I haven't been on a real vacation in a while. I have, actually, but going on vacation with my two small children hardly qualifies-by the time the vacation's over I'm so beat I can't wait to get back to work. But my wife and I are getting ready for a big vacation again, just the two of us, for up to a week. We can't decide where to go, though. It's like Disney World turned our brains to mush.

So, I ask you: What was your best ever vacation? Where did you go? What did you do that absolutely anyone visiting that place should do? Or what was the serendipitous event that made it so special? I know this isn't exactly a personal finance topic, but since vacations cost money, I've decided it qualifies. If you'd like to keep the financial perspective in mind, what was your best vacation in terms of the deal you got, either in airfare/accommodations or in the fact that the place was super cheap while also being a cool place to visit?

I've had a lot of nice vacations in the past, but I think my favorite was Italy. I'm a big Ancient history fan, so seeing all the Roman ruins was cool. If you've never been to Rome, the train line has a Colisseum stop-you step off the train, go up the steps and there's the freaking Colisseum staring you in the face across the street. Rome is cool because it has all the ancient stuff but it's such a modern city. That road in front of the Colisseum is BUSY; you gotta watch yourself lest a Vespa knock you flat. All sorts of other neat stuff in Italy, too. We rented a car and saw quite a few different cities, I'd highly recommend that everyone go at least once in their life. It's not a cheap trip, but you can do it without totally breaking your budget. I've known plenty of people that have done it on the super cheap.

So, spill it. Where did you go and what did you do on your best vacation ever?