Archive for December, 2005
If you are looking for good value shopping, Dubai is the place to go. It is renowned for good quality and good prices. What you may not know though is that one of the festivals they have in Dubai is the Shopping Festivals which is held in January. I have a lovely gold necklace from Dubai which Steve (my husband) bought for me recently and the quality of the gold is so plain to see. I do know that if you buy gold in Dubai, you are sure to get it at a good price and 99% of the time when you are sold gold in Dubai, you can be sure it is the real deal. They are proud of their produce and have really strict laws concerning the gold trade.
The shopping mall I enjoyed most was the Themed Mall called Ibn Battuta Mall. The mall basically has six malls rolled into one huge development. There are six different countries represented through out the mall, which is why it is referred to as the ‘Themed Mall’. You will find it on the Sheikh Zayed Road. You can exit at interchange 5 or 6 depending on which direction you are travelling. I took a taxi but let me tell you it was quite expensive because the mall was quite a distance from my hotel. It was well worth the trip though.
For those who are after adventure and luxury you need to try ‘The Mall of The Emirates’ . This is also situation on the Sheikh Zayed Road. Now admittedly the new shopping mall was not yet open when I visited Dubai, so I cant say that it wont be my favourite on my next visit. Not only does it have a brand spanking new Grand Hotel, (the Kempinski Hotel) which is a 5 star hotel and due to open early 2006, but it also has the first Indoor Ski Resort in the Middle East. One of the main purposes of the Ski Resort is to lure shoppers to the new Emirates Mall.
The Mall consists of over 400 retailers including the world’s biggest international brand names, not to mention good old Debenham’s and Carrefour hypermarket. There is also a cinema complex with 14 screens as well as an entertainment centre which provides indoor thrill seekers with rides and simulators etc.
So head off to Dubai for your next holiday and enjoy shopping, sunshine, and if you have time, energy and money left you can go for run down one of the 5 slopes in the new ski resort.
Now I need to know how much information you want on shopping in Dubai? I will give more info on the skiing thing soon.
December 28th, 2005
Planning is a good habit of the British people. When I first arrived in the UK, I had to learn to plan, plan, plan or I would not fit into the UK. Anyway, our new site on Orlando gives you some sound advice about planning your trip.
It may seem a long way off but why not plan your spring break now? Springtime is said to be a magical time in Orlando. They have special events, festivals, parades and Easter activities especially designed for the whole family. There are also lots of cheaper options if you are on a strict budget. Check out the outdoor museum that has something like 100 life size dinosaur models at Dinosaur World in Plant City not too far away. Don’t forget that Florida central has a great zoo for the kids and there are also tons of nearby miniature golf courses to enjoy. There is also the Orlando Science centre if you are looking for educational value.
For Mom’s and Dad’s there are tons of Art Museums and good restaurants. The one restaurant that looks smashing but expensive is the Arabian Nights Dinner Theater. It sounds like the kids will love it too. It is a restaurant where they have a live show involving stunning horses from all over the world. It looks magical, but that’s because I love horses. I would put the video link on here for you but it is painstakingly slow so I will just give you this link so you can get the gist of it: www.arabiannights.com
December 28th, 2005
Yip, that’s right - Tulips were originally sent to Holland in the 16th century from Turkey. Turkey has the most amazing history and when I went to the country, I did not spend enough time there so I want to go back. I spent too much time in Marmaris shopping.
If you want to do more than shop then check out a place called ‘Spil Mountain’ National Park in Manisa. Its in the Aegean region of Anatolia and they have a great variety of Tulips growing wild. Definitely something for the nature lovers. Its an area you can visit during winter and summer. You can do some trekking or camping or you can hire a bungalow for the less adventurous like me and if you are going, apparently you need to see the famous “crying rock” of Niobe.
If you want more stuff on Turkey let me know. We have covered the basics about travelling to Turkey but there is soooo much more to the country.
December 28th, 2005
On our visit to Amsterdam, we took a look at the red light district because I personally did not believe that it existed - even though zillions of people told me about it. Anyway, I could not handle more than an hour or so and then went in search of something more cultured.
We explored a typical Dutch Canal house which was cool to see and well kept as museums go but the interesting one for us was the ‘Portuguese Jewish Museum’. Actually I think it is called the Portuguese Synagogue. Until I visited this place, which by the way is really well done, I did not realise that the Jews were chased out of Spain and Portugal (history was never my strong point at school) and I certainly did not realise that they found refuge in Holland. I would personally recommend a visit to this museum. It is impressive and very informative. I just wish that I had had more time (did the weekend thing) to stay longer. I have tried looking it up on the internet but have not been very successful with regards to finding a good site to refer you to. I will do more research if you find this of interest. Just let me know - or if you can offer any further info I am keen to know more.
December 27th, 2005
If you are checking out Marrakech for a holiday and decide to do it by car, make sure that when you leave the country, you are driving the same car. They are pretty strict at the border about that. You may not be allowed to leave the country if you are not in the same car - When you enter they record the vehicle registration number into a computer so they have the details on record. I am not trying to put you off driving in Morocco, but just be aware that if you are involved in an accident and there is a fatality and you are considered to be at fault, you will be detained in the country until your trail. Some good advice is that when you arrive, just pick up a ‘Constat Amiable form’ which you need to fill out and sign if you are involved in any accident. Other than that - just enjoy this great ancient country. Actually the best way to see the main city is by horse drawn cart and on foot. Tell me what more you want to know about Marrakech?
December 27th, 2005
Howdy and welcome to our new section on Orlando. If you thought Orlando was all about Disney World, think again. Take a look at our site and find out more about what other attractions there are in Orlando:
http://www.indigoguide.com/orlando/attractions.htm
December 23rd, 2005
If you are visiting Dubai on a low budget and need cheap accommodation, take some advice from me. One of the cheaper hotels I found to stay at was the Ramada continental hotel (Abu Hail Road) in Dubai. The location was not bad, the food is OK and in general the accommodation was fine for the money I spent but… and here’s the advice part - if you are staying at this hotel, make sure you are not on the 2nd like I was. If I were you, I would ask to be put on at least the 6th floor. Why? Well they have an Arabic night club on the first floor and the music is so loud that if I could speak the language, I would have been able to understand every single word in every single song - it was that loud. The worst part for me was that the music went on every night I was there and did not stop until about 3 in the morning. Other than that as budget hotels go, it was just OK all round. Let me know if you have had similar experiences?
December 21st, 2005
The best ‘BIRTH’ day gift you can buy for someone near and dear to you, is a bottle of Port Wine. Did you know that the best way to celebrate the life of a child is to buy a bottle of Port Wine? The Wine will age pretty much the same way the child does. They say that Port goes trough the same mile stones as a person does and by the time the child is 21, the Vintage Port Wine will be fully mature, just like the person. Most people know where port comes from – Portugal and guess what? I only found that out the other day and … my Grandad was born in Madeira - how dumb am I.
If you plan to visit Portugal, take a trip to Porto. Try and time it so that you can be there for the ‘Porto Gastronomy Fair’ which usually takes place in June, and is held by the Alfândega Congress Centre, on the banks of River Douro. Other activities of interest to Wine lovers will be the ‘EXPOVINIS’, an International Wine show and the ‘IV International Wine Contest’ “Cidade do Porto”. For the kids, if you have any, you can take a boat cruise with Porto Tours on the River Douro, or a helicopter ride, or a bus tour which includes a personalised guided tour to world heritage areas. These tours take place during the EXPOVINIS. Porto is based in the northwest corner of Portugal. It is in the heart of Vinho Verde country and is a short drive to Port country. You will leave Portugal having experienced some of the most beautiful and spectacular landscape in the world, not to mention with a huge hang over from all the wine drinking.
December 19th, 2005
If you are tired of the same old golf experience, why not try the Big Island in Hawaii? I’m personally no good at golf. I keep hitting the ground and not the ball but I wouldn’t mind giving golf another go at this spot. Its apparently the best kept secret in ‘Golfing’ Hawaii. The spot - Mauna Loa which is the largest volcano on the planet and the most active. How exciting is that! The last time it erupted was as recent as 1984. Mauna Loa is so big, it covers half of the land mass of the Big Island. It is 13,680 feet above sea level - higher than Mount Everest.
If you visit Big Island (the newest of the Hawaiian islands), you get to experience a great game of golf at one of the world’s most unusual courses, you’ll see wild turkeys on the seventh fairway, the seldom seen Hawaiian hawks and the Nene geese. Also, you can take in the other 4 volcano’s while you are there. Oh and I wouldn’t worry too much about the ‘active’ volcano’s because signs of activity are constantly monitored by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
December 19th, 2005
I recently visited Stonehenge on my way from Oxford to Wales. Yes I know its not really ‘on the way’ but my son has recently shown an interest in paganism and wanted to see Stonehenge. Anyway, although I found the place very interesting, I was a bit disappointed at how commercial it was. I want the experience to be more than just people, people, and some stones. The next Megaliths I visit will be in Brittany. It is a lot less commercialised and a great place for a holiday. Did you know that they have the most number of megaliths in Brittany and the greatest diversity of the stones? Check out a place called Erdeven which is a tourist resort. Its has loads of soft sandy beaches and tons of other touristy stuff to do and you get to experience the megaliths in peace and quiet. Let me know if you want more information?
December 19th, 2005
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