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Q: Where do you live on Maui? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sugar scrubs, sea salt baths and coconut oil massages have long added local flavor to resort spa menus in Hawaii. But ever since the Grand Wailea debuted its lineup of "farm to spa" treatments in 2012, there's been a growing emphasis on another key ingredient: sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Converting a tennis court into a hydroponic garden might seem a welcome step forward in improving the sustainability of the Grand Hyatt Kauai, the luxurious 602-room resort in Poipu Beach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Oregon: Get under the hood of vintage and historic race cars and motorcycles, including Indy, NASCAR and drag-racing models, as part of the "experiential" exhibits at the World of Speed, opening April 24 in Wilsonville, 18 miles south of Portland. Admission is $10 adults, $5 ages 6 to 12. www.worldofspeed.org. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

South Korea: April marks the start of moonlit strolls at iconic Changdeokgung Palace and its extensive gardens. Held during the full moon each month through October, the tours ($27) include traditional entertainment, tea and snacks, and should be booked well in advance. http://eng.cdg.go.kr [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Finland: Helsinki Airport is the first in Europe to offer sleeping pods - seats that convert to covered beds, with a power outlet inside and space for carry-on bags below. The charge to recharge yourself (and your devices) is 9 euros an hour (about $9.50). A blanket costs the same, while a pillow is 6 euros (about $6.32). www.finavia.fi/en/helsinki-airport. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

London: Climb aboard the Hogwarts Express vintage steam engine at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London's expanded Making of Harry Potter section, opening Thursday. The new permanent exhibition also features a re-creation of the film series' Platform 9�. www.wbstudiotour.co.uk. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

One door closes, another opens - at least eventually, when it comes to Hawaii's hotels, restaurants and activities for visitors. Here's a roundup of notable debuts and denouements from around the islands. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Germany: Think pink as you trek past thousands of almond trees blooming along the 48-mile Palatinate Almond Trail (Pfaelzer Mandelpfad), from Bad Duerkheim to the French border. The so-called "pink weeks" of March and April also inspire food and wine festivals, lighting displays and special tours. www.german-wineroute.com. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

France: Reservations are open for the first tours of the full-size replica of Caverne du Pont-d'Arc, a nearly 33,000-square-foot cave boasting 36,000-year-old engravings and paintings. An adjacent museum explores Paleolithic life and the restoration of the actual cavern, both in Vallon-Pont-d'Arc. Tours ($15) begin April 25. www.lacavernedupontdarc.org/en. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Barcelona: Two restored grand houses in the Carrer Montcada now house the Museum of World Cultures (Museu de Cultures del Món in Catalan), showcasing several thousand artworks and artifacts from Africa, Oceania, Asia and South and Central America. http://museuculturesmon.bcn.cat. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Seattle: Stay at one of 54 hotels celebrating the inaugural Museum Month in February and receive a pass for 50 percent off admission to more than 40 sites, including the Seattle Art Museum, Chihuly Garden and Glass, Museum of Flight and the Woodland Park Zoo. www.seattlemuseummonth.com. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Savannah, Ga.: “The Visual Blues,” through May 3 at the Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center, brings together 52 works by renowned Harlem Renaissance artists inspired by blues and jazz musicians. Pictured: “Count Basie and Billie Holiday at the Graystone Ballroom, Detroit,” by Jay Robinson, ca. 1947. www.telfair.org/visualblues. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Florida: The Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge and the Homosassa River in Citrus County are the only places where it’s legal to swim with the endangered West Indian [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Arizona: Navajo blankets, Kit Carson memorabilia, and art by Georgia O’Keeffe and others will have a new showcase in Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West. The 43,000-square-foot, city-owned museum, set to open Thursday, Jan. 15, includes an amphitheater, sculpture garden and native cactus garden. www.scottsdalemuseumwest.org. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Seoul: Stars of “The Interview” might want to skip this, but the daily DMZ Train between the South Korean capital and Dorasan, introduced last year, offers a peek at North Korea from a “civilian control zone.” Sights include a mile-long tunnel said to have been built by northern forces. www.letskorail.com. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

No matter what their major, students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo can see for themselves that the university’s renowned architecture program is uniquely hands-on — and so can visitors, if they’re up to a short hike in the hills above campus. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Given its location roughly halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, San Luis Obispo makes sense as the site of the world’s first motel. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Montreal: One of the world’s largest winter festivals, Montreal en Lumiere features concerts, family [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

London: “The First World War in the Air,” on permanent display at the Royal Air Force Museum’s Grahame-White Factory, traces the story of the world’s first independent air force, including the role of pilots, ground crews and factory workers at the North London site. www.rafmuseum.org. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Peru: A planned cable car to the fortress ruins of Kuelap, built by the Chachapoya in the northern Amazonas region, could bring thousands to the remote site. Consider going now with an outfitter such as Adventure Life, which leads a nine-day Chachapoyas Discovery tour from $2,195. www.adventure-life.com. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Las Vegas: The Linq Hotel and Casino, formerly known as the Imperial Palace, offers 2,700 rooms, while its 3535 bar serves 35 custom infusions. While some work continues, introductory room packages with two tickets to the adjacent 550-foot High Roller observation wheel start at $79. www.caesars.com/linq. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

When Harrison Ford rode his motorcycle up the California coast a few summers ago, he could have overnighted at any number of posh lodgings in downtown Carmel. Instead, in the spirit of a classic road trip, the actor pulled over just off Highway 1, at Carmel Mission Inn. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Paris: Frank Gehry’s striking design for the Louis Vuitton Foundation merits its own exhibition at the Bois de Boulogne museum, through March 16. On permanent display: equally striking works by Ellsworth Kelly, Olafur Eliasson and other modern artists. www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr/en. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

New York City: Cooper Hewitt, the Smithsonian Design Museum, reopens Dec. 12 with expanded galleries in Andrew Carnegie’s former mansion. Visitors can borrow an interactive pen to capture images and create designs to share online. www.cooperhewitt.org. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Tacoma, Wash.: Founded in 1935, the Tacoma Art Museum will nearly double its size — and boast one of the top collections of Western American art — when a new gallery devoted to the almost 300 works in the Haub Family Collection opens Nov. 15. www.tacomaartmuseum.org. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Los Angeles: Book at least a two-night hotel stay before Nov. 14 and receive two free admissions and store discounts at more than 20 area museums, including Huntington Library, the Norton Simon Museum and the Battleship Iowa. www.discoverlosangeles.com/museumseason [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Given his lofty ambitions for what was initially a beautiful white-sand beach framed by acres of imposing black lava, it’s telling that Mauna Kea Beach Hotel developer Laurance Rockefeller named the luxurious Big Island resort for the 13,796-foot mountain rising in the distance — the tallest in the world when measured from the ocean floor. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Perhaps the coolest souvenir from Hawaii these days is one that people always leave behind, some 5,000 feet above the sea. Instead of gathering dust at home, these living mementos provide food for endangered native birds, keep soil from washing onto coral reefs, retain water in the watershed and offset vacationers’ carbon footprint. Some even serve as unique reminders of lost loved ones. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although specializing in plants from around the world that grow in climates similar to California’s, the UC Botanical Garden in the Berkeley hills also provides safe haven for seven ferns, three palms and 11 other plants native to Hawaii, “some of them quite rare,” says curator Holly Forbes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Growth, and not just that of endangered plants, is in the air of the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s headquarters on Kauai’s South Shore. Home to the elegantly landscaped Allerton Garden and the profusely diverse McBryde Garden, the garden is steadily expanding its outreach to visitors while continuing the research chartered by Congress 50 years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The newly opened Brannan Cottage Inn in Calistoga may offer just six rooms, but each could be cause for celebration — or the site of one. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Bahamas: The stone cross said to mark the spot where Christopher Columbus [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Palm Springs: Learn from a pro how to drive a race car during the Waldorf Astoria Driving Experience, offered Oct. 15-20 at La Quinta Resort & Club. The lodging package for two ($1,258) includes the three-hour class in a supercharged auto and a pit stop in the spa. www.laquintaresort.com/stay/special-offers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Senegal: More than a million pilgrims are expected this week at the Grand Mosque of Touba, home to the tomb of Sheikh Amadou Bamba. The founder of a Sufi Muslim order, and twice exiled by the French, Bamba began work on the mosque a year before his death in 1927; it was completed in 1963. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In Carmel, not everything old is new again, which accounts for much of the city's charm. But some things are new again - which doesn't mean the charm is lost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the Monterey region's bakers and confectioners are tempting any time of the year, they're even more irresistible during the holiday season. We've sampled items from several sweet spots that provide a dazzling array of indulgences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although they had vacationed regularly for two decades on Kauai's South Shore, Silicon Valley attorney Terry McMahon and his wife, Cindie, made a bold move in late 2007 when they decided to be founding members of the Garden Isle's most luxurious resort community, Kukuiula. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Were it not for the Polynesian voyagers who carried sugarcane in the cargo of their canoes to the Hawaiian islands centuries ago, San Francisco might not have a Spreckels mansion. In 1908, Adolph Spreckels inherited his father, Claus', Hawaiian sugar empire, which gave him ample funds to pour into the Beaux Arts edifice now owned by Danielle Steel. Around the same time, ships from Hawaii began unloading pure cane sugar on the docks of Crockett to be refined at the California and Hawaiian Sugar Refining Co., known as C&H. The sugar bond between Hawaii and the Bay Area remains strong - and there are many ways to follow the sweet trail from there to here. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Pineapple, papaya, coconut, coffee - the ingredients can make Hawaii spa menus sound like the breakfast buffet. As with restaurants, some spas make an effort to distinguish themselves through the artfulness of their island-sourced concoctions, the refined quality of their service and the comfort and beauty of their setting. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There was a time in the early 1960s when Carrie Yoshimoto of San Mateo wasn't allowed into the city's Takahashi Market. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sitting next to me in a gleaming white 2013 Range Rover, Land Rover Experience driving instructor Mark Curtsinger was almost apologetic that it wouldn't be muddy on the Carmel Valley trails we'd be exploring. He wanted to show off all the vehicle could do. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Part of what makes Carmel's storybook cottages so captivating are their equally unique gardens, profuse with year-round blooms, pretty pots, whimsical statuary and wall hangings, and often handcrafted touches. Whether or not you have outdoor space yourself, these seven intriguing Monterey-area stores can help you bring that eclectic charm home. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Whether out to gaze at Monterey Bay's wildlife or ride the waves, more and more people are warming up to the area's famously chilly waters on stand-up paddleboards. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Don't tell Caltrans, but someone is going to alter the new sign along southbound Highway 1 in Carmel. The "26 Miles to Big Sur" will soon read "26.2" miles - to mark the length of next month's Big Sur International Marathon. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Drink a cocktail, preserve a way of life: Who knew it was that easy? The producers of two well-regarded Hawaii-made spirits - Maui's Ocean Vodka and Kauai's Koloa Rum Co. - have realized that saying "bottoms up" does more than just help their bottom line. It also supports the 1,500-year-old tradition of growing sugarcane in the islands, and creates agri-tourism on land that might otherwise be lost to development. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Los Angeles celebrity interior designer and author Xorin Balbes never thought he'd sell Sowden House, a 1926 showpiece in the Hollywood Hills designed by the son of Frank Lloyd Wright. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Of the many Hawaiian words visitors to the islands will encounter in everyday use, two of the handiest to know may be mauka and makai, "toward the mountains" and "toward the sea," respectively. They're not only convenient for understanding directions, but also for describing where to explore new activities and developments: [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

For the first time in four hours, my tour guide on Lanai is at a loss for words. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

New Hampshire: The state is offering expanded sled tours that explore the woods and White Mountains. Barking Brook Sled Dog Adventures and Valley Snow Dogz are two family-run operations that also promise special care for their canine workers. www.barking-brook.com, www.valleysnowdogz.com. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]