Paradise... What are you experiences?
Discussion
So I've been trawling through the searches on here for various opinions on those holiday destinations that make you go wow . I appreciate everybody has their own perception of paradise. It may be in the form of a cabin on Loch Lomond or a hut on stilts in the Maldives but what are your experiences of these gems.
My vision of paradise is white sandy beach and shallow waters surrounded by rich vegetation. Another big plus in my opinion to look for is friendly people as nothing can be more off putting than bad manners.
Personally we have not found paradise yet but would be great to hear your experiences.
Andy
My vision of paradise is white sandy beach and shallow waters surrounded by rich vegetation. Another big plus in my opinion to look for is friendly people as nothing can be more off putting than bad manners.
Personally we have not found paradise yet but would be great to hear your experiences.
Andy
Depends how many creature comforts you want with your white sandy beaches, shallow clear water and lush vegetation.
If you want hot and cold running cocktails, showers and lounge chairs, and lots of other tourists, then Barbados.
If you want it au natural, buying lobster from local fishermen and camping on that white sandy beach, then Panama.
If you want hot and cold running cocktails, showers and lounge chairs, and lots of other tourists, then Barbados.
If you want it au natural, buying lobster from local fishermen and camping on that white sandy beach, then Panama.
Done a lot of beachy type places which for the places I've visited the Maldives are hard to beat, drop off the grid and total R&R.
Remote places in the Scottish Island, the scenery not another soul around.
Closer to home in the Lake District a 20 minute drive from home I take my usual walking route and never get tired of the view from the top.
Remote places in the Scottish Island, the scenery not another soul around.
Closer to home in the Lake District a 20 minute drive from home I take my usual walking route and never get tired of the view from the top.
thole. 
Come close to it a few times.
As of now it would be a remote cottage somewhere in the wild bits of Scotland, on my own (sorry wife & kids
), lots of hill walking on my doorstep, weather autumnal but erring on the side of sunny and cool, bit of rain is okay but not so bad it makes climbing mountains scary. Outdoor stuff in the day, back to a roaring fire, good food, decent wine, few beers and a few drams of single malt in the evenings. Read a good book, catch up on a few movies or listen to some albums. No Internet. Lots of sleep.
As others have said though NZ is hard to beat. We sort of happened across this free(!) campsite in the camper van next to an incredible beach, just perfect in every way, BBQ, beers, the waves crashing onto the shore and then soothing you off to sleep: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Te+Paerahi+Bea...
As of now it would be a remote cottage somewhere in the wild bits of Scotland, on my own (sorry wife & kids
), lots of hill walking on my doorstep, weather autumnal but erring on the side of sunny and cool, bit of rain is okay but not so bad it makes climbing mountains scary. Outdoor stuff in the day, back to a roaring fire, good food, decent wine, few beers and a few drams of single malt in the evenings. Read a good book, catch up on a few movies or listen to some albums. No Internet. Lots of sleep.As others have said though NZ is hard to beat. We sort of happened across this free(!) campsite in the camper van next to an incredible beach, just perfect in every way, BBQ, beers, the waves crashing onto the shore and then soothing you off to sleep: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Te+Paerahi+Bea...
Conventional views of paradise - viz, sandy beaches, blue skies, palm trees - in my experience often don't stack up in the real world as it's too hot to be outside for long, the sand gets everywhere, and frankly it gets very boring very quickly.
Conversely if you gave me a cosy apartment in the Three Valleys, temperatures which are double-digits below zero, blue skies and no other bugger on the piste then I'll be happy until the end of the world.
Of course and as has been said, paradise isn't a place. It's a happy and usually coincidental convergence of people, circumstance and frame of mind. Certainly, in my experience, if you go looking for paradise you won't find it and often, you don't recognise it until it's gone. Damn that's a bit deep for a Tuesday afternoon, sorry all.
Conversely if you gave me a cosy apartment in the Three Valleys, temperatures which are double-digits below zero, blue skies and no other bugger on the piste then I'll be happy until the end of the world.
Of course and as has been said, paradise isn't a place. It's a happy and usually coincidental convergence of people, circumstance and frame of mind. Certainly, in my experience, if you go looking for paradise you won't find it and often, you don't recognise it until it's gone. Damn that's a bit deep for a Tuesday afternoon, sorry all.
Lucky enough to visit a bunch of nice places:
- Maldives are fantastic but a little...artificial. As in the other thread, I'd only go if you like snorkelling / diving, as otherwise it's quite clear you're in a purpose-built resort. Seafood, given the location, was also rather disappointing. I'd only go back for the snorkelling, and then only if other 'new to me' snorkelling locations (e.g. Belize, Gold Coast) proved more expensive.
- Barbados west-coast is beautiful - beautiful place / really friendly locals / great beaches & sea and a great food culture too. But it's not cheap...and you've got all the 5*+ hotels down the best stretch. As a previous poster suggested, consider it as 'civilised paradise'. That it's <10 hours by plane to get to is a big plus too...would love to go back if budget permitted.
- Thailand west coast has a variety, from developed resort to backpacker central. But the beaches and sea vary in quality (Ao Nang, for example, has a rather muddy-feeling beach), and some parts aren't easy to get to. Definitely going back at some point in the future. Plus the locals, while usually friendly, DO have their dark side. That Cambodian resort looks interesting...
- Borneo had some great parts - the rainforest, the Tunku Abdul Rahman national park islands, some good snorkelling. But the rest felt like a bunch of modern towns/developments (& hotels) dumped on a third-world country. Jarring, I guess.
- ...so for me the stand-out place in my travels HAS to be Aitutaki (in the Cook Islands). Beautiful atoll in the middle of the South Pacific, no high-rise hotels, precious few large developments, friendly locals, VERY laid-back vibe to the place...and it always feels half empty, not a busy holiday location you're sharing with 1,000 others. Shame it takes a whole day to get there...
(First pic is the bungalow we had)
Aitutaki 027 by martin-dc2, on Flickr
Aitutaki 445 by martin-dc2, on Flickr
Aitutaki 169 by martin-dc2, on Flickr
- Maldives are fantastic but a little...artificial. As in the other thread, I'd only go if you like snorkelling / diving, as otherwise it's quite clear you're in a purpose-built resort. Seafood, given the location, was also rather disappointing. I'd only go back for the snorkelling, and then only if other 'new to me' snorkelling locations (e.g. Belize, Gold Coast) proved more expensive.
- Barbados west-coast is beautiful - beautiful place / really friendly locals / great beaches & sea and a great food culture too. But it's not cheap...and you've got all the 5*+ hotels down the best stretch. As a previous poster suggested, consider it as 'civilised paradise'. That it's <10 hours by plane to get to is a big plus too...would love to go back if budget permitted.
- Thailand west coast has a variety, from developed resort to backpacker central. But the beaches and sea vary in quality (Ao Nang, for example, has a rather muddy-feeling beach), and some parts aren't easy to get to. Definitely going back at some point in the future. Plus the locals, while usually friendly, DO have their dark side. That Cambodian resort looks interesting...
- Borneo had some great parts - the rainforest, the Tunku Abdul Rahman national park islands, some good snorkelling. But the rest felt like a bunch of modern towns/developments (& hotels) dumped on a third-world country. Jarring, I guess.
- ...so for me the stand-out place in my travels HAS to be Aitutaki (in the Cook Islands). Beautiful atoll in the middle of the South Pacific, no high-rise hotels, precious few large developments, friendly locals, VERY laid-back vibe to the place...and it always feels half empty, not a busy holiday location you're sharing with 1,000 others. Shame it takes a whole day to get there...
(First pic is the bungalow we had)
Aitutaki 027 by martin-dc2, on FlickrAitutaki 445 by martin-dc2, on FlickrAitutaki 169 by martin-dc2, on FlickrDavid Beer said:
Whilst I love a nice hotel and a nice beach, much prefer road trips. A place I very often go for three nights camping is island in the sky, southern Utah., near Moab. Did a four week road trip this summer and doing four weeks this Xmas.
Same here.In January we are Tampa, Naples, Miami, Key West, Palm Beach, St. Augustine, Cedar Key, Tampa. All of it in a Dodge Challenger R/T.
That is my paradise trip.
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