SmarterTravel Editors’ Favorite Places of 2007

It should come as no surprise, the editorial gang behind SmarterTravel.com loves to travel. Come with us as we revisit our favorite places from 2007. From Woodstock to Dubai, we've traveled around the globe, and here's what we discovered along the way.

Colmar, France

Every year, I (Kate Hamman, Assistant Editor) struggle to find enough holiday spirit to last me throughout the season. But this year, I discovered a surplus of merriment and cheer in Colmar, France. If there were such a place as Christmastown, this is what it would look like—plus a French accent. The Christmas markets set the holiday scene, each selling an array of handcrafted items, including homemade foods such as gingerbread and mulled wine. My boyfriend and I saved a great deal of money by eating at the stands, where we sampled local cheese, meats, poule de noel (meat stewed in a spicy-sweet sauce, and served in a pita), sausages and sauerkraut, and churros.

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(Photo: Kate Hamman)

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

While visiting her boyfriend, Jon, in Dubai during his deployment with the Navy, Associate Editor Jessica Labrencis found the most exotic place she'd ever been to. She says, "I expected Dubai to be Disney-esque—artificial and contrived—and while some of it is undeniably designed for tourists with gobs of money, we were also able to escape the chain restaurants and shops when we wanted to. Dubai is typically very expensive for airfare and accommodations, but travelers can save on luxury accommodations by traveling in the summer when hotel rooms are deeply discounted (and temperatures are unbelievably hot)."

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(Photo: Index Open)

Seattle, Washington

Copy Editor Carl Unger was pleasantly surprised by Seattle's cheap eats and glorious weather last May. "It turned out to be an amazing walking city, which you wouldn't expect because it has a reputation for bad weather," he says "We walked and walked all over, finding tons of great places to eat for cheap, including the Crumpet Shop, Hattie's Hat, Bimbo's Bitchin Burrito Kitchen, Dick's Drive-In, and Beecher's Handmade Cheese. We also made use of the endless produce at Pike Place Market and took picnics. We spent four very enjoyable days there and really didn't spend too much money."

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(Photo: Carl Unger)

Mendocino, California

Associate Editor Christine Sarkis became a fan of the duality of Mendocino County during a recent road trip. "On the one hand, it's a wild place dominated by the Pacific Ocean and giant redwood forests, but it's also a fairly sophisticated destination, with more artists per capita than anywhere else in the U.S. Proof of this exists in the galleries and art spaces all over town," she says. "It's also a thriving wine region and a place where you can savor fresh and local ingredients from land and sea in every season."

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(Photo: Christine Sarkis)

Warsaw, Poland

Associate Editor Sarah Pascarella, discovered Warsaw on an October trip to Poland, and it quickly became her top spot of 2007. "Originally planned as a stopover, Warsaw turned out to be our favorite place of the whole vacation. The city's sense of resilience was most impressive. The Old Town was completely destroyed during World War II, but the Poles had all the original building plans and recreated this section of the city as it was. It's so meticulously restored that UNESCO made it a World Heritage Site. If you didn't know better, you'd swear the buildings were hundreds of years old," she says.

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(Photo: Sarah Pascarella)

The Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil

Associate Editor, Molly Feltner traveled to Brazil's Pantanal (this website is in Portuguese only), the world's largest wetland, last August. During her time there, she decided that the Pantanal, in comparison to the Amazon, offers some of the best wildlife viewing in the Western Hemisphere. She says, "you'll see countless rare species of birds, reptiles, and mammals you might never be able to spot in the Amazon's dense rainforest." To best see the area, she says, "Ecotourism is the only way to go in the Pantanal. I stayed at the Araras Eco Lodge, one of the top lodges in the region. Five-day all inclusive packages (excluding airfare) cost $990 per person."

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(Photo: Molly Feltner)

Saint Emilion, France

This spring, Executive Editor Anne Banas found herself enchanted by the medieval city of Saint Emilion, a famous wine town in the Bordeaux region of France. "I experienced some of the best wines in the world," she says. If you're in the mood for fresh-from-the-vine libations, Banas found that tastings in Saint Emillion's "90 or so wine shops are generally free. But for the top labels, you might have to seek out wine bars where you can order wines by the glass, which will save you from buying a $1,000 bottle if you just want a sample."

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(Photo: Anne Banas)

Half Moon Bay, California

Associate Editor Erica Silverstein found a slice of B&B heaven while on her mini-moon this September in Half Moon Bay. "We splurged on a luxurious B&B called the Mill Rose Inn, but stayed midweek so the rates were more affordable. The B&B had everything we wanted: decadent multi-course breakfasts; free wine, sherry, and afternoon snacks; an extensive DVD collection; a brilliant flower garden; and a Jacuzzi in a private gazebo. When we managed to leave the inn, we walked on the cliffs overlooking the beach and Pacific Ocean or browsed the galleries and bookstores on Main Street," she says.

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(Photo: Mill Rose Inn)

Woodstock, New York

On a summer road trip, Editor-in-Chief Ed Passarella came upon a sentimental destination. "Imagine the hippies who got older and wound up with high-paying jobs. Then imagine where they might want to go to relax and recall their counter-culture youth, only with great restaurants, classy shops, and funky accommodations. Think Woodstock," he says. Set within the Catskill Mountains, the town boasts a close proximity to natural beauty as well. "At the Woodstock Inn on the Millstream, we enjoyed breakfast each morning right on the riverbank," says Ed.

(Photo: Ed Passarella)