Hey travelers! I'm looking for an amazing venue for a 40th birthday getaway this summer (end of June) with my wife. We live in Switzerland and can only spare 4 days, so something in Europe will probably be the ticket. Agenda calls for romance, great food, relaxation, more romance, perhaps a beach (but not necessarily), and maybe a bit of introspection, and would prefer something a bit off the beaten path (i.e., not Paris or Venice). Thinking about Sardinia - comments welcome - but would welcome other ideas too. Where's that secret gem that would be perfect? Thanks, Ken

How about Marrakesh, Morocco? Has everything that you described, except the beach. I was there last May and absolutely loved Morocco. By far some of the best food I've had while travelling and I especially enjoyed the mint tea. If this is not as much off the beaten path as you would like, try taking a tour from Marrekesh into the desert and spend the night and wake up to watch the sun rise over the dunes. There are numerous travel agencies and some hotels that can set up the tours for you in varying lengths. <BR>Hope this helps.

Kebanks,<BR><BR>Would like to know budget and where you'll fly from.

What do you think about Tenerife, nice landscape,lodge in a peaceful rural house, small swimming pool,barbacue, nature everywhere and charme ambiance?<BR> If your looking for something special, far away from mass tourism just contact me at [email protected] and I�ll send pictures and good ideas and details. I�m sure you will love it.<BR>

The Three Chimneys in Skye;<BR>Anywhere in Brittany on the coast<BR>

Budget is pretty flexible, and we'll fly out of Geneva, so can probably connect most anywhere in Europe (or Africa, nep - thanks for that one). Anyone hit the Aeolian Islands, by the way?

Here are a couple of suggestions:<BR><BR>First a very specific one: The Xara Palace Hotel (beautiful small hotel) in the Mdina, Malta. Mdina is tiny, but very historic, and the Mediterranean is only a few miles away. Air Malta flies from Geneva. You can find info. about the hotel here:<BR><BR> http://www.xarapalace.com.mt/<BR><BR>Another more general ideas:<BR><BR>The Dalmation coast of Croatia, either Dubrovnik or a less visited place.<BR><BR><BR><BR>

Hi<BR> How about the Amalfi Coast in Italy?

Have you already been to Dubrovnik, Croatia?

Kebanks,<BR><BR>I read your question early this morning and have been entertaining myself on and off throughout the day , vicariously researching possibilities for you.<BR><BR>My own personal favorite is La Colombe D'Or Hotel perched in the hill town of St Paul de Vence. I know the destination is not &quot;off the beaten track&quot; (fly into Nice) but there's something to be said for that on a 4 day trip. (I'm assuming the 4 days includes travel time.) I don't think you'd want to spend half your time in transit. All I'll say is this place is a transporting experience in a charming town with great food and a spectacular pool setting. While not on the beach, you can get down to the beach in about 15-20 minutes by car. Here is the website www.la-colombe-dor.com/<BR><BR>There are other hotels in the south of France with what I hear are similar ambiance. Chateau de la Chevre D'Or in Eze is one. There is another in Beaulieu sur Mer.<BR><BR>n the same vein (ie romantic &amp; removed HOTEL rather than destination), I found the website www.hideaways.com A few hotels they mention that would appeal to me are <BR>the Cipriani in Venice (on it's own island of Guidecca off Venice)<BR><BR>Perivolas in Santorini (&quot;White-washed villas converted from 300-year-old wine caves perched on a 1,000 foot cliff over a turquoise sea. The views from private terraces create a dreamlike setting...&quot <BR><BR>Hotel Splendido in Portofino but rooms start at $700!<BR><BR>Kivotos Club Hotel - Mykonos - (&quot;This private, idyllic inn on the magical island of Mykonos overlooks tranquil Ornos Bay. Its 45 rustic, yet elegant, suites are set in typical Cycladinc-style whitewashed buildings sprinkled around quiet courtyards, terraces and gardens. Two pools, watersports facilities and a gourmet restaurant on site&quot<BR><BR>I found the following great article on Sardinia with hotels &amp; different areas to stay on the last page<BR>http://www.travelandleisure.com/invoke.cfm?page=3&amp;ObjectID=3CF9C49F-4FF8-11D5-82530002B3309983<BR><BR>Here's a brief description of the Aeolian Islands with hotels, restaurants &amp; how to get there <BR>http://travelandleisure.i411.com/jsp/DisplayRedirect.jsp?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.traveland leisure.com%2Finvoke.cfm%3FobjectID%3D9ACD5811-035D-4321-8EA60D934BC7B858%26method%3Ddisplay<BR><BR>Here's another article that lists 16 out of the way European Islands. I thought Ponza in Italy sounded interesting. http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/detail/index.ssf?host=live&amp;dir=cntraveler&amp;args=/base/articles-25/1031685301284890.xml<BR><BR>

cont.<BR><BR>Finally, I think Nep's suggestion of Morocco is interesting. While this is the Europe board, I'll give you some info that I found.<BR><BR>An article which describes a romantic hotel, Dar Mimosas, in the Moroccan coastal town of Essaouira. (&quot;The hotel, which opened in 2000, accommodates only 24 people at a time. Guests can stay in the main house--which has open-air rooms and an arcade built around a courtyard--or in separate villas. Hot-pink bougainvillea covers most of the buildings' walls and doors. Surrounding the hotel are acres of the perfumed mimosa trees for which the hotel is named. Book a camel-riding expedition on the nearby beach. Rates start at $305.&quot; ) The website for this was<BR>http://www.forbes.com/2003/02/12/cx_cv_0213featslide_4.html?thisSpeed=20000F<BR><BR >Another hotel in this same town is Dar Loulema. This one is very inexpensive. They describe the beach as a surfing beach (rough). The website is<BR>darloulema.com<BR>The article this came from is http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/hotlist/detail.ssf?<BR><BR>In Marrakesh, La Mamounia is a famous topnotch place<BR>www.mamounia.com<BR><BR>Another Marrakesh hotel is described in this article<BR>http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/hotlist/detail.ssf?darayniwen<BR><BR>Sorry for the long URLs. Hope you have a great time.<BR><BR><BR> <BR> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <BR><BR> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><B R><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>

Not sure how far you may want to get off the eaten path, but the Hotel Rose in Ceske Krumlov is a winner. How about the Parador in Santiago de Compostela? San Sebastian is a classy sophistocated place with sensational seafood and great acess to mountains, beaches, and Biarritz. Hotel Serbonelli and Lake Como ain't bad.

Thanks for the great feedback, all. You've suggested a bunch of my favorite places in the world - Dubrovnik, Columbe d'Or, Santorini, etc. - so I know I've got the right advisors. (And, Ira, we're heading to the Amalfi this weekend, lucky us!) All the suggestions are going on to my future list, but I think we're narrowing now to Malta, the coast of Sicily, Sardinia or the Aeolian Islands. Any advice on those would be more than welcome. And thanks a million for the links and help!

From the Travel + Leisure website which I've found very helpful, here's a listing for a hotel in the Aoelian Islands. (This was from a list of 50 romantic hotels along the shore).<BR><BR>&quot;Hotel Raya, Italy<BR>The 30-room property is snuggled on Panarea, one of the Aeolian Islands, north of Sicily. Since there's no airport, most visitors arrive by hydrofoil; the shortest traveling time from anywhere in Sicily is just under two hours. But the Raya rewards such effort with the kind of proto-Mediterranean hideaway you probably thought went the way of Jackie O.'s owlish sun shades: think whitewashed surfaces, bathrooms built around naturally occurring boulders, and private terraces with exalting views of the simmering volcano on neighboring Stromboli. Via San Pietro, Panarea, Italy; 39-090/983-013; www.hotelraya.it; doubles from $176.&quot; <BR><BR>Here's a URL for a piece on Gozo which is a neighboring island to Malta. You can get there by ferry or helicopter (Air Malta) from Valetta, Malta.<BR><BR>http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/...8900289122.xml

Thanks again for all the great info, mclaurie!

You're very welcome. I hope you'll post &amp; let us know where you decide to go and how it was. Happy 40th (to you or your wife).

Another item on the Aeolian Islands<BR><BR>http://query.nytimes.com/search/article-page.html?pagewanted=1&amp;n=Top/Features/Travel/Destinations/Europe/Italy&amp;res=9C0DEFDD1230F93AA1575AC0A9649C8B63<B R><BR>As always, registration is required to read any item on www.nytimes.com - - but it's free.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>[email protected]<BR>