My personal top 5 favorite destinations

Everyone has their own favorite places. Some like destinations that offer a lot of adventures while other people like a place with clear beaches and lots of sunbeds to get a tan, and that is perfectly fine. I am happy everyone likes something else, because otherwise it would be way to crowded at the most popular places. But let me tell you about my favorite places and why I liked them so much.

Please do keep in mind that this is a personal preference, and it can be different for everyone.

Crete, Greece

A place that will forever be in my heart is Crete. To be honest, I didn’t expect too much of it. When I was planning my trip to Crete, I had a hard time figuring out what to do during my seven days there. I found some pictures on Instagram and a few Pinterest articles, but nothing to special. I still wanted to give this place a change because I found some cheap tickets with accommodation. I went for €230, – for 8 days with luggage included. Once I got there, it immediately felt like I was going to have a good time there and my feeling was right.

My friend and I rented a car and went to explore the island. Crete is the biggest island of Greece, so we did spend a lot of time in the car. But if you leave early, you will have a long day to explore.

We had the rental car for 6 days and saw so many beautiful places. Normally when I have seen something, it’s a check on my bucket list, but in Crete there are so many beautiful places that I want to visit again. I remember how overly excited I was when I saw the waterfalls at Kourtaliotiko or the bluest water I have ever seen at the beach of Istro. This place has so much to offer and is the perfect destination for adventurous people or people that want to have a cocktail in their hand and lay by the beach all day.

Want to know more about my trip to Crete? Also read my 7 Days in Crete itinerary

Lombok, Indonesia

Where do I begin? The endless palm trees, the beautiful sunsets, clear waters or the Gili Island. Lombok is a less known compared to Bali and that means less people, and if there is something that I like, it’s feeling like being one of the few tourists. Of course, it’s not as if Lombok is undiscovered because let’s be honest, this place is well known, but at some places you get it all to yourself and that is unique.

During my 3 weeks on Lombok, I did a lot of different things. I climbed an active volcano, went waterfall chasing, swam with turtles and took my first ever surfing lessons. However, on the third lesson I had a little accident with the board and broke my nose, but that is just a small detail. I still recommend you get on a board and catch some waves. Just make sure to cover your head when you fall of the surfing board.

When you’re in Lombok, make sure to visit the Gili Islands as well. During my trip through Indonesia, this felt like a mini vacation in between the wild and amazing adventures Lombok has to offer. Gili is a place where you can relax at the beach, swim with turtles or watch movies at a beach cinema.

Lake Bled, Slovenia

If you have read my ‘My travels in 2021’ blog you will know I made an unexpected stop at Lake Bled in Slovenia during my roadtrip from The Netherlands to Croatia. This place was supposed to be just a stopover and have some relaxing time here on our way back home.

To this day I am still bumped I didn’t know this place was this magical. It felt like a fairytale, and I wish I had more time to explore it. I hope to come back to this area of Slovenia and see what this place has to offer.

Komodo Boattrip, Indonesia

You ever get this feeling of intense happiness? Well, I had this feeling for straight four days once I set my foot on the boat that would take me from Lombok to Flores. With 30 people we left the harbor of Lombok and at this moment we didn’t know this was going to be an unforgettable adventure.

During these four days we had a connection with all the people, laughed at all the jokes being made, skinny-dipped at night, made a bonfire, saw some Komodo’s, swam at a pink beach and saw an exceptional sunset.

This trip made me realize that a group of strangers can be friends, even for only four days. We made this trip unforgettable by being ourselves and showing all the different cultures people have.

Nusa Penida, Indonesia

As you know by now, I really liked my time in Indonesia. However, there is this one place that can’t be missed on my ‘favorite places’ list and that is Nusa Penida, an island that belongs to Bali and can only be reached by boat. This island has some of the bluest waters you will ever see, beautiful hikes and feels like stepping into another world.

A place that left me speechless, and believe me that doesn’t happen a lot, was Diamond beach. Never in my life had I ever seen such blue waters. At the top of the stairs you have a view over the whole beach and after some climbing down you can take a swim in the sea. I remember how I didn’t want to leave this place, because I knew that it is going to be hard to find something like this ever again.

As you can see, I did not list them down from one to five. These places are my favorite ones, but they all differ from each other and can’t be compared. However, if I got the change to go back to some of the places I have been to, I want it to be to those five places because they felt so special, and I feel like I haven’t seen all of it or I just want to relive them.

What was your favorite place on this wonderful world?