Historic Stay-overs

I like old buildings reconverted into places you can stay at. Like this old abbey turned into a hotel, in Kientzheim, Alsace (France). Founded around the 12th century, it was an abbey to the St-Claire religious order.

Kientzheim is a medieval village with preserved fortifications, old stone houses and town square.

It also happens to be on the famous 'route des vins', that historic road runs along the Vosges mountains through picturesque villages and wine estates. On a nice sunny autumn day, go for a great drive and stop at the wineries for wine-testing! Make sure to bring a non-drinker along to delegate the driving part :-)

Salt Lake Country

Bolivia offers great scenery. The capital La Paz, at 3650m, is just about as high as the Mt.Fuji. One thing the country is famous for are the salar, these dry salt lakes that stretch for thousands of square miles.

©petuniverse

Rocky 'islands' pop out here and there. Someone that has been there once told me that if you camp on one of these hills, you are litterally surrounded by stars. They fill the sky in all directions from above your head to below the horizon! (since you are above the surrounding plain).

In this empty, featureless landscape, you can achieve funny photographic effects by playing with perspective. The possibilities are only bound by your imagination.

©gakout

Riviera Luxury

Maybe you have seen the movie "The Bucket List". If not, I recommend it. Anyway, in one scene of the movie Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman are having dinner in a spacious room with wide bay windows overlooking the mediterranean. That's the restaurant of Le château de la chèvre d'or in Eze, France. Eze is a nice old medieval village with stone houses, perched on a hill above the see.

Hotel entrance

Now that hotel is beyond romantic-getaway; more honeymoon-grade (or bucketlist-grade :-)
Watch out for the price though... a real wallet-buster.

Retreat On The Zambezi

At the corner of 4 african countries are found the great Victoria Falls, where the Zambezi river storms down a narrow gorge to continue its course 100m below. The "Smoke that Thunders" can be seen from afar in the savane plateau surrounding it. Haven't been there, but definitely tempted.
At bit upstream on the Zambezi, in Zambia, sits a beautiful luxury lodge. Now I always have a bit of an ethical problem with enjoying luxury in Africa, considering the extreme poverty in the continent. Anyway, just for the atmosphere it gives off, look at the pictures below.

Pictures from the website of the Tongabezi lodge

Victoria Falls. Pic found on Internet

The White Pyramid

In the Karakorum, near the K2, stands a mountain with a remarkable shape. And a very nice name. "Chogolisa"... sounds feminine somehow! Incidentally, in local culture this peak is considered the 'bride' of the K2 (aka Chogori = king of mountains).
This 7,665m-high rectangular pyramid just looks like a big ski jump. It also saw the death of great austrian mountaineer Hermann Bühl, first to summit the "killer mountain" Nanga Parbat.

Once again, pictures found on Internet. I'd love to do a trek in these regions, to the base camp of K2. But I don't see this happening anytime soon :-(

1001 Nights

In the city of Khiva, Uzbekistan, is a hotel that will transport you 10 centuries ago back to the world of Scheherazade. Made into an hotel from an old Medressa (koranic shool), its mosaic-covered arches under the stars will make you feel like you're in one of these 1001 stories.

Hotel Khiva

Khiva also happens to be one of the most beautiful cities I've been to. The old city center feels just like Agrabah in Disney's Aladdin :-)

Heights Rush

Do you know about the famous glass-floor in at the CN Tower in Toronto ? Walking with 350m below your feet, quite an experience.

What about the new Skywalk at the Grand Canyon, Arizona ? A glass pathway built as a horseshoe 1100m above the Colorado River. The emptiness directly below your feet is only about 200m, though.

The environemental aspect of this is questionable, but at least it brings extra income to the native-american tribe that is operating it.

In any case, hard to beat the Leukerbader Klettersteig in switzerland, where, right after coming out of a vertical cave, you will end up with 1000m of void right under your foot! Been there, done that :-)