Fodor names unique travel experiences
Wednesday, 02 Nov 2005 09:59
Top travel experiences that don't cost the earth
Set among an ancient forest yet only 200 metres from the beach, Blue Jay eco-lodge, Mal Pais, Costa Rica, suggests exclusivity.
But like the nine other hotels to make it onto Fodor Travel Guide's choice list for 2006, it has been selected not because it is one of the world's most famous or most expensive hotels, but because of the unique and unusual experience it offers its guests.
With rooms starting from just over £45 per night in the high season, and little over £30 per night in the low season – based on two people sharing – expensive it is not.
Fodor asked its editors and writers for their top picks for hotels, restaurants and sites/experiences and has come up with a variety of options for different sized budgets.
For those wishing to spend a bit more on accommodation, the Coral Reef Club, Barbados, also makes the list. Its prices range from about £120 per night for a single garden room to £1,271 per night for the luxury plantation suite.
And for those who truly want to splash the cash, the Esperanza, Los Cobos, Mexico has rooms ranging from £365 per night to £2,800 per night.
The Carnaval de Quebec in Canada's Quebec City heads the list of not-to-be-missed sights and experiences, which also includes diving in St Eustatius in the Caribbean, Kayaking in the Bahia Mosquito, Vieques, Porto Rico, and skiing at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
A visit to the Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a trip to Australia's Red Centre to see Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta; and stargazing atop Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island also make the list.
As for restaurants, Fodor's top ten are spread all over the world from Hunter's Vineyard, Blenheim, New Zealand, to Casa Picasso in Ambergris Caye, Belize, and Findlerhof in Zermatt, Switzerland.
Fodor's Choice 2006 list
Hotels
Blue Jay Lodge, Malpais, Costa Rica
Chakrabongse Villas, Bangkok, Thailand
Coral Reef Club, St. James, Barbados
Esperanza, Los Cabos, Mexico
Faena Hotel + Universe, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Ho'oilo House, Maui, Hawaii, US
Mala Mala, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Morgan's Rock Hacienda and Ecolodge, Playa Ocotal, Nicaragua
Parador de Malaga Gibralfaro, Malaga, Spain
Red Setter Inn, Greer, Arizona, US
Sights/Experiences
Carnaval de Quebec, Quebec City, Canada
Diving in St. Eustatius, St. Eustatius, Caribbean
Kayaking in Bahia Mosquito, Vieques, Puerto Rico
Mardi Gras, New Orleans, Louisiana, US
Poas Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Skiing at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
Stargazing atop Mauna Kea, Big Island, Hawai'i
Uluru & Kata Tjuta, Red Centre, Australia
Valley of the Temples, Sicily, Italy
Restaurants
Bukhara, Delhi, India
Casa da Feijoada, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Casa Picasso, Ambergris Caye, Belize
Chef Mavro, O'ahu, Hawaii, US
Chez Pascal, Antigua, Caribbean
Findlerhof, Zermatt, Switzerland
George's at the Cove, La Jolla, California, US
Hunter's Vineyard Restaurant, Blenheim, New Zealand
Per Se, New York, New York, US
Wahso, Park City, Utah, US