GLOBETROTTER
New hotel
Rhode Island: New England’s long-board surf capital of Narragansett now has a chic hotel close to its most popular waves. The Break offers 16 rooms with Apple TV, iPad/iPod docking stations and free Wi-Fi, for that other kind of surfing. From $279. www.thebreakhotel.com.
New flights
Panama: Copa Airlines begins nonstop daily service between Panama City and San Francisco on Sept. 17. Flights will depart from SFO at 11:19 p.m. and arrive in Central America’s busiest airport at 8:32 a.m., with connections to nearly 60 Latin American destinations. www.copaair.com.
Water activities
Seychelles: The calm between two seasons of trade winds means that diving, snorkeling and swimming conditions are at their peak in October and November, and again in April and May. Water temperature can reach 84 degrees, with visibility 100 feet deep. www. seychelles.travel.
World heritage
Turkey: The ancient Greek city of Ephesus (pictured at left), which also boasts Roman and Ottoman-era landmarks, is one of two new Turkish sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. The Diyarbikir Fortress and Hevel Gardens Cultural Landscape, part of the Fertile Crescent region, also spans many centuries and several cultures. http://whc.unesco.org, https://goturkey.com.
Holiday
Thailand: Queen Sirikit, who has avoided public appearances since she had a stroke in 2012, turns 83 on Aug. 12. Like that of her equally revered husband, the queen’s birthday is a national holiday, with fireworks, parades and festive lights; it’s also Mother’s Day, reflecting her honorary status as the mother of all Thai people. www.thailandtourism.org.