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The Museum of Ham, Museo del Jamon has a hold on the heart of Madrid. The excellent prices, large spaces, and convenient hours of operation mean that the Museo is nearly always packed after working hours. Feel like a local, and push your way to the bar to order a caña (small beer) and tapa. While the chain’s food is nothing out of the ordinary, it’s the feeling of being one with the locals that makes a visit to the museum fun. Image courtesy of Museo del Jamon.

Located on the north side of Playa del Carmen, the family-friendly Plaza Las Americas houses 12 movie theaters and well known Mexican department stores such as Liverpool and Sanborns. There are also clothing shops and boutiques, as well as a supermarket and large food court.

The menú del día is a uniquely Spanish tradition. Who in the rest of the world has time to sit for two hours and drink wine, consume multiple courses, all in the normal workday? If you want to experience a traditional menú del día, food that is not glamorous but is nothing if not fresh and made by hand, Politena is your spot. Centrally located and very fairly priced, it’s a perfect example of a great, classic menú del día. Down to the ‘mi casa’ ambience.

Wonderful catamarans that you can rent right off the beach.

Requiring some expert navigating through the graffiti-covered back alleys of town, it’s not easy to find the restaurant/pub Osteria del Sole. But like most tricky things in life, this one’s worth it in the end. Lorenzo, the owner, has just recently returned to Genoa to open Osteria Del Sole after 13 years of running restaurants in New York City (thus, he speaks incredible English), and brings a metropolitan feel to his space (I love the couches in the front). Come early to grab a seat at the bar (a real rarity in Genoa). With a great liquor cabinet, feel free to order your favorite cocktail, and then stay for dinner. Lorenzo has a fabulous kitchen.

Corona Del Mar is the ideal beach for an early morning swim. (Yes, it will be invigorating!) There are buoys a couple of hundred yards out from the shore line to guide you, as well as the long rock jetty that keeps the water fairly calm. Want things a little more intimate? Take a short stroll south to find Little Corona Beach, the smaller and lesser-known of the two. Parking: Give yourself a little exercise and park on one of the residential streets above the beach to avoid paying for parking.

This tavern-based tapas bar in Madrid was founded in 1906 and fiercely carries out the tapas tradition. It has had many famous patrons, including Andy Warhol, and has a great wine selection as well as beers to go along with the famous garlic prawns and langoustines.

This handicraft shop on the corner of 5 de Mayo and Morelos is impossible to miss: you can spot the lovely handcrafted pieces from the street through the floor-to-ceiling windows. You’ll find an excellent selection of high quality items from around Oaxaca. La Casa del Rebozo is a cooperative formed by 84 artisans from various regions of Oaxaca. Their handicrafts are of high quality, and show innovation though they’re made with ancient techniques inherited through generations.

Why we love it: A laidback but luxurious coastal retreat set in one of Southern California’s loveliest villages

The Highlights:
- Comfortable, light-filled rooms with private balconies
- Outdoor dining with ocean views
- A beautiful beach just a short walk down the hill

The Review:
Self-described as “your home by the sea,” L’Auberge Del Mar feels more like a mansion plucked from a Nancy Meyers movie. The immaculate property comprises 121 estate-style bedrooms set around a central pool and dining terrace just steps from a textbook SoCal beach. Rooms are full of welcoming touches—plush bedding, marble bathrooms, private balconies or patios, and carefully curated books on local topics—while facilities include several upscale dining and drinking options as well as two tennis courts, a 24-hour fitness center, and an award-winning spa. The hotel even welcomes dogs—and remembers them from previous visits—adding a personal touch to every stay.

Stop by the Living Room for cocktails and regular live music, savor fish tacos at the outdoor Shoreline restaurant as the sun dips into the Pacific, or end the night by the firepits at Bleu Bar. During the day, head to nearby Powerhouse Park and Beach for surfing, swimming and sunbathing, or Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve for hiking. Both Del Mar village and neighboring La Jolla offer upscale shopping and dining, and San Diego is less than 30 minutes on the freeway. Should you wish to stay closer to “home,” there are Electra Beach Cruisers available to rent as well as a village shuttle that covers a one-mile radius around town.

Teotitlan del Valle is world-renowned for its production of high quality woven goods. The weaving tradition in this village dates back to ancient times, when they paid tribute to the Aztecs in weavings, although at that time they wove mostly cotton and used the backstrap loom. The majority of the residents in this community speak Zapotec as well as Spanish and have conserved many of their traditions. On a visit to Teotitlan you can visit a family of weavers and they will show you the whole process of how the rugs are made from spinning the wool to dyeing it (using natural colors such as the cochineal and indigo) and weaving the rugs. Designs range from traditional geometric patterns like those found on the walls of the nearby Mitla archaeological site, to more modern designs such as reproductions of the work of contemporary artists.

Quinta Del Carmen’s story begins in 1916, when it was built as a weekend home for a wealthy family. Since then, this charming stucco, Spanish-style structure has served as staff housing for Aruba’s first hospital, a clubhouse for oil-refinery workers, a private residence, and finally as an elegant restaurant specializing in seafood—although there are plenty of options for carnivores and a few for vegetarians as well. You can dine inside or out, where twinkling lights and lush foliage make for a garden-like atmosphere. Specialties include the seafood paella and sucade lappen, a traditional Dutch beef stew slow-cooked in red wine, herbs, and plenty of butter until it’s fall-from-the-fork tender.

Sunny days should be cherished, and Puerto Rico offers plenty of them. Beaches are wonderful when you’re seeking to escape the heat, but Old San Juan will have you embracing the rays and feeling just as wild and free. The whole family will have a blast running around the fields of El Morro, tirelessly trying to keep a cat- or airplane-shaped kite soaring through the air. At the Plaza del Quinto Centenario, where water shoots up from the ground in foamy jets, join the locals as they gather around to frolic and cool off.

Central Plaza is a lovely place to spend the day and watch the community wind down in the evening. During the day, the plaza is full of music and children playing, and the surrounding streets are full of restaurants, shops, and art galleries. As the sun sets, the plaza gets quieter; the town’s lights turn on, and the children leave, one-by-one, to go home for the night. Stay late and enjoy the peace and quiet of the sleepy plaza, or head down one of the side streets and partake of the local nightlife!

The Museo del Novecento (Museum of the 20th century) is a visual lesson in one century of Italian art history. Housed is the 1930s Palazzo dell’Arengario by Rationalist architects Piero Portaluppi and Giovanni Muzio. The Novecento also houses an amazing collection, Who’s Who of the 1900s, including Italians Balla, Modigliani, Boccioni, Martini, Morandi, and De Chirico and international artists like Picasso, Matisse, and Klee. In fact, the museum is considered one of the world’s most important collections of Italian and international 20th-century art in Italy—Futurism, Spatialism, and Arte Povera. Keep your eye out for Piero Manzoni’s clever Arte Povera pieces, Arturo Marini’s large stone figures, and Pellizza Da Volpedo’s monumental painting Il Quarto Stato (The Fourth Estate). Martini also did the palazzo’s exterior bas relief. Bonus: The upper level bar/restaurant overlooks Piazza del Duomo.

Built on the foundations of a 16th century fortification, the Museo delle Culture del Mondo is housed in the 19th century Castello D’Albertis - the private home of the global traveler and collector of antiquities. Veer off the standard art/church museum trail, and up the massive staircase to the Castello, to see a beautifully preserved piece of Genovese history (and some super fascinating collections of global interest). While the walk is quite the hike, the view from the top floor library of the museum is stunning.