This quaint and fun town is on the way from Cape Town to Cape Point, or if you prefer Boulder Bay (penguins) or Simonstown (Naval Base),
It is a popular holiday town and weekend place to visit, and the main road which runs through the town gets very clogged and slow - and it is very hard to find somewhere to park.
The main part of town is charming and the architecture from its heyday as a weekend and holiday stop reeks of colonial times. Although the buildings could probably do with some investment, they have amazing charm and are now filled with antique shops, restaurants, quirky artwork galleries and jewellery shops. The charm being they are all made by local area artists and so unique.
There is also a distinct hippy feel a lot of the time and you see tarot reading and physics' shops.
There is a small harbour and there is Harbour House which apparently serves great food along with great views. It was too busy the day we went, but came highly recommended.
It was a great town to wander around and there seems to be loads of guest houses and holiday apartments with great ocean views as it rises fast from sea level up to the mountains.
Handy also for popping along the road to see the penguins.
How travel writers select hotels
How travel writers decide upon which hotels they are going to include in a guidebook or story is a topic that received some media attention earlier this year after Lonely Planet writer Thomas Kohnstamm revealed in his tell-all book how he'd favorably reviewed a place after having sex with the waitress on a table. How the staff perform - on the job, not after hours - is certainly something that comes into the equation when we're considering hotels for potential inclusion in our books or articles. But a whole host of other factors are also up for scrutiny. Mr and Mrs Smith shared on their blog recently the qualities that define a good boutique hotel for them in What makes a Smith hotel? The 'wow' factor is high on their list, but also other elements, from a sensational setting and imaginative interiors to remarkable views and a 'nothing is too much trouble' attitude. While these attributes appear on the long list of criteria we tick off, the criteria we use varies depending on the project and readers. It can even vary within the same project. For instance, when we write for Thomas Cook or AA, we know their readers are mature travellers (30 years upwards) who don't want to waste money but are happy to spend up on special properties that will provide them with memorable experiences, whether it's a beach resort or luxury B&B. Lonely Planet and Rough Guides, for instance, have a much wider readership: all ages, all budgets. Lonely Planet's accommodation is structured by economics: budget, mid-range and top-end. And while there are always going to be certain constants we'll consider across all price ranges, for example, whether rooms are clean, there are things that only apply to a particular category, and the list will inevitably be shorter the lower the budget. After all, we shouldn't have many expectations of a place that only charges $20 a night. On the other hand, if the rate is $300 a night then our list is going to be long. We're going to spend more time looking at the property, and we're going to be scrutinizing it a whole lot more closely. That's not to say we don't run our fingers over the furniture at all properties. We do. We also look for mould in the bathroom, scuffs on the carpets, peeling wallpaper, cigarette burns on the furniture, and, yes, we'll have a bounce on the mattress. But the four and five star properties will be the ones we'll check in to. A lot of travel writers will do it the other way around - they'll sleep at the budget hotel and do site inspections of the top end places. But the way we see it is if a backpacker has a lousy experience at a hostel they may only be blowing $30. If a traveller has a dreadful time at a luxury property, they might have wasted a whole week's pay, especially if they're stayed a few days. Although it's important to get it right for all hotels, it's far more crucial at the top end than it is at the lower end. Therefore, it's more important that we experience the boutique and luxury properties than it is for us to stay at a youth hostel. And let's face it, you get to a certain age when you can no longer share a dorm with strangers and you simply prefer to travel with certain comforts. We didn't become writers to travel like teenagers. Nor to copulate on restaurant tables either.
The photo? One resort where you're guaranteed a very special experience: the Six Senses Hideaway Hua Hin at Pranburi, Thailand. We stayed in the private pool bungalow, pictured, last October while researching spas, hotels and restaurants for the DK Eyewitness Thailand guide.
two New York City luxury hotels
I made site inspections of two newly renovated hotels while in New York over Thanksgiving. As promised, here are my impressions.
The Pierre, located at Fifth Avenue and E. 61st Street, offers 189 guest rooms and 49 suites. The property is "owned" by the residents of the private apartments found within the hotel and managed for them by Taj Hotels, a hotel chain based in India. The hotel has two elegant entrances, and I was especially struck by the beautiful polished marble floors.
The renovated rooms have high ceilings and an attractive ivory color scheme. Elegant Indian fabrics are used for the bedding, and the effect is quite pleasant (see above). The most desirable rooms look over the buildings of the Upper East Side and offer a stunning view of Central Park. My one criticism of the property would be the bathrooms; they offer only a single, small rectangular vanity, barely larger than the sink. In my view, these do not provide enough surface area on which to place even one traveler's toiletries. Dual vanities are becoming the standard in five star hotels, and couples may have difficulty with the limited counter space at the Pierre.
The Plaza Athenee on E. 64th Street has long been one of my favorite hotels in New York. Located on a residential street, it offers understated but gracious service. Its one drawback had been its smallish rooms and old-fashioned, tiny bathrooms, but those limitations are now a thing of the past. In the extensive renovation, closets and long hallways have been taken out, creating more space for the guest rooms and, especially, for the bathrooms. Built-ins have replaced closets, and glass-enclosed step-in showers replace the old "shower in the tub with shower curtain." Especially impressive are new Suites, featuring a hardwood-floored living room with kitchenette and powder room, separated by a door from the bedroom.
The new aesthetic is classic contemporary, both in the restyled bathrooms and in the guestrooms. I noticed especially that the old formal draperies have been replaced with very tasteful, contemporary fabrics. My one criticism is that much of the old bedroom furniture is still being used in the guestrooms. Perhaps replacing the hard goods will be a future project once we have moved past the current economic slowdown.
Both the Pierre and the Plaza Athenee are members of Virtuoso, and guests enjoy competitive rates along with complimentary daily breakfast for two, room upgrades, and additional perks when booked through a Virtuoso luxury travel consultant.
Cool Travel Guide's Posting Policy
While the vast majority of comments I get on Cool Travel Guide are wonderful and warmly welcomed, I've received a few comments over the last year that have caused me to reflect upon what Cool Travel Guide is all about and what I'm prepared to post and what I'm not and to come up with a posting policy. Here it is: while I welcome comments in response to posts I've published on Cool Travel Guide and other comments that might be slightly off-topic but touch on subjects this blog covers (see this post 'What is Cool Travel Guide?' to find out what those are), there are some comments that I won't post and won't address and they are:
4) comments that relate to content I've written for other publishers that has nothing to do with Cool Travel Guide content. For example, an anonymous person recently left an angry comment in relation to a review I wrote on a hotel for a Lonely Planet guidebook because their experience differed remarkably to my own. If you have a bad experience at a hotel, my advice is to complain to the hotel manager during your stay. There's nothing they can do about a noisy hotel room after you leave or if you leave an anonymous comment on Cool Travel Guide. If you've maintained your anonymity, I can't even follow it up with the hotel manager to find out what happened. Complain to the manager at the time of your stay and they can probably move you to another room or help find you alternate accommodation. If I didn't mention the noise in my review, then I obviously didn't experience it myself, but don't question and criticize my reviewing skills nor expect that I'll upload an anonymous comment that does so.
Asian Airports Top Traveler Satisfaction Survey
Seoul's Incheon International number one once again
On Monday, I wrote a post about The Daily Beast's take on 27 US airports, the best of which isn't all that great when compared with others on the world stage. The Beast called its post "Airports From Hell." Thanks goplantit.com for calling attention to a Business Week story called. "Why Asia Has the World's Best Airports." It reported on the results of the latest annual Airport Service Quality Survey of some 200,000 international travelers conducted by Geneva-based Airports Council International. The top five are Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong and Halifax. Four in Asia, none in Europe and one in North America."Seoul's Incheon International Airport snagged first place in the ranking for the fourth straight year," wrote Business Week's Moon Ihlwan. "Two years before opening the $5 billion airport in 2001, airport administrators set up a task force that analyzed what some of the world's best airports were doing right. The task force looked at Singapore, Hong Kong, Denver and Atlanta. Then planners set about figuring out how the new Seoul airport could offer services that would outdo those hubs. The airport, which last June completed the $3 billion addition of a passenger terminal and runway, has earmarked $120 million for further upgrades in parking and other amenities this year."
Beyond improvements that run into the millions, Ihlwan wrote, "airports in the U.S. are widely viewed as public facilities, while those in Asia are seen as service-oriented businesses....To attract airlines and travelers, Incheon airport has cut down on waiting times. Administrators reassigned terminals for planes making a brief stop and reprogrammed computerized baggage handling systems. The result: Last year the airport reduced to 45 minutes from 55 minutes the minimum connection time for passengers who are traveling through Seoul to other destinations. The airport authority also spent around $7 million on a new 240-seat lounge, which opened last June for departing passengers and offers free showers, Internet connections and movies on giant-screen TVs."
State-of-the-art technology, efficiency and facilities to make travelers' experiences as seamless and pleasant as possible are the winning combination. The Business Week story and passengers' comments are illuminating. If US airport authorities could put just a fraction of these into practice, fewer American airports would be "from hell." Interestingly, even though Denver ranked far down on The Beast's list, it is one that Seoul officials deemed worth looking at.
San Miguel de Allende'sBotanical Garden
SWISS to Inaugurate San Francisco-Zürich Service
San Francisco-Zürich (SFO-ZRH) LX 39 dep. 7:25 p.m. arr 3:40 p.m + the following dayDeep-pocketed flyers will travel in the incomparable luxury of a SWISS First class cabin or the enhanced comfort of SWISS Business class with a new fully reclinable seats innovative air seat cushions that can be individually adjusted. Even for the rest of us, the carrier promises "a more comfortable SWISS economy experience."
Zürich-San Francisco (ZRH-SFO) LX 38 dep. 1:15 p.m. arr 4:30 p.m.
And I don't doubt it. A lifetime ago, I worked as a sales promotion writer in New York for Swissair, the predecessor to the current SWISS. In those days, the airline's North American gateways were New York, Boston, Chicago, Montreal and Toronto. Today there are seven (Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark, and Montreal), and come June and the addition of San Francisco, there will be eight.
Syria's Bewitching Boutique Hotels
Syria has long been home to some of the Middle East's most bewitching boutique hotels (the only country that beats it in the beautiful hotel stakes is Morocco) so we're delighting in one of our main tasks over the next two weeks - to review and photograph a handful of the country's most characterful properties in Damascus and Aleppo. The first hotel we checked into last Wednesday was Beit Al Mamlouka, still one of the most romantic and intimate hotels in the Old City of Damascus. Despite what you read in numerous articles, it was not Syria's first boutique hotel - the hotel's first and former owner, May Mamarbachi, painstakingly restored the property over three years, opening it in 2005, but by then several fine little boutique hotels had already been operating since the late 1990s in Aleppo, including Beit Wakil and Dar Zamaria. Diwan Rasmy, which would later become Beit Salahieh, opened soon after, and many more followed. Damascus has witnessed a number of recent openings, which we'll be looking at and reporting back on over the next weeks. Under its 'new' management - Tony, the owner of a silk company, took over two years ago - Beit Al Mamlouka is still a wonderful place to check into and is quite possibly one of the city's most romantic hotels. More to come...
London Heathrow Terminal 5: British Airways Concorde First Lounge
In an earlier posting, I wrote about the new Terminal 5 at London Heathrow, which serves as the main terminal now for British Airways.
Today I was flying out of T5 on my way to Newark Airport in the USA. As British Airways has an offer at present, I was getting to fly First Class on one leg for the regular price. (Nice offer!)
Now here is the thing about BA lounges. They have 3 types of lounges:
- Executive Club Lounge
- First Class Lounge
- Concorde Lounge
And what is kind of odd in all of that, other than Concorde stopped flying years ago, is that the First Class lounge is really for Gold Card holders and Concorde Lounge if you are actually flying First.
Years ago, the Concorde lounge was just that. And you boarded straight from the lounge onto the plane. Something I was lucky enough to have done twice.
This was the first time I had been to the Concorde Lounge at T5, though have posted about the First Class lounge.
The lounge is pretty good, with a restaurant with booths where you can order meals (for nothing). I ordered a breakfast of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon from a smaller menu and sat in the open area.
There is a large bar and then loads of sofas and chairs dotted about to relax in, both in the lounge and then on a more open seating area overlooking the main terminal.
There is a Quintessential concierge desk to offer arrangements to travelers, and there also seems to be cabana rooms you can book to nap in.
A boardroom is available.
There is free wi-fi access (at last!)
I also visited the massive executive lounge in the B section of Terminal 5, where my flight departed from (B section is where many of the long haul flights depart from, and is reached by a small monorail)
AIRPORT LOUNGES: what makes a good one, based on Zambian, South African & Heathrow..
In the last month I had the opportunity to sample a number of airline lounges on my travels to and from Southern Africa. It got me thinking to what makes a good lounge.
I had tried out-
- Virgin Atlantic lounge at Heathrow (probably the best airline lounge anywhere in the world!)
- British Airways lounge at OR Tambo Johannesburg
- British Airways Lounge at Victoria Falls Livingstone Zambia (Very homemade approach..!)
- Virgin Atlantic at the OR Tambo Airport Johannesburg (A fairly new airline lounge which while not that large is funky decor as usual with Virgin)
Pictures of each are below, which show the massive diversity in style and decor. The 2 extremes being the BA Zambia and Virgin Heathrow.
BA Zambia has a real "homemade/ low budget" approach and was a mix match of what felt like old lounge furniture, amateur art and was a bit shabby. But saying that it did make me think about what makes it good to have access to a lounge at an airport.
It seem to me that all of them offered:
- An escape from the overall madness that the general area can be, with nowhere comfortable to sit with less noise and hustle and bustle.
- Free drinks and something to eat. On the one extreme is the Virgin Lounge at Heathrow you can chose from a sit down dinner, choose from the deli or order from a menu at your seat. At the other was BA Livingstone with some cheese puffs and sandwiches. But all have something to eat that costs nothing and booze, soft drinks and tea/ coffee.
- Newspapers and magazines to browse through to pass the time.
- Internet access. All had free internet access, which seems to be a policy now for BA. It was very erratic in the Zambia lounge, but that may be more of a telecom issue than a BA issue...!
- Sense of being valued and looked after
Of course there is then the sense of “wow” that Virgin lounges have. They all tend to have their own look and feel, with some theme that links them all back. The BA lounges are much more of a template and look very similar.
But in the end, having access is a boon.
BRITISH AIRWAYS LOUNGE LIVINGSTONE ZAMBIA
British Airways Lounge at Livingstone Airport Victoria Falls Zambia, originally uploaded by garybembridge.
VIRGIN LOUNGE JOHANNESBURG AIRPORT
Virgin Atlantic Lounge OR Tambo Airport Johannesburg South Africa (3), originally uploaded by garybembridge.
VIRGIN ATLANTIC LOUNGE HEATHROW
Continental Airlines USA Review
The most read posts on the blog are those that review airline seats and service, and so here is my thoughts on Continental Airlines in the USA..
It makes me wonder why no carrier has stepped up (or in) with a flying experience that turns the whole horrible process into something more bearable. I know that Virgin is now trying this with the launch of Virgin America, but that is still in early days.
I assume it could be partly the fact that by law no foreign ownership of domestic airlines or foreign competition on domestic routes is allowed which stops anyone from outside the USA entering and changing the game. It is also unlikely the US carriers while make a major change as most of the US carriers are struggling with near bankruptcy or just again starting to make money after the events of 9/11 hammered their businesses.
Many flights in the USA are as long as some long haul flights from say New York to Ireland or parts of the UK. On these routes you simply have to have a better airport and in-flight offer if you want to attract passengers and compete. Colleagues of mine based on the West Coast tell of how they fly into cities on the East Coast from Europe in lie flat business seats with lounge access with lots of features. Then they change onto a flight from the East to West Coast, often with the same US airline. And they get a completely different seating arrangement, and service even for the same amount of flying.
The more I travel on these domestic flights, the more I can see why carriers like Jet Blue and Southwest did so well. They are very upfront about what they offer and are very efficient at doing it.
The cause of my grumble about Domestic US carriers is driven by part by the experience that I had flying Continental from Los Angeles to New York Newark. This leg of my trip was part of a round trip on Virgin Atlantic from London Heathrow – Los Angeles – New York – London Heathrow. As Continental is a partner alliance airline with Virgin they did the internal US leg. As it was a business fare, I was travelling First on Continental.
The Continental flight was so close to being good, but just not quite there considering how much it costs. Though I believe these days not that many people actually pay the fare to be in First Class but are mostly there through upgrades. This may explain why the service is not as good as long haul First/ Business as on those routes they make more money as people actually pay for it!
While I got a dedicated check-in for First Class where you check-in via a touch screen system and then someone tags and takes your bags and checks ID. This was very well organized and slick. Once I got through security, I found that if you are travelling domestically you do not get access to the lounge. This is only available at a charge of US$45, if you have status on frequent fly at a high level or if you are flying internationally.
This I found unusual and strange as in Europe and Asia lounge access is for all business flights, which makes some sense as people on these flights are usually looking for somewhere to work and get stuff done. Initially I decided to not pay, but later had to after we were told our flight was going to be delayed for 4 hours as there was nowhere else to plug in my laptop and get wireless access in the terminal.
The lounge was pretty good, large and with lots of space and food and drink, plus free wireless access.
The seats in First Class on Continental were much better than people had told me they would be. There was lots of room to stretch out. I am 6’2” and could not touch the seat in front of me. They had a great innovation where you can plug your normal plug in from your laptop and did not have to own or get all the fussy special adaptors you need on other airlines. The food was pretty standard airline fare, though you did get a choice of 3 main options for the breakfast (omelette, French toast or cereals). They also had a movie on demand service which seems to be quite new, and they struggled to get it working and then about 2 hours into the flight it stopped working.
The seat itself was large, and went fairly far back but was not that easy to get comfortable in to sleep. But it was very large and there was lots of space with only 2 seats on each side of the aisle.
New York Palace Hotel (Dorchester Collection): review, photos, video
So I guess I was always going to be disappointed. The best I can say is that the hotel overall is fine. Nothing special but not too bad for New York hotels. The hotel is busy and like so many New York hotels the reception staff seem off hand and disinterested, reeling off their patter with little real honesty or believability.
The rooms are large for New York and quiet. The bed is large and very comfortable, and there is a gigantic flat screen TV with large range of channels. A good sized desk and fast internet access.
The overall decor of the rooms, and the hotel for that matter, is beige, bland and unmemorable. The bathroom is a big disappointment as is a cookie cutter New York hotel look. They do have Molton Brown toiletries which is a plus.
Room service is cheerful and efficient, but the food is very average. The location on Madison and 50th is good for Fifth Avenue shops. The fitness centre on the 8th floor is large and well equipped and a plus.
There is a lack of attention to detail overall, so things like the battery in the scales was run down, the toilet needed some manual help to shut off after flushing and the limo I booked was booked for 615pm and not 615am as asked for.
The hotel rides on the brand name of Dorchester, but is not giving the service, attention and the overall experience it should.
It is one of those bland but fine places you end up staying for when away for work. Not bad enough to complain, but not good enough to really look forward to going back to.
Slow travel: train-dreaming
"Journeys are the mid-wives of thought", writes Alain de Botton in my favorite book, Art of Travel. But of all the modes of transport that are most conducive to "internal conversation", to thinking and to dreaming, the best, he believes, is the train. He writes "On a journey across flat country, I think with a rare lack of inhibition about the death of my father, about an essay I am writing on Stendahl and about a mistrust that has arisen between two friends. Every time my mind goes blank, having hit on a difficult idea, the flow of consciousness is assisted by the possibility of looking out the window, locking on to an object and following it for a few seconds, until a new coil of thought is ready to form and can unravel without pressure. At the end of hours of train-dreaming, we may feel we have been returned to ourselves - that is, brought back into contact with emotions and ideas of importance to us. It is not necessarily at home that we best encounter our true selves." I also appreciate road trips for those reasons, but on road trips you have to worry about who or what else is on the road, about petrol, signs and navigation, whereas on a train someone else is at the wheel and your mind is more free to wander. While the car gives the body freedom to move across a country, the train allows the mind to travel anywhere.
If you want to travel slowly by train and are looking for inspiration, check out The Man in Seat 61, which is not only the best resource for train travel on the web, with links to railway all over the world, train schedules and ticket-sellers, it's also incredibly inspiring with descriptions and photos from train journeys, from the Venice Simplon Orient Express to the Swiss Glacier Express.
Italian cruise company recruits in Vietnam
Italian travel group Costa Crociere is recruiting 50 Vietnamese workers for its fleet of five star cruise ships that travel through Asia, Europe and the Americas, Saigontourist Travel Service Company Vo Anh Tai said this week.It’s the first time Costa Crociere has hired staff in Vietnam. The Italian company signed a recruitment deal with Saigontourist in July last year.
Tai said Saigontourist hoped to send up to 200 skilled hospitality staff to the Italian cruise company this year.
Three successful Vietnamese applicants went to Italy on March 16 to start work with the company.
Most of the workers being hired are aged between 20 and 34, fluent in English and are experienced in the hospitality industry. They will work as stewards and waiters on salaries ranging from 501 euros to 1,739 euros (US$665 to $2,308) a month, plus health insurance and other benefits.
Saigontourist has been the sole agent in Vietnam for Costa Crociere since 2006, providing land-based tours for passengers in Vietnam.
Costa Crociere has 14 luxury cruise ships, including Costa Allegra and Costa Marina, which often stop at Vietnam ports.
Another Costa Crociere vessel, the five-star Costa Classica docked in Ho Chi Minh City for the first time on Thursday with 1,600 European passengers on board, Vietnam News Agency reported Thursday.
Costa Classica’s passengers are scheduled to leave the city today after exploring the city and neighboring areas, such as the Mekong Delta city of My Tho.
The ship will visit the popular central tourist destinations of Nha Trang on Saturday and Danang the next day. It will then head north to Quang Ninh Province to visit the World-Heritage listed Ha Long Bay on April 6 and 7.
How travel writers select hotels: the criteria we use
So, what are some of the other things travel writers are looking for when we're judging a hotel? If you've just joined me.
* The bathroom: is it clean and spacious with lots of light? Is there a rain shower or shower with good water pressure? Does the shower stay up and not fall down and hit you on the head? Does the water get really hot? Does the shower not flood the bathroom? Can you sit on the toilet without having to tuck your needs under the sink? Are there big fluffy towels and hand towels? High quality toiletries? A high-speed hairdryer?
* The hotel: whether it's a luxury property or budget hotel, does it have character, personality and atmosphere? Does it have a sense of style? And what about attention to detail? Are there signs in the lift and is the signage discrete? Are there fresh flowers? A bowl (not a vase) of fruit? Newspapers and magazines, or even better a lounge with library? Wi-fi in the public spaces? If it's a luxury property, there should be a decent-sized swimming pool with lots of sun beds. There should be a good cafe with staff who know their coffees, and a buzzy bar with a bartender who knows how to mix a cocktail (our usual test is whether he can make a martini). There should be a fine quality restaurant where locals like to eat. Breakfast should be freshly made, no cereal in packets and no cold scrambled eggs - if it's a budget place, keep it simple and just give us espresso coffee and fresh hot pastries, if it's a luxury hotel then we still expect espresso coffee (no percolated 'American coffee' in a pot), a hot cooked breakfast as well as local breakfast options on the menu.
* The staff: Do they smile? Are they welcoming, warm and friendly? Do they ask how you are? Do they offer to help with your luggage and shopping? And do they back off when you don't need assistance? Are they intuitive, attentive, accommodating, and have a 'can do', 'anything, anywhere, anytime' attitude? Does the concierge know the town like nobody else and can organize anything for you? Do they break the rules and go beyond the call of duty if they have to? As Mr and Mrs Smith asked in a recent post on what makes a boutique hotel: would they fix me a bite to eat if I arrived after hours? (Disappointingly, we recently found that one much-written-about five star luxury hotel on the Italian Riviera wouldn't!)
* Check-out: Is it fast and efficient? Do they manage to print up a correct bill without too much fuss? Do they ask you how your stay was? Do they seem like they actually cared? Is a taxi waiting or is the car ready with your luggage already in it? Is their goodbye as warm as their welcome so you leave thinking this is a hotel you could happily head back to?
So, have I left anything out? What do you expect from a hotel? And what factors are important to you when you size up a hotel?
No room at the inn
No more hotel rooms are available, tour operators have no empty seats to fill, and most travel companies are turning down booking requests.
There’s no sign of the slowing economy, what with hordes of people rushing to book a four-day vacation from Thursday’s Liberation Day through Friday’s Labor Day to Sunday evening.
Tour operators in Ho Chi Minh City say they have booked up to 15 percent more customers than last year, when the public holidays fell on Wednesday and Thursday.
Tran Doan The Duy of Vietravel says all the places on his company’s package tours to Beijing-Shanghai, Singapore and South Korea have been taken.
Fiditour, which is just as inundated with requests, is arranging more tours to Singapore and Malaysia as the firm’s scheduled trips to the two countries are full.
Saigontourist has seen a surge in domestic tour reservations too, partly because many people have canceled trips to Thailand because of the political troubles there, according to the travel firm’s Lam Tu Khoi.
Tours from Can Tho City to Phu Quoc Island, Da Lat, Nha Trang and Hoi An are booked out, Luu Nguyen Anh Thu of Saigontourist’s Can Tho branch told Tuoi Tre on Sunday.
In the opposite direction, travel agents have booked more than 1,000 people into Can Tho’s My Khanh Village, which is described as an “ecotourism hotspot of the Mekong Delta.”
In Kien Giang Province to the south, the hotels and guest houses on Phu Quoc Island have been flooded with requests for accommodation since early this month, and most of the hotels have run out of empty rooms.
In south-central Binh Thuan Province, director Lam Quang Hien of the local tourism department said on Sunday that “it’s too late to book a hotel room now.”
His department has ordered hotels and other lodgings in the province to keep their rates unchanged and improve their service.
Oddly enough, some small hotels in Binh Thuan have actually knocked 10-30 percent off their normal room tariffs.
Hien thinks the number of holidaymakers spending the four days in Phan Thiet, Rom Island or La Gi Beach will jump by 7 percent from last year to more than 53,000.
Rom Island Resort took more than 1,200 group and individual bookings a month ago, according to the resort’s general manager, Nguyen Van Tho.
“The only thing left for us to do is welcome the visitors,” Tho said.
Since Sunday, all phone calls and emails to the multitude of hotels in Da Lat have been answered with an apology that there’s no room left.
There are some 600 hotels in the highland city yet room reservations began flooding in two months ago, even though some hotels have doubled their rates.
Hotels in Da Nang have also raised their prices knowing there will be so many visitors desperate for a place to stay.
It’s estimated that 30 percent more people from Hanoi and HCMC will visit the central city this week compared to a year ago.
Every hotel and resort on the Da Nang coast has been booked out, according to Tran Chi Cuong of the local tourism department.
Cuong believes the cable car at Ba Na Mountain alone will attract more than 5,000 tourists this week, and advises people wanting to visit Ba Na to just go for the day as there are far too few guest rooms for everyone.
The town of Hue to the north of Da Nang will be twice as crowded as usual now that all the three-star and cheaper accommodation is taken and the higher-end hotels are up to 80 percent booked.
Leading travel firm Vitour has had to turn down requests to carry tour operators’ customers to the central region. Vitour deputy general director Cao Tri Dung said his company was only accepting individual seat bookings for the long holiday.
There are no seats left on flights from HCMC or mainland Kien Giang to Phu Quoc Island, or on the passenger ferries that operate between the island and the mainland.
On the highways, there will definitely be more buses from HCMC to Vung Tau, Da Lat, Phan Thiet, Nha Trang and Buon Ma Thuot, according to Thuong Thanh Hai, deputy director of Mien Dong Bus Station, the main coach terminus in HCMC.
The city’s Mien Tay Bus Station, which services the Mekong Delta, will use 60 buses to carry the extra passengers to Can Tho and the rest of the region this week, deputy station manager Huynh Hai Oanh said.
Hoi An Riverside Resort
Direction
All rooms equipped with luxury bathroom with beautiful bathrobes from KhaiSilk, three telephone sets, mini bar, AC and fan, satellite TV and Balcony.
All rooms equipped with luxury bathroom with beautiful bathrobes from KhaiSilk, three telephone sets, mini bar, AC and fan, satellite TV and Balcony.
Song Do Restaurant:
Restaurant has capacity between 120 to 150 seats with large choice of exquisite cuisines and there is an extensive menu selection to tempt your taste buds.
Open daily from 06:00AM to 10:00PM.
Soak up all the sunrays you need, cool off with a swim or just laze around with your latest book and a cold thirst quencher. And if you feel a little hungry, just check out our menus for large delicious snacks.
Faifo Bar is also a perfect place to escape from the heat of the day, relax with a cup of tea or a snack, enjoy your favorite drink and watch life goes by. A wide selection of cocktails, wines & beers is available. It is the ideal venue for a casual rendezvous.
Sport:
Relaxation and leisure are readily available to you at the Hoi An Riverside Resort. Whenever you prefer to be active or just relax, offering a whole range of sport and recreational facilities to suite everyone.
Riverside Sense Spa :
* Oriental Massage (60 minutes)
An ancient traditional art, by exerting pressure on specific points of the body and by manipulating muscles and ligaments, the spine is elongated and relieved of tension. The sense of well-being as energy and flexibility are brought back into your body is extraordinary.
* Foot Massage (45 minutes)
A traditional Vietnamese foot massage is highly recommended to aid relaxation and promote a sense of well-being. Reflex points, relating to the organs in the body, can be found at the ankles and feet. It is a natural and traditional way to balance the body, stimulate the blood circulation and reduce muscle tension.
Add a session to any Massage for increased energy balance . 25 minutes US$ 10
* Facial Treatment (45 minutes)
The traditional way of purifying and nourishing your face using L'Occitane natural products and soft pressure point massage. This relaxing facial treatment will make your skin silky smooth, giving you a fresh and healthy feeling. Our Facial Massage is popular with men and women of all ages.
Amenities
- Swimming pool
- Bussiness centre
- Tea/coffee making
- Satellite stations
- IDD telephone
- Large standing shower
- Heater temperature and towels.
- 24-hour room service
- Beauty salon
- Tennis court
- Massage
- Sauna/steam-bath
- Karaoke
- Laundry & dry-cleaning service
- Internet & Email service
- Fitness room
- Restaurant
- Car parking
- Souvenir shop
- Tours operations
- Luxurious massage room
- Jacuzzi
- badminton
- Courier, parcel and postal services
- Money changing service
- Limousine service
- Baby-sitting service
- Transportation facilities
- Major credit cards accepted
- Private bathroom
- Hair-dryer
- Tour Desk
- Gymnasium
Best of British: camping holidays
This much talked about campsite thoroughly deserves its good reputation. And at 25 minutes' drive from Brighton at the foot of the South Downs, it's very convenient if you happen to live in London. Pitches are set in private clearings with names like Minty, Fruity and Boho. The native deciduous woodland is magical and the fact that camp fires are positively encouraged is testament to the friendly owners' love of proper camping and toasted marshmallows.
Price: £5 per tent, £7 per person per night (high season).
Facilities: Toilets, basic energy saving showers, logs for sale, bonfire pits.
Website: www.blackberrywood.com
Camping wild, Dartmoor and Scotland
Dartmoor National Park is the last place in England where you can legally camp wild. Spending one or two nights on the open land here is perfectly acceptable provided that you choose your spot sensibly. Don't pitch your tent on farmland, on moorland enclosed by walls, within 100m (328ft) of a road, on flood plains or on archaeological sites. Camping beneath scarred tors as the wind rakes across the moors is great fun and you'll share your campsite with wild ponies.
In the Scottish highlands and islands, there's no greater pleasure than sharing the heather-sprayed hillsides and shimmering lochs with a loved one under canvas. Just don't forget your torch, midge net and repellent - the small, biting insects can make spring and early summer miserable if you don't have the right kit. Be sure to check you're not camping on private land.
Price: Free.
Facilities: None.
Websites: www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk and www.outdooraccess-scotland.com
Great Langdale National Trust Campsite, Lake District
Sitting rather smugly a saunter from some of the most sublime scenery in the Lake District, Great Langdale's a cracker. As you'd expect from the National Trust, the whole thing's wonderfully efficient, well-appointed and rather tasteful. Find a woodland pitch in the lee of the postcard-friendly Langdale Pikes and then set off to explore some of the best walks in the Lakes.
Price: £10.50 per pitch (includes one vehicle, one person and a small tent) (high season).
Facilities: Toilets, showers, basins, laundry, drying room, washing-up facilities, disabled facilities, electric hook-ups, kids' playground, shop.
Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-global/w-localtoyou/w-northwest/w-lakedistrict-feature/w-northwest-lakedistrict_camping/w-northwest-lakedistrict_camping-langdale.htm
Three Cliffs Bay, Gower, near Swansea
A room with a view - well, a tent with one, anyway. This campsite peers gingerly down over Three Cliffs Bay, an arc of sand embraced by green-topped cliffs. It truly has one of the best views of any campsite in the UK. It can get blustery on the exposed cliff-top so bang your pegs in deeply to avoid losing your tent and your dignity.
Prices: £15 per small two-man tent.
Facilities: Toilets, showers, laundry, washing-up facilities, disabled facilities, electric hook-ups, shop.
Website: www.threecliffsbay.com
Glenbrittle, Isle of Skye, northwest Skye
Placed between the lapping waters of Loch Brittle and the Tolkien-esque rocks of the Black Cuillin mountain range, Glenbrittle campsite is pure magic. Scale the rocks, stalk red deer or swim in the fairy pools - vivid blue swimming holes at the foot of the Cuillins.
Price: £5 per adult per night.
Facilities: Toilets, showers, shop.
Website: www.dunvegancastle.com
Vintage Vacations, Isle of Wight
Bequiffed 1950s enthusiasts take note. There's no need to let the pompadour droop on a camping trip. Vintage Vacations offers American trailers and slick Airstream caravans for fun, surprisingly comfortable breaks. The Airstream is a cool classic - if James Dean were a caravan (sorry, Jimmy!), he'd be one of these. Silver, smooth and so shiny you can fix your 'do in the reflection on their aluminium skins, the 10 caravans occupy a farmer's field on the Isle of Wight.
Angling made simple
With the promise of warm weather, cheap flights and delicious food it's no wonder that the Mediterranean attracts throngs of holidaying Brits to its sunny shores each year. See our top picks for best Med beaches.Agios Gordios, Corfu
Although it has earned a noisy reputation in recent years, mainly in the lively resort of ‘kicking' Kavos, much of Corfu still remains tranquil and picturesque. Set on the west coast, Agios Gordios is a rural gem set away from the busy tourist hordes. Still retaining much of its traditional Greek charm, bougainvillea-clad houses painted in pretty pastel hues wind down the hillside towards to the long stretch of sandy beach. The beach itself has been granted a Blue Flag for cleanliness and safety, making it an ideal spot for some family fun. Adults will also be entertained with the numerous watersports on offer such, as banana boats and jet skis.
Barcelona
The Spanish city might not be the first resort that springs to mind when considering a beach holiday, but with one of the best urban beaches in the world at Port Olímpic, Barcelona perfectly combines city energy and beach relaxation. The stretch of golden sand also comes alive after dark when the area's bars and clubs attract party revellers. For a touch of seclusion, head down the coast to Lloret de Mar for the sheltered white-sand stretch, or if it's an all-over tan you are looking for then the private cove at Caldes d'Estracs is a naturist hotspot. Those with nippers should head to the stretch of beach to the north of the city, from La Barceloneta to the seawater pool at Forum, as they are shallow with low waters - perfect for kiddies to paddle in.
Alghero, Sardinia
Alghero is one of the most popular resorts on Sardinia, yet retains the charm and atmosphere of a working fishing village. It manages to cater for all tastes, with cultural sites and plenty of amenities. It is less glitzy than the busy Costa Smeralda on the north coast of the island, but has plenty to offer those wanting sun, sand and sea - with clean beaches, and a lively clutch of bars and restaurants. The medieval old town is the most picturesque on Sardinia, and has a fascinating Catalan heritage: a legacy of centuries of Aragon rule.
Santorini
The volcanic island of Santorini is one of Greece's most glamorous island destinations. The most upmarket resorts are Fira and Oia, which are perched upon the reddish-black cliffs plummeting into the deep-blue waters of the caldera, and offer sophisticated boutique hotels and gourmet dining. Moneyed travellers, including a smattering of celebrities, favour the glamorous west coast, while the east coast caters for those on a lower budget. For many people, the quintessential Santorini experience is watching the sunset from Oia, an evening ritual during high season, when crowds applause as the sun sinks into the horizon.
Corsica
This vine-filled island rewards visitors with sun-kissed beaches and rugged mountains, as well as verdant pastures and dense forest. At the height of summer, warm Mediterranean waters, balmy evenings and beaches from which a host of watersports can be enjoyed are the main attraction. Some of Europe's least polluted seas see scuba divers make a beeline for the island, with adventure activities like rock climbing and canyoning also available to keep the adrenaline pumping. Corsica is blessed with everything from small rocky coves and beaches strewn with multicoloured pebbles to those replete with fine white sand. Bustling resort beaches, complete with watersports centres are balanced out by tranquil, almost deserted spots. Choosing where to soak up the sun's rays, or where to take a dip in the bath-temperature sea is a matter of personal preference. Beaches consistently rated as some of the island's best (and some of the finest in Europe) include Barcaggio, Ostriconi, Palombaggia and Saint Giulia.
OUR RUN IN WITH THE LAW
Wow the bus station here in Tucuman is huge! Like a shopping center, well it actually is. 12 hours in the bus relieved to be off it, there were a group of guys who sat around me one is my seatmate, annoying as hell, played music loudly and the guy sat next to me keeps changing seats, one time bumping his head on the tv , he never came back to his seat and I slept pretty well through the night. Thre was a bad smell in the bus that pervade for awhile, either i got used to it or it disappeared, I took the semi cama to save 7 US dollars, the upgrade was grand! Next time..
Took a taxi to La Posta de Viajero hostal. Paint peeling from the rooms, but its nice overall, hardly anyone there, was alone in my dorm, kitchen to use and lots of toilets! Showered and went for a walk to town, Plaza San Martin is my 1st stop, a statue of San Martin again, in the middle, around the park are kids in uniform milling about the
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park some still wearing a white lab coat, i see them here and is fairly
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students to wear them outside of school, quite unusual for me as I only wear lab coats at work. Anyway walked towards the center of town to Plaza Independencia lots of nice buildings around the square, and museums too but did not go into any of them. Had a good lunch on one of the ped. walkway streets then went to look for the cinema, found it but it was shut! Damn that siesta! Hardly anyone in the center around 3pm so decided to go back to my hostel to chill, as i was crossing one of the streets I almost got run over by a freaking taxi, It made a sharp left turn and almost nicked me, hate these Argentine drivers!
Had a siesta of my own, got up and walked the center again, this time very lively, full of people and then went to shop for steak! at Carrefour, went back and cooked my meal of what else, steak!Walter, the reception dude offered me mate´ and so we sipped the traditional drink while chatting in Spanish, quite difficult task as I have forgotten
MENHIRES MONOLITHS
they have a different accent, took me awhile to adjust once again, but
MENHIRES MONOLITHShe was very helpful and gave me tips for our road
trip coming up tomorrow. After breakfast left the hostel and walked to the bus station where I waited for Aurelie, Georgina and Joe coming off the bus from Mendoza, we left our luggages at the left luggage facilitiy and went to town and had a walk around, brunch at the Mercado Central so cheap but quite good. Then we eventually walked back to the bus station to meet Andy, the Aussie friend of Joe who is driving from Salta with the hi lux he rented and we will all do the road trip for a week up north.
Joe decided to drive out of the bus parking lot on our way to Tafi del valle, not 2 minutes out and we got pulled over by traffic police! He missed a no left turn sign and the police dude wanted us to pay a fine of 2,500 pesos! or pay him 400 pesos and save all the paper work, this guys are so corrupt, Joe got annoyed and asked Georgina
DRIVE TO QUILMES
to help with the translation, all in all it took us a good 2 hours arguing with the traffic
DRIVE TO QUILMES
police, just to get the hell out of there we offered 300 pesos bribe but they insist on 400! Then a local couple came and asked what was going on, after explaining our situation hoping for some sympathy they started giving the cops a sermon on how they are fed up with corruption and that she threathened to write an article on a local paper about it, they said locals get away with a warning and just because we are tourists they are taking advantage of us, then the cops denied having asked us to pay 400 pesos! A tow truck came and like hell we will give up the truck, we drove and parked the car out of site a block away while georgina and Joe sort out things, Aurelie meanwhile called the French embassy in Ba for advice, and was told to get attention from locals to deter them as they are illegal bribes, just then that Joe and Georgina came back walking to where we are with all the paperwork returned to them, they were told to follow the cops but we just floored it and left right away, thus we are now fugitives!
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JOE BEING REPRIMANDED BY THE CORRUPT TRAFFIC COP
Driving towards
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JOE BEING REPRIMANDED BY THE CORRUPT TRAFFIC COPValle del Taffi we have to go up on a winding zigzaggy road through a humid forest, all green really
gorgeous scenery then suddenly turn dry. Arriving in Valle del Tafi we found Los Cumbres hostel, nice small hostel with a tiny kitchen where we cooked our dinner of veggie pasta. Had a few more red wine to celebrate getting away from the corrupt cops of Tucuman without bribing. Apparently Andy and I had a snoring contest that night and had to be poked couple times to shut up! The bad news came next morning, Goergina was feasted on by bedbugs and we think we all will get them as well, she started the day itching. Visited the Reserva Arquelogica de los Menhires to visit some monoliths, then walked around the manmade lake. from there we moved on to Quilmes a small town that resisted the Spaniards during the conquest. up on the hill, hiking on a very hot day we managed to go up to the top of the site and walk around shading ourselves from the intense sun under the huge cacti around us, quite a nice landscape.Drove to Cafayate and found the hostel
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JOE AND GEORGINA NEGOTIATING WITH THE TRAFFIC COPS
Rustyk which is very
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JOE AND GEORGINA NEGOTIATING WITH THE TRAFFIC COPSnice with a nice courtyard. We decided to sign up for the asado
cookout tonight for dinner for 25 pesos each. we walked around town, quiet and not rushed as other towns. We started drinking early, a few Saltas and a few Quilmes at a bar near the plaza, we found a hotel called Briones! Did not know we have a hotel here! The church is nice inside and when we got out there was a small procession going carrying a very small image of a saint. went back to the hostel and had our asado, delicious, and with salad greens and free wine! typical of hostels here in Argie. When we had our fill and booze I went to bed, by now it is very cold and tucked myself in my bed. Joe went out with the lads from the hostel till 3am, woke me up when he was getting ready to bed. Our roomie from Switzerland threw up on the sink, stinks!
The next morning we all got ready for the hike, we will take a hike along the valleys around the town and do some wineries
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Corrupt Tucuman traffic cops trying to extract 2,500 pesos($667!)from us for making an illegal left turn near the bus terminal.
as well. The view was fantastic, a small dog followed
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Corrupt Tucuman traffic cops trying to extract 2,500 pesos($667!)from us for making an illegal left turn near the bus terminal.us up as we follow an aqueduct, cacti, tall grasses, colorful trees,
amazing landscapes, what more can you ask for and we keep following the stream to hopefully find the waterfall but failed, we walked about couple hours and we lost the trail and we decided to go back to do the wineries. we made it down and met more hikers and we gave them advice where to go. A local dude on the trail told us the direction of the waterfall and if we pay him he can lead us there but we decided enough is enough so we headed to the wineries. Las Nubes is our first winery. We had lunch of humitos and washed it down with torrontes, a slightly sweet wine that is quite refreshing. Then we headed off to town and dropped off Andy at the hostel and we looked for the goat cheese factory, we had a tour of the facility, showing us the goats, and how they process cheese and at the end we bought some for later. we got dropped off by Joe in town and we
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went to another winery called Ninna, we got a tour of the bodega and we
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decided to buy another torrontes for dessert.
Tips for Travellers Podcast : RUSSIA, MOSCOW
In my 38th Tips for Travellers Global Travel Destination Podcast series, I feature Moscow the capital of Russia.
The podcast is 33 minutes long and covers an overview of the city, and then my 9 top tips for visitors to make the most of their visit.
To listen to the podcast you can either:
(1) Right click here and save the file to your computer and listen to it
(2) Click here too subscribe to the podcast series via iTunes
Listen to the podcast and hear more about my top tips on:
1) Preparing and getting there, including visas
2) When to go
3) Where to stay and keeping safe
4) Getting around the city
5) Best tours to get an overview of the city
6) The main attarction (Kremlin and Red Square area)
7) The best museums to visit
8) The best outside attractions (Gorky Park and Victory Park)
9) The best entertainment (circus and casios)
If you are not a subscriber of the blog, why not sign up to get updates deliveded directly to your in-box using the subscribe box on the top left of the blog, or use on of the buttons to add the headlines to your favourite home page.
Kalk Bay, Cape, South Africa
Table Mountain Cape Town
Table Mountain is what makes Cape Town instantly recognisable and is what the city is best known for.
It is certainly very impressive and creates a wonderful backdrop to the city. They have done a pretty good job at protecting the natural beauty of the mountain.
There is a very efficient cable car than runs from 8am until as late as 10pm in the peak summer season. It carries about 40 or more and 900 people can go up or down in an hour. Saying that, it is still best to get there early or you can wait for up to 2 hours as some people did to get up and then down over the Christmas peak time.
At the top of the mountain there are paths laid out and to protect the park you have to stay on them. There is also a restaurant and gift shop.
The cable car ride is quite something, with the floor rotating so everyone gets a good view. It is quite amazing and for those that are not so keen on heights it can be a bit scary, but it looks and feels much better in the car than watching it going up!
The top of the mountain is often in clouds and so people tend to wait for clear days before going up, but although you miss the amazing views of a clear day even on a cloudy day it is an experience and clouds move fast giving glimpses to the views below.
It is a real must do, but go early!
And even on hot days take something as can be much cooler at the top.
Top of the Rock Rockefeller Center New York: a MUST do!
Once again there are 2 places to view New York from “on high”. Prior to the terrible events of September 11, tourists would visit the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center Towers to gaze upon New York from the dizzy heights. For a while there was then just the Empire State Building, the stunningly beautiful art deco building remaining a popular attraction.
Then the Rockefeller Center revamped and opened “The Top of the Rock”, not surprisingly at the top of the equally stunning art deco style building.
Personally, I prefer the “Top of the Rock” to the Empire State Building. The location which is further uptown means that you can get a stunning view of Central Park and uptown, and then also a quite fantastic view downtown with great photo opportunities of the Empire State building.
It costs about $20 each and the process to get through and to the top is fairly smooth. You weave through security and then wait in one of 3 holding pens while they run three 4 minute films about the center, the history of media and the center and about being one of the famous Rockettes. Every 4 minutes one of the holding queues leaves and goes up the elevators. The top of the elevator goes clear when it starts and clips and dates are projected wand you can see up the lift shaft as you shoot up to the top.
The viewing area is on 3 levels. The first is all enclosed, the second has large thick glass panes all round so you have amazing views and then the top is open and you can get really great photos. There is a small stand selling refreshments and a souvenir shop, with a large one at the bottom.
Overall it is fairly efficient to get up and round, and should be a must do visit. Do not forget your camera!
The area round the Rockefeller Center is overall a must –do as in winter there is the famous ice rink, at Christmas the massive tree and then it is a short walk to the glitzy 5th Avenue and the up-market shops.
http://www.topoftherocknyc.com
Located on the bank of the Do River, surrounded by green fields, 1 km away from Cua Dai Beach, the Hoi An Riverside Resort is a bit of paradise on earth. Enjoy a bungalow in the heart of Vietnam.