Located high in the spectacular coastal mountains of Vancouver Island, next to the farms and vineyards of the Cowichan Valley and close to Victoria rests The Aerie Resort. Surrounded by 85 acres of meticulously kept grounds and gardens, the breath-taking view from The Aerie is worth the trip alone.

There are 3 different buildings for your stay, each with its own special charm and incredible views.Villa Cielo is on the highest point and offers unsurpassed privacy and elegance. The Residence Building offers seven rooms and suites, while the Main Building is the original Aerie construction, and now offers 22 elegant rooms and suites.

The rooms have all the amenities, fireplace, couch, huge tub – in the sitting room – large bed and great view off the balcony.

Amenities: Massage, Meeting Facilities, Broadband Access, Restaurant in Hotel, Fireplace, Hot Tub, Air Conditioning, Television, more..

The Aerie Spa and Wellness Centre will leave you rejuvenated and inspired!

Activities: Swimming Pool, Golf, Tennis, Fitness, Mud bath, mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, fishing, sailing, water-skiing, diving, kayaking, rafting, culinary tours, float plane tours, yoga.

Aerie Resort and Spa is a haven for those who enjoy fine wines and gourmet cuisine.

Chefs create food that is fresh and delicious, using classic French techniques but much inspired by Pacific Northwest flavours and style.

Built on the slopes of the Toros mountains, by the seaside and among a 50,000sqm pine forest, the Gloria Verde Resort  is a 5 -star establishment that embodies the Mediterranean spirit of relaxation. Gloria Verde is the smallest one among Gloria Family Hotels and offers a peaceful and comfortable retreat. This area is paradise for golfers, but cut off from everywhere within walking distance.

The hotel is  5 floored main building and there are family rooms in the 3 blocks in the garden. Guestrooms have fireplaces, balconies, and sofa beds; bathrooms include jetted tubs, shower/tub combinations, and bathrobes.

Room Facilities: Hairdryers Available, Mini Bar, Television with Cable, Air Conditioning, Balcony/Terrace, Key Card System, Direct Dial Telephone, Wireless Internet Acess, Central Heating/Cooling System.

Activities: Sauna,  fitness service, Slides, Pools, Animation programs, 1 Tennis Court, Table Tennis, Aerobic, Open Carpark and Water sports.

Theraphy: Massage, Spa,  Doctor Services, Thalasso Centre, Theraphy Pool , more..

There are and three different bars that offer delicious food to the guests.

Rugen is the largest of Germany’s islands, nearly 1,000 sq km with 570 km long wiggling coastline of steep cliffs and broad, shallow inlets. It is a picture-book paradise of white cliffs, wide sandy beaches, wood and moorland with romantic castles, old churches and old-fashioned towns of fin de siecle villas. Photo by: mario_65

The main town is called Sassnitz, the ‘Gateway to Scandinavia‘. It is a colourful port with the longest seawall in Europe, a 1,450 m long mole where you can spend hours watching the boats come in – from passenger liners to fishing skiffs. Nearby is Jasmund National Park where the sheer chalk cliffs with their extraordinary charm, plunge dramatically into the sea. Behind the dense beech forest, there is unusually diverse woodland including wild apples and pears. There are several idyllic resorts dotted around the coast in the south east – old spa town with incredible clean beaches. Photo by: rhewson630@rogers.com

In contrast to the woods and hills of the eastern site, is a low-lying area of saltmarsh wetlands, tidal flats and peat bog with an incredible variety of flora and fauna. The lagoons there are heaven of thousands of migrating cranes. Photo by: nahaase

When to go: Rugen is beautiful at any time of year. The tourist season is April to October. Population: 73,000. Getting there: By boat – either across the Strelasund on the car ferry from Stahlbrode to Glewitz, or across the Baltic from Scandinavia. Photo by: eagle-ffm

Photo by: elpolam

Noorderlicht is an old dock place, used by 250 artists working in the fields of theater, film, media, architecture and design. The place is both cafe & restaurant and also a little getaway from the city. Especially when the weather is holding up, it’s a perfect way to spend a late afternoon contemplating your day in Amsterdam on the terrace overlooking the IJ and part of the city center.

The staff is very informal, laid back and friendly, but not particularly speedy when it’s busy. The food is always fresh, healthy and delicious. The menu changes with the seasons and offers a variety of prices, so you can decide if you want to stay on a budget or splurge a little. The desserts are to die for, especially the plum tarte tatin and hangop pudding with rhubarb sauce.

Getting there: An absolute must! From the new Aanmeersteiger behind Central Station, where the big ferry to Amsterdam Noord-establishes, leaves a NDSM ferry to the wharf. Hence it is five minutes walk to Northern Lights. Over 50 more after arriving straight and then turn right at the NDSM. Walk 300 meter straight to the sheds on your left. At the end you see right to a transparent dome ‘t IJ. Just make sure you don’t miss the last ferry back to civilization. Ferries operate daily at 12:00 till 22:00.

Chiva-Som, meaning Haven of Life, is located in the south of Hua Hin, Thailand,  is a three-hour drive from Bangkok. The resort  is surrounded by tropical gardens and next to an idyllic beach on the Gulf of Thailand. Chiva-Som provides a comprehensive range of spa, medical and fitness programs that combine the very best of Thai hospitality and Western-style treatments.

The resort offers privacy and seclusion with only 57 elegant Thai-style pavilions, Ocean View rooms and suites.They offer private balconies or terraces for drinking in the fresh air and relaxing atmosphere, and listening to the softly lapping sea.

There are many fitness activities including t’ai chi, pilates, health and beauty workshops and holistic programmes that incorporate forms of traditional Chinese medicine.

Specialty Activities: Xi Gong, Thai Boxing; yoga, aqua aerobic and water fitness classes; physiotherapy services; naturopathic consultation, iridology-diagnosis through the eyes.

Restaurants at the resort include the Emerald Room- an international spa cuisine restaurant and the Taste of Siam – a restaurant by the beach serving Thai spa cuisine. Spa Cuisine- Detoxifying, fat and salt-free cuisine incorporates local herbs and spices.

Outdoor Options: Outdoor pool, Biking, Tennis, Sea Kayaking, outdoor training, golf, sightseeing and guided tours.

Hotel de Larache is cobbled together from 20 small farming plots, drawing inspiration from the traditional estancias of northern Chile. Set in the oasis of San Pedro within the Atacama Desert, it offers guests the opportunity to explore the region’s unique landscape. 105 km from Calama in the Atacama Desert. This hotel, very shortly after its opening was chosen amongst the 100 best hotels in the world!

Hotel de Larache has 52 luxury spacious rooms with Jacuzzi, sitting rooms and ample natural light with wood and tile accents and plush linens. Far superior in style, these airy rooms afford about 50% more space.

Hotel Amenities: Outdoor pool and sauna, Massage services, Dining room with exquisite cuisine, Private stables, Gift shop, Library with books and maps, Laundry, Internet facilities. Meeting room for 70 persons.

Open Bar. Including alcoholic drinks and a wide selection of wines. 

Every day different excursions are offered: by bike, on foot, on horseback or in a group of max. There are few places on earth, where a dream of luxury and adventure will come true!

Christiania Freetown was established in 1971 by  under the ownership of the freethinking individuals who reclaimed the land for public use in 1986. Today the  self governing community has a population of roughly 900 inhabitants, with visitors arriving daily to bear witness and explore within this ongoing social experiment.

Until 2004, one of the main attractions in Christiania was a series of hash stands on the main thoroughfare, aptly named Pusher Street. While hard drugs have always been banned by community law, the hash trade was very much at home in Chritiania, until the Danish government finally cracked down and the community was forced to refocus its business ventures. Today, a series of small businesses including shops, cafes and restaurants lure visitors to contribute to the local economy.

Christianians has  defended themselves through peaceful means and remains autonomous. Cars are banned from use within the community borders, where community members reside in abodes as typical as houses and as non-traditional as tree-houses. Chritiania is certainly an important destination for dreamers, explorers and hippies.

Christiania is located within the parameters of Copenhagen’s city bike network, we recommend you hop on one of those free access bikes and cross the river to check out a truly one-of-a-kind community.

Alila Cha-Am is a tropical paradise situated in the charming coastal town of Cha-Am, on the north west coast of the Gulf of Thailand. This luxurious beachside resort is designed to be a sophisticated and contemporary lifestyle destination. From the grand entrance stairway to the rooftop reflecting pool, every detail is understated yet unforgettable. The Horizon rooms, Garden Terrace rooms and Pool Villas are conceived as personal retreats – spacious and elegant.

Originally a fishing village, Cha-Am offers a relaxed pace of life, and a more tranquil atmosphere than neighbouring Hua Hin beach. Its main appeal is its clean, white sand beach, which is thought to be the longest in Thailand, and which is where you will find a choice of excellent seafood restaurants.

The moment you arrived at  Alila Cha-Am, you can almost imagine you have the place to yourself. The innovative architecture includes bold shapes and clean lines softened by the palette of naturally-aged woods, limestone and subtle marble finishes. It’s a stimulating and sensual combination that gives a distinctive contemporary edge to this tropical resort.

Alila Cha-Am offers 72 Horizon Rooms and Garden Terrace Rooms and 7 Private Pool Villas, you can choose how secluded or connected you want to be without even stepping out of your room. The rooms and villas offer both indoor and outdoor privacy that invite you to while away the day, cooled by the gentle sea breezes. Each own-suite has stylish furniture and fabrics beautifully reflect the Thai heritage,  fully integrated wifi capabilities, large flatscreen TV, Apple TV featuring music and film collections, and mood lighting, you can tune in or out to your heart’s content.

The hotel also has a collection of two signature restaurants: Motion and Clouds Loft, Spa Alila (with 2 double treatment rooms, 2 single treatment rooms and 1 double Thai massage room centred around a thermal pool) and a Library with a modern selection of current magazines, novels and reference books.

How to get there: Alila Cha-Am lies on the premier beach resort of Petchabur, 163 km south of Bangkok and 26 km north of Hua Hin. Fly to Bangkok and then a leisurely drive from takes about 2.5 hours. Highlights: the landscape here is characterised by dense jungles and mountain ranges. Activities, there is much variety, from champagne picnics on the beach to energetic pursuits such as water sports and cycling.Take a tour of the ancient temples and pagodas that dot the surrounding area. Or pay a visit to the summer palace of King Rama VI.

It sounds little weird, however one of the best place for relax in the centre of Copenhagen is cemetery -park Assistens Kirkegard. Initially the ground was intended for the poor to be buried. During the years passing by became a trendy resting place for the wealthy and famous, like physician Niels Bohr and world-renowned writers H.C. Andersen, M. A. Nexo and Soren Kierkegaard.

I would say that the cemetery is a local advantage these days. Locals using it as a picturesque park; in warm weather, expect to see people sunbathing and students studying nestled in between the rare trees and the graves. So bring a carpet, newspaper, boombox, and lay out in the verdant surroundings. Fittingly, the place never gets overcrowded.

If you’re holidat trip is time-limited, you can explore the cemetery as a shortcut to outer Norrebro by strolling through the dazzling mainway Poppel Alle. And don’t be scared if you suddenly find yourself far away from the main entrance—Assistens has several exits.

One  mountain landscape, which spans the contemporary national borders of France and Spain, centered around the peak of Mount Perdu, a calcareous massif that rises to 3 352 metres. Mont Perdu(meaning lost mountain) is the third highest mountain in the Pyrenees. The mountain is approached by two of Europe’s deepest canyons on the Spanish side. The landscape is a stunning mix of bleak mountains, pastoral countryside, lakes and forests. Mont Perdu site is registered on the Worldwide Heritage list since 1997.

The site is also a pastoral landscape reflecting an agricultural way of life that was once widespread in the upland regions of Europe.But the site is also a pastoral landscape, reflecting an agricultural way of life that was once widespread in the upland regions of Europe. The heritage value of the natural domain of Mont-Perdu cirques and canyons stems from a favorable conjunction of exceptional elements that fall within the province of geology, climatology and biology.

There are more than 1500 species of flowers, 171 birds, 32 different mammals and 8 types of reptile in the Ordesa.

In summertime, it’s impossible to get bored: you can canoe and kayak, parasail, raft, ride bikes, and go for trail rides.

Hainan is China’s Hawaii. It’s on the same latitude, with a highly developed agricultural economy, roads and infrastructure. It’s China’s smallest province, divided by a 1.5 km strait from Guangdong, and nestled between the Gulf of Tonkin and South China Sea. Like Hawaii it has the beaches, hills, forests, wildlife, and recreational roster. 

In the central highlands, the descendants of the Li, Miao and Han wear tribal dress in the villages, and ancient Chinese poetry proclaims the beauty of the waterfalls, gorges, lush forests with chattering monkeys – and the same coconut, banana, pepper and fruit fields you can see, if on a different scale. This is where to join the annual Water-Splashing Festival. 

Sanya, Hainan’s second city in the south, is the centre of beach life, and focal point of all tourism. Xiao Dongtian, to the west at Yazhou Bay is spectacularly pretty, with beauty spots alongside regular beach and countryside facilities. 

When to go: Year-round. Population: 8,200,000. How to get there: By air from mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore or Japan, to Haikou or Sanya; by train and rail-ferry, from Guangzhou in Guangdong, to Haikou; by boat from several Chinese ports, to Haikou or Sanya. Photos by: Alfred(??) in Shanghai

Tucked into the native maritime forest, you will find the sanctuary of Bahia Beach Resort  and Golf Club. Bahia Beach Resort and Golf Club, Puerto Rico located on Puerto Rico’s northeastern coast where the Atlantic Ocean blends with the azure waters of the Caribbean Sea. The community will boast a magnificent two-mile crescent of Sandy Beach.

139 magnificent rooms, where private terraces lead to spectacular ocean views.

The pool is beautiful.
 

It’s unique location in the salt flats of Cabo Rojo, also offers tourists the opportunity to bike, go scuba diving, boating, kayaking, deep sea fishing, jogging, trekking, even golfing.
18-hole championship golf course – with spectacular holes along the ocean, scenic lakes, undulating fairways and gentle ocean breezes.

The resort is home to a variety of animal inhabitants including snook and tarpon, frigate birds, pelicans, palm trees, golden leather ferns, whistling ducks, iguanas and many species of songbirds.

The hotel is quietly located in the heart of Arosa, providing a beautiful view of the Lake Obersee. Europe’s highest golf course is situated 500 m above the hotel. The Sporthotel in Arosa, Switzerland is about 1800 m above the sea, wonderful place to spend the summer vacation in the beautiful mountain ranges.

73 comfortable rooms and family suites with balconies and verandas. Room amenities include minibar, hairdryer, direct dial telephone, cable TV, radio, bathtub or shower and WC.

Hotel offers- garden, tennis courts (in and outdoor), childrends play-garden, indoor swimming pool, tennis, putting Green, beach-volleyball, bikes, massage, sauna, steam bath, beauty center and conference rooms and facilities. As well you can find in Arosa different ski-piste (around 70 km) and nice walking and hiking tours for summer and winter hiking.

Amenities: Alarm Clock, Babysitting, Bar/Lounge, Beauty Shop, Business Center, Fitness Center, Hairdryers Available, Pets Allowed, Pool,  Restaurant  and Room Service.

The silver of land, clinging to the west coast of the island of Rugen on Germany’s Baltic coast, has preserved all the charm that attracted so many famous early 20th century artists, writers and intellectuals to its shores including Einstein, Freud, Brecht and Thomas Mann. Photo by: me_youwe

Hiddensee is less than 17 km long and just 250 m wide at its narrowest point. The landscape is exceptionally beautiful with incredibly varied scenery – precipitous rocks contrasting with the white sandy beaches, meadows and saltmarshes, huge dunes, sandflats and undulating heartland. Large part of the island are only just above sea level while the highest point is 72 m. The white sands along the western and north coasts are some of the finest anywhere in the world. Just the chilly breeze reminds you that you are not in the Caribbean. Photo by: kid schoko

No cars are allowed here. Transport is provided by horse -drawn carriages or bicycles. The main town, Vitte, is a small port on the east coast, a beautiful area of heathland which in August is a blazing purple carpet of heather. Photo by: Theresa F.

Hiddensee has a faintly bohemian atmosphere – a retreat for individuals seeking peace from the madding crowd. You will stumble across small galleries and roadside exhibitions wherever you go. Photo by: Kathleen Leilani

When to go: The high season runs from May to September, but the island caters for tourists throughout the year and hardy types will enjoy the bleak winter landscapes just as much as, if not more than, the summer ones. Population: About 1,300. How to get there: Ferry from Stralsund on the mainland. You should know: You must book months in advanced to get a hotel room between June and August. Photo by: tkbnet_en2009

Kia Ora Sauvage is a little heaven of peace on a private “motu” islet. On the atoll of Rangiroa, just an hour by plane from Papeete, the capital of Tahiti. Created with traditional, natural, Polynesian materials – each bungalow is a work of art. For the visitor who truly wants to get away from it all!

It only has 5 beautifully decorated beach bungalows bordering white sand beaches. Each thatched-roof bungalow has been hand-crafted from native wood, bamboo and palm. The bungalows equipped with Mosquitoes net, shower (hot water). Rooms with a king size bed and a single bed.

Simple, healthful meals emphasizing fresh seafood; a cocktail and snack bar.

Activities: canoes, snorkeling and skin diving, deep sea fishing, swimming, windsurfing, sailing, glass-bottom boat excursion, boat rental with pilot, bicycles, table tennis, volleyball, petanque.

Offers outdoor tables, with  views of the lagoon by day and stars arching overhead at night.