Kauai
Zurich
Cinque Terre
Dubrovnik and Split, Croatia
Very tough to only pick 4.
Botanical gardens, Melbourne, Australia. I really felt at peace here. I think the turtles helped that mood.
Torino, Italy. I’m generally not a fan of big cities, but this is the biggest exception. We’ve stayed there maybe a dozen times, mostly in apartments. The wonderful selection of food shops, great market (and occasionally very good ad-hoc markets), wonderful enoteche have great appeal, but the transport system is a remarkable, the grid system easy to navigate, and we’ve found some good places to eat and drink. It’s certainly classy, without pushing it in the way Milano felt.
Don’t know the name, but a forest in Sweden, maybe 50km north of Stockholm. My partner put a lot of effort into studying mushrooms, and I’ve enjoyed being the faithful hound going on walks and hunting them out. Generally we’re looking just to enjoy looking at them, but as well as lots of interesting inedible mushrooms, the forest was teeming with some absolute favourite eating mushrooms, including two types of chanterelle and plenty of porcini and other boletus mushrooms, plus a remarkable (and very edible) brittlegill mushroom that smells of fish (and is good to put in fish stews etc. Huge thanks to a fellow wine enthusiast for taking us there.
Lago Molveno, Italy. In days gone by I would have had Ravello down in this slot, for the wonderful walking, stunning views, excellent food. Tourism has crept up there over time, and some of the charm has been dulled for us. However in recent years we’ve found Molveno an excellent replacement. The views have that same way of leaving me just looking out quietly, taking it in with a big smile, the food a bit more hearty (in this the Amalfi coast still wins, though honourable mentions to nearby bottega della bonta for a treasure trove of goodies, plus the slightly psychotically enthusiastic / cheerful butcher in Molveno, who also stocks plenty of other stuff - for me, he was the heart of the village), the walking is at least as steep, but at altitude, so is an excellent workout, with the ski lifts offering a cheat option. Nearby Trento is a star as well, and it’s a region we plan to explore more. Oh there’s Foradori as well, as their courtyard is a peaceful haven for local birds.
Koror, Palau
Xania, Crete
Homer, AK
Idleyld, OR
Cape Town, especially hiking lion’s Head mountain at dawn to see the city bowl.
Alhambra palace, Grenada. If you can get there with no tourists, it’s the most calm, idyllic, peaceful place on earth.
Ubud Bali, a magical sanctuary in the middle of the jungle with amazing food and hotels.
Ston Easton Park, Bath UK. A grade I listed house my wife and I spent a perfect week at. The area around Bath is bucolic and eases my soul. The house is for sale for £7m and I wish I had the money.
Penang, Malaysia
Taos Ski Valley, NM
Lake Louise, specifically the Post Hotel
Cruising (under sail) in the BVI
Lake Louise
Taroko Gorge, Taiwan
Svalbard
Near the top of the mountain at Zell am See
I was curious if anyone felt Macho Picchu would make the list. Always wanted to go these since learning about it in elementary Spanish class.
No order (obviously 4 makes it very difficult)
Arenal, Costa Rica is an absolute must for anyone that likes adventure; jungle; exploring; activities; unique animals/fauna/etc. Nayara resort was perfect.
-no runner up that I am familiar with
LaGuardia, Spain- a fortress town in wine country (Rioja) with little tourists but with a bodega/tiny winery, store, bakery, etc every 100’.
-Runner up Pamplona & Barcelona
Bordeaux, France- less specificity as the city has everything from some of the largest dunes against the ocean to medieval town of St Emilion, incredible architecture and history and some of the best food and wine we have had anywhere.
-Runner up Avignon FR, Lyon FR and south western France (Eze & Cannes (who knew?)
Lake George, NY camping on the many isolated islands
-runner up Bend Oregon & Telluride, CO
Yellowstone
Fenway Park
Lupo’s
Friends lake house Weare NH
Wow! Not easy.
Petra, Jordan
Victoria Falls, Zambia
Iguazú Falls or Iguaçu Falls, Argentina/Brazil
Hot air ballooning over the Valley of Kings, the Nile etc. in Luxor, Egypt
Andre and George just sold the Post Hotel. Love that place.
Barcelona — my favorite city in the world. Could happily spend the rest of my life here.
Rome
Paris
Los Angeles
Bhutan
Paris
Namib Desert
Japan (Tokyo/Kyoto)
Bolzano/Dolomites, Italy
Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
Chicago Basin, Colorado
Isle of Skye, Scotland (Can I include Edinburgh in this too?)
2 Likes
- Peru Sacred Valley
- Burgundy France
- Paris
- Masai Mara Kenya OR Sabi Sands in South Africa tie
Honorable mention
San Sebastian, Spain
Italy
Cambodia
Iceland/Faroe Islands
Iguazu Falls - Brazil/Argentina
Victoria Falls/Zambia
Easter Island
New Zealand
Honorable mention:
Norman’s Cay, Bahamas:
https://www.macduffscottages.com/
We sailed the Exumas on a Marine Biology trip. The highlight was sailing at night through bioluminescent algae, a blue hole in Big Major Cay, and Norman’s Cay. Norman’s Cay was also known as cocaine island and still has some interesting ruins and history from the not too distant past.
http://abnf.co/BAH-Norman’s%20Cay%20Island.htm
Porto Ercole
Jordan
Dordogne
Sicily
Bora Bora
Algarve
Venice
Lanai
Paris
Amalfi Coast
Bacharach, Germany
Seville, Spain
The Pierre Herme on 72 Rue Bonaparte in Paris - surrounded by the most delicious pastries in the world knowing I’ll shortly be eating them in one of the most glorious cities in the world.
The summit of Mount Mizen on Miyajima - just south of Hiroshima. So beautiful. It’s totally worth flying halfway around the world, taking a train across most of Japan, taking a ferry, walking, and taking a cable car to the summit. And you even get to see other parts of Japan on the way.
Autumn Leaves almost anywhere in the Northeast US.
Paris
Noosa
Burgundy
San Sebastian