We Have a Winner!

Central California's untouched coastline (See photos)A staircase winding up from the edge of the Pacific Coast Highway leads to Nepenthe, a redwood-and-glass restaurant that blends into Big Sur's thickly forested hills. The simple counter seats along the wraparound veranda are the best spots for unspoiled views of the craggy cliffs and crashing Pacific, 800 feet below. One caveat: Frequent fog in summer can obscure the water, so visiting in spring is the safest bet for clear vistas.Drink up Pinot noir harvested from the famed vineyards of the Santa Lucia Highlands, 18 miles east of Nepenthe. 48510 Hwy. 1, Big Sur, Calif., 831/667-2345, nepenthebigsur.com, glass of wine from $8. Italy's romantic riviera (See a photo)Life doesn't get much more dolce than relaxing with a cocktail while sea mist cools your face at A Pié de Mà, a cliff-hanging wine bar with a terrace jutting out over the Ligurian Sea. Local boys dive off the rocks into the turquoise water below, and live jazz plays at sundown. The wine bar is at the foot of Via dell'Amore ("love walk"), one of a series of scenic hikes connecting the Cinque Terre: five seaside hamlets along the edge of a secluded national park reachable by train, trail, or seasonal ferry service.Drink up The Negroni cocktail (Campari, bitters, gin, and vermouth) invented in nearby Florence is still a summertime favorite. 011-39/0187-92-1037, Via dell'Amore, 19017 Riomaggiore, La Spezia, Italy, apiedema.com, drinks from $4.50. Thailand's secluded island—seen from above (See photos)Only four guests at a time can enjoy the exclusive vantage point of Soneva Kiri by Six Senses resort's new Dining Pod, a woven rattan, cocoon-like contraption that is hoisted up the side of a tree for dining and drinking 16 feet above the rain-forest floor. A waiter harnessed to a zip line brings the provisions, and a panoramic window opens to breezes from the beach along the Gulf of Siam's Kood island. Drink up A glass of liquid chocolate from the hotel's fair-trade chocolate bar mixed with Grand Marnier. 110 Moo 4, Koh Kood Sub-District, Trat, Thailand, 011-66/39-619-800, sixsenses.com, chocolate drink $11. Switzerland's storybook peaks and valleys (See photos)The Glacier Express train slices through the Swiss Alps for 181 miles between the Matterhorn and St. Moritz, twisting up mountainsides, along the Rhine, and across nearly 300 Alpine bridges. Train cars are equipped with panoramic windows and skylights for maximum exposure. As you reach 6,670 feet above sea level at the Oberalp Pass, the landscape is magical and the Alps snow-swept.Drink up Swiss wines, including a selection of Johannisberger Rieslings. St. Moritz to Zermatt, Switzerland, glacierexpress.ch, one-way ticket from $129, glass of wine from $8. Shanghai's 21st-century skyline (See photos)One of the world's fastest-growing cities features one of the world's highest bars: Cloud 9, a chic cocktail lounge inside the art deco crown of the Jin Mao Tower. The sight of Shanghai's pulsating skyline is so dizzying that it might be best to work your way up slowly. Start at the 53rd-floor Piano Bar and move on to the 56th-floor Patio Lounge before shooting up to Cloud 9 on the 87th floor. Pause for a drink and then go up even one floor higher for 360-degree views from the observation deck.Drink up Classic cocktails like a Singapore Sling or Mai Tai. 88 Century Ave., Shanghai, China, 011-86/21-5047-1234, shanghai.grand.hyatt.com, drinks from $18. Israel's under-the-sea aquarium (See photos)Off the coast of the Israeli resort town of Eilat, a pier stretches 230 feet into the Red Sea—far enough for patrons to feel as if they're walking out over the ocean. At the pier's tip, the Red Sea Star's bar—16 feet underwater—reveals sea creatures visible through 62 giant windows that cover the length of the room, which i's shaped like a star to maximize the number of sea-facing seats. A kaleidoscopic array of tropical fish is visible, even at night, when the coral reef is softly illuminated by purple lights that don't disturb the sea creatures.Drink up Local arrak liquor, an anise-based drink mixed here with grapefruit juice. North Beach, Eilat, Israel, 011-972/08-634-7777, redseastar.com, drinks from $8. Panama's wildlife-rich jungle and iconic canal (See photos)Rocking gently in a hammock while nursing a frozen cocktail is a favored pastime throughout Panama, but only at the Canopy Tower can you do it while toucans, howler monkeys, and bright-blue butterflies sail by a few feet from your face. The 50-foot tower has been converted from an abandoned U.S. Air Force rain forest lookout station into an affordable ecolodge. Panoramic windows reveal hundreds of species—including tamarins, white-tailed capuchins, and sloths—and on a clear day, you'll see all the way to the skyline of Panama City and the ships crossing the Panama Canal, three miles away.Drink up Panamanian-made rum and local beers like the full-bodied Balboa. Semaphore Hill Rd., Soberaniá National Park,Panama; 800/930-3397, canopytower.com, drinks from $2. Cape Town's oceanfront mountain (See photos)There are only two ways to reach the Table Mountain Café: Brave a 3,000-foot-long aerial cableway, or hoof it on a two-hour uphill hike. But either option seems a small price for the payoff of sweeping views of Cape Town, wedged between a 260-million-year-old mountain range and the Atlantic Ocean. Look below for the posh Camps Bay beaches, the Robben Island prison where Nelson Mandela was held, and a stadium built for the World Cup.Drink up Reds from the nearby Stellenbosch wine region—take them outdoors on the stone balcony to watch the sunset over the ocean. Table Mountain National Park, Cape Town, South Africa, 011-27/21-424-8181, tablemountain.net, drinks from $3.50. The Côte d'Azur's blue sky and sea (See photos)A medieval stone house converted into a hotel and restaurant, La Chèvre d'Or clings to a leafy hillside above the medieval village of Eze, halfway between Monaco and Nice. Three terraces at the building's highest point provide vistas stretching past the property's green gardens to the idyllic Mediterranean beaches of the St.-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula.Drink up A toast-worthy glass of champagne from the nearly 35,000-bottle wine cellar. Rue du Barri, Eze, France, 011-33/04-92-10-66-66, chevredor.com, wine from $21, cocktails from $32, champagne from $37. Sydney's twinkling harbor (See photos)The best place to take in Sydney's skyline is right beside its most iconic feature. The alfresco Opera Bar sits directly at the foot of the Sydney Opera House and provides dramatic perspectives of the city, harbor, and wide-arched Sydney Harbour Bridge. The location itself is a bit touristy, but Opera Bar—with its low-key weekend jazz afternoons and buzzed-about nightly live music and DJ sets—manages to attract a trendy local crowd.Drink up An organic house pale ale to enjoy with locals perched on the concrete banks alongside the water. Lower Concourse Level, Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia, 011-61/2-9247-1666, operabar.com.au, pale ale $6.

MEET A LOCALBetween bites of delectable red velvet waffles and sips of French-press coffee, it's easy to strike up a conversation with a book-toting local at Society Coffee & Juice. Exposed-brick walls serve as a backdrop for the café's nine tables, including a couple of oversize oak ones—where customers often mingle. 2104 Frederick Douglass Blvd., societycoffee.com, sandwiches from $7. PLAYEffervescent jazz standards often echo throughout the Lenox Lounge. This compact venue showcases local and national jazz performers. Since its opening in 1939, the lounge has hosted legends such as John Coltrane and Miles Davis. The dinner menu sticks to comfort food like barbecue or Cajun chicken fillet, with two sides. 288 Lenox Ave., lenoxlounge.com, cover charge and drink minimum vary, entrées from $17. GET INSPIREDTo call the Dwyer Cultural Center a museum would be a bit of an overstatement. Better to call it a combination gallery, exhibition hall, and performance space. "The Dwyer," as it's known locally, offers a quick and insightful peek into Harlem's cultural history, such as the current exhibition of Afro-inspired artworks by 17 members of the Weusi Collective, founded during the 1960s Harlem Black Arts Movement. 258 St. Nicholas Ave., dwyercc.org, open Wed.–Fri. noon–5 p.m., Sat. 1 p.m.–5 p.m., free admission. DIG INIt's OK to play with your food at Zoma, an Ethiopian restaurant where injera, a spongy flatbread, replaces forks and knives. The complex, spicy dishes feature chickpeas, lentils, onions, and assorted meats—meant to be washed down with tej, a traditional honey wine. 2084 Frederick Douglass Blvd., zomanyc.com, Mon.–Fri. 5 p.m.–11 p.m., Sat.–Sun. noon–11 p.m., entrées from $11.

The Coolest Small Towns in America Ten hometown escapes that somehow pack in more personality than cities triple their size. How? It all comes down to the people.See the slide showSubmit your 2011 nominations! Secret Sardinia While everyone else is elbowing for a beach chair in the Greek Isles or the South of France, this under-visited Italian island holds the promise of true Mediterranean bliss.See the slide show Extra Mile Awards Our yearly salute to the forward-thinking companies—and people—working to make your vacation simpler, more affordable, and way more fun. Road Trip: Pacific Revival Oregon's coast has always been slightly off the radar, but now its small towns are gaining just the right amount of polish—without getting too fancy for their own good. Trip Coach: Volunteer Vacations Lying on a beach is nice and all, but sometimes, using your downtime to make a difference is just what the doctor ordered.

FLYERSRIGHTS.ORG Because you could still be stuck on the tarmac were it not for the work of some stubborn volunteers Four years ago, Kate Hanni found herself sitting on the runway at the Austin airport with no food, no water, and no working toilets—for nine hours straight. At that moment, the Napa Valley, Calif., native decided to put her career as a real estate broker on hold and launch flyersrights.org, a nonprofit organization devoted to empowering air travelers. What began as one woman's passion slowly morphed into a grassroots movement. Volunteers across the country—88 in all—signed on to answer phones, offer legal support, send out petitions, and lobby local politicians and other consumer groups. Last winter, after 87 cross-country flights and seven appearances before Congress, Hanni and flyersrights.org scored big: In response to overwhelming pressure, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that domestic air carriers were required to return their planes to the terminal after three hours on the tarmac or they'd face fines of up to $27,500 per passenger. In addition, travelers involuntarily bumped from planes could be compensated with as much as $1,300, up from $800. Yet even with these victories in hand, Hanni and company see more room for improvement. "We think there should be a cap on the number of seats airlines are allowed to oversell," Hanni says. And you can be sure she's well-prepped for the next fight. To learn more, visit flyersrights.org. To report an air-travel-related problem, call the flyersrights.org hotline at 877/359-3776. MASSIVE GOOD Because your $2 can change the world What if lending a hand was as easy as booking a trip? That's the goal of MassiveGood, a new program from the U.N. Millennium Foundation and the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Established earlier this year, MassiveGood has partnered with global hotel chains like Accor, major booking engines like Travelocity, and travel agents the world over to allow for travelers to make $2 micro-donations; the goal is to raise $1 billion annually for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria research. At the time of purchase, customers are presented with a clickable box, banner ad, or e-mail link—depending on the partnership—to put their dollars to work. massivegood.org. THE NEW AMERICAN MOTEL Because budget can, and should, be beautiful Over the years, American motel chains have done little to better their somewhat dingy reputations. We're now at a distinct turning point. Three of the largest budget hotel chains—Motel 6, Red Roof Inn, and Holiday Inn—have been undergoing redesigns of unprecedented ambition. Improvements like completely reimagined rooms, upgraded bedding, rain-flow showers, and the latest high-tech gadgetry might just change your mind about motels forever. Motel 6's new redesign emphasizes smart, efficient touches (think pedestal beds and multimedia units that double as closets). What's more, all of the nearly 100 renovated properties are specially flagged on the revamped website. motel6.com. With 32 hotels opened and 50 more coming (17 built from the ground up), Red Roof Inn is having its own little construction boom, adding tech-ready rooms, walk-in showers, and common spaces with cozy seats and stone walls. redroof.com. By the end of 2010, Holiday Inn will have upgraded all 3,300 of its properties with crisp duvets and pillows in two comfort levels (soft and firm), spruced-up lobbies, and a custom scent (citrus and white tea). holidayinn.com. GOOGLE GOGGLES Because the future of travel is now on your phone Imagine searching the web without making a single keystroke. Google Goggles allows just that. The Android-only app, released last winter, uses your smartphone's camera and image-recognition technology to perform Google searches. Want to know more about that baroque building in front of you? Just point your camera and Goggles pulls up all relevant information, from architecture websites to Wikipedia. What about that foreign-language menu or a baffling street sign? At a glance, the app translates French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Currently, Goggles can recognize between 50,000 and 100,000 landmarks around the world and hundreds of thousands of works of art. But that's just the beginning: Project manager Shailesh Nalawadi says full translations of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian are in the pipeline, and the collection of landmarks—in locations everywhere from Paris to Uzbekistan—is growing daily. Google Goggles comes preloaded on most new Android phones or can be downloaded for free from the Android Market accessible via your smartphone. NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE Because going it alone shouldn't cost extra The cruise industry has never been particularly welcoming to solo travelers. They're generally charged a single supplement that can nearly double the cost of the cruise. But the new 4,100-passenger Norwegian Epic changes the game. Of the ship's more than 2,100 staterooms, 128 are reserved for solo cruisers—at no extra charge. The 100-square-foot studios are a little smaller than standard doubles but come with the same amenities—a full-size bed, a separate bathroom—as well as exclusive access to the Studio Lounge, a public area with a bar, plasma TVs, and comfy seating. Most important, studio prices start at $799, rather than $1,318, the cost of a standard double. epic.ncl.com, studios from $799 for seven-night itineraries. CHUCK SCHUMER Because fees suck. And Chuck ain't havin' it In April, Spirit Airlines announced that it would charge as much as $45 for carry-ons. Predictably, the news was not well-received. But while most just grumbled, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sprang into action. After calling such fees "a slap in the face to travelers," he managed to secure promises from five major airlines to not institute similar charges. "When the economy is sputtering, we need to do everything we can to make sure individuals and businesses can remain on the move," Schumer argues. "Travelers' rights are now a critical economic issue for the country." Even now that the furor over Spirit has died down, Schumer, along with six other senators, is working to pass the Block Airlines' Gratuitous (BAG) Fees Act, which aims to close a complicated tax loophole that allows the airline industry to profit from fees on "nonessential" items, which include carry-ons. "What will they charge us for next?" he asks. "Wearing a jacket? Carrying a toothbrush?" MORGAN'S WONDERLAND Because everyone needs a place to play Amusement parks should be fun for all, but until this April, they left out one important group: children with disabilities. Enter Morgan's Wonderland. The 25-acre amusement park in northeast San Antonio is the world's first fun zone designed especially for special-needs children. More than 25 activities, including a carousel, a pirate island, and customized swing sets, are wheelchair-accessible and outfitted with braille signage. Jessica Mireles, of Houston, recently visited with her five children, two of whom have cognitive disabilities. "At Morgan's, we were able to relax without any pressure," she says. "We are already planning a return trip." 5223 David Edwards Dr., San Antonio, morganswonderland.com, free for those with special needs, $5 per person for everyone else, reservations required. HILTON LIGHTSTAY Because truly going green takes guts—and money As much as we love reclaimed wood and carpets made from recycled soda bottles, green hotels need to tackle consumption, not just construction. That's something Hilton understands. In April, the company rolled out its new LightStay program, a system designed to track the impact of daily operations like garbage disposal, housekeeping, and utility costs on the environment and then adjust its practices to reduce waste. Sounds kind of unexciting, at least until you look at the numbers below. Hilton tested LightStay in 1,300 hotels over the course of a year and now plans to implement it across all 3,500 global properties by the end of 2011. Water: Saved enough water to fill more than 650 Olympic-size swimming pools Energy: Conserved enough energy to power 5,700 homes for a year Carbon: Reduced CO2 emissions by the equivalent of 34,865 cars KAYAK AND DEALBASE Because searching for a deal shouldn't take all weekend Zeroing in on the best airfare isn't as simple as it used to be. Sure, every online travel agency (OTA) aims to be a one-stop shop for low fares. But wily marketers now often hide their best fares in a hailstorm of e-mail newsletters, revealing discounts only to registered travelers. So bless the wonks at DealBase and Kayak, who have engineered speedier and more intuitive ways to uncover the cheapest flights without adding a single message to your already overloaded in-box. Sometimes you don't just want deals, you want possibilities—and that's where Kayak's Explore tool comes in. Type in your gateway, price range, and dates, along with a few parameters like average temperature, language fluency, and favorite activity—golf, beach, skiing. Instantly, a world map appears with up-to-the-minute fares around the globe. You may be surprised at which destinations turn out to be within reach. kayak.com/explore. DealBase began life a few years back as a price-comparison tool for hotel packages, but this spring it seriously raised the bar with a tracking service for e-saver fares. On the site, click on the name of your local gateway and then select from a list of Web-only deals, many of which you won't find on your favorite OTA. dealbase.com/flight-deals.