Holiday Destinations you really don't want to share but....!

**jarrod248** · 21-07-2010, 22:46

Kanchanaburi? Stay at River Kwai Resotel.

**johnnypaveway** · 21-07-2010, 23:36

Originally Posted by jarrod248

Kanchanaburi? Stay at River Kwai Resotel.

There must have been more people in Kanchanaburi than on the embassy balcony......however 'P's Guesthouse was rustic and the view over the water in the mornings was worth the jungle time. Just got back from Tremezzo on Lake Como and got to say it was awesome aside from the near death experiences driving in. For a classy getaway Langkawi is up there, the Datai and Andaman are both great hotels ( not much for kids to do though)

**grimbo** · 22-07-2010, 00:03

Camasunary beach - Isle of Skye , swam with the seals , saw otters , slept on the beach , avoid midge season.

**RearWords** · 22-07-2010, 00:38

Thanks for the feedback on Kefalonia Jarrod and donmac. I last visited the island around 8 years ago so remember the cave and lake. Looking forward to exploring the north of the island this time and the Louis de Bernieres book will be going with me again.

**wedge35** · 22-07-2010, 01:01

Quito, Bogota, Medellin, Caracas - take your pick. All of them are getting more touristy all the time but there's a simple way round that - namely, ditch the guidebook, ignore the advice on the FCO website and get out into the districts everyone tells you to stay away from. No hoards of westerners wearing ridiculous cowboy hats, ultra-cheap beer and some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. They'll even mug you with a smile. If you're brave enough to actually spend the night in somewhere like Ciudad Bolivar you might even see a full-scale shoot-out outside your window. A word of warning though: once South America gets under your skin, you'll be in love for life...

**smartascarrots** · 22-07-2010, 01:34

Taiwan, pretty much any of it.

There's great food, amazing scenery, a user-friendly public transport network with bi- and tri-lingual signposting and if you fancy an active holiday then there's a pretty good cycling network and some great trekking. The climate varies from almost temperate in the north to tropical in the south and the terrain from beach to mountain (Mt. Yushan is 4,000m above sea level).

Taipei tries a wee bit hard to be American but it's still a great place and the greatest cultural treasures of Chinese history are in the National Palace Museum. Night Markets abound, as do 7-11s, and the MRT (metro) is quick, efficient and cheap.

Taichung's a great base for striking out into the mountainous central areas, and probably the safest part of the island now as, thanks to a high-profile gangster assassination, the republic government put the army on the streets! :D

I'm personally pretty taken with Kaohsiung for the seafood and general chilled-out and cosmopolitan feel to the place. If you're married/accompanied then it's a good venue as the name of the local river (the Aiho) means 'Love River' and the city sells itself as a place of romance.

All told, if you're interested in somewhere out east but are tired of HK or Thailand, I heartily recommend it.

Edited to add: saw this in the Telegraph today, I've actually been to the one in Kaohsiung. It's definitely an experience!

**Ord_Sgt** · 22-07-2010, 01:51

Its always going to be subjective, we all have different tastes after all.

Kanchanaburi is an amazing place to visit for its historical context. Extremely humbling visiting the Hellfire Pass knowing what took place there.

Pilanesburg in South Africa is a great trip, not far from where the English team were in the world cup. Close to Sun City too if you want some pampering.

For pure unadulterated beauty and natural splendour I can't recommend highly enough the Maldives, if you've not seen it first hand you will never get how incredible a part of the world it is.

Trust me, the photo doesn't even begin to do it justice.

Also Tunisia, so much history down the ages, Monistir, (where they filmed the Life of Brian, but has so much more to discover). Carthage and all that means. Dougga, an entire Roman City on the downward slope of a hill with nobody there, awesome. The day we were there, we were the only two people in the place.

El Jem is a real Gem that most people have never heard of, the Colosseum in Rome doesn't even come close.

For more modern history, a significant part of the North African Campaign was fought in Tunisia, Commonwealth War Cemetery Enfidaville was, as to be expected, an immaculate CWGC cemetery I came across while driving around the interior.

The world is a big place, there are fantastic places to visit all over, its the only reason I go to work, to pay to see more of it. :D

**oscar1whisky** · 22-07-2010, 02:28

Sylt, Germany. Last went years ago, but it was well out of the Brit zone, lots of Scandinavians, easy to walk everywhere and beaches for miles.

**ches** · 20-08-2010, 13:36

Sardinia,

Went last year to the south west of the island. Brilliant place & the people are great to get on with. Do a lot off the beaten track stuff & it ticked all the boxes for me. Found a great sheltered bay that was an old E boat base. Excellent snorkelling.

Perfect weather everyday & the food was top notch. North part of the island can be expensive as its known as the eyeties playground with all the bigwigs holidaying there.

We never heard a brit until we go back to the airport.

**björn** · 20-08-2010, 16:05

Originally Posted by ches

Sardinia,

Went last year to the south west of the island. Brilliant place & the people are great to get on with. Do a lot off the beaten track stuff & it ticked all the boxes for me. Found a great sheltered bay that was an old E boat base. Excellent snorkelling.

Perfect weather everyday & the food was top notch. North part of the island can be expensive as its known as the eyeties playground with all the bigwigs holidaying there.

We never heard a brit until we go back to the airport.

I agree. The North West is also very nice. Went on a little tour of the island a couple of years ago. If you avoid Porto Cervo and Paris Hilton, Silvio Berlusconi, John Terry and co on the Costa Smaralda (East Coast), the rest of the island is beautiful.
The Alghero is a beautiful little town (try the local wine Marquese di Villamarina - superb), the Grotto di Nettuno (touristy but impressive), Porto Torres and Maddalena island. You can stay at Santa Teresa and make a day to trip to Bonifacio in Corsica (spectacular town perched on a cliff, with gun emplacement dating from pre WW2).
Great food, interesting island, lovely beaches for the mrs and the kids...

**RearWords** · 22-08-2010, 02:01

A new place to add to my list, Formentera. Went there a couple of years ago. The beaches are exceptional...play spot the expensive yacht. Easy to find some solitude here as it's a quiet island with a fairly high price tag.

**CRmeansCeilingReached** · 22-08-2010, 03:13

Zanzibar, off the east coast of Africa (part of Tanzania) - gorgeous island, if poor. Can see whales and dolphins, giant tortoises, amazing sea and beaches. expensive but worth it (was honeymoon destination). recommend Breezes beach club on the east coast.

Phu Quoc island in Vietnam - still developing, but lovely island. hire a moped and drive through little villages, and the local kids will come out and run along with you. fantastic sunsets on the west coast. can recommend Cassia Cottages.

Koh Phangan in Thailand, island north of Koh Samui. i stayed at the Sanctuary. forget the full moon druggie party - it's great for staying in a relaxing location and just chilling out (if you can abide the hippies, druggies, students and pretentious "alternative" tosspots). nice huts in the jungle, open-sided, no aircon, just noises of the jungle all night. very relaxing...