I thought of that as I was writing my post and I totally forgot!! I hope I don't sound spoiled below... We feel very fortunate that we've traveled so much.
Here ya go:
Have been to
- Most US states
- All resort areas in Mexico
- All Hawaiian Islands
- Most of southern and central Europe
- Ireland
- Iceland
- Many Caribbean Islands
- Bermuda (Technically not Caribbean )
- French Polynesia
- Middle East (Specifically Morocco, Egypt & Israel)
Have
not been to
- Any parts of Asia
- Australia/New Zealand/Fiji
- Baltic Region
- Scandinavia
- South America
- Africa
Thank you for your help
We just came back from 10 nights in Taipei. We love Taiwan. It has very little tourism and virtually no American or Caucasian tourists. The country is very progressive and modern and there are so many beautiful places to visit in and around Taipei as well as in East Taiwan (Taroko Gorge and Sun Moon Lake) and Southern Taiwan's national park. The country has many national parks and mountainous areas. I think it is 75% mountains. It is uncharted territory for Americans. We were told Southern Taiwan is like Bali except they have very few tourists. Taiwan is also very affordable for the quality since there are few tourists. I suspect the One China Policy has limited Taiwan's ability to attract tourists. Taipei is extremely upscale and modern, yet the top hotels are affordable. The food is fantastic. It is not the same Chinese food you find in the USA. There is so much to do that we barely scratched the surface in 10 days. There are non stop flights from SFO.
Taiwan is mainly a business destination. However, you can get non-stop flights between Taipei and Singapore, Bangkok, Shanghai and Hong Kong as well as many other business oriented Asian cities. So you could make an amazing Asian journey with Taipei as a hub.
Secondly, I would recommend the Great Barrier Reef islands in Australia, New Zealand and the Fiji out islands. For Australia, I found it fairly boring in Sydney. It felt a lot like the San Francisco Bay Area. It did not feel different or exotic. However, we flew from Sydney to Hamilton Island for a side trip. Hamilton Island was among the most beautiful places we have been. So you might want to consider Australia, New Zealand and Fiji since it is easy to get non stop flights from the US West coast as well as within these countries. You must visit Hamilton Island and the Whitsunday islands around it. It is amazingly beautiful and expensive but worth it.
Aukland is very beautiful and we did many side trips from Aukland. I wish we would have had time to go to the Bay Islands in northern New Zealand as well as the South Island. New Zealand is amazing and it still feels exotic, with its local culture.
In Fiji, you must get off the mainland. There are many private islands with 5 star adults only resorts in Fiji. Forget Denarau. It is not the real Fiji. I would recommend Likuliku Resort, Royal Davui and similar resorts if you want a true 5 star experience in Fiji. The few timeshares in Fiji and French Polynesia are low end.
It is very easy to find 5 star hotels in Taipei and Asia. There seemed to be fewer truly upscale hotels in Australia and New Zealand. For example, we stayed at the Four Seasons in Sydney and it was quite a disappointment. In Auckland, we stayed at the Hilton on the harbor and it was fantastic but it would be 4.5 stars. There are some 5 star hotels in the out islands of Australia and they are very expensive. We stayed at a gorgeous hotel with a head on ocean view in Hamilton Island at the Reef View Hotel but it was a 4 star hotel. If I were to return, I would consider Qualia Resort or Beach Club.
I am very picky about assigning 5 stars to a hotel or resort. There are only a few resorts I would truly give 5 stars to: Le Tahaa in French Polynesia, Ciragan Palace Kempinski in Istanbul and Caneel Bay in St John (which is now gone due to the hurricane). We have stayed in many 5 star hotels that disappoint. I have stayed in several so-called 5 star hotels in Hawaii that I feel are over-rated.
