First off, my apologies. I know it's not football related or QPR... more specifically. But, I'm trying to book a nice three or four days away with Mrs nines as she has had a tough time of it lately. ( Her mums been very ill. ) So I thought I'd surprise her with a nice city break. I just want to draw on the wealth of knowledge that we have on our board. Where have you been that has impressed you? Even the name of a good quality hotel that you've stayed in would be helpful. Any recomendations will be gratefully researched, thanks in advance... and please, nowhere in GB. Cheers.
What does she like doing on holidays? I'm not too well travelled but did like Florence and Barcelona for cultural attractions and loved Slovenia for the same reason only Ljubljana was less busy but a lovely place to walk around. All available on Sleazyjet from Stansted but it's been a few years since I've travelled abroad (except Copenhagen on work but wouldn't recommend the place).
Vienna is a great place to visit I cant name any hotels but i dont know anyone that has been there and not enjoyed They do like the English
For me it's Rome. Depends what Mrs 9's likes to do but I just found it amazing to walk around, turn a corner and see some building that was 1000's of years old. Plenty of good restaurants to have a meal and The Colloseum was somewhere that brought history to life. Worth a visit IMO.
Prague. We stayed at a hotel called Hotel Atlantic right next to the Palladium shopping centre, a Westfield like centre. Great location in the old city with all you could ask in close proximity. But you won't struggle to find a high quality hotel at a bargain price, guaranteed. 5 star hotels for under £100. The city has it all, food, drink, sites and pubs. No one does beer better than the Czech I've already lined up a couple of alternatives for my next trip: Grand Hotel Bohemia: http://www.hotels.com/hotel/details.html?pa=6&pn=1&ps=6&tab=description&destinationId=1634829&searchDestination=Prague&hotelId=133529&arrivalDate=09-09-2012&departureDate=10-09-2012&rooms[0].numberOfAdults=2&roomno=1&validate=false&previousDateful=false&reviewOrder=date_newest_first Art Deco Imperial Hotel: http://www.hotels.com/hotel/details.html?pa=30&pn=1&ps=30&tab=description&destinationId=1634829&searchDestination=Prague&hotelId=249010&arrivalDate=09-09-2012&departureDate=10-09-2012&rooms[0].numberOfAdults=2&roomno=1&validate=false&previousDateful=false&reviewOrder=date_newest_first Good luck and enjoy, wherever you may go
If America isn't too far, New Orleans every time! www.airbnb.com is a great place to find accomodation all over the world. Can get flats/houses for the same price as hotels. Much more comfortable in general imo. Only started using it 3 years ago and will never (hopefully) stay in a hotel again!
Hotel 1898 on La Rambla in central Barcelona is alright. Chinese restaurant on the corner is expensive but excellent. In Italy away from the usual cities Lecce and Otranto are nice in Puglia/Salento. Palermo is great but might be a bit heavy if you aren't used to it. Lisbon is another beautiful city as is Sarajevo.
I know you said No GB but as it is only for a few days have you ever been to Jersey, nice place to visit and Tax free shopping for the Mrs.
If its culture and you have not been there already - Rome.if you are after a fantastic city outside London then it had to be Barcelona. No contest IMO
Depends on how long you want to fly. Been all over. For Europe - I love Madrid. Then Barcelona. If not Europe - Cambodia - Siem Riep - look at the temples and all that. Stay at the Raffles sister hotel. If you go spain - can reccomend some hotels....
Hong Kong is a wonderful city with the best Chinese food you could ever imagine and great shopping. More importantly is that they show all Premiership games over here so you won't have to miss any R's game during your travels. If you do decide on coming here, please let me know as I want some pork scratchings!
Rome is great and I love it indeed but others can explain that better, I personally love our Joeys Marseille if you're looking coastally, and there are lovely hotels all along La Corniche, definitely an opinion divider though, it is gritty to say the least but very interesting. I assume you want to keep to Europe so not much more I can share, there is also of course Venice which is inevitably great and as mentioned Barcelona is nice, not a personal favourite but is most certainly amongst people i know. Greece is fab, obviously extensive, I don't know if you'd mind an Island but Corfu and Patmos are lovely and as cities go Athens aint half bad. I have friends that speak highly of Eastern Europe, but never been myself, Croatia is mentioned a lot.
I guess it depends on what you enjoy doing/seeing/eating.......... BARCELONA. It's got the food, the culture, museums, architecture, nightlife, and beaches as well. (and if it's over a weekend, may be you can somehow sneak in a weekend when Barça's playing so you can go see the match!!!! and surprise her! LOL)
This is from somebody who has travelled a fair bit. The nicest city in Italy I have been to is Florence. Small, easy to walk around, fantastic architecture, historic and not the hassle or crowds of Milan and Rome. In Germany the best city I have been to is Munich. The beer is out of this world. Really nice city to walk around. We took the train for a day trip to see Innsbruck and the Alps which was stunning and another little trip to see Dachau concentration camp which was very educational and interesting but very sobering. I like Berlin too. The contrast between the old East and old West is still there to see and the history with the wall fascinates me. In Spain, I loved the 3 cities of Seville, Granada and Cordoba. They are close enough to see all three together in the one trip. Espanacol might give you further advice as he lives in that neck of the woods. Barcelona is a great city for a weekend break but the downside is the petty thieving that goes on there. It is a bit offputting. Valencia is also a nice city to visit. A smaller version of Barcelona. Porto in Northern Portugal isn't bad. I didn't particularly like Lisbon. In France I liked Bordeaux. Great vineyards to try out nice wines. The coastal areas around the city are lovely. Paris is great but full of rude people. Scandinavia is nice but very expensive, especially Oslo. If I was to make a recommendation, I would suggest Munich. It is one of the nicest cities I have ever been to. Wherever you decide to go, enjoy.
PS - If you are talking about outside Europe, you won't find a more exciting city than New York. A great place to bring somebody who needs to feel special. If you want an American city that is a little more relaxed, San Diego is my favourite.
I was in New York just before Christmas which is a great time to go but it's a place worth visiting any time of year. Venice and Dubrovnik also well worth short visits. As LIUTB mentioned Jersey is a really lovely place for a short break as well...
Venice. Fascinating and compact but expensive. Rome. As above. Culture and history everywhere. Amazing place and you get to say "I am Maximus Decimus Meridius" on video at The Colosseum! Paris. Always something new and so convenient on the Eurostar. Florence. VERY busy with loads of people everywhere. Fascinating but a bit claustrophobic.
