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Top 10 places to go in 2008
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6. Okanagan Valley
Move over Napa and Sonoma: Oenophiles looking for a taste of the next best thing are taking their palates north, to British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. A four-hour drive northwest of Spokane, the Okanagan Valley boasts a cool and dry summer climate ideal for traditional grape harvesting, and frosty winters, which vintners use to their advantage to produce Canada’s famed ice wine. With landscapes dotted with verdant fields, cascading hillsides, and ample lakes, the area makes for a great wine-country getaway; Cedar Creek (www.cedarcreek.bc.ca) and Kettle Valley (www.kettlevalleywinery.com) are among our favorite vineyards here. When you're not tasting the valley's bounty, you can also benefit from the region's golf courses, world-class ski resorts, Okanagan Lake resorts, hiking trails, and even opt to be a race car driver for a day at The Okanagan Racing Experience (www.okracingexperience.com).
7. Quito
Long thought of as just a pit stop en route to the Galapagos, the capital of Ecuador is finally coming into its own, thanks to a burgeoning culinary and nightlife scene, new attractions ranging from botanical gardens to cultural heritage museums, and the opening of several luxury hotels. A study in contrasts, Quito’s unique architectural juxtaposition melds modern glass skyscrapers with the charms of its Old Town, which, having completed a seven-year, $200 million restoration, is at the heart of the city’s regeneration. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site (30 years ago, as of 2008), colonial mansions and churches dating back half a millennia are now flaunting their facelifts. A distinctive geography also puts Quito above much of South America (literally!): At an elevation of some 9,200 feet, and encircled by Andean peaks and volcanic craters, the city’s heights helps counter its sizzling just-below-the-equator location, resulting in pleasantly mild year-round temperatures hovering in the 70s.
8. Slovenia
With Eastern Europe's popularity growing by leaps and bounds, Slovenia is now enjoying a newfound moment in the tourism spotlight. Chock full of the same medieval towns and quaint villages that made the Czech Republic — namely Prague — a household name, Slovenia’s charms can be enjoyed for a fraction of the price of its trail-blazing predecessor and arguably offer more value to boot. Sharing borders with Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, and the Adriatic Sea, activities like winemaking are popular in Slovenian shore towns, while further north, Lake Bled, a glacial water body situated in the Alps, is a popular winter sports destination. A trip to the nation’s capital of Ljubljana reveals ornate row houses, picturesque rivers, and iconic castles and bridges, and is an easy transfer from many European airports. Though Slovenia was one of the first Eastern European countries to adopt the Euro, their hesitance to adapt to modern times has made its Venetian-era squares and tiny Alpine cities a fantastic bargain for the buck.
9. Tobago
One of the last remaining "undiscovered" Caribbean islands, Tobago has long been overshadowed by its better-known sister island of Trinidad. A powershift may be in the making as of 2008, however, as Tobago's pink-sand beaches and serene waters became accessible for the first time by direct flights from New York and Atlanta on Delta Air Lines in December 2007. The new flights allow visitors to bypass Trinidad altogether to reach Tobago's secluded and romantic shores, where an unpretentious, slow-paced, and eco-friendly atmosphere prevails, relatively free of tourists and overdevelopment — for now. Get a head start on the tourist crowd by visiting the "Galapagos of the West Indies” next year and discover some of the region’s best dive sites (three wrecks are located offshore), nesting grounds for leatherback turtles, and one of the oldest protected rainforests in the Western Hemisphere. When not communing with nature, two championship 18-hole golf courses, duty-free shopping, and seafood restaurants (think lobster, crab, and conch) are bound to make the trek worthwhile.
10. Tunisia
While 40 percent of this North African nation is swathed in arid Sahara desert, the remainder is blanketed by fertile soil and hemmed in by over 600 miles of Mediterranean coastline. No wonder it garnered alot of (often unwanted) attention over the centuries from some of the world’s greatest civilizations. See what all the fuss was about next year, by visiting the ruins of the ancient Phoenician city of Carthage and historic sites like the coliseum at El Jem (arguably the finest example of its kind outside of Rome). When not taking in archaeological gems, you can can relax and rejuvenate at one of several beach resorts; venture through the Sahara on camelback or 4x4; or opt to camp out in class in the desert’s midst at luxurious up-and-coming properties like the Pansea Ksar Ghilane (www.pansea.com), which boasts mirage-in-the-desert amenities like massage treatments, a swimming pool, and air-conditioned linen tents. Indeed, if there's one place on our list that packs the ultimate vacation into its borders — what with culture, beaches, adventure travel, and luxury camping — this is it.
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