Charleston Named # 2 Best U.S. City to Visit!

Serious travelers pinpoint their favorite spots
Condé Nast Traveler announces winners of its Readers’ Choice Awards
By Laura T. Coffey
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 10:12 a.m. ET, Thurs., Oct. 16, 2008

Take it from thousands of avid travelers out there: They’ve left their hearts in San Francisco, their minds in Salzburg and their loyalties with an entirely new airline.

Those are just some of the details to emerge from Condé Nast Traveler’s annual Readers’ Choice Survey, which polled 32,633 travelers about their favorite cities, cruise lines, airlines, hotels and resorts worldwide.

The full Readers’ Choice Awards, to be featured in the magazine’s November issue, essentially provide a roadmap of cities to visit, places to stay and smart ways to travel if you don’t have the time or energy to have your expectations dashed during your next break from work.

Granted, readers shared their most cherished recommendations a few months ago, before bleak economic news began dominating headlines and many people started curtailing their travel plans. Nevertheless, the survey results are telling, said Kate Maxwell, a senior editor for Condé Nast Traveler.

“People believe that travel is really something of a right these days,” Maxwell said. “It’s important to people and it can be the highlight of their year. These results show they really feel strongly about it.”

Here are a few highlights from the awards, which are now in their 21st year:

Charleston, S.C., beat New York City out of the number 2 spot for best U.S. city to visit.  San Francisco remained number 1 and New York City fell to number 3.
San Francisco won the top U.S. city designation for the 16th consecutive year.
Virgin America, a new airline that launched in August 2007, was named the best U.S. domestic airline. JetBlue Airways grabbed the number 2 spot.
For the 19th time, Singapore Airlines was named the number 1 international route airline.
In the ranking of the best European cities, Florence took the top spot for the fifth year in a row, Rome ranked second and Salzburg and Venice tied for third place. The Austrian birthplace of Mozart scored well for its ambiance and cultural sites and landed its highest ranking ever this year.
Prague reappeared on this year’s list of top 10 European cities after a four-year absence.
Damascus, Syria stayed near the top of the list of best cities in the Africa/Middle East category after climbing up the list last year.
And here is a list of this year’s top award winners in each category:

Top Cities — United States:

San Francisco
Charleston, S.C.
New York City

Top Cities — Europe:
Florence, Italy
Rome, Italy
Salzburg, Austria and Venice, Italy
Top Cities — Asia:
Bangkok, Thailand
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Hong Kong

Top Cities — Africa/Middle East:
Cape Town, South Africa
Jerusalem
Damascus

Top Cities — The Americas
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Vancouver, British Columbia
Quebec City, Quebec

Top Cities — Australia/Pacific:
Sydney, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
Queenstown, New Zealand Top Hotels — Southern Europe:
Il Pellicano, Tuscany, Italy
Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris
Il San Pietro di Positano, Positano, Italy

Top Hotels — United States:
The Peninsula, Chicago
Elizabeth Pointe Lodge, Amelia Island, Fla.
Stephanie Inn, Cannon Beach, Ore.

Top Hotels — Canada:
Hotel Grand Pacific, Victoria
Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City
Sooke Harbour House, Sooke, Vancouver Island

Top Hotels — Asia:
Oberoi Udaivilas, Rajasthan, India
Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, India
The Peninsula, Hong Kong
 
Top Hotels — Africa:
Cape Grace, Cape Town
Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, Cape Town
Table Bay Hotel, Cape Town

Top Hotels — Caribbean/Atlantic:
Hotel Saint-Barth Isle de France, St. Barts
Eden Rock, St. Barts
Le Toiny, St. Barts

Top Hotels — Middle East:
David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem
Four Seasons Hotel Doha, Qatar
Four Seasons Hotel Amman, Jordan

Top Hotels — Northern Europe:
Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, Budapest, Hungary
Ritz-Carlton, Berlin, Germany
Brenner’s Park-Hotel & Spa, Baden-Baden, Germany

Top Hotels — Mexico:
Casa Natalia, San Jose del Cabo
Hotel at Esperanza, Cabo San Lucas
Las Mananitas, Cuernavaca

Top Hotels — British Isles:
Milestone Hotel, London
Lower Slaughter Manor, Cotswolds
Chewton Glen, Hampshire

Top Hotels — Australia/Pacific:
Henry Jones Art Hotel, Hobart, Tasmania
Park Hyatt, Sydney
The Westin, Melbourne

Top Hotels — South America:
Hotel Monasterio, Cuzco, Peru
Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires, Argentina
Alvear Palace Hotel, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Top Hotels — Central America
Hotel Casa Santo Domingo, Antigua, Guatemala
Lapa Rios Ecolodge, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
Porta Hotel Antigua, Guatemala

Top Islands — Caribbean/Atlantic:
Bermuda
St. John
St. Barts

Top Islands — Pacific:
Maui
Kauai
Bora Bora

Top Islands — Asia/Indian Ocean:
Maldives
Bali
Phuket

Top Islands — North America:
Vancouver Island
Kiawah, S.C.
Nantucket, Mass.

Top Islands — Europe:
Mykonos and the Cyclades
Capri
Sicily

Top Resorts — Asia:
Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Chiang Rai, Thailand
Oberoi Vanyavilas, Rajasthan, India
Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan

Top Resorts — Mexico:
1. One & Only Palmilla, Los Cabos and The Tides, Riviera Maya
3. JW Marriott Resort & Spa, Cancun

Top Resorts — Africa:
Mombo and Little Mombo Camps, Moremi, Botswana
Grande Roche, Paarl, South Africa
Jao Camp, Okavango Delta, Botswana

Top Resorts — Europe:
Penha Longa Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort, Sintra, Portugal
Ashford Castle, Co. Mayo, Ireland
Convento do Espinheiro Hotel & Spa, Evora, Portugal

Top Resorts — Hawaii:
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Big Island
Four Seasons Resort Lana’i, The Lodge at Koele

Top Resorts — Atlantic Ocean:
One & Only Ocean Club, Bahamas
Pink Sands, Bahamas
The Reefs, Bermuda

Top Resorts — Middle East:
Burj Al Arab, Dubai
One & Only Royal Mirage, Dubai
Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai

Top Resorts — Australia/Pacific:
Hotel Bora Bora
Huka Lodge, Taupo, New Zealand
Le Meridien Bora Bora

Top Resorts — Mainland U.S.:
Kenwood Inn and Spa, Sonoma County, Calif.
Inn at Thorn Hill & Spa, Jackson Village, N.H.
Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, S.C.

Top Resorts — Canada:
King Pacific Lodge, Princess Royal Island
Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino, Vancouver Island
Long Beach Lodge Resort, Tofino, Vancouver Island

Top Resorts — Caribbean:
Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman
Curtain Bluff, Antigua
Petit St. Vincent Resort, Grenadines

Top Resorts — Central/South America:
Hotel Punta Islita, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Hotel Salto Chico, Patagonia, Chile
Four Seasons Resort Carmelo, Uruguay

Top Cruise Lines — Large Ships:
Crystal Cruise Line
Regent Seven Seas
Disney Cruise Line

Top Cruise Lines — Small Ships:
Seabourn Cruise Line
Regent Seven Seas
SeaDream Yacht Club

Top Airlines — International Routes:
Singapore Airlines
Emirates
Virgin Atlantic

Top Airlines — Domestic Routes:
Virgin America
JetBlue Airways
Midwest Airlines

Top Airlines — Foreign-Only Routes:
SilkAir
Jet Airways
Air Iceland

Top Car Rental Agencies:
Hertz
Enterprise
Avis

Information From: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/27208753/