Luxury Holiday Guide Blog
Destinations that are a cut above the restArchive for February, 2009
Travel and Leisure names top 10 Best New Hotels
Somehow, we managed to miss this interesting list from Travel and Leisure at the tail end of last year, where they have named their top 10 best new hotels of 2008. There are some extremely exciting looking locations on this list, has anyone managed to stay in any of these hotels yet? – let us know what you thought! The full list is as follows, click the link for the slideshow.
- Habita Monterrey, Mexico
- Mondrian, Miami
- Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus, Turkey
- Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai
- Xudum Delta Lodge, Botswana
- St. Regis Bali Resort, Indonesia
- Mandarin Oriental, Boston
- Mama Shelter, Paris
- Valle Perdido Wine Resort, Argentina
- W, Hong Kong
Our personal choices would be the Mondrian in Miami and a trip to the Xudum lodge in Botswana – that would certainly be a unique experience.
Scandinavian Travel Tips
Scandinavian Countries Explained
Here are some useful tips if you ever decide to go on a Scandinavian ferries cruise or if you ever step foot in any of the countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula. The true Nordic countries are Norway, Sweden and Denmark which recognize each other as parts of Scandinavia – which reflect the cultural similarity and history, Although the countries have their own independence they are proud of the Scandinavian heritage and are somewhat offended when other countries get mentioned to be part of the group. Sometimes Iceland, Faroe Islands and Finland are also mentioned of being part of Scandinavia.
Sweden, Finland and Norway is recognized as being Scandinavia in Germany while in Great Britain it is Sweden, Norway and Denmark that is recognized and often the likes of Iceland, Finland and even Greenland are often included as being part.
So the next time you are on a ferry trip to any of the main 3 Scandinavian countries beware these meanings are taken offense to quite often and especially the British terms of the district.
Killer whale Safari in Norway
Killer Whale Safari
Killer whale in Norway
Ever wanted to see the spectacular sea creatures the killer whale, well now is your chance and not only do you get the chance to spot the whales you are also helping out with our unique research by listening and recording the sounds, once on board the ship you will get an hour’s introduction about the whales and the research that we and our clients have been doing.
The whales only come to this stretch of water in the months of November through till January, there is 3 different packages available and the all depend on how brave you are, if you prefer to be at a safe distance then you would be better off traveling on our larger safari boat and if you are feeling a little braver then the best boat to travel in is the Zodiac boat, the zodiac is fitted with all the research equipment so if you want to help out the this is the best package for you, If you are a thrill seeker who is not afraid of the water then the kayak is the thing for you, fully kitted out with all the gear you could even dive in for a swim with the killer whales if you think you are brave enough, note when I mention the name killer whales might put you off swimming with them but they are very friendly towards humans.
Even if you don’t fancy the safari – the town of Lofoten offers exceptional scenery and is well worth the visit just to see the dramatic landscape.
UK Travellers face holiday habits scrutiny
UK Passports - Under the Spotlight
Are you heading on the holiday of a lifetime this year, or are you going on a few smaller trips?, perhaps to visit friends or family? Where are you going? How much did it cost and how did you pay for it?. If you think im being nosey, you better read on………………
An interesting travel story came to light this month, the importance of which seemed to get lost amongst news of the continuing economic problems.
Essentially, the UK government is compiling a massive database of all travel journeys taken from the UK. What this means is that each and every trip made from Britain by you and is going to be stored on computer records. That’s around 25 million flights, holidays, ferry and rail journeys over the next 10 years. The level of detail is where we got slightly worried – names, addresses, telephone numbers, seat reservations, itineraries and credit card details are all trackable elements. The UK government claim that this database is essential in order to effectively fight against illegal immigration, crime and terrorism. We would be slightly more confident if we we sure that this data is going to be completely secure and used for these noble purposes. We’ll be interested to see hope this story develops.
