I finally convinced my boyfriend who does not travel to go somewhere warm with me. He hates the beach and the water, I love it. He said he would go if we could do some architecture tours. Any suggestions out there ?

M2

great architecture in Buenos Aires. we left victoria bc where it was 6 decgrees C to arrive in Bs As @ 36degrees C! is that warm enough for u?

cheers
AndrewDavid (architect)

Well this does not answer your question. BUT, my husband is not a beach person either! However, he is a good sport. So, when we travel it is always a split between an inland area and beach. Such as the Costa Rican rainforest, volcanoes, etc and a few days on the beach. Or Belize inland Mayan Ruins, caves, etc and a few days on the beach. On the days that I want true down time, just being lazy on the beach, he will schedule some activity that I have no desire to do. It works perfectly. Have a great trip, where ever you travel.

You don't specify any regions or time of year when you wnat to go, but here are some suggestions of places that combine beach/water activities with some interesting architecture:

Malta
Rio de Janeiro
Los Angeles
Miami Beach
Cartagena, Col. (great place to go for Spanish colonial architecture)
Sydney

thanks all for your great suggestions. I'm open to anywhere that doesn't break the bank, and thinking of next winter to escape to someplace warm. Maybe I'll research a trip to Buenos Aires with a stop in Rio.

Other interesting colonial cities or cities with colonial sectors in Latin America:

Antigua, Guatemala
Granada, Nicaragua
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Panama City, Panama
Cusco, Peru
Quito, Ecuador

High altitude makes Cusco and Quito not such warm-climate destinations, though.

One should not forget the incredible truly colonial cities of Brazil.

Ouro Preto is a priceless colonial gem.

Tiradentes, Sabará, Congonhas, Mariana are also worth being seen. All five colonial and historic cities are within a very short distance one from the other. All in Minas Gerais.

Ouro Preto was the capital of Brazil in the 17 hundreds and literally tons of gold were extracted from its mines. It was probably one of the richest cities in the world at those days. The architecture is really precious and corresponds to its historical wealth.

In the state of São Paulo, by the beach, you can find Paraty, which was the port from where lots of the gold excavated in Ouro Preto was sent to Portugal.

Another tourist gem way up north is the Capital of Maranhão, São Luis. It still maintains a great deal of the original colonial flavor.