10 Lavish Monuments to Love

Few American cities are as entertaining as Orlando. With four major theme parks from Disney alone, this city's calling card has long been finely choreographed fun for the masses. But the House of Mouse isn't the only reason to love this city—there's also a surprisingly sophisticated downtown dining scene and quirky attractions (of the non-theme-park variety) that appeal to those looking for kitsch. Think you know Orlando like the back of your hand? Take this quiz to find out. If you score a 9 to 12, you deserve to skip all the lines at the Magic Kingdom. Get between 5 and 8 right, and you should watch a few more Disney movies. Score any lower and you'll need to keep visiting until you get the quiz right.

Rockhouse Hotel, Jamaica Seclusion isn't easy to come by in the party town of Negril, with its sprawling resorts and thumping dance beats, but that's exactly what Rockhouse delivers, primarily to hip couples and families hoping to avoid anything close to a spring break experience. Rockhouse's rounded, thatch-roof villas are strung atop a low cliff carved with stairs that lead down to the warm waters of Pristine Cove. The 20 villas peeking out of the jungle right at the cliff's edge start at $220 a night, but the long buildings set a bit farther back are easier to pull off—five studios with sea views ($150) and nine standard rooms with garden views ($125), all with minibars, safes, A/C, and mosquito netting around four-poster beds. Guests chill out at the 60-foot horizon pool, take yoga classes, or stroll along the property's serpentine paths and stepping stones, which inevitably lead to quiet nooks, isolated beach chairs, and what most people say are the best sunset views in Jamaica. The action on Seven Mile Beach—including the nightlife hub of Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, live reggae on the sand at Alfred's (Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday), and Roots Bamboo (varies)—is a quick $5 to $10 cab ride away. Closer to your cabana—right next door, actually—is Pushcarts at Pirates Cave, where patrons eat curried goat before jumping off the cliff and swimming into the sea cave underneath. 876/957-4373, rockhousehotel.com, from $125. Albergo California, Positano, Italy Maria Cinque makes a point of chatting with every one of her guests, if not at check-in (which her son Gianni sometimes handles), then at breakfast the next morning. She's particularly delighted to meet Americans, as she and her husband Antonio lived in the Bronx for nine years, returning to Italy in 1974 to run a family hotel five minutes' walk from the center of Positano—and to teach their children "what it means to be Italian," in Maria's words. Six of the 15 guestrooms are in the original Palazzo Bruno, dating from 1777, including four upstairs rooms with 18th-century ceiling frescoes. Many regulars prefer the ground-floor rooms 51 to 55 because they open directly onto the magnificent, long entrance terrace and enjoy postcard views of Positano framed by ivy trailing off the shady trellis. Rooms without sea views (they actually look out to a wall) cost $65 less—an option certainly worth considering, since all guests have access to the terrace. Each of the California's rooms is spacious, and seems even more so due to minimal furnishings. At sunset, small groups gather on the terrace to sip wine, plan the next day, and pinch themselves, realizing that they've got the same view as the chichi Le Sirenuse hotel down the street for one-third the price. 011-39/089-875-382, hotelcaliforniapositano.it, from $200, breakfast included, closed mid-November to mid-March.   Related: World's Weirdest Hotels Fundana Villas, Corfu, Ionian Islands, Greece If there's any doubt whether Spyros Spathas values his heritage, just look at the reception area of his Fundana Villas, where a more than 200-year-old stone olive press serves as a reminder of the Spathas family's six generations of local history. It's been 29 years since Spathas converted his farm's stables and outbuildings into 12 guest bungalows, but the accommodations have been updated with flat-screen TVs and modern kitchenettes. And the views from the rooms are as glorious as ever: No. 10 has two wrought-iron balconies that look out on the Ropa Valley, and No. 12 takes in the green slopes of Mount Pantokrator to the northeast. A guide for the Greek National Tourism Organization for more than 35 years, Spathas maintains a half-mile hiking path to the 18th-century Monastery of St. Onoufrios, open every other Sunday, and leads weekly botanical walks through the area. His 26-year-old son, Foivos, just opened a traditional Corfiote restaurant on the grounds, serving dishes such as veal with garlic sauce and pan-fried artichokes from Fundana's gardens. If you feel inspired to venture off-property for dinner, stop in at Elisavet's Taverna in the nearby village of Doukades. There, the grandmotherly proprietress sits in front of her establishment encouraging visitors to try the kokoros pastitsada—rooster over macaroni—a local specialty she's been making for 20 years. 011-30/26630-22532, fundanavillas.com, from $67, breakfast $9. Landmark Vineyards, California Wine Country For people who harbor fantasies of running away and starting their own winery, Landmark has the answer: two guest rooms right in the middle of a working vineyard, where, from your front door, you can watch the grapes growing and being harvested. Seeking an escape from the rapidly suburbanizing town of Windsor (20 miles north), Landmark's founder, Damaris Deere Ford, relocated the winery in 1989 to a spectacular piece of property at the base of Sugarloaf Ridge in Kenwood. She also brought in her son Michael Colhoun and daughter-in-law Mary as partners, making it a real family business. Ford is the great-great-granddaughter of John Deere, and the John Deere company's signature forest green pops up throughout the property, whether on a pair of rocking chairs or on an antique 1946 tractor near the front gate. The white-shuttered, stand-alone Cottage sleeps up to four and is ideal for families—it has a bedroom, a foldout couch in the living room, a washing machine and dryer, a small front porch, and a spacious, fully equipped kitchen. The smaller Suite has two twin beds (which can be pushed together), a fireplace, and a private patio with views of Sugarloaf Ridge and Hood Mountain. Both rooms are a stone's throw from the bocce court and California mission-style tasting room, so guests can sip freely, knowing it's a quick stumble home through the vines. 707/833-0053, landmarkwine.com, from $170.   Related: World's Best New Boutique Hotels Les Deux Frères, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, French Riviera Go up—past the crowds, past the noise—to the tiny cliff-top village of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. Stop to gasp at the panorama from the tiny town square, and notice the lovely dining terrace to your right. It's attached to the restaurant of the intimate Les Deux Frères, in a 19th-century stone building that was once a school. A mahogany bar fills the lobby; a narrow staircase leads up to the 10 small, pretty rooms. Each has a name indicating its theme: Provençal, Africain, Marine, and so on. Views range from lovely to stupendous; depending on your room's orientation, you might look out on the town square, the rugged hills, or (if you get the full frontal) the cliffs, the sea, and, in the distance, Monaco. 011-33/4-93-28-99-00, lesdeuxfreres.com, from $100, closed late November to early December. Amor de Mar, Montezuma, Costa Rica An Adirondack-style lodge houses Amor de Mar's 11 rooms, paneled in dark wood and decorated sparely, so as not to distract from the views (best from the second-floor porch). Two rooms share a bath, but the others are private. A patio restaurant serves breakfast and lunch, emphasizing simple fare like tropical smoothies and homemade breads. The wide front lawn gently slopes toward a rocky point, where there's a tide pool big enough to swim in. It's a five-minute walk to the nearest sandy beach, and thrill seekers will be happy to know that Amor de Mar is close to the famed Montezuma Waterfall Canopy Tour, a zip line that whizzes through treetops and down over waterfalls ($50 for two hours). 011-506/2642-0262, amordemar.com, from $70.   Related: Hotel Rewards—What You Need to Know Posada Que Onda, Akumal, Riviera Maya, Mexico Even though it's now thickly settled, Akumal, Mayan for "Place of the Turtle," still has room for turtles, which return each spring to lay eggs in nests along the very beaches where they were hatched. It's the oldest resort town in this part of Mexico, a former coconut plantation with an extraordinary coastline that was rediscovered by a diving club in 1958. Akumal has maintained the easygoing style that first attracted those divers to its waters. It has also been popular with families because its shallow, sandy bays could have been designed with kids in mind. The same could be said of the Posada Que Onda: Half of the hotel's pool, for instance, has a built-in shelf where kids can play. (Adults use it, too, sitting in water from the waist down under the blazing sun.) Posada Que Onda is not on a beach—the closest, Half Moon Bay, is a 10-minute walk away—but it's only 50 yards from excellent swimming in Yalku lagoon. Guests can borrow the hotel's snorkel equipment and bikes at no charge. Large rooms have cool, white-tiled floors and are adorned with local art and artifacts. Especially spacious is a bi-level suite with two terraces; the upper terrace provides a view of the lagoon and the Caribbean. Kids love the restaurant, too, because it features homemade pastas. 011-52/984-875-9102, queondaakumal.com, from $60.   Related: Airport Hotels With Unexpected Perks Mount Haven Hotel, Penzance, Cornwall, U.K. Orange Trevillion was drawn to Penzance, at the end of Cornwall, because of the town's proximity to St. Michael's Mount, an ancient craggy island that looks a lot like a lopsided volcano. "It's a sacred place," says Trevillion, an eccentric with carrot-colored hair (of course) who believes that four of the Earth's energy lines come together here. Formerly the site of a Benedictine priory and rumored to have once been home to a giant, the island got its name when a fisherman claimed to have seen the Archangel Michael there many years ago. Trevillion and her partners bought Mount Haven in 2001. They knocked down walls and reconfigured the old coach house to maximize views of St. Michael's Mount and the ocean. Most of the 18 rooms look out on the water. They have a distinctly Asian feel, with silk bedspreads and throw pillows covered in embroidered fabrics from Trevillion's frequent trips to India. (Room 6 is the quietest, away from both the front desk and the terrace.) Even the restaurant, where many dishes are flavored with curry and lemongrass, has views of the Mount. But the best seats are on the terrace: You can see the island rising steeply out of the water, a medieval castle on its tippy-top. (Owned by the National Trust, the castle is open to the public.) At low tide, when people stroll across a granite causeway to visit, it appears as if they're walking on water. Beyond Mounts Bay and Penzance, the city made famous by Gilbert and Sullivanm is Land's End. 011-44/173-671-0249, mounthaven.co.uk, from $206, includes breakfast. Tenuta di Roccadia, Carlentini, Sicily, Italy In 1988, Pietro Vacirca gave up the family clothing business to buy an abandoned 19th-century farm built on the site of a thousand-year-old Cistercian convent. "Finding Roccadia was like finding a beautiful woman," Pietro says. "So I got married—for the second time. First my wife, then Roccadia." Five years later, Pietro opened Tenuta di Roccadia as an agriturismo with horseback riding and hiking trails. Arranged in long buildings draped in flowering vines, the 20 guest rooms are large, with sturdy wooden furnishings and wrought-iron bed frames; six of the rooms feature lofted sleeping areas built of rough timbers. A patio looks over citrus groves in a valley to the snowcapped peak of Mount Etna beyond. Roccadia's olive and citrus groves, almond trees, and sheep provide most of the ingredients for the preserves, liqueurs, honeys, cheeses, and whatever else smells so good in the kitchen. Four-course dinners (starting at $28) begin promptly at 8 P.M. in the dining room, where old farm implements hang under a high wood ceiling, or on the terrace in summer. 011-39/095-990-362, roccadia.com, from $98, including breakfast. More From Budget Travel 27 Outrageous Travel Signs World's Most Scenic Airport Landings Vote for the Coolest Small Towns in America

Phi Phi Leh, Thailand—The Beach (2000) The flick: The movie that gave voice to a generation of backpackers, The Beach, based on Alex Garland's novel of the same name, centers on the quest for the Thailand's last pure beach, one untainted by tourism. The scene: Leonardo DiCaprio swims beneath a seemingly impenetrable wall of cliffs, only to surface in an impossibly idyllic cove. The beach: Located on Phi Phi Leh island in the Andaman Sea, Maya Bay was digitally enhanced for the movie: The directors added a fourth side to make it seem even more private. But that doesn't mean the bay is any less spectacular in real life. Karst limestone cliffs tumble to a slash of sugary white sand. Shallow waters and a ribbon of coral make for some incredible snorkeling. Even to this day, there are no rental bungalows, but you are allowed to make like DiCaprio and camp overnight. Getting there: Visit on a daytrip from the southwestern Thai resort towns of Phuket and Krabi, via a mix of ferry and longtail boat rides. • Related: America's 10 Best Winter Beach Retreats Petit Tabac, St. Vincent and the Grenadines—Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) The flick: With number four in the works, the films chronicling theadventures of Captain Jack Sparrow have brought moviegoers to a number of tropical hideaways, but few can top the deserted beach in The Curse of the Black Pearl. The scene: When villains dump Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley on a strip of bone-white sand to wither, Knightley uses a stash of rum to create a rescue bonfire, only to have the ever-hedonic Depp moan, "Why is the rum gone?" The beach: Part of the Tobago Cays Marine Park in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Petit Tabac is one 1) completely uninhabited and 2) highly protected. What that translates to is a perfect Caribbean island with no glitzy palazzos on the beach, no jet skis or fishing boats rumbling over the reefs, and an overwhelming sense that you've reached world's end (no, wait, that's the other movie!). Getting there: Petit Tabac is an easy day trip from St. Vincent's Union Island, from where you can hop a boat ride on the Scaramouche, a schooner that played the part of a merchant ship in the The Curse of the Black Pearl. Kastani Beach, Skopelos Island, Greece—Mamma Mia! (2008) The flick: This silver screen version of the Abba-infused, chart-busting musical, Mamma Mia!, shines a spotlight on Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), who wants to find out who her real father is before she gets married. The scene: Tanya (Christine Baranski) gives a sultry rendition of Abba's "Does Your Mother Know" on a small, sandy beach with a makeshift bar, framed by a cerulean-colored sea. The beach: Best known for the dramatic monolith, Kastani, on the western coast of Skopelos, is not your traditional swimming beach. The shore is rocky (though there is a sandy beach), so, good for a picnic. Many visitors also choose to hike to the precariously perched hilltop monastery of Agios Ioannis sto Kastri. Mamma Mia's climactic wedding scene took place here, but more to the point, the church offers a dazzling view over the island. Getting there: Skopelos is easily reachable by daily ferries or hydrofoils from the resort towns of Volos or Skiathos (both under a 2.5-hour bus ride from Athens) . The trip is about 6.5 hours when traveling via Volos and 5 hours via Skiathos. • Related: Upload your beautiful beach photos to myBT and they may be featured! Lumahai Beach, Kauai, Hawaii—South Pacific (1958) The flick: After winning a Pulitzer and multiple Tonys on Broadway, South Pacific hit Hollywood in 1958, and became an immediate hit. Though James Michener set the story in Vanuatu (where he was stationed in World War II), most of the movie was shot on Kauai. The scene: Mitzi Gaynor prances around the broad, blond swath of Lumahai Beach, as she washes that man right out of her hair. The beach: Set on Kauai's northern coast, Lumahai is hemmed by ironwood trees at one end and steep, fluted mountains at the other. The beach is popular with surfers, but the currents can be treacherous for swimmers and there's no lifeguard (some locals even call it "Luma-die"). Swim at your own risk. That, or just kick back, relax, and watch the waves roll in. For $93.50, Ali'I Movie Excursion and Scenic Hanalei (haiwaiitours.com) leads seven-hour trips to film locations from South Pacific and other movies shot on Kauai, such as Raiders of the Lost Ark. Getting there: Drive north out of Lihue about 35 miles north on Highway 56 to the western edge of Hanalei Bay. Cape St. Francis, South Africa—The Endless Summer (1966) The flick: The surf doc after which all others were modeled, this film traces the worldwide quest of Robert August and Mike Hynson to find the perfect wave. The scene: The pair lands in South Africa, crest a dune on Cape St. Francis, and find exactly what they have been looking for, a perfectly-cresting righthand break. The beach: While neighboring Jeffrey's Bay has become Surf Central (with the accompanying tourist tchotchkes), Cape St. Francis has gone upscale, with the expansion of shops and townhouses. The famed break—called Bruce's Beauties—sits about a mile up the coast from the Cape, near St. Francis Bay. Getting there: The perfect ride does not come so easily. The flight between Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth in the southeast is about 90 minutes and Cape St. Francis is a 90-minute drive to the south from there along N2 road and R330. The best time to visit is May to September, when swells have been known to reach 10 feet and rides can last up to 30 seconds. Devil's Beach, Nanuya Levu Island (Turtle Island), Fiji—The Blue Lagoon (1980) The flick: The movie that brought Brooke Shields, then 15, into the limelight, The Blue Lagoon tells the story of cousins falling in love after being shipwrecked on a deserted island. Its success won Shields' a Time cover as "The80s Look." The scene: Shields's character, her cousin (Christopher Atkins), and a galley cook beach their emergency craft in a wide but well-protected lagoon. The beach: Set on the 500-acre island, Devil's Beach is just as idyllic as when it was filmed more than 20 years ago—all palm trees and shallow coral reefs—but it's got a few more services. Many guests choose to rent a sailboat or kayak and float to within feet of the coral reefs, all the easier for snorkeling. Getting there: The island is now a private resort, so guests transfer from Nadi International Airport for a 30-minute flight here. One particular: During filming, clocks on Nanuya Levu were set an hour ahead of Fiji's standard time to max out peak sunlight, and the island has kept that habit since. Leo Carrillo Beach, Malibu, California—The KarateKid (1984) The flick: With a remake out last year, The Karate Kid proves again that its coming of age formula is as powerful as ever—to date, the remake has grossed $360 million at the box office. The scene: In the original movie when master Pat Morita and his protégé Ralph Macchio practice the fictional "crane" move (one leg lifted, both arms up) with the Pacific glittering behind them. The beach: 28 miles northwest of Santa Monica, this Malibu-area state park may be Hollywood's favorite stretch of sand for shooting minor beach scenes, appearing in such films as Inception, The Usual Suspects, Point Break, and Beach Blanket Bingo. Framed by sycamore trees and steep headlands, the 1.5-mile-long coastline is a favorite with surfers, swimmers, and picnickers up from Los Angeles. Getting there: Find the beach by driving north on the Pacific Coast Highway and stopping just short of its intersection with Mulholland Drive. • Related: 25 Beautiful Caribbean Photos Halona Cove, near Waikiki, Hawaii—From Here to Eternity (1953) The flick: The winner of eight Academy Awards, From Here to Eternity made waves for its nuanced portrayal of military service in pre-Pearl Harbor Hawaii and was a spotlight on some of the prettiest locations on Oahu. The scene: Star-crossed lovers Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr passionately rendezvous, canoodling in the surf. The beach: Filming took place at tiny, cliff-flanked Halona Cove, just around the corner from Hanauma Bay. The sheer lava rock walls fall directly into the ocean. Swim with caution. Unlike many of Hawaii's better known beaches, this one doesn't have a lifeguard. Getting there: From Waikiki Beach, drive east on the H1 (which turns into Hwy 72) about 40 minutes to Koko Head Regional Park. Drive to the parking lot for Halona Blowhole, where water often surges through an underwater tunnel into an upward spout, then walk to the south side of the lot and follow the faint path down to the beach. One&Only Ocean Club, Paradise Island, Bahamas—Casino Royale (2006) The flick: After a long bout of anemia, the James Bond franchise received a jolt in 2006 when actor Daniel Craig took over the superspy's role to foil Le Chiffre, a financier of international terrorists. The scene: 007 intercepts the lover (Caterina Murino) of one of Le Chiffre's henchman after one of her horseback rides on the beach. The beach: If the One&Only Ocean Club on the Bahamas' Paradise Island is a little overly exclusive—Michael Jordan, Martha Stewart, and others have stayed there—most of the island's 3.6-mile-long, white-sand beach is open to the public. Getting there: Roughly a 15-minute drive north of central Nassau, but it feels a world away. Indian Beach, Ecola State Park, Ore.—Twilight (2008) The flick: The movie that started a movement—teen angst meets good old-fashioned vampire blood lust—Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series is set in the appropriately cloudy Washington state but some of the best beach scenes in the film are shot 200 miles south in Oregon. The scene: Taylor Lautner starts to reveal to the truth about vampire Robert Pattinson to the perpetually conflicted Kristen Stewart on a dramatic grey sand beach. The beach: With average highs in August of a mere 69 degrees, Indian Beach makes for a pretty brisk swim. But what it lacks in weather is made up for in scenery, with a backdrop of sea stacks, headlands, and spruce forest. The area has also served as a setforGooniesand Point Break. And the beach's tide pools, filled with anemones, sea stars, and crabs will keep children occupied for hours. Getting there: Heading west from Portland, follow US-26 until you reach US-101. Ecola State Park is off the road about 80 miles from the city.

Secret Hotels of Paris Trip Coach: Pet Travel The Completely Obsessive Absolutely Indispensable Guide to Disney World