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10 unusual destinations

Life is too short to be predictable. Wander off the beaten track and discover some of the finest holiday locations.

Costa Rica

Experience one of the most exotic and undiscovered destinations in the world. With unsurpassed natural beauty, fiery volcanoes, pristine beaches, raging rivers, virgin rain forests, abundant wildlife, warm and hospitable people. The hot new home of eco-tourism with everything from bird-watching and canopy tours to rafting and golf. With a near-perfect climate all year round, evenings in San Jose are free of humid heat, and beaches are cooled by ocean breezes.

Iceland

In winter it's a wonderland, in summer it's a fresh, green walkers paradise. Visit the incredible Gullfoss waterfall and spouting Geysir springs. You can interact with the forces of nature through river rafting and glacier exploration by snow scooter. Unwind in the magical volcanic waters of the Blue Lagoon or travel into the mountains at night to capture a glimpse of the winter sky ablaze with the colours of the Northern Lights. Icelanders are proud that they still speak the ancient language of the vikings, but they certainly don´t just live in the past. You wont fail to have a good time in Reykjavík but beware the local liqueurs and shark delicacies. It may only be three hours away but you can still get jet-lag playing 18 holes at Akureyri Golf Club in the north, with the sun shining at midnight.

India

Whether you are an adventurer, eco-tourist, beach bum or culture vulture, India's amazing diversity offers you everything you could ever want in a holiday. In the cool of an Indian winter, cities come alive with cultural feasts of music and dance. The balmy weather is an ideal time for you to go century-hopping in romantic cities studded with medieval forts and palaces. The sun drenched beaches are inviting and wildlife sanctuaries with their abundance of flora and fauna are buzzing. Experience real Indian cuisine and but as many exquisite silks, finely crafted jewelry, miniature paintings, and carpets as you can carry.

Isles of Scilly

Follow in the footsteps of the first settlers who came from mainland Britain more than 4,000 years ago. It's not hard to see why they stayed. With castles, shipwrecks, smuggling and mystical lands buried deep beneath the sea, Scilly's history is crammed full of amazing facts, folklore and fantasy. It is the environment that makes the Isles of Scilly special. The location of this archipelago of some 150 islands and rocks, lying 25 miles south west of Cornwall means that they are surrounded by cool, clean, amazingly clear waters and white sandy beaches. Little wonder the islands are home to exotic flowers, palm trees and herbs plus rare corals and sea fans as well as exceptional wildlife.

Port Douglas

The whole of Australia may be exceptional but Port Douglas is a jewel in the antipodean crown. Just an hour's drive from Cairns via a spectacular coastal road that is surrounded by forest and the Coral Sea. It is the place where glittering green merges into blue; the only place on Earth where two World heritage listed jewels exist; the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest of Daintree and Cape Tribulation. Discover the breathtaking Northern Tropics of Australia through pristine Daintree Rainforest walks and safaris, diving and snorkelling the reef and sailing the waterways. Be inspired by the amazing array of nature and wildlife and it's glorious simplicity. The climate is truly seductive. Balmy days dissolve into tropical evenings with velvet starry skies.

Champagne

Get 90 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Paris. Champagne, the very symbol of sophistication, graceful living and celebration, is produced nowhere else in the world. All champagnes are made within a few miles of each other outside Reims and Epernay, near the Abbey of Saint-Pierre where the legendary Benedictine monk, Dom Pérignon, supposedly invented the bubbly by accident in the early 18th Century. Take guided tours (in English) of top Champagne cellars and taste of the current vintages. Sightseeing centres around Reims and its Notre-Dame Cathedral, the heart of France's royal history where twenty-five kings were crowned. This Gothic structure is one of France's most magnificent churches, and some would place its rose windows among the best in the world.

St Petersburg

Few cities can offer so many stunning attractions and intriguing moods as St. Petersburg - City of the Tsars. From the vibrant colours of spring, through the sunny summer days and endless twilights of the famous White Nights, the brilliant golden sun of autumn, and into the crisp and brittle brightness of a St. Petersburg winter, the City casts its own unique spell over visitors. Created by Peter the Great in 1 703 to be his "window on Europe", St Petersburg combines its fascinating Russian heritage with a distinctly European outlook. Considered the cultural heart of modern day Russia, St. Petersburg is rapidly regaining its reputation as one of the Great Cities of Europe.

Hawaii

The only difficult thing about Hawaii - apart from the long flight - is deciding what to do. You can go hiking through lush rainforests, lounge on a secluded beach or cruise down a volcano on a mountain bike at top speed. From catching a sunset sail on a balmy, tropical evening to hitting the ski slopes at Mauna Kea crater, the Islands of Aloha are constantly surprising. You can snorkel, hike, explore and catch an afternoon luau (feast) all in one day. Then again, you may want to do nothing at all.

Budapest

Often described as the 'Little Paris of Modern Europe', Budapest is famous not only for the monuments reflecting its own 1,000-year culture but also for the relics of Romans and Turks who settled here. When you have exhausted your cultural curiousity in the hundreds of museums, churches and historic buildings, it is time to sample the wonderful therapeutic spas and pools fed by natural hot springs which deliver 80 million litres of richly mineralised water a day. People-watching is also a must at one of the thousand restaurants offering Hungarian and international cuisine and excellent local wines and Champagne.

Antarctica

Commercial tourism in Antarctica began in 1957 but only became a serious activity in 1969. Since then the industry has grown considerably both in numbers and diversity. Whilst most tourists still visit on ship-borne cruises, some now take overflights from Australia or South America, others fly in to a blue ice airfield and climb mountains or ski to the South Pole. More recently there have been sky diving attempts and SCUBA diving holidays will be available soon. Brrr. Most tourists visit the Antarctic Peninsula and offshore islands to see the scenery, the wildlife and some of the historical sites of the early explorers.