OT - Ideas for New Year
May 17, 2005, 5:34 am
#1
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: SE1, London
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OT - Ideas for New Year
We saw in 2005 with a manically dancing transvestite Italian waiter. Tired of London's dull and unimaginative nightlife scene with have resolved to see in 2006 somewhere more interesting. Having run out of inspiration I thought I would seek some recommendations from the cognoscenti here on the BA board. Key criteria are:
Compact location, good bars and restaurants, an easy to access and enjoy New Year's eve celebration are all important, as is being somewhere with more to do than just drink. Previous years have seen us in Tallinn, St Petersburg and Krakow.
All suggestions welcome.
Compact location, good bars and restaurants, an easy to access and enjoy New Year's eve celebration are all important, as is being somewhere with more to do than just drink. Previous years have seen us in Tallinn, St Petersburg and Krakow.
All suggestions welcome.
May 17, 2005, 6:25 am
#3
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Edinburgh UK
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Dare I suggest it..........EDINBURGH!
Princes Street Party
The Fireworks
The Bands
Great pubs and restaurants
Winter Wonderland
Arthur's Seat
((Though don't mention the grotty weather and traffic chaos))
Princes Street Party
The Fireworks
The Bands
Great pubs and restaurants
Winter Wonderland
Arthur's Seat
((Though don't mention the grotty weather and traffic chaos))
May 17, 2005, 7:32 am
#4
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Cardiff, UK
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Las Vegas - although it can be quite chilly in December. 
Stay in the Bellagio and it will be guaranteed to be a great trip.
(I'm planning on New Year this year at the Wynn Las Vegas...
)
Stay in the Bellagio and it will be guaranteed to be a great trip.
(I'm planning on New Year this year at the Wynn Las Vegas...
)
May 17, 2005, 7:42 am
#5
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: SCL, MCT, LGW and a variety of 1W lounges in between.
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Heartily recommend (avoiding...)
I spend New Year at an Iberotel Hotel at Marsa Alam close to the airport (on the Red Sea in Egypt). If you are into diving, it is great. Err..
The New Year festivities were held in a marquee with me as a single British Male amongst lots of Italians, Germans and a few very odd Swiss.
The Tunisian dancers rendition of Riverdance has been with me ever since. My Psychiatrist has tried Electro-convulsive therapy but to no avail. You have been warned!
The New Year festivities were held in a marquee with me as a single British Male amongst lots of Italians, Germans and a few very odd Swiss.
The Tunisian dancers rendition of Riverdance has been with me ever since. My Psychiatrist has tried Electro-convulsive therapy but to no avail. You have been warned!
May 17, 2005, 7:49 am
#6
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: London, UK
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Swanhunter, there seems to be a theme to your previous celebrations and dare I suggest something along the same lines, namely PRG, which not only is a beautiful city, but does fulfil your criteria rather well. I did NYE there 2 years ago and despite being cold (obviously), was rather great. My favourite bar in Prague is, somewhat bizarrely, the converted tram cars in the middle of Wenceslas Square. It is tiny inside, not that comfortable and cramped, but there is NOTHING better than sitting in there when its -15C outside supping a Czech pilsener watching the world go by.
PRG gets a big ^ from me!
PRG gets a big ^ from me!
May 17, 2005, 8:19 am
#7
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: UK
Programs: BA & VS
Posts: 533
I also forgot to suggest the Gaslamp Quarter in San Deigo. Should be mild and everything is nice and compact there. SD is one of my fav places on the West Coast.
Check out www.gaslamp.org
Check out www.gaslamp.org
May 17, 2005, 9:05 am
#9
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Cardiff, UK
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Originally Posted by spotwelder
The Tunisian dancers rendition of Riverdance has been with me ever since. My Psychiatrist has tried Electro-convulsive therapy but to no avail.
Brilliant!
May 17, 2005, 9:16 am
#10
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Maine
Programs: AA Plat, FI Silver, DL alumnus
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Strap on your skis or snowshoes, pack a sleeping bag and a bottle of decent malt, and head into Ruighaiteachain Bothy in Glen Feshie, not far from Aviemore. A better Hogmanay experience you will not find anywhere 
. BA has a decent schedule from LGW into INV, but I would advise you take the morning departure out of LGW, so as have an hour or so of daylight left for the ski-in 
.
. BA has a decent schedule from LGW into INV, but I would advise you take the morning departure out of LGW, so as have an hour or so of daylight left for the ski-in .
May 17, 2005, 9:26 am
#11
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: AMS (SEA, JNB)
Programs: Mucci Reperateur des Coeurs Brises
Posts: 4,107
Although this is not quite along the lines of your requirements...
I spent last New Year's at Ponto do Oro in the southern tip of Mozambique, which is basically a colony of South Africa. The only way to get there is via a real 4x4 (not some yuppy X3), but once there it is a proper town with some nice lodgings (although not LHW obviously). It is a nice beach area with lots to do. You basically put on boardshorts, never change cloths again and get a fabulous tan while having fun. Around New Year's there was lots to do, lots of excellent DJs, reasonably good alcoholic beverages, fantastic seafood, dancing and partying on a typically idyllic and breathtaking Moz beach, and in the clubs, a plethora of very beautiful and joyous people... It seemed like lots of the youngish glitterati of Joburg was there. Anyway, a bit "out of the way" but it was fun nonetheless.
The year before I spent New Year's in the bush; no fireworks, no loud discjokies, just me and gf and another couple under the stars with a few bottles of methode cape classique. Very different, to be sure, ringing in the New Year with the only sound around you a distant lion growl and frogs.
Budapest is fabulous too. I would recommend staying at the Kempinski. Have had some great experiences there.
Otherwise something I have always wanted to do at New Year's was ring it in at a nice ski area, preferrably in Lech (Oberlech even better).
I spent last New Year's at Ponto do Oro in the southern tip of Mozambique, which is basically a colony of South Africa. The only way to get there is via a real 4x4 (not some yuppy X3), but once there it is a proper town with some nice lodgings (although not LHW obviously). It is a nice beach area with lots to do. You basically put on boardshorts, never change cloths again and get a fabulous tan while having fun. Around New Year's there was lots to do, lots of excellent DJs, reasonably good alcoholic beverages, fantastic seafood, dancing and partying on a typically idyllic and breathtaking Moz beach, and in the clubs, a plethora of very beautiful and joyous people... It seemed like lots of the youngish glitterati of Joburg was there. Anyway, a bit "out of the way" but it was fun nonetheless.
The year before I spent New Year's in the bush; no fireworks, no loud discjokies, just me and gf and another couple under the stars with a few bottles of methode cape classique. Very different, to be sure, ringing in the New Year with the only sound around you a distant lion growl and frogs.
Budapest is fabulous too. I would recommend staying at the Kempinski. Have had some great experiences there.
Otherwise something I have always wanted to do at New Year's was ring it in at a nice ski area, preferrably in Lech (Oberlech even better).
May 18, 2005, 8:05 am
#14
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,762
What an excellent question.
I've done Vilnius a few times for NYE and it's a great night - a bit like Tallinn I guess. The best was the big millennium one - rather scared off the UK by the 'it'll be 50-to-actually-get-into-a-taxi' thory I was rather pleased to find that the taxi from the town hall square (resplendant with the obligatory fireworks) to my preferred club across town cost all of 50p! Needless to say I was generous with my tip.
And to top it off BA have started VNO services again.
Another good choice for a European trip would be Plovdiv in Bulgaria. Much more compact that Sofia it's a cool place. There's soemthing of a dearth of scheduled flights though... but it's only a couple of hours from Sofia on the bus (somewhat less if you want to take your chances driving yourself!).
Prague. A bit too obvious me thinks - the 'chav quotient' is rapidly increasing. You may as well head to your local chav nightclub. 
Another great thing to do for a New Year is to forget the cities and bars - get yourself and some friends (a loved one is even better ) and head to some remote beach in some remote place (think Scottish Hishlands and Islands) and camp for the night.
For my NYE... well surely it must be better than last year. I was in China at the time, where NYE is a total non-event, and saw the clock chime 12 sat in a barbers chair having my hair cut.
I've done Vilnius a few times for NYE and it's a great night - a bit like Tallinn I guess. The best was the big millennium one - rather scared off the UK by the 'it'll be 50-to-actually-get-into-a-taxi' thory I was rather pleased to find that the taxi from the town hall square (resplendant with the obligatory fireworks) to my preferred club across town cost all of 50p! Needless to say I was generous with my tip.
And to top it off BA have started VNO services again.
Another good choice for a European trip would be Plovdiv in Bulgaria. Much more compact that Sofia it's a cool place. There's soemthing of a dearth of scheduled flights though... but it's only a couple of hours from Sofia on the bus (somewhat less if you want to take your chances driving yourself!).
Prague. A bit too obvious me thinks - the 'chav quotient' is rapidly increasing. You may as well head to your local chav nightclub.
Another great thing to do for a New Year is to forget the cities and bars - get yourself and some friends (a loved one is even better
) and head to some remote beach in some remote place (think Scottish Hishlands and Islands) and camp for the night.For my NYE... well surely it must be better than last year. I was in China at the time, where NYE is a total non-event, and saw the clock chime 12 sat in a barbers chair having my hair cut.
May 18, 2005, 8:18 am
#15
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: London, UK
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Originally Posted by phillipas
Prague. A bit too obvious me thinks - the 'chav quotient' is rapidly increasing. You may as well head to your local chav nightclub.
I had heard it was going this way, but didn't think it was too bad - certainly a couple of years ago it was OK. The main thing, I think, is that is it on the popular Stag Weekend trail (in fact I've gone there for a stag do as well myself). Although of course, you won't find many stag do's there over NYE.