I Get Bored at the Beach. Where Should I Go This Summer?

New York Times

13-05-2025

For the second installment of our new Getaway Guide series, T asked readers who hadn't settled on their summer travel plans yet to describe their dream trip (but set a realistic budget, not including airfare). After consulting with a few travel experts, we came up with some suggestions. Below are answers to several of the most intriguing queries we received, and for more travel ideas, you can read our first batch of responses here.
'My husband and I are in our early 30s. I work in tech and he works in finance. We don't have kids. We love adventure and, since we live in Manhattan, we always seek out nature when we go on vacation. He runs hot and I run cold, so we look for mild climates. I love the beach, but he can't sit on the beach for days and days, so we like a change of scenery with our trips. We don't like excursions. We're also hotel snobs — we love a good hotel. We have about 10 days at the end of August.' — Susanna, New York City; budget: $10,000
For temperate summer weather, beautiful hotels and the kind of landscape that makes most Manhattanites seethe with envy (speaking from experience), I'd go to southwest England. I asked the writer Kate Maxwell, who lives in London, where she'd recommend for travelers with a generous budget and she sketched out what seems to me the ideal itinerary. You'd start in Somerset, a largely rural county about a two-hour drive from Heathrow Airport, and book a night or two at the Newt, a 17th-century country estate turned decadent 42-room hotel with acres of gardens (from about $1,100 a night in summer). Then drive about 40 miles farther southwest to Dorset's Jurassic Coast, a particularly dramatic stretch of the English Channel, and stay at the new Louma Farm and Retreat, which has just 17 guest rooms, two pools and a so-called Wellness Barn. The hotel is set in one of the prettiest spots in Britain, says Maxwell ('rippling hills and sea views'), and the room rate includes breakfast, lunch and an 'outstanding' three-course dinner (from about $860 a night in summer).
Another 60 miles or so southwest is Dartmoor National Park, where you can spend the day biking, canoeing or horseback riding. And finally, make your way to Cornwall, the wild and lovely peninsula on England's southwestern tip. Lined with sandy beaches, surf breaks and cute seaside villages, it gets crowded in summer, but that also means a livelier scene at the many charming pubs and restaurants. Take a look at Maxwell's insider's guide to Cornwall for places to eat and stay (as well outdoor activities), though there's one more hotel worth considering: the Pig at Harlyn Bay on the north coast, another centuries-old pile remade into a fantasy version of an English country inn (from about $500 a night in summer).
'I'm a retired chef in my early 60s. I've traveled a lot on both U.S. coasts and in Italy. I've been thinking lately that it would be nice to find a place where I can go for two or three weeks to be both creative and social in a relaxed, natural environment. I'm open to something more organized and group oriented, which is pretty opposite to my traveling history!' — Mark, Fishkill, N.Y.; budget: $3,000
When I texted my friend John Sheppard, the New York-based ceramist and lighting designer, and asked him where he'd go for the art-making retreat of his dreams, he responded immediately: Anderson Ranch. The arts center in Snowmass, Colo., sits on five acres in the Rocky Mountains about eight miles from Aspen. It was co-founded in the 1960s by the ceramist Paul Soldner and other artists who took over a former working ranch, put a kiln in the lambing shed and began offering a few classes. Today, the center hosts some 130 workshops every summer — in a variety of disciplines, from pottery to printmaking and painting — and for all skill levels. Students are encouraged to either stay on campus or at the Stonebridge Inn, a short walk away (tuition for five-day workshops start at about $1,200, not including accommodations).
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, on Maine's Deer Isle, is another long-established, highly acclaimed creative retreat that welcomes beginners as well as veteran artists for one-to-two-week workshops in blacksmithing, ceramics, fiber, glass, graphics, metal and wood. You need to apply for admission, but there are still a few spots available for this summer, especially for the new four-day, beginners-only program, starting at $800 per person, not including accommodations. Most participants stay on campus and share dorm rooms; on weekends, staff join students for an outdoor lobster dinner.
If you'd like to combine classes with sightseeing, there's also Thread Caravan, a travel company based in Oaxaca, Mexico, that offers about 20 guided trips a year to 11 countries, all focused on learning various crafts. Upcoming options include a textiles-themed itinerary in Peru in July that starts at about $3,400 per person for a shared room, and a ceramics trip in Morocco in September that starts at $3,200. Rates includes all meals, lodging, guides and materials.
'I'm looking for a multiday hiking adventure (over one to two weeks) that's gorgeous, fun, communal but about a 6 out of 10 difficulty. Not too much altitude! I'm interested in hut-to-hut hiking, healthy food and a good area to explore afterward. I'll be traveling with my husband and possibly my college-age kids. We love to hike, bike and do creative workshops, not sightsee.' — Leonora, Austin, Texas; budget: $5,000 to $15,000
One of the cushiest and most efficient ways to do a communal multiday hike is with a small-group tour operator like Country Walkers or Backroads, who will ferry your luggage from hotel to hotel. The latter has trips designed specifically for families traveling with kids in their teens or 20s, including a six-day, hut-to-hut trek in the Italian Dolomites (starting at $4,500 per person), where trails range from 5,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level, and the huts are actually rustic mountain lodges, often with excellent Tyrolean food (dumplings are big here, but so is fresh produce). That itinerary begins and ends in Italy's German-speaking Sudtirol region, which should suit your wish list nicely since it's full of biking and hiking trails (and thermal baths too), as well as woodcarving workshops.
For something a little less predictable, the adventure journalist Brigid Mander suggests 'mind-bogglingly gorgeous' Norway, and specifically the hut-to-hut system developed by the Norwegian Trekking Association, or DNT. Among the most popular hikes in the network is one through the Aurlandsdalen Valley in Vestland in western Norway, starting in the mountain village of Finse (it sits at around 4,000 feet above sea level) and ending three days later in the fjord-side town of Flam. (Pro tip: You're less likely to sludge through snowmelt if you go in late summer.) Fully staffed cabins along the route, like Geiterygghytta, cost around $115 a bed a night for a room that sleeps four and a shared bath. Afterward, you can visit other towns and fjords by car, train or ferry and tackle other trails. If you want help planning the full itinerary, try the Oslo-based travel company UpNorway. For a multiday hike closer to home (though on higher mountains), Mander recommends studying the incredibly detailed website for the 10th Mountain Division Huts Association, which maintains 38 backcountry lodges in the Colorado Rockies, and recommends routes (average elevation between 10,000 and 11,000 feet) and guiding services.
'I'm a lawyer and have lived in the tristate area for about 12 years. I'm from central Texas. Typically, I prefer to visit cities on vacation because I'm interested in art and culture but, as much as I love cities, they can become exhausting. I've always wanted to travel someplace warm where there's a beach, but not much else to do other than contemplate and explore. My issue, though, is that I fear that I'll get bored. I want to learn or see new things and discover something awe-inspiring but still feel relaxed. I'd go for a week or so.' — Lloyd, Newark, N.J.; budget: $2,000
Athens may not be the most relaxing place in all of Greece but, like all sprawling capitals, it's also full of quiet, less touristy pockets, such as the cafe-lined Kypseli neighborhood, where you can retreat in between visits to all the astounding ruins and stellar museums. Don't miss the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, which houses the Greek National Opera and the Greek National Library and helped turn the nearby port city of Piraeus into a contemporary-art hub. For a modestly priced but still memorable hotel, try the playful new Okupa, where the rooftop overlooks the Acropolis, and private rooms run from $160 a night in July; you can also book a shared dorm room for about $50 a night (a tip from the food and travel writer Katie Chang).
After you've been sufficiently awe-struck by a visit to the Parthenon and the National Archaeological Museum, and maybe enjoyed an outdoor concert, take the high-speed ferry to the Cyclades island of Syros (about a two-hour ride from Piraeus), a cultural destination in its own right and one that's flush with idyllic beaches. You'll find a host of hotels and guesthouses on Syros for under $200 a night on the usual hotel booking sites but, if your budget allows, you might especially appreciate the art-filled Hotel Aristide (room rates start at about $435 with a three-night minimum in July). Not up for traveling to Europe this summer?
For other culturally rich destinations all over the world — from Portland, Maine, to Colombo, Sri Lanka — take a look at T's Flocking To series, in which we spotlight creative people's favorite haunts.