Set on the edge of a vast harbor on Tasmania’s wild west coast, Strahan feels like a place shaped by both sea and story. Once a busy port serving nearby mining settlements, it still carries echoes of ships, timber yards, and hardworking crews who relied on the sheltered waters of Macquarie Harbour. Today, that same harbor is the starting point for journeys into remote landscapes, with boats gliding toward places that were once feared as much as they were relied upon.

Over the last few years, the Kohala Coast on the Big Island's northwest side has become Hawaii's leading luxury resort destination. Spread along some 20 miles of spectacular warm, dry lava desert coastline north of Kailua-Kona are the magnificent resorts. Enjoy world-class luxury accommodations with vacation activities like golf, tennis, water sports, and fine dining.

Lobesa–Metsina is a rural area in Punakha District, western Bhutan, set within the warm and fertile Punakha Valley. The settlements lie among rice paddies, mustard fields, orchards, and forested hills, with the Punatsangchhu River shaping the wider valley landscape. Lobesa is located along the main road linking Punakha and Wangdue Phodrang and provides access to villages and agricultural areas surrounding the valley. The region has a distinctly rural character, with traditional Bhutanese houses,

Nosara, on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, is a laid-back coastal town known for its strong connection to wellness, nature, and surf culture. Unlike some of the country’s busier resorts, Nosara has kept development low-key, with no large beachfront hotels and a community that values sustainability.

Santander, the capital of Spain’s Cantabria region, sits along the Bay of Biscay and offers travelers a mix of coastline, culture, and history shaped by centuries of maritime life. Once a bustling port for Castilian exports, Santander saw its golden age in the 19th century when Spanish royalty turned it into a summer retreat. The legacy of that era remains visible at the Palacio de la Magdalena, perched on a peninsula with views of the sea and home to royal stables, a mini zoo, and guided tours.