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A Quick Guide to Colonial Williamsburg

Today's guest blog post is brought to you by Destination Travel Magazine. For more information on Colonial Williamsburg and other amazing travel articles, please visit the magazine website: Destinationstravelmagazine.com

Summer is the time for vacations, getaways and family travel. People are looking for s destination that ‘has it all.’ They are looking for one that offers something fun, entertaining, relaxing, and mind-restoring… something for everyone. Colonial Williamsburg, VA is one of those destinations. For families, it offers a wonderful variety of things to do and places to see.

Busch Gardens

For starters, it’s the home of Busch Gardens.

Voted the World’s Most Beautiful Theme Park for 21 years in a row, it has rides, attractions, shows, animal encounters, and great dining. New for Busch Gardens this year - Mäch Tower, a psychological tower thrill ride that lifts riders nearly 240 feet above Oktoberfest and drops them at breathtaking speeds.

 

Historic Colonial Williamsburg

And then there is its history. Colonial Williamsburg’s famed Historic Area, which is reportedly the “world’s largest living history museum.” where guests of all ages can experience what 18^th century life was like. Here visitors can walk through a historically authentic area, tour original and reconstructed, buildings, meeting reenacters of 18th-century celebrities like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Patrick Henry, and watching 18^th century trades people perform their tasks as they would have two hundred years ago.

History is Just The Beginning

But in Colonial Williamsburg, history is just the beginning.  For the golf enthusiast, there is the 45-hole Golden Horseshoe Golf Club. Guests can also relax poolside or grab a round of drinks and a bite to eat at one of their Clubhouse Grills. Don't play golf? Spa! The beautiful Spa of Colonial Williamsburg offers ‘century-inspired’ spa services from orange scrubs to microdermabrasion.

After Dark

Nighttime activities, include fine dining at one of the many restaurants and even enjoy beer gardens and barbecue. After dining, enjoy one of the many unique experiences to the area including cresset lighting, storytelling or musical performances.

So, if you are looking for a destination that has it all, you might consider Colonial Williamsburg. And, oh yes, it’s got history, too!

For more about Colonial Williamsburg, please click here

The True Beauty of Iceland

Julie Falconer is a London-based travel writer. To read more of her writing, visit her London travel blog and Europe travel website.

Twenty-four hour daylight is a phenomenon most places will never experience. But there are a few parts of the world that spend their summers drenched in sunshine, never letting the darkness fall. One such place is Iceland.

Icelandic summers are famous for their bright days and white nights. When I arrive in the country, the light of dawn is strong at 2 o’clock in the morning. It is amazing to witness firsthand.

But daylight in the middle of the night isn’t the only natural Icelandic phenomenon that inspires awe. No, the country is rife with them. First I visit the famous Gullfoss waterfall, its blue current crashing down two rock ledges with spectacular force. Nearby two giant glaciers dwarf the mighty mountains beneath them like stiff white waves rolling over tiny pebbles.

Then there are the geothermal gems of Iceland. The famous Strukker geyser erupts every 8 or 9 minutes, sending a gush of water 20 meters into the air. All around it are steaming hot springs and boiling, bubbling pools of water.

Above them is a hillside with views out across the green fields to the snowcapped mountains and volcanoes in the distance. The whole area feels like another planet; it is hard to believe I’m only three hours from London.

Speaking of cities, I travel to Reykjavik, one of the smallest capital cities I’ve been to. What it lacks in size, though, it makes up for in charm, cleanliness, and creativity. The brightly colored buildings with their corrugated metal walls are brilliant in the summer sun, and the simplicity of the architecture and design have an elegance all their own.

There is a cool freshness in the air as I walk past buzzing cafes, cutting-edge art galleries, and pristine ponds. Along the harbor sits a tall ship, and in front of it is a shiny new opera house encased in dark blue glass.

Iceland glows in the light of day, and in the light of night it continues to shine. I could explore forever, not held back by the rising and setting of the sun. But in a few months’ time the daylight will fade and endless night will take over. As the sun retreats below the horizon, I retreat home with the hope of returning again when the light comes back next year.

Cape Town – The mother city of Africa

Cape Town, South Africa, where to start? Well, firstly, CapeTown has recently been awarded the coveted title, as Trip Advisor number 1 destination in the World, for 2011. Anyone who has been to Cape Town will know that this is an achievement, which is certainly merited, however, they have had to fight an uphill battle to get here. With the “New South Africa” being just a clumsy 17-Year-old Adolescent, Cape Town has certainly come a long way in the past few years, helped along by the 2010 Fifa World Cup, and numerous other exciting events currently beingheld in the “Mother City.”

From a traveler’s point of view, Cape Town has everything one might wish for. Cape Town is blessed with an abundance of beauty in the form of mountains, oceans, beaches and wildlife. There are many opportunities to explore its beautiful natural attractions. And let’s not forget the diverse culture & history dating back to 1652. Table Mountain, Robben Island, and Cape Point are just a handful of local attractions to keep you busy whilst enjoying your time here.

As a visitor, the Atlantic Seaboard is a firm favorite destination within the Cape. With close proximity to the City Centre, Winelands, and Table Mountain, areas like Camps Bay, Bantry Bay, and Green Point draw tourists from across the globe. Camps Bay, with its well-earned reputation, as the St Tropez of the Cape is definitely the place to be on the Atlantic Seaboard. With some of South Africa’s finest blue flag beaches on its doorstep (Camps Bay, Bakoven & Clifton beaches) Camps Bay is home to luxury villas, boutique hotels, shops, restaurants and beaches. Camps Bay sits at the foot of Table Mountain with the mountain at its back, and the mighty Atlantic Ocean at its feet. The setting really is something to behold, and for this reason, Camps Bay is home to some of the priciest land on the African Continent!

As for accommodation in Cape Town, many of the big hotel chains are here. Holiday Inn, Best Western, Hilton, and Sun International are all based in and around the city center, with the Prestigious One & Only being based at the world renowned V&A Waterfront. Many smaller boutiqueofferings are to be found on the Atlantic Seaboard, and throughout the CityBowl. Aside from Hotels, Cape Town is home to a variety of fine self-catering establishments. Cape Town Holiday apartments are of a high standard, with daily servicing, high-speed Internet access, and sweeping views included as the general rule of thumb. City Centre apartments start from $30 – $40 per person per night, whilst Atlantic Seaboard apartments in Camps Bay & surrounds, start from $50 per person per night, up to $200 per person for the five and six star beachfront options.

Eating in Cape Town is another World Class experience, from the finest locally grown Wines, to some of the freshest Seafood you will ever eat. Most tastes are catered for in Cape Town, from French, Italian, Greek, Chinese, and Thai. South Africa has its own local flavors with exotic delicacies such as Warthog, Springbok & Crocodile being are offered in some of the more authentic local eateries.

Cape Town is said to be a European city in Africa, a far cryfrom its “real” African neighbors. With its cosmopolitan life styles, western influence and unrivalled beauty & vibe; more and more Americans & Europeans are starting to feel at home here, and it’s not hard to see why!

Author:

James Woolley is the founder of Cape Town holiday & accommodation guide www.cometocapetown.com James’ favorite destinations are Vancouver for its snowboarding, London for its shopping, and Thailand for its curries.

Tales from the Hostel: How Budget Travelling Can Get You Into the 4th Dimension

Please welcome guest blogger Anne-Laure Toullec MA Journalism at Hong Kong University, travel blogger at thefurther thebetter?

When you go travelling, the world is your oyster, you have no home and are free of all worries. Practically, you need a bed at night. Thank god for hostels ! But there is a bit of a trick there. See it’s an interesting reciepe (would I dare to say for disaster ?). Take a few travellers, some ready to paint the town red, some happy to read their lonely planet in bed after a hot cocoa. Then put them all together in the same room, more or less clean. Add a few (and more) drinks, hours of tiring journeys and different characters. Shake it all up. Here is your ready mix for some pretty special stories. I’m not going to lie, it mainly involves nakedness, alcohol and embarresent. But hey, that’s part of backpacking too isn’t it ?

There is someone naked in my bed 

Working at reception in a hostel gets you to deal with interesting situations. One morning a backpacker asked me if it was possible to get some new sheets I replied for sure, but why ?

-Well, there was a naked woman in my bed.

-Pardon ?

As I mentioned before you get very different people. Turned out that the naked woman had first of all visited the owner of the bed above and after some frolicking decided that in fact, it was far better to sleep in a fresh bed right there. 

A pair of clean sheets later and 5 more complaints for "loud romantic noises" during the night from the rest of the dorm, and everyone was fine.

 

 I locked myself out of my room in tiny boxers

You thought it was great that your hostel had really nice bar to party. But how would you feel if you had to walk through it at 2am only wearing boxers ? Well. What if you just locked yourself out of the room, went to the toilet and thought you would enjoyed  the dark corridors at night wearing nothing ? And what if  you finally realised that now you need to go down to reception to get a new key and therefore cross the entire hostel ? Always entertaining on a packed Saturday night.  Oh and don’t forget which room you are in. Because there is CCTV. We can see you wandering naked through the hostel trying to figure out  which door is yours.

Why can’t I bring back prostitutes

Sometimes it is not only a language barriers but serious mentality differences. No matter the nationality. But how do you explain to three drunk Polish backpackers that no, they can’t bring back prositutes. It went someone like this.

-          Why can’t they go with us ? We’ve paid for our beds and we’ve paid for her .

-          Can’t have people who are not guests in the hostel. Safety policy. Especially for illegal paid sex.

-          But it will be quick I only paid for an hour !

-          No !

-          Can’t we use the chill out room ?

-          NO ! !

-          The toilets ?

-          NOOO !

I could go on and on, but I think these three are fairly funny. So here is a few tips to get on with your dorm :

-Buy some pyjamas

-Stick to your own bed

-Keep your frolicking to a minimal noise

-Don’t bring back prostitutes.

 

Simple. Enjoy your travels.

Four Types of Cycling in Belize

Please welcome guest blogger from Lovingthebike.com

I have spent most of June chilling (and cycling) around the country of Belize. A lot of people have never heard of this place or know where it is, and those that have probably don’t think of cycling when they refer to the country. Little does the world know that cycling is huge over here….like a staple in the countries’ diet. Very cool.

That’s right, in Belize it’s definitely about more than just the bike. Over here, a bike is so much more than just two wheels on a frame…..and such an important ingredient to the daily lives of the people. The bike also means something different to everyone who lives here, and they each have their own reason for Loving the Bike. The bike serves many purposes, with the following being the most popular.

1. Transportation of People

The obvious purpose is transportation, but it becomes so much more than that. Of course there are countless people who have a bike as their only vehicle and rely on it to take them everywhere. It doesn’t matter if you’re a child, adult, policeman, or librarian….to many, the bike is all they’ve got.

But many of these people also have kids and they use that same bike to carry their children while they ride. Oh, and the chariots and bike trailers many of us are used to? That would be a total luxury ride over here. The way the kids ride with their parents is almost like a special skill acquired by the locals. As you can see in this photo, the kids straddle the cross tube as their Mom or Dad pedals the bike. I’m telling you man, these road here in Belize are far from smooth and I can’t even imagine bouncing around as my butt sits on a skinny metal tube. But they do it….and they do it for miles.

2. Transportation of Goods

Now when you think about hauling stuff with your bike, you probably think of a bike like an Xtracycle or pulling a utility trailer behind as you ride. Once again, those luxuries are not an option in Belize so the people have to get creative….and even downright crazy.

I’ve seen a few people cycling in Belize who have so many bags and things piled up on their bikes, that you can’t even see who’s riding. Yeah, when there is no other option these people find all kinds of ways to just make it work. Plants, garbage bags, racks, televisions…..yep, there’s nothing that a person won’t try to carry while riding their bikes in Belize.

3. Business

I find it very cool that many people use a bike for the purpose of business. They don’t have Petticabs like many of us have seen in North America, which is a very cool use of bikes to do business….but they do use them for a variety of money making opportunities.

One of the greatest uses I saw in Belize was the bicycle sno cone business. I think they actually called it shaved ice, but there were a bunch of people with these custom made bikes used to sell a nice cool treat to everyone around. You know I just had to get in there and give one of these bad boys a spin, right?

4. Competition

Ahhhh, then there is the good old use of bikes for competition. From what I’ve mentioned so far about how bikes are used in Belize, you’re probably thinking that they have some sort of funky way of racing over here as well. No way. Road cycling is huge in Belize, and the racing you’ll find is second to none.

Cycling is treated with respect in the country and the Belize Cycling Association does an incredible job of developing riders and putting on races. Just last weekend was the National Championship race which is only open to citizens of Belize. At other times of the year Belize holds races that are open to anyone who qualifies, with the annual Holy Saturday Cross Country Classic being the most popular. This is a 140 mile road race that brings competitors from around the world….and pretty much shuts down the country while it’s being held. They take their cycling seriously in Belize….and are cranking out some incredible riders.

Unfortunately the one thing I didn’t see a lot of in Belize is helmets. I’m used to seeing locals ride around on their cruisers without helmets, but I have never seen so many road bikers with nothing on their heads. During competition, they wear them but I saw countless cyclists out on training rides without helmets and it was such a strange site to see.

The roads of Belize (even the best ones) are nowhere near in the condition of those we’re used to in other parts of the world, but compared to other third world infrastructure I’ve ridden on, these are pretty darn good. Scary, but good.

I’m flying to Hong Kong Weather you like it or not!

Please welcome guest blogger Josh from The Architect of Adventure

“The Newark airport will be closed starting at 11pm Wednesday evening. It is not scheduled to open until 12pm Thursday.” Great. I fly to Hong Kong tomorrow and the Newark airport is closed. They are expecting Friday to be clear, but let’s be honest, it's the Northeast. And February.

Flight plan! Albany->D.C->Newark->Hong Kong. Go!

Albany, NY

No snow, no problems. Awesome

Washington D.C

I arrived to find my flight to Newark had been delayed 30 minutes. Ok, this isn't the end of the world. It's snowing outside, but I'm only pushed back 30 minutes. This is doable, but don't push it mother-nature. I’m warning you.

FINALLY we are on the plane. All we have to do now is run through the de-icer and we’re on our way! Wait? What? What's going on? It’s been an extra 30 minutes now. Why we still sitting in line for the de-icer?

And then came the voice from above:

"Well folks, if you are wondering why we are still waiting for the de-icer, we just got a call from Newark. They are completely shut down to incoming planes. We'll check back in a half an hour. Settle in and we'll hopefully get good news here shortly." My flight for Hong Kong leaves at 3:30! We better get good news in half an hour or I am going to be cursing mother-nature for all eternity! Luckily, only 15 minutes passed before we were informed Newark is open again and we can take-off. YES!

Newark, NJ

I am on the ground! With 45 minutes to spare! This might work out after all! All I have to do is catch a bus over to terminal C and I'll be on my way!

Still waiting

Ok people, it’s been 20 minutes, why are we still waiting for the bus? Where the heck is it! Time is ticking people! Let's get a move on!

On the bus

Wait, why are we stopping at terminal B? The bus said terminal C. Wait, we need to get off this bus and transfer to the bus over there? The one that already has too many people on it? Will we all fit? Time check: 15 minutes till departure. OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!

Terminal C

Running! So much running! Thank goodnes my suitcase has wheels. Time check: 7 minutes until departure! Come on legs! Move faster! Wait, there's the departure board. Oh my gosh, where the heck is Hong Kong. Wait! There it is! Hong Kong: delayed. Now departing at 4:05pm. Oh. Thank. God! I'm going to make it! PHEW! I tell ya, there is nothing more gratifying than leisurely strolling up to a crowded gate, sweaty, out of breath, and acting like this was the plan the whole time. Yeah. I like to travel. No big deal. If you thought airports were the boring part of the trip you obviously aren’t doing it right. Next stop Hong Kong!

Living the Renaissance Again and Again

Please welcome guest blogger Pamela Kelly Phillips from pkphillipsphotography.com

Everyone has a favorite place; a place where thoughts return when they have nowhere else to go.  There’s something about Florence that makes it that sort of special. 

Considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world, the love affair begins with a view of the Ponte delle Grazie Bridge, one of many classic bridges crossing the River Arno.  Very soon,one imaginesa different time and space, walking a similar path to the Great Masters; the likes of Leonardo and Michelangelo.  You can almost hear them disputing everything worthy of consideration under the watchful eyes of the Medici.

Somehow the shopping areas well-placed along the piazza do not seem to conflict with the antiquities though they will conflict with one’s purse-strings.  The finest in Italian leather can be found among the specialty shops just waiting for the willing visitor.  A moment or two of cappuccino (recurrent) sooths the budget and sets the stage for the immersion in Humanism and Intellectualism yet to come.  A statue of the poet Dante in the Piazza di Sante Croce offers initial indication of the significant contributions to the Renaissance that stem from this region, prominently highlighted in Painting, Sculpture and Literature.  

The Uffizi Gallery, old and famous, was constructed in the late 1500s and became a gathering place for the Renaissance man and his fascination with the Arts.  Today, modern Artisans, serve as creatively vivid memorials outside while Fine Art from the world’s most prestigious collections prominently displays within the galleries and surrounding sanctuaries.

I celebrated my birthday – we won’t say which one, at the Piazale Michelangelo, the place to capture excellent views of the city. A ‘people place’, there’s alwaysa celebration in progress or poised to happen.

As you can see, Florence can be a favored place for a memory of your choosing or to share one tucked neatly within its history.  But don’t take my word for it,consider it a contention worthy of further scrutiny through exploratory debate, a premise upon which Michelangelo and Leonardo might certainly agree.

 

Woooow – Outstanding low SUMMER prices

The summer is here and with this great prices we took care of the good old question “Can I afford it?”……What are you waiting for?

Studio Cordon,  $5000.00 pesos for 7 nights – Max 2 plus child
The one bedroom at Playa Royal $7000.00 pesos for 7 nights — Max 2 plus child
Vallarta Shores (One bedroom) will be $7000.00 pesos for 7 nights. – Max 4
Condo Connie $7000.00 pesos for 7 nights – Max 6
Condo Becky $7000.00 pesos for 7 nights – Max 6
Condo Penny $7000.00 pesos for 7 nights — Max 6

NOTE: Valid only for July & August Vacations.

Click HERE to contact us or call in Mexico 322-297-0139