Swaziland!

Why go...One of the last absolute monarchies in the world!  Swaziland embraces and retains their ancient traditions, and they also have a reputation for being friendly!  


Reed Dance Cultural Festival!  Girls come from all over the country to sing and dance for the Queen!  Lots of pageantry!


Mantenga Cultural Village!  A living history museum of a traditional Swazi homestead; you can try in grinding grain etc!


Craft markets!


See rhinos, elephants, and hippos, (Oh my!) in one of Swaziland's national reserve parks!



Phophonyane Falls Ecolodge.  You can stay in their beautiful, Swazi-style "bee hive" rooms!


Riley's Rock Lodge.  You can wander through the botanical gardens that surround the lodge and feel like you're on an episode of Murder, She Wrote!  The lodge also takes guests on all kinds of awesome safaris!

Canary Islands!

Why go...Spanish territory off the coast of Africa.  At one time, it was believed to be the end of the known world!  Beautiful weather all year round.  Volcanic islands with "moon" landscape and beautiful natural pools!  I'm in love with the Canary Islands!  Beautiful dry desert but with beaches!  Whistling language!  Slow pace of life that is said to be contagious!  (The place I was meant to be!) Hike, swim, scuba dive, eat, look at the stars!  See the mixture of Berber and Spanish cultures!  The villages look like magical, medieval, desert villages out of a fairytale! Plus, they have cool museums and are referred to as the "Hawaii of the Atlantic" due to the excellent surfing! 

*La Palma Island!

Charco Azul pool!  The Canary Islands have a lot of beautiful, shark-and-wave-free places to swim; hooray!

H10 Costa Salinas Resort!  I  love the setting, it looks like the end of the world!  Mysterious and romantic at the same time!

*Tenerife Island! 

Barcelo Santiago Resort!  I fell in love with this view!  I want to wake up here!

H10 Conquistador Resort!  Really lovely rooftop bar, I could stare out at the ocean for hours!

H10 Tenerife Playa!  Giant pool!  

Ritz Carlton Resort!  Pretty restaurants!  Pretty rooms!  Pretty beach!  Pretty pool!

Punta  de hidalgo natural swimming pool!  So pretty and so safe!  yey! yey! yey!

Papagayo beach, oooh so pretty!

Playo los patos black sand beach!

*La Gomera Island!

Lots of pretty terrace restaurants.

Garajonay Unesco World Heritage Site National Park!  Home of the largest laurel rainforest remaining on earth!  It sits on the top of island and is hydrated by mist!  Millions of years ago,this used to be the landscape around most of the Mediterranean.  Now, it is the last forest of it's kind! 

*Fuerteventura Island.

Oasis arboretum and wilderness adventure!  Swim with sea lions and go on a camel safari!

H10 Tindaya Resort!  I love the view from the pool!  To me it  is iconic relaxation!  

H10 Sentido Playa Esmeralda Resort!  I was really enchanted with the barrenness of the surroundings; so exotic and peaceful and lovely!

*Lanzarote Island! 

Timanfaya national park!  The volcano erupted in the 1700s, but the area is virtually unchanged since then!  Learn about the flora and fauna that inhabit this barren landscape! 

La Geria Winery!  Unique growing technique for dry, volcanic soil!

Jameos del Agua, volcanic cave grotto bar!  Wow!  Local artist, Cesar Manrique, infused the unique geology of the Canary Islands into lots of architecture around the island that is open for touring!  

Playa Ancla!

Melia Salinias, very pretty resort with a "botanic cathedral!"  I love this beautiful and distinct desert aesthetic!

Botanic Cathedral!

Beautiful vacation rental property built into the mountain, Castillo Schlaraffenland! 

Cactus garden!

*Gran Canaria Island!  Referred to as "the continent in miniature" due to immense variety to be found there!

Cactus park!

Sand dunes!

Amadores Beach!

Beautiful spa resort, Lopesan Costa Meloneras!

Cathedral de Santa Ana

*El Hierro Island!

Really lovely natural pools at  La Maceta!

Restaurant - Mirador de la pena!

Charco Azul - natural swimming pool!

Volcanic Center and volcanic tube and field tours!

Burundi!

Why go...See the origin of the Nile River, Lake Tanganyika!


Musee Vivant, a zoo and natural history museum in Bujumbura.


Hotel Club du Lac Tanganyika.  A beachy lake resort in Bujumbura.  

Muhweza Hot Springs.

Seychelles!

Why go...Beautiful, romantic resorts on gorgeous, tropical beaches!

Where to stay...

Beau Vallon is a resort town on Mahe Island close to the capital, Victoria. Victoria is "virtually unchanged since colonial times."
Le Meridien Fisherman's Cove

Banyan Tree Resort - They have lots of things to do. It looks so heavenly and romantic! They even have a romance consultant! It's on the southern part of Mahe Island, with lots of 
things to do.  

North Island - The entire island is the resort.  It's where Prince William and Princess Kate went on their honeymoon!  I love this for the adventure and romance of it; like being on Fantasy Island or castaways!

Praslin Island -  Contains Vallee De Mai, a Nature Reserve,"a palm forest which has remained largely unchanged from prehistoric times." 
Berjaya Hotel 

La Digue Island - world renown for beautiful beaches.  

La Digue Island Lodge 

Fregate Island!  Fregate Island is an extremely beautiful private island that is home to 2200 tortoises!


Desroches Island!  A beautiful and remote island; they specialize in arranging romantic picnics on the island's most lovely nooks and crannies!