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Only a short 30 minute train ride from Grand Central station, Wave Hill is the best place to unwind from the hectic pace of Manhattan. A beautiful historic landscaped garden, with unparalleled views of the George Washington bridge and the Palisades by the Hudson River - the magic of these gardens will whisk away any stress you may have.
It is the countryside outside of Toulouse stretching almost as far as Carcassonne. In this area you will find the Canal du Midi, beautiful villages and stunning scenery. Markets, antique and reproduction furniture. Foie Gras and excellent local wines from the Corbieres, Minervois and Fitou.
You can fly into Toulouse or Carcassonne, exit the Autoroute A61 at Villefranche Lauragais and head in the direction of Revel where you will find a beautiful market every Saturday morning. Worthwhile stops are St Felix Lauragais. There is a 16th century farm doing B&B in Belesta Lauragais, a good base for exploring the Lauragais.
We stayed at the Hout Bay Hideaway in October 2007. The Jaguars are gone, but Martin and Sue, who now own the Hideaway, have kept the same format and added cooked breakfast on request. They were warm, welcoming and more than helpful - assisting us in advance with planning our trip, advising us about what to do and where to go, organising our transport…
The accommodation is comfortable and the garden, with its terraces on different levels, relaxing and peaceful. The area is safe and we went for walks and runs along Chapman’s Peak Drive from the door. There are plenty of places to eat nearby, and the Hideaway is an ideal base for exploring the area around Cape Town without having to sit in the city traffic jams. Highly recommended.
This is the most atmospheric place to smoke shisha in Cairo.
Khan El-Khalili is situated just north of the Citadel in the city centre.
This hotel is an excellent bargain for those who want to be based out near the pyramids. It has all the usual facilities of the InterContinental chain (large outdoor pool and a good variety of restaurants) and offers a relaxing haven away from the chaos of central Cairo. Advance purchase double rooms are available for as little as £30 a night on the hotel’s website.
InterContinental Pyramids Park Resort Cairo, Alexandria Desert Road, PO Box 70, Pyramids, Giza, Egypt.
Tel: (00 20) 2 8388 300
www.cairo-pyramids.intercontinental.com/
Want to chill out after a hard day's sightseeing? I visited the beautifully restored Arabian Baths, about ten minutes walk from the Giralda. For €28 you can spend two hours lounging in the baths and plunge pools, jacuzzi and steam room. The price also includes a 15 minute massage. Extremely relaxing!
C/ Aire 15, Seville;
tel: 955 010 025/26/24;
www.airedesevilla.com
There is nothing better in Havana than sitting in the Cathedral Square. There's a fabulous cafe with white umbrellas. Drink the mojitos and enjoy watching the world go by. It's one of the best views in the city.
In front of the old cathedral in central Havana
Take a trip along these gentle waterways and enjoy the fairytale atmosphere of the quaint houses with their narrow frontages. Hooks high up above the top storey testify to the time when payment of rates of houses was based on the size of their frontages. These were kept as narrow as possible, hence stairs were unable to accommodate furniture which had then to be taken up by hoist.
A hill town with a relaxed vibe surrounded by lush rice paddies... the perfect retreat.
Ubud is around an hour by car from the airport, and about 40 minutes from Sanur. Catch a taxi of bemo, or a shuttle bus from Kuta.
Bar Leon is a delightful little bar on the busy Calle de la Virgen (the street sign uses the Catalan name Carrer de le Mare de Deu) in Sa Penya, Ibiza Town. You're guaranteed a warm welcome from Erwin and his dog Jimmy, when you sit down outside the bar and watch the world go by. By day this street is dead, but at about 10pm lots of bars like this spring up with tables outside and lots of atmosphere. If you buy a bottle of water, give the bottle to Jimmy once you've finished with it - water bottles are his favourite toys! By far the most charming bar on Ibiza.
Calle de la Virgen (Carrer de la Mare de Deu) 62, 07800 Ibiza. www.bar-leon.de
These gardens are a haven due to a canopy of ancient trees and a peaceful cafe serving cool "imperial" beers. It's where all the trendiest (with baby) hang out on a Saturday morning before shopping at the bio farmers market.
Tram 28 goes from the Praça do Comércio to the Basilica da Estrela. From there it is only a 5 minute walk.
Lisbon's botanical gardens are - like most things in Lisbon - on a precipitous slope; they're also lush, tropical, usually empty and feel like they've been there a million years. A beautiful, cool oasis right in the heart of the city.
Rua Escola Politécnica, Principe Real;
Open every day from 9am - 7pm
Stuttgart is second only to Budapest for the number of mineral baths in the city. Teenagers go to Leuze, while those wanting to relax visit MineralBad Cannstatt, which has an extensive sauna area upstairs. Many baths have specialised treatment pools, (eg. for high blood pressure). When it gets hot, Stuttgarters head for the nearest open air pool. Perhaps the best is Freibad Rosental in Vaihingen, with a large freeform stainless steel pool landscape, springboards, and a children's pool. There are play areas, sunbathing, grills, food stands and plenty of opportunities for people watching.
Leuze: Am Leuzebad 2-6;
tel: 0711 216 4210
MineralBad Cannstatt: Sulzerrainstraße 2;
tel: 0711 216 9241
Freibad Rosental: Rosentalstraße 21 Stuttgart-Vaihingen;
tel: 0711 216 4837
General information: www.stuttgart.de/baeder (in German)
If you want to get away from the crowds and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the island, then head north to San Carles and Cala San Vincente. It's a world away from the tackiness of San Antonio. Rent a villa in a pine forest overlooking the bay (San Vincente). The air smells of oranges and you won't hear any pumping house. San Carles is a buzzing village full of locals and (rich) hippies. The life of the village centers around Bar Anita. You can hang around here talking to the locals and watching the world go by all day. Best meat restaurant in Ibiza is there - Can Pages - on the road from Santa Eulalia to San Carles. If food, wine, slow days and a rustic kind of romance is what you're after, then this is where you'll find it!
North/north west of the island. Nearest large town is Santa Eulalia;
www.ibizaholidays.com/cala_san_vicente/default.asp
Salinas beach is at the very bottom of Ibiza, lined with some classy restaurants and bars. The views are beautiful and make it all the better to sit down and relax in with some sangria – the perfect way to relax after a night on the town.
Hire a car, catch a taxi or hop on a bus from Ibiza Town;
www.ibiza-spotlight.com/beach/las_salinas_i.htm
A 14th century enclosed courtyard chapel complex that somehow manages to be the quietest place in the city whilst also being spitting distance from the centre of everything, just off Spui.
The silence is unbelievable - it's a proper oasis in the middle of the city. It's a private religious property, though, so respect the silence, take a book and spend a half hour getting your breath back.
Walk down the Kalverstraat from the palace, turn right onto Spui and the entrance is on Gedempte Begijnensloot;
www.begijnhofamsterdam.nl/index_engels.html
Restaurant and bar in the hills about 5 miles from Ibiza Town. It’s a huge garden covered in Arabic style tents, cushions, candles - the most chilled place in Ibiza. The perfect escape after a couple of crazy nights.
Ctra. San Jose - km 5,6 (On the road to San Jose about 5 miles from Ibiza Town);
tel: 971 396 349
www.km5-lounge.com
Beautiful lake right in the centre of Golden Gate Park. Hire a rowboat for about five bucks, and make nice lazy progress around the central island, perhaps stopping to pick blackberries on the way. Of all the things I did whilst in SF, this was the most relaxing and idyllic.
Muni (the municipal railway) offers connections to the park from transit stops throughout the city. See their pdf for more information: www.goldengateparkconcourse.org/docs/2005%20Muni_GoldenGatePark_Brochure.pdf
A hostel-oasis bit of accommodation on the tropical island of Itaparica, near Salvador in the Bahia region of Brazil. It used to be run by two lovely guys, one who worked as a surgeon and the other a teacher. Both welcoming and thoughtful.
It's a beautifully vivid and tranquil place, bright colours, lots of areas to choose from to read, converse,write, sleep, swim.
Has native landscaping, and electricity run via solar energy. The most beautiful and luminous place I've stayed in. It used to be hard to track down, phoning ahead probably best.
Loteamento Outeiro Gabão, Qd B, Lote 23 - Bom Despacho;
tel: 71 3681 1361/1360;
email: paramita@terra.com.br
Book early to get an outside table in one of the many Jewish restaurants lining Szeroka, the main square of Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter of Krakow. Time your meal to finish before dusk, and then just sit back and experience the gradual lighting up of the square by the thousands of restaurant table candles (there is virtually no electric lighting). Sip your coffee and vodka and take in the magical atmosphere where the only noise is the gentle, almost reverential hum of conversations and clinking glasses. Nobody seems to leave their tables until late into the evening. The most breathtakingly peaceful experience I've ever had in the centre of a city!
Ulica Szeroka, Kazimierz, about a mile walk, south from the Wawel; A taxi from the centre will cost about 10-12 Zloty, (£2).
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