Archives for August 2008

It seems hard to believe that the new Hospes Villa Paulita on Lake Puigcerda near the Pyrenees mountains in Spain was once simply a family's summer holiday home--style and splendor of this kind is not what we think of when we picture a summer shack by the lake.

Now a designer resort, three buildings (one from the nineteenth century, two newer) include 34 rooms and 4 suites, each individually decorated with highlights including stained glass windows, wood beamed ceilings and even antiques that were inherited from that rich family.

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Paris tourism officials said Tuesday they expect visits to the City of Light to hold up this year despite a huge drop in the number of U.S. visitors — many pinched by an expensive euro, fuel-inflated prices for airline tickets and economic woes at home.

The number of Americans, traditionally the largest group of foreign visitors to the French capital, tumbled 20 percent in the six months until June, according to figures based on overnight hotel stays. Paul Roll, director of Paris' Tourism Office, said he expects a similar fall in the second half of the year.

The drop was compensated for by an increase in visitors from neighboring Britain, which overtook the United States as Paris' top foreign client in the first half.Paris has also succeeded in attracting increasing numbers of new visitors from places like the Middle East, India, South America and Eastern Europe.

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Enjoy a chauffeured tour with your private guide in the comfort of our limousine. We offer tours for couples or for small private groups up to 6 persons.

Your driver-guide is fluent in English and can communicate easily in all languages of the countries included in your tour. Please either choose the tour corresponding to your wishes from the menu on the left, or go to our Europe Tour Selection, or select the tour best suited to your vacation month or your special interest.

Our tours are all custom-made; the itineraries listed here are only suggestions. Please feel free to let us know if you have any special wishes; we are always happy to oblige.

Please note we have a 10-day tour minimum, and can only take maximum 6 passengers at a time. All our Europe tour parties are private; we never mix people who do not know each other. Our private tours are a high quality service, and quality does come at a price; please see examples of prices on the Europe tour pages in blue on the left (tours start at ca US$11,000 per person). Please consider your booking well in advance; we are usually booked out 3-6 months ahead.

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One of Europe’s most popular destinations, the city of Amsterdam is the capital city of Holland and attracts over 4 million tourists every year. The main attractions in Amsterdam are their famous canals, the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum

European City Breaks in Amsterdam over three nights will cost from £150 per person including return flights, breakfast and accommodation at the Apple Inn Hotel.

This modern city hotel is housed in a building that dates back to 1879 and comprises 32 rooms, of which 21 are doubles, spread over 3 floors.

Facilities include a spacious foyer with a hotel safe, a breakfast room, Internet access as well as beautiful gardens.

Holidaymakers from the UK are becoming increasingly keen to leave Europe behind, it has been revealed.According to a study by Cater Allen Private Bank, 63 per cent of Britons want to visit a long-haul destination.

The survey identified a number of reasons for this, such as the desire to escape the crowds and explore somewhere off the beaten track.In addition, some respondents said they wanted to sample a different culture and enjoy an adventure in a new location.

However, some admitted to wanting the bragging rights of having been the first person in their peer group to visit a certain location.

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Marc des Bouillons lounged in a beach chair with a book, surrounded by women in bikinis, ice cream stands, a DJ spinning summer tunes and kids running amok.

Sounds like vacation but it was just an evening after work at a makeshift beach on the banks of the Seine — a pale substitute for a real beach holiday but the best many Parisians can do in these troubled economic times.

The European summer vacation just isn't what it used to be. With economies stagnating and inflation in the euro zone at about 4 percent, people are cutting the length of their holiday stay, vacationing close by, and in some cases, just staying home.

Des Bouillons, a 43-year-old accountant, is forgoing one of France's sacrosanct rituals: The great August lull in which the country shuts down for the entire month, turning cities into ghost towns as the masses hit the beaches or country retreats.

A record number of leisure travellers are choosing to take the train to France, according to new figures.Eurostar has revealed that in July 2008, passenger numbers rose by 16.8 per cent on the previous year to more than 900,000.The recent introduction of a high-speed rail link between London and Paris was said to be one of the main reasons behind the increase.

Simon Montague, director of communications at Eurostar, stated that this is because it has helped draw customers away from airlines.He commented: "Eurostar is persuading even habitual flyers to switch from plane to train for their holidays and business trips."

Mr Montague added that he is "delighted" that the monthly passenger numbers have broken previous records.This comes after Eurostar revealed that passenger numbers during the first quarter of the year were 21.3 per cent higher than the amount recorded 12 months earlier.

World-class gay pride parades in Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Vancouver drew impressive numbers of people over the weekend. The triumvirate attracted a stonking 1.5 million men, women, boyfriends and girlfriends, and pink families.

In Vancouver, a 30th anniversary pride parade reached half a million participants for the first time. “We don't have any official numbers yet, but it looks like almost 30 per cent increase,” John Boychuk, president of the Vancouver Pride Society, told The Vancouver Sun. “People are having so much fun, it's incredible.”

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Reeling from a real estate collapse and battered by hurricanes, Floridians can at least take heart from one economic bright spot: European tourists are coming to spend, spend, spend.

As the dollar sinks against the Euro, more and more European travelers are arriving on Florida shores.And whether it's a mojito at a swanky South Beach club, a swim with dolphins in the Keys, or a spin around a massive retail mall, they're finding their money stretches further.

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