Vacation in Madrid, Spain – The Capital of Art and Culture

A vacation in Madrid allows you tom enjoy all that is Spanish. Madrid is the epitome of art, culture and fine cuisine, but all too often, it can be impossible to fully appreciate what this magnificent city has to offer. Indeed, a visit to Madrid can often feel but a scratch on the surface, and for this reason, more and more people are dedicating an entire vacation to this city in order to appreciate fully everything that it has to offer.

This is certainly an excellent idea, and if you are considering spending a week or two here, then there is certainly more than enough to keep you entertained, from the lavish artwork and galleries throughout the city, the ancient buildings, temples and other icons of history which have survived as a testament to their builders, and of course the Spanish way of life is easily recognized here, and you can enjoy watching life pass you by in its energetic, colorful way, whilst you enjoy a cool drink outside a street cafe.

Whilst walking through the city can be thoroughly enjoyable, and provides an excellent way of seeing many of the sights at close quarters, the best possible way to enjoy this city is to have your own, experienced driver. Being chauffeured through the streets of Madrid will ensure that your time is well spent.

You will be able to see more of the many beautiful, and well known squares, or plazas, such as the Plaza de Espana, the Plaza Mayor Puerto del Sol and also of course the many famous streets and avenues, such as Castellana and the Gran Via as well. Walking these streets during your vacation in Madrid would be time consuming, and tiring in the Spanish heat, so having a driver will make a big difference if you are able to take advantage of such a luxury.

One of the most striking aspects of Madrid is its art; indeed, the city is considered to be one of the most important cultural destinations for art galleries and art related museums, and it is quite possible to spend several days simply browsing the vast range of artistic culture. If you have a guide, he or she will be able to direct you to those galleries and museums which feature art from eras which most interest you, in order to make best use of your holiday time. However, the three of the best art museums can be found in the famous Golden Triangle of Art, in the vicinity of Paseo del Prado.

These three main museums include the world famous Prado Museum, and it is here that you will be able to come face to face with Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas, as well as witness first hand Francisco de Goya's La maja vestida and also his La maja desnuda. Pablo Picasso is also represented, naturally, and you can find his recently returned Guernica hanging in the Reina Sofia Museum.

As well as art and culture, Spain, and in particular the area around the outskirts of Madrid is well known for something else: excellent wine. No vacation in Madrid is complete without a visit to the vineyards of La Mancha, home of Don Quixote. If the rain in Spain allegedly falls mainly on the plain, the plains in this case might well refer to the La Mancha, a vast arid, fertile area in which a large variety of crops, including barley, wheat, grapes and cereals are grown. It is the expansive cereal crops which have given rise to the large number of windmills noted here, but the extensive vines are used to cultivate and produce a large number of excellent wines.

If you really want a holiday to remember, and want to taste all that Madrid has to offer, then it is easy to argue that Spanish culture includes its generations-old wine growing tradition, and the best way to appreciate this is to book a visit to a winery. As an example, this opportunity is available as an exclusive tour provided through a limited number of agents, and it is worth finding one to enjoy the hospitality offered by such wineries as the Bodegas Osborne Malpica. Your personal tastes are almost certainly likely to be catered for, with a wide range of different local wines produced using grapes such as the robust Tempranillo, more famous for the Riojas of the North, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Syrah.

After soaking up the art and culture of Madrid, washed down with not a few glasses of the local vineyard’s finest, you may decide to freshen up by visiting the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain region very close by. Here are breathtaking views, enchanting hiking opportunities and a whole range of exhilarating mountain sports; you don’t even need to be a climber, with a dedicated mountain railway escorting you all the way up.

There really is much more to see and do in Madrid, that a holiday in Spain couldn’t possibly give you enough time to appreciate the art, culture, history and unique flavor of this city. If you’re considering a visit, be like the grapes on the vine – and spend time soaking up as much as you possibly can – it’s well worth the time. It is very easy to spend two weeks on a vacation in Madrid and still wish you had time for more.

Get along with the best focus apartments

The hushing sound of the huge waves clashing with each other in the oceans under the vast dark sky with innumerable twinkling stars and the bright moon, has something magical in it that we all love and fantasize in your dreams.

Vacating in the beautiful places nearby the oceans has an enchanting feeling by itself. The breeze of the ocean water and the sound of the ocean simply drag us towards it and charm us with its beauty. Waking every morning seeing the calm and enormous ocean is something that many people think of in their dreams. Living nearby the ocean in the silence of the nature's beauty is an enthralling feeling that we all wish at some point of our life and the vacations in Gold Coast help us make our dream vacation come very much into life.

Gold coast in Australia is known as a surfers paradise where the water lovers from all across the world gather especially to enjoy the high tides of the ocean while surfing on their boards. The vacating place is visited by millions of people across the world so as to enjoy the beautiful beach and the clear water of the ocean. This thus increases the need of the various lodges and hotels alongside the beach that offer the best world class facilities to the tourist and takes care of all the requirements.

The surfers paradise has numerous hotels and apartments that offer their visitors with matchless facilities so as to make them enjoy their stay in Surfers paradise. Amongst all the surfers accommodations, the Focus Apartments constructed facing the ocean is considered as a new attraction for all the tourists. This Gold Coast holiday apartment is huge, lavish and offers all the possible amenities to make the stay of all the visitors comfortable and joyful. The apartments offer a classic view of the ocean from the rooms and are well equipped with the various equipments such as the well equipped kitchen that contains a dishwasher with all the other amenities. The apartments also provide a separate washing machine along with a dryer, a television set, intercoms, direct facility of making phone calls, etc. The rooms have a huge balcony that gives you a panoramic view of the ocean.

The apartment also has provisions for the entertainment such as the tennis courts, basketball shooting area, the barbeque facilities and the gyms to maintain your good physique. These facilities help in making your feel just at home. Also for your relaxation, they offer the Spa and sauna therapies to the visitors. Thus, you can simply enjoy your vacations in ocean side under the blue carpet of the vast sky at the various Gold Coast resorts along with your loved ones to make your vacation memorable for an entire life time.

The Grandview, Las Vegas – Comfort, Class, And Eruptions

Staying at the Grandview, Las Vegas can be fully enjoyed in comfort and class; amenities include spectacular simulated volcanic eruptions and pirate battle reenactments, spacious and luxurious suites, access to the world famous Strip including the neighboring South Point Casino and entertainment complex, and tropically inspired pool area and spa. These combined with the fact that the Grandview is one of the newest and largest hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada makes a stay at this facility a truly unique and exciting experience.

This hotel is billed as a vacation village resort and rests on almost thirty acres of prime property at the southern end of the world renowned Strip. Modeled after a tropical island resort and designed to resemble an exclusive island getaway, a first time visitor will be spell bounded by the lagoon-like atmosphere and the full sized functioning volcano. This volcano erupts several times a day in dramatic fashion. Adding to the earth shaking eruptions are reenactments of pirate battles complete with cannons, full customs, and ships.

The lagoon-like ambiance is continued to the pool area. This area includes two pools separated by a fantastic, double sided waterfall. Both pools combined offer a guest over four thousand square feet of water. Poolside amenities include a deli shop, coffee shop, and bar. Also nearby are two world class spas and fitness center equipped with treadmills, free weights, and cycling machines. Added to all this luxury and convenience is a sense of technology. The pool area boasts a state of the art music system that allows every guest to listen to personalized music poolside or while working out in the fitness center.

Once you have finished exploring the dramatic and exciting grounds that surround the Grandview, Las Vegas, you may want to freshen up in your luxurious suite. All of the nearly one thousand rooms at the hotel are suites with a full kitchen including a dishwasher, range, full-sized refrigerator, microwave oven, and coffee maker, a washer and dryer, wireless internet access, entertainment center with a surround sound thirty six inch television, and walk-in shower and Jacuzzi bathing tubs. The suites are professionally decorated in a desert motif with ceramic tile throughout the living areas. The bedroom is adorned with a king sized bed and a twenty-seven inch television. A world class menu is available twenty-four hours a day through room service.

Even though the suites are one of a kind, the real excitement resides next door at the newest casino on the Strip. This casino offers the typical slot machines, gaming tables, and sports booking services. However, it can also brag about an eighteen screen state of the art movie theater, bowling alleys, a half dozen restaurants that cater to any culinary palette, a live concert venue, and even a forty-four thousand seat equestrian center where world case horses and jockeys compete and race.

Taken all into account, these amenities, entertainment options, and luxurious details make the Grandview Las Vegas a unique experience in the already dramatic and spectacular surroundings of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Travel To Blanca Spain

The Costa Blanca region stretches for some 200 kilometers along the Mediterranean coast of Spain. This is a popular Spanish tourist and holiday destination, but not quite as popular or built up as the well known Costa del Sol to the south. As a result, the region has much to offer those who like the beautiful countryside as well as the wonderful beaches and warm weather without all the commercialization and crowds of the southern areas. There are still tourist resorts, but there are also quiet Spanish villages, beautiful coastline and lots of things to keep anyone, young or old, busy.

As you travel south along the coast, the weather becomes hotter in the summer and milder in the winters. The Costa Blanca is in the middle of the Spanish Mediterranean coast, so it has a little more mild weather than the costas to the north and south, but there isn't too much difference. The days in the summer are hot and dry, while winter isn't ever really cold. It is an ideal place to set up a vacation or retirement home.

The Costa Blanca starts below Valencia around the town of Gandia and travels south along the coast through the resort town Benidorm, then Alicante and ends around Torrevieja. At the north end of the Costa Blanca are several small towns that are ideal for places to visit or have a house. Denia and Javea are smaller towns that make a nice retreat from the larger, more tourist oriented towns on the southern end of the region.

The town of Javea is located on a promontory with gorgeous beaches tucked into small bays. The town itself is really two towns in one - the seaside, harbour area and the old downtown in the Arenal area. Aduanas del Mar is the urban center developed around the harbour, where you will find plenty of restaurants and café bars spread around the port. To the north of town is the Montgó Natural Park (Les Planes). Here, you can the visit the historic windmills and get lovely views over the bay of Jávea. There is plenty of nature to explore with trails and lots of scenery in the park.

The beach resort of Calpe,a modern beach resort, is a bit farther down the coast. It has an attractive old quarter and the distinctive Gibraltar-style Peñon de Ifach rock which dominates the skyline for miles around. Altea is considered one of Costa Blanca's most beautiful towns with its medieval cobbled streets leading up to the blue-domed church. The plaza here has one of the best views on the Costa Blanca.

A bit further south is the quite town of Villajoyosa. The laast stop along this stretch of coastline is Torrevieja. This is an international tourist resort preferred by British and Scandinavians, and is quite popular with those who have decided to stay for good. Right in the middle of the region are the two major towns for tourists and those who work - the tourist capital of Benidorm and the regional capital of Alicante.

The largest resort in the region is Benidorm, with one of the highest concentrations of high rise hotels and condominium towers in all of Europe. There is the Terra Mitica theme park on the edge of town and several of the best beaches in Spain. The nightlife is also quite popular here, with many younger people out until all hours. The Balearic Islands are an easy ferry ride or short plane trip away, particularly the closest island of Ibiza.

Alicante is the regional capital and largest city on the Costa Blanca. It is also one of the fastest growing in the country, thanks in large part to tourism. The city has some 325,000 residents and 740,000 in the greater metro area. Many retirees from throughout Europe make this city and its surrounding area their home for much of the year. Alicante offers 7 kilometers of golden sand beach, a beautiful seafront esplanade, the Paseo de la Explanada, as well as superb shops and restaurants. The seafront esplanade was laid in 1957 and consists of more than six million small marble tiles that represent the colors of Alicante, which are red, cream and black.

There are plenty of golf courses and resorts along the whole Costa Blanca for those who like to enjoy the game. Near Javea is the Club de Golf Oliva Nova. The 18-hole course here was designed by Seve Ballesteros and is one of the most popular golf resorts in the country. The Club de Golf La Sella Denia course, also nearby, was designed by another famous Spaniard, golfer Jose Maria Olazabal. In Benidorm is the Real de Faula Benidorm golf course, designed by Nicklaus Design, and it is one of the best known courses on the Costa Blanca. Another Seve Ballesteros designed course is the Alicante Golf Club, just north of the city. These are just a few of the many options for golfers in this region.

Travel to the Costa Blanca is easy, and you can get here from most anywhere at any time of the year. Alicante is the major regional transportation center, with Alicante International Airport (ALC). This airport handled over 9 million travelers in 2007 and has flights to most major cities in the UK. On the other end of the Costa Blanca to the north, Valencia Airport (VLC) handled nearly 6 million passengers last year and also has flights to most UK airports. Both airports have many flights on discount carries and offer reasonable prices and schedules. For those who want to take the train, there are RENFE trains from Barcelona down the coast and Madrid.

Flybe Destinations

Flybe Airlines is a UK-based low-cost airline. Flybe operates over 170 routes to 55 destinations covering 12 European countries. Having acquired BA Connect in March 2007, its route network was expanded. 70% of this network is UK domestic, 10% European leisure and 20% European business destinations.

The majority of Flybe flights operate out of Birmingham, Southampton, Exeter and Norwich airports. The choice of Flybe destinations in France, Switzerland, Portugal and Spain is especially good and in their list of UK routes, Jersey is particularly well served. There are some routes that are seasonal, for example, winter skiing Flybe destinations such as Geneva, Salzburg and Chambery.

Loganair, which has a franchise agreement with Flybe, is expanding its routes in 2009. Three new routes will be added and the number of flights on key routes will be increased. The new routes are Aberdeen to Cardiff (April 2009) and new direct routes linking the Isle of Man, Belfast and Blackpool (May 2009). Flybe and Loganair feel that the credit crunch will see more British people choosing to holiday at home and strengthening their offerings in the UK will enable them to benefit from this trend.

As part of its service to customers, Flybe introduced Flybe Connections, which is an online system that allows passengers to book connecting routes. Passengers are able to build up an itinerary including either Loganair or Flybe routes that will allow them to arrange their travel in one booking rather than having to make two separate bookings. For example if a passenger wished to fly from the Isle of Man to Jersey going via Gatwick, they would have had to book a flight from the Isle of Man to Gatwick and then, in a separate booking, a flight from Gatwick to Jersey. With Flybe Connections this can be done in one booking, making arranging travel between UK or European destinations a lot easier for the passenger. The online Flybe Timetable can be used by customers to search for suitable flights.

For further information see Flybe Destinations