Wengenlover

We have been quite stressed lately and are hoping to have a relaxing vacation in 2008. We are hoping to be surrounded by lots of natural beauty and peaceful surroundings and have access to good food and wine.

We have been to the Bernese Oberland a few times already and loved it.. We may return in 2008 but we wanted to get your suggestions for alternatives....

Thanks very much. Happy New Year !

Big_Red

Lake Como in Italy. The buildings tend to look like Swiss and Italian melded together. Not hectic and beautiful. Mid lake area offers good food and lodging choices. It is close (a few kilometers) to Switzerland.

brotherleelove2004

The most beautiful and romantic village of Oia on the Greek island Santorini, overlooking the spectacular caldera and the electric-blue Aegean Sea.......

enzian

The Dolomites. Stunning scenery, great food and wine (it's Italy, after all!), and welcoming people.

http://www.altabadia.org/

http://www.altabadia.com/en/summer_altabadia.htm

http://www.valgardena.it/eng/page28.html

http://www.alpedisiusionline.it/

ira

Hi W,

The Salzkammergut region of Austria and Bavaria, Germany.

Alsace, Burgundy and the Dordogne in France

simpsonc510

When I'm ready to chill after being on the run in Europe, I prefer a room with a balcony overlooking Lago Maggiore in Locarno Switzerland. It's a fabulous mix of Swiss hospitality and Italian food and wine.

Have stayed many times at La Palma Au Lac in a room with a lakeside balcony.

Underhill

We love the Drôme river valley in France. For something incredibly peaceful, head to the medieval village of Le Poët-Laval and stay at Les Hospitaliers hotel/restaurant. Small, excellent food, pretty pool...at out on the terrace at night you can see the stars clearly as the only lights in the valley are from the occasional car and isolated house. Peaceful doesn't begin to describe the setting; the Rhône alps are off to the east.

tower

wengen:

I'm sure you've read a lot of good things about Croatia on this forum...it's all true...I've been traveling the former Yugoslavia since Tito's time...and staying somewhere along the Dalmatian Coast or as far south as Montenegro's tranquil Sveti Stefan beats all.
Food and drink choices abound all over Croatia and even parts of newly-independent Montenegro.

Look it up here:
http://www.montenegro.com/phototrips...i_Stefan).html

Stu T.

tower

wengernn:

This may be a more direct page for Sveti Stefan...for the above address just go to page 4...but try this one out for superb photos of Sv.Stef,

http://www.montenegro.com/phototrips...Stefan%29.html

Stu T.

StCirq

The Dordogne.

thursdaysd

The Tatra mountains in Slovakia. Don't miss Levoca while you're in the area. Slovakia has the same beautiful mountains as southern Poland, but cheaper and with many fewer tourists.

kleeblatt

Seiser Alm in the Dolomites.

Rigi Scheidegg in Switzerland

The Mythen in Switzerland

kja

You might consider Ravello. . . .

Reen

Lake Bled in Slovenia is one of the most peaceful places we have ever visited. We came for a week and stayed for two. The lake with its tiny island is simply idyllic. The mountains surrounding Lake Bled offer lots of opportunities for exploration and the excellent wines of Goriska Brda are not that far away either.

hopscotch

I like to have some natural background music. The waves lapping on the beautiful beach at San Sebastian would be my choice. And all those tapas bars just up the hill are waiting for me.

pja1

Hi,
While I love Wengen and the Berner Oberland, I'd have to go with the Dolomites also. Spectacular scenery, many picturesque villages and great food (I don't drink wine...so I can't comment).

Paul

gruezi

Dear Wengenlover,

Since you seem to like Switzerland, if you like to hike, may I suggest following the Jakobsweg or the Swiss Way in Switzerland?

This fall I spent a few days alone hiking the section of Jakobsweg from Rapperswil to Einsiedeln through the Mythen into Schwyz and then crossed the lake at Brunnen and continued as far as Bruoch (sp?)... It was amazingly beautiful and peaceful. There are villages and restaurants all along the walk so you will have access to lodgings and food while at the same time feeling as if you are pretty close to heaven. You could mix the walk with stays at various picturesque mountain and lake areas along the way.

Also, the Jakobsweg is the Swiss portion of the ancient Christian pilgrimage that ends in Spain (Camino de Santiago) so it passes a beautiful series of shrines and chapels along the way in addition to breathtaking scenery and authentic Swiss villages.

You don't need to be religious or Christian to enjoy this walk and I set off for a 4 day walk with no more than one change of clothes and socks, a polar fleece and a water bottle and toothbrush. (ok and my cell phone in case of emergency). I had only "trained" with a few couple-hour hikes the few weeks before. I did get some blisters but nothing too serious. I did not make lodging reservations in advance, but if desperate I had the option of getting on a train and heading home to Zurich. You may want to make some reservations or bring a sleeping bag to sleep in the hay...depending on the time of year. This is a walk for the warmer months not the winter.

BTW, I'm a real princess who loves luxe hotels, but I never felt like I was "roughing" it on this walk. I'm in my late 40's and in just OK shape.

I had the added bonus of being greeted as a "Jakobsweg pilgrim" which meant I met with a lot of very kind Swiss hospitality along the way. It was a really special experience.

If you search "Jakobsweg" on google.ch there is a website that you can get in English that nicely outlines the whole walk and the towns and sites along the way. I hope to take the walk up again in April - can't wait actually.

gruezi

tcreath

My vote would be for either the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia (spectacular scenery) or the Austrian Alps (also spectacular).

Tracy

kenav

ttt

MaureenB

OMG, all these places sound so great, and I've never been to 99.9 percent of them! So many lovely spots, so little time (and money). Have fun planning your much-needed relaxing vacation.
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