Summer Holiday Tips

Upon being asked the question of where they would like to go on holiday many would say somewhere in a foreign country, and many of those would say somewhere hot, yet very few would say that they would like to go a few miles away or even leave the country and go somewhere cold, perhaps somewhere interesting. These kinds of people are becoming fewer and fewer.

I personally would have to say I am one of those few, when I go on a holiday I want to learn something, find out something or even do something new. I can relax, but just not very well as I can’t keep it up, I find it boring doing that, I go on a holiday to have fun, not just to lie around in the sun.

With these points in mind I have put together a list of holiday destinations I would be happy to visit, the list is as follows.

The first destination on my list is so obvious, you’ve probably already guessed it, I’m talking of course about Italy, a beautiful holiday destination with lots to offer. If you were to visit Italy then you would be literally indulged with choices of what you could do. If you wanted to visit a place of worship then you could go to one of Italy’s well known cathedrals.

Or for a real treat you could go and see the Pope, can you honestly say you could think of somewhere else where you could do that?. If that doesn’t sound that interesting then you could always take a Venetian gondola ride through the city of Venice, a time to be wowed by its beauty or even just to relax.

For more of Italy’s culture why not visit one of the many art galleries that the country has to offer, although if you really want to see something great, something that you can actually get up close to then why not give the leaning tower of Pisa a try, it’s true what they say you know, it really does lean.

The list goes on, and it’s not all views, Italy boasts lots of places to relax, lots of places to have fun including some great theme parks. I simply can’t give it the justice it deserves using words, so why not book a holiday to Italy now and you can do and see these things as well as many more of them, you won’t know how good it is until you’ve tried it.

The second destination on my list may strike you as a bit odd taking in mind what I started this article saying, but I hope to show you that it isn’t and that it really is worth checking out, I am talking of Greece, perhaps just as beautiful as Italy with it’s own unique culture. There is a quite frankly huge choice of things to do, with such attractions as windsurfing, photography, scuba diving, rock climbing, swimming and even festivals.

But if you want a holiday in Greece I heavily suggest you look into the islands around Greece as some of them are really nice, but once again don’t take my word for it, check it out for yourself.

The last destination on my list some would not really consider as a holiday destination, but if you are one of those people then you may just be missing out, the country I’m talking about is Australia, believe it or not Australia has an astonishing amount of things to do.

If you wanted something interesting to see then you could go a bit extreme with how you do it and get a hot air balloon ride, or if you want something refreshing you could go scuba diving or perhaps you could go sight seeing, Australia is huge and fun for all.

After reviewing these places I have made my choice, the question is, have you made yours?.

T.



By: Patrick Omari

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Barbados, with its fantastic tropical ambiance, is one of the top Caribbean holiday destinations with a high percentage of repeat clientele. Visitors almost unanimously praise the beautiful beaches with their powdery white coral sands and turquoise waters, the friendly and intelligent people, and the modern amenities on the island.

Whether you are looking for a holiday to just relax and keep busy doing nothing but lounging or planning an action packed holiday in the sun, Barbados can deliver. For those of you planning a quiet holiday there are plenty of hotels and apartment away from the traditional tourist areas where you can spend hours laying on the beach or go for a walk in lush tropical gardens, then there are the hotels situated in the heart of the tourist areas which are packed with restaurants, bars, waters sports centres, shopping and so much more.

Accommodation in Barbados is so varied, in price, size and type of accommodation that you are sure to find what you are looking for, these include bed & breakfast inns, apartments, resorts and hotels. There are also many all-inclusive hotels available on the island, both on the south and west coasts of the island. While there are always exceptions to the rule, the west coast of the island is where you will find most of the luxury hotels and resorts (leading the way is The Sandy Lane Hotel, which won top hotel in the world for 2007) and is well known as the playground of the rich and famous. The west coast also boasts some of the most beautiful villas and luxury homes on the island, which rival any featured on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and are available for holiday rental.

The south coast of the island is where you will find the more affordable accommodation although this is also where you will find the top rated luxury Crane Beach Hotel, which is situated on the famous Crane Beach, consistently rated as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Water sports activities available in Barbados are also numerous and include surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, windsurfing, kite surfing, water skiing sailing and parasailing among others. Most hotels either have there own water sports activities centre or are located near one, although it would be advisable to pre - book some activities with an online travel guide who can advise you of the best and most affordable activities available. You can also learn to surf, wind surf, kite surf and scuba dive while on the island.

Of course there is also plenty to do on land as well including tours, biking, hikes, historical sites, parks, gardens, caves, Golf, tennis, horseback riding and the list goes on, in fact there is so much to do and see in Barbados that you will not be able to do it all.

Nightlife in Barbados is also very busy and you can choose from restaurants, bars, nightclubs, dinner cruises, floor shows, movies (including a Drive-In). Restaurants on the island range from fast food to diamond rated with some of the finest chefs and ambiance to be found anywhere in the world. The nightlife in Barbados, unlike many places in the world, are patronized by an almost equal blend of visitors and locals eliminating the tourist trap feeling that you can feel in many tourist oriented countries.

The beaches on the island range from the breathtaking beauty of the hilly, less populated eastern and northern coasts with their lush, tropical vegetation and huge Atlantic waves crashing against the coastline to the ultra calm waters of the west coast and the relatively calm waters of the southern coastline.

While on vacation, shopping is a must and Barbados has many duty-free stores where you can save considerably on a wide variety of items ranging from top brands in perfume and clothing to Liquor and electronics.

With one of the best road systems in the Caribbean, transportation on the island is not a problem with Car Rental, Taxis, and public buses and for those who are so inclined bicycle rental available.

All things considered Barbados has everything that you could possibly want in a tropical holiday destination. Get ready to fall in love …… with Barbados.



By: emmlee

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While Barbados is considered by many to be a winter destination, and can see approximately seventy-five percent of its tourist arrivals during the winter months, the island can also be a highly desirable summer travel destination.

The average daytime temperature on Barbados is between 28 – 30 degrees celsius throughout the year. There are two major differences in temperature between the winter and summer months and that is the nights of the winter are considerably cooler than the summer months as the cold fronts from the north pass over the island and although the official daytime temperatures throughout the year change little, the summer months appear to be hotter because it is less breezy.

For those who have always dreamt of a Barbados holiday but always thought that it was out of their budget, summer is the perfect time to fulfill that dream.

Summer travel to Barbados can be considerably cheaper starting with airfare, as the airlines drop prices to fill flights. Hotels are greatly discounted at this time of year with some of them as much as fifty percent cheaper. While this may not apply to all, many of the smaller holiday apartments and guest houses may sometimes even drop their low summer rates even further for large groups or longer holiday periods. Car rental companies also offer special deals, either in the form of extra days thrown in or lower prices, you can pay the same price for a five day rental in summer as you would have paid for a three day rental in winter.

Watersports and other activities companies do not officially drop their rates but like the small apartments and guest houses, it is sometimes possible to negotiate cheaper rates for groups or booking multiple activities.

While the summer months are the official rainy season, the island still averages 9 hours of sunshine per day even then. Rain showers tend to be heavy and brief giving way to blue skies as suddenly as the showers appeared. Making days that start of dismal turn out bright and beautiful.

The official start of hurricane season is in June and it runs through November. While the hurricanes invariably travel through the Caribbean on their way westward, the individual chances of Barbados receiving a direct hit are small. Barbados has only suffered direct hits three times in over 170 years and has been brushed by the edges a few times. More often than not these brushes consist of heavy tropical showers and gusty winds, all in all less intense than a Florida thunderstorm.

Barbados is so far east that most of the systems that pass through the Caribbean have not had time to develop into hurricanes and they are so far south that those systems that do develop tend to travel north of the island and the rotation tends to give the system a northward track. While they are exceptions these tend to be extremely rare.

To put your mind at ease you can check the satellite maps of the Atlantic before your trip as these can show storms or waves in the Atlantic days before before they even reach the Caribbean.

It is amazing that visitors fear the Caribbean in the summer months for fear of a hurricane but will flock to Florida and Mexico that have a higher chance of being hit.

As this period is the low or off season a far as tourist arrivals go the island is more peaceful and there is less chance of the activity or event that you are interested in being sold out, with the exception of activities that facilitate smaller groups of people like surfing lessons and scuba trips which tend to have small groups, and can also make for a more enjoyable holiday.

In terms of people looking for a family holiday destination choosing Barbados is ideal with the beaches swarming with kids on summer vacation from schools as well as a higher number of kids related activities being offered including more kids oriented movies in the cinema and at the Drive In.

The ocean tends to be calmer and warmer in the summer months and this translates to better conditions for many watersports activities including surfing for beginners as well as scuba diving and snorkeling.



By: emmlee

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No other destination can compete with Entebbe Town holiday destinations in Uganda in terms of natural beauty and tranquil beaches. This tourist paradise has evolved with a unique multi-hued and distinctive lifestyle. Entebbe town Honeymoon offers world class stay at the beach resorts in Entebbe town and opportunity to enjoy the closeness to nature.

Plan a honeymoon tour to Entebbe, surrender yourself to the romantic aura alongside the beaches and give a perfect start to your married life. The scintillating combination of sun, sand and fresh water along with colourful festivals, delicious fresh water-food, exotic flora & fauna and a merry blend of Ugandan and British, together make Entebbe one of Uganda’s most romantic, stylish and exciting honeymoon destination.

Regardless of whether you are planning your honeymoon in summer, winter or monsoon- Entebbe is the perfect honeymoon destination as the weather is always pleasant and the romantic beaches will work magic on your marriage. For honeymooners, the best activities in Entebbe Uganda are strolling hand in hand down the beach, singing old songs to the beat of a strumming Ugandan guitar and dancing over the crashing waves.

Entebbe Beaches are known for their cosmopolitan and vibrant culture. These are dotted with a number of restaurants and are frequented for relaxing holidays, exciting water-sports, loud parties, night-camping and exotic food variety.



Shopping in Entebbe town The handicrafts of Entebbe town play a vital role in Entebbe tourism as well as contribute to the livelihood of the local artisans. The Entebbe Handicrafts, Rural & Small Scale Industries Development Corporation (EHRSSIDC) encourages and promotes the handicrafts like basketry, pottery, wood carving and others

Luxurious and middle class Accommodation in Entebbe town in Uganda For your most adventurous, enticing and fascinating holidays around the waters, Entebbe town in Uganda offers a wide choice of hotels and beach resorts. These Lave Victoria-facing hotels offer divine scenic beauty, different kinds of recreational activities like (spa, sauna,), assistance for water sports activities multi-cuisine restaurants, and live art-dance performances in the evenings.



By: Twinomugisha Charles

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A perfect rewarding lifestyle can be defined with three words Health – Happiness and Holidays. If you have your health then you are happy – if there is happiness in your life then you are happy and when have you ever seen any one going on holiday not happy.

So if it is happiness you seek then start packing those – let us get away from it all clothes. Depending on your budget, the choice of what you think will be your Ideal Holiday Destination is entirely up to you. Always remember when booking a holiday for the first time is to consider the needs of others travelling with you. If this is a family holiday then you have to keep the kiddies happily occupied – sometimes the glorious golden sands and azure Blue Ocean is never enough for children. When making a reservation at your Ideal Holiday destination is to be sure to check out the facilities on offer from the hotel.

Hotels with child play groups are the best options for both the kiddies and the parents – mums and dads can have a break while the kiddies playgroup provides the entertainment for bored children.

By opting for a holiday hotel with amenities as such will give mummy and daddy a little time to themselves to relax while sipping a cocktail. Knowing the children are safe and well supervised will give the parents peace of mind thus encouraging them to enjoy the holiday even more. If your Ideal Holiday Destination accommodation meets with all your needs and has everything you could possibly want from a vacation then book early because this destination may also be a million of other familiies ideal choice also.

Sun protection is the number one priority where children are concerned as well as the adults – be sure to fully cream the child up from head to toe before a day out on the beach or before any daytime activity like a day at a water park, out shopping or even a stroll along the promenade. Protection for the head is best if the child wears a cap or hat. Sometimes parents struggle to get the kids to wear head wear but if you make the first day of your holiday a fun spree shopping event and let the kiddies choose for themselves – you may find that their hand picked holiday hat or cap will never be off the head and in some cases even when they go to bed.

An Ideal Holiday Destination for kiddies should have a safe beach – action packed entertainment – hotel swimming pool – water parks – daytime and evening activities – water rowing boats – burger bars and theme parks. Well this is all well and good if this is your first family holiday and you are not familiar with what destination will have at least one of these facilities. Why settle for one of the above when you can have them all at the Ideal Holiday Destination – namely Benidorm.



By: Maisy Day

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Where Croatia’s northwest coast meets Slovenia, a triangular shaped peninsula juts out into the Adriatic. This is the beautiful region known as, Istria. Historically, Istria has shifted back and forth from Venetian to Croatian rule and it still has a significant Italian-speaking population, a fact highlighted by the dual language road signs. Many of its historic buildings reveal Venetian style architecture. Add the piazzas, pizzas, local ice cream and superb Istrian wine to this Italianesque atmosphere and it is little wonder that some travel writers have dubbed parts of the Istrian hinterland as “The New Tuscany”.

Istria has been a popular holiday destination since the sixties, especially with tourists from Austria, Germany and the U.K. The climate of the coastal areas is very much a Mediterranean one, providing warm sunny weather throughout June, July and August. Package tour holidays have made their impact in one or two coastal towns but on the whole Istria remains an unspoilt gem, which appeals mainly to independent travellers.

Away from the coast, the landscape of vineyards and rolling hills that are often topped with pretty little towns, does indeed have all the looks of Tuscan scenery. But the comparison does not stop at appearances. Many of the vineyards produce wines of Tuscan standard and the world’s finest truffles are to be found growing in the woodlands.

The only city in Istria is Pula. At first glance, you might be tempted to write it off as a ramshackle port, devoid of any charm or beauty. This is a pity as Pula has a wealth of Roman history to reveal. Its amphitheatre is the largest Roman arena still standing, anywhere in the world and it is more than just a museum to ancient gladiatorial spectacles. In fact, it is regularly used on summer nights for both classical and pop music concerts when up to 23,000 people pack into the seats once occupied by Romans.

Pula’s amphitheatre is only the beginning of Pula’s Roman treasures however. The Archaeological museum displays many artefacts from Roman times and the Triumphal Arch of Sergius is another well preserved Roman monument that has been standing in Pula for nearly 2000 years. In the Roman Forum you will also find the Temple of Augustus which dates from the first century and still has intact columns.

Rovinj is the most attractive town on the Istrian coast. Its Venetian appearance is underlined by the number of Italian speaking inhabitants and excellent Italian restaurants. After a day spent on one of the beautiful beaches in the area, Rovinj is just the place to spend a summer evening.

For a major tourist resort that has attracted the package tour holiday crowds, Porec is still worth a visit for its well-preserved Roman streets and compelling old town. There is no shortage of bars, restaurants, hotels and things to do in this very tourist conscious town.

Tranquillity and quiet are never far away from even the busiest of Istrian resorts however, and the whole coastline is dotted with small islands, peaceful bays, and secluded beaches. Hidden coves with sparking, white pebbles dazzle and invite naturists to skinny dip in a crystal clear sea. Larger bays and flat platforms of rock provide idyllic spots from which sunbathers can lay back and apply copious amounts of factor thirty whilst listening to the mixed sounds of gently lapping waves, birdsong and cicadas. The many walking trails around pine-fringed inlets, lagoons and through beautiful woodland offer naturalists opportunities to observe rare and diverse specimens of flora and fauna.

Holiday destinations in Istria are easy to get to with cheap flights to Pula and other airports in the region being available from several U.K. airports including Gatwick and Stanstead. These flights can be booked on line. As well as cheap flight offers, there are many Internet sites advertising accommodation throughout the Istrian peninsula and especially around the coastal resorts.



By: Stewart Palmer

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The Greek island of Crete was the home of the Minoans, an ancient civilisation who preceded even the ancient Greeks. The Minoan civilisation is in fact the oldest of all European civilisations and was the first to use a written language. Considering that Minoan palaces on Crete were built 4000 years ago and devastated when the Greek Island of Santorini erupted 3600 years ago, it is surprising that so much of them still remains.

A travel tip for finding a holiday destination in Crete that combines the best in beach vacations with the exploration of three Minoan palaces, is to stay in the resort of Matala. Matala was just a sleepy fishing village, that very few Non-Cretans had visited until it was discovered by groups of hippies in the 60’s. Stories, claiming that Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger were amongst those who set up home in the caves that surround Matala are probably untrue. Much more likely candidates for Matala’s famous “hippie” visitors are Donovan Leitch, Cat Stevens, and possibly Joni Mitchell. If so they would have arrived having undertaken a long journey over mule track, mountain passes to get there, as this was then the only way to reach Matala. These days the road from Heraklion airport is an easy drive by car, taxi or bus.

Just a short walk, along the coast from Matala you will come across an area of excavation where remains of a Minoan port have been discovered. This is at the beginning of Komos Beach, a beautiful place to find secluded spots for sunbathing and swimming. A few kilometres inland from here is Agia Triada, the site of the Minoan’s summer palace.

Agia Triada is situated on a hillside, looking out towards the Bay of Mesaras. It is the least visited of the Minoan palaces, making its exploration even more enjoyable. Four thousand years ago, the sea would have been closer, so the palace must have been dramatically sited, probably perched on a cliff top, overlooking the sea. Some of the finest remains of Minoan art ever found were unearthed from this site. They are on display in the Heraklion archaeological museum (see below) and include a sarcophagus depicting a Minoan burial procession.

Just a few more kilometres inland is the palace of Faistos. This is a much more popular tourist attraction and you will need to purchase a ticket to enter. The original palace of Faistos was built nearly four thousand years ago in 1900 B.C. but this was replaced by a much grander palace around two hundred years later. The leaflet provided with the entrance ticket does not make easy reading and fails to do justice to this magnificent archaeological site. The leaflet does however succeed in drawing the visitors attention to what is probably the most striking example of just how advanced Minoan civilisation was. It points out the remains of a plumbing system that included flush toilets. The irony of distant ancestors of modern day Greeks having invented flush toilets is rarely lost on tourists staying on Greek Islands!

The major Minoan site in Crete is the palace of Knosos which is situated five kilometres from Heraklion, making it the furthest of the sites from Matala. The best travel tip for anyone staying in Matala is to make the visit to Knosos part of a full day excursion to Heraklion and allow time to include the Heraklion Archaeological museum where you will be able to see the many artefacts that were dug up from the three Minoan sites you have visited.

Knosos is where Minoan civilisation grew and flourished. It was the largest and most important of the palaces in Crete. As such, you can expect Knosos to be crowded with tourists throughout the holiday season. An estimated average of four thousand per day arrive by the coach-load from every holiday resort, all over Crete. Because of this large number of visitors, raised walkways have been erected around the palace to protect it. Much of what you see is a reconstruction but it is done in a way that raises your awareness of just how magnificent the palace must have been when the Minoan kings reigned. The supposedly, mythological King Minos may have been one such king, although it is more likely that “Minos” was the generic Minoan word for king. Either way, thinking about the myth of the Theseus defeating the Minotaur at the centre of a labyrinth, hidden deep below the palace, just adds to the enjoyment of the tour.

Getting back to Matala, after the crowds of Knosos is a relaxing experience. You will probably want to chill out at a bar overlooking the sea and with the help of a beer, chased down by a complimentary glass of Raki - “Cretan Firewater” - you may even be able to visualise a treasure laden Minoan ship on its way back form Egypt sailing into the bay below.



By: Stewart Palmer

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