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At the end of 2011, we quizzed members and staff about their favorite discoveries this year. Indagare member A. E. has warm-weather experiences in China, Dubai and Italy. Read more Best-of-2011 Interviews.

In March I traveled to Hong Kong and Beijing with my boyfriend. It was truly eye-opening! I had never been to Asia before and it was amazing to experience a slice of that part of the world. We had fun hotel bar-hopping in Hong Kong and had a particularly fabulous dinner at the China Club I loved the décor, ambience and particularly the people watching! The history in Beijing was incredible and I loved walking the Great Wall and getting lost in the Forbidden City. I’m dying to go back to explore more.

The Al Maha (Al Ain Road; 971 4303 4222) outside of Dubai and Il Pellicano in Tuscany are very different but equally fabulous and my two favorite hotels of the world. The views of the desert dunes outside our villa at Al Maha were spectacular! We rode camels and went “dune driving” and really felt out of our element. It was an amazing desert safari experience and the accommodations were incredible. Il Pellicano is classic and chic and visitors feel like they have entered a bygone era. The setting could not be more incredible and the food is over-the-top delicious. I could return again and again!

A great lesson I have learned while traveling is to not pack too much into the day at the risk of oversaturating. My best travel days have been those when I had one “goal” and took the rest of the day to wander at leisure. I feel a sense of accomplishment having seen a major site but having the rest of the day to explore makes me feel like an intrepid traveler.

Next year I am dying to go to India for a major trip. Closer to home in London, I hope to travel to Copenhagen and Stockholm. destinations/69/departments”