Going anywhere....nice?

[MrBen]

Time to plan some holidays for the year ahead. Still in the DINK stage (and enjoying it) so it's an open book. I get twitchy and plain bored on beach holidays (Scot's + sun don't mix) and so the current shortlist is:

- Istanbul for a long weekend

- A return New Orleans for some bourbon, smokes and second lining at Jazzfest in April (via New York for a few days).

- Italy in the summer (I'm thinking a villa perhaps? or a classy seafront hotel somewhere)

So...any tips for the above options? And where are you all going this year? Your inspired advice would, as ever, be much appreciated....

[Senor Chevalier]

Am probably going nowhere exciting this year personally as my own DINK stage draws to a close. If it is a villa you are after then worth a look on this site:

http://www.themodernhouse.net/tmh/holiday

And if you want something different that will keep you occupied and give you a boost and have plenty of DINK cash to throw ar the matter then you could try this: http://www.wildfitness.com/ (though I gather that Scot's and booze free holidays don't mix either ;-)).

[Marmora Man]

I'd recommend Istanbul highly - the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia, the Roman Cistern, Topkapi Palace - all great spots to wander around. For the younger there's also a pretty lively nightlife. Also, if you're truly organised it's possible to visit the Scutari barracks where Florence Nightingale walked with her lamp - but as it's still a working Turkish Army barracks you need to send in requests and proofs of identity.

If you're feeling brave"ish" a vista too Cairo and its environs is worthwhile - we did this in October '11 and caught the place between riots and revolutions. It meant the museums & market were far less crowded, even the Great Pyramids and Sphinx were relatively empty, while some of the pyramids further afield had no visitors whatsoever.

Longer haul - I've still to achieve my ambition to walk in the Himalyan foothills.

[KidKruger]

North Carolina.

Huge beaches if you want them. Decent mountains to hike or drive through. Great towns like Asheville. And covered in indiginous music wherever you go, both bars and festivals.

[Huguenot]

"Longer haul - I've still to achieve my ambition to walk in the Himalyan foothills."

Oh, and heavens you should do it!

I've never been anywhere that was so spectacular that I forgot to breathe, but watching the sunrise in the Himalaya, following the deep red roll down the mountainside towards you whilst the crystal peaks start to glitter painfully in the full brilliance of the day.... well, you need a resuscitator on hand.

A photo simply cannot grasp the scale of the experience..

http://www.csmonitor.com/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/media/images/2010/0205/020510-himalayan-glaciers/7350264-1-eng-US/020510-Himalayan-glaciers_full_600.jpg

[The Minkey]

I spent a couple of months living in a small house on the edge of Phewa Lake in Nepal many years ago. I loved sleeping out on the veranda waking to the sight of the fish tail peak of Machapuchare turning golden-pink in the first rays of the morning, the whole reflecting in the waters of the lake below. It remains the most magical place in my memory.

[Alan Medic]

The Feria in Seville

Lovely city and this week is the social highlight of the year.

[Lozellen]

New Orleans is in serious contest for favourite trip of all time for me. I went whilst living in New York perhaps a year post Katrina. There were still very moving and apparent signs of the disaster, although more so in the outer residential areas. However the centre was functioning almost as normal. Loved the architecture, the people, the smokey jazz bars, eating beignets in the square, being able to order a drink in one bar and carry it with me to the next... Really regret not visiting Savannah as well while I was down south. Always wanted to after reading 'midnight in the garden of good and evil'.

[Mick Mac]

I like the "Provisional dates for the April Fair 2011" ; 3-8 MAY.

Alan Medic Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The Feria in Seville

>

> Lovely city and this week is the social highlight

> of the year.

[Overhiller]

Trekked up to Everest Basecamp in 2010. A fantastic experience. A company in Swindon called Discover Adventure provide really good trekking/cycling trips in many locations across the world. Also did Kilimanjaro with them.

[Atticus]

Butlin's Pwllheli, everytime.

[womanofdulwich]

Mellon Udrigle the beach is beautiful and there is a house on the beach called 'the beach house'. Will fit the bill perfectly.( Scotland and maybe sun but won't be HOT)

[Salsaboy]

Did San Francisco last year - fantastic!

[Santerme]

KidKruger Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> North Carolina.

> Huge beaches if you want them. Decent mountains to

> hike or drive through. Great towns like

> Asheville. And covered in indiginous music

> wherever you go, both bars and festivals.

Great places in NC, I agree

We have offices in Charlotte so get to travel there couple of times a year

Off to Spain in March and probably get down to New Orleans this year

Do a few short trips to France, Germany and most likely Switzerland too

We are more about holidays than work now thank goodness

[Moos]

If you like the idea of Italy, have a poke around this website Cognoscenti, as they have beautiful places to stay and they may give you inspiration even if you don't want to book. You'll definitely need the DI in your acronym to afford their hotels, but they are lovely. We stayed in one in Umbria and one amazing, tiny place in Cinque Terra some years ago, sigh.

[buggie]

Ahhh Cinque Terra - beautiful spot for a break, combined it with a few days in Venice & Florence one year (got trains between places) and loved it - worth going (to Cinque Terra) at Easter or Christmas as in Manarolo they have illuminations on the hillside.

[indiepanda]

I've just come back from a trip to Italy, which is one of my favourite places to go on holiday, but I have to say I was finding a lot of things rather expensive while I was there, even compared to usual - Italy has never been a cheap destination.

But if you wanted to stay in Florence, I would recommend the hotel we stayed in - http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g187895-d232963-Reviews-NH_Porta_Rossa-Florence_Tuscany.html

We used trains to get us from Rome to Perugia, onto Florence and back to Rome and those were the one thing that did compare pretty well to England on price - and ran to time as well.

[Cassius]

Istanbul is fantastic for a long weekend - lots to do - although avoid in the winter months as cold and wet. I'd love to return and stayed at a great little boutique hotel called Princess Zoe that had a fantastic central location.

Italy - if you want to avoid too hot sun what about the Lakes - Como is beautiful and there is lots to do and the food is excellent and other towns in the area are much cheaper than Como itself.

This year I am going to al-andulsia for a week in the spring and hopefully a driving holiday around Spain in September.

enjoy whatever you do

[KidKruger]

I'd also recommend Pushkar camel fair if you want a serious spectacle and great location, it's usually around November, exact dates based on Lunar calendar I think. Lasts a few days.

If you're prepared to put the effort in then Ladakh is a good hiking location, once you've spent a couple of days acclimatising.

[El Pibe]

Isn't saying you're off to al-andulsia [sic] a bit like saying 'I'm off to Byzantium'?

They both ceased to exist a little over 500 years ago, making it sound either a little bit pretentious or a bit weird...

Andaluc?a, where incidentally my folk are from, will do nicely ;-)

I do hope you have a fab time though, a wonderful part of the world that rewards the more adventurous explorer with hidden delights.

[Annette Curtain]

Have you been to Lisbon

It's a lovely city to visit & it's still good value with great food.

I like it so much that I went there on my own once.

Very nice indeed, though it depends what you're looking for from a holiday.

NETTE(tu)(tu)(tu)

[Alan Medic]

My brother and SIL have some nice rental apartments in Cannes if that appeals. PM me if you'd like their website. Easy to get to via Nice.

[Voyageur]

Recent trips highly recommended are:

1) Dubrovnik - beautiful, walled medieval city, with the walls dropping straight down to beautiful blue sea. Half hour car journey to Montenegro which is beautiful too, especially if you drive up into the hills.

2) Cadiz - the old, medieval part at the end of the peninsula. Lovely people, great bars, tapaz and sherries. Hardly any brits (hurrah!) as you can't fly there direct, but only an hour and a half by bus from Seville (also rather lovely).

[Huguenot]

Further afield and wet - how about a boat trip down the Mekong from Thailand to Saigon, or from Chongqing (Chungking) to the Three Gorges Dam?

TBH any rail trip in China will blow your bloody socks off. Make sure you include PingYao.

[????]

Oh come come Mr Ben, you know the answer is Las Vegas....I'll copy you the notes from my journal from the last time I went (well as far as they go)....

"We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like 'I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive . . .' And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, which was going about a hundred miles an hour with the top down to Las Vegas. And a voice was screaming, 'Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?'"