Steenie’s 10 Best-value Destinations for 2008

Monday, Jan. 21, 2008

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Some people salivate at the phrase “luxury travel.” Even with a lottery win, I wouldn’t want to ski at Gstaad, play roulette at Monte Carlo, or blow $400 in a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Quite frankly, I’d rather overnight in a viper pit than some ludicrously priced boutique hotels. Especially the ones designed for needy, pretentious types preoccupied by status.

Being a travel writer, I get to avoid such “luxurious” places and instead explore extraordinary places...fabled cities...ancient islands. So for 2008, here are four of my favorite destinations. (Their affordability may surprise you.)

Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
Jerez de la Frontera has all Andalucia’s fiery passions, but it’s far cheaper than Seville. Its 12th-century fortress whispers Moorish intrigue; you’ll find sherry bodegas, dancing horses, and faded mansions with patio courtyards. A couple of neighborhoods pulsate to the gypsy guitar, and there is free entry to genuine flamenco clubs. Hotel Serit is good value: doubles from $75.

Lesbos, Greece
Wild mountains, hot springs, pink flamingoes...ouzo distilleries and fishing boats trawling the sapphire Aegean Sea...Mytilini, the charismatic island capital. Lesbos is what all Greek island vacations were about before mass tourism. At seaside Pyrgi Thermi, Votsala Hotel lays on nature walks, cookery classes, and much more. A three-hour evening archaeology walk costs $8.50. Including breakfast, garden-view doubles for $62 in May, $109 in August.

Zacatecas, Mexico
Zacatecas is a gorgeous piece of 17th-century colonial Mexico. Founded on silver hewn from the Eden Mine, this stepped-street city was once a prized jewel in Spain’s crown. The conquistadors created a baroque masterpiece of fountains, belltowers, and gorgeous mansions that wouldn’t be out of place in Andalucia. Near the cathedral, museums, and markets, 19th-century Posada Tolosa has doubles for $60.

Transylvania, Romania
Transylvania offers more than Dracula nonsense. Brasov is a picture-book of stout towers, cellar taverns, and medieval merchants’ houses. It makes a good base in this land of bear-trampled forests and quaint villages whose farmers use horse-drawn carts. If you must pay homage, Bran Castle is touted as "Dracula’s Castle" and is only a 40-minute drive away. Sighisoara, birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, is a far better day trip. I rented a Brasov apartment for $58 nightly through Best Accomodation.

And here are another six I am adding to my list of new places to visit. The last choice? Although destined to be among this year’s media darlings, it’s one of my old haunts. Prepare for serious culture shock.

Syria
Syria may raise eyebrows. But being history-mad, I want to explore Damascus, reputedly the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city. Plus take the old Silk Road to see Palmyra's vast Roman ruins of pink sandstone, the Crusader castle of Krak des Chevaliers, and delve into Aleppo’s treasure-filled souks. Straight from an Arabian fairytale, Beit Wakil is a 400-year-old Aleppo merchant’s house transformed into a hotel. Doubles are around $90.

Zanzibar, Africa
Basking in the Indian Ocean off Tanzania, Zanzibar conjures up dhow boats, flying fish, and pepper plantations. Once busy with spice merchants and slave-traders, Stone Town is the island capital—picture fortress ruins, sultan’s palaces, and miles of palm-fringed coves. Ocean coral gardens attract divers and snorkelers; July’s Festival of the Dhow Countries is East Africa’s largest cultural event. On a private beach and promising beds strewn with jasmine, Mtoni Marine Hotel has doubles for $90.

Vanuatu, South Pacific
Sun-bleached strands, aquamarine seas, shipwreck dives. The 83 islands of Vanuatu marry South Pacific paradise with tribal cultures and cannibal memories. Efate Island’s Port Vila is the main town; Espiritu Santo claims pink-sand Champagne Beach; Tanna and Ambrym have volcanoes. Pentecost Island is famed for land-diving ceremonies where men leap from tall sapling-built towers with forest vines tied around their ankles. Through Nomads World, private A/C bungalows for two at Espiritu Santo’s Beachfront Resort are $105 nightly.

Cappadocia, Turkey
The land of the ancient Hittites, Turkey’s Cappadocia region is a magical realm of caves, volcanic valleys, and peculiar rock formations called "fairy chimneys." Early Christians used its many caves as churches and monasteries—you can still see the frescoes. Complete underground cities include Kaymakli, whose seven subterranean levels are linked by a labyrinth of tunnels. In Akkoy, the Village House Cave Hotel looks an offbeat treat. Doubles, including breakfast, $90.

Guatemala
I’m drawn by the colonial charms of Antigua, Lake Atitlan, and markets promising sensory overload. Home of the Maya, Guatemala is renowned for colorful textiles and weaving villages. I don’t generally watch shooting stars from a hot tub, but thatched-roof Villa Sumaya on Lake Atitlan’s shore seems a heavenly spot to do it. Doubles for $65.

Liverpool, England
Get some serious street cred. Liverpool is no glamour destination—I once lived here for three months—but it is Europe’s 2008 Capital of Culture. Birthplace of the Beatles, soccer fanatics, and working-class heroes, this gritty port on the Mersey celebrates with a packed year-long program of festivals, street art, and carnivals. July brings maritime spectacular with the start of the Tall Ships Race. Liverpool Guest Houses has B&B doubles from $88.

Steenie Harvey
Roving Europe Editor, International Living

Editor’s note: Being a travel writer allows Steenie to explore the world’s most fascinating destinations…and you could do the same. Learn how to get started.

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