At various times I've been asked by friends "where should we go for..." when they're celebrating an important anniversary, or the company they co-founded just sold, or they just finally reached the point where they can afford a really spectacular vacation.
Of course, if you have enormous amounts of money available, the choices would be entirely different :-) but here's my list of the top 5 trips of a lifetime in the $10K to $15K range:
| Fiji Garth and Maggie Downey's Yasawa Island Resort has only 18 bungalows on a remote island in the Yasawas, with a world-famous sport-fishing boat captain, the best wine cellar in Fiji, and gorgeous beaches. |  |
I haven't yet had a chance to visit them, but have had dinner with them a few times...and am dreaming of the day I'll get to visit their island paradise. Luxury travel writer Matthew Brace also considers this one of the top romantic resorts in the world.
 | Maldives An overwater bungalow on a private atoll....and an UNDERWATER restaurant! And it's a Conrad property, the upper end of the Hilton chain. |
Check out Conrad Maldives Rangali Island...you may have seen pics of this in a fictious PowerPoint that's made the rounds, pretending to be a BBQ invite :-)
| Bora Bora, French Polynesia You've got a lot of choice in Bora Bora among luxury resorts, and while I could easily pick 5 that I'd say are nearly a tie, my favorite is the |  |
 | Crete I'll let the photos of Blue Palace, Elounda, Crete speak for themselves... |
| Jamaica Jamaica may be best-known for big brand-name all-inclusive resorts, but it's also home to quite a few "unique & boutique" resorts. |  |
Of course these all make great honeymoons too, and for those who are lucky enough to be in a position to afford them, they're certainly fabulous options for you too.
