Can you name the best hotel that you’ve ever stayed at? Choosing the best luxury hotels isn’t simply about seeking the place with the highest thread count, where you can choose your own pillow or even what scent you breath in. Supreme comfort is a given, but on a Luxury Gold tour you’ll stay in elegant accommodation that offers more than every other 5-star hotel. Luxury means different things to different people, but it all comes down to the most superb service you’ve ever experienced. These places are exemplary; carefully chosen as not just a comforting place to rest your head, but a truly immersive experience on its own.

In every place that you stay on the exclusive tours offered by Luxury Gold, you’ll experience the destination in another way. From appreciating the Best of British when you stay at The Rubens at the Palace Hotel on the Queen’s doorstep in London, to having a front row seat at the Pyramids in Egypt from your exceptional hotel in Cairo.

UNUSUAL AND DISTINCTIVE ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS

With Luxury Gold, our guest experience is at the heart of everything that we do. That’s at the forefront of our mind when organizing each place you stay. We want to ensure you feel truly welcome while providing you with extra special encounters and a VIP experience wherever you are.

Our accommodation doesn’t just include the most luxurious 5-star hotels either. One night you will find yourself spending the night on the Venice Simplon Orient Express, while another you may rest up on a historic Irish estate that stretches along the edge of a medieval city.

Luxury Gold has a special connection with Red Carnation Hotels, as it is owned by our co-founder, Beatrice Tollman. These exceptional hotels are found in some of the most incredible destinations on earth and are set apart by their wonderful character and outstanding levels of service. If there is a Red Carnation Hotel in a location we travel to, then we arrange for our guests to stay there and enjoy the attention to detail rarely found at other properties.

Read on to discover more about some of the incredible Hotel and Spa properties that have been carefully selected for Luxury Gold guests.

ASHFORD CASTLE, COUNTY MAYO, IRELAND

Set amid 350 acres of pristine County Mayo countryside, Ashford Castle is a 12th century property that has recently undergone an extensive renovation. Luxury Gold guests spend two nights in this sumptuous castle on the Ultimate Ireland tour.

Enter through the imposing gates where a lone piper awaits to escort you across the drawbridge. His haunting tune provides echoes of the historic battles that were fought across this land.

Every room at Ashford Castle is individually designed, offering you a stand-alone experience even from your fellow guests. Sumptuous fabrics adorn the room with historic furniture fitted seamlessly with the more modern features that enhance your stay.

There’s no need to leave the estate, with a range of activities from horse-riding to archery to partake in. Adventurous guests can try our zipline through our woods, or take in a film at our private cinema to wind down after a busy day.

Ashford Castle is former home of the Guinness family and is Ireland’s first (and only) Forbes Five Star Hotel. Guests have the opportunity to dine like royalty over their Celebration Dinner in the King V dining room, that was built especially for the King’s visit to the estate in 1905. The food is also superlative, with seasonal ingredients foraged from the estate and sourced locally.

12 APOSTLES HOTEL AND SPA, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Credit: Booking.com

Imagine waking up in a UNESCO Cape Floral Region with spectacular views over the Atlantic Ocean. This is just one of the reasons that 12 Apostles Hotel and Spa has been carefully selected for a Luxury Gold tour. Whether you prefer looking out on the dramatic Table Mountain, rising in the distance, or the soothing sea vistas, all 70 rooms and suites let you admire the scene.

Before you take off into safari territory on the Spectacular South Africa tour, you will explore Cape Town from this heavenly base for five days. The property is framed by Table Mountain National Park rising behind it, yet only a short drive to Cape Town to enjoy its many wonders.

Here, individual décor is the norm, inspired by the local African environment and a complement to the scenery. Warm, thoughtful service is provided by all the team. They create ‘tiny noticeable touches’ that really elevate their guest care, making your stay perfect in every possible way.

Dining at 12 Apostles Hotel & Spa is an indulgent treat, with some of Cape Town’s best restaurants on site. From sushi with your sundowners at the Leopard Bar to the signature Cape cuisine dishes served at Azure restaurant, guests will leave fully satisfied after memorable meals with staggering views.

LEELA PALACE, UDAIPUR, INDIA

Leela Palace Udaipur is a stunning hotel that sits on banks of Lake Pichola. Designed by famed architect Bill Bensley, the palace boasts Rajasthani crafts throughout and provides a royal experience for guests.

Luxury Gold guests arrive at this exceptional venue on day 11 of their Imperial Rajasthan tour, where you are welcomed with live music and a shower of rose petals.  The rooms evoke the grandeur of the Mewars, the oldest serving dynasty in the world. Admire the panoramas of Lake Pichola from graceful rooms, adorned with traditional artwork and motifs from the region.

Your stay at Leela Palace will be immersed in opulence from beginning to end. Discover cultural performances in the courtyard and enjoy romantic boat rides on the lake. Delve into the local culinary fare presented with great flair during your Celebration Dinner on the last night of your tour.

Luxury spa journeys are another highlight of Leela Palace. When you finish exploring the fascinating City Palace and bazaars of Udaipur, perhaps relax with an Indian head massage or some reflexology in the ESPA here.

VERMEJO PARK RANCH, NEW MEXICO, USA

When you truly want to lose yourself in nature, there’s nowhere on earth like Vermejo Park Ranch. Owned by founder of CNN turned environmentalist, Ted Turner, this private national park extends across 590,000 acres of extraordinary terrain.

Staying on Vermejo Park Ranch is wonderfully unique in the sense that every need is catered for, but you’re made to feel totally at home. Very few luxury tours are invited here, but when you choose the Resorts and Ranches of Colorado and New Mexico with Luxury Gold, you spend three nights soaking up the splendour of this precious reserve.

Step into refined accommodation that is a rich blend of Southwestern influences with the grandeur of the early 20th century. Every detail has been considered here with sumptuous furnishings and the finest fabrics to envelope you as you sleep.

Aside from the many activities offered at the ranch, from horse riding to fishing in one of the 19 lakes onsite, guests can simply explore and see the many elk, deer and bison that roam the reserve. Cocktail hour is a specialty at Casa Grande, where you can mingle with the guests and staff, hearing stories of the stars who have stayed here through the years.

REGENT PORTO MONTENEGRO, TIVAT, MONTENEGRO

Credit: Booking.com

Guests on the Luxury Gold tour Captivating Croatia and Montenegro will check into the most exclusive hotel in the country, Regent Porto Montenegro, on Day Three of their journey. Situated on the largest natural harbor on the eastern Mediterranean, Boka Bay, this award-winning hotel is designed to reflect Italian Palazzo style and is perfect for glamorous guests.

Nautical sophistication enhances each room and suite here. Guests can stretch their legs in spacious rooms that offer fabulous vistas of the lush mountains that rise behind the hotel or the elegant marina in front.

The staff give everyone a personal welcome, to make you feel at home from the moment you arrive. It is this personal service that has garnered awards from Conde Nast Traveler, the World Luxury Hotel Awards and Trip Advisor.

Dining is also a gourmand’s pleasure at Regent Porto Montenegro. From tasty bites in the sleek Riviera-style Pool Bar to the fine Adriatic cuisine served in the stylish Murano restaurant, each meal is packed with fresh local ingredients from the bountiful landscape around.

The Regent Spa has also collected honors, so it’s worth spending some time in the Finnish sauna or Turkish hammam during your stay. Experience the finest treatments that draw on spa wisdom from around the globe to give you a soothing morning or afternoon escape.

XIGERA SAFARI LODGE, OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA

Deep in the Okavango Delta, you’ll find a hotel and spa quite unlike anything else in the region. This lodge blends into the papyrus wetlands that surround it, overhung by a verdant canopy and spread across two islands.

The Xigera Safari Lodge is not just remarkable for its location in nature, or views across the floodplains. It is a triumph of sustainability, running on 95% solar power, while celebrating the art, culture and creativity of Africa.

Step into one of the twelve beautifully appointed suites to discover your holiday retreat. Each one has a distinctive aesthetic, influenced by the flora and fauna of the environment. Indigenous elements can be found throughout, from hand carved furniture to custom made bedspreads and magnificent works of African art.

Wildlife encounters are part of the appeal of this safari lodge. Each suite has its own compendium of birds and mammals that inhabit the area, and guests can record their own sightings. Spot the local pride of lions, the resident leopards, giraffes and elephants who call Xigera home.

The team at Xigera Lodge are knowledgeable, hospitable and full of joy. They enrich each moment and are always on hand if a guest needs advice or help during their stay. Xigera Safari Lodge is a top venue in the Red Carnation hotel collection and as such, the service is simply outstanding.

LION SANDS GAME RESERVE, KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA

Stay in the heart of the African bush when you embark on safari with Luxury Gold. Day Six of the Spectacular South Africa tour sees you arrive at the Lion Sands Game Reserve, on the bank of the Sabie River.

Marvel at the animals feeding by the river from your private retreat, set above the water with interconnecting wooden walkways. Understated elegance is infused with natural features to reflect the splendor of the surroundings.

King-sized beds carefully draped with giant mosquito nets, al fresco showers to wake up with nature and expansive decks allow you total privacy while enjoying all that the reserve has to offer.

Sip on a fine South African wine while hearing stories around the fire. Savour a Celebration Dinner beneath the stars after seeking out the Big Five on your guided game drives. Impeccable service, enchanting suites and breath taking encounters with wildlife will all make your stay at Lion Sands one of the most memorable you’ve ever had.

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” Ibn Battuta

Travel inspires us, from seeing dramatic landscapes that leave us breathless at their beauty, to spending time with locals and learning more about how they live their lives. Many of us are missing the feeling of new discoveries, wondering when will it be safe to travel again and itching to book a fantastic vacation to an unexplored destination.

Many great writers through the ages have been inspired by the places that they visited or lived in. We’re familiar with the many tales set in the city streets of the world’s famous capitals, but what about lesser known destinations that have influenced great works. Through their writing, authors take us on a special journey and introduce us to a place through their eyes. We can travel farther than we can imagine, simply through the pages of a book.

So, we thought now would be a great time to learn more about the locations that some of the world’s best authors fell in love with and we’ve chosen one special destination that links several of these people.

Majestic Switzerland lured several literary greats to its soaring peaks and picturesque lakefronts, spawning fantasy elven towns such as Rivendell and the setting for many espionage thrillers on the cobbled streets of Bern.

Lord Byron – Making a Triumph of an Exiled Summer

Photo by The Society of Classical Poets

George Gordon Byron was only 28 years old when he escaped England for a summer, already a successful poet but wracked with scandal, he decided to take off with some friends to a villa by a Swiss lake. It was 1816, and Byron had split from his wife after being caught having an affair with his half-sister, Augusta Leigh.

At that time, it had become customary for artists and aristocrats to embark on a Grand Tour that took them through central Europe. Byron’s friends Percy Shelley, Mary Godwin (who later became Shelley’s wife), her stepsister Claire and a young physician called John Polidori, along with the disgraced poet, rented the porticoed Villa Diodati near Lake Geneva for a summer, which would prove to be historic. Unlike normally balmy Swiss summers, the weather was appalling, trapping the young group indoors for lengthy periods. After a prompt by Byron that each should try writing a ghost story, Polidori produced “The Vampyre”, which would inspire Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Mary Godwin wrote “Frankenstein”, aged just 19.

However, it was another grand house that gave Byron inspiration – the Château de Chillon. This historic island castle was visited by the young English group in June that year, but it was Byron most enthralled by its grisly past. Its unusual layout, in an oval shape that follows the natural rocky outcrop that it’s located on, makes it stand out like a fairy tale against the towering Savoy peaks behind it, but the thick walls hid the cries of many tortured souls. From persecuting Jews (who were accused of spreading the plague) as far back as the 14th century to imprisoning so-called witches in subterranean chambers before burning them in the castle courtyard, Chillon castle was not a place that anyone wanted to be summoned to for many hundreds of years.

However, Byron’s fascination lay with a 16th century nobleman, François Bonivard, who became a political prisoner at the castle. The poet imagined Bonivard’s torment, as he watches his brothers die and he becomes a martyr to freedom. Indeed, it is Byron’s romantic narrative poem that has made Chillon famous, and why thousands of tourists visit every year to see the dungeons and the column where Byron’s name is etched since that summer in 1816.

Mary Shelley – Evoking the Darkened Skies over Switzerland

Photo by time.com

Mary Godwin was just a girl that summer, but must have felt that she was in the company of giants. Her beloved Percy Bysshe Shelley had left his first wife for her, and she had just borne him a son before they traveled to Switzerland. Lord Byron was a well-established poet and his dashing doctor, Polidari, must have seemed sophisticated to the impressionable young Mary. Perhaps it was the unusual weather that summer, affected by the fallout from an eruption of Mount Tambora, in modern-day Indonesia, that stirred Mary’s creativity.

One wonders if she spoke of herself or one of her companions on the trip when she wrote the lines “I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend.” Either way, she poured out the incredible story of “Frankenstein” – the story of a grotesque creature brought to life brought to life by his creator, Victor Frankenstein, a Genovese scientist. She said the phantasm came to her in a feverish dream, and she committed it all to paper that June, housed in the Villa Diodati, the green-shuttered mansion that still stands in Cologny. Although she became a respected writer, this early work would become her most famous, and has been reproduced in many forms to this day.

Shelley evokes the dismal days of that summer often throughout the novel – the flashes of lightning that illuminate the lake, but also gives readers suggestions of the surrounding landscape where she wrote the novel – the perennially icy peak of Mont Blanc and the brooding Jura mountain range. On the day of Victor and Elizabeth’s wedding, they sail on Lake Como, but perhaps it was the beautiful shores of Lake Geneva that were in Mary’s mind as she spun the tale.

Mary Shelley travelled widely, but as her characters of Victor and the wretch he creates are so intertwined with Geneva, so too is the writer. Gothic horror fans can follow in Mary’s footsteps on their visit to the tranquil settings that she details in the manuscript.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – Inextricable Links with the Country

Photo by britannica.com

If Geneva birthed Frankenstein then perhaps it could be said that it was the death of another huge literary character, Sherlock Holmes. It was on a trip to the Swiss Alps in 1893 where the author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, planned Holmes dramatic demise.

The famed author had already become wealthy from his serialization of short stories about the eccentric detective, but Conan Doyle was also an adventurer and lover of the outdoors. He felt that writing about Holmes was holding him back, both from pursuing other writing and other hobbies. Thus, he wrote the meeting of Sherlock Holmes with his arch-nemesis, Moriarty, in the elevated town of Meringen on a path overlooking the Reichenbach Falls. The pair struggle and fall into the swirling waterfall and are never seen again, presumed dead. This set Sir Arthur free and he moved to Davos, a town known for the spectacular surrounding beauty and its promising influence on health.

Sir Arthur Conan’s wife, Lady Louisa, suffered from tuberculosis, but the fresh air, altitude and sunshine did wonders for her health. This freed Sir Arthur up to push towards some goals he had, one of which was to ski the 14-mile Maienfelder Furka Pass between Davos and Arosa. Conan Doyle wrote about this experience in an 1894 article for The Strand, entitled “An Alpine Pass on Ski,” and it has been cited as the first guided ski tour in the Alps.

Indeed, Sir Conan Doyle was credited with popularizing the sport for tourists and today visitors can find a plaque in Davos to the man, which reads “The perfect pattern of a gentleman.” Intrepid explorers can follow the route he took on ski tours today, admiring the fir trees below and the undulating white slopes of the Swiss mountains, but certain advancements make it a slightly easier journey than it was in the late 19th century.

Visitors can also find the Sherlock Holmes Museum in Meringen, with an authentic recreation of the parlour where Sherlock Holmes met with Watson at 221b Baker Street in London.

JRR Tolkien – Creating a Fantasy World from the Alpine Landscape

Photo by historycollection.com

Avid fans of The Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit have seen the locations of Middle Earth realized through the eyes of Peter Jackson in the blockbuster movies of the novels. This has immortalized the awe-inspiring scenery of New Zealand in the minds of millions of movie-goers as the setting for this fictional world.

However, it was a walking trip that Tolkien took, at the youthful age of 19, that imprinted the majestic Swiss landscape on his brain, providing such striking inspiration that he created a whole world upon its template. Tolkien was invited on the walking holiday by the Brookes-Smith family who planned regular trips every year and brought along friends who wanted to go. Those familiar with Switzerland can call to mind the diversity of its geography – it’s not simply soaring peaks, but bucolic towns and rushing rivers, placid lakes and sun-dappled forests. This is where Tolkien found his Middle Earth, a fact which he relayed to his son by letter in 1967, telling him of his adventures in the country in 1911.

Traversing the Lauterbrunnen valley, it’s easy to see how this became the Elven town of Rivendell, set amid the rocky cliffs with the 300-meter high Stauben Falls thundering down the mountainside into the valley. This peaceful village sets the scene for where Bilbo Baggins could hide from Sauron in The Hobbit, and it was also where the Council of Elrond met to decide the fate of the One Ring.

The Swiss Alps provide the blueprint for Tolkien’s Misty Mountains, the range that provides the heroes with many challenges throughout their journey across Middle Earth. Tolkien’s party of 13 traversed a number of mountain passes, from the Grosse Scheidegg to Meringen and the 2,165-meter Grimsel Pass to the largest glacier in the Alps, the Aletsch glacier – all immersive experiences which likely fed into his writing. When the young man first saw these peaks, he must have imagined them as a place where mystical beings meet – where the land meets the clouds.

John le Carré – History and Fiction Interwoven in Bern’s City Streets

Photo by www.lesechos.fr

David Cornwall first arrived in Bern, Switzerland, aged just 16, hoping to study at the prestigious University of Bern. The quaint city was a dynamic place for the young man – he took a room near the Tobler factory, attended tea dances at the sophisticated Bellevue Palace, and even claims to have washed elephants for the circus.

At church one Sunday, he met a pair of consular officials who would later task him with his first tasks for British intelligence. He found fame under the pen name, John le Carré, when he began publishing thriller novels featuring the spy, George Smiley.

Apart from attending university in Bern, le Carré also made it the setting for many famous scenes from his novels. “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”, published in 1974, is one of his best-loved books and one scene sees two British spies evade the police by escaping through stairwells and hallways decked in mirrors and glittering chandeliers. That is the Bellevue Palace, where le Carré spent the Saturdays of his youth.

In “Our Kind of Traitor”, Bern features again. The 2010 novel centers around a money-laundering oligarch who is lured to Bern by the leader of a criminal brotherhood. Later in the novel, a safehouse is found for the Russian oligarch in the Swiss Alps.

Perhaps most profoundly, the magical Old City of Bern is a central location for his mostly autobiographical novel, “A Perfect Spy”. The protagonist, Magnus Pym, travels there to run an errand for his trickster father, where he works odd-jobs at night. Le Carré’s descriptions bring the city alive, even in the candlelight. He also paints a perfect picture of nearby Elfenau, reached by tram, where St. Ursula’s English-speaking church is located, the place of his own recruitment.

We’ve rediscovered the enjoyment of a slower pace of life, and many of us have relished the opportunity to spend the extra time we’ve gained catching up on our reading. What better way to relax and use our minds to escape, travelling far away into the pages of a great novel.

We asked our team to provide us with their recommendations for the novels and books that have really inspired them during this down time to discover new places, people and cultures when they are able to travel again.

Which one of our teams’ top recommendations will make it to your nightstand?

© 2015 Fallois Poche

1. The Final Days of our Fathers by Joël Dicker

This 2010 novel takes us back in time telling a story set in the heart of World War II. It reveals the true story of the Special Operations Executive, an underground branch of the British Secret Intelligence Service who trained French Resistance cells.

Recommended by: Meryll M, Digital Marketing, Geneva

“This is my favourite book of 2020 and is written by acclaimed Swiss novelist, Joël Dicker. The book tells the story of the Special Operations Executive, a British World War II organisation. The book allows you to travel into the past from France to the UK and Germany with incredible protagonists. A stunning literary journey.”

© 2020 Mira

2. The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

Transporting us to the incredible India of the 1950’s, the Henna Artist shines a spotlight on a strong, independent woman struggling between traditional Indian culture (with an arranged marriage) and her desire to live a modern life. At just 17, she flees her marriage and travels to the vibrant, pink city of Jaipur, becoming a highly sought-after henna artist to the upper class and learning their innermost secrets.

Recommended by: Amber B, Custom Groups, California

“I have been reading books from my neighbour’s lending library and I recently found The Henna Artist: by Alka Joshi. What a find this was – India is by far one of my favourite places to travel to and it was so fun to re-visit the country through this book!”

© 2019 Penguin Vintage Classics

3. The Rings of Saturn by W.G Sebald

This novel follows a protagonist’s journey by foot down along the coast of Suffolk and his many observations. It deals with the themes of memory and history, touching on the Chinese empire and previous trips to Ireland and Belgium as they connect to the stories of the people and places that he encounters on his quest to understand himself and his surroundings.

Recommended by: Hayley G, Contact Centre, Toronto

“I would have to go with “The Rings of Saturn” by W.G Sebald. It’s an intriguing mix of part memoir, part travelogue, and part history as he narrates his journey down the coast of Suffolk. He encounters places and characters of interest both past and present on his quest to understand himself and his surroundings in their correct place in the passage of time, and how they all relate to death.” 

© 1993 Picador

4. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

This 1992 best-selling book turned movie, follows a group of different people who come together in the midst of World War II in an Italian Villa. A Canadian nurse tends to her last patient, an almost unrecognisable man who has been burnt in an attack, as they explore the patient’s life prior to injury. A story of love, deceit, and painful memories, this book not only makes us want to travel to the Italian countryside, but also highlights the importance of not just travelling the world, but understanding the people and seeing the truth that lies beneath the surface of the tourist attractions.

Recommended by: Brad F, President, Toronto

“Aside from the obvious appeal of the Italian countryside, deserts, Egypt, Bedouin mythology and sweeping vivid romantic imagery, this story changed the way I wanted to see the world. It encouraged me to look for the incredible stories that lie beneath the surface of the perfect pictures of the places we visit. I’ve read it several times – it was first recommended to me by my Mother, as it was one of her favourite reads. I’m reading it again now, and it sits on my bedside table for moments to lose myself in a story a few pages at a time.” 

© 2014 HarperOne

5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Written by a Brazilian author in Portuguese and then later translated to English to becoming a best seller, The Alchemist is a brilliant combination of wisdom, magic and self-discovery. With the protagonist travelling from his Spanish hometown through the Egyptian Desert, and meeting a gypsy, a king and an alchemist who all help him in the search for “treasure.” A wonderful reminder of how travelling can help us look inside and listen to our hearts.

Recommended by: Kirsten S, Marketing, Geneva

“When I first read the Alchemist it had become a popular book for people who were looking for meaning, and was discussed everywhere from bus stops to coffee shops. Whilst it’s true that Paulo Coelho has a way of unravelling the mysteries and magic of the world that provides comfort to many, what I took from it was the rich way he described the landscapes and countries of North Africa from times gone by. A reminder that wisdom is not a new concept and that through the act of travel one can find parts of themselves that were once hidden.”

MORE INSPIRING TRAVEL BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

© 2018 National Geographic Society

6. Spectacle: Rare and Astonishing Photographs, by National Geographic

A National Geographic collection of some of their photographer’s best breathtaking images from around the world.  This coffee table book is beautiful and inspiring, filled with photography that delights and shocks readers, urging them to travel again to find the joy of witnessing a manmade or rare natural wonder for themselves. 

© Viking Australia

7. Journey From Venice by Ruth Cracknell

An autobiography that follows Author Ruth and her husband Eric’s journey to escape on their carefully planned holiday, with the mission to have more time to think and appreciate life and each other. As Eric falls ill, the story becomes one of unconditional love and a reminder to readers that no matter how well you plan a holiday, life can have its own plans for you.

© 1998 Riverhead Books

8. The Beach by Alex Garland

Another book turned into an incredible film starring Leonardo Di Caprio, The Beach makes us nostalgic for the adventures of backpacking or a warm summer holiday. Told in first person by a young boy in search of a legendary beach in Thailand untouched by the effects of tourism. Although originally published in the 90’s, the novel’s issue is more relevant than ever as we look to find a more sustainable way to travel and preserve our favourite places.

© 2004 Vintage

9. The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton

Rather than a book about travelling, or where the characters embark on an incredible journey, this book serves as a great reminder of why we travel. The book also highlights some of the issues of glorifying travel, or a specific trip, that may turn out differently than imagined, or not live up to our expectations.  For everyone, it may be different, but for many of us it’s for the sense of adventure, discovering beauty in nature, cultural understanding and personal growth.

© 2001 HarperCollins

10. The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

A beautiful romance novel which is the first of a best-selling trilogy, the book is set in 1941 as Russia entered the second World War. While we don’t wish to be transported back to the chaos and destruction of a warzone, the love story in this novel set in an environment of hardship, devastation and secrets, also creates a love story between the reader and the country of Russia, as we appreciate the harsh winter, grand cities and unique culture.