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So you’ve decided on Hong Kong? You’ve got your airline tickets booked but now where to stay? As with any major city the possibilities are endless, one thing that Hong Kong is not short of is a hotel. It really does come down to a couple of important factors, how much you want to spend and what you are planning to do when you get to Hong Kong. Are you travelling on business with just a bit of pleasure? Or is this a vacation and your planning to shop till you drop and visit everywhere that’s worth visiting?

Well hopefully we can give you a couple of helpful and handy hints on finding the best place to stay while in Hong Kong.

Most of the hotels are situated in the two main areas, which are Hong Kong Island and Kowloon (which is on the mainland). With the excellent public transport systems you are never far away from any of the attractions that Hong Kong has to offer. Both sides of the water offer great shopping, restaurants, bars and clubs.

As for costs, Hong Kong really has something for everyone from a simple bed to lay your head at night such as the Tatami Hampton Hotel to the plush 5 star luxuries of the Shangri-la hotels. By no means is Hong Kong one of the cheaper Asian locations but depending on your needs and the time of the year that you go a bargain can usually be found. Check out our hotel reviews and rates at Hongkonghelp, real hotel reviews left by real people who have stayed at the places you might be considering. We can also offer the lowest rates available on any Hong Kong hotel, with exceptional deals on last minute bookings for those staying within the next 20 days.

Our recommendations for places to stay on Hong Kong Island are as follows: Budget - Harbour View International House Mid Range - The Excelsior Hotel High End - The Island Shangri-la

Our recommendations for places to stay Kowloon side are as follows: Budget - Tatami Hampton Hotel Mid Range - Harbour Plaza Metropolis Hotel High End - Langham Place Hotel

Wherever you stay we are sure that you will have a brilliant time in this wonderful city, if your looking for further advice on getting to Hong Kong, what to do, where to go and more visit HongKongHelp.com where we have loads of information on everything that’s Hong Kong.

Spain, with its myriad of influences and epic history, is a country with a diverse gamut of sights and sounds to offer its 45 million tourists who visit every year. An area where this can be seen in particular is in its museums and galleries, a rich history of art and culture has left Spain a huge legacy in this department with names such as Dali, Picasso and Miro leading the list:

Guggenheim, Bilbao:

Now one of the most easily recognised buildings in Europe, the Guggenheim in Bilbao is a work of art itself. Opened in 1997 and designed by American architect Frank O. Gehry, the museum has been a lynchpin for the city’s redevelopment programme and in many ways the museum symbolises the new, modern Bilbao. Standing right in the city centre alongside the river the museum offers 11,000 sqm of exhibition space over three galleries. The museum has a body of permanent work always on display as well as large exhibitions which run for months at a time. Currently on View is the “Aztec Empire” comprising of a huge body of work from the pre-columbian civilization. Previous exhibitions have encompassed an eclectic blend of art with work from the likes of Matisse, Michelangelo, Reubens and Warhol having graced its corridors.

Dali Theatre-Museum, Figueres

Located in Figueres, the Dali Theatre-Museum is the broadest collection of his work in the world tracing his first artistic forays, the surrealist period and even including some of the last works painted before his death. Figueres also happens to be Dali’s hometown and the decision to build the museum from the ruins of the town’s Spanish civil war-damaged theatre, didn’t seem like a difficult one. Indeed, it was here as a boy where Dali first had the chance to display his work so is a fitting place to exhibit the cream of his life’s work. Dali himself supervised the building and creation of the museum turning it into a huge surrealist playground. Dali also created some works specifically for the museum itself - the “Mae West Room”, the “Wind Palace Room” and the “Monument to Francesc Pujols and the Rainy Cadillac” are larger than life and superb examples of Dali’s fertile imagination.

Reina Sofia, Madrid

One of Madrid’s most celebrated museums, the Reina Sofia houses a huge collection of contemporary art. Once the city’s San Carlos hospital, the museum was originally founded in 1986 but underwent a serious revamp in 1990 at the hands of British architect, Ian Ritchie. They envisioned creating something to rival the Tate in London and the Pompidou centre in Paris, and, with 36,000 sqm of exhibition space, it’s one of the world’s largest museums and an extremely impressive place. The most famous painting housed there is undoubtedly Picasso’s Guernica, an immense cubist work and war protest and probably the great painter’s most famous work. Visitors can also see the many preliminary sketches that he made for the work. Other great Spanish artists on display are Dali, Miro and Orteiz to name but a few as well as Spain’s most important artists of the last 20 years.

Fundacio Joan Miro, Barcelona

One of Spain’s most important artists and often overlooked due to the lure of Picasso and Dali, the Fundacio Joan Miro in the Montjuic area of Barcelona is well worth a visit. Spacious and set in its own grounds, the museum is a step away from the regular metropolitan museums and galleries - the white building built around an internal courtyard is typically Mediterranean. Huge amounts of natural light help to bring Miro’s surrealist works to life and the museum also houses some of his sculptures and ceramic works as well as the paintings he’s more famous for. The museum also has a permanent exhibition space in which the foundation gives special attention to Spain’s more experimental artists - not everyone’s cup of tea, granted, but worth a look if you’re visiting the museum.

Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort located in Marne la Vallée about 30 kilometers from Paris. This place is one of the most visited spots of France, not only by children but by adults as well. Disneyland Paris is a complex resort, which counts with several different attractions and areas besides the Park itself.

There is a variety of ways to access this area and tourists always find a convenient one. One of the most efficient ways to reach Disneyland Paris is by train, due to the fact that there are several train lines and combinations which go through this area, coming from several different places of France as well as from other countries such as Belgium and England. Also, tourists can opt for going to the Resort by bus or renting a car, both of them very convenient as well.

Disneyland Paris’ entertainment park started working at beginnings of 1992 under the name of Euro Disney. During its opening and its first months of existence, this park did not have as much success as it was expected to have, but this started to change at 1994, when its name and some of its characteristics changed.

Since 1994, the former Euro Disney became Disneyland Paris and an overall change in the park structure accompanied the new name as well. Since then, the Park started receiving a much higher amount of visitors and with them it started becoming more profitable as well.

Disneyland Paris consists on several areas which turn it into a very complete and convenient entertainment resort. The main spot of this resort is its Disneyland Park, which counts on five different areas based on different themes as well as a central beautiful castle. Another area within this resort is the Walt Disney Studios Park, very attractive for adults, as well as the area of Disney Village which counts with a central shopping complex. Surrounding these areas, there are several hotels, known as the Disneyland Resort Hotels, allowing visitors to choose one which properly suits their needs without having to travel from another point every day for visiting the Park.

Property Index sell a range of villas and apartments, take a look at their site if you are looking for overseas property investment, click here to view the properties.

Notwithstanding the Property Index is a new kid on the block enterprise, starting their business only in March of 2007, they were swift to advance to expert status. They’re a rather cool enterprise entirely focused on offering experienced guidance to anyone expecting to buy land across the globe. What they avow to do is help you light on smack what you desire quick and, even better, straightforwardly. Property can be bought in a wide selection of areas across the globe presently, unquestionably the fanciest area being properties on the market in Spain. It should be easy as ABC to list some of the good properties available for sale in Spain, the reason for looking for property here is a combination of the houses and apartments on the market and the tremendous option of spending your life right amid this lively, animated and great populace.

This is one of the truly trendy countries presently, and with the scenic splendor and agreeable weather that surrounds you all the time, how can you go wrong! Property in Spain is steeped in history, art and culture, this area of the world has been and is still home to a fair number of indigenous nations. Some 25-30 years back you’d find merely a tiny number of English people keen on properties in Spain. Ask just about anyone who has moved to Spain and they will be certain to corroborate this. Well, some would term it a mere craze and others term it a that’s nearly an infatuation! People keen on moving over here may range from newly weds looking for a new perspective to elderly people planning to loosen up.

Note that there may be predicaments when attempting to purchase properties abroad: expectably there will be a hundred procedures to consider whether budgeting, touring or completing. If you miss out on a single minute step it could easily bring about impassable predicaments not to forget, more important, a failed investment. Obviously, as can be expected with this trendy place, properties may well be expensive in this region and that is clearly due to the wide spread market demand. Nevertheless patrons actually are spoilt in such a location so richly blessed by shining countryside and mega cool setting. It’s able to offer the whole kit and caboodle one could yearn for, and then some.

If you want a good camping vacation and want to find gold I have just the spot for you. Princton BC was noted for the gold found in the late 1880’s. You will find Granite city which is now a ghost town. Lots of gold and platinum was found in the area.

To get to the gold camping ground from Vancouver BC take the number one highway to Hope. Be sure to spend some time exploring the area as the gold miners used hope as a jump of point to the Caribou. As you leave hope you will that route 3 towards Manning Park. After arriving at manning park for a short stop you are only 40 minutes to the camping site.

The park has lots to offer including a restaurant, visitor’s booth, restrooms, and park tables on green grass for you to rest. You will find a dog play area as you turn off the highway and enter the park it is just on the right side as you enter. Be sure to pick up after your pet the park supply’s containers for this.

As you leave the west gate on the highway you will find a gas station with a small store the ice cream cones are extra large. >From the west gate you are about 30 minutes to you campsite.

This road changes from four lane to two lane as you go down the mountain. Watch for wildlife you will see lots. The campsite is just 30 miles away watch for the sign Elk Ridge Outdoors on the right hand side of the road if you shoot past the turn in there is a place to turn around just up at the next corner but be very care for on coming traffic as you turn.

As you enter the camp road you will see a road that goes straight and a road to your right. If you have a smaller rig you can go straight and check in at the main house the road is bumpy and the turn around at the house is not very big.

If you have a large rig, take the right hand road and follow it all the way down the side of the ridge. Note use low gear as the road in is very steep and bumpy with some very tight turns. In some places you will be right along the edge of the road which goes straight down for a few hundred ft. If your passenger is nervous get them to watch you and not the road. This is a dirt road be aware of traffic coming up as the road is narrow in some places.

If you are towing a car behind you motor home un hook the car after you turn in to the main campsite road and get your second driver to go ahead of you or drive the car down and get a good look at the road before you take you rig down

Once down at the bottom you will find A large A framed lodge and 6 smaller cabins which are all for rent by the day or week. The cabins are all new as of 2004. You will find 12 sites along the river and some set back in the trees with some out in the open. There is an over flow around the back of the A-frame.

Amenities are primitive as they have pit outhouses and you will only be able to get water when the generator is running. The showers should be up and running by 2006. They have a large wood fired hot tube just above the beach The scenery is absolutely fabulous you will find gold in various quantities all along the river. All gold hunting must be by hand no power equipment allowed

Good fishing is found all along the river and the swimming is great with shallow rapids to tube on. They are on the net at www dot elkkridgeoutdoors dot com.

On Oregon’s Central coast lies an unusual idea in the world of vacation rentals. It’s called Bella Beach, and it’s like a small town full of rentals.

The little community of Lincoln Beach lies between Lincoln City and Depoe Bay, where another charming enclave is cloistered within. Bella Beach is a bit like the archetypal, cozy suburban neighborhood that could be the stuff of “living happily ever after,” (coming complete with the white picket fence), except that it’s really a collection of rather upscale, gorgeous beach cottages that are vacation rentals or for sale. There are about 40 rentals available inside this pretty place, and more are still being built.

The philosophy of Bella Beach is to create a place with a “neighborly feel,” and indeed they’ve succeeded. Set in the midst of a Central Coast wooded area, there are the rustic architectural themes common to places like Manzanita or Cannon Beach, where garages are tucked away behind the buildings and front porches are the emphasis.

It’s early summer, and I’m slated to stay there with a group of friends - except all my friends disappear on me and cancel within the week before the prearranged stay. So, for better or for worse (depending on how you think about it), I have this entire home to myself.

“Song of the Sea,” as it’s called, sits in a little park-like area in the middle of Bella Beach: the last in a row of quaint, rather diminutive houses that ooze cuteness. It’s red and adorable as all get-out.

Inside, it’s absolutely immaculate, decorated with a lighthouse theme and filled with a myriad of lighthouse knick-knacks and artwork - right down to a lighthouse clock. This beautiful pad sleeps six. There are two bedrooms, each with an elegant bathroom nearby and a ceiling fan. (Thank goodness for that, as it’s one of those extremely hot days we’ve had on the coast this summer.) A couch in the living room folds out to accommodate persons number five and six. A full kitchen with coffee maker and loads of utensils helps complete the dream vacation home thing, as does a VCR and really big TV with satellite.

Oh yeah, and there’s a hot tub in the backyard.

There’s a playground for the kiddies, and the homes vary from hideaway lodgings for two with oceanfront hot tubs, to larger accommodations for bigger groups. Bella Beach also offers up accommodations for groups as large as 60, if you happen to have a business retreat or reunion of some sort.

The phone lines provide the opportunity for dialup Internet access, if you have a toll free number for your laptop.

Then there’s that wondrous beach. Like many of the beaches in the area, the tide line is at a rather steep slope, so waves come in fast and hard, but dissipate quickly to shyly lap at your feet.

A few awesome homes line the cliffs here, with a solid stairway for guests to access the beach. On this night, it seems everyone had gathered here for the spectacular sunset to come. It disappointed no one.

Staying at Bella Beach certainly won’t disappoint anyone, either. Beauty, charm, chic, all the modern amenities you could ever want and a sense of old fashioned Americana combine with a day at the beach to create a place poised to make lots of memories.

Each home is individually designed, and made from materials that stand the harsh coastal weather. Some homes occasionally become for sale, but they go fast. These days, they go for no less than $425,000. Soon, Bella Beach will become its own self-contained city, with a market, cafe and shops. Recently added to all homes were barbecue grills.

The formula for Bella Beach is a highly successful one, although completely unusual in the Northwest. In recent years, the developers at Bella Beach started another such rental vacation community on the Washington coast. Seabrook, as it’s called, this development has about 300 cottages.

Prices on rentals vary greatly, depending on stay, size of home and number of people and amenities. 866-994-7026 or www.bellabeach.com.

For more on the Oregon Coast, including extensive virtual tours, see www.beachconnection.net

Hotel Havana Libre, Friday, April 8, 2005, 2:47 pm

I am sitting here at one of the most famous hotels in all of Havana, after I just withdrew Can$250 (200 CUC, Pesos Convertibles) from my Mastercard. No big deal, you say….. Until you realize that the average Cuban makes between US8 and US30, not an hour, not a day, but for a whole month!

My professor for instance told me that she makes about US$18 or so a month, so the amount I withdrew is more than a year’s salary for a university professor…. I am feeling really weird about this and I also want to get most of the cash into a safe as soon as possible. I am simply unable to walk around with a year’s salary in my pocket…They talk about the “inverted pyramid” here, where a waiter in a hotel makes much more (due to tips from tourists) than a brain surgeon in a hospital…

The economic situation here definitely is the dominating topic. Just standing in line a young black man started to speak to me and told me that he has a degree in physical education, teaches martial arts at the national level and inevitably the conversation came back to the dire economic situation: the local refrain is “Hay que luchar”, - daily life indeed is a struggle around here.

There is no toilet paper around here, so having read about the shortages I brought my own little Kleenex travel packs from Canada. At the University and in the whole country there is tremendous shortage of writing paper. Basic things simply dont exist, or if they do, they cost a lot of money for locals on the black market.

As a result, a tourist is always pretty much a target. There are “jineteros” who try to lure you to a restaurant or bed and breakfast (in return for a commission from the owner), therer are “jineteras”, local young and good-looking Cuban women that seek contact with tourists, some of them straight prostitutes, others just looking for the occasional financial favour and entertainment opportunity.

Many local tourist employees try to take advantage of their contacts with tourists and there are definite rip-offs. 2 days ago I went to a state-owned restaurant at the far corner of the famous Coppelia Park. The food and service were horrible. I chose Arroz Congri ($3), a salad ($3), and a mango juice ($1), totalling $7. When the bill came I saw a total of $9.85 ($4 each for the salad and the rice and $1.85 for the juice). I made the waitress aware of the situation and she acted as if it had been an error and did correct the bill after all. But a less alert tourist would have paid 40% more than what was stated on the menu.

Sometimes it feels like you are a “walking wallet” and I have developed a certain suspicion as to to the sincerity of some of the approaches by the locals. On the other hand, I realize, that with the $10 or $20 people that people make here a month, they are unable to live for more than a couple of days, so their economic reality forces them to try to make money any which way they can.

Services for tourists and even locals barely exist. I have been trying to rent a bicycle for the last 4 days. There were 2 contact phone numbers for bicycle rental places in my Lonely Planet Travel Guide. I have been trying to call both numbers numerous times - no answer. A co-student of mine has been trying to link me up with the owner of his bed and breakfast who has a new mountain bike. For 4 days I have been trying to reach this individual until I finally connected with him yesterday and I rented the bike for $3 a day.

But of course, you absolutely cannot leave the bicycle alone anywhere because it will be stolen and resold in a second. As a matter of fact, I “tipped” my hotel security guards a few dollars to look after my rented mountain bike particularly well, because anything of value “disappears”.

Yesterday, my friend Pedro and I went to eat in a Paladar (a privately owned restaurant). As a gesture of appreciation for his time and his insights I had given him a red baseball cap with “Toronto” written on it. He forgot it at the restaurant, but within a minute and a half we became aware of it and returned to the restaurant. The baseball cap was already gone, which made him very sad. He told me that it would be resold today for $8 (almost a monthly government salary).

For the most part, people here are unable to travel, even locally. Due to the “periodo especial” since the collapse of the Soviet Union (and the associated financial support for Cuba) gasoline is expensive and scarce, and there is not even enough for the local Havana transit system. So if you want to take the “GuaGua” you sometimes have to wait for 2 or 3 hours since there are so many people lining up for the local bus and there are not enough buses available.

Having a private car or access to the Internet is a luxury that only extremely few people have access to and I have heard different stories on the street that a regular Cuban person actually is not allowed to have access to Internet. As a foreigner, it’s very difficult for me to gauge which of these stories are true, whether it is truly prohibited or simply extremely difficult to get. Either way, I have noticed that people are still very careful about what they say around here.

On the other hand, despite all these hardships and limitations on personal freedom, I have noticed a really amazing friendliness and a great sense of humour in the people. People approach me, ask me questions, without the immediate possibility of selling me something or expecting money from me. There seems to be a natural curiosity about foreigners around here, maybe because the possibilities of travel don’t exist. The professors at the University have been great and truly seem to enjoy the interaction with all the international students. When you get to meet people one-on-one (not in a government-owned restaurant), it is indeed a fabulous experience.

Last night my friend and I took an extended walk in a park after sunset, talking, discussing, comparing notes about our respective cultures. And it was completely safe, something that you wouldn’t dare to try in a park in Toronto. Even downtown, you see young, very attractive women, dressed up in really sexy clothing, walking around by themselves at 11, 12 at night. Immersing myself in this ultra-unique contradictory culture has been such a precious, unique and paradigm-shattering experience, and even though I have only been here for a week now, I feel like I have absorbed and learned so much….

It is so different from regular life in Canada that it feels like everyday I am entering into a foreign universe, a completely different world, but I have to say, I have never felt so alive……

TravelGoIndia.com is one of the finest and most informative India Travel Guide that can be found on the internet. Without doubt the website is rich in information on India and it provides all the necessary information that a tourist to India might need. Autumn is the season of festivals in India and one of the grandest celebrations take place during Diwali. Plan a tour of India through the best Travel Guide on India. The country possesses infinite variety in culture and tradition. During the festivity, India becomes a tourism hot spot. Visit www.travelgoindia.com and get detailed information on all the places of tourist interest in India.

This wonderful online India Travel Guide has made tourism in India popular and it becomes easy for a tourist to plan a tour better. The country is big and has a diversity that is bewildering. TravelGoIndia.com intends to explore the myriad facets of a land full of uniqueness. Celebration in India, though associated with religion is rather secular. It is the celebration of the spirit of humanity that will strike an onlooker. Essentially a festival of Northern India, Diwali assumes great importance and the entire country is decked up for the occasion.

TravelGoindia.com is more than just an India Travel Guide. It gives some value added services too. After helping potential tourists with adequate information, TravelGoIndia.com also enables tourists to book hotels online through its state of the art booking engine. Tourists can book hotels real time anywhere in India. Instant booking confirmation will also be provided so that traveler will not have to wonder about the status of the booking. During Diwali, hotels in India offer lucrative discounts and tourists can avail the offers through TravelGoIndia.com.

Being a complete travel guide, TravelGoIndia.com provides necessary information on tourism in India and travel tips that can be useful to the tourists. The website has details of more than 300 hotels spread over 150 Indian cities. This India Travel Guide will make the tour of India during Diwali a memorable experience.

With shores on two oceans, Mexico is a beach lover’s paradise. Here’s a primer on three of the beach areas, Puerto Vallarta and Ensenada

Puerto Vallarta

Considered a poor man’s Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta lies in the middle of the Bahia de Banderas, a huge bay. The beach is long and nice while the two lies at the foot of the Sierra Madre Mountains. The last ten years have seen a lot of development with condos, hotels and tourist support areas going up like mad. This isn’t particularly surprising since tourism seems to be the hub of the entire economy in Puerto Vallarta.

For beaches, you really can’t go wrong in Puerto Vallarta. The northern beaches tend to be the most popular, which also means more people. Personally, I’ve headed to the south to find a little more breathing room. For gay travelers, Puerto Vallarta is considered the most accommodating beach location in an otherwise conservative Mexico.

Ensenada

Located a few hours south of the border with San Diego, Ensenada is a popular weekend trip. Sitting on the bay of Todos Santos, Ensenada is famous for a vibrant nightlife, nice beaches and being the location where much of the movie “Titanic” was shot.

Historically, Ensenada used to be a secret location known to San Diegans. Then the Mexican government built a smooth highway from Tijuana through Ensenada. So much for the secret!

Today, Ensenada is a good place to go if you want to experience Mexico, but want to avoid the packed, edgy Tijuana scene. In Ensenada, you can ride horses on the beach, do some surfing and visit world famous bars. The most famous, of course, is Hussongs. Hussongs is the place where you can “sample” tequila and sing with Mariachi bands. The two have nothing to do with each other. Honest.

Everyone has a favorite beach spot in Mexico. Ensenada and Puerto Vallarta aren’t bad places to sample.

You are on vacation with your family and decide its time to get away from them for a while, to get some space. Walking around outside is an option but you’ve been exploring your destination all day. You decide that the hotel’s sauna room will provide the best place to get some peace and quiet. You may even sweat away that greasy burger you had for lunch and come out refreshed and rejuvenated.

Sound good? Ensure your hotel offers the convenience of a sauna by following the steps to a well researched hotel reservation.

Researching your hotel reservation

The quickest and easiest way to find hotels at your destination is to go online and visit a hotel reservation website. Do a search for the city you are traveling to and you will be presented with a list of available hotels in that area.

Narrowing down by facility

You should then choose a hotel that appeals to you and click for more information. Amongst the detailed information on the hotel will be the hotel’s:

- address - detailed description - photos - map and directions - consumer reviews - room facilities - hotel facilities

Under the list of hotel facilities if a sauna is available you should see “sauna”, “sauna room”, “sauna steam” or something similar. If the hotel you have chosen does not have a sauna then you should go back to the search results page and choose another hotel.

Compare hotels by facility

Another method to find hotels with a sauna is to choose three of your favorite hotels from the search results and compare the three hotels side-by-side. You can do this by ‘ticking’ the box next to each hotel’s listing in the search results then clicking the “Compare” button at the bottom of the page. This will display a list of the most popular facilities with travelers.

If the facility is available at a hotel, a ‘tick’ will be displayed next to that facility. You can then compare whether each hotel has a ‘tick’ next to “sauna” or not. The comparison tool is also handy for when all the hotels have a sauna and you want to know which other facilities each hotel provides such as a swimming pool, spa or restaurant.

Confirm

After confirming the hotel reservation online you will receive the hotel’s phone number. Give the hotel a call to ensure the hotel sauna is available for your use on the dates of your stay. You may also want to ask whether the hotel offers single sex saunas or mixed.