Las Vegas: myRomanticGetaway
Where: Las Vegas
Why I Love Las Vegas: It has the fountains at the Bellagio Casino which are very romantic!
My Favorite Part: the restaurants
--contributed by Lily KwanLabels: February09 Contest, Las Vegas, myRomantic Getaway
Ireland: myHoneymoon
Where: Ireland
Why I Love Ireland: As an avid reader of romance novels, I've always fantasized about traveling to the majestic green isle of Ireland. My adoring fiance wanted to be the man of my dreams, so he took us there for our honeymoon!
My Favorite Part: We visited many different towns and cities during our 10 day trip. My favorite location by far was the small town of Westport, Ireland. The town has won the title of "Tidiest Town" for 3 years running and this title is well deserved. This adorable little town will steal your heart.
What I'd Like Others to Know: If you want to fall in love all over again, you must visit Ireland. The lush green fields, the plush white sheep, the romance inspiring castles, the hearty food, and those adorable accents are all the things that dreams are made of.
--contributed by kerri1973, Prattville, Alabama, USALabels: February09 Contest, Ireland, myHoneymoon
New Orleans: myRomanticGetaway
Where: New Orleans
Why I Think New Orleans is Romantic: BEEN THERE AND FELL BACK IN LOVE AGAIN
--contributed by Craig Cota, Versailles, OH, United StatesLabels: February09 Contest, myRomantic Getaway, New Orleans
Niagara Falls: myRomanticGetaway
Where: Niagara Falls, New York
Why I Love Niagara Falls: We live here and we wanted to get away from our 8 kids. We got a room at the casino downtown and overlooking the falls, it was beautiful. The mist in the snow covered gorge was breathtaking. The falls was light up and you could see Canada it was awesome
My Favorite Part: just being with my husband alone taking in the sights of our home town.
What I'd Like Others to Know About Niagara Falls: That it truly is one of the 7 wonders of the world whether in winter or summer.
--contributed by l. filx, niagara falls,ny usa
Labels: February09 Contest, myRomantic Getaway, Niagara Falls
Honolulu: myRomanticGetaway
Where: Honolulu
Why It's Romantic: It has the most beautiful view of the beach for 5 miles. Every room is decorated to recreate a beautiful beach scenery, it makes it feel like you are right there on the beach.
My Favorite Part of Honolulu: The clear waters, the amazing views, the overall relaxing feel of the whole place.
What I'd Like Other Romantic Travelers to Know: Go when it's warm, because you will want every second of your time to be spent on the beach.
--contributed by Marqelle, Grants Pass, Oregon, United StatesLabels: February09 Contest, Hawaii, myRomantic Getaway
Paia, Maui, Hawaii: A Fresh New Alternative to a week in Wailea or Kaanapali, or Kapalua
Paia, Maui. The North Shore. Getaway for Willie Nelson, world class windsurfers and kite boarders, surfers, artists, and hippies, Yes, actual hippies, some from California's counter culture of the 60ís and 70ís, others younger but spiritually attuned to the lifestyle and its ways. All authentic organically fed and real reminders of when all we asked of each other was to "Give Peace a Chance." The Zen and spirituality of the area is supported by a number of Yoga studios and spiritual shrines like The Great Paia Peace Stupa, recently blessed by the Dalai Lama in a 2007 visit.
Paia is also the home to eye popping surf including famous Ho'okipa Beach, inspiring surfers and boarders from locals to world class daredevils to pursue their adolescent fancies, to defy the sea's wind driven fury, to remain youthful and to "Catch the Perfect Wave." There is a balance to life here from the raging surf and tropical landscapes to the gentlest
namaste. Take a few deep cleansing breathes; you can feel it in the air.
The Paia Inn, a beach town boutique hotel right in the center of Maui's North Shore, is the perfect destination to tie these elements together into the most fabulous finish to your visit on Maui. 2 or 3 nights here on Maui's spiritual North Shore seems just right before returning to the mainland. The Paia Inn is the child and love of Michael Baskin, son of a successful hotelier. He has converted an old main street Plantation style building into a boutique hotel so enchanting that it exceeds any measure you can place on a small hotel . The design and planning of the 5 small but extremely comfortable rooms includes upgraded baths with marble showers, refrigerators, specially designed beds and furniture to allow for needed storage of luggage and active gear, and flat screened TVs. The guest rooms located on the upper floor also have 2 additional common but private restrooms (what a great idea), a large open common area to read; sitting on comfortable upholstered leather arm chairs and a computer station to print your return tickets or surf the Web. Attention to details is evident everywhere and always with their guests comfort in mind. In addition to the hotel rooms there are 2 larger 2 and 3 bedroom cottages on an immediately adjoining property.
The art displayed throughout the Inn is original, fabulous, colorful and locally available in a nearby gallery. The featured artist is Avi Kiriaty, a "Painter of Polynesia" whose works are inspired by Gauguin's impressionism. Go to
www.avikiriaty.com to view more of his works and request his DVD.
Enter the Inn thru the gated garden patio; note the native wood carvings over the door and archway. At check in you will receive a tour of the grounds. The private path to your beach is just a few steps away and beach chairs are provided free of charge, as is everything but the mini bar. Note the outdoor covered ping pong table too. The beach is breathtaking by the way. Paia's little nude beach is a beach walk away if you'd like.
The Inn features all the elements to make your stay comfortable. Outside patios highlighted by a waterfall and tables to enjoy your morning coffee and scones from Anthony's, a famous in town coffee stop for most, but a morning staple for you. In the evening, enjoy a glass of wine and some music. At the Inn the music is played based on your individual likes and requests. This is a great gathering spot just prior to dinner hour. Everyone freely exchanging information about their day's fun or dinner plans. Maybe a review from last night or a suggested stop along the "Road to Hana."
This personalized care is all orchestrated by a staff of young managers under the on site direction of the owner. These people are attentive, locally knowledgeable about all things Hawaiian and Paian , and seemingly perpetually happy to be able to assist you in finding a place to eat or a shop that carries particular gifts which you might want to bring back home. The staff's personalized attention to any guest's needs makes this place pop. They provide the fun and the local connection to the fabulous North Shore. Theirs is that specialness that transforms you from a tourist to a visitor. You especially feel at home as the sun sets and the day trippers head back to their resorts and you feel local. Its very cool. Have a cold beer and a few laughs before a restful sleep.
The town has many studios and galleries featuring local and established talent. There are 2 artist co ops in town as well. Even though the airport is just 10 minutes drive, leave your purchases to the shop owners to ship back home for you. You might save the tax and the trouble of taking it through inspection.
Though the dining in this region of Maui is quite reliable and in fact terrific, there are several restaurants that exceeded their internet/ guide book description. Almost all are within close walking distance of the Paia Inn. Those that arenít are a short easy drive away.
Next door to the Inn is Flatbreads. This local pizzeria and meeting spot serves ice cold beers, many local to Maui and Hawaii, and the finest flatbread pizzas anywhere. The locally grown ingredients and their farm source are prominently displayed on a chalkboard next to the special wood fired clay oven which sits stage center, open to all to watch as their thin crusted special pies are crisped to perfection. The crowd is young and fun and families can enjoy the affordability. The bar is hopping on weekends. Cheap and cheerful . Try the Mobley's special with Kalua pork, Maui onions, pineapple and goat cheese. Remember all local!
Across the street from the Inn is the Paia Fish Company. Famous for their fish sandwiches and other assorted fresh seafood treats. Ahi? Mahi? Ono? O My. You stand in line to order then find a seat at one of the many long wooden benches and tables. Make friends with a neighbor till they shout out your number. The orders come up fast so this isnít a place to dally but for lunch its perfect and for dinner its perfect too if judged by the crowds. All the fish served is fresh caught locally. Another cheap fabulous meal in Paia.
Across the intersection from the Inn is Milagros Food Company. This gem of a Mexican eatery serves the freshest ingredients and manages to mix the standard dishes with a local flavor of the Islands to create outstanding somewhat upscale food to compliment the tequilas and cervazas. The large outside patio is always packed due to its prominent intersection location. Prime for people watching. The menu is diverse and very reasonably priced. The blackened Ahi taquitos with mango passion fruit salsa was outstanding.
The last restaurant Iíd mention as particularly special is Hali'Imaile. You need to drive from the Inn about 15 minutes but this is well worth it. Of all the restaurants, this is a bit more money so I'll recommend you go for lunch. The view from the base of Haleakula is panoramic so lunch it is. Served Monday thru Friday. This delightfully bright airy hillside jewel was one of the first to serve Hawaiian Regional Cuisine. The menu is so varied and the tastes so delicious. The food is stylishly presented using very island fresh ingredients; very whimsical and fun. The desserts are epic endings and worth sharing. Our waiter worked in a local theater company and revealed by night he was the fanciful evil witch in Sleeping Beauty, but by day, he was a wonderful server, well versed in all the menus offerings. Reminded me a bit of Ed Begley Jr.
Before leaving Paia it seems appropriate to pass on some local knowledge I learned from the gals at the Paia Inn. Firstly, the cream puffs at the 100 year old T. Komoda Bakery in Makawao are the real deal and worth the 10 minute drive. Maybe try out their glazed "doughnuts on a stick" or a local Malasada pastry . Secondly, if you stop just passed the first one lane bridge beyond the Garden of Eden, on the Road to Hana, hop over the grey cinder block fence used in the shooting of Jurassic Park, and follow the trail to the left past the first waterfalls, you will find a secret second falls, known only to locals, and a swimming pool to privately enjoy. Or possibly share with a group of soapy hippies. Promise me you won't tell anyone else. Enjoy the Maui less traveled. Aloha
Contributed by Kendo, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USALabels: February09 Contest, Hawaii
Boracay, Philippines: The Next Big Thing
by
Jon W. Wick
I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I finally figured out Hollywood. I've got all those television commercials pegged. I know the secrets of those tourist ad campaigns where a sweeping shot of the most beautiful beach imaginable is shown, where it quickly becomes the backdrop for some cliché catch line as, "the most beautiful white sand beaches in the world; visit (fill in the blank)."
Yup, I'm on to all of them. Here's the secret: Boracay, Philippines is all of those pictures. No matter the country, the continent, or hemisphere, all those pictures are Boracay. Boracay is the silhouetted sailboat against a burning sunset, it is the sand so soft it resembles cooking flour, it is the brown palm trees with striking green leaves stretching over the aqua marine waters and crystal blue sky, and it is the happy hour margaritas with your toes in the sand. It's everything that every beach in every part of the world wants to be. And the best part about the entire thing, you'll be the first person in your group to know about it.
I took the advice of a well traveled friend after a conversation we had about some different destinations in Asia. As soon as he finished describing it, I booked tickets for Manila. My girlfriend and I were on our way.
Manila, at first impression, is an unkempt, run down, impoverished, and threatening sprawl of a city. "Pearl of the Orient" it is not; barely a shadow of its former self. The raw energy of the city, intimidating gawks from nearly all we encounter, and oceans of jeepneys, the local and very unique form of transportation, are enough to turn anyone away, but at the end of this exhaust choked journey, lay our golden ticket, a week of pure bliss on the most beautiful beach in the world. It was only a short puddle jumper flight later that we were sipping freshly made mango margaritas from the comfort of handcrafted bamboo chairs, watching the sun gently slip below the horizon, and drifting into a meditative trance by the sounds of the relaxing ocean swells.
The second I walked out on the sand, those pictures weren't just pretty pictures of a place I'll never dream of finding, they weren't the images of great expectations; they were right in front of my eyes. It was if somewhere between Manila and the alley path we used to get to the beach, we crawled through the same coat rack and entered our very own world of Narnia. Palm trees stretching to the ocean then gracefully curving to the heavens, sand so white that it takes a second for your eyes to adjust before you can take in the entire scene, and a beach lifestyle so chilled out and cool that Jack Johnson would feel at home. We looked in both directions and saw restaurants, shops, massage therapists, dive companies, adventure companies, and beautiful auburn island goddesses waiting to accommodate any way they can. The restaurants served their meals at tables in the sand; you can drink your fruity concoctions from the shade of a palm tree with your mind a million miles from any where. I did, in all my sensory ecstasy, notice there was a lack of something; a lack of something I had only recently become accustomed to "hordes of people" and this was considered the "high season." That made me think, am I on to something here?
The more we walked the beach, the more we were amazed at purely the set up of this place. Apparently the city planners and engineers that were supposed to be fixing Manila, gave up on the poor place, and all went to Boracay instead. To describe this best, I'll pull out a perpendicular cross section of the beach and try to describe it. First, opposite the water, you have all the businesses, all tropical themed as you can imagine they would be. The accommodations, along the beach, very from the backpacker's bungalows at $3 a night, to the posh luxury resorts. Their storefronts are all generally lined up with the beach path, an eight or ten foot wide, hard sand area everyone accepts as the main highway of transportation. One step closer to the water is the area of palms. This is about a fifty foot wide swath of deep sand, the gorgeous palm trees, lounge chairs, with the occasional tiki hut grill or bar. It seems as though the corresponding businesses have claim to this area and either serve meals or drink there, but it is mostly set aside during the day for people looking for some shade. Then come the chairs and umbrellas in the sun, mostly all of them come with waiter service from the closest restaurant. Next, you reach the beach, where we normally tossed down our towels by day, and took in the sunsets by night. Finally, you reach the waves of the crystalline blue ocean waters.
Approaching the late afternoon time, the beach goes through this incredible transformation; almost beyond recognition. The restaurants spill their tables out onto the section of sand under the palms and decorate the areas with the utmost brilliance. Tables and chairs in the sand, tablecloths and candles, rope lights on the trunks of nearby trees, the sound of waves crashing, and decorative lights hanging from the canopy above. The reflections of the beginning sunset over the water were casting wondrous, soft orange hues about. It was romantic, it was hip, and it was fun.
What can I possibly say about this place? Why isn't there tour bus after tour bus pulling up to the line of gaudy concrete mega resorts? Where are the armies of, too tanned to be just arriving, too hot for their own good, spring breakers? When are the developers going to come here with their bags of money and "pave paradise to put up a parking lot"? There is definitely a heaven on earth and it is found here, without a doubt, without the crowds, and most importantly without everything and anything that seems to always ruin the very reasons we seek the destinations.
The sirens song and clarity of water is truly irresistible, the sand tugs childhood fantasies of sandcastle building and burying a loved one to the surface so much that you need to recognize and act on them. The breezes dance through the palm trees and drift over your skin to butterfly kiss your sun drenched cheeks. Here, your mind has the room it has yearned for, leaving the complexities of life somewhere in the banana tree groves you passed over on the flight. This is a place where your soul can forget about what is true, and live what has been only previously imagined. It can sip fresh mango margaritas while pulling up a bean bag chair, first row, center stage, to take in the explosions of oranges radiating from a glorious sunset, wonderfully silhouetting sailboats and distant parasails, before it slowly slips just beyond the curve of the earth.
Boracay is an island oasis disguised as, well, an island oasis. One that will set the standard for all future trips to any island paradises, anywhere.
But just remember, that's our little secret.
Article & Photo Contributed by Jon W. Wick, Yeoju, Gyeonggi, Province, South KoreaLabels: February09 Contest, Philippines
Grand Haven Michigan: Most Romantic Place in My Hometown
My hometown: Grand Haven, Michigan
What's the most romantic place in your hometown? The whole town we have a beautiful pier lit up with lights at night. We are a tree city a quaint park in the middle of town. We are on Lake Michigan. Wonderful sunsets.
--contributed by pumkin, Grand Haven, MichiganLabels: February09 Contest, Michigan, my Hometown
Vama Veche, Romania: My Favorite Romantic Getaway
My favorite romantic getaway: To the Black Sea, in Vama Veche
What made you select this destination for a romantic getaway? The place itself and the people. Or maybe the sea which sometimes is "bluer" than the sky. And also the sand which gets so hotter at noon, that people that are walking on it, appear to be dancing. Or maybe the wind which drys your lips. That would be a romantic getaway to me and also to my lover, peanut :D.
What was your favorite part of this destination? The nights. I am a very romantic person and in summer time, I often spend nights under the sky looking at stars. For me, Vama Veche was a magic place with all those boutiques with earrings and bracelets which are being sold by a hippie dressed in a blue dress.
What would you like other romantic travelers to know about this destination? A small place called "Papa la Shoni" which is made of reed mace and trawl. And than a place called "The happy Pancake" or something like this were you can find a variety of pancakes,which have funny names. And also a night slept under the sky,on the sand, with no roof above. Yes this I'd recommend. But this thing has no charm if you haven't your girlfriend, wife, husband, lover by your side, holding your hand.
--contributed by Petra, Suceava,RomaniaLabels: February09 Contest, myRomantic Getaway, Romania
Budapest: My Favorite Romantic Getaway
My favorite romantic getaway:Budapest, Hungary
What made you select this destination for a romantic getaway? When I was 6 years old, I travelled with my dad there and it was love from the first minutes.
We arrived at night, and when I woke up (I felt asleep in the car because of the long way) we were exactly on the Chain Bridge, full of lights. I can't forget the feeling. Since then it's my favourite place. By the way, the love of my life lives there, although we never walked together in this city, it's my dream...
What was your favorite part of this destination? Each part of the city, because this city is breathing old and new air, the atmosphere, the places, the castle, the museums, the old parts of the historical part.
What would you like other romantic travelers to know about this destination? The best time to visit is in the summer, on 20 August is a national celebrations with fireworks on the Danube. Must visit locations are everywhere, not only the well known tourist museums, places but even if you walk without destination on the street, you can find signs of history everywhere.
--contributed by Hermy, Miercurea Ciuc, Transylvania, RomaniaLabels: February09 Contest, myRomantic Getaway
Hocking Hills, Ohio: My Favorite Romantic Getaway
My favorite romantic getaway: Hocking Hills Ohio
What made you select this destination for a romantic getaway? The seclusion yet close to necessities and not far from home.
What was your favorite part of this destination? You feel like you are miles away from everyone but actually they are only a few minutes away.
What would you like other romantic travelers to know about this destination? The cabins all have their own hot tubs that can not be seen by anyone and the early spring there is so much quiet. If you call for last minute reservations on a cabin they will usually give you a discount. Walking the trails are beautiful and gives you time for one on one with your significant other.
--contributed by Sharon, Minford, OhioLabels: February09 Contest, myRomantic Getaway
Jamaica: My Favorite Romantic Getaway
My favorite romantic getaway: Jamaica
What made you select this destination for a romantic getaway?My husband and I have vacationed in Jamaica once a year for several years. Now we know we love it so we are always eager to return but we selected it the first time because of good airfare and it wasn't too long a flight from home.
What was your favorite part of this destination? I love the good variety of all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica. I really enjoy not worrying about what we eat, what we drink, tipping...it's easy for us to budget for (even these days).
What would you like other romantic travelers to know about this destination? You'll hear a lot of bad comments from other travelers about Jamaica like they were hassled on the beach or they were scared to leave the resort. On public beaches, you will be hassled somewhat but on private beaches there are only vendors that the resorts allow to sell on that beach so it's much more laid back. We always take an organized tour or two (we've been to Dunn's River Falls several times) and have never had any problems or worries...just a great time!
--contributed by Tina, Atlanta Labels: February09 Contest, myRomantic Getaway
My favorite romantic getaway: To the Black Sea, in Vama Veche
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