcrafted beers on tap at the brewpub in downtown Banff, along with a food menu that puts an eccentric twist on traditional pub fare. The brewpub is popular year-round. In the winter, it’s great for après ski or for a nice meal before sampling some of Banff’s bolder nightlife venues. In the summer, its patio is the perfect place for a refreshing afternoon drink while people watching along Banff Avenue. Open 7 days per week, 11:30am to 2am. Reservations not required. 1-403-762-1003.

Paradise Bakery has been opened since the 70’s. You might see a franchise in malls around America but this is the original and one of the only ones that serves ice cream. All their treats, muffins, cookies and brownies are scrumptious, especially the cream cheese brownie but I go for the ice cream. Homemade in a variety of flavors, the hardest part is choosing which flavor and whether you should get one scoop or two. Once you decide they top it off with a Chocolate Chip Cookie Munchier. If you ask nicely they will switch it out with a Black Diamond Cookie Munchier. They are also great for a quick bite to eat for breakfast. They have numerous muffin options, croissants and they make great breakfast sandwiches. Top it off with a cup for joe to get your morning started right.

One of the best ideas to ever come my way is the notion of the Breakfast Duo from Salvation Café at 44 Stanley. It’s meant to be for those people who can’t choose between all the awesome options available to them on the menu. Like me. So order locked in, I was extremely impressed with what arrived on my table: A seasonal fruit salad atop French toast accompanied by fresh cream and a berry coulis alongside eggs benedict. Game. Set. Match. I was totally sold on the delicious breakfast and at the end, because it was soooo good and even though the meal was huge, I was left wanting more!

Johannesburg is home to a good variety of people and cultures from all across Africa. Some of the more prominent culture clubs in town are Nigerians, Zimbabweans, Angolans and Ethiopians who all bring a little bit of their traditions and stylings into their businesses in Johannesburg. If you’re looking for a good African meal, Little Addis Café aka Kassa’s Kitchen in the Maboneng Precinct is a great place to go! Run by the very friendly Kassa, this homely, venue is watched over by a large portrait of the most prominent Ethiopian leader, Haile Selassie. If you can’t find place inside, there’s always a nice spot in the shade on a sunny afternoon on the sidewalk, I had the veggie and meat combo which was served with traditional injera (Ethiopian flatbread). Using your hand to eat is the only way to do the traditional meal justice!

Come to “El Güero Canelo” if you’re in southern Arizona. It’s a Tucson institution where you can get the best “Sonoran/Mexican hot dogs” north of the border... But what’s a Sonoran hot dog? It’s a wiener wrapped in bacon(!), served atop beans in a bolillo roll, topped with tomatoes, mustard, mayo, onions, and green chiles. That is, if you get it “con todo"—with everything. Some say these were invented in the city of Hermosillo, about a half-day’s drive south of Tucson, in the mid-20th century. They’re hard to find in most of the U.S. A tamarind soda washes it down nicely, and at “El Güero Canelo” you can get all the salsa, pico de gallo, roasted jalapeños, and grilled green onions you can eat to go with it! (Tacos and burros—not “burritos"—also are available, as well as “caramelos,” the Sonoran term for quesadillas with meat.) For more info: elguerocanelo.com

Last April, I spent a morning hiking along the San Pedro River, just NW of Bisbee, AZ; the caterpillars were astoundingly abundant. When I stopped, I could hear them munching on leaves all around--a surround-sound of crunching, the aural fecundity of spring. Between Sierra Vista and Bisbee, the high grassland highway slowly slopes down to this cottonwood-lined river--one of the few free-flowing rivers left in the Desert Southwest. This ribbon of forest stretches from the Mexican border up towards the lower-elevation desert, providing a flyway for migrating birds and even habitat for the occasional jaguar (very rare). In the late 1980’s, this area was made a National Conservation Area, and it’s a nice shady walk in what can often be sun-blasted country.

North Florida’s beaches hardly get the attention of those farther south or on the Gulf of Mexico. But there’s a lot to love about this laid-back surf community just north of St. Augustine’s busy historic district. The beach’s steep drop-off makes little waves jack up nicely, so Vilano is a favorite with surfers—especially on the incoming tide, when the waves are best. And Porpoise Point, on the southern end of the beach, is a great place to cast a line into the surf and fish. Facilities at the beach include parking, showers, pavilions that can be rented for gatherings, and picnic areas.

Sometimes it’s nice to get off the beaten path. You can take the normal pathways around Cinque Terre (and they are spectacular in their own right) but you can also veer a bit off the normal journey and take the ‘high road’ to catch a glimpse of some breathtaking vistas. Leaving Riomaggiore through the back road on foot, keep walking up hill until you see a small set of stairs under the main road that lead down to a grass path. Follow this path under the stone bridge, and begin your ascent up through the vineyards and terraced gardens. When you reach the top, soak up the unrivaled sea views. From some out-perches, you can see four of the five villages at one time.

Dining at one of Negril’s excellent cliffside restaurants is highly recommended, and the gorgeous setting of Ivan’s Bar & Restaurant at Catcha Falling Star makes it a very nice option. The longtime favorite has one of the best views along the coast and serves lobster dinners and classic Jamaican cuisine with a bit of a modern twist. Guests are seated under an open-sided thatched roof or out under the stars at private tables on a patio near the cliff’s edge. Another favorite choice for romantic cliffside dining is the restaurant at Rockhouse Hotel. (If you want more cocktails post-dinner, walk down to LTU Pub and mingle with the locals. Casual eateries and cliff bars along West End Road include 3 Dives and Sips & Bites.)

About a 30-minute drive west of downtown Tampa, this popular beach on the Gulf of Mexico is built up with mid-range and luxury hotels, shops, and restaurants. But all that matters when you’re down on the shore is the sugar-fine sand and beautiful, crystal clear water for swimming. The Clearwater pier has really come into its own in recent years, drawing crowds by the hundreds for nightly sunset celebrations that attract buskers and vendors selling crafts. Visit the marina to book fishing trips or dolphin-spotting tours, or head out on a pirate ship into the bay for another way to enjoy the sunset.

Situated on the northern end of Delaware Park, the Buffalo Zoo offers family-friendly fun for warm summer days. Built in 1975, it’s the third-oldest zoo in the country, but the facilities have been updated over the years to provide spacious habitats for the resident animals. The underground sea lion exhibit and Rainforest Falls are favorites, as they allow visitors to get close—but not too close—to the animals. Also be sure to catch a glimpse of the giraffes enjoying the sunshine from their street-side enclosure. To avoid crowds, arrive early in the day—the place can get packed, especially on nice days.

Esperanza, an Auberge Resort, sits on the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, offering guests exceptional views of the Sea of Cortéz. Each of the hotel’s 57 rooms faces the sea and Esperanza’s private beach but also offers access to four separate swimming pools. Hotel staff keep guests as busy as they want to be with a full schedule of activities, some of which are the usual Baja resort suspects like yoga lessons and cooking classes. A number of options are quite unique, however—book a master tequilero to teach you about the fine art of tequila appreciation, or take classes in Spanish, salsa, painting, and more. Guest rooms are gorgeous, with an earth-tone color scheme and fine, locally made handicrafts as decorative accents. Bathrooms in the casitas look out onto water, while villas have full kitchens and dining rooms.

There’s so much to see at Montserrat, the picturesque mountain located a few hours outside of Barcelona. Nature lovers will enjoy the wide range of hikes while, non-sporty types can bask in the breathtaking views available from almost any vantage point. Take the two funiculars, Santa Cova and Saint Joan, to visit the corresponding difficult to reach chapels. With travel, plan to spend a whole day at Montserrat. Between the mountain, basilica, museum, and monastery. Food is available from several shops and cafeterias, but many visitors plan ahead with a picnic. On Sundays local vendors sell cheese and honey outside the monastery. Purchase a ToT or Trans Montserrat card in Barcelona, they include transportation and funicular rides to different parts of the mountain. The ticket is good for a certain length of time, no need to specify a specific day, so wait for nice weather. Barcelona’s transit system is very easy to use, but trains to and from the mountain can be busy. Arrive early to guarantee a seat for the two hour journey.