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Winter snow can frost the tallest peak in Hawaii, technically measuring 13,800 feet. In fact, Mauna Kea holds the world record at 33,500 feet tall when measured from its submerged base to its summit (compared with Everest’s 29,000 feet)! The dormant volcano is home to the native gods and ideal for stargazing, either with the naked eye or the summit’s Subaru Telescope (book ahead). Go earlier and you’ll get an orange blaze—and maybe an elusive green flash—during sunset, too. Note that the high altitude poses serious health risks: Stop for a half hour at the visitor center to acclimate. Plan for steep, winding roads passable only via 4WD. Do not visit the mountaintop within 24 hours of scuba diving.

A grand hotel in the Old World tradition, the Peninsula Beverly Hills exudes luxury with its gilded chandeliers and wood-paneled walls. From the moment a white-gloved valet opens the oversize front doors, every guest is treated like royalty. The elegant marble bathrooms—larger than some apartments—feature both soaking tub and shower, plus the softest bathrobes imaginable. Guests can enjoy a leisurely alfresco breakfast on the rooftop alongside wheeling and dealing studio types before moving over to a poolside cabana for a few hours of basking and celebrity-spotting.


Don’t forget to squeeze in a spa treatment—the Peninsula Spa is the beauty and relaxation regimen of more than a few big names. Afternoon tea in the Living Room can’t be missed, thanks to the spread of scones and finger sandwiches, accompanied by live harp music. Even though the hotel is in the heart of Beverly Hills, with trendy shops and restaurants only blocks away, the hotel’s complimentary Rolls-Royce service can drop guests anywhere they need to go in the area.

Parque de Oueste is a shady park toward the north of the city. The park is known for its rose gardens, as well as being home to the Temple of Debod, a gift for the Egyptian state in 1968. The overlook of the park offers beautiful views of the Royal Palace and the larger Casa Del Campo. It’s an ideal spot to split a bottle of wine with friends and watch the sunset after a long day of exploring Madrid.

When the Ritz-Carlton Dallas opened in 2007, it didn’t have to go far to find a star chef for its gourmet restaurant. Dubbed the father of Southwestern cuisine, and the author of notable cookbooks like The Texas Food Bible, Dean Fearing had helped earn the restaurant at the Mansion on Turtle Creek numerous awards during his two decades there—but was now up to the challenge of opening his own place. A decade-plus later, the James Beard Award–winning Fearing continues to be a favorite for its Southwestern-accented American menus crafted with regional products.

Reasonably priced food is somewhat hard to come by in the upscale hamlet of Lake Louise, which is why Bill Peyto’s Café is such a find. Located in the HI Lake Louise Alpine Centre hostel and within walking distance of the Samson Mall, Peyto’s has a sizable dining room and an outdoor patio that’s perfect for relaxing on warm, sunny days. The menu is almost as vast as a classic Greek diner’s, including everything from a Thai stir-fry to a traditional poutine, but its dishes are executed flawlessly. (If you’re looking for standard pub fare, you can choose from plenty of burger options.) Servings are generous and cheap, meaning you’ll want to arrive early to lock down a table—especially in the summer.

Wonderful catamarans that you can rent right off the beach.

Streams in the Smoky Mountains are among the most productive mountain trout fisheries in the world, but without knowing where to go, you’re likely to do a lot more fishing than catching. The staff at the Smoky Mountain Angler, Gatlinburg’s most respected tackle and guide shop, can point you in the right direction. Better yet, they can take you there, whether you want to target trout or bass. They’re also proficient in the quickly growing technique of Euro nymphing, featuring fast-sinking flies that open up waters that are nearly impossible to fish with a traditional approach. The Angler also sells fishing licenses and rents waders and rods, so even if you’re determined to have a solo outing, it’s a smart first stop.

The Palatine Hill was home to an early Roman settlement and had major significance for the city’s history. Legend states that Romulus founded Rome on that hill in 753 B.C.E., and Romans even maintained a cult site sacred to the founding father for about 1,000 years. When the emperors rose to power, they chose the Palatine as the location for their sprawling villas and built enormous marble-clad structures to showcase their wealth and power. Today, the ruins of their majestic estates rise above the Forum and Circus Maximus, reminders of the grand imperial past. A visit is included in the price of a ticket to the Forum or Colosseum.

This restaurant is such an institution that it predates the city’s most iconic landmark—the Hollywood sign. In a way, Hollywood was born in Musso & Frank’s red booths, back when the famed boulevard was still a dirt road. The restaurant opened in 1919, and much of the menu remains from the first chef, Frenchman Jean La Rue, who used to specially prepare fettuccini alfredo for silent film stars Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. Only two executive chefs have held the job since. Dinner dishes such as lobster thermidor and grenadine of beef take you back half a century, while chicken pot pie (on Thursdays only) and steaks, cooked on L.A.’s oldest open-fire grill, taste comfortingly familiar. Don’t miss brunch, which features Greta Garbo’s favorite Flannel Cake, a cross between a pancake and crepe invented by chef La Rue in the 1920s. In keeping with the authentic vintage spirit, martinis are strictly stirred—never shaken—and served with a mini glass sidecar containing the rest of the drink in its own tiny ice bucket. Pro tip: Order the off-menu slow-roasted prime rib, finished on the mesquite grill and served rare.

Around 100 miles from Reykjavik, and easily accessible due to its location on the main ring road, the tiny and cute village of Vík í Mýrdal has only under 300 inhabitants but is nonetheless one of the south coast’s key highlights. This is mainly because of its distinctive black-sand beach, Reynisfjara, which offers striking basalt columns and lava formations to admire, cliffs and caves to explore and, slightly out to sea, Dyrhólaey, a small promontory featuring a famous arch. Right behind the village also lies the mighty Mýrdalsjökull glacier, which offers some great hiking and other activities, and its worth walking up to quaint white village church (Reyniskirkja) for the views back down to the sea.

Cape Town already feels like it’s at the tip of the world, but the sensation is magnified at Tintswalo Atlantic, where guests get cozy in suites just a few feet from the ocean. Park in the lot just off famed Chapman’s Peak Drive and take the hotel van, which winds its way down a steep road and drops guests at a collection of semi-detached units. Each is themed after a different island—Zanzibar, Antigua, Sicily, and, oddly enough, Robben (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned). The details are thoughtful, however, from the elaborate, wood-carved headboards to the seashell-encrusted bathroom walls and idyllic paintings. It’s hard to find a setting more romantic and remote. In the unlikely event that you want to venture out, there’s a shuttle that whisks guests to Cape Town, just over 30 minutes away.

One&Only Royal Mirage, the calmest and most elegant of Dubai’s mainland beach resorts, consists of three Arabian-styled palace hotels set amid a lush, 65-acre palm garden fronted by a three-quarter-mile white-sand beach. The Palace, the oldest and largest hotel, still has the feeling of an intimate escape despite the past decade’s frenetic high-rise construction along the coastal highway. The Arabian Court draws local couples and, in winter, sheikhs who take trained falcons to tea in the lobby. The most exclusive joint, the Residence, is closest to the spa where guests indulge in massage-themed vacations. All rooms share a French-Moroccan decor and courteous staff who continually offer fruit skewers, cold towels, and drinks around four of the U.A.E’s most beautiful outdoor pools.

Spanning a massive 129,166 square feet, the Pinakothek der Moderne is really four different museums: the Sammlung Moderne Kunst, the Design Museum, the State Graphic Collection, and the Architekturmuseum. As such, it’s one of Europe’s biggest institutions for modern and contemporary art, design, and architecture, offering a sweeping overview of 20th- and 21st-century culture, from avant-garde sculpture to digital installations. Notable for its 82-foot glass dome, the building is bright and airy, with plenty of room for walking around and experiencing all that’s on display. Tour the permanent collections on the upper floors, then head down to the ground floor to see the graphic, architectural, and temporary exhibitions.

The 17th century mansion that houses Oaxaca‘s contemporary art museum is commonly referred to as “La Casa de Cortes,” although it was in fact built over a century after the death of Hernan Cortes, it is certainly lavish enough to have been worthy of the great conquistador. The front of the building has the family seal of the Lazo de la Vega and Pinelo families, who were the home’s original inhabitants. The state government acquired the building in 1986 and it housed a different museum prior to the opening of the MACO (Museo de Arte Contemporareo de Oaxaca) in 1992. The museum has 13 exhibit rooms, with the permanent collection on the second floor, and downstairs areas are used for temporary exhibits, which change frequently.

If Torre Latinoamericana, whose construction was completed in 1956, looks familiar, it shouldn’t be hard to place the resemblance: this skyscraper, once Mexico City‘s tallest at just under 600 feet, looks quite a bit like New York City‘s Empire State Building. What makes the torre significant, other than that fun historical fact, is this: It has survived many earthquakes, including the devastating 1985 earthquake. As such, it is widely considered to be the first major skyscraper in the world to be built on active seismic land. From its mirador, or observatory, you can see for miles and miles, getting a true appreciation of the city’s vast expanse. You can also take some excellent photos of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, which is just across the street.