Most of the popular all-inclusive resorts along the Mayan Riviera, stretching south from the crowded beaches of Cancun to the historic Mayan ruins at Tulum, are large, crowded and lively.

Zoëtry Paraiso de la Bonita Riviera Maya is the exception.

It’s rare to combine history and luxury in a single Caribbean resort.

But Sandals Royal Bahamian, on Cable Beach adjacent to the city of Nassau, has managed to preserve The Balmoral Club, the original section of the 400 room property which was the exclusive gathering place and playground for Bahamas high society in the early 1940s.

We were heading to the major Panhandle city of Amarillo, the “Yellow Rose of Texas”, whose growth in the late 19th and early 20th century was enhanced by the railroad, cattle drives and Route 66, the famous trans-continental highway that wound its way from Chicago to Los Angeles.

We loved our earlier visits to Punta Cana but we were enchanted by Puerto Plata and the opportunity to enjoy its excellent wide, sandy beaches (among the best in the Caribbean) and wonderful mountain views, but also the many attractions beyond our Iberostar resort.

The Al Capone lecture was the perfect introduction to our tour the next day of Chicago neighbourhoods that were notorious in the 20s and 30s for illegal activities and major crimes.

Labrador has a sparse population but spectacular scenery. Few landscapes on earth are as dramatic as those in Torngat Mountains National Park at the northeast corner of Labrador

The biggest superstar at the Basketball Hall of Fame is James Naismith himself , the Ontario-born teacher who invented and introduced the game in 1891 at the Springfield YMCA as an alternate winter indoor sport.

It’s a huge, wonderfully landscaped property (including a practice soccer field for the Jamaican national team), secluded from other resorts, with a series of charming two- and three-story colonial buildings spread along the beachfront.

We’ve always enjoyed the food in Mexico and Excellence Riviera Cancun sets a very high standard. Even the buffet restaurant, Barcelona, has white linen and flowers on the tables and often live music to accompany its Mexican and international cuisine.