Aybuke Akgun

To reach the picture-perfect French Polynesian island of Taha'a, you fly from Tahiti to its neighbouring island, Raiatea, then catch a private boat shuttle to the resort. The all-encompassing serenity on arrival is even sweeter than you might imagine. With every suite and villa (all built in Polynesian tradition, featuring thatched pandanus roofs, bamboo, Marquesan "tapa" cloths, and woven coconut ropes) either suspended over azure waters or on the white-sand beach, this is barefoot-luxury in its dreamiest state.

The route to this boutique Sri Lankan hotel is part of the magic - a spectacularly scenic six-hour train will transport you to the small mountain village of Ella, followed by a tuk-tuk ride to finish. Nine Skies, a bungalow perched atop a tea-clad hill, has only five bedrooms - each opening out onto the garden terrace and a pool with unparalleled valley views - meaning that almost utter seclusion is guaranteed when you reach it.

On the wild west coast of Vancouver Island, where rainforest meets the Pacific Ocean, the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino harnesses the rustic natural beauty, and assimilates it with luxurious features. Case in point: The decadent Ancient Cedars Spa, where traditional local treatments take place overlooking the incredible coastline.

A speedboat completes the journey to the recently opened Krabey Island Six Senses, where the resort's ultra-luxe villas - nestled amongst the lush, tropical landscape and each boasting its own private pool - await. Tranquility is the name of the game. If you can tear yourself away from basking beneath the canopy of trees, the Six Senses Spa, sunset bar (from which you can watch the sun disappear behind the Gulf of Thailand), ice cream parlour, open-air cinema, sky observatory, and two Cambodian restaurants (where ingredients are locally sourced and traditional Khmer cooking is served) are well worth the (much shorter) trip.

The panorama from Alila Jabal Akhdar across Oman's dramatic Al Hajar Mountains is mesmerising - and unsurprising, given that the ancient landscape (accessible only by four-wheel drive - approximately two and a half hours from Muscat) encompasses the country's highest mountain, Jebel Shams, and the aptly-named "Green Mountain”, Jabal Akhdar. The view can be enjoyed from the plush comfort of the dark wood suites and the al fresco tables of the Juniper restaurant - but, really, it’s best served from the hotel's centrepiece infinity pool, which suspends on the edge of a deep ravine.

But there is surprising grandeur in the architecture as well, most notably a wrought-iron, greenhouse structure that encloses a portion of the castle courtyard and is filled with frothy palms. Though it’s not an explicit feature, each room has a story, Benedikt told me, a subtle inspiration. We were staying in the “aviator” room, decorated with photos of his Polish grandfather, a pilot in World War I. In what used to be the wine cellar and is now “The Bathhouse” – the Castello’s spa – you can bathe in a tub full of foraged flowers, lounge like a Roman in a subterranean tepidarium (a more temperate version of a sauna) or, as I did later that day, submit yourself to a gentle dry brush with a copper-bristle paddle against an aural backdrop of what sounds like distant vespers. Imposing Andalusian horses are gathered in the stables, ready for a ride, while manicured tennis courts are perched above the elegant oval swimming pool.

It’s not difficult to see why. The relatively flat landscape features some of the most gorgeous towns in Italy – from the bleached walls of Ostuni to the quaint domed roofs of Alberobello’s traditional trulli – most of which are packed with knotty medieval streets, gleaming white Baroque churches and bustling markets. Around its lengthy coastlines you’ll find some of Italy’s most pristine beaches, from soft white sand to rocky plunge pools with crystal clear water. Then, of course, there’s the food. Puglia’s specialty, given it spans both the Adriatic and Ionian seas, is the freshest fish imaginable, with sea urchins and octopus serving as a particularly delectable highlight. It’s the birthplace of burrata, too; and don’t forget to try some orecchiette, handmade by a nonna on the winding streets of Bari’s old town.

Where to stay: A short drive from London, Berkshire has long been associated with royalty thanks to Windsor Castle, Eton College, and Cliveden House. The Duchess of Sussex famously stayed at the Grade I-listed property the night before her wedding, but monarchs have been frequenting the Chiltern Hills property since the 17th century. First built by the Duke of Buckingham for his mistress in 1666, this stately home perched on the Thames is surrounded by more than 350 acre of grounds featuring water gardens, a maze, and quite possibly the most infamous swimming pool in Britain, where John Profumo first laid eyes on Christine Keeler. (Read current owner Natalie Livingstone’s gripping The Mistresses of Cliveden before you go to get a true sense of its absolutely mind-blowing history.) As sumptuous as each of the 47 rooms are, nothing quite compares with the main rooms. The dining room was transported piece by piece from France’s Château d’Asnières in 1897, are there are still 18th-century tapestries, suits of armour, and portraits lining the walls of the historic Great Hall.

Indeed, it seems that pawpaws are becoming more and more fashionable. Tim Luscher of Sig Luscher Brewery in Frankfort, Kentucky, crafts pawpaw beer. Alicia Burton of Jeptha Creed Distillery in Shelbyville, Kentucky, makes pawpaw brandy. Chef and culinary educator Sara Bir recently wrote The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook. "At their best, pawpaws are custardy. Therefore, I love them in baked custards and chilled, dairy-based desserts," she said. "They also do well in tropically inspired savoury foods – a pawpaw beurre blanc spiked with habanero pepper to serve with shrimp, say." And Minnesota-based chef Alan Bergo, a noted forager and hunter of obscure wild foods, has taken a shine to the fruit, sharing recipes for pawpaw panna cotta and pawpaw cheesecake on his website.

These historical and complex habitats can be saved from further destruction, but delicate, long-term regeneration strategies are needed. Shrubsole believes that improved grazing habits in woodland areas can assist regeneration, while Dr Smith explained that her project is engaging and educating landowners in order to create "citizen scientists" with the knowledge and desire to manage temperate rainforest areas in the future.

They didn't find it in Cahokia, which Pauketat believes may instead have been conceived as a place to bridge the worlds of the living and the dead. For many cultures with roots in ancient Cahokia, "water is this barrier between the world of the living and the world of the dead," Pauketat said. Sprawling across a landscape that combines solid earth with patches of swamp, Cahokia may have served as a kind of spiritual crossroads.

Hidden in central Africa is a fiery lake that seems to have been lifted straight from the pages of Lord of the Rings. It's a portal into the centre of the Earth, where liquid rock reaching temperatures of more than 1000C seethes like soup in the devil's cauldron. This is the Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), whose sizzling pit of fire is the world's largest permanent lava lake, according to volcanologist Benoît Smets, who has studied the volcano for more than five years. The 260m-wide pool of fire, which can be viewed from the caldera rim, contains an estimated six million cubic metres of lava, enough to fill 2,500 Olympic swimming pools or 70 Royal Albert Halls.

Less than a year after dredging began, the Valdetarro Construction Company declared bankruptcy. Grace Deagazio, who formerly worked for the company as a secretary and public relations officer, says an environmental impact assessment was carried out before works started.

"The assessment was done at the time for the mangroves and there was no problem with regards to the coral reefs," she says. "There would have been no major environmental damage to the island itself, but our company went bankrupt due to an unfortunate series of financial problems. Union Island unfortunately got stuck right in the middle of the company’s bankruptcy; the project got frozen and it’s unfortunate."