Start of 2017, time for rankings and tips for the newly arrived year. One of the most anticipated events is the annual ranking of destinations to go on vacation. One of the most reliable and prestigious is compiled by the prestigious U.S. newspaper New York Times. We have selected 10 places recommended by NYT experts that can also be visited by boat. From the Mediterranean to the Arctic Sea, from the Caribbean to the Pacific Ocean. Here are the rankings and reasons. Have a great boating vacation!
THE TOP 10 DESTINATIONS WHERE TO GO BOATING
1. Croatia, Dubrovnik.
Arriving by boat in the pearl of Dalmatia is a worthwhile experience. Its high fortified walls overlooking the harbor, its stone-paved streets, its Venetian-style houses. Now the municipality has installed an efficient electric scooter-sharing system to reach the countless beaches and visit the surrounding area. Notable is the Kompass hotel on the beach. The most fashionable restaurant is the scenic Portrait.
2. Sweden, Stockholm.
Renting a boat in Stockholm is one of the best ideas for next spring/summer. The Stockholm archipelago is dotted with some 30,000 islets and reefs. Some islands are large and inhabited, famous for summer festivals, while others are little bigger than a rock, visited only by seals.
3. France, Porquerolles.
Even Americans were amazed by this island, a mile from the mainland, where cars are banned. A beautiful harbor, dozens of protected roadsteads, white sandy beaches, and crystal clear water. The top is to anchor in Le Langoustier roadstead and dine in the restaurant/hotel of the same name.
4. Madagascar.
This continent island, the size of France on the east coast of Africa, became a safe destination after the 2013 elections. Plenty of opportunities to charter a boat, to visit pristine bays and unique marine fauna and flora.
5. Australia, Great Barrier Reef. Threatened by climate change but still intact, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef offers boat visitors all the wonders of the watery world in 1,430 miles. 2,900 coral reefs, 900 islands. Hayman, Orpheus and Lizard islands are safe harbors for exploring this wonder of the planet.
6. Athens, Greece. Despite the crisis, Athens has not lost its charm and cultural ferment worthy of the great capitals (as well as being the ideal starting point for exploring the Aegean by boat: in Oct, in a former brewery opened the new National Museum of Contemporary Art, while Renzo Piano signed the new Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (Niarchos was the rival shipowner of Aristotle Onassis). An impregnable stage.
7. Calabria, Italy.
The News York Times reports Calabria as the only Italian place to visit in 2017. The New York newspaper likes its cuisine and this land that has remained untouched by globalization. We, who visited it by sea last summer, confirm. If you want to immerse yourself in rugged and spectacular nature and a disappearing world, don’t miss a cruise to Calabria in 2017. And don’t listen to preconceived notions, it feels great.
8. Norway, Lofoten Islands.
Renting a boat in Lofoten is about as good as you can decide to do in 2017. 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle, it is an idyllic retreat, the craggy mountains that seem to fall into the cobalt waters are a breathtaking sight. This out-of-this-world place has attracted colonies of artists who, for example, have turned cod factories into galleries for contemporary art, ceramics and photography.
9. Belize, Placencia.
In the truer, less-traveled Caribbean, where there is a good fleet of charter boats. THE NYT recommends a stop at the Placencia Peninsula, a sparkling town with pristine beaches behind tropical jungle and remnants of Mayan civilization. Islands, coral reefs, fishing, snorkeling. A true sea paradise.
10. Croatia, Istria.
Croatia’s largest peninsula reveals two faces to the sailor. The west coast, from Kanegra to the southernmost tip of Punta Kamenjak, is dotted with ancient towns whose bell towers rise above the sea, so many tiny St. Marks peeking out from between red roofs. More mystical, however, is the east coast, which is less inhabited and more rarely visited. Don’t miss the small restaurants with landing places and the well-equipped marinas, set among palaces and small squares reminiscent of Venice.
