There are enough snaps of sunsets in the world. So put down your camera, sit in stillness and just watch, says UV Editorial Director Ramsay Short. Here’s where!
It’s simple really. You could spend all your time as the sun goes down trying to frame the perfect photograph of the orange yellow globe sinking below the horizon on your smartphone or top-end digital camera and still end up failing. My advice? Don’t try to capture the magic at all. After all how many pictures of sunsets do we need? Think about it – watching that most breathtaking of daily earthly occurrences is one of life’s exceptional moments. Chill, reflect on the 24-hours just passed and consider what the next 24 will bring. Sunsets are a regular marker of time rolling by and if you were to reach the grand old age of 82, for example, you would have lived for about 30,000 of them. The key then is to make as many of them count as possible. So go somewhere special, witness a particularly spectacular sunset and truly enjoy the day’s end – without a camera.
Somewhere special like these five beautiful spots…
CADAQUES, COSTA BRAVA, SPAIN
It’s no wonder 75 or so artists live in the beautiful Spanish village of Cadaques: the light is spectacular. And the sunsets? Well you can imagine them but it’s better to see them. And see them from the pool at the fabulous waterfront Villa Dali (El Sol Villas).
Find out more here.
Pool with a view at Villa Dali, Cadaques
THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka has some of the most beautiful landscapes the world’s got to offer. And Adam’s Peak Holy Mountain in the World Heritage recognized Central Highlands is part of one such panorama. Sip tea or cocktails and watch the sun set below the peak and over the magnificent Castlereagh Lake from the comfort of a Sri Lanka Mountain Lodge (Global Nomad) on the edge of a tea plantation.
Find out more here.
Laze while the sun drops from sight over Castlereagh Lake
BOZEMAN, MONTANA, USA
Speaking of mountains, you could do a lot worse than to contemplate time and the setting sun with a view of the Rockies in and around the USA states of Wyoming and Montana. Get out that cigar, crack open the Bourbon and lean back in your rocking chair on the porch of Rocky Creek Ranch (Mountain Home) just outside the town of Bozeman to really enjoy this postcard view.
Find out more here.
Sip your drink, sit back and chew the cud in front of a live painting
AVLAKI BEACH, KASSIOPI PORT, CORFU
One of the prettiest Greek islands off the nation’s northwest coast in the Ionian Sea, defined by rugged mountains and silky, sandy-covered coves, bays and beaches, the particularly stunning Avlaki Beach has some of the best views in the world. Experience dusk here from Corfu CH (Five Star Greece) a luxury waterfront villa with the longest private pool in Greece.
Find out more here.
Could this be the best place to watch the sun go down in the world?
THE ALPS, LECH, AUSTRIA
There are many mountains in the Alps and many spots to watch the sun go down, all of which can be pretty spectacular. But seeing it sink below the peaks surrounding the town of Lech in the Oberlech region of Austria is particularly moving – especially from the privacy of Chalet Uberhaus’s (Ultimate Luxury Chalets) sleek sunken outdoor hot tub. This is where you’ll find us come January.
Find out more here.
Picture the view from the hot tub as night falls