​Sayulita.  If you haven’t visited Sayulita yet, you hopefully at least have it on your radar. This is the most picturesque of the Riviera Nayarit’s 23 micro-destinations, with local art and decorations on every corner. You can stop in for souvenirs, a surfing class and the iconic Instagram photo on the street with the colorful papel picado or cut-paper flags.!

Isla Isabel National Park.  This natural oasis on Isabel Island is ideal for connecting with nature: You can only get here with a guided tour from San Blas and you have to spend the night, since the tide prevents a round trip in one day. Here you’ll see plenty of fauna including the whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, frigates, seagulls and blue-footed boobies.  PS: This adventure is only for nature-lovers! 

Saltwater Pool.   A day spent splashing around in the water is awesome, but doing it in a saltwater pool is twice as nice. Located across from the Palladium Resort in Punta de Mita, this is a big must. This saltwater pool depends on the tide, so it’s only possible to swim in it when the waves literally fill it up.

Cerro del Mono (Monkey Mountain).  The best place to view the sunset! Great for people who love to hike. There are two routes: one for intermediate hikers and another for more experienced ones. Once you reach the top, you’ll be treated to the most jaw-dropping view of the Riviera Nayarit. If you’d rather hike in the morning, the view is just as lovely. 

Isla del Coral (Coral Island).   Paradise doesn’t get any better than this! Just 10 minutes by boat from lovely Rincón de Guayabitos puts you in the Riviera Nayarit’s gorgeous natural aquarium: Isla del Coral, or Coral Island. This place will knock your socks off with its crystal-clear water just made for snorkeling, swimming or paddle boarding. Highly recommended! 

Chris Rakes is an All Inclusive Luxury Expert and Mexico Destination Specialist available and happy to help you research, plan and go on that dream vacation! 

Ready to feast on the latest culinary delights? There’s no better place to taste delicious dishes, learn quick cooking tips from pros and rub elbows with celebrity chefs than at international food festivals. Here are the most exciting epicurean events that will allow you to eat your way around the world.

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
In March, this festival unveils a mouth-watering program of more than 250 events bringing food and wine to the streets of Melbourne over a two-week period. One of its most iconic events is the ‘world’s longest lunch,’ where some 900 diners enjoy a three-course alfresco lunch seated at a snaking 1312-foot-long table, the location of which changes each year. While the cuisine is traditional Australian (think surf ‘n’ turf, not Vegemite), the festival has introduced a special focus on heritage and long-lost culinary skills such as preserving, pickling and smoking.

Montreal Beer Festival
The Montreal Beer Festival is the largest of its kind in Canada, attracting over 80,000 thirsty revelers every June for five days of brewery tastings, beer and cheese workshops, flavor contests, food-beer pairing seminars, musical entertainment and plenty more. Welcoming everyone from curious novices and self-confessed epicureans to the finest beer connoisseurs on the planet, the Mondial de la bière has long been championing the reinstatement of beer’s noble status. There are also food booths offering hearty fare such as boar, ostrich and smoked meats.

Taste of London
Held in Regents Park every June, the Taste of London is a four-day celebration of food and drink. This is where London’s top restaurants – such as Yauatcha, Theo Randall and The Modern Pantry – serve sample-sized dishes with award-winning chefs revealing their tricks of the trade. You can also take part in wine tutorials and cooking classes, and watch chefs wield their knives in the cookery theater. Expect an eclectic array of cuisines, which make this a diverse and multi-cultural event, representing foods from around the world.

Fete de la Crevette (Honfleur, France)
The largest seafood festival in France, the Fete de la Crevette is a two-day event with nautical-themed concerts and gatherings of historical old sea vessels near the mouth of the Seine. Indulge on shrimps, especially the little grey shrimp, or ‘petite grise’, a local specialty, plus a variety of seafood including all manner of unusual subterranean dwellers such as sea spiders. There’s even a shrimp-peeling competition for the nimble fingered.

Taste of Beverly Hills
A relative newcomer to the festival scene, Taste of Beverly Hills is nonetheless an epicurean spectacular worth celebrating. Set on the famous Wilshire Boulevard behind the Beverly Hilton, the five-day event includes cooking demos with world-famous chefs and wine seminars with some of the best vintners in the state. Previous festivals have provided a showcase for celebrity chefs and restaurateurs including Wolfgang Puck, Curtis Stone, Top Chef winner, Michael Voltaggio; French chef Ludo Lefebvre; and Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of the trendy LA restaurant Animal.

Starting a luxury cruise is one of these cities is ideal!

Chances are you’ve visited at least one of the 1,073 World Heritage sites on UNESCO’s ever-growing list of historically and culturally significant destinations. Bucket list all stars include the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge and Serengeti National Park, but not all the sites are as well-known as these storied icons. Here are six under-the-radar gems that might not be on your list — yet. 

Semmering Railway — Austria
Spectacular mountain views will almost make you forget that you’re riding on one of the world’s greatest feats of civil engineering. Built between 1848 and 1854, this dramatic railway utilizes 14 tunnels, 16 major viaducts, 118 stone bridges and 11 iron bridges to pass through some of the highest mountains in the Alps.

Tsodilo — Botswana
Known as the “Louvre of the Desert,” this historic section of the Kalahari Desert is home to the highest concentration of rock art in the world. More than 4,500 paintings are preserved on massive rock formations that rise dramatically from the desert floor making for a remarkable archaeological record that traces human activity from the Stone Age through to the 19th century.

Longmen Grottoes — China
Here you will find the largest and most impressive collection of Chinese stone carving from the late Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties (316-907). Located alongside the Yi River in the Henan province, the grottoes’ caves and niches represent the high point of Chinese stone carving and contain almost 110,000 Buddhist statues, more than 60 stupas and 2,800 inscriptions.

Paphos — Cyprus
Inhabited since the Neolithic period, the city of Paphos still holds the remains of villas, palaces, theaters, fortresses and tombs dedicated to the cult of Aphrodite. Legend says the Greek goddess was born on the island and the buildings constructed in her honor contain some of the world’s most magnificent mosaics.

Old Rauma — Finland
Situated on one of the oldest harbors in Finland, Old Rauma is an outstanding example of a medieval Nordic city. Built around a Franciscan monastery, the city is composed of some 600 wooden buildings that preserve the region’s spectacular architectural heritage.

Aldabra Atoll — Seychelles
The world’s second largest coral atoll, isolated Aldabra is home to the largest population of giant tortoises. Tourism is strictly limited, but the lucky few who get to make the trip experience a marine ecosystem like no other.

Discover Cuban Rum, Cigars & Art in Havana, Cuba

​After decades of being the most elusive port of the Caribbean, guests may once again arrive at Havana Harbor and walk onto the cobbled streets of the old city where time has seemingly stood still. Take a stroll down the iconic Malecon, snap a photo with a 50’s Cadillac and strike up a conversation with locals who are warm, friendly and eager to chat. Cigar aficionados will revel in purchasing hand-made authentic Cubans and literary fans will enjoy ordering a mojito at Hemingway’s favorite bar, El Floridita. Experience the real Havana after the sun sets, whether you dance the night away at a salsa club or catch a show at the world famous Tropicana cabaret.

Shark & Stingray Safari in Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Bora Bora lies 150 miles northwest of Tahiti in the Society Islands. The main island, home to 4,225 inhabitants, is in the center of a multicolored lagoon, surrounded by offshore "motu" islets inside a protective coral necklace. Its lagoon is world-famous for its beauty. A partially paved road circles the island, passing colorful villages, archeological sites, and old Army bunkers and cannons left over from WWII, when 5,000 American GIs made a "friendly invasion."

See Komodo Dragons  in Komodo, Indonesia

Indonesia’s isolated Komodo Island is a natural wonder of tropical savanna and scrubland, home to the famed pre-historic Komodo dragon. Komodo National Park is the only place on earth that they can be found in the wild. The island of Komodo itself is about 60 squares miles in area with dramatic landscapes of 2,000 foot craggy mountains, canyons, Savannas and monsoon rain forests in the valleys. Human habitation is therefore limited to only one settlement in Slawi Bay.

Adelaide Hills Wine Experience in Adelaide, Australia 

This graceful and enchanting city lies nestled on the coastal plain between Gulf St. Vincent and the Adelaide Hills. A metropolis of over one million people, Adelaide boasts tree-lined boulevards, superb Victorian and Edwardian architecture, tranquil parks, world-class shopping, gastronomy and outdoor activity. Indulge your adventurous palate at a nearby wine region like the famed Barossa Valley to pick up a drinkable souvenir.

Explore Sugar Loaf & Copacabana in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil 

There’s a little bit of Carnival celebrated here everyday. From its famous beaches to its iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer, Rio radiates an air of exuberance that is hard to find anywhere else. Make the scene on trendy Ipanema or take a cable car to the summit of Sugar Loaf Mountain and enjoy the amazing views. Sway your hips to the rhythm at a samba show or enjoy the tranquility of king Dom João VI’s Botanical Gardens and verdant Tijuca Forest.​

Journey to Elqui Valley in Coquimbo, Chile
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Coquimbo nestled in Northern Chile, means “place of calm water”, a happy accident of geography that encouraged its development as an important port. According to legend, the English corsair Sir Francis Drake has buried a considerable treasure in the city. In the early 19th century, Coquimbo was just a small fishing village, but when the railway reached the area joining the copper mines to the sea, the town and population increased dramatically. Today, Coquimbo offers the pleasures of a picturesque seaside promenade, the beautifully restored 19th-century architecture of the English Neighborhood and several fine beaches.