10 Travel Experts Reveal Their Dream Vacations
Andrew McCarthy
Travel writer and guest editor of The Best American Travel Writing 2015 (not to mention the star of such movie classics as Pretty in Pink and Mannequin).
"I'd like to swim with whales and see the Northern Lights, plus I've always wanted to hike the Paine circuit in Patagonia. I'd also like to cross the Sahara. I was there once for a few days and found it not at all what I expected — and I liked the effect the place had on me. I want to go to Burma before the McDonald's gets there. In that vein, I better hurry to Cuba. And as Audrey Hepburn once said, Paris is always nice."
"I'd like to swim with whales and see the Northern Lights, plus I've always wanted to hike the Paine circuit in Patagonia. I'd also like to cross the Sahara. I was there once for a few days and found it not at all what I expected — and I liked the effect the place had on me. I want to go to Burma before the McDonald's gets there. In that vein, I better hurry to Cuba. And as Audrey Hepburn once said, Paris is always nice."
Francesca Bonato
Fashion designer and owner of the Coqui Coqui hotels and spas in Mexico.
"My dream is to visit the Siwa oasis in Egypt. I'd stay at the Adrère Amellal hotel and go to the market to hunt for treasures and fabrics for inspiration. I'd also love to head out into the desert to stargaze and stay in a local Bedouin camp. I'd enjoy the regional vegetarian food that's rich in spices and flavor, including bessara and baladi bread. I've been to Egypt before, but I never made it to the Siwa oasis. I love the idea that it's in the middle of nowhere and I find the concept of an oasis — the expression of life and survival in a great expanse of nothingness — really intriguing. I've also always been fascinated by the Berber people. It's a beautiful culture."
"My dream is to visit the Siwa oasis in Egypt. I'd stay at the Adrère Amellal hotel and go to the market to hunt for treasures and fabrics for inspiration. I'd also love to head out into the desert to stargaze and stay in a local Bedouin camp. I'd enjoy the regional vegetarian food that's rich in spices and flavor, including bessara and baladi bread. I've been to Egypt before, but I never made it to the Siwa oasis. I love the idea that it's in the middle of nowhere and I find the concept of an oasis — the expression of life and survival in a great expanse of nothingness — really intriguing. I've also always been fascinated by the Berber people. It's a beautiful culture."
Samantha Brown
Host of the new-this-month Travel Channel show "50/50"
"The trip I'm dreaming of most is going to Finland to see the Northern Lights — it's been on my bucket list for years. After seeing Finnish Lapland, I'd want to spend a few days in the great city of Helsinki. I'd be sure to wander around the 25-block Design District, enjoying the type of shops that exist in no mall. To end the evening (which begins around 2pm certain times of the year), I would have a very long dinner at Restaurant Spis, a cozy 18-seat restaurant that serves the freshest local ingredients. I would get my fill in Finland."
"The trip I'm dreaming of most is going to Finland to see the Northern Lights — it's been on my bucket list for years. After seeing Finnish Lapland, I'd want to spend a few days in the great city of Helsinki. I'd be sure to wander around the 25-block Design District, enjoying the type of shops that exist in no mall. To end the evening (which begins around 2pm certain times of the year), I would have a very long dinner at Restaurant Spis, a cozy 18-seat restaurant that serves the freshest local ingredients. I would get my fill in Finland."
James and Tamara Lohan
Founders of the boutique hotel website Mr & Mrs Smith.
"We have three trips in mind and the first is Japan. We've been waiting for our kids to be old enough to experience the craziness that is Tokyo — it would blow their minds. We'd also love to visit the mountains in Japan. We've heard that skiing there is, as our eight-year-old would say, "epic!" The second trip is Costa Rica. Each year we like to do something adventurous and for 2016 Costa Rica is high on the list. Any hotel where you can arrive by white-water rafting, like you can at the Pacuare Lodge in Limón, deserves a place on a bucket list. Last, a visit to Argentina would be a trip down memory lane. I [Tamara] spent two years living in South America and nowhere felt quite as Latin as Buenos Aires. I'd like to go back and lose myself in the Tango in the streets again, see how things have changed, and also ride out into the endless countryside."
"We have three trips in mind and the first is Japan. We've been waiting for our kids to be old enough to experience the craziness that is Tokyo — it would blow their minds. We'd also love to visit the mountains in Japan. We've heard that skiing there is, as our eight-year-old would say, "epic!" The second trip is Costa Rica. Each year we like to do something adventurous and for 2016 Costa Rica is high on the list. Any hotel where you can arrive by white-water rafting, like you can at the Pacuare Lodge in Limón, deserves a place on a bucket list. Last, a visit to Argentina would be a trip down memory lane. I [Tamara] spent two years living in South America and nowhere felt quite as Latin as Buenos Aires. I'd like to go back and lose myself in the Tango in the streets again, see how things have changed, and also ride out into the endless countryside."
Chef Enrique Olvera
Culinary mastermind behind new hotel restaurant Manta at the Cape, a Thompson Hotel in Cabo San Lucas and Moxi at the Hotel Matilda in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
"I'm dying to go to Istanbul, New Delhi and Bangkok. I see a connection between our Mexican flavor profile and the culinary profiles of these destinations. I'd experience both the street food culture and the contemporary restaurants that are offering unpretentious food with lots of flavor."
"I'm dying to go to Istanbul, New Delhi and Bangkok. I see a connection between our Mexican flavor profile and the culinary profiles of these destinations. I'd experience both the street food culture and the contemporary restaurants that are offering unpretentious food with lots of flavor."
Isadora McKeon
Director of Marketing & Communications at Bunkhouse, a hotel group that includes Austin's boutique retreats Hotel Saint Cecilia and Hotel San Jose.
"I would love to take a long, ambling trip through North Africa, from Marrakech to Alexandria. I want to see "the Blue City" of Chefchaouen and visit the Master Musicians of Jajouka, who perform this 1200-year-old Sufi trance music — William S. Burroughs, Timothy Leary and Brian Jones from the Rolling Stones were among those who made pilgrimages to hear their music in the 1960s. There are the Roman ruins at Dougga in Tunisia, and the Museum Dar Essid with its layers of ornate Islamic design. I would dedicate a fair amount of time to exploring the hammams, making sure to stop for a day or two at La Sultana in Marrakech, which looks sublime. I also have a dream of diving at Heracleion, the ancient sunken Egyptian city off the coast of Alexandria. The pictures of it are completely unbelievable, straight out of a James Bond movie."
"I would love to take a long, ambling trip through North Africa, from Marrakech to Alexandria. I want to see "the Blue City" of Chefchaouen and visit the Master Musicians of Jajouka, who perform this 1200-year-old Sufi trance music — William S. Burroughs, Timothy Leary and Brian Jones from the Rolling Stones were among those who made pilgrimages to hear their music in the 1960s. There are the Roman ruins at Dougga in Tunisia, and the Museum Dar Essid with its layers of ornate Islamic design. I would dedicate a fair amount of time to exploring the hammams, making sure to stop for a day or two at La Sultana in Marrakech, which looks sublime. I also have a dream of diving at Heracleion, the ancient sunken Egyptian city off the coast of Alexandria. The pictures of it are completely unbelievable, straight out of a James Bond movie."
Jeff Klein
The hotelier and restaurateur behind the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood.
"More than anything I want to go to South Africa. Everyone who's been says it's life changing and the scenery and animals are so beautiful. I'd love to go on a safari and also visit the winelands. The Delaire Graff Estate, which overlooks the Stellenbosch Valley and sits on some 50 acres of vineyards, looks amazing."
"More than anything I want to go to South Africa. Everyone who's been says it's life changing and the scenery and animals are so beautiful. I'd love to go on a safari and also visit the winelands. The Delaire Graff Estate, which overlooks the Stellenbosch Valley and sits on some 50 acres of vineyards, looks amazing."
Clare Vivier
Designer of totes, weekender bags and covetable passport holders under her brand name Clare V.
"I'd like to go to Bora Bora and stay in one of those overwater huts or bungalows with the glass floors that let you look right into the water. I'd want to eat really good food, something exotic and spicy baked in palm leaves with rice. I'd play tennis every morning, hike every afternoon, and do nothing else but read on the white-sand beach and swim in the beautiful ocean. It's my bucket list destination because it just sounds so relaxing."
"I'd like to go to Bora Bora and stay in one of those overwater huts or bungalows with the glass floors that let you look right into the water. I'd want to eat really good food, something exotic and spicy baked in palm leaves with rice. I'd play tennis every morning, hike every afternoon, and do nothing else but read on the white-sand beach and swim in the beautiful ocean. It's my bucket list destination because it just sounds so relaxing."
Jasmine Robinson
Senior travel specialist for boutique hotel website Mr & Mrs Smith.
"There are two trips I want to take with my family and one with my man. First, I'd take my family to Bhutan. Over there they've coined the term GNH, which stands for 'gross national happiness.' Wouldn't you want to go somewhere like that?! It's a big trip — you need at least 10 days to do it right. I'd stay at Amankora hotel and Uma by Como, Paro. The other family trip is New Zealand. There, everything looks like a scene out of The Lord of the Rings… just mind blowing. We're an adventurous family — I mean I wouldn't jump off a bridge, but I'd like to hike. I'd stay at Eagles Nest in the Bay of Islands. And finally, I'd love to do Patagonia with my husband. We'd get in a boat to see the caves and also go horseback riding."
"There are two trips I want to take with my family and one with my man. First, I'd take my family to Bhutan. Over there they've coined the term GNH, which stands for 'gross national happiness.' Wouldn't you want to go somewhere like that?! It's a big trip — you need at least 10 days to do it right. I'd stay at Amankora hotel and Uma by Como, Paro. The other family trip is New Zealand. There, everything looks like a scene out of The Lord of the Rings… just mind blowing. We're an adventurous family — I mean I wouldn't jump off a bridge, but I'd like to hike. I'd stay at Eagles Nest in the Bay of Islands. And finally, I'd love to do Patagonia with my husband. We'd get in a boat to see the caves and also go horseback riding."
Jeff Potter
CEO of Surf Air, the membership-based, all-you-can-fly airline.
"At the top of my list is Machu Picchu. In terms of activities, I love to cook and enjoy new and different cuisines, so taking a Peruvian cooking class would definitely be on the itinerary. I'm a history buff and fascinated by the Inca civilization, so it appeals to me for those reasons. Also, I've heard Peru is one of the most picturesque places on earth. I've been to the Galápagos Islands, but have otherwise not traveled at all in South America. I've been lucky to travel to many beautiful places, from Tuscany to Bali, but this is the one area I have yet to explore."
"At the top of my list is Machu Picchu. In terms of activities, I love to cook and enjoy new and different cuisines, so taking a Peruvian cooking class would definitely be on the itinerary. I'm a history buff and fascinated by the Inca civilization, so it appeals to me for those reasons. Also, I've heard Peru is one of the most picturesque places on earth. I've been to the Galápagos Islands, but have otherwise not traveled at all in South America. I've been lucky to travel to many beautiful places, from Tuscany to Bali, but this is the one area I have yet to explore."
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From: Harper's BAZAAR US
By Mr & Mrs Smith/Amelia Mularz
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