Want an extraordinary vacation? Experience your winter and summer adventures at ICEHOTEL and Swedish Lapland, no frustrations are guaranteed!

ICEHOTEL is an art project that captures the heart of any guests alike. It is a giant multi-domed igloo, located at Sweden, North of the Arctic Circle, right in the comforting village of Jukkasjärvi. In its 22nd year, its size grew from just 60 sq. m. into 5500 sq. m., making it the world’s biggest hotel of ice and snow.

It’s really cold inside, with a maintained temperature of between -5 °C to -8 °C. ICEHOTEL has a room accommodation of 100-200 guests. The space is just enough for memorable times you have ever wished. If you want a cold holiday for a change, this would be a great way to spend a very perfect vacation.

Upon entering two (2) big fur-covered doors, you will find yourself in a very long hallway. Voila! Everything is ice. Wonderful ice sculptures decorate in rows. They matched the crystallized glow of the hotel’s really huge ice chandeliers. Where the colors, amaze your eyes with fibre optics, so beautiful! Adding to the scene are the chiseled pillars, which are, of course, made from ice, too. There is even a cinema. In its sister hotel, during summer in the land, you will find the ABSOLUT ICEBAR, where they serve drinks in an ice glass. Along with, three (3) Art suites and a room for ice sculpting.

The most interesting part of the ICEHOTEL is its frozen chapel. Where tourists can pray in silence and enjoy the very cold ambiance as well. Each year, in every winter passing, it is refreshed with 40,000 tons of ice and snow.

Accommodations: single and twin rooms are both available. With featured offerings of:

• Art Suite – where, guests are allowed to stay with magnificent ice sculptures.
• Ice room – where, guests enjoy a well-furnished room of ice creations in fittings. It is designed with unique artworks to add color to the mood.
• Snow room – is the most spacious room available, where guests will enjoy everything, made from ice, too.

With a very big ice head board, guests can sleep in an ice bed that is covered in luscious brown reindeer furs, with an Arctic grade sleeping bag. The bedside tables are, also, in ice with pretty ice lamps placed on its tops, you can light during the night. All rooms at ICEHOTEL have near the post of the bed, two (2) big sculptures, like sea horses. These give an underwater ice adventure to guests. It, also, has more added lighting for the desired room effect. Each room bear walls made from white hard snow, while the floors are in soft snow. An ice dresser and closet completes an ICEHOTEL room scene.

Other activities are Northern light tours, skiing, snowmobiling, dog sledding, boating, hunting, fishing, river rafting, boat excursions and ice sculpting classes.

For online reservations, you can visit its site at www.icehotel.com.

Rome, the “Eternal City” is one of the most popular stops in Europe. All you need to do is consider the wonderful architecture, the amazing antiquities and the scrumptious food and you’ll start packing your suitcase and heading toward the airport to inquire about cheap flights to Rome for your next holiday.

Now, about the Romans: one only has to remember why the Coliseum was built to realize that they were extremely into violence in sports. But they were also quite inventive as with the aqueducts, roads and city design.  The Coliseum design is one of the most impressive in sights in the world. It was built to hold more than fifty thousand people who would watch as lions and gladiators battled it out to the death.

The Romans were also an artistic, creative people. The Roman and Imperial Forums which were the historical centres of the city. They once housed the works of great poets like Homer where performers would re-enact his plays to resounding cheers of the audience. The Fontana di Trevi in front of the Palazzo Poli is also a beautiful site.In popular Roman lore, if you toss a coin into the fountain, you are destined to return to Rome someday.

A very religious people, the Romans built great temples to its gods and goddesses such as the Forum of Vespasian dedicated to peace as well as temples to Saturn, Castor, Pollus, Venus and Roma in the Forum of Trajan.  St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican is a great tribute to Christianity with its historical masterpieces and architectural wonders. The Santa Maria del Popolo church contains works by Bernini, Raphael, Caravaggio and Bramante. And the Santa Mara Minerva is a gothic-style church where the remains of St. Catherine of Siena are entombed.

This year, my children and I enjoyed a family holiday to Sharm el Sheikh. This beautiful city, on the Southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, on the Red Sea, Egypt, was absolutely perfect for me, my 14 year old daughter and 10 year old son. Sharm el Sheikh is a more exotic take on a sunny family resort. We chose to stay in the Concorde El Salam hotel, which is all inclusive and offers a wide range in food and entertainment. The hotel had five swimming pools, but is positioned right on the beach, so we seldom made use of them!

Na’ama Bay is a stunning white sand beach, perfect for relaxing in the sun. The Red Sea is so temperate, between 21 – 28°c all year, which amazed by children – they spent hours in the sea (so be sure to pack plenty of sun block!). We visited Sharm el Sheikh in mid-May and the temperature was around 32°c. Na’ama Bay is split from Sharm El Maya by Ras Um Sid Cliff (which boasts some wonderful coral reefs). Sharm El Maya is a charming natural harbour, filled with the boats of local fishermen and traders. My daughter loved taking beautiful photographs of the boats at sunset.

After dark, Na’ama bay is filled with entertainments. There are some wonderful restaurants and a number of ‘sheesha’ cafes to partake in a local custom. Contrary to popular understanding, ‘sheesha’ has no intoxicating affects and isn’t dangerous. Sharm el Sheikh’s ‘sheesha’ cafes are beautifully decorated in Egyptian style, with huge cushions across the floor. Many serve delicious fresh juices and sorbets. My son devoured an enormous cherry sundae, to the great amusement of our excellent waiter, who spoke fluent English –as do most of the locals. Also around the city are some lovely craft stalls selling hand-made items by the local Bedouin culture. My daughter absolutely loved this and bought beaded necklaces for her school friends.

Just 12km outside of the city is Ras Mohammed Natural Protected Park. This is, understandably, one of the area’s most famous sights. The costal park is one of the best sites in the world for snorkelling and scuba diving. Our hotel offered classes by PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), but as we are all beginners and I felt that by son was a little too young for scuba diving, we snorkelled. Ras Mohammad has over 1000 species of fish and 220 species of coral. Snorkelling among all this natural wildlife was an experience that I will never forget. My children were absolutely spellbound. The highlight of the day was spotting a sea turtle that swam by about two metres below us. I was told that these are a common sight. It was so wonderful to see the excitement on my children’s faces.

The Jumeirah Carlton Tower is among the more well-placed hotels in London. It is found on the upscale location on Candogan Place near Knightsbridge. It is a 5 star hotel situated near Harrods, Harvey Nichols and the boutiques of Sloane Street to satisfy every shopping desire. Due to its amazing location, everything you’ll need is within a ten minute walk including entertainments which abounds in the glittering West End and Theatreland.

Jumeirah Carlton Tower in London

Awards for Jumeirah Carlton Tower includes:

• Voted Europe’s Leading Business Hotel 2011 at the World Travel Awards
• Top three best hotels for service in the UK in the Conde Nast Traveller Gold List 2011
• 4th place for Best UK Business Hotel in the 2010 Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards

Offering unparalleled hospitality in an outstanding Knightsbridge location, the Jumeirah Carlton Tower is the London hotel of choice for the discerning guest including the participants and spectators for the London Olympics 2012.

Rooms in the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel are  beautifully furnished in a modern manner, and the bathrooms are immaculate.  The contemporary bedrooms combine sophistication with true luxury are equipped with satellite TV and high-speed Internet access . Tip: Ask for room overlooking the gardens or with view to the Cadogan Place.

There is a great health club – the Peak Health Club and Spa. It has a fully equipped gym and 20m indoor pool.

Within a five minute walk, you will find Knightsbridge and Sloanne Square underground stations, providing links to all Central London destinations. Hearthrow airport is 25km (15 miles) away and limousine service is available upon request.

Rome is a stunning and wonderful city. It is a perfect place for you and your family to spend a time together and have unforgettable holiday. This city is a beautiful place if you want to get rid off your daily hectic, boring and everyday routine. The most important ancient monuments and sites in Rome are the Colosseum, Roman Forum, the Pantheon, the Domus Aurea, the Mausoleum of Augustus, Trajan’s Column, Trajan’s Market, the Arch of Constantine, the Catacombs, the Baths of Caracalla, Castel Sant’Angelo,  the Ara Pacis, the Pyramid of Cestius, and the Bocca della Verità. Rome, the capital of Italy has its worth and no doubt it is a place that you must visit when you travel to Europe.

All tourists are eager to see historical, architectural and cultural places. You have a perfect chance to walk through history by visiting Rome. It is no wonder why it is one of the most popular tourist destination in the world. It welcomes 7 to 10 millions visitors a year.

One of the main tourist attractions in Rome is the Colosseum, an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome, amphitheatre used for gladiatorial contests and public events. Also, you should plan your vacation trip while going to Rome. Choose one of  holiday rentals in Rome from the wide selection of accommodation in Rome. These vacation rentals are easy to find on the internet since various websites offering apartments that are available for rent.

Villa, cottages, vacation homes? Are they the same? When you are traveling on a foreign land, which terminology are you going to use?

Let’s get it straightened out so we know what we are talking about when reserving these vacation homes, cottages, or what have you.

Villa rentals are actually apartments, cottages, houses or villas that you can rent for a minimum of 1 week. It depends on the owner, some wants the renter to rent it out for a longer time. They are also called “vacation rentals” or “vacation homes”.

Some countries use the term for any houses that is being rented out for a vacation purposes.  In Britain, they are called “holiday cottages ” or “self catering”. In the Philippines, they are usually called “cottages” or “lodging houses”.  In Italy, some villa rentals on farm are part of the “agritourism” (agriturismo) system, regulated by the government.

A villa rental maybe someone’s vacation home that they rent out when they are not using it, a beach house near the beach of course or even an apartment  in a town or city. Vacation rental homes tend to be rented most often during a festival or high season of a specific location like during festivals, surfing season, or even hunting seasons.

Villa rentals are fully furnished and equipped with linens and towels and kitchen  is supposed to be complete with cookware. All you have to bring is your food for cooking, if you prefer. Some owners will present you a basket of goodies, or you may find the cupboards bare. If that is the case, you have the freedom and fun to visit the local shops or nearby houses to buy your necessities. Cable TV and free internet connections are now mostly  part of the standard package.

Now tell me, which are you planning to rent for a vacation, a villa, cottage or vacation home?

A hot weather will be enjoyed with the best cruise vacations this February. If you are looking for a different way to have fun, bring along your family and friends in this definite go-to, which should be an improvement from the usual parks and places you had trips.

Best Cruise Vacation

Here are 5 of the Best Cruise Vacations:

1. Europe Cruises to Scenic Destinations – It still is cold in Europe and taking ride in cruise ships will let you enjoy travelling into warmer waters going to the Caribbean in America. Surprisingly, there are a fewer tourists in these travel spots. Other places to go as alternatives are the Canary Islands, Morocco or the Holy Land. During this time of the year, also, ticket fares are lower in price and cheaper, since it is considered as off-peak months, according to the (an organization of European ports.) You can try the ships of Norwegian Cruise Line, for Europe-Barcelona trips; Royal Caribbean, in the Southampton-Caribbean trips; the Cunard Line, for Hamburg-Europe destinations; or Silversea Cruises, for more Europe attractions.



2. Pacific Cruises from America – You can travel all the way to the Pacific islands like Australia or New Zealand. Their attractions are, also, worth the visit. Moreover, the ports can accommodate really large cruises and with a 20% increase capacity compared to others. Try the ships of Princess, Celebrity and Carnival, Holland America and Royal Caribbean, which endow absolutely enjoying travel leisure amenities for everyone during this time of the year.

3. Alaska Voyages – Alaska is again welcoming cruise lines in its ports. Its land programs and itineraries have been improved, aiming to attract more tourists than ever. The approximate passenger counting for cruises is 60,000. You can try the cruises, for America-Alaska trips, like Princess, Norwegian Cruise Line, Innersea Discoveries and American Cruise Line.

4. Travel Canada – the cruising season for this place has been developed. Now, its ships are able to travel, also, during the summer and late spring, aside from the traditional fall-colour season. To watch-out for destinations are St. Lawrence to Montreal, round trips from Montreal to Sept-Îles and the Magdalen Islands, Boston to Atlantic Canada, Canada to New York, New York to Halifax and Saint John in Canada, or to the Atlantic islands of St. Pierre et Miquelon. You can ride the Crystal Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, Regent Seven Seas or the Disney Cruise Line.

5. Travel to Dubai, the Persian Gulf, to India and Asia – Last year, Dubai’s Port Rashid was added with a new terminal for its ships. Thus, allowing new opportunities for tourists and local patrons to enjoy more cruises in the country. You can go to the Red sea and have a spice route to India. Then, travel, all the way, to Singapore. Try the Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Costa’s Favalosa and Aida’s Blu new ships.

Happy Salings!

There was a cliché that says, “when in Rome do what the Romans do”. And in our modern world, I can say that this is still very true. Rome, in itself, is a museum city where you can find endless ancient monuments and timeless architecture of church buildings and ruins.

If it’s your first time to travel or visit Rome, there’s a big possibility that you might get lost in this ancient jungle. I bet you can’t even choose which Ristoranti Roma you will have your dinner. Bed and breakfast rome are also everywhere. So in order to make your vacation more relaxed and comfortable, I highly recommend to hire a local tour guide or better yet, check your travel agency if they have a travel package for Rome. Tour agencies offer discount packages combining airfare and hotels.

And here’s another tip, when looking for a tour agency or travel agent company, try to choose that caters to small number of tourists only. Usually, big travel agencies, specially those that are located inside Hotel rome often take out fun in the process such as walking along corridors and meeting the locals.

If you are not sure where to go, you can always approach any branches of ENIT ( Italian State Tourist Board), the Italy’s national tourist office. They’re branches are located in most major capital cities. By the way, they also offers free guided walks, usually at weekend.

For travelers, using hotel accommodations is necessary. Choosing the most affordable and comfortable amenities is a top priority for them. If you are a frequent flyer, expecting which hotels are best and worse should be always read on at the start of a year, like this January 2012.

There have been forecasts of fewer hotels to welcome this time around. With a worsening eCommerce, the industry seems to be, still, groping and building new edifices dwindle in the background over funding more important ones like environmentally friendly and energy saving programs.

Lodging Econometrics (LE) said that since last year up to present, a very much lower percentage of new hotels in the USA alone took birth compared to the last 3 years. Look below for the graph of its first forecast on new hotel openings in the Americas as well as other regions.

*Source: USA Today

In its history, the hotel industry regularly have new hotel rooms each year, but during the last 10 years, the number went into half in terms of percentage. This is alarming to consumers. Important parties, events and gatherings are always hosted in hotels, but if the room is not enough, where will the attendees all go?

“In 2011, the story will be about rate for us, the great deals that many people enjoyed over the last few years may be disappearing.” Starwood Hotels CEO Frits van Paasschen said at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) conference. He was encouraging hotel investors, owners, brand executives and developers to save this issue. It seems that the previous profits were not sufficed enough.

If tourism is dying, what should be the solution? Does that mean stopping traveling, no vacations and being country-based? The answer, we don’t know. Definitely it is a necessity to transfer goods from different places, but is the same with humans? For sure, there will be hotels to accommodate all travelers. It’s the number that is the problem. When demand increases for more rooms, the next thing to think of is to stay at lodging houses or cottages over hotels. Shelter is a basic necessity and a must to provide.

Tourism is booming in New York with really great spectacular shows to see at the Big Apple Circus this holiday season.

There are improved acts on juggling with fancy moves, a performing mechanical doll in a balancing act, routine hours acts, great dog shows, together with small acts from a capybara and porcupine for added amusement attractions. If you want to spend your holiday vacation in the west, this should be the best way to fun this time of the year. You can bring your children and the whole family to watch the greatest show ever and watch the whitest snow falling outside.

The World’s Greatest Circus artists also include brave acrobats, Grandma’s classic jokes and stunts, so high dances from flying trapeze actors and magnificent magicians for the grand illusions ever made. While, the music are adorned by the Ringmistress act as well as its own the Big Apple Circus Band.

This year Mr. Renaud Doucet will be the circus’ director in its 34th season. In the past, he was, as well, too has been a choreographer, ballet master, theater actor and solo dancer in various dance groups from all over the world.  Every year’s grand performance of the circus is joined by talents coming from a lot of countries. This 2011 famous artists of China, Mongolia, Russia, Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Kenya and America shared their talents to spectators.

Visit its website online to buy tickets today and dream big at www.bigapplecircus.org.