I found the Grand Canyon less awe-inspiring than most people. There is a scene in the movie Guilt Trip, in which Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand look out at the Grand Canyon, and ask “how long do we have to stand here, out of respect?” Ha. It was like that for me. I much prefer Bryce Canyon and Arches National Park.
@whatisyourquest - Why were Phuket and Costa Rica disappointments??? I’ve heard they are both stunning and were on my potential bucket list.
I would put the Dalmatian coast in stunning category, although it was a little disappointing that I didn’t find the people very friendly. It may have just been my experience, but this is from someone who has never found people to be unfriendly anywhere else I’ve been and even find Parisians to be incredibly friendly, so . . . . .
I also loved Corfu. Although it’s a Greek Isle, it’s in the Ionian Sea off the western coast of Greece, very green in comparison to the dry, arid, whitewashed Greek Isles, and off the beaten path for most American tourists (a plus for me), but a huge vacation destination for Italians who bring their cars over on car ferries. Really beautiful.
Most stunning city for me would be Prague. It’s the one place I’ve been where I’ve never seen a picture that does it justice.
Favorite city where I could see myself living happily ever after would be Barcelona, followed by Paris. Barcelona has it all IMO (great city, rich culture and history, beautiful coastline, etc.), but if there’s such a thing as past lives, I think I must have lived in Paris at one point. From the first time I went, it felt eerily familiar. It was almost as if I already knew the layout of the city and could find my way around without a map, especially the neighborhood and streets around Notre Dame Cathedral where I remember having this feeling of “I’m home” wash over me. I don’t mention it to many people for fear they’ll think I’m crazy. Very weird, but in a good way.
Never been to Brazil, but I have yet to meet a Brazilian who wasn’t ridiculously good looking. I mean, WTH? Do they put something in the water down there? It’s made me want to go just to see if everyone there looks that good or if it’s just the exports. 
Best shopping, eating and movie buff history (Bruce Lee): Hong Kong, hands down
Prettiest Beach: Half Moon Bay, Turks & Caicos
Best High Tea and Fun Shopping: Harrod’s of London, Georgian Room
Best Bagpiping/Shortbread: Highlands, Scotland, Loch Lomond, Loch Ness and Helen Dean’s shortbread
Best Catamaran Ride: Thira, Santorini
Best Hideaway from the hustle and bustle of the City: Catalina Island
Oh and
Best Nature Retreat: Humboldt Redwoods State Park and Big Sur
Tikal in Guatemala. Now I’m inspired to go to more World Heritage sites.
@1Dreamer About Phuket… On the positive side: we stayed in a fantastic private villa, the Thai people are very warm and welcoming, we ate lots of great food, and the trip was relatively inexpensive… On the negative side: there was a lot of trash on the beaches and we found Patong to be awful… You can hire a boat to take you to the best beaches [Phi Phi and Maya Bay (made famous by the movie The Beach with Leo DeCaprio) are two of them] but there are hundreds of other people (primarily Australians and Russians) doing exactly the same thing. Unfortunately, many of these tourists throw bottles and other trash off the boats and into the water. We saw it happen… I’ve read that Thailand is now limiting access to these beaches, exactly because of this overcrowding and uncleanliness.
Regarding Costa Rica, we only went to Tamarindo. There’s lots more that Costa Rica has to offer, so I don’t want to dis Costa Rica in general. But we found the beaches in Tamarindo to be pretty poor, especially compared to those of Punta Cana and Moorea (phenomenal!) and the vibe in Tamarindo was way too Americanized - not much local flavor. At least, that was our experience.
Many favorable comments here about Prague. It’s shot up my list for future travel.
I agree about Barcelona. It has everything! Most people make a beeline to La Sagrada Familia. But my favorite Gaudi building, by far, is Casa Battlo. Park Guell is very cool too… Barcelona has lively beaches as well and good waterfront restaurants in Barceloneta.
There is a spectrum of people in Brazil, as there is everywhere. Many in the attractive category, as you mentioned. A lot of the appeal of Brazilians though comes IMO from how comfortable they feel in their skin. The women never wear what my wife calls a “parachute” for bikini bottoms.
@preppedparent Funny that you mentioned the Santorini catamaran. We did it just last week. Loved the whole experience and took tons of pictures.
^^^Interesting, but ugh. That is disappointing. Thanks for the response and feedback. I’ll keep it in mind.
Agree on Riverwalk. Been a couple of times, and I still think that it’s just a ditch of dirty water surrounded by tourist trap restaurants and bars.
Most beautiful place: Kauai. Each side of the island has its unique places. Certainly the most lush and laid back of the big islands. The Canadian Rockies is a close second. Driving the Ice Fields Parkway between Banff and Jasper offers such spectacular views of the mountains, lakes, and glaciers.
Best city: Paris. No other city has so much to offer as the City of Lights. Spend some time there and try to enjoy the little things that Parisians do.
Other favorites: Maine. Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.
Bucket List: Antarctica, Andes, Norwegian coastal cruise, Trans-Siberian Railway, Japan.
Here are some broad categories and my selections…
Stunningly beautiful: North Cascades, Wind River Range, Yellowstone, Whistler, Swiss Alps, Pyrenees (see the thread?)
Fascinating culturally: Andorra, Jura region of Switzerland
Let’s party: Costa Brava Spain, Amsterdam, Cabo
Major disappointments: Rome, Barcelona, every time I’ve been to Texas
Bucket list: Alaska (I’ve been to 49 states), Oaxaca, New Zealand, float the middle fork of the Salmon River in Idaho.
Plan on avoiding: All of Asia, Africa, the Middle East
Beautiful: Scotland, Petra (Jordan), Monterey/Carmel area, Uganda, Wadi Rum (Jordan), Tanzania, Sierra Nevada hiking
Best architecture: Oxford, Bath, Los Angeles, Chicago
Fascinating Culturally: Petra, Rome, Paris, London
Favorite Cities: NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, Rome
Best Food: Germany (surprisingly wonderful fish and salads), Scotland (not just haggis which I like), San Francisco
Great wine: Burgundy, Champagne, Sonoma, Napa, Carmel Valley area
Bucket list: Iceland, China, Australia
@whatisyourquest , you were in the wrong spot at the Grand Canyon. You needed to be down at the bottom looking up! We did a week-long white-water trip a few years ago and it was life changing. (We are geologists and it was a trip led by a geology professor, so YMMV). For me it was life-altering. Sleeping under the Milky Way, live nag with no contact with the “rim world” and no sign of civilization other than fellow rafters, seeing and touching rocks that are nearly 2 billion years old…two billion!
The most beautiful view I’ve ever seen was in Delphi, Greece.
Favorite City: Rome.
It’s got ancient antiquities, it has Renaissance art and architecture, It’s got the Vatican. And the food is great. It’s almost impossible to get a bad meal there.
Stunningly beautiful: The Andes, the Alps, Tuscany, Ireland, Oregon Coast, the “Wild West” coast of Vancouver Island around Tofino, Maine Coast.
Fascinating Culturally: Morocco, Bolivia
Favorite Cities: Florence, Paris, London
Overrated/Disappointments: Niagara Falls, Cancun
I could live there/would revisit in a heartbeat: Tuscany, Ireland, Oregon Coast, the “Wild West” coast of Vancouver Island around Tofino.
Friendliest people: Brazil, Ireland
Bucket list: New Zealand, Japan, Scandinavia
I love Rome. love it. And Paris, London, etc. But my favorite place on earth is where I live now: middle of nowhere in the rural south. My most favorite view is from my upstairs front porch, surrounded by woods with no neighbors in sight, too high for mosquitos, watching glorious sunsets and then surrounded by twinkling lights as darkness descends. From the ground to the tree tops are lightning bugs and then the stars begin. It is absolutely magical. We start the morning with sunrise and birdsong on the back porch.
We spend part of each year overseas, and I’m in New York and San Francisco regularly, but my favorite city will always be New Orleans.
Adding: my current home was my bucket list so I’m completely satisfied.
There is no lack of partying where I live
^ Absolutely love the food in New Orleans. Can’t get enough, especially bread pudding. We try it at every restaurant that has it on the menu, and rate based on our past bread pudding experiences 
The best bread pudding in the world was made by my sorority house mother in the 1970s but she took her secret recipe to her grave. Everyone who ever tasted it still talks about it and sometimes I eat it in my dreams. Those are really excellent dreams.
I have always said my favorite place on earth is Lake Tahoe, after visiting many times in all seasons. Never get tired of it. Just got back from Niagara Falls. It’s an impressive sight. Everyone should see it.
The most fascinating place I have visited is Cricova Cellars. Google it. It is not your typical winery.
Re: Grand Canyon. You have to take an air ride over it to appreciate its magnificence. Looking down from the rim is just not the same.
Nature gems: Kalalau Trail, Mt. Rainier national park, Joshua Tree park (especially at night - scorpions glow in the dark. ).
I love national parks and outdoor spaces: Waimea Canyon, Grand Canyon, Havasu Canyon, Lake Tahoe, Mt Ranier, Coastal Redwoods, Crater Lake, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Muir Woods, Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan, Crater Lake, Sequoia National Park, Mesa Verde, Petrified Forest, Bruce and Zion.
Yes, cities are nice and interesting as well, but I love the wide open spaces and can’t wait to see Glacier next month.