About two hours south of Santiago, in between the massive Andes mountains and the cool central coastline, lies one of Chile’s best wine regions: the Colchagua Valley. Most famous for robust red wines, they also produce excellent sauvignon blanc. Visiting will give you a taste of the Chilean countryside and provide you with breathtaking valley and mountain views. Out of all four wine regions I visited in Chile, the Colchagua Valley stole my heart above the rest.
There are so many wineries in the area, I’d recommend spending at least three days in the Colchagua Valley alone. I wish I had stayed longer! Here are some of my picks for the best places to eat, drink, and stay -- starting with the most important: wine!
The Monticello wine region is one of the first wine regions I fell in love with (second to the Mosel Valley in Germany). Located in the Charlottesville area, it’s a gorgeous region of rolling hills and mountains. I first visited at age 21 and it lured me back for a few return trips during my senior year of college in DC. When I moved to North Carolina, I knew I had to go back to see how the region had changed. Seven years and many wine tastings later I returned to find that the wine has only improved and the beauty of the landscape and charm of Charlottesville are still intact.
Whether you’re traveling with a significant other or group of friends, the Monticello Wine Region makes for a perfect weekend escape. Here’s why:
La Rioja is a breathtaking wine region situated in the Cantabria Mountains of northern Spain. It's best known for spectacular red wines, though amazing white wines are also produced there. La Rioja has a unique mix of history and modernity. You can visit a family winery that has been producing wine for hundreds of years in the caves of the walled city of Laguardia, or visit modern wineries with extraordinary displays of architecture and state-of-the-art wine-making processes.
With an abundance of great choices, it can be overwhelming to decide which wineries to visit. In order to have an authentic and unforgettable experience in the region, here is a quick guide to my top winery picks in La Rioja.
You’ve probably seen Portugal popping up as a top travel destination. Travel & Leisure named the country the “destination of the year” in 2016. The Huffington Post coined Portugal as the “new Iceland” and said it’s “the country everybody will be visiting in 2017.”
Breathtaking. Gorgeous. Unforgettable.
It’s impossible to find the right combination of words to describe the appeal of Portugal.
The people are incredibly welcoming and just about everyone speaks English. And with Portugal being one of the closest European countries to the United States, it’s hard to find a reason not to visit.
While each of these deserves its own highlight, here is a taste of five places that will make you want to book your plane ticket immediately:
Have you ever heard of the Azores islands?
An off the beaten path destination, the Azores are still a relatively hidden gem, but travelers from all over the world are beginning to take note. And with landscapes like these, it's easy to see why.
Here are the top reasons you should explore the Azores before the secret is out.
There's a reason the first photo you see on my website is of a breathtaking Greek island. Santorini is, without a shadow of doubt, my favorite place in the world. I visited the island on my honeymoon in May of 2014. It was at the top of my bucket list, so I had no trouble choosing it as one of our honeymoon destinations.
Even the plane ride into Santorini is magical. The flight from Athens goes by in the blink of an eye, especially if you sit in a window seat, eyes glued to the myriad of tiny little islands below.
Santorini was five days of pure bliss. I'd go back in a heart beat.
Here's why.
