Come Away With Me

Aug 20, 2015

Nicaragua!

Why go...Scuba diving! Surfing! Jungle canopy ziplines! Hiking! Craft markets! Colonial towns! Sea turtles! Volcanoes!

*Little Corn Island, a tiny island in the Caribbean Sea! Yemaya Resort!

*Granada, the oldest colonial city in Central America!

Jicaro Island Ecolodge! On a little island in Lake Nicaragua!

ChocoMuseo! The chocolate museum! Take a class in chocolate making! See how chocolate is grown and made!
Chocolate workshop @ ChocoMuseo

*Isla de Ometepe, volcanic island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua! Project Bona Fide is a permaculture center where you can take classes about sustainability and help on the farm!

Isletas de Granada! Beautiful little blobs of volcanic lava that were spewn into Lake Nicaragua and now are home to a tiny population!

*Masaya, the folklore and artisan capital of Nicaragua!

*San Juan Del Sur, beach town on the Pacific side!

Chica Brava, all-girls surf camp! It just sounds so fun to be a grown woman and hang out with your girlfriends at the beach all day surfing!

Morgan's Rock, beautiful beach resort in a nature reserve setting! Walk through the jungle at night! Kayak through a mangrove forest! Morgan's Rock is also an organic farm and provides all the food for the resort! You can help on the farm as well as on the fishing boats!

Rancho Santana, another beautiful beach resort near a sea turtle reserve! This is a resort/residential community and it looks very dreamy!
Playa Rosada

Aug 3, 2015

Lithuania!

Why go...Lots of history in a very beautiful, forest-y land!

File:Alytus hillfort, Lithuania.jpeg

Vilnius! The Old Town section is from the middle ages! It is the capital city with lots of churches, castles, cafes and museums!

National Parks! Lithuania has beautiful national parks with "ethnographic villages," including the History of Bee Keeping Exhibit!

Klaipeda! A seaside town with beaches on the Baltic Sea and cool museums!
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Kaunas! This is another large and historical city with lots of castles, museums, churches, and a beach on the river.

Trakai Island Castle!

Druskininkai! A spa resort town famous for it's mineral springs since the 1700s! It is also home to the Forest Museum; a natural forest exhibit and wood arts!

Jul 14, 2015

Fiji!

Why go...Diving! Gorgeous hiking! Villages! Kava ceremonies! Sing in church with locals! Learn basket weaving! Sawailau Caves! Swim with sharks and manta rays! Learn to cook Fijian food!

Namale Resort! They prepare kick ass dreamy picnics!

Wakaya Club! Big and gorgeous villas; they would be heaven to go with your whole family!

Dolphin Island! Beautiful island with treehouse!

Royal Davui Island Resort! Another beautiful private island resort! It's such a beautiful, tiny island and such a lovely resort; I just wanted to be there!

Poseidon Underwater Resort! For those of us that love the water but are scared silly by sharks! To be under the sea hour after hour! Heaven! Please hurry and open! We need you!

Turtle Island! Beautiful, romantic private island resort! The island matches you with a "bure mama" who makes sure you are comfy and hugs you into Fiji culture!

Matamonaoa Resort! Beautiful, private island resort! I love how tiny the island is, and how pretty the beaches are. It has a castaway feel!

Remote Resort! I love how forest-y this is! It reminds me of being a kid and spending the day wandering around outside in the summer.

Remote Resort Fiji Islands - Oceanfront Pool Villa Accommodation

Nanuku Fiji Resort! This is a big, glossy resort with an ex-pat retirement community in residence! I love that a lot of the other resorts are small and personal, but sometimes anonymity is perfect! And...how fun would it be to chit chat with ex-pats!

Emaho Sekawa Resort! This is a pretty resort that will put together beautiful and romantic picnics for you anywhere on the island!

Tui Tai! 24 passengers at a time sail around the Fiji islands stopping at the best scuba dive locations, beaches, and hiking. They also provide a lot of opportunities to spend time in small villages!

Coastal Inland Tours! You can go on a trip to Cannibal Cave!

Heritage Hamlet! An interactive cultural museum! Right up my alley; I love this kind of thing!

Jul 1, 2015

New Caledonia!

Why go...beautiful islands that are tropical and forest-y at the same time! A mixture of French and Melanesian cultures!

Lots of awesome museums, scuba diving, and hiking! I've never seen such clear water right next to a forest; it's so beautiful!

Le Meridien Ile Des Pins Resort!
Le Méridien Ile des Pins - Panoramic Bungalow Suite

Le Meridien Noumea Resort!

Jun 29, 2015

Solomon Islands!

Why go...Tropical beaches, scuba diving, hiking through orchid filled jungles, unique and interesting cultlure!

Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel!

Jun 23, 2015

Vanuatu!

Why go...Volcanoes! Scuba! Caves! Traditional villages! Hiking! Tropical beaches!

Helicopter shot of resort island surrounded by yachts and with cruise ship moored in far distance

Ratua Private Island!

Havannah Resort!

Jun 20, 2015

Norfolk Island!

Why go...Visit a former penal colony! It is a beautiful island with a tiny population! Hike, visit the museum, enjoy "Night as a Convict Dinner Theater!"

Forrester Court, a very lovely resort.

Jun 19, 2015

Haiti!

Why go...Haiti is a beautiful, tropical island with a super-exciting history and cultural mix! Originally inhabited by Native Americans, next to mix in were the Spanish! After the Spaniards came the French! After a big revolt, Haiti was established as the first Black republic in 1804!

Royal Caribbean Cruises stops at Labadee, Haiti! Visiting a country on a cruise only gives you a day, but Haiti doesn't yet have an abundance of the kitschy tourist stuff I love, so a cruise is a super-convenient way for people to visit and learn without having to do a ton of research! The cruise looks awesome; beautiful beaches, snorkeling, shop local products and crafts, and cultural tours!

Jun 18, 2015

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!