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One of our favorite ways to travel is to combine an energizing stay in a city with a relaxing escape to its nearby countryside. After all, getting to know both the urban and rural characteristics of a region offers a much more well-rounded experience.
In this issue, we explore the best of city and country vacation pairings. These spots are wonderful on their own, of course, but they are simply sublime when savored together. For more information or to book your city-and-country escape, contact a Travel Specialist at Hideaways Travel Services (800-843-4433) for expert help planning your vacation. Try us once, and you'll never "go it alone" again.
1. Naples & Ischia (Italy)
Big, bustling, and beautiful, the fascinating city of Napoli has a lot to do, see, and soak up in its central district, with its churches, palaces, museums, quaint squares, and lively store-lined streets. After getting your fill of Napoli's world-famous pizza, boat over to Ischia (pronounced ISS-kia) in the Bay of Naples, and swim in its dotted coves, explore its quaint villages, sample its rustic native restaurants, and taste the wine at its many excellent vineyards—all under the watchful eye of Mt. Vesuvius on the horizon. In Naples, Hideaways recommends Grand Hotel Parker's; in Ischia, Hideaways recommends Mezzatorre Resort & Spa.
Hideaways Aficionado Club members are invited to learn more: Sampling Southern Italy.
2. Rome & Tuscany (Italy)
After days spent enjoying the museums, monuments, restaurants, shops, gorgeous squares, and—of course—scores of living history in the Eternal City, hop into a Fiat or onto a Vespa and explore the ancient hill towns of the beloved region of Tuscany, with its castles, olive groves, waving cypress trees, colorful characters, simple yet soul-satisfying cuisine, and world-famous wine in its welcoming wineries. In Rome, Hideaways recommends: Hotel d'Inghilterra; in Tuscany, Hideaways recommends: L'Andana.
Hideaways Aficionado Club members are invited to learn more: Travel to Italy and Feel "At Home" in Tuscany.
3. Paris & Provence (France)
Ooh-la-la meets go-go-go in the City of Lights, where you can keep busy visiting the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Louvre, along with shopping at the chic boutiques along the Champs-Elysees, dining at one of its haute cuisine restaurants, and taking in a famous review. When you're ready for some R&R, head to the countryside of Provence in southern France, with its rolling hills, vineyards, and charming towns that come alive with the unexpected delights that await travelers who abandon the well-worn path. In Paris, Hideaways recommends: Hotel Lutetia; in Provence, Hideaways recommends: Le Chateau de Bagnols.
Hideaways Aficionado Club members are invited to learn more: Loving Paris, Any Time of Year.
4. London & the Cotswolds (England)
Sporting double-decker buses, cheery red phone booths, and the world's oldest underground railway system, London has a dizzying number of must-visits, from four World Heritage Sites to famous landmarks like Big Ben, the London Eye, and Buckingham Palace. Trade busy for bucolic when you head to the hills (literally) of the Cotswolds, with its arresting natural beauty—think rolling pastures dotted with sheep—and sleepy villages that seem to come right out of storybooks. In London, Hideaways recommends The Athenaeum and Corinthia Hotel London; in the Cotswolds, Hideaways recommends enjoying a villa vacation in a charming thatch-roofed cottage.
Hideaways Aficionado Club members are invited to learn more: London by District: What's Your Pleasure?
5. Cape Town & Safari Camps (Africa)
Few places in the world play host to as vibrant and fascinating a cosmopolitan center as Cape Town, South Africa, with its Dutch-influenced waterfront, pristine golden-sand beaches, mountainous slopes, and vineyard-carpeted valleys. Trade high heels for hiking boots when you head into the countryside for a (luxury) safari, where you'll stay in authentic African surroundings with access to local experts who will lead you to the kind of wildlife experiences others rarely access. In Cape Town, Hideaways recommends Mount Nelson Hotel; for a safari, Hideaways recommends Orient-Express' Botswana safari camps.
Hideaways Aficionado Club members are invited to learn more: Hideaways Ambassador's Report: A Mountaintop Experience.
6. New York City & the Hudson River Valley (New York)
When you're in a New York state of mind, no other city will do—there's just something about The Big Apple, with its diversity, energy, tough-yet-tender locals, and famed spots like Broadway, Times Square, and the Empire State Building. Looking for a quiet distraction? Follow the Hudson River north, to its namesake region offering charming villages, wine trails, farm-to-table dining, and spectacular mountain views. In New York City, Hideaways recommends The Greenwich; in the Hudson River Valley, Hideaways recommends Glenmere Mansion.
Hideaways Aficionado Club members are invited to learn more: In a New York State of Mind.
7. Rio de Janeiro & the Santa Catarina Coast (Brazil)
Famous for its Carnival, Rio boasts truly staggering urban beauty, a now-safer environment (in preparation for its run as the host city for the 2016 Olympics), and a fun-loving beach culture that infuses every second of your sizzling-hot stay. When you need to catch your breath, head to a more relaxing stretch of beach along the Santa Catarina coast, with its plethora of islands, lagoons, bays, and inlets, each with beckoning sands and the occasional dose of sweet silence. In Rio, Hideaways recommends Copacabana Palace; along the Santa Catarina coast, Hideaways recommends Ponta dos Ganchos.
Hideaways Aficionado Club members are invited to learn more: My Rendezvous in Rio.
8. Lima & Machu Picchu (Peru)
Sure, there are many modern elements to Lima, but it just might be the city's historic details—like the city-center colonial architecture and its many churches, cloisters, and monasteries—that will leave you enraptured. Lima also offers tantalizing cuisine, especially in its abundance of seriously good seafood. Speaking of a city, Machu Picchu was the Inca Empire's version of metropolis; now this UNESCO World Heritage Site—seeming to materialize in the middle of a tropical forest almost 8,000 feet above sea level—is an awe-inspiring collection of imposing walls, terraces, and ramps that will leave you feeling totally at peace. In Lima, Hideaways recommends Miraflores Park Hotel; in Machu Picchu, Hideaways recommends Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge.
Hideaways Aficionado Club members are invited to learn more: A Cultural and Creature Double Feature in Peru.
For more information or to book your city-and-country escape, contact a Travel Specialist at Hideaways Travel Services (800-843-4433) for expert help planning your vacation.
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