|
Lake Atitlán, Altiplano, Guatemala
|
At Lake Atitlán in Guatemala, the stand-out features are the Fuji-like volcanoes that loom above its waters. On the shores of the lake, however, there are reasons to drop anchor: several villages whose residents are the descendants of the ancient Maya and who still live off the rich land growing corn and producing distinctive textiles.
|
|
The Saviour Of The Spilled Blood St.
|
“Everything is on a vast and colossal scale. The public buildings, churches, monasteries and private palaces of the nobility . . . seem as if designed for creatures of superior heights and dimensions to man.”
|
|
Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong, China
|
Hong Kong’s busy deepwater harbor, China’s most important, is the soul and centerpiece of this dynamic port city and the place for which it was named: In Old Chinese, Hong Kong means “fragrant harbor.” Each time of day has its own magic, but dusk may be the most special as the orgy of neon begins to grip the city, the Manhattan of Asia.
|
|
Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, England
|
The size and opulence of England’s Blenheim Palace are a testimony to its wealth of history: It was a gift from Queen Anne to General John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, after his defeat of the French in 1704 at Blenheim. (More recently, it has a second claim to fame as the birthplace of Winston Churchill.) The lavish palace —impersonal in scale, but undeniably impressive—is the country’s answer to Versailles.
|
|
Gruyère, Switzerland
|
Only one road leads to Switzerland’s Gruyère region, and after passing through the capital of Bulle, travelers find themselves in an isolated corner of Europe marked by bright green pastures and quiet hamlets.
|
|
Palace of The Lost City, Sun City, South Africa
|
In the middle of dry bushveld and surrounded by the ersatz glitz and Las Vegas glamour of the entertainment and resort complex called Sun City, in South Africa, stands this regal hotel, the Palace of the Lost City, an African fantasy extravaganza that dazzles and astounds. Sun City’s gambling casino, four hotels, two golf courses, and 136,000-acre game reserve come with a myth of a lost civilization anchored by the pleasure dome built upon the supposed ruins.
|
|
Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
|
Banff was Canada’s very first national park, incorporated as a tiny 10-square-mile parcel in 1885 and now a 2,656-square-mile giant that’s Canada’s number-one destination. Its most famous site is Lake Louise, surrounded by towering, snowcapped mountains reflected in the lake’s otherworldly jade-green waters.
|
|
Pangkor Laut Resort, Malaysia
|
The Pangkor Laut Resort is the only hotel on the lush island after which it is named. It only occupies a small fraction of the island’s largely untouched 300 acres off the coast of Malaysia.
|
|
Glacier Express, Engadine, Switzerland
|
The Glacier Express is advertised as the slowest express train in the world (averaging 25 mph), but most travelers aboard the little-red-engine-that-could are in no hurry as it passes through the heart of the Swiss Alps and over 291 bridges and through ninety-one tunnels.
|
|
Big Sur, California, USA
|
California’s Big Sur is a natural masterpiece, a coastal wilderness located where the Santa Lucia Mountains encounter the roaring Pacific. It’s a poem of crashing surf and rugged scenery you’ll never forget: Henry Miller called it “a place of grandeur and eloquent silence.”
|
|
Havasu Falls, Supai, Arizona, USA
|
The series of pools and waterfalls that comprise the Havasu Falls, in
the Grand Canyon, is the source of the name of the Indian nation that
lives here, the Havasupai (“the people of the blue-green water”). |
|
Le Toiny, St. Barthélemy, Lesser Antilles
|
Part of the appeal of the French Caribbean island of St. Barts
is the intimate size of many of its popular hotels. A favorite of Hollywood celebrities, Le Toiny has only a dozen rooms
overlooking the sea. |
|
Ingaro Island, Sweden
|
If you want to get a glimpse of Sweden’s famous lakes and islands, the
Stockholm archipelago consists of hundreds of surprisingly rural
islands like Ingaro. While some are located fewer than 10 miles from
the edges of the capital, they feel worlds removed. |
|
Forbidden City, Beijing, China
|
The 180-acre Forbidden City, the former residence of China’s emperors
in Beijing, has 9,999 rooms (including antechambers). This is not by
chance, but because the number 9 was considered especially auspicious. |
|
The Nile at Aswan, Egypt
|
“To those who wish to be wise, to be healthful, to borrow one month of
real pleasure from a serious life, I would say, come and see the Nile.” |
|
Lapa Rios Costa Rica
|
Lapa Rios is a bungalow hideaway perched 350 feet above the Pacific on
the outskirts of Costa Rica’s Corcovado National Park. One of the
country’s largest and wildest parks, it includes 100,000 acres of
virgin rain forests, deserted beaches, jungle-rimmed rivers, and
swampland that are home to 140 species of mammals, 350 species of
birds, and 850 kinds of trees. |
|
Bryce Canyon
National Park, Utah
|
The unusual totem-pole-shaped spires of stone are called Hoodoos.
According to a Paiute Indian legend, the rocks are early residents
turned to stone by a vengeful god for their evil deeds. |
|
The Lake Palace, Udaipur, India
|
Built in the 18th century on a small island in the middle of Lake
Pichola, India’s Lake Palace is one of the world’s most romantic
escapes, decorated with multicolor mosaics, mirrors, inlaid tiles, and
embellished with gardens, lily ponds, courtyards, and fountains. |
|
Durango and Silverton Railroad, Colorado, USA
|
Train fans should hop on board Colorado’s Durango and Silverton
puffing, vintage steam locomotive, which makes several trips a day
along a 45-mile scenic route climbing a 3,000-foot ascent through
glacier-carved valleys, along narrow canyon bridges, and through
impassable stretches of the dense San Juan forest and mountains. |
|
Na Pali Cliffs, Kauai, Hawaii
|
Kauai’s beauty peaks at the north shore, possibly the most beautiful
spot in all of the Hawaiian Islands. Its Na Pali Coast is said to be
some of the fastest eroding land on earth, with deep folds and sawtooth
3,000-foot-high sea cliffs and secluded sea caves. The best way to
experience the stunning 15-mile stretch of thickly jungled shore is by
inflatable boat or kayak. |
