Anonymous wrote:Country:

France, but you must leave Paris.

Lyon, Strasbourg, Annecy, the Alps, Provence and the Luberon, Aix, the Loire Valley, Montpelier, the Pyrenees, Brittany, Bordeaux, Normandy (beyond the WWII beaches)... For a small country, the diversity of regions, foods, and landscapes is incredible. Beach, mountains, marsh land, both Med Sea and Atlantic coast lines...

I just kept coming back to visit different parts, so I ended up moving here and I still feel like I have barely scratched the surface. The Paris tourist trail is basically French Disney World if you stick to the obvious itineraries. But once you really dig into the entire country, there is so much more to experience.

Disagree with “French DisneyWorld” characterization of Paris.
It is only “common” and “touristy” to you because you have been privileged enough to experience the city many times and have grown accustomed to its unique beauty and sadly, it seems to have lost its majestic impact that you are now in a position to take for granted and minimize its grandeur for those who have not been there by painting it as pedantic….”tourist trail” and “obvious itinerary” are such condescending terms. But you know this.
I’m sorry for judging you poorly on this, (particularly if you are legitimately unaware of the way your post comes off as obnoxious elitism if that was not your intent) and that’s not to take away from the other delightful French destinations, but PARiS has so much to offer that it makes me sad for you that you would belittle the experience and insist that “you must leave Paris” in order to enjoy France. Yes there is obviously much more to France than the city of Paris, just as there is more ti the US outside of NY for those who want to visit the US.

Countries: Thailand and Australia. Also loved Italy but off the beaten path.
Islands: Saba Rock, Elbow Cay, Cooper Island, Harbour Island

Anonymous wrote:I have been to several places around the world.
Budget isnt an issue as we use mileage a lot. Open to any kind of cuisine. Looking for ideas.
So what has been your favorites?

We loved Turks and Caicos.

Country:

France, but you must leave Paris.

Lyon, Strasbourg, Annecy, the Alps, Provence and the Luberon, Aix, the Loire Valley, Montpelier, the Pyrenees, Brittany, Bordeaux, Normandy (beyond the WWII beaches)... For a small country, the diversity of regions, foods, and landscapes is incredible. Beach, mountains, marsh land, both Med Sea and Atlantic coast lines...

I just kept coming back to visit different parts, so I ended up moving here and I still feel like I have barely scratched the surface. The Paris tourist trail is basically French Disney World if you stick to the obvious itineraries. But once you really dig into the entire country, there is so much more to experience.

Anonymous wrote:For countries I like the difficult ones - China and India.

But China and India are not vacations. 6 weeks minimum. Mix it up with guesthouses and the best hotels you've ever stayed in. Everything from Kerala to Yunnan is going to be interesting.

For islands, South Pacific. Fiji is good. Accessible and affordable. But get off Viti Levu and hit the outer islands. From Vanua Levu to the Mamanucas. Vanuatu is also great. Port Villa and Tanna is a good trip. I also like Tonga, particularly Vava'u.

Did not love Tahiti, but there is a very cool boat thing to the Tuamotu Islands and the Marquesas. Takes about three weeks. Highly recommend.

If you really want to get off the beaten path, there's Kiribati, Tuvalu, even the Solomons.

Very much not a vacation.

In the Caribbean, I like Cuba. Particularly Havana.

I spent 8 weeks travelling overland in India, and had an amazing time. We visited places not on the tourist circuit so that was a different experience.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guadeloupe was my fave island. But its harder to get to now that Norwegian discontinued flights
Turkey - fave country ever, but I spent 3 weeks and saw a good bit of it. I loved the towns on the coast, Cappadocia, Ephesus
Costa Rica - I love nature and animals so this is really my jam.

Op here
- will definitely look into Guadeloupe!

Jetblue from NY flies there, and there are also flights from Miami on air france I think. We stayed at this simple aparthotel a one minute walk from this amazing beach (Le Petit Havre). Its this tiny protected cove with lots of trees for shade, and a food truck or two outside. Then in the evening we would drive to other beaches/dinner. Glorius.

https://la-residence-bleu-marine.weebly.com/

Isn't this the location for the TV series "Death in Paradise"?

We also visited Guadeloupe when Norwegian used to fly there from BWI. I still follow Deshaies gardens on facebook.

People also like Martinique.

Op here.

Great lists compiling!
I see some common favorites here some of which are on my list - Portugal and Greece being 2.

Among beach places I did visit Bali, Maldives, Zanzibar, Seychelles, Koh Samui, Bora bora. Great places, my favorite was Bora Bora and Turks and Caicos. I didnt like to just gaze at the stunning beaches if I cant really get in with strong currents or tides etc. If I were to pick again from the above lot, I would keep going to Turks and Caicos.

A PP said New Zealand , we went to Australia but didnt have time for New Zealand. Keeping that on list as well.

I love the ideas here, the more the better!

Anonymous wrote:I have been to several places around the world.
Budget isnt an issue as we use mileage a lot. Open to any kind of cuisine. Looking for ideas.
So what has been your favorites?

1. Sao Miguel island, Azores, Portugal
2. Ireland

Island: Bali at a resort far up one of the main beaches. I liked the interior of the resort and the paid tour bus excursions to local cultural sites. It was very beautiful and I got interested in Balinese dance and gamelan music from my visit. I did not like the main beach outside the resort because people would bug you to sell their on-the-spot manicure and massage services.

Country: (Cheating....UK...old fave London and new fave Edinburgh and anywhere in between. Really enjoyed Bath and Salisbury on a recent trip).

For countries I like the difficult ones - China and India.

But China and India are not vacations. 6 weeks minimum. Mix it up with guesthouses and the best hotels you've ever stayed in. Everything from Kerala to Yunnan is going to be interesting.

For islands, South Pacific. Fiji is good. Accessible and affordable. But get off Viti Levu and hit the outer islands. From Vanua Levu to the Mamanucas. Vanuatu is also great. Port Villa and Tanna is a good trip. I also like Tonga, particularly Vava'u.

Did not love Tahiti, but there is a very cool boat thing to the Tuamotu Islands and the Marquesas. Takes about three weeks. Highly recommend.

If you really want to get off the beaten path, there's Kiribati, Tuvalu, even the Solomons.

Very much not a vacation.

In the Caribbean, I like Cuba. Particularly Havana.

Italy
Cyclades islands in Greece
Maui

New Zealand, no question.

We are mountain people, not beach people, so I can't help with that one

Island - the Maldives are really amazing. So worth it.

Country - I also loved Oman. Great forts and mountains inland and lovely beaches. We rented a car and drove ourselves around easily.

Island - Iceland

Country - Portugal

City -Luxembourg City

Anonymous wrote:Lebanon PP from above and I'll add that my favorite "under the radar" country to visit was Uruguay. The beaches were gorgeous. The vibe was so relaxed, Montevideo was very cute, and the people were notably warm and friendly. I want to retire there.

NP. I don't share the same love for Uruguay. I went 2x and thought it was just ok (once to Montevideo, and once to Punta del Este). I preferred Argentina and Brazil to Uruguay.

For me, one of the coolest things I've done is the 4 day Inca Trail hike to Macchu Picchu.

Other top places for me include Hawaii (Maui, Kauai and Big Island are all up there), St. John, and Sanibel Island (before the hurricane).