Sipping a mojito in my cushy cabana at Velas Vallarta while gazing at the cerulean sea, sure felt like paradise to me. Puerto Vallarta captivates with its sun kissed beaches against the backdrop of the Sierra Madre Mountains. This trendy resort town on Mexico’s Pacific Coast with a lively palm tree lined oceanfront malecon (promenade), offers a vibrant art scene, voguish boutiques, superb gastronomy and happening nightlife.

Sonoma wine country is more than double the size of neighbor Napa and with its gorgeous scenery, superb farm to table dining and esteemed grapes, it’s easy to fall under its spell.

It will be fun, they said. “The plane! The plane!” is all I could think about once I realized I had to get on a tiny plane to get to my final destination in Placencia, Belize.