Our first view of the red sandstone pile that fairly screams late-Victorian Scottish baronial estate, was one of those “oh, wow!” travel moments. And it just kept getting better and better.

Set in its own wild garden, above a long beach on Cape Elizabeth, Inn by the Sea combines very modern comforts -- and a green attitude -- with old-fashioned sun-and-sand-and-spa relaxation.

New products can solve travel problems, from using a cell phone safely while driving to cold feet on airplanes and unmentionable odors anywhere.

When I stepped off the bus in front of the Guggenheim Bilbao on a spring morning, it was love at first sight. That was several years ago, and it was time I returned to see more of this exciting city in Northern Spain.

Most travelers don’t use the words “luxury” and “family” in the same sentence, but at Purity Spring Resort in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, the two words come together as naturally as cookies and milk.

Ski right out the door and onto the gondola at Loon Mountain Club, in the heart of New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Or curl up in front of the fireplace with a good book, swim a few laps in the heated pool, luxuriate in the spa and forget the snowy landscapes outside.

Potsdam, just outside the German capital of Berlin, fairly gleams with restored glory as it celebrates the 300th birthday of Frederick the Great in 2012.

Without overdoing the Yuletide theme, Christmas Farm Inn keeps the holiday spirit year round, celebrating the simple joys of life each day. Spacious guest rooms and fine country dining welcome guests in all seasons.

In an art-filled get-away, we admire one of Boston’s great art museums, the latest work of one of the world’s greatest architects, and return to a hotel with its own museum of contemporary art.

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