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Favourite Place / Favorite Place?

9K views 56 replies 31 participants last post by  minimal 
#1 ·
I typed it both ways so the Yanks don't get confused! :D

Simple question: of all the places that you have visited, which is your most favourite/favorite and why? If you have a top 3 or even 5, please feel free to list them out but with a reason why it's in your top 3/5

It'll help some of us in deciding where to holiday next. :)
 
#3 ·
Southern Norway in the Summer (long- days, great weather, perfect outdoor environment...)
New England (US) in the Fall (beautiful scenary with leaves changing color/colour...)
French Alps in the Winter (skiing, great food/wine...)
undecided for the Spring...
 
#5 · (Edited)
Lifestyle = Austin, TX... Cheap cost of living, good economy, active people, festivals, southern hospitality
Opportunity = Dubai UAE... Best place to build a quick empire and live like a BOSS (if you're smart about it)
Vacation = South Spain... Hiking, Biking, Camping, Rock Climbing
Retirement = NZ, North Island... Beautiful & Relaxed
 
#6 ·
For visiting:

California Bay area : Great weather, nice people, mountains, oceans, forests, all close to each other, polite drivers.
The drive to and beyond Monterey with the Pacific ocean on one side is my all teem favorite drive

Istanbul: Great city, lots of historic stuff, very good food, good weather 7 months of the year, most photogenic city i have been to

Miami: Everyone seems to be on holiday, does not feel like an "American" city which has its +ves and -ves

LA: The opposite of Dallas , i.e. a great city to visit but maybe not to live in. IMO LA offers the most out of any America city to tourists: lots of stuff to see and do.

Dubai



For living:

Dubai: Great infrastucture, great food, organized, relatively less crime, icons like Burj Khalifa, still the most liveable city in the Gulf

Austin: Very nice city & people, neither too big nor too small for a city, not too expensive, has the +ves of the South but few of the -ves, great weather

Dallas: Friendly people (at least in the northern suburbs), customer service is generally very good, laid back for a large city, some great public schools (from what i hear), no really good university though. A city great to live in but maybe not to visit...

Singapore: A huge population on a very small area of land supported in a very smooth and efficient way. A bit sterile however...
 
#8 ·
Cairo, Egypt - People are awesome, food is excellent, and the history makes it.
Barcelona, Spain - Culture, laid back lifestyle, and the atmosphere.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - the beaches, food, and women in bikinis.
Siem Riep, Cambodia - history, culture, people, and USD goes a long way.
 
#11 ·
Ibiza - if you ignore San Antonio the rest of the island has everything from proper nightclubs, hidden beaches and picture postcard restaurants with 6 rickity tables and amazing fresh produce cooked to mama's recipes.

Barcelona - culture, architecture, art, history, football, nightlife.

Toronto - a metropolis that feels like a village. So much to see and do, peoples attitudes in general, loved it there.

Las Vegas - a proper love it/hate it destination but I love it.

Never been but would love to visit Tokyo, Berlin and Croatia
 
#15 ·
Never been but would love to visit Tokyo, Berlin and Croatia
Highly recommend all 3 destinations, you won't regrett the experiences.

I personally feel that everyone should live in Tokyo for a period of time to learn how to behave in public: no trash on the ground anywhere, people automatically queuing up, no talking (or screaming like in UAE) on phone while inside public transports, super polite, etc...

We drove 24 hours from Belgium to west coast Croatia, but it was well worth the visit: fantastic food and people, unspoiled scenary and diving...
 
#18 ·
Top 3 in no particular order...

- Bangkok, Thailand - It's hands down one of the most amazing places in the world. I wish I could spend more than 24 hour layovers there at a time, but I think I will go on holiday there someday. The food, the people, the culture, atmosphere.. everything about it is amazing.

- Honolulu, Hawaii - endless beautiful beaches and lovely weather. Everyone is on island time so it's fit to go along.

- London, England - I hate the weather, but I love the history and the ambiance of London. Then again, I have always had a soft spot for England. :p
 
#22 ·
The Medina in Marakecch - we stayed in one of the old houses that has been converted into a guest house. It was stunning. We were a group of six and we took the place over for a week so it became like our home from home.

Chania in Crete - beautiful, kind of reminiscent of Venice in some ways and just so not like other parts of Crete.

Malacca in Malaysia - the home of the last Chinese shoe maker and so much more.

Cairo (sorry) and I also stayed in La-La Land, aka Maadi but I just love the fact that Cairo is so down and dirty.

Mumbai - love the hustle and bustle.

Kerala - I love the verdant countryside and totally different from Mumbai.
 
#25 ·
I just realised I didn't add my list!

Greece: Right from Athens to Olympia with all the islands in between, you are immersed in history and culture!
Switzerland: I love the snow and have only visited this country during winter but it's just so peaceful, the people are so peaceful and the way they drive...unbelievable!
Ireland: I wish I could live here. Nothing like the Irish countryside to make you forget!
China: Again, lots of history and culture, great Chinese food and The Great Wall of China!

Places I would like to visit:
The Mayan Ruins
The Everest Base Camp (highly doubt I'll be able to reach the top, so this seems like a more realistic goal!)
 
#27 ·
1. Amsterdam (NL) - love the layout of the city, the over friendly people, small dining places that amazes with quality and there's just something special about Adam.

2. 's-Hertogenbosch (NL) - quite the opposite to Adam, a "city" with beautiful architecture, and endless streets of shops and restaurants. The market days in the city centre with unbelievable backdrops of old buildings and spot lighting make it quite special.

3. Not exactly a place, but travelling from 's-Hertogenbosch to Hanover by train was quite beautiful during November/December last year when the sun came up amidst the snow covered landscapes.
 
#31 ·
never been but would love to visit -

1) Istanbul - History and Culture would be interesting i assume.

2) Amsterdam - Seems like a fun place :p

3) Las Vegas - Its Vegas! what more reason do you need.

4)Nepal - Its quite secluded and i hear the scenery is to die for.


I grew up in Kerala :) so been to every corner of the state, its quite beautiful to visit, although living there might be a bit exasperating(especially the "awesome driving")
 
#32 ·
Tobago - A little bit of Heaven on Earth.

Thailand - So much to chppse from but i`d settle on Phuket for the best mix of beaches, nightlife and completely relaxed lifestyle.

Ireland - The North Coast from Ballycastle all the way round to Donegal, some incredible scenery, people and craic!

China - Beijing, Xian and in particular Wutaishan, it`s gonna take me a lifetime to explore that country.

America - New York and Seattle, you`ve seen it all so many times in the movies that it feels like you`ve lived there for years.
 
#34 ·
Sorry guys, but Paris is still the most beautiful city in the world.

Granted, before I can say that for sure, I still need to see New York City, St Petersburg, Vienna and Venice, but I don't expect any city to take the lead on all the things that make Paris great.

The architecture, the history, the museums, the parcs, the restaurants, the food, the convenience of getting from one part to the other, the variety on an overall human sized area, there is so much to do and to see, it's just mind boggling.

I am just in love with that city.


The French Alps are also an amazing destination in the winter if you enjoy skiing, but boy is that an expensive holiday now. In my books, still the most important holiday of the year (I need the snow and the peace of the mountain to recharge my batteries), but you need to enjoy the cold, skiing (or snowboarding), group food and drinking, otherwise it is not so worth it.

Closer to the Region, I have enjoyed tremendously going to Iran (Shiraz and Isfahan) and to Jordan. Be it Persepolis or Petra, the sites by themselves are worth the trip.

Sri Lanka was also beautiful, though I would not dream of driving there.

Turning to the US, Las Vegas is worth seing once because of how unreal it is (you think Dubai is over the top ?), the Grand Canyon is breathtaking, Chicago is a wonderful city, LA is mostly worthless as a city, but the theme parks, the beaches, Hollywood Boulevard and Beverly Hills make the trip interesting.
 
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