After a hike up the wooded mountain trail in our fashion-violating attire, we were instructed to take a seat, one by one. When my turn came, I was hyper-propelled down the mountain by a blast of cold water on my back. Just as I was imagining that this is what an ice cube must feel like when it comes out of the shoot in the refrigerator, I hit the water at the bottom where I simultaneously tried to snort the water from my nose and yank my bathing suit bottom out of where it had been firmly wedged. - From Costa Rica: No Shoes Required by Jan Butsch Schroder

Travelers flock to River Street, where the city's cotton exchange/warehouse district has evolved into a tourist mecca with nine cobblestone blocks of shops and restaurants in a scenic location on the sultry Savannah River. Enjoy some great Savannah fare at The Chart House; arrive early and ask for a table by the waterfront. Spend the night at the welcoming Hyatt Regency Savannah. The accommodations are lovely, the service is superb and you are sure to spark a touch of romance when you request one of their king rooms with a view. Make a sweet stop at Savannah's Candy Kitchen, a store that will bring you back to your childhood, complete with Necco Wafers. Georgia's oldest city sparkles with southern flair down where the action is on River Street. – From Savvy Six Savannah by Renee Werbin and Stephanie Oswald

Despite its scratchy, tree-hugging reputation, designing in an environmentally conscious way actually has deeper, more extravagant roots that stretch back to old world nobility. True elegance has always been about authenticity and natural fibers. You cannot synthesize luxury. The issue that major hotels have is less a matter of furnishings (although that exists) than it is energy consumption, but the Fairmont has made company-wide efforts to stem the over-consumption of fossil fuels as well. – From The Green Life in D.C. by Ivey Doyal