Where to celebrate a milestone anniversary

Travel is a great way to mark a milestone anniversary; with no pressure to entertain, it’s a chance to get away, re-boot and create lots of new memories.

So, whether you’ve landed your dream job and have some time off before work starts, have a baby on the way or have just retired, these destinations are the very best places to reward yourself with a celebratory, milestone holiday.

Birthday in Oia, Greece

Watching the sunset or sunrise over the island of Santorini’s caldera is an unforgettable way to celebrate your birthday. After a volcanic eruption in the 16th century BC, half of the island submerged in the sea, creating an enormous sea-filled crater which glistens gold as the sun goes down. Have a special dinner in the town of Oia at the acclaimed restaurant, Ambrosia, where the terrace juts out to make you feel like you’re dining while floating on the caldera. Oia Castle is another great spot for sunset views, or you can stay up all night and welcome the sun rise over the clusters of whitewashed, cube-shaped houses. Stay at Canaves Oia Suites & Spa, a hotel in Oia built into a cliff overlooking the caldera.

Dream job in Dharamsala, India

If you’ve got a break between jobs (or for your first holiday in a new job), Dharamsala provides the ultimate time out. A contrast to much of India, this misty mountain city is the home to the Dalai Lama and a population of Tibetans exiled from China. With its ubiquitous faded prayer flags, prayer wheels and the sound of chirping birds, Dharamsala embodies a meditative calm. Wander the marketplace picking up artisanal Tibetan souvenirs and hike up to the village of Mcleodganj, where you’ll find waterfalls, glorious Himalayan panoramas and laid-back cafés. A popular establishment, the Green Hotel, keeps piles of books to read, sofas to lounge on and a terrace to watch the world go by.

Anniversary in Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen is regularly voted as the happiest city of the world, looks exactly how you’d imagine a Hans Christian Andersen story, and embodies Danish design. It’s a great destination for romance and fine dining, anniversary-style. The many cafés are a testament to the city’s industrial-chic, minimalist Scandi style; head to the Vesterbro district for the most fashionable and high-quality coffee. Hire a bike via Copenhagen’s Bycyklen rented bike scheme for easy exploration of the cobbled streets, then have an evening meal at Cap Horn; an unpretentious but infinitely impressive restaurant that upholds the Danish tradition of organic produce and freshly-caught fish. Check into 71 Nyhavn Hotel, a minimalist, Scandi-style hotel warmed by tan leather and dark wooden tones, just 3-minutes’ walk from Cap Horn.

Honeymoon in El Nido, Philippines

The settlement of El Nido on Palawan island is still just about unknown enough to offer seclusion in paradise, with all the white sand, coral reef and palm trees. It’s also handily-located for exploring the surrounding archipelago, including Entalula Island, Big and Small Lagoon, Shimizu Island and Dilumacad Island, featuring magical dive sites where you can swim with turtles and sharks, underwater caverns and beautiful sunbathing spots. Check into a romantic suite right on the beach at Vellago Resort, where candlelit evenings on the hotel’s isolated sandy cove and outdoor bath tubs are the norm.

Babymoon in La Digue, Seychelles

To bask in your last few months of peace and sleep, La Digue is pure, unadulterated tranquility. The third largest island in the Seychelles, it still only has a few thousand residents and a refreshingly-slow pace of life. For active babymooners, you can take a cycling tour around the vanilla plantations, hike and, kayak; or if you simply want to relish the relaxation, take an extended fresh banana and papaya breakfast on the sun deck of your beachside accommodation, looking out onto the calm bays peppered with granite rocks, and azure waters. In a tropical garden on the island of La Digue, Domaine Les Rochers has luxurious bungalows with furnished verandahs to put your feet up after a gruelling day at the beach (150 metres away).

Retirement in Mo’orea, French Polynesia

After a few decades of hard grafting, you deserve a treat and the South Pacific island of Mo’orea, often overlooked in favour of Bora Bora and her other Tahitian neighbours, is a paradisiacal place to raise a toast to your career. The island’s landscape makes it hard to believe it’s not photoshopped, with green, volcanic cliffs, rainforest, a huge lagoon hugging the island and sandy beaches galore. Snorkel in the Lagoonarium de Mo’orea, a protected part of water where you can swim with sharks, stingrays and vast schools of vividly-coloured fish. Or you can hike up one of the island’s eight different peaks, like the Jurassic Park-esque, mighty Bali Hai mountain, or to Belvedere Lookout for exceptional views, or follow a hiking trail through the jungle looking for hidden cascades amid the trees. Seeing as you won’t have to go back to work, talking yourself into leaving will be extra hard, particularly if you stay at the dreamy Moorea Beach Lodge.