It's amazing to think that only 30 years ago Cambodia was torn apart by civil war and genocide. Today it's one of Asia's most exciting destinations, from the jungle-clad temple complex of Angkor to the vibrant capital, Phnom Penh. Throw in sensational manual transmission european car rental food, great hotels and world-class beaches for an unmissable travel experience.
The world s most romantic and evocative train journey begins when your British Pullman glides out of Victoria Station in London. Once across the Channel, you take your private compartment on the sumptuous Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, reaching Paris by 9pm, waking in the Swiss Alps then rolling into Venice at around 6pm.
Spend a day walking the coastal manual transmission european car rental paths of Cornwall and you might wonder why Brits ever travel abroad. The undulating hills, the secret sandy coves, the miles of beach and the soaring cliffs are as fine as you ll see anywhere. With excellent local restaurants and superb self-catering cottages, this is one of the finest UK holiday destinations.
On a sunny day, the blindingly white beaches and clear turquoise waters of this archipelago of low-lying granite outcrops can more than match the Caribbean. The Isles of Scilly, just 28 miles off the western tip of Cornwall, are a world apart, their style and pace of life closer to the pages of an Enid Blyton novel than 21st-Century reality.
Affordable family holidays need not mean having to sleep under canvas in a field bare of everything but grass. Many continental sites and parcs not only provide a choice of mobile homes, lodges and apartments but have a broad range of on-site activities to keep all ages fully occupied and entertained throughout their stay.
Two of the Mediterranean's smallest manual transmission european car rental islands, Malta and Gozo punch well above their weight. Aside from sea and sunshine, vibrant Malta is jam-packed with history from megalithic temples to the Knights of Saint John, its skyline dotted with grand churches and golden walled manual transmission european car rental cities. Gozo, Malta's little sister, offers tranquillity, rural beauty and top diving.
Renowned for its profusion of wildlife and flora, 80 per cent of which can be found nowhere else on Earth, Madagascar is a nature lover s dream. The island s unique evolutionary path has produced manual transmission european car rental elephant birds, giant lemurs and pygmy hippos. It also offers dazzling beaches and clear turquoise waters teeming with marine life.
As well as those familiar Greek island assets of blue seas, delicious swimming, jaunts by boat and long, lazy lunches in waterfront tavernas, Paxos is an island of silvery-leafed olive groves, a legacy of the 14th century Venetian occupation. With no airport and not even a single traffic light – it's a perfect place to escape the crowds.
Tucked away in the south-west corner of Spain, the Costa de la Luz offers superb sandy beaches, pine forests, rolling dunes and fishing villages. If you can drag yourself from your lounger, the sights of Seville are just 90 minutes away by road. Go west and you can hop into Portugal. Or just lie back and watch the terrific sunsets.
manual transmission european car rental Most destinations fail to live up to the glossy brochure hype. The Maldives is an exception. No photographer can do justice to the splendid natural colours – the cobalt seas, the turquoise lagoons, the fiery orange sunsets. The standards manual transmission european car rental of hospitality are outstanding and the modern world is a million miles away.
When Brits started going abroad on package holidays it was to the Alpine lakes, following the 19th Century 'grand tourists'. Today, Italy's manual transmission european car rental Como, Maggiore, Garda and tiny Iseo are ideal family destinations, with boating, beaches, cable car rides to mountain highs and footpaths to explore, plus easy access to Verona, Padua and Milan.
The scenic wonders of New Zealand have stolen the show in many Hollywood movies. In real life, the landscapes of the newest country on earth are even more impressive than their on-screen portrayal, populated by a cast of friendly Kiwis, featuring a host of thrilling activities and served with some of the best food and wine on the planet.
Both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of Mexico offer world-class resorts and stylish haciendas, with attractive prices. Tap into a rich seam of culture, including colourful markets, Mayan archaeological sites and Spanish colonial towns. See whales, go diving, enjoy traditional cooking or simply loaf in a hammock on superb beaches.
Often staged in historic settings, such as the 2,000 year old amphitheatre in Verona where audiences applaud divas from the same seats as they once cheered their favourite manual transmission european car rental gladiators, Italy s opera season extends far beyond La Scala, with al fresco performances both magical and musically memorable.
Nowhere within a four-hour flight of the UK is as exotic and alluring as Morocco. The highlight is Marrakech, with its swirling souks, ornate palaces, elegant back street restaurants and stylish riads, but you won t want to miss the soaring Atlas Mountains nor the majestic kasbahs of the south.
You ll find exclusive hotels throughout the Caribbean but Barbados has the lion s share, most of them bang on the narrow sandy beach in the west, hence the nickname: the Platinum manual transmission european car rental coast. If you tire of sybaritic living you can emerge from your luxurious cocoon for a spot of golf, or dinner at a fancy restaurant.
manual transmission european car rental Crete is one of our favourite islands. Away from the package resorts, it has some stunning villas, boutique hotels and hideaways as well as mountain villages, hiking trails, archaeological treasures, wild flowers and unspoilt coastlines. The season is long: you can get a tan in March and swim in the sea as late as November.
Puglia is the heel of Italy s boot. With 500 miles of beaches, the magnificent baroque manual transmission european car rental city of Lecce and hobbit-like whitewashed trullo houses, it is one of Europe s most appealing holiday manual transmission european car rental regions. The food and wine are terrific and nowhere is more than 15 miles from the coast.
Sir Rocco Forte's newest hotel is the Verdura Golf Spa Resort set on a gorgeous stretch of Sicilian beach. With rooms designed by Olga Polizzi, a spectacular spa, free kids club and world-class golf courses, you may be tempted not to leave. However, we recommend car hire to explore this fascinating island.
On an inland waterways cruise, the water s calm, there s always manual transmission european car rental passing scenery on both sides and, unlike touring by road, you only have to unpack once. Choose a luxury crewed hotel barge to explore the rivers and canals of France manual transmission european car rental and other countries and you won t even have to tilt your own wine bottle, let alone take your turn on the tiller.
The most awe-inspiring views of the Rockies, the spine of mountains that form the backbone of North America, lie in Canada. More precisely, they lie within a single World Heritage manual transmission european car rental Site that straddles British Columbia and Alberta. Drive yourselves or, for the ultimate in scenic rail journeys, travel from Vancouver aboard the Rocky Mountaineer.
Anyone who imagines a dude ranch to be little more than a bunkhouse with outside bucket showers, a cracked mirror for shaving and pork and beans for supper, will be mightily impressed by the high levels of comfort to be found in the not-so-wild west of North America. Several ranches also offer spas, golf, swimming and tennis.
It s arguably the most gorgeous island in the Mediterranean, with perfect beaches and an interior dotted with medieval hilltowns, forests and the famous scented maquis. manual transmission european car rental Yet compared to islands such as Mallorca, Corfu and Ibiza, it is curiously overlooked by British visitors. Corsica, in our book, is the Med to perfection, with a thick layer of French polish.
Italy s finest beaches are not on the mainland but in Sardinia, where you're spoilt for choice – endless stretches of soft white sand, rolling dunes and pine trees. The sea is so dazzlingly blue you'll think you've landed in the Maldives, not the Med.
Koh Samui has moved upmarket from its backpacking heyday but lost little manual transmission european car rental of its natural charm. Amid the coconut groves manual transmission european car rental and palm trees you'll find gorgeous luxury hotels and spas, plus countless beaches where you can swim, chill, party and dine under the moonlight with your toes in the sand.
Many Brits are sniffy about Corfu but never those that have visited the island s northeast corner. Far removed from mass high-rise manual transmission european car rental tourism, it is a place of tiny unspoilt coves, lush green interiors immortalised by Gerald Durrell, white pebble beaches, friendly tavernas and a choice of villas among the best in the Med.
Some people are happy just lying beside the Mediterranean. But those who want to do something in it, on it or under it should consider a beach club holiday where a full range of watersports, from sailing to diving, windsurfing to waterskiing, is on the menu, along with land-based activities such as tennis and biking.
With its diverse mix of habitats, from the doily of waterways and lagoons of the Okavango Delta to the salt pans of Nxai and the sands of the Kalahari, Botswana is a supreme safari destination. Explore it in an amazing variety of transport: elephant and horseback, mountain and quad bike, dug-out canoe and camel, as well as the more familiar 4WD vehicles.
The Arctic and Antarctic are the most pristine wilderness regions on Earth, each offering eye-popping landscapes and heart-melting wildlife encounters from polar bears to Emperor Penguins. As the TV explorer Bruce Parry discovered, the best way to experience the Polar regions in all their raw beauty is on a low-impact small-ship expedition.
Although the words 'self-catering apartments' rarely imply the promise of luxury, we believe that the Pierre Vacances portfolio of Premium Residences in France are an impressive exception. Sleeping from 2 to 12, you'll find them in both French ski and beach resorts – all have a shared heated pool and spa as well as high spec interiors.
If you believe much of the Med has been ruined by high-rise hotels, head to North Cyprus. Although the main tourist hub of Kyrenia – with its perfect Venetian harbour – fairly bustles, surrounding villages appear to be stu
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