Archives for September 2008

Even in Europe’s most expensive cities, you can have a great time on a budget. Opening a new series, Fred Mawer shows how to have a two night break in Venice for less than £200 including travel, hotel accommodation and two evening meals.

With the pound near its lowest-ever value against the euro and the economy in freefall, you may be thinking that a European city break is too expensive to contemplate this autumn. But if you plan carefully, you could still enjoy excellent value for money.

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Low energy houses and renewable and solar installations in many of the Tirol's hotels and public buildings contribute to it being one of Europe's leading ‘green' destinations and one which adheres to the highest standards of environmental conservation. Here's a summary of some of the Tirol's greenest hotels.

Green Hotels:The biohotel Florian in Reith bei Kitzbühel is regarded as one of Austria's eco-tourism pioneers. The hotel relies on wind and solar energy, small hydroelectric plants and biodiesel installations. Milk is supplied in large packs, fruit and vegetables in reusable packaging, cleaning agents and toilet paper bear the Austrian environmental trade mark. Great importance is placed on refuse separation, all the rooms contain separating bins and any waste or packaging remaining after separation is put to reuse. Info: hotel-florian.at.

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If you’re sick of booking hotels which look nice in the brochure but are absolutely dire in reality then panic no more as we here at FemaleFirst have the run down of all the best hotels of 2008 so that your summer holiday of 2009 is nothing less than perfect!

Once again, Worldhotels have dished out their “Performing Excellence Awards” to its top properties in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia Pacific (APAC) and The Americas (North and South America), as well as the leading hotel worldwide.

The global winner and frontrunner in the EMEA region is the Grand Hotel Bohemia in Prague. The Eaton Hotel Hong Kong is the best hotel in the Asia Pacific region, while the Westminster Hotel in Livingston, New Jersey, and the Graves 601 Hotel in Minneapolis were jointly granted the “Performing Excellence Award” in the Americas.

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Ranked among the top destinations in Europe, Dublin is a city of legendary spirit and charm. It's a down-to-earth, friendly and small-scale city that's perfect for discovering on foot on a two-day visit.

You may want to start your visit at Trinity College, Dublin's oldest and most beautiful university, established by Elizabeth I in 1592.

Trinity's most talked-about attraction is the world-famous Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript dating from around AD806, making it one of the oldest books in the world. A walking tour of Trinity's grounds departs every 40 minutes from the College Green entrance.

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Expect to pay more up to a 61 percent increase over 2007 fares for travel to Europe this fall and winter. Usually, these seasons are the best times to visit Europe, as you'll experience cheaper fares and smaller crowds (if you don't mind a bit of inclement weather).

 This year, however, Best Fares reports fuel surcharges are going to hit Europe budget travelers especially hard, even in the low season. While these seasons still offer a good deal compared to summer travel, you're going to pay more than previous years.Some sample prices for Europe trips between October 29, 2008, and March 25, 2009, include.

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Alhambra, Spain-The fabled patios of this Moorish fortress-palace in Granada, constructed between the 9th and 14th centuries, still retain an extraordinary sequestered atmosphere, especially if a visitor has the foresight to plan a visit to avoid the crowds.

Spaces such as the Court of the Lions (late-14th century) are not gardens in the familiar sense, in that they do not contain plants, but the sight and sounds of water, the play of light and shadow and the decorative effects of the rich yet delicate carving and stucco-work turn these outdoor living rooms into works of art.

Above the palace proper and across a gorge lies another palace complex, the Generalife, which contains more greenery and is not as formally organised. Its highlight is the celebrated long, rectangular pool adorned with arching fountains in the Patio de la Acequia.

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Day 1-At 5am, Gatwick airport is a parallel universe. The rest of Britain is darkened and asleep. Gatwick thinks it’s midday. Everything  Wetherspoon ’s, Costa , Dixons  is bright, open and buzzing.

I’m watching with particular attention, looking for tell-tale signs of people who might be flying out to join the coach tour I’m going on. The screeching women with spangly pink cowboy hats  please God, let them not be interested in the Highlights of Andalusia. And surely those blokes won’t be taking their bomb-shelter bellies to the Alhambra?

I’ve not been on a coach holiday before. Obviously, I’m excited (Granada! Seville! No driving!), but also wary. “Coach trip” is, after all, a term of abuse, notably among those who have never experienced one. The image  let us not beat about the bush  is of batches of dimwit dotards being herded around places, thus ruining them.

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Spring is in the air. If you have a yen for traveling, this is one of the best times to go — especially if you are headed to Europe.

In the spring, the fields of France are ablaze with daisies and poppies. Holland is a riot of tulips and crocuses. Italy's hillsides are covered with the pastel blossoms of pears, cherries and oranges. And alpine snows melt to reveal lush green pastures.

 The weather shifts from blustery to balmy. Housewives fill their window boxes with geraniums and petunias, and in the bustling outdoor markets vendors spread their wares in the sun again.Spring also brings with it bargains airfare, lodging and rental cars.

Here are five reasons why I visit Europe in spring.

1. Airfares are cheaper and the planes are less crowded. Flying from the United States to Europe is far less expensive during the off-season than in the middle of summer. The average airfare this spring is between $550 and $750 for flights to almost every European capital.

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The Swiss city of Zurich has come top of a list of the best places to live in Europe, with no British cities making the list that was compiled by Forbes.com.Forbes.com said the list was based on an annual survey of worldwide quality of living by Mercer Consulting.

1. Zurich, Switzerland
Zurich's tiny population  376,815 at the end of 2007  is spoiled with over 2,000 bars and restaurants and a breathtaking view of the Alps and Lake Zurich. Taxes are among the lowest in Switzerland, and residents pay no inheritance tax though its gloomy weather and traffic bring it down.

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Everyone knows Florida is eccentric, but if you want a true taste of her quirks, travel along one of the most surreal(ly beautiful) roads in America: the Overseas Highway (also known as Route 1). The distance between Homestead and Key West, the southernmost point in the continental USA, is roughly 113 miles -- and several shades of weirdness.

Too many people cross the Overseas Highway and head directly for Key West, and that's a shame -- every Key is a tiny bastion of concentrated silliness. The vagabonds, fishermen, alcoholics, artists and rednecks who inhabit these islands have made them the pirate enclaves of the Eastern Seaboard. So give the other Keys their due in one of the maddest, tropically bright road trips America's highways have to offer.

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