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DEL.ICIO.USSurprised by a vacation?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As some of you may have read, I just returned from a week in Ecuador, visiting Quito, the capitol, and the Galapagos. I expected to love the Galapagos, and I did, but Quito was a big surprise: A wonderful city well worth a visit for its colonial architecture and history, its unusual and tasty food and it’s charming and friendly people. I’ve heard from several visitors who were equally surprised and impressed with this city, which isn’t on most tourists’ “must-see” lists.
So my question to you is: What’s the most delightfully surprising trip you’ve taken? Where have your visited that’s perhaps not all that well known or that you had somewhat low expectations for and it turned out to be just the best? And how did the destination win your heart?
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By singlemom
August 21, 2006 3:19 PM | Link to this
The most delightful vacations I have taken are my annual Girlfriend trips to Charleston, SC. We have been going there for 4 years now, and we always find something new and exciting to do. We have never done the same thing twice, other than visit the same restaurants year after year. Our favorite place for happy hour is The Noisy Oyster. They have $2 cocktails, and the best Ashi tuna anywhere, and it’s right at the end of the open Market, so it is also a gathering place for us at the end of a long day shopping and sightseeing. We keep talking about a new destination, still we keep going back to Charleston. It is such a beautiful city with ALOT of history. We never know what is going to happen or where we are going, so it is always an adventure. We rent the same house year after year, and consider it our second home…..
By E. Lewis
August 21, 2006 4:38 PM | Link to this
On a trip to the U.K., we ran into 2 glitches. The plan was to go to Westminster Cathedral Saturday afternoon and we saved Harrods for Sunday. Unfortunately, Westminster closed at 2 PM (we got there at 3) and wasn’t opened to the public on Sunday. As it turns out, even though it is a major tourist site, Harrods isn’t opened on Sundays.
As we had bought tickets for a day trip to Paris on Monday and flew back on Tuesday, we missed 2 of our sites.
The moral of this story is plan, plan, plan and do your research. Don’t assume anything and ask lots of questions. Fodor and Frommer have good websites and message boards.
We still had a great trip and will catch what we missed the next time we go.
By Amanda Miller
August 21, 2006 5:39 PM | Link to this
I hear you on the planning part. We’re getting ready to visit London in September, and there’s really so much to do you have to decide what you really must see and plan accordingly. It’s very disappointing to arrive too late or on a day when the attraction is closed.
By E. Lewis
August 21, 2006 6:54 PM | Link to this
When visiting London, prioritizing may be your best bet. There is so much to do that you won’t be able to see it all, so if you miss something there will be plenty else to do.
By Jeff
August 21, 2006 7:23 PM | Link to this
Guadalajara, Mexico. I was amazed by the amount and quality of art in the city. Works by Orozco and Siqueiros are easy to find, and I discovered many other incredible works as well.
The architecture was stunning, the people warm, and the food fantastic.
Culturally it puts Atlanta to shame. And that is what surprised me - I always pictured Mexico as either a tourist dump (coastal “spring break” areas) or a border city full of maquiladoras and impoverished workers (so much for our education system and media outlets.)
By Karen Armsby
August 21, 2006 8:15 PM | Link to this
Paris, Paris, Paris, I could visit every year for the next 10 years and never see all there is to see. Of course, you must love art and museums and history, and it’s all fabulous! Much cheaper hotels and finer quisine than London, shopping rich or thrift is exquisite, and it’s totally pedestrian and mass transit frendly.
By Nickie
August 21, 2006 8:31 PM | Link to this
We visited a lot of the southwestern U.S. national parks last year. Even though they are all desert parks, each has it’s own joys and each is differnet from the others. Lesser known parks like Capitol Reef were especially fun because of being very uncrowded. We’re going back again to visit differnet parks this year.
By b. white
August 22, 2006 9:05 AM | Link to this
I visit Rick Steve’s web site for his trip guides. When I visited London I used his suggested guide and really saw a lot of sites. He often gives advice for saving money and time as well as safety issues. I purchased a hidden wallet that is worn underneath a shirt. That eliminated the fear that my purse would be stolen.
By lynn t
August 22, 2006 10:26 AM | Link to this
The hills of Tennessee really have some wonderfull things to see. We stumbled upon Pickett State Park just outside of Jamestown (Fentress County) a few years ago and were amazed. It had swinging bridges, a natural bridge and cave that was amazing. We were just walking along a little path & their they were. It looked like something you would see in another country. You can also drive down the mountain into Pall Mall which is home to Alvin C. York and see the old mill and beautiful bottom land he talked about in his movie. It was a wonderfull vacation for all of us.
By nikki
August 22, 2006 10:41 AM | Link to this
We did a riding tour. Started at Biltmore House, riding across North Carolina, visted Cherokee. Went on to Tennessee to Pigeon Forge, saw cades cove (beautiful)