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Caelum The confections sold at this candlelit café are baked by Spanish nuns. Many of their creations--flaky almond 'moons' and honey-soaked tuiles with sesame seeds--are on display in the corner picture window. c/de la Palla 8, Barri Gòtic, 011-34/93-302-6993, from $2 Tapioles 53 Australia native Sarah Stothart's almost-two-year-old labor of love is small (just six tables), secret (no sign), and exclusive (dinner only, one seating per night). Expect Stothart, the former personal chef of Rupert Murdoch, to describe each of the day's Mediterranean- and Asian-inspired dishes in great detail tableside. c/Tapioles 53, Poble Sec, 011-34/93-329-2238, closed Sun. and Mon., three courses from $36 Can Majó Catalans put their own spin on paella. Called fideuá, their variation is made with vermicelli noodles instead of rice. The place to get it is at this 40-year-old family-run beachfront restaurant. Order the "regular" with shrimp and mussels, or a fishier variety cooked in squid ink. c/Almirall Aixada 23, La Barceloneta, 011-34/93-221-5818, $18 Gresca The menú del día is a great way to sample Chef Rafael Peña's culinary genius, which he honed under the tutelage of Spain's culinary god, Ferran Adrià. The prix fixe lunch starts with a Parmesan-walnut crisp, best complemented by a glass of cava, Spain's sparkling wine. Menu items change weekly but could include house-marinated anchovies and tender beef cheeks braised in rioja wine. c/Provença 230, L'Eixample, 011-34/93-451-6193, $23 Inopia In just a few short months, the humble tapas bar opened by Albert Adrià (brother of the aforementioned Ferran Adrià) has become white-hot. It's standing room only, but you'll feel like part of the club, surrounded by hipsters sharing plates of patatas bravas (home fries in hot sauce and aioli) and garlic chicken wings. c/Tamarit 104, Sant Antoni, 011-34/93-424-5231, tapas from $2 Cuines Santa Caterina The soaring space has an open kitchen, chunky wood tables, and a tapas bar where specials are scrawled on chalkboards. Locals crowd in at lunchtime for tempura, curry, and terrific vegetarian dishes like grilled asparagus with a zippy romesco sauce. Mercado de Santa Caterina, Avinguda Francesc Cambó 17, La Ribera, 011-34/93-268-9918, entrées from $6 Tomo II Teresa Vázquez de la Cueva's ice-cream shop in El Born--the original location is in Gracia--is anchored by a circular high-tech freezer that keeps her ice creams and sorbets at an ideal -10 degrees Fahrenheit. She makes them by hand, so there's always a fresh batch. c/Argenteria 61, El Born, 011-34/93-319-7739 (and c/Vic 2, Gracia), from $1.30

Tequila may be a favorite of indiscriminating spring breakers, but its intricate, varied flavors rival those of wine or sake. In the Mexican state of Jalisco, tequila's home turf, the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort grows its own blue agave to ferment its tequila. Now the resort has launched a three-night "Secretos de la Familia" program of tastings. The tequila sommelier pours samples of tequila blanco, tequila reposado, and tequila anejo, and explains the drink's legends as well as the latest processing technologies. Participants receive a bottle of tequila and can take a daylong tour of local distilleries for $120 per person. Near the colonial town of Puerto Vallarta, the CasaMagna is surrounded by the Sierra Madre mountains and Banderas Bay. Its 433 rooms each come with a private balcony, and the grounds include tennis courts, an oceanfront infinity pool, restaurants, and a health club. There are complimentary cigar-rolling demonstrations nightly. The package is available through December 16, starting at $222 per room per night, based on single or double occupancy, with daily buffet breakfast included. Hotel taxes are an additional 17 percent. The booking code is WITG; 888/727-2347, casamagnapuertovallarta.com. Related Stories:   Etiquette: Toasts and Drinking Styles around the World   Splurges: What Cocktails to Drink and Where   Cancun's post-Hurricane Wilma Face-Lift   The Easy, Breezy Riviera Maya   Discount Airlines in Mexico

For years, to reach the spectacular Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve, you had to fly to the Sichuan provincial capital, Chengdu, and then take an eight-hour bus ride north. But in 2003, Jiuhuang Airport opened 90 minutes from the reserve; flights from Chengdu and a few smaller cities followed. The airport was expanded this summer, and now it's able to accommodate nonstop flights from Beijing and Shanghai. So what's the appeal? In Jiuzhaigou, streams and waterfalls connect a series of 114 blue and green glacial lakes. The 178,000-acre park is home to thousands of plant species (some are more than 100 million years old), as well as giant pandas and golden monkeys. Natural gas-powered buses take visitors from one scenic overlook to the next. The ban on private cars has protected the park, but not the area that surrounds it. What was once a handful of hotels along the main road is fast becoming a full-blown tourist town called Zhangzha. And with new flights bringing long-weekenders from China's biggest cities, it's only a matter of time before the growth starts to affect Jiuzhaigou. A taxi from the airport to Zhangzha costs about $25. Lodging options include a Sheraton (011-86/837-773-9988, sheraton.com, from $200) and the Heye Hotel (011-86/837-773-5555, dial 0 for reception, from $45). Jiuzhaigou is open 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. year-round (jiuzhaigouvalley.com/english). Admission is $28 ($10 in winter), and it's an additional $11 for a day pass that allows you to hop on and off the park's buses.

The beauty of Ireland's jagged northern edge still feels delightfully quiet and undiscovered. Road signs are in Gaelic, and sheep--only sheep--wander the windswept beaches. An 87-mile drive along the coast from Ballyshannon up to Malin Head, Ireland's northernmost point, is short on your standard tourist activities. But 2,000-foot-tall sea cliffs and dozens of sweet inns make it worth the trip. The Whins, Dunfanaghy There's no better-situated B&B in County Donegal. The second-floor living and dining rooms overlook Horn Head peninsula and Sheephaven Bay. Killahoey Beach, a stretch of white sand that runs the length of the village of Dunfanaghy, is a 10-minute stroll over the dunes. Each of the Whins' four rooms is done in a different color scheme. The seascape room, with blue walls and bowls of shells, has views of both the gardens and the ocean. Proprietress Anne Marie Moore puts houseplants and dried flowers on every horizontal surface, giving the place the relaxed feel of a rustic getaway. 011-353/74-91-36-481, thewhins.com, from $38 per person. The Green Gate, Ardara Who knew a converted barn could be so romantic? Paul Chatenoud, for one. Twenty-two years ago, the native Parisian came to Donegal to finish writing a book on philosophy. He stayed and opened a B&B in 1995. Outside the town of Ardara ("tweed capital of the world"), the Green Gate is a thatched cottage on a seaside bluff. The four rooms have wood-beamed ceilings, pillowy beds, and thick comforters (the coastal wind is chilly). Before exploring the ocean caves nearby, guests begin the day with two dozen different types of homemade jam and marmalade, including Seville orange and wild blueberry. Chat up Paul over breakfast, if only to hear a French accent garnished with a Gaelic lilt. 011-353/74-95-41-546, thegreengate.eu, from $57 per person. Coxtown Manor, Laghey While visiting Ireland from Belgium in 1999, Eduard Dewael fell for the lush landscape around Donegal Town and, on a whim, bought an ivy-covered Georgian mansion, which he converted into a B&B. Coxtown Manor's 10 rooms come in two styles: The main house is full of antiques and marble fireplaces, while the recently renovated Coach House leans toward minimalism, with high-powered showers and Jacuzzi baths. Little touches go a long way: The eggs served at breakfast are gathered from chickens that roam outside, and beds are covered in soft sheets imported from Belgium. A popular gourmet restaurant in the main house specializes in local seafood. 011-353/74-97-34-575, coxtownmanor.com, from $95 per person. Ardeen House, Ramelton No sooner have you set down your suitcases and begun admiring the view of the River Lennon than Anne Campbell will politely knock and ask if you would like homemade raisin scones, strawberry jam, and a cup of tea--"just to get you to dinnertime." For more than 25 years, Anne and her husband, Bert, have been the owners of this three-room B&B on the outskirts of Ramelton, a village of Georgian stone houses on Lough Swilly, an inlet of the Atlantic. At night, with the windows open, all you can hear is the faint sound of lapping water. 011-353/74-91-51-243, ardeenhouse.com, from $44 per person. Frewin House, Ramelton It took Thomas Coyle, an antiques connoisseur, five years to restore this former Church of Ireland rectory. While parts of the home date to 1698, Thomas and his wife, Regina, have decorated with Victorian artifacts, like the period satiric political posters that line the library walls. They kept the rectory layout, which means that the house is filled with fun nooks and crannies. All four bedrooms get generous amounts of sunlight, but the larger Green Suite on the second floor also has a private library that overlooks the garden's purple and white wildflowers, rhododendrons, and daffodils. Breakfast items are sourced locally and often include fresh raspberries and organic sausage. 011-353/74-91-51-246, frewinhouse.com, from $76 per person.