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I bet that you only think of Florida as the ideal place to escape the winter cold? And even with only a three hour direct flight from cities in the Northeast, Miami isn’t top of mind to visit in the humid, hot summer. But Amelia Island’s cooler micro-climate, most definitely should be as destinations in Northern Florida have the opposite season as their counterparts in South Florida. I love The Ritz-Carlton brand, so where else to recommend but The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island? If you need a few more reasons to make reservations, I have them. The Spa: The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island offers a “sunrise seaside cabana experience.” Relax during the organic massage while listening to the sounds of the ocean (oh my!). Refresh with a glass of champagne to greet the sun. The Food: Their restaurant, Salt, is known for the forty salts used tableside to enhance the flavor of the Chef’s contemporary cuisine. Learn about the specialty salts in the hotel’s “Salt Immersion” class. The Cooking School: Salt chef de Cuisine, Rick Laughlin hosts a highly interactive cooking school with a small group of guests who rotate in stations while cooking their multi-course lunch. The Adopt a Dune Program: This " feel good factor” lets families donate to nurture the beautiful dune-lined, barrier island beaches of Amelia via Community Footprints Dune Restoration Fund. The BMW Test Drives: Vroom-vroom. Hotel guests have the rare opportunity to take a test drive in the sleek, new BMW models.

“I’ve never seen so much red – except at a French brothel,” a fellow guest said to me as we rode the elevator together. She was right. From the moment you enter the lobby, the Rouge lives up to its colorful name with its red quartz tile, red lamps, and the Red Hot Room (for meetings). You’ll find crimson headboards and velvet drapes in each room -- although there’s plenty of zebra print, too. One of eight Kimpton hotels in Washington, DC, Rouge is certainly the rosiest. Stylish and eclectic in that Kimpton fashion, my street-facing room was both comfy and oversized – and convenient. It’s just three blocks to DuPont Circle and then only a bit further to Rock Creek Park (great for jogging, biking, or just walking). The White House is five blocks away and Whole Foods Market just two. For the athletically minded (like me), the good news is that each room has a yoga mat in the closet and nearly all are large enough to do a complete Vinyasa flow. The less good news: the small fitness room in the basement is dreary (but for $5 you can get a pass to the local “Y,” which has every amenity, including a 25-meter pool). The Rouge’s guests are as idiosyncratic as its décor. Families, business warriors, and hipsters seem to be the main human food groups –converging for the hotel’s wine hour from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and at then, again, breakfast. If eclectic’s your thing, the Rouge is your place. Leave the rose-colored glasses at home – you won’t need them here.

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.

In 1927, the mayor of Guadalajara, Gustavo R. Cristo, commissioned burgeoning architect Luis Barragán to build him a home. The result was Casa Cristo, which now functions as the headquarters for the College of Architects of the State of Jalisco. Complete with high arches, stained-glass windows, and a tiled roof, the building reflects Barragán’s early fascination with Moorish design. However, glimpses of the style that came to define his later, better-known work are also visible, from the local artisan elements (adobe walls, cedar wood, stained glass made in Tonala) to the bright colors and flow of natural light that suggests a place both modern and steeped in history. Although certain changes have been made to the original house (the removal of the garden, the replacement of original tiles), the building remains relatively well-preserved and merits a visit.

Don’t be confused by the name: This isn’t street food so much as dockside warehouse food. Walk over Inderhavnsbroen, one of the city’s newer bridges (opened in 2016), and you’ll cross from the heart of Copenhagen to a former industrial area that is now a foodie paradise. It is to the city what Borough Market is to London—a hugely popular attraction where people flock to eat great food off paper plates. Chinese, Korean, Italian, Moroccan . . . It’s all here and so inviting that it’s hard to know where to start. The only note of caution: Copenhagen Street Food is so popular that the weekend crowds can be intimidating.

Occupying 28 ocean-front acres on the northwest coast of the Bay of Culebra, Andaz Peninsual Papagayo evokes its natural surroundings at every turn. Costa Rican architect Ronald Zürcher took an organic approach to the design of the buildings, modeling rooflines on shapes found in the shells and cocoons that appear on local shores and in the jungle canopy.

Even standard rooms—which are sprinkled over a hillside that’s bookended with beaches—elicit a strong sense of place with hand-carved artifacts, forest views, and walk-in rain showers that open to large balconies, blurring the line between indoors and outside. (Luxury seekers can upgrade to a suite to take advantage of soaking tubs and private plunge pools.)

For the actively inclined, there’s a golf course, tennis course, and access to nearby zip-lining, though no one would blame you for kicking your feet up by a pool overlooking the bay; there’s an adults-only infinity pool as well. Ostra serves fresh seafood caught in local waters, while Chao Pescao offers the ultimate expression of pura vida with tapas and small plates, a first-rate mixologist, and live music and dancing on Saturday nights.

After a hard day of chorten circling and monastery mayhem, there’s nothing like a cellar temperature beer and some fresh, hot fries to drive out the demons of the day’s travels. We found ourselves in this remote corner of Eastern Bhutan, actually all of Eastern Bhutan is remote, with our stop for the night at the Karmaling. It had to be good with “karma” in its namesake. Of course, there was no power in Trashyangtse the afternoon we arrived, typical, and a town without electricity that is normally pretty quiet, is really quiet. The propane was still working at the hotel and the fries were hand-cut and served with a homemade ketchup. The place was really quite comfortable and the owner, very accommodating. The town is home to Chorten Kora, a stupa style normally found in Nepal; revered here and well preserved. The Himalayan south slope seems close enough to touch with the river Kulong cutting through the valley and picking up speed. There is the Rodungla trek west to Tangmachhu with its twelve thousand foot pass, but we couldn’t find anyone to talk with that had done it. A short day hike up out of the valley was enough of a persuader to send us back to town with a sense of having done enough. The Karmaling is a sweet spot at the end of the road north. The road east leads to Arunachal Pradesh, India and the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama. We couldn’t talk our guides into sneaking us into India for a quick visit; instead sending us south with the mountains in the rear view.

Philippe Starck’s design firm, Yoo, transformed an 1872 dowager hotel into the 63-room Hotel Sans Souci Wien. Expect oversize Starck and Arne Jacobsen furnishings, four-poster beds, parquet floors, pillows made with Fornasetti fabrics, and pieces from the owner’s art collection (Picassos among them) that contrast with a soft color scheme. Downstairs in the spa, you’ll find a true Viennese rarity: a 65-foot indoor pool.

Houston‘s beer scene has commanded national attention for years thanks to its quality craft brews, and there’s no better place to sample some than at Saint Arnold Brewing Company. Founded in the mid-1990s, it has the esteemed title of being the oldest craft brewery in Texas. Monday through Friday the beer hall is open from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; there’s no charge for admission and brewery tours are offered at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. On Saturdays, the beer hall is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and admission is $10, which includes a souvenir glass and four 8 oz. tastings; tours are held at noon, 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. One lesser-known secret about the beer hall? It serves up excellent à la carte food, too.

The one-hour drive from Cabo San Lucas to Todos Santos is dotted with tempting detours. Chief among them is Playa Cerritos, one of the few Pacific-side beaches safe for swimming. Of course, it’s not the swimming conditions that attract legions of surfers each year, but the wonderful swells and breaks, which invariably make for an excellent outing on the waves. You can rent a board or sign up for lessons at Mario Surf School, and otherwise there’s plenty to support a day at the beach. Grab a bite at the Cerritos Beach Club, pick up a trinket or two from one of the local artisans, and treat yourself to a shoreline horseback ride or an oceanfront massage.

The recently restored church of Our Lady of Laeken is located near the Royal Residence. This ornate cathedral was built by King Leopold I, in memory of his wife, Queen Louise-Marie to honor her wish to be buried in Laeken. The Church was designed by Joseph Poelaert who was also the architect of the (in)famous Law Courts in Brussels. The church’s crypt is the final resting place of many members of the Belgian Royal family and contains the tombs of all of the country’s former kings.

Enjoy these stunning oceanview and beachside cabanas at The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort, a seaside resort in Cancun, Mexico. Enjoy the turquoise blue waters of the Caribbean, a sweet haven for the sun-seekers. A perfect place to soak under the sun, swim or people-watch. $400/night.

Vilakazi is perhaps the most famous street in Soweto—or all of Johannesburg, for that matter. It’s the only street in the world to have produced two Nobel Prize winners—His Excellency Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu. It’s also where 13-year-old Hector Pieterson was shot dead, sparking the riots on June 16, 1976.

At the corner of Vilakazi and Ngakane streets, you’ll find the Mandela House, which serves as a beautiful testament to Madiba as well as to the greater fight for equal rights in South Africa and around the world. The rest of Vilakazi Street, however, is pretty average—a place where people live and work every day. In its simplicity, it proves that greatness can come from the most ordinary of places. Since it’s still home to so many people, approach the street with respect. Hire a local guide and take care when exploring the surrounding neighborhood of Soweto.

An edgy crowd gathers at Szimpla Kert, a wacky ruin pub in the old Jewish Quarter. On entering, you’ll be overwhelmed by the maze of rooms, where you might find recycled computer monitors, towering piles of books, hookah pipes, or live music. Bars throughout pour beer and, of course, shots of pálinka.

Austrian culture is deeply rooted in skiing and Skicircus is its crowning achievement. Spread over Saalbach-Hinterglemm and Leogang, the winter sports area features nearly 170 miles of piste terrain and is extremely popular with both skiers and snowboarders. Guests can look forward to 70 cableways and lifts, more than 60 cozy ski huts, numerous snow parks, floodlit slopes, and toboggan runs. For those not staying at the resort, the Salzburg Snow Shuttle provides transportation from the city to the slopes.