Tunbridge Wells is the only spa town in the South East of England, and is immensely proud of its rich heritage, with visitors still able to enjoy the spring water once enjoyed by Queen Anne, Queen Victoria, Samuel Pepys and Daniel Defoe over the last 400 years. The area is also a hotspot for those looking to stay and relax in a spa hotel. Tunbridge Wells offers a unique blend of relaxation, style and history and will continue to prove popular with those looking to spoil themselves and indulge in a bit of luxurious relaxation.

Catering mostly for the higher end traveller, Marbella and cruise passengers seem like the ideal match and the towns famous Puerto Banus luxury shopping district will hold a lot of interest for those looking for an expensive souvenir. The area offers an extensive range of luxury hotels and is a popular hangout for celebrities and the rich and famous, and is also a golf haven with several high end courses nearby. It seems this is set to continue well into the future following the investment from Qatar, and could end up being an even more exclusive resort than it already is.

This year, Tallinn has been chosen as one of the European Capital of Culture cities. Every year, cities are chosen to host a range of cultural events which allows the city to draw many new visitors and allows it to showcase all it has to offer.

Tallinn is a mixture of both old and new towns. The old town was built up in the 13th century and is one of city’s biggest tourist draws. Twisty cobblestone lanes with old style iron street lamps lead you around past gothic designed buildings and medieval churches, surrounded by a city wall, still with guard towers. Here you can find such tourist spots as the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and St. Catherine’s Passage.

In the more modern part of Tallinn, Freedom Square, the Kumu Art Museum and Rotermann Quarter can be found. The Rotermman Quarter used to be an old industrial complex but has under gone extensive renovation to help bring Tallinn into the 21st century. The area now has its own trendy shopping centre and plays host to many cultural festivals throughout the year.

Ramada London Gatwick Hotel
The Ramada London Gatwick Hotel in Crawley is two miles from the city centre and is located three miles away from Gatwick Airports South Terminal. A local bus service operates between the hotel and airport costing £3 per person each way. Rooms in the hotel are all non smoking with flat screen TVs and en suite bathrooms as standard. Enjoy fine dining at the Gatwick hotels Arts restaurant or a relaxing drink in the Club Bar. There is a fitness centre available to guests who like to keep fit.

Mercure Gatwick Hotel
The Mercure London Gatwick Airport Hotel is just a short journey from the Gatwick Airport via the hotels regular shuttle service. The hotel has two restaurants, with the Pavillion Steakhouse offering an international menu and the L’Olivo is an Italian style restaurant. Guests can get a good work out in the hotels fitness centre or take a dip in the 10m heated swimming pool. Those looking to slow the pace down can head to the Atlas Bar, which is open 24 hours, for a relaxing drink.

Hilton London Gatwick Airport Hotel
The Hilton London Gatwick Airport Hotel is the only hotel linked to Gatwicks South Terminal by a covered walkway. The North Terminal can be reached by a short journey via a free shuttle service.Central London is just 30 minutes away. Direct trains operate from the airport train station to London Victoria. There is plenty to do in the hotel itself with 2 bars, a 24 hour fitness centre and a coffee shop to keep you entertained. The hotel has 2 restaurants with Amys Restaurant offering modern, fine dining whilst The Garden Restaurant provides a more casual buffet style dining. The hotel also offers inclusive airport parking for pre booked guests.

Sofitel London Gatwick Hotel
The Sofitel  London Gatwick Hotel is linked to Gatwick Airports North Terminal by a short, covered walkway. The hotel boasts non smoking, air conditioned rooms with spacious en suite bathrooms and satellite TV. The hotel has three restaurants to cater for whatever dining suits your mood with dishes from the Far East and Europe on the menu. The two bars in the hotel both offer a relaxing atmosphere where you can enjoy cocktails and light snacks.

Hogmanay breaks in Edinburgh have become a massive tradition, the celebrations in Princes Street have grown in stature, even if the weather can sometimes be what you should expect at that time of year, but sometimes it can be very mild too. And if you wrap up well enough then it doesn’t matter how cold it is the camaraderie, the fireworks and a little glass of scotch whisky will help you through the night.

But if you really wish there are several taverns & hotels along Princes Street where you can sit inside with a glass in hand, and enjoy the whole spectacle with the comfort of a roaring fire and your family in nice warm surroundings. Afterwards you can toddle off to bed looking forward to a great new year.

Edinburgh is the place to be at Hogmanay.

Another great place is the new British Library Buildings in St Pancras, one of few copyright libraries in the UK this also has an immense collection of publications and other source material documenting on almost every facet of British [and further afield] history, culture, sport, life, it is well worth a whole day in my opinion.

For those who are not quite as fond of books as me another way to spend a great day in London and not have to spend a single penny is to visit one of London’s many parks, they are all over London, and again maintained by the local authorities, and therefore are open to the public all year long.

But in order to enjoy the benefits of all these free things you have to find a place to stay near the centre of London, so you have to look hard in order that you do not pay well over the odds, but if can find a hotel near Hyde Park then almost all of the best attractions are at your finger tips, you will not even need to use the famed London Transport, [well most of the time].

Following on from the major renovation projects around the time of the Millenium celebrations which included the building of the Millenium Stadium and the refurbishment of the Welsh Assembly Buildings, an upgrading of the Mermaid Quay was also undertaken. Therefore it is now possible not only to relax with some retail therapy by Tiger Bay, you can also hire out many types of boat to go a-sailing.

Of course restrictions apply, not any old person is qualified to take a boat out to sea, so if you don’t have your sailing licence you will have to hire the services of someone who does. But in any case a good time is there to be had by all.

The old Bristol Harbour was removed and a brand new Marina built further down River Severn the new one being dubbed “the Floating Harbour” this meant that a substantial part of the city centre could be renovated at the same time as making sure that the new harbour wasn’t hemmed in by the bustling city centre.

This means that not only is the Marina great for proximity of Hotels in Bristol, both those in the City Centre, and those slightly further out. You can spend the day out exploring the coast, of both Gloucestershire and Devon or north to Wales. You don’t have to traval to such far flung places to spend your holidays in luxury, Britain is as fun as everywhere else.

Although NZ always lives in the shadow of its bigger neighbour this doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have it’s own beaches and attractions which put those in Oz to shame. It also a has a history which is strikingly different to Australia and has a lot more in common with its Polynesian neighbours to the East.

But, of course New Zealand has been getting its own positive reactions of late, mainly due to the global success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. New Zealand though doesn’t really have it’s own climate, it has many microclimates that make it as much like tahiti as it is like Scotland it has Fjords like Norway and geysers like Iceland. This is where we should all be going for those big holidays of a lifetime.

Leeds, if you need reminded, was the first city outside London that Harvey Nichols chose to open a store. Leeds and it’s close neighbour Bradford are also culturally far ahead of places such as due to the simple fact that so many people from so many varied cultures have moved to the city, giving it a unique feel in the North. It is as cosmopolitan a place as London’s East End.

But multiculturalism doesn’t completely make a city a good place to go, it has to mixed with the attractions, events, and places to stay. In Leeds there are loads of Art Galleries, music places and there are also many fine hotels in Leeds.

Leeds is also a great historical town its roots dating back to as far back as the 7th Century AD, and through this it has built a long strong, and rich history, through agricultural centre, to market town and then into one of the Empire’s leading centres in the industrial revolution. All of this is reflected in leads, that is why it is a class above when it comes to holidaying there.