Guide to Your Financial Future
Sick of the Heat? Try One of These Cool Vacations
Alison Stein Wellner
06/20/08 - 11:37 AM EDT
When the mercury soars, the last thing you want to do is sweat out your vacation in an equally sweltering destination. Instead, head for the places on the planet where it's delightfully cool -- and even downright chilly -- and get away from the heat as well as the every day.
Sailing in San Francisco
San Francisco is one of the few cities in the United States where you really need a warm sweater in the middle of August, which makes this the perfect time of year for heat-phobes to visit the City by the Bay. Take a nighttime tour of Alcatraz for chills of the spooky variety, hike among the redwoods in the Muir Woods or really chill out by getting right onto the water: The OSCC Sailing school in Berkeley, which has a fleet of 50 boats, offers classes for beginners to near pros. Stay at the new Cavallo Point Lodge, on the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, with a view of the bridge, city skyline and the bay. Adventures in Chile
Adrenaline junkies beat the North American heat by heading for the South America. In Chile's Patagonia, try canyoning in the Andes mountains, where you'll get outfitted in a wet suit, helmet and gloves, hike up a cliff -- and then get back down through a blend of cliff jumping, waterfall sliding, rappelling. Canyon Gelves offers guided experiences from beginners to experts to people flirting with insanity, accommodations available at in a lodge in the village of Futaleufu. If you'd like just a little adventure along with some relaxation, try Tierra Atacama, a new adventure spa in the Atacama desert in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. Spend half the day climbing a volcano, mountain biking or going on a wild flamingo watching tour, and the other half receiving spa services.
If your vacation thrills trend more toward adventurous wielding of a credit card, arrive with an empty suitcase to Buenos Aires, in the cool Argentine winter. The dollar is still pretty strong in Argentina -- you'll get about three Argentinean pesos for a dollar -- and the boutiques, especially in the fashionable Palermo Viejo area, are cutting edge and stocked with not only international brands but also with the work of local designers. Start your strolling in the area surrounding Plaza Cortazar, especially Honduras and Costa Rica Streets. Arrive with an empty stomach, since the steak in this city is legendary. Try La Cabrera, one of the best parrillas, or grills, in town (address: Cabrera 5099 Phone: 4831-7002). Stay at Hotel Home, fashionable digs in the heart of the shopping district. Cavort with Koalas and Kangaroos in Australia
Just a 45-minute ferry ride from Adelaide, Australia, a visit to Kangaroo Island gets you up close and personal with the continent's most charismatic fauna, as it's considered Australia's best place to see wildlife in a natural habitat, the continent's version of the Galapagos. During the winter (which is June-August) animals that are usually asleep during the day are active. Check out baby koalas and kangaroos, whales migrating of the coast, ospreys, seals, penguins and more. Stay in the midst of it all at Southern Ocean Lodge, noted for its stunning cliff-top location and turquoise ocean views, gourmet, locally-sourced food and spa within earshot of the surf. White Nights in St. Petersburg, Russia
Arguably one of the best times to visit lovely St. Petersburg is during the "White Nights," a period of time between May and July when the sun never really leaves the sky. It's a great excuse to party and the city comes alive with a series of arts festivals, carnivals and concerts.
Reykjavik is another party city; this is true all year round, but especially in the summer, where the average July high temperature is a brisk 55 degrees. The crowds in the bars and the pubs won't prepare you for the center of the country, a completely uninhabited landscape that so resembles the moon that it was used to train Apollo astronauts. (The reason why: Iceland sits where the North American and European tectonic plates meet, so, along with Hawaii, it's one of the most volcanically active places on earth.) It's inadvisable to venture in the central regions alone, but tour outfitter Black Tomato offers an adventure itinerary that guides you through it. If partying by night and soaking in thermal spas by day sounds more up your alley, don't miss the popular Blue Lagoon , and stay at the posh Hotel Borg. Paddling the Norwegian Fjords
Norway is a quiet country with dramatic scenery of its own. Steep granite cliffs rise from deep emerald green fjords, or inland fingers of the sea. In these fjords, the water is sufficiently deep and the cliffs steep to have once provided cover for the likes of pirates, but they now provide tranquility for vacationers in search of a true get-away, in a place where summer temps top out in the 70s.