30 Warm Places We'd Rather Be Right Now

We're currently spending our summer days in the office, but we're all dreaming of the same thing: warm sunshine and sandy beaches. Here are 30 places we'd like to escape to immediately.
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    Mauritius

    With turquoise lagoons and marine life-rich sea, no wonder Mauritius wants to protect its environment, its biggest tourist draw. The African island nation launched a community-based coral-farming program to protect its reefs. Mauritian coral reefs have not been bleached or devastated by the global warming, so you can still see abundant marine life thriving there. —Chaney Kwak

    Read more: 10 Destinations for Ethical Travel

  • Nicaragua

    From the colorful colonial town of Granada to surfing mecca San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua is emerging as the style set’s favorite destination. (Pictured: The castle-like walls of El Viejo Mercado, or the Old Market, in Masaya.) —Maura Egan

    Read more: Nicaragua's Rainbow-Colored Cities

  • Palawan

    Travelers to Southeast Asia often make a beeline for Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia while overlooking the Philippines. But there’s a natural wonder within the country’s 7,000 islands that you shouldn’t miss. It’s time to turn the spotlight on El Nido in Palawan Island. You’ll find a few hammocks on local beaches, but this one has a particularly spectacular view of the South China Sea and Cadlao Island. —Aubrey Daquinag

    Read more: Why You Should Visit This Natural Wonder in the Philippines

  • The Aeolian Islands

    The Mediterranean fantasy comes in varying shades of blue and white, but nowhere is it more authentically realized than in the tiny, sparsely populated Aeolian Islands. Pictured are Tiepolo skies over Panarea at sunset (Salina and Filicudi are in the background). —Ondine Cohane

    Read more: The Aeolian Islands: A Mediterranean Fantasy

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  • Bali

    Temple Lodge, a yoga and surf retreat, is perched high above the cliffs of Bali's Bukit Peninsula. Each of its seven suites is decorated with local and natural materials. The rooms reflect the Indonesian tradition of open-air sleeping, so you can fall asleep to the sound of the waves below. The retreat also offers daily yoga classes and healthy lunch and dinner menus. —Anna Chittenden

    Read more: The 7 Coolest Things to Do in Bali

  • Portugal

    The sleepy fishing villages of Portugal’s Herdade da Comporta have always been where the fashionable European crowd goes off the grid. (Pictured: Lunch on the terrace at Sal’s, where everyone gathers for leisurely meals overlooking the beach.) —Maura Egan

    Read more: The Under-the-Radar Cool of Portugal's Comporta

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  • British Virgin Islands

    Who says sailing has to be stuffy? For our August 2014 issue, David Amsden explored the British Virgin Islands with the Sailing Collective, a Brooklyn-based outfitter fueled by youthful bonhomie.

    Read more: The Cruise Line That Started on Instagram

  • Antigua

    One of our fellow guests described [Antigua's Hermitage Bay] perfectly: “Relaxation becomes addictive here.” That makes it ideal for couples who want fully immersive, no-fi communion with nature, yet not at the expense of five-star pampering and refreshingly simple food. We spent our days playing Uno (our family vacation ritual), collecting seashells, drinking rum punches, and wondering where the days went. —Yolanda Edwards

    Read more: Antigua: The Ideal Beach Getaway

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    Rio de Janeiro

    For a long time, Rio deserved its reputation as a city to watch yourself in; violent street crime was rampant, and there were regular police raids in the favelas. Today, in the wake of the World Cup and reforms under President Dilma Rousseff, Rio is transformed. There are now tours of favelas (don't miss the miniature city of Project Morrinho in the Pereira da Silva favela). As in any big city, you need to exercise good judgement. But put it this way: I took a bus back to my hotel at 9 p.m. last March, and felt perfectly safe. —Maria Shollenbarger

    Read more: 10 "Dangerous" Places That Are Actually Safe to Visit

  • Puerto Rico

    Lost in the backstreets of San Juan, author David Amsden finds a very different city on the rise—one that offers up cool new cocktail bars and hidden rooftop farms. Photographer Randy Harris captures the breezy, burgeoning spirit.

    Read more: Discovering the New San Juan

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  • Aruba

    My family has a home on Aruba, so I visit it frequently and know it well—and therefore know too that the 320-room Ritz-Carlton is easily the best resort in the country now. Much of that has to do with the location—on a pristine stretch of white sand called Palm Beach, where you’ll find the Caribbean’s most exceptional windsurfing. It’s also a perfect place to bring the kids: The sea remains calm and shallow for about a half mile out, so conditions are always right for kayaking and paddleboarding. There’s a huge children’s pool (couples and singles can head to the adults-only one) and a slew of activities at the kids’ club, from arts and crafts to movie nights. But even though the property is family-friendly in almost every way, it’s not like the adults can’t have fun on their own: Grown-ups can head to the spa or partake in a yoga session at the fitness center, all while knowing that their children are safe with the on-site staff of babysitters. —William Hereford

  • Caz Makepeace

    Western Australia

    Esperance is home to some of Australia’s most picture-perfect beaches and is isolated enough that you won't have to deal with crowds of people--maybe just a few kangaroos who like to bounce up and down the beaches. The spectacular countryside also boasts a pink lake, pristine national parks, and a surrounding archipelago.It is the iconic Australian snapshot you’ve been dying to get. —Caz Makepeace

    Read more: Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Western Australia

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  • Mexico City

    A metropolis like no other, Mexico's colossal capital overflows with ancient and contemporary treasures, from stunning hotels to some of Latin America's most exciting restaurants. (Pictured: The rooftop pool at the Downtown México, a seventeenth­-century palace turned high­ design hotel in the city’s historic center.)

    Read more: The Culture, Cuisine and Museums of Mexico City

  • Florida Keys

    The Florida Keys are laid-back, delightfully kitschy…and best seen from a convertible. So throw some T-shirts and shorts in a duffel bag, fill up the gas tank, and leave plenty of time for snorkeling, walking in the footsteps of Hemingway—and of course Key lime pie. You’re on island time now. —Kate Maxwell

    Read more: The Perfect Florida Road Trip Through the Florida Keys

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  • Belize

    Sofia Coppola understands the transformative power of a hotel better than most. The filmmaker and style icon grew up as a sort of real-life Eloise, traveling the world with her father, director cum hotelier Francis Ford Coppola, who over the years has built a small empire of luxury retreats. She set two of her movies in hotels, mining the serene dislocation of the Park Hyatt Tokyo in Lost in Translation and the languorous debauchery of Chateau Marmont in Somewhere. And when Coppola wants to fully check out, it’s at her family’s Turtle Inn resort in Placencia, Belize, that she checks in. —Hugh Garvey

    Read more: Sofia Coppola's Guide to Belize

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    Oahu, HI

    The most visited of Hawaii’s islands, Oahu is the seat of the state capital, Honolulu, and also the site of historic Pearl Harbor. The island’s North Shore is legendary for its surfing, and Oahu is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in America. —Jenna Scherer

    Read more: Top 30 Islands in the World

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  • The Sahara Desert

    The Sahara Desert stretches for 3.5 million scorched square miles—and we wanted to experience it as ancient traders did: sitting astride a camel and sleeping under the stars. Our trek’s camel experts are Berber teenagers, members of a 4,000-year-old tribe indigenous to North Africa. They're at ease in this harsh environment. —Kelly Phillips Badal

    Read more: Riding Camelback: A Sahara Desert Vacation

  • New Zealand

    The two islands where the Maori settled had been free of human interference since splitting from the Gondwana supercontinent eighty million years before. On the southern island, the Maori discovered greenstone for carving weapons and ornaments, parrots in the snowbound mountains, and, across the archipelago, flightless birds, streams filled with giant eels, a seashore abundant with crustaceans, but no mammals apart from seals, dolphins, whales, and three species of bat. —Susan Hack

    Read more: New Zealand's Otherworldly Landscapes

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    El Matador Beach, Los Angeles

    Sometimes it seems like everyone in L.A. heads to Zuma Beach in Malibu on the weekends, but if you drive just four miles north you can get some privacy (and breathtaking scenery) at El Matador. It's one of my favorite beaches in California—especially at sunset. —John Wogan

    Read more: 19 Under-the-Radar Beaches You Should Visit

  • Rajasthan, India

    The plains of Rajasthan stretch out in every direction from Lakshman Sagar, a nineteenth-century nobleman's hunting lodge that has since been transformed into a 12-villa resort. A swimming pool (pictured) and a nearby lake (the site of evening barbecues and bonfires) provide cool respite amid the otherwise arid landscape. —Aimee Hirsch

    Read more: Vacation Ideas: 50 Ways to Beat the Heat

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  • Pipa, Brazil

    Going to Brazil for the World Cup was a dream come true. While planning with some of my best friends, I enlisted the help of travel specialist Martin Frankenberg to navigate the confusing hotel situation during a competitive time. Martin suggested we stay an hour and half away from host city Natal to get the most bang for our buck. His insight proved invaluable, and our time at Toca da Coruja in Pipa was dreamy. —Leonor Mamanna

    Read more: Editors' Favorite Trips of 2014

  • Ken Kochey

    Moorea, French Polynesia

    From the one-resort islands of Fiji to the bleached-white beaches of French Polynesia, Bob Payne finds that paradise lives on. Our guide to the South Pacific includes coverage of Bora Bora, Tahiti, Moorea, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Samoa and Vanuatu.

    Read more: South Pacific Island Finder: Places & Prices

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    The Seychelles

    Giant tortoises, coconut crabs, and black parrots claim this idyllic archipelago as home, due north of Madagascar. The dramatic rock formations along Anse Source d’Argent on La Digue Island compete with the more than 900-meter-high Morne Seychellois on Mahé and dense tropical forests of Praslin islands. Both Raffles and the Four Seasons resorts made our Hot List in recent years, and both are a collection of villas with butlers and private pools.

    Read more: 10 Places Where It's Never Cold

  • Tulum, Mexico

    Travel south along the road to Boca Paila and you’ll find Playa Paraiso, or “Paradise Beach.” They're not kidding about the name, so sit back on the white sand and relax in crystal clear water. There are change rooms and lockers if you need to store your street clothes, plus a restaurant and several food vendors if you want snacks or a drink during the day. As an added bonus, parking and beach access are both free. The nearby El Paraiso Hotel has a 24/7 Playa Paraiso webcam feed for when you need to daydream again. —Jinna Yang

    Read more: 5 Things to Do in Tulum, Mexico

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  • Anna Chittenden

    Tanzania

    Want to experience life as a desert nomad? Head to safari camp Kigelia Ruaha in southern Tanzania, where adventure doesn’t compromise comfort and style. The camp is made up of six airy canvas tents all filled with locally crafted light wooden furniture, hotel-worthy bed linens, an en-suite bathroom, and panoramic views over the landscape. —Anna Chittenden

    Read more: Camping in Style in a Remote South Tanzanian Desert

  • Oaxaca, Mexico

    The southern Mexican city of Oaxaca conceals an intricate blend of food, crafts, and history behind its brightly painted facades. (Pictured: A quiet courtyard garden at La Quinta Real Oaxaca, originally the Convent of Santa Catalina de Siena, constructed in 1576.) —Stephen Orr

    Read more: Pure Mexico: The Mystery and Charm of Oaxaca

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    São Paulo

    The lobby at Fasano Hotel São Paulo, a popular meeting spot for local glitterati, has leather chairs and antiques from France and England. All rooms have Egyptian cotton linens and goose-down pillows; two-bedroom suites have panoramic city views.

    Read more: 20 Places You'd Rather Be When the Deep Freeze Hits

  • Julien Capmeil

    The Caribbean

    When galloping gourmet Anthony Bourdain ate at this Playa Jobos spot, he declared, "Food tastes better when you're not wearing shoes." It's a common reaction to the Sonia Rican, which features a smattering of tables, a salsa-pumping jukebox, and a view of locals shredding the waves. —Julien Capmeil

    Read more: The Best Beachside Bars and Restaurants in the Caribbean