Hi forum faithfuls & Europhiles! <BR> <BR>Where do you take a vacation from your vacation? In other words, your secret, repeat hideaways where you can chill for 2-3 days, and just take it all in & get your batteries recharged? <BR> <BR>There's a club of travel writers who meet once a year just to present 15 minutes on their secret spot. Attendees swear never to speak, write, or broadcast any fellow members' private places. <BR> <BR>So dish the dirt! Me, I'd have to say Evian . . . <BR>= ) <BR>

Hi Tracy -- <BR> <BR>I'd have to say Lugano, Switzerland . . . palm trees, red tile roofs, and a lovely lake. The beauty of northern Italy, the efficiency of Switzerland! <BR> <BR>The youth hostel there has its own pool & I did nothing but eat a lot & swim a lot! <BR> <BR>Have fun <BR>xo <BR>T

When visiting Italy, if we have time we try to spend a few days on Panarea, a beautiful, small island off Sicily. Great places to stay, enough restaurants for a different lunch and dinner venue for at least a week, beautiful waters and an active volcano (Stomboli, another island nearby) for the evening's entertainment. Sheer bliss. <BR>

Our thing is visiting a thermal bath resort. What a great way for the body to adjust to the time change! <BR> <BR>We've written about some of our favorite spots on our non-commercial web site, TheTravelzine.com. Linda and Don http://thetravelzine.com

I always find mountains and lakes relaxing and I think the idea of the Italian/Swiss Lakes area is good. But those areas can get crowded. I'd also want some time away from that, and I like to end up in the Romansch area of Switzerland. I'd recommend most of the towns in that area expect St. Moritz can be a little too noisy for my taste. Look up Davos or Arosa in a tour guide. (but avoid these places during ski season) Another similar place less traveled but in Austria - Villach. <BR> <BR>Speaking of thermal baths - I've found Icelandair to be quite competetive. And then after a long European vacation, a day or two stop over to lounge in Iceland's Blue Lagoon is one peaceful experience. <BR> <BR>

Hi again -- <BR> <BR>All right, all right . . . also the Isle of Mull, in the Scottish Hebrides. The village of Tobermory is fantastic even if it's sheeting it down with rain! <BR> <BR>Also, the Isle of Iona (birthplace of British Christianity) deserves more than a daytrip from Mull . . . serene, with white sand beaches, blue sea, yellow irises blooming in May . . . <BR> <BR>xo <BR>T

I am going to Davos to ski for Christmas this year, and am very excited. You mentioned to avoid it during ski season. Won't I still find some peace?

Many small towns in Tuscany offer the retreat from life I sometimes need. <BR>The Italian lakes can be very relaxing when not crowded. <BR>If a nice resort is required, Villa d'Este is tough to beat. The Victoria Jungfrau in Interlaken has a killer spa and offers easy access to all the beauty of the Alps, hiking, peaceful natural mountain beauty, etc. <BR>Not in Europe, but Alaska in the summer is an outstanding place to clean out your vents. So many places you can go and be entirely alone surrounded by unbelievable beauty. Went this past summer for the first time and was really impressed how BIG everything is, amazingly clean and often the best scenery is in places which are nearly void of evidence of human life. I am really surprised Alaska doesn't get more press than it does. Of course I'm not about to venture up there in November, either.

I like Hvar, an island off the Dalmatian coast.

Not telling

Our "base" in Italy is in Brunico, right in the middle of the Italian Alps. There'll hardly be a better place (not specifically Brunico, any town in the South Tyrol would do) to recharge. After a first stop (we usually fly into Frankfurt and spend 2 or 3 days on route) we normally organize 3 tours (12 days, 5 days and 5 days), planning to be back on weekends. <BR>Paulo <BR>

I am with Geoff on this one--- mountains and lakes are my idea of retreat. Living in Upstate NY, whenever I need relaxation or a European "fix", I drive an hour to Williamsburg, MA and visit the Clark Institute (amazing French Impressionist collection) or the Adirondack Mountains (protected forests and lakes).

The most "retreatable" place I have found so far without leaving civilization is Zinal in the Val d'Anniviers south of Sion in Switzerland. The Hotel du Trift makes for a good hideaway. It is my idea of an old fashioned Swiss Alp hotel. The owners, the Guillhaumes, speak adequate English and the old black dog speaks many languages with his tale when you scratch his head. <BR>The scenery is marvellous, particularly if you drive up to Barrage de Moiry. <BR>There is skiing and snow boarding in the winter; hiking in the summer. <BR> <BR>My other retreat is Twin Falls Chalet in Yoho National Park. It is reached only by hiking and there is no electricity. You eat by lamp light. But, it is a rustic accommodation, mountain style. <BR>The food, however, thanks to the owner, Fran Drummond, is outstanding.

My favorite retreat is the Frick Museum in NYC.

It depends on my on my mood but I do <BR>seem to repeat the same theme of where <BR>the beautiful mountains meet the water. <BR>So, my favorites are Lake Orta, Menton, <BR>St. Gilgen, and Portovenere. Serenity, <BR>authenticity, and natural beauty.

I wasn't going to tell.. but the local places to retreat to stuff helps. <BR> <BR>In Aberdeen near where I live, I go down to the harbour. It's busy and pretty and fairly clean as harbour s go. There's a lovely Victorian Pilot House at the entrance to the port and the breakwaters straetch hundreds of yards into the North Sea. <BR> <BR>And the worries of the world offload from our shoulders.

If you're in Europe, try some of the practically uninhabited Greek islands, such as Alonnisis or Milos. See the recent hosted Greek Island forum for others.

For me, Paris all by myself. No Loons, no itinerary, nothing but me and the city. I visit off-the-beaten-path museums, historical sites, wander into odd little shops, go shopping, go on food missions (one trip, it was the all-duck, all-the-time tour), peer into courtyards and gardens, buy French magazines and read them at cafes and smoke without the American attitude intruding.

Since I travel frequently abroad, my favorite 2-3 day getaways are to nearby New England inns or B&Bs in charming villages where the food is fab and I can walk around to areas of scenic beauty; esp. with water and hills. I like to bring a book, sit on a porch and contemplate. Maybe canoe, check out the crafts and antiques, bike a bit. Low key with minimal schedule and early nights.