Tag: animal

Top ten destinations for UK travelers

Top ten destinations for UK travelers

With the top holiday destinations for 2010 having been predicted, UK travelers have already started their holiday preparations. Spain occupies the top three slots out of the 10. Below are the top 10 holiday destinations for UK travelers.

1 – Malaga

Holding the number one position Malaga or Costa Del Sol, is known as the European capital for culture. Located in the southern most coast, of Spain, Malaga is famous for its excellent weather and sandy beaches. It is a superb holiday destination for golf lovers, while there are also theme parks and many other attractions that make it a holiday destination for the whole family.

2 – Tenerife

Tenerife is known as the Island of Promise as it always keeps its promise to delight visitors. Wide open skies, Volcano Mountains, splendid beaches and wildlife are just some of the attractions Tenerife has on offer. Couple those attractions with world class hotels, exceptional cuisine and stunning views, and its easy to see why Tenerife holds the number two position.

3 –  Alicante

Alicante is synonymous with sun, sand and surf. Situated in Costa Blanca it is not only the sun worshippers that will enjoy Alicante as it has historical monuments and mountains providing excellent views. With well known main landmarks like Castillo de Santa Barbara which is situated on Mount Benacantil, it is no wonder that Alicante holds third place in the list of top destinations.

4 – Orlando

Orlando is the super tourism capital of the world, thanks to a brilliant climate, fascinating attractions, amazing choice of clubs and bars and limitless day time activities. It is also a family friendly destination with many theme parks, such as Disney Animal Kingdom, Disney MGM Studio and Universal Studio, which are a major contribution as to why people flock to Orlando.

5 – Dalaman

Dalaman is a popular area in Turky which is well known for its natural beauty. With splendid beaches where scuba diving is popular with good restaurants close by, Dalaman is a good family vacation destination. Families can take in the Dalaman history and culture while indulging in some skiing and hiking.

6 – Faro

Faro is a modern, lovely city with attractive landmarks and attractions. It also has shopping centers catering especially for tourists, good bars, restaurants and a splendid nightlife. For holidaymakers it is an exciting destination, as it offers some excellent sightseeing opportunities such as the Cidade Velha and its famous attraction, Igreja do Carmo, the chapel featured here is decorated with the bones of more than 1200 monks.

7 – New York

It is no surprise that New York is on the list. Its charms are endless and it holds a romantic appeal to all visitors alike. New York is always bustling, be it with culture, entertainment or business. Known as a cultural jungle it also offers beaches, Nature Sea, forested mountains, small towns and a wide range of historical attractions.

8 – Palma

Located in the south coast of the Balearic Islands, Palma is the capital city and is the economic and cultural hub. It is also a center for most of Majorca’s hotels and restaurants and so can be called one of Spain’s most important tourist destinations, attracting visitors from all over the world. UK travelers will enjoy exploring the Serra de Tramuntana mountain ranges, the east coast beaches, the Palace of Almudaina, the Bellver caste and the many other attractions Palma has on offer.

9 – Lanzarote

A splendid island in the Canary Islands, Lanzarote is very popular with tourists. With is dry and sunny climate people are treated to a completely enchanting island, with an extraordinary volcanic landscape. Places like the Timanfaya National Park, El Golfo and the Los Verdes caves are also popular with tourists.

10 – Geneva

Geneva is one of Europe’s most beautiful cities and is home to the European headquarters of the United Nations. The city offers many cultural events, world class entertainment, top rated restaurants and unlimited recreational activities. The sheer beauty of the city is what make Geneva one of the top recommended countries for UK visitors.

Things to do in Fuengirola, Costa del Sol

Things to do in Fuengirola, Costa del Sol

Have you been working long and hard for the past few months? Do you think you deserve a holiday for the long hours you put into your job or your business? Did your son receive a medal for his outstanding performance in swimming class? Did you daughter make you extremely proud in her piano recital? Do you need a beautiful, romantic place to bring your wife to and celebrate your anniversary? Whatever your reasons are, a holiday in Fuengirola, Costa del Sol would be a very good option.

Fuengirola is one of the most famous destinations in Spain for those who need to relax and get away from the routines of a busy schedule. It offers a wide variety of activities for the entire family to enjoy. Here are a few of the activities you must try and places you must visit.

Sohail Castle

Located on a hill in the town’s southwestern entrance, the castle provides a magnificent view of Fuengirola and its majestic seas. The view will truly mesmerize you. As such, it has been known as the town’s symbol. This has also been a common venue of concerts and programs.

Zoo de Fuengirola

Home of more than 1,300 animals, the zoo has been a favorite destination of families. It was opened to the public in 2001 and has since been considered as one of the best zoos in Europe. It has restaurants, shops and play areas so you can enjoy an entire day of fun with the animals.

Water Park Mijas

A few minutes away from the bus terminal and train station is the water park that promises lots of fun with their Adventure River, Labyrinth Slides, Wave Pool, Body Ski and Blue Lake. They also offer discounts to families, groups of 20 people or more and Malaga residents.

Beach

Never leave the town without seeing its wonderful beaches. At least 5 miles of sandy beaches is what Fuengirola is most famous for. It prides itself with 7 beautiful beaches, namely Carvajal, Torreeblanca, Las Gaviotas, Los Boliches, San Francisco, Sta. Amalia and El Egido.

Kids on the Costa del Sol

Kids on the Costa del Sol

As well as being extremely popular with singles and couples, the Costa del Sol also attracts thousands of families looking for a holiday in the sun.

The first thing families will notice is that the Costa del Sol is a lot more ‘child friendly’ than many of the other European countries. Nobody frowns when children are out late with their parents or sitting in restaurants with them and there always seems to be a lot more parks and play areas for children as you walk around the towns and resorts.

But what else can you do to keep your children amused when they come to the Costa del Sol?

One of the most popular attractions on the Costa del Sol is the Fuengirola Zoo, which is now called Bioparc. It is a proper zoo with many different animals from tigers and lions through to apes and reptiles. In fact it is more then just a normal zoo, it has been created so that the animals live side by side as if in their natural environment and you actually stroll around the ‘zoo’ in their natural habitat too so that you can experience the animals as if you were on safari.

Another very popular children’s activity is the Aqua Park at Fuengirola called the Mijas Aqua Park. Children (and the odd adult) have fun on the water slides and many other water based games.

Benalmadena has two main attractions for children, the popular Sea Life Centre where you can see everything from sharks to tropical fish and the Selwo Marina where you can see dolphins playing and having fun in the water.

Another animal orientated day out is Selwo Adventure Park down near Estepona where you can enjoy a trip around a min safari getting up close to the animals. There are also lots of additional treats for the kids with mini adventure playgrounds and park areas to keep them amused and happy.

With all this on offer the Costa del Sol is the ideal family holiday destination.

The Best Way To See Costa Rica National Parks

The Best Way To See Costa Rica National Parks

Most of us have heard that Costa Rica is truly a Central American jewel and the country is famous for its eco tourism, amazing scenery and friendly people. What many people do not know is that Costa Rica national parks  claim over 12% of national territory.  Adding to that are biological and forest reserves, wetlands, mangroves, protected zones and wildlife refuges. Costa Rica takes its ecology very seriously.

Many North Americans visit this lovely country and some even live there permanently. It’s an ideal place for a vacation. However, a vacation would not be complete here before seeing at least one national park. For your information, here is a review of just some of the national parks that you can visit.

Manuel Antonio:
Manuel Antonio is a lovely place on the southern Pacific shores of Costa Rica. There are many hotels and restaurants as well as great beaches. The park is large and has a great diversity of wildlife. It’s best to hire a guide (very reasonable) as otherwise you can walk for hours and not see all the amazing animals, as many are camouflaged. The park also has a couple of great beaches and for that alone, it’s worth going!

Arenal:
Arenal is in Central Costa Rica surrounded by lakes, mountains and cloudforests.  The volcano is a wonderful sight and the town of Arenal has many hotels, lodges, etc. for visitors as well as great trails and even sulphur pools and hot springs. It’s a very popular destination.

Tortuguero:
The word Tortuga means turtle and of course you can see many examples in this park which is in the Limon Province which borders the Caribbean. This is a popular national park which has rainforests, swamps as well as coastal and marine areas. There are also many varieties of turtle, including the largest sea turtle that nests here from February to July.

Cahuita:
This is also located in Limon Province and it encompasses both land and sea. Here you can enjoy great snorkeling and scuba diving and it has a large coral reef. The southern beach is also an area used by several varieties of sea turtle.

Palo Verde:
This park is located in Guancaste and is a bird watchers paradise. The park protects forests and marshland between two rivers. It is not far from the capital of San Jose.

From the above descriptions, you can see that, just like the country itself, the Costa Rica national parks are very diverse and there is more than enough variety for everyone, whether you are interested in bird watching, scuba diving, looking at sloths or just enjoying the walks.