The Balsams, an historic grand resort hotel in northern New Hampshire, combines luxury and family-friendly experiences, even in the spa and the dining room.

As the time of year arrives when I usually travel to Portugal I get a hankering to feast on the traditional Portuguese foods I savor there.

Visitors to Madrid couldn’t ask for a better location than the Hotel Hospes, facing onto Plaza de la Independencia, opposite the entrance to the beautiful Retiro Park and alongside Calle Serrano, the smartest shopping street in Spain's capital.

In the heart of Valpolicella vineyards, just north of Verona in Italy’s Veneto region, stands Vila del Quar, a Renaissance villa and wine estate whose owners welcome guests to beautiful rooms and Michelin-starred dining.

Applebutter Inn is just what a B&B should be: not too big, comfortable and welcoming, a place where you immediately feel at home. And not pretentious about it.

Mount Sutton, one of Quebec’s largest ski areas, is my kind of mountain, with plenty of ski trails for all abilities, cozy lodges, views all the way to Montreal and a warm, friendly Canadian welcome for American skiers.

Ski Resorts don't get any better: Slope-side condos with whirlpool tubs, beautifully groomed trails for all levels of skiers, attentive child care, plenty of off-slope recreation, a special teen center and ski lessons for the whole family.

It’s golf that brings most people to The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, a super-deluxe seaside resort overlooking 10 miles of beautiful barrier island beach near Charleston, S.C.

The Round Barn Farm in Waitsfield, Vermont, is a hilltop haven of warm hospitality, luxurious lodgings and -- in the summer -- grand opera.

Plan your trip to Portugal around manor house accommodations, where you are welcomed to wine estates and historic mansions by the owners themselves.