Blue-water-bedroom-view.jpg (600×399) Luxurious Cave Hotel in Turkey. Halfdome.jpg (900×1200) Pamukkale – Turkey’s Cotton Castle. In Turkish the name literally means Cotton Castle and it is easy to see why it was given that.
Yet this geological wonder is also the site of the ancient city of Hierapolis and over the centuries the two have seemed to come together, merged almost, in to one. In fact some of the old tombs in the city's necropolis have beome part of landscape - literally. The site itself is a series of travertines and hot springs. The travertines here have a concentric appearance and are almost sheer white giving the area an ethereal, other worldly appearance. The hot springs precipitate calcium carbonate at their mouths and produce the strange almost organic looking structures. Before the area was declared a World Heritage Site it had its fair share of troubles. The travertine pools are at the top of a cliff which looks like, from a distance, that it is made from chalk or has been whitewashed by some giant Turkish Tom Sawyer doing his chores.
10 best vacation destinations in Europe. Tenth place – Protaras (Cyprus) – Resort for romantics.
It is synonymous with fine golden sand and rocky coves of Mediterranean Sea, which in these parts of saturated turquoise. The most famous beach resort – Fig Tree Bay. Cape Greco is not to impress divers for its sea caves and picturesque villages with binding windmills will please romantics. Ninth place – Albufeira (Portugal) – boasts a mild climate and good food. In summer you dry and warm but not hot: the average temperature is 20 degrees Celsius. Eighth place – Fuerteventura (Spain) – A place for lovers of good and quiet beach holiday. Seventh place – Sitges (Spain) – known throughout Europe, a gay resort. Sixth place – Lagos (Portugal) – an ideal place for family holidays. Fifth place – Formentera (Spain) – a resort for those who love silence, peace and solitude. Fourth place – Dalyan (Turkey) – located at the confluence of Dalyan in the Aegean Sea.
Third place – Ayia Napa (Cyprus) – a resort for those who like to relax noisy. Grotto Falls Dusk 360 Degree VR Panorama. The world’s best secret islands. Looking for a romantic spot that's (almost) all yours?
Here’s a list from our brand new Best in Travel 2011 guide to reignite your love affair with desert islands, with picks from across the globe. 1. Torres Strait Islands, Australia Image by Killer White Fluff As far as you can go in Oz without falling off the map, the Torres Strait Islands are Australia as it might have been if Europeans had never arrived. Permits to visit outlying islands must be obtained at least one month in advance from the Torres Strait Regional Authority. 2. Image by ajari The idyllic Yaeyama Islands are tucked away at the very southern tip of the Japanese archipelago. Japan Transocean Air flies daily from Tokyo to Ishigaki, which is connected to the other islands by regular ferries. 3.
Image by Antoine Hubert Most people have heard of Devil’s Island, but few would be able to stick a pin on a map. 4. Image by hkinuthia It’s easy to see the appeal of tiny Ulleungdo. 5. Image by Fathzer 6. Image by hsuyo. Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia. The stunning Plitvice Lakes National Park lies in the Lika region of Croatia.
The park is surrounded by the mountains Plješevica, Mala Kapela, and Medveđak, which are part of the Dinaric Alps. The 16 blue-green Plitvice Lakes, which are separated by natural dams of travertine, are situated on the Plitvice plateau. Waterfalls connect the lakes, and the tallest waterfall is Veliki Slap at 70 meters (230 feet) tall. The Plitvice lakes area boasts a large variety of interesting and colorful flora and fauna.
Visitors can enjoy walking and hiking the many pathways and trails, or exploring the lakes by boat.