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Among the glistening new skyscrapers of Dubai lies an ancient village of mud huts, fishing boats, and a 200-year-old mosque. Created by potters and weavers thousands of years ago, a wonderful little region known as Heritage and Diving Village preserves the Emirates vivid past.

About a ten minute drive from Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, this fascinating locale offers visitors a chance to explore simple houses and learn about the lifestyles of earlier civilizations of pearl divers and date farmers. Located at the mouth of Dubai Creek, the village's emblematic streets are dotted with cafes and shops that offer all varieties of handicraft items like woven baskets, colorful cotton robes, and incense burners. Culture comes alive here, and it's not uncommon to hear traditional Arabic music fill the streets, as groups of locals in Bedouin dress parade through town. Climb one of two towers, constructed in the 19th century to protect the city from attack, and get a bird's eye view of these ancient lands. Or ride a camel through the village, and take a journey into Dubai's rich past.

The largest harbor in Europe can be found in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, which has been influenced greatly over the years by its many nautical industries. The Port of Rotterdam is one of the busiest in the world, and the nonstop activity going on in the waters provides a constantly-changing backdrop to this captivating city. To get acquainted with the seafaring aspects of Rotterdam, start with the Rotterdam Maritime Museum. Just steps from the luxurious Westin Rotterdam, the museum boasts the country's greatest collection of historical objects from its seafaring history, along with artwork and interactive exhibits dedicated to the brave men and women who ply the cold waters of the North Sea. The highlight of the museum is a fully-restored 19th-century turret-ram ship called the Buffel, in which visitors can see the elegant captain's quarters and more cramped spaces for his crew. If the museum makes you want to take to the sea yourself, book yourself on a Spido harbor cruise. With tours ranging from 75-minutes to more than six hours, you'll get to experience Rotterdam as so many sailors have before.

Elephants were once an important part of daily life in Thailand, performing tasks that required a unique mix of strength, dexterity, and intelligence that only pachyderms possess. While most of the population prized elephants as symbols of wealth and productivity, none were revered more than the emperor's white elephants, which enjoyed the royal treatment at the Dusit Palace complex. Today, the Royal Elephant Museum provides a fitting tribute to these noble beasts, with various displays showing the influential roles the royal white elephants had in Bangkok life in the early- to mid-20th century. Ironically, while depicted in paintings as completely white, the royal elephants were actually reddish-brown to light pink color. Still, they were prized enough to join the royal elephant stables, avoiding wartime duty to instead serve ceremonial purposes. Those lucky elephants. Starwood has properties throughout Bangkok, including the nearby Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers.

[image via bangkok-traveltips.com]

The Korean language isn't the easiest tongue for westerners to master, but that shouldn't keep anyone from visiting the dynamic and exciting city of Seoul. While there will undoubtedly be moments when a few minor details are lost in translation, there's no need to worry about bridging the language barrier at Seoul's renowned Nanta Theater. The non-verbal performances convey every nuance, emotion, and plot point through sound, motion, and body language in a play that audiences of any nationality can enjoy. Nanta incorporates traditional Korean samul nori rhythms into exaggerated acting techniques that draw as much on vaudeville and silent movies as contemporary theater. The result is an electrifying 90-minute show that centers on the comically-charged efforts of four cooks who are tasked with preparing an entire wedding banquet in just one hour. Expect plenty of highly-crafted slapstick along with a Buddhist prayer ceremony, juggling plates, and flying meat cleavers. World renowned, the company has won accolades such as the Best Performance award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1999. Starwood has three properties in Seoul, including the chic and elegant W Seoul - Walkerhill.

The history of Central and South America is divided into two eras, the time before Spanish colonization, and the time since. Waves of Spanish and Portuguese settlers in the 16th and 17th centuries erased much of the native culture, but fortunately, enough survived for modern-day visitors to get a glimpse of what it was like before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. There's no better place to travel back to precolumbian times than the Museo Chileno del Arte de Precolombino in Santiago. Housed in what was once the Royal Customs Palace, the museum's exhibits are categorized by cultural region, from Mesoamerican (home of the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs) to the Central and Southern Andes, where groups like the Moche and Chimu flourished. Of particular interest is the museum's Amazonian collection of pottery from the Maraojara culture, which lived on a group of islands at the mouth of the Amazon River. The bowls, urns, and vases have such intricate detailing, molding, and painting that it's truly astonishing what the artists were able to accomplish without the benefit of western innovations. Starwood has three properties in Santiago, including the nearby San Cristobal Tower, Santiago, a member of Starwood's Luxury Collection.

[image via welcometochile.com]

On a recent trip to Paris I stood on a friend's balcony overlooking the Canal Saint-Martin. "That's Chez Prune," he said, pointing to a little place on the corner with a burgundy awning. "That's where the locals go to meet friends for a drink after work." I figured it would be my first stop that afternoon, but little did I know, the charms of the Quai de Valmy and Quai de Beaurepaire, which line the pretty waterway, would be the highlight of my adventure.

This surprising canal in the 10th arrondissement sits on the fringes of Paris' busy center, but seems a world away. Just over a half hour's walk through the city, from The Westin Paris, Canal Saint-Martin makes a wonderful excursion for families looking for educational ways to have fun, couples looking for a romantic footbridge to stroll across, and even solo travelers looking for some cute independent shops.

At 95, Quai de Valmy, Antoine et Lili is a vivid emporium of quirky home goods, toys, and fashions, while just down the road at number 83, Artazart is full of art and design books. A handful of stylish restaurants line the watery route, including the ultra-fashionable Hotel du Nord, and intimate La Marine. For those who prefer to explore the canal by boat, two and a half hour tours with French and English commentary depart frequently from the Musee d'Orsay and Parc de la Villette. The fascinating system of locks that buoys the boat through the canal will have the kids enthralled. If they get bored after the third lock (there are nine in all), they're sure to enjoy the tunnel which passes beneath the Place de la Bastille. With rare Belgian beer, mulled wine, and all the usual spirits Chez Prune is the perfect way to end the day.

Since some of the finest fossils in the world are regularly recovered in Africa, it makes sense that one of the finest archaeological museums should be located there. The Transvaal Museum of Natural History in Pretoria has one of the most extensive collections of Plio-Pleistocene fossils to be found anywhere, a group which includes the earliest hominids unearthed from the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. But in addition to saying hi to some distant relatives, you can also marvel at the painstakingly preserved remains of mammals, birds, reptiles, and other scary prehistoric creatures that inhabited Africa long before people came along. Those traveling with children should make an appointment with the Discovery Center, in which the little ones get a hands-on experience with some of the museum's more interesting fossils and the tools used to unearth them. The Transvaal Museum is a short jaunt from the Sheraton Pretoria Hotel.

Seattle's Theo Chocolate is setting a humane, environmentally friendly and truly tasty example in the chocolate world. Independently owned and operated, Theo is the only chocolate company in the United States that is certified organic, employs fair trade practices that insure that farmers receive fair and living wages for their products, and actually produces chocolate from the bean to the bar (rather than just molding pre-made chocolate). It's also the only chocolate-maker to receive a seal of approval from the renowned anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall, whose image appears on Theo's new dark and milk chocolate bars. Organic chocolate can be a crapshoot, but Theo's bars, sourced from beans all over the world and available in daring cacao contents all the way up to 91% dark, are special. Its sister label 3400 Phinney also offers adventurous flavor ideas, from the buttery crunch of bread & chocolate to the surprisingly adult combination of fig, fennel and almond.

While Theo Chocolate is available in stores and boutiques nationwide, its 3400 Phinney Chocolate Factory is a convenient drive from the W Seattle. The company conducts public tours of its unique processes ($6; children under one year are free) every day of the week, and also offers private tours for groups of 10 or more ($12 per person). The latter option is a bargain when you consider you have a whole chocolate factory and all of its imaginative possibilities all to yourself. Call (206) 632-5100 for reservations.

The New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn Heights is far from an obvious tourist destination. Interactive and hands-on, it's a place where locals can find as much as visitors, although the latter might have a bit more fun fooling friends back home by showing off pictures of them as the driver of New York City buses and subways (which can be taken inside the Museum's retired vehicles).

Enjoy the classic film River of Steel (and flicks of other films with subway scenes) in the R-46 screening room, learn about how the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) evolves with regards to technology and environmental conservation, peruse 50-plus years of tokens and ticket-taking systems or simply get lost in a history of cartography, with maps and schematics of one of the world's most impressive and efficient transit systems. Take a cab to the museum from the W New York -- Times Square. Or, if you want to get into the spirit right away, why not take the subway there? The 2, 3 and R trains in Times Square stop just a brief walk from the New York Transit Museum.

Just when you thought your fantasy vacation to the Seychelles couldn't get any better, plan a day trip to the island of La Digue. A 20 minute helicopter ride, or a three-hour journey by ferry from Mahé, across the dazzling Indian Ocean, this tranquil paradise offers 10 square kilometers of unrivalled nature and charming Creole touches.

Surrounded by magnificent pink shores, La Digue is home to "Anse Source d'Argent," a stunning beach frequently acclaimed as one of the best in the world. Here, unusual granite rock formations rise up from crystal blue waters like massive sea creatures guarding the shore. From here, a footpath winds through the island's interior, emerging onto the gardens of L'Union Estate, a working coconut plantation that features a museum, and a turtle reserve. Further north, at Veuve Nature Reserve, exotic birds, including the rare Black Paradise Flycatcher nest among palm trees and orchids. A hike through the surrounding jungle terrain leads to the top of Eagle's Nest Mountain where spectacular views across the ocean from 300 meters above sea level offer a wonderful moment of respite. Eventually, the road leads to the village of La Passe where oxcarts take the place of taxis. Here, your helicopter or ferry boat awaits, ready to whisk you back to Mahé where a casual dinner at Le Méridien Barbarons' Le Mangrovia restaurant is just the way to end your adventurous day of island exploration.