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One of the most salient aspects of the Los Angeles Arboretum & Botanic Garden is that it basks in a balmy Mediterranean climate. Cool mild winters and warm dry summers permit the cultivation of both native species and hundreds of exotic ones from around the globe. Whether hailing from the South African Cape, Chile, Australia, or the Mediterranean region itself, year-round, there is always something of particular interest. An entire horticultural world beckons within the 127 acres of the gardens. Collections are roughly grouped by The Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia, and encompass bamboos, palms, tropical rarities, desert species, herbs of the world, rose gardens and citrus groves. The Arboretum's famous peacock (see video) adds moving color to the landscapes while keeping the snail population under control. Water features like Baldwin Lake host migrating bird species and offer refreshing coolness. Plant society sales and meetings occur all through the year, offering rare specimens not easily found at most nurseries. It's a great resource for anyone who has the desire to delve deeper into the cultivation of particular species, whether it be orchids, chrysanthemums, ferns, daylilies, or into the precise arts of bonsai and ikebana. Increasingly, the Arboretum is focusing on the unique challenges of gardening and landscaping in a dry climate, with demonstration gardens and opportunities to learn about green living, water conservation, and organic gardening. These valuable lessons can be taken home and put into practice on even the smallest piece of Eden. Visits to the Arboretum can be planned from any of Starwood's 23 Los Angeles area hotels, including the nearby Westin Pasadena or the Sheraton Pasadena.

For more than 40 years, Puerto Rico has been a favorite destination of golfers, but this year players of the gentleman's game have two more reasons to polish the clubs and head to the island. The Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Golf Course is one of the most exciting new courses in the world, having opened recently along a gorgeous stretch of Bahía Beach. Better still, this world class course is just steps from the brand new The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, Puerto Rico, which will open its doors to guests on November 4, 2010. Spread out over 6,979 yards, the course overlooks the Atlantic ocean, 80 acres of saltwater lagoons, and the mountainous El Yunque rainforest, giving players plenty of challenges with every hole. The par-three fourth hole, for example, requires a short carry over water to a large, triangular green, while the three final holes play directly along the ocean and beach - offering little room for error and plenty of natural beauty to test one's focus. But no matter how the round goes, golfers will be glad to return to the St. Regis Bahia Beach after the 18th for dinner at Fern by Jean Georges, where a world of culinary delights comes with views of swaying palm trees. Brag about your best shots over drinks at the St. Regis bar and start making plans for another golf getaway.

For some great hiking just minutes from Denver, check out Castlewood Canyon State Park. Located south of the city in Franktown, it boasts excellent hiking, picnicking, rock climbing, and sightseeing. Trails range from just half a mile to four miles, and can be combined for longer journeys. Bring plenty of water and some snacks, because the winding Cherry Creek flowing along the canyon floor provides a host of gorgeous rest stops where your lunch comes with amazing natural views. Other highlights include a natural amphitheater and the Bridge Canyon Overlook Gazebo, which affords perfect photo-ops and plenty of romantic sunsets. You can even find remnants of local history in the ruins of Castlewood Dam, which burst in 1933, sending a 15-foot-high wall of water into Denver. Best of all, after a day of rigorous exercise, you can shower and relax before a fantastic dinner in town. Starwood has eight hotels in and around Denver, including the Westin Tabor Center, Denver.

[image via Colorado State Parks]

A trip to a Croatian cemetery may strike you as a somber and bizarre way to spend your time in Zagreb, but the Mirogoj Cemetery is considered one of the most stunning cemetery parks in Europe, with its beautiful gardens and artistic headstones.

Depart the Westin Zagreb and head to the cemetery, located just shy of three miles north on the slopes of Medvednica mountain. Created in 1876, green cupolas top the 30-foot wall surrounding the park, whose main building features stunning arcades (successions of arches). The cemetery inters members of all faiths, from Catholic to Jewish to Muslim, as well as those who aren't religious at all, and has served as the final resting place for some 300,000 souls, including famous Croatians ranging from poets to former presidents to a Nobel prize-winning chemist. A stroll through the grounds reveals stunning mosaics, chapels, frescos, and statues. Get a taste of Croatian history by visiting the Monument to Fallen Croatian soldiers in World War I and the "Wall of Pain" intended to honor those who died in the Croatian War of Independence, among other war memorials. Should you be in Zagreb on All Saints' Day or All Souls' Day, a trip to the cemetery is an absolute must as thousands and thousands are candles are lit on these days in memory of those passed.

[image via Wikimedia Commons]

Calling all foodies: There's so much more to eating than what's on the plate today. Get a mouthful of culinary history at the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University (which counts Emeril Lagasse and Tyler Florence among its graduates), located just a mile away from the Westin Providence.

This premier all-things-food museum has everything from presidential china to cookbooks dating to the 1500s on display - one donor gave the museum some 7,500 rare cookbooks - to menus that give you a taste of what it was like to dine on ships, railroads, and airlines (for instance, if you flew United on Easter Day in 1947, you got to dine on oven-glazed ham with raisin sauce, candied sweet potato, and asparagus tips in butter...plus bread, salad, and dessert). The range is truly astounding: You'll travel back to a time of antique cast-iron stoves and refrigerators with motors on top, see how kitchen gadgets have evolved throughout the years, and get to watch a documentary about how one master cake decorator adorns cakes several feet tall. Be sure to check out the 4,000-square-foot diner exhibit, which catalogs this history of the roadside diner.

[image via Culinary Arts Museum, photo by Stephen Spencer]

All vacations should be a walk in the park, and your next jaunt to Bengaluru will be one, indeed, should you visit the spectacular Lalbagh Botanical Garden.

The lush paradise is located in the center of Bengaluru (the British referred to the city as Bangalore; the name reverted to its long-standing Indian name in 2007), and now covers 240 acres. It began as the private garden of Hyder Ali, a ruler of the Southern Indian Kingdom of Mysore, in 1760, and became a government botanical garden some 100 years later. It's now a multi-purpose gem, acting as a place for scientific study, conservation, botanical artwork, and tourism. Stone walls surround Lalbagh, which features a mix of roads, paths, shaded spots, and - of course - plants, some 1,854 species to be exact. You'll see everything from pink Cassia trees to the Kigelia Pinnata, a tree with sausage-like fruit, to a beautiful rose garden. Be sure to visit the stunning Glass House (pictured), built in 1889 to commemorate a visit by the Prince of Wales and to be used as a site for acclimatizing exotic plants; today, it holds the garden's famed biannual flower shows, which occur each January and August. Plan a winter-time getaway to coincide with the January show, and the December 2010 opening of the Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway.

[image CC by sa PlaneMad/Wikipedia]

There's nothing like a good soak, but Chicago's SpaceTime Tanks are something else entirely. Since 1982, these sensory deprivation chambers have drawn stressed out Chicagoans to "take a vacation in an hour," floating and tuning out every distraction until they're completely relaxed. It certainly strikes people as odd the first time they try it. After all, you're floating effortlessly in 10 inches of 93.5 degree water with 800 pounds of dissolved Epsom salts. With the door closed, there are no sights or sounds, only complete darkness and silence for you to project your thoughts. Yet adherents swear by it, taking isolation sessions once or twice a week for up to two hours at a time, which can yield as much relaxation as eight hours of deep sleep. In addition to the flotation tanks, the facility also offers Light/Sound Machines, which "provide the rhythmic stimulation in the desired brain wave frequency range via goggles with LED lights and headphones," as well as "Nex-Neuro" therapy, which involves motion, vibracoustics, music, and video to guide visitors to the ultimate state of relaxation. And if all this is just a touch too weird for you, there's also traditional Swedish and deep tissue massage. Hey, they're going to help you relax, no matter what it takes. Starwood has hotels throughout the Chicago area, including the stylish W Chicago - City Center.

Does the idea of touring the countryside strike you as a little, well, boring? Amp it up on your next Portuguese vacation by way of Quad Ventura's quad bike tours.

Quad Ventura's treks take you off the beaten path in the Algarve region of Portugal, home to the Sheraton Algarve Hotel, Albufeira. The hotel overlooks miles of pristine beaches lining the stunningly blue Atlantic, but you'll head inland on this tour. Whether you're an experienced off-roader or have never touched a 4x4, you'll have no problem handling the bikes through old villages and plunging valleys. Taking you to areas that would be exhausting to reach on foot and are impossible to access by car, you'll truly get an insider's look at the picturesque area. Travelers have two tour options: The first is a two-hour tour that heads north of Albufeira and takes you to the top of a mountain, the route upward tailored to the group's skill - and adventure - level, and includes a short stop in a typical Portuguese café. The second option, a four-hour tour, includes a long, steady climb through orange, peach, and avocado groves on the way to the town of Alte and its maze of cobbled streets. Weather permitting, you'll even cruise across a river as you head toward Paderne and visit the ruins of an ancient Moorish castle. Note: Children over the age of 8 are permitted to ride; quads seat up to two people.

The Japanese are known for their love of the unique — and their willingness to pay a premium for it. It doesn't get much more unique when it comes to fruit than specially shaped watermelons, which have become a bit of a fad in recent years. The process for shaping a melon into a cube was developed about ten years ago, and the technology just keeps getting more advanced.

The fruit company Kudamono no Sato Okumara sells a variety of shaped melons at its store in Numazu, about an hour-and-a-half train ride south of the Yokohama Bay Sheraton Hotel & Towers. There you'll find watermelons shaped like cubes, pyramids, double-lobed gourds and hearts — and possibly a face or two, if the fruit cooperate — but also cube-shaped "crown melons" that you can actually eat (the watermelons are considered display-only). The edible melons cost roughly $230 (¥20,000) to ship home, while the shaped watermelons range from around $100 to nearly $1,000 (¥80,000) for a large specimen.

You might also keep your eye out for hyuganatsu and yuko, unusual varieties of citrus from southern Japan. They're rare and hard to find out of season, but worth searching for. Both are quite a bit cheaper than Miyazaki mangoes, from the same region, which have fetched as much as ¥200,000 ($2,330) a pair at auction.

[Photo via PingMag]

A vacation just isn't a vacation without a treasured souvenir. Bypass the kitsch and tchotchkes and come home with something that truly reminds you of this tropical African island nation by visiting the Caudan Waterfront (pictured) and its fantastic craft market.

There's plenty to browse at the Caudan Craft Market, with some 40 stalls set up throughout two floors. The colors alone will reel you in - tropical greens and turquoises. Walk from stand to stand in the open bazaar and wish yourself luck: Your eyes are likely larger than your suitcase. You'll find tempting spices, basketwork and other crafts, brilliantly colored beach pareos (wraparound skirts), embroidered linens, and more. When you're finished there, you needn't go far: The waterfront is one of the capital city of Port Louis's most popular destinations, and with good reason. In addition to plenty of shopping (both handicraft and high-end), there are several places to dine. Swing by Segafredo Zanetti Expresso, located near the market on Barkly Wharf, and have a panini and coffee. Cap off the day with a stop at Goumandise d'Anne and a taste of one of its banana tarts or coconut bites then head nine miles north to the luxe comforts of the Grand Mauritian Resort & Spa. If you can't make the journey until next summer, consider a stay at the St. Regis Mauritius Resort, which opens June 1, 2011 on the southwestern side of the island.

[image via Wikimedia Commons © B.navez]