- escape
- (168)
-
Three hours by land from Saigon (or less than two hours by ferry and bus). Quiet and cool beach area with great seafood. Cute cabanas in Palace Hotel resort with swimming pool. Palace Hotel is 100 years old, built by the French and used in modern times as a reception place for French embassy.
To find the best beaches, that is the most remote and unspoilt, go to the west and north sides of the Gower peninsula rather than the south.
From Worms Head to Whiteford Point, Gower, South Wales.
A beautiful small fishing island just 45 minutes' away from central pier by ferry. Has lovely beaches and a real village feel to it, such a great atmosphere.
You can have the best seafood down by the pier, relax on the beach, swim in the sea, go for walks or cycles or try windsurfing (the womens' world champ lives there). Has an altogether slower, friendlier pace than HK and is so close and easy to get to.
Take ferry from pier 5 - 30-50 min journey depending on ferry. Ferry every 30 mins.
Botanical park near the airport. For only two euro, you can stroll around its various environments and admire all the amazing plants. A tropical hothouse includes an aquarium and iguanas. Worth a visit anytime for a budget urban nature fix and terrific for passing a couple of relaxing hours prior to check-in.
405 Promenade des Anglais
+33 (0)4 92 29 77 00
opposite Nice Cote d'Azur airport
Stay at the Feathers Hotel. Although there are several hotels in Helmsley, Feathers appealed for friendliness, convenience, and low-key comfort.
Use this as your headquarters to visit the abbeys - they are all quite wonderful and unique. And when sick of people, drive into the moors, especially in the "off" season such as November.
Feathers, Helmsley, Yorkshire
A few miles south of Truro, hidden in trees above the creeks, is Trelissick. It has beautiful gardens with a nice tea shop and is an escape from the crowds on a week day.
Afterwards, if you leave the car parked and walk down towards the ferry via the road, you can take the footpath north or south along the wooded edge of the river to find many tranquil deserted creeks where you may spot a lone heron. This is a very different side of Cornwall that many people don't see.
4 miles south of truro on the B3289
Rough Tor is a beautiful granite-boulder strewn hill on the northern edge of Bodmin Moor.
On opening the gate on to the moor you cross a small stream and then start the gentle slope up the hill - past ancient stone hut circles and wild ponies - to the top where you can sometimes see the north and south coasts of Cornwall, as well as other craggy peaks, the odd coniferous forest and pools and reservoirs.
If you have more time, you can continue across to Brown Willy - the highest hill in Cornwall - passing another stream and through an abandoned hamlet.
Nearest town is Camelford:
tinyurl.com/ynk8j6
Excellent photos:
www.luphen.org.uk/public/2003/2003bodmin_moor.htm
The Priory is a former hospital dating from the end of the 17th century. It was later used as a religious retreat. In 1913 the painter, Maurice Denis, who was deeply religious, as well as being a leading theorist of Post Impressionism, acquired the building and its grounds.
The Priory now houses a small but good collection of French art from the period 1880 to 1940, including Symbolism and Post Impressionism, especially the work of the Pont Aven artists and the Nabis.
The gardens are very beautiful and show sculpture by Bourdelle and Maillol. It's a quiet and contemplative sort of place except when the primary schools are in for an afternoon of art.
2 Rue Maurice Denis, 78100 St Germaine-en-Laye, west of Paris. Metro/RER from Chatelet to St Germaine-en-Laye. Then 10 minute walk through the town. There is said to be a bus but I never saw it.
This is a small public gallery showing paintings and some sculpture in a former private house (often the best way to show art collections) and concentrates largely on Danish work of the 18th and 19th centuries.
If you like landscape, interiors and small genre painting, this is a good place to visit. The house is around the back of the main national gallery and across a small park.
Stockholmsgade 20. Metro stop Norreport. Buses 6A, 14, 40 and many others (check bus stop signs). www.hirschsprung.de
Loch Ness is well known and visited by thousands, but when you've tired of Nessie tartan gonks, there is a more beautiful and less visited landscape to the north.
Glen Affric has been referred to by those in the know as Scotland's most beautiful glen. It stretches for many miles upriver from the village of Cannich, becoming progressively wilder and more desolate. There are beautiful lochs, mountains and waterfalls, but it is the pinewoods that make this glen so special. You might think you've seen one forest, you've seen them all - but this is different. It is one of the largest remnants of the original ancient Caledonian Forest that once covered Scotland, and walking amongst the trees, it has a really special atmosphere and beauty. Look out for plentiful, incredibly cute red squirrels, pine martens and other wildlife.
This website features walks and accommodation.
www.walkhighlands.co.uk/lochness/glenaffric.shtml
Rome's zoo is being gradually improved and has been renamed the Bioparco. A greater emphasis is now being placed on its ecological and environmental credentials. I visited it on a Wednesday afternoon. Apart from three Russians who asked me for directions to the exit, I was the only visitor. I think the animals were glad to see me. If you like wolves there are lots here. Very wolfish and sleek. Apart from its intrinsic merits, it's one of the few places in Rome where you can get away from the crowds.
Viale del Giardino Zoologico. Trams 3 and 19, plus a short walk.
These are some nice districts to explore. Not far from the city centre, the high streets of the following areas are nice to walk about with good shops, bars and restaurants. Chorlton, Fallowfield, West Didsbury, Didsbury.
All within 3 or 4 miles of the centre. Chorlton high street spreads out from the junction of Wilbraham Road and Manchester Road. Fallowfield from Junction of Wilbraham Road and Wlmslow Road. West Didsbury highstreet is on Burton road, from junction with Lapwing lane southwards and also along Lapwing lane. Didsbury from junction of Barlow Moor Road and Wilmslow road.
I actually shouldn't recommend it as the isolation is the best thing about it. Enormous red cliffs, singing sand.
Get the boat.
Feel on top of the world - if you are on the north coast of Scotland this atmospheric and timeless place is a must visit!
Don't follow the crowds. Come instead to idyllic Isla Canela on the Portuguese border, 90km from Seville. 7km of uncrowded golden sands, terrific range of bars and restaurants, attractive marina. An exclusive resort set amongst natural spaces and in easy distance of delightful Andalucian villages, chief of which is the little Andalucian pueblo of Ayamonte, with palm fringed squares, cobbled streets, tapas bars and historic buildings. An hour from Donana National Park, teeming with indigenous wildlife. Less than 40 minute drive to 6 top-flight golf courses.
A beautiful tiny island off the west coast of Scotland famous for its slate exports of the 1800's. No cars, good pub, friendly locals, fabulous wildlife and THE most breathtaking scenery and skies on the planet. Just south of Oban, Argyllshire and a few minutes ferry ride from Seal Island. Go there, find peace within and come back feeling the most wealthy of travellers. Heaven can't surely be as good as Easdale!
The West Lake is one of the most popular but stress-free tourist attractions in China and is a great day out if you want to get away from the crowds of Shanghai.
The lakeside has a distinctly European atmosphere reminiscent of the south of France with many of the younger local people dressing up in locally produced fashions to promenade by the water.
There are Italian and French restaurants with many of the old colonial-style houses being converted into cafes. Some are expensive by Chinese standards but worth the price if you feel like a change from Chinese food.
There are usually musicians playing traditional Chinese instruments on the shore of the lake.
Boat trips and bicycle hire are also possible. On good days it is worth hanging around for the sunset.
Take a taxi to the West Lake (Xi Hu) from Hangzhou main railway station for the flat fare of 10 RMB.
Hangzhou East railway station is some distance away with the cab ride costing around 25 RMB. You can take a bus to the less crowded north side of the lake.
The lake gets crowded at weekends, particularly if the weather is good but weekdays are much quieter.
www.cof.org.cn/ENGLISH/2005ioc/images/travel/map/big.jpg
Dong Hu is a water park created from old quarry workings.
It offers an escape from the crowds of the Yangtze Delta Region and a chance to relax and enjoy a short boat trip on this man-made lake.
Take the train to Shaoxing. Come out of the station and turn right to the bus terminus. Get on bus number 1 and tell the driver or conductor you are going to Dong Hu.
Dong Hu is in the main guidebooks and you can point to the Chinese characters in the book if the driver or conductor does not understand you.
The staff will tell you when to get off the bus which takes around 20 minutes depending on the traffic but it is just as you feel you are going out of the city.
Just in case, look for a big brown sign for Dong Hu in English pointing to the right as you head out of the city.
www.sx.gov.cn/enportal/article_list.jsp?catalog_id=20050811000009
North Stradbroke Island, more commonly known to the locals as "Straddie" is a terrific holiday island just a 40-minute ferry ride from the mainland.
Ideal for those fans looking to take a bit of a break from the hardcore backpacker trail. For a couple of days, Straddie has miles of fantastic beaches, several top watering holes and a unique laid back atmosphere that you won't find elsewhere.
Accomodation is plentiful and reasonably cheap and it is well worth hiring a 4WD, although not essential, to get around the many 4WD tracks and go up and down the miles of beaches to find your perfect spot.
UK visitors will find the natural charm of the island a revelation although be careful swimming as there was a fatal shark attack off Amity Point in 2005.
We spent a couple of days wandering around Panjim (Panaji) and Old Goa - for a bit of culture to break up the days soaking up the sun on the beach. The streets of Panjim were full of character without being hectic like other Indian towns. The brightly painted churches, empty streets and perfectly mowed green lawns of Old Goa seemed like another world from the tie-dyed-tourist traps on the coast, and helped explain Goa's distinct character within India.
Send your feedback or queries to been.there@guardian.co.uk
Search Been there
