Would you like to spend the night in a lighthouse? The Saugerties Lighthouse, a couple hours north of New York City, has two cozy guest rooms. You hike a half mile through the woods to reach it, and then you can sit on the water, relax and drink wine in the evening. The town of Saugerties also has great restaurants, so you could go out to dinner and then sneak back through the woods at night!
This really exists! At the Citta del Mare hotel in Sicily, you can slide right into the Mediterranean Sea. Wouldn't you love to be splashing down there right now?
Dinner in the Sky is a Belgian company that hosts dinner parties high above cities around the world. They hoist up the table with a giant crane, and three chefs cook an amazing meal. The photos are thrilling, but would you dare?
Crikey, how rad is this rental house in the Hudson Valley? It's only 2.5 hours from New York City, and the property has three bedrooms, a claw-foot tub, heated towel racks (!), an apple orchard, and a sauna. It would be such a fun weekend escape.
When Abbey found this amazing California rental house, my jaw dropped. The house is near Point Reyes, where you could hike to the lighthouse and eat fresh cheese. And it has a hot tub. Damn. Wouldn't you love to stay there?
Oh my goodness, how rad is this stone house in Portugal? It looks like it has a toothache.
Jacinta just went to Cinque Terre, and her gorgeous photos make me want to hop on a plane. Wouldn't you love to be eating fried fish and jumping off rocks into the sea right about now? I can almost feel that refreshing, goose-pimply water.
Treehotel is a brand new design hotel in northern Sweden, less than an hour from the Arctic Circle. The Mirrorcube room, above, has a double bed and roof deck, and you access it by rope bridge. I can't believe how beautiful it is! Wouldn't you die to stay there?
Alex and I often rent houses when we go on vacation. It's fun to meet the homeowners, you instantly feel like a local, and rentals are typically more budget-friendly than hotels. We usually find places through HomeAway or vrbo, but I just discovered the vacation rental website airbnb, and I'm officially obsessed. I've spent an embarrassing amount of time lately browsing through their listings and daydreaming about future trips. I'm especially loving the majestic homes in the Hudson Valley, maybe for a little family getaway this summer!
My dad is obsessed with all things Iceland, and the country really does feel magical. This teeny house is perched on a cliff on Elliðaey, a southern island in Iceland. How amazing does it look? I'd love to ride a bike down that hill or lie in the grass at midnight.
Newlyweds Jasmine and Scott stayed at Treehouse Point in Washington for their honeymoon, where they hiked through the woods and slept in a treehouse among the stars. Jasmine said everything was "magical," despite her "pretty fierce fear of heights." One night, when a crazy storm blew in, they gazed at the lightning through the skylights. What a fabulous place! Wouldn't you love to go?
Yowza. I've been researching hotels this week, and my eyes popped when I stumbled across Dunton Hot Springs in Colorado. Get this: Dunton is a restored ghost town (!) tucked into an alpine valley, with cozy cabins, a holistic spa, hot springs, and an award-winning organic restaurant in the old saloon (naturally). And, if that's not enough, you can reserve the whole town for 42 friends! Can you imagine?
During this dreary weekend (what is with all this rain?), I've been parked on my sofa, drooling over the Mr. and Mrs. Smith website. Their hotels are ridiculously amazing. Ridiculous. (You can also create a honeymoon registry, which I think is brilliant.) My favorites...
Loving these lush gardens and sparkling pool in Provence.
How rad would it be to stroll up to this Paris hotel and its funny hats?
You could sip wine and watch the sunset at a 900-year-old castello in Tuscany...
...or make friends with elephants, take outdoor showers and drink cocktails under glowing trees at a South African resort.