I love to travel and was wondering about the experiences of CC folks. Maybe I’ve missed a fantastic place, so far – or there are others that I should avoid (not waste time and money on).
Here are some broad categories and my selections…
Stunningly beautiful: Santorini. Salzkammergut, Austria
Beautiful: French Riviera (Nice, Monaco, etc), Vancouver
Fascinating Culturally: Prague, Thessaloniki
Favorite Cities: NYC, Chicago, Hong Kong
Bucket list: Iceland, Northern Italy, Napa Valley
Fun! And I like these because it either validates what others say and it puts on my bucket list or not. Two that you have on there are Santorini and Barcelona! Now I want to go. I’ve not traveled as much as you and I’m just listing a few, but here goes.
STunnjngly Beautiful: Rio de Janeiro, Amalfi Coast…specifically Positano
Fascinating Culturally: South America
Disappointments: Rincon, Puerto Rico
Bucket List: Florence, London, Now Santorini and Barcelona, Quebec City. At home, San Antonio Riverwalk
@FallGirl I agree about Vancouver being really beautiful… I’ve never been to Prague, although I’m a big Kafka fan. Budapest, either. I lived in Vienna for a while, but the Iron Curtain hadn’t fallen yet, so traveling to the Eastern Bloc countries didn’t happen.
@conmama I love Rio too, and have spent a lot of time in Brazil. My wife is Brazilian… The Rio beaches and surrounding hills and mountains are amazing. Too bad that there is so much crime in Rio though… Another bucket place is Fernando de Noronha, My wife says it’s the most gorgeous place in Brazil… Thanks for endorsing the Amalfi Coast! Can’t wait to visit… I didn’t like the Riverwalk, even though I’m originally from Texas. The restaurants there are ridiculously expensive. Some places charge $50 for a Mexican food entree.
@FallGirl , I need to add Napa to my bucket list! Some of the places I’ve been on your list but it’s been so long, I barely remember. I’d love to learn more about Hong Kong. DH wants to go there, but I’m skeptical.
@whatisyourquest …My cousin, who is from another part of SA, moved to Rio to go to college and married a Carioca! We’ve been twice and the topography is hard to be matched, it’s so unique. The first time I was there was almost 35 years ago and my cousins wouldn’t let us wear cologne, carry a camera or wear any type of jewelry except wood. But we had a blast as it was over NYE. We lunched at the restaurant where The Girl from Ipanema was written, joined in to a band and danced down the streets, stopped our car on the highway towards midnight because there was a traffic jam and everyone abandoned their cars…haha. We even drove thru a flavela. Very interesting city.
My favorite places: Old San Juan, Northern Italy, North shore of Oahu, Coral Bay area of St. John, Isla Mujeres, Tulum, and Cape Cod National Seashore for some of the best beaches in the world (and just down the street from me).
Disappointing places: Definitely San Antonio (Riverwalk especially), NOLA, Roatan, Cancun, Fajardo PR
Bucket List: Barcelona, NAPA valley, Iceland, Greek Isles, Italian Riviera
@conmama Lucky! I’ve never been to Rio for New Year’s. I’ve been to Buzios, the nearby resort area then though. New Year’s is the favorite holiday of the Brazilians I know. They wear white and “jump the waves” for good luck. You must have seen the blowout fireworks displays at Ipanema. I’ve just seen YouTube videos. Very cool.
@NEPatsGirl Thanks for the tip about Coral Bay, St. John. I’ve never been there and want to explore the Caribbean more… Interesting that you too found the Riverwalk disappointing.
I’m from Austin, so I’ve been to the Riverwalk quite a few times. I like it, but I wouldn’t make it a destination trip from out of state. There’s just not that much to it. You go to some shops and restaurants and then take a boat ride on the narrow “river” - more like a creek. I’ve also never understood the fascination with San Antonio in general, although I do love visiting the Alamo, since one of my ancestors was Sam Houston’s quartermaster (he wasn’t at the Alamo, fortunately).
I like Austin and other parts of the Hill Country better. But I’m probably prejudiced.
South Africa is my favorite country. Safaris in Kruger National Park or the adjacent game preserves (which have no fences between them and Kruger) are out-of-this world, and Cape Town is incredibly beautiful - the mountains right next to the ocean are breathtaking. It looks like I will be going back for the fifth time in 2018.
To me, the Riverwalk is someplace to stay/see if you need to be in San Antonio anyway. It’s a cool spot to spend a little time - but not enough to vacation to. Walk, shop, eat, look around, take the short boat ride. One afternoon/day, done.
Beautiful: Danube Delta (Romania/Ukraine); Etosha National Park (Namibia)
Fascinating Culturally: Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Iran
Favorite Cities: Budapest, Tel Aviv
Disappointments: The only place I ever went that I really didn’t like was Karachi. Well, San Francisco kinda sucks too (2017).
Bucket list: Ireland, Costa Rica, some of the national parks in Zambia
Re:Riverwalk. We were just there last mouth. It’s very pretty. Took the boat ride, went to the Museum of Western Art, La Villeta and walked over to The Alamo at night when it’s all lit up. Stayed at lovely boutique hotel (La Valencia) on the walk but at the quiet end. Excellent restaurant right beneath our hotel. Weather was absolutely gorgeous. Did a ton of walking. Loved the flora along the walk. We were there 1 1/2 days then went to Austin for family function. We were there 4 days. Loved Austin.
As someone who made my first trip to Europe 4 years ago, my husband and I have made 4 extended trips there. We plan to take 1-2 trips there per year while we are in good shape. Next up is Amsterdam and Portugal. Then probably Prague and Budapest.
We’re also thinking about Tokyo for the Olympics in 2020. I’ve never been to Asia.
Stunningly beautiful: Hawaii (Hana particularly), Montana (the Rockies in general), Caribbean
Best cities: NYC, Sydney, New Orleans
Disappointment: Ireland (lots of rain, that good ol’ dank British Isles vibe)
Bucket list: Thailand
The most beautiful place I’ve visited is, The Nā Pali Coast State Park of Kauai.
The best place place to spend the day walking all over town is Madrid.
Incredible late night star gazing was near Las Cruces, New Mexico.
The Best food with the most irritating waiters is Milan Italy.
My favorite and the most friendly city is Chicago!
And last but definitely not least, NYC is the best place to experience people from all over the world.
Favorite place is 2 hours hike upstream in the Virgin River narrows in Zion National Park. No place like it. And pretty much any reasonably able-bodied person can get there (not like some of the favorites mentioned in this thread!)
Strikingly beautiful–Lake Tahoe. Visited one week after 20 feet of snow fell. The peace and quiet of the snow surrounding the deep lake water and the tall mountains combined to create a magical vista. Better than the Grand Canyon!
Playa del Carmen Beach–the color of the ocean just blew me away , the sand was magical, and the overall view while sitting on the beach overwhelmed my heart.
North Vancouver–enjoyed my visit to Vancouver, the overall cleanliness of the city, friendliness of the locals, and natural beauty found so close to downtown made for a memorable vacation. The snapshot in my head, though, is at a spot on the lake. Pretty sure it was in or near North Vancouver. A park and marina was situated next to a small street of shops, and the memory of walking around that area warms my heart. As I looked out at the sailboats on the lake, I spied an artist painting exactly what I was seeing. It somehow validated how perfect this scene was.
@MaineLonghorn I prefer the Texas Hill Country over San Antonio, too. We’ve had several family vacations at Concan on the Comal River. It’s nice to go tubing, bbq in the evening, and watch the fireflies light up and the deer coming in to graze.
