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     Kamal Side Hero Username: Kamal Post Number: 6547 Registered: 08-2009 Posted From: 71.239.184.202 Rating: N/A |
6 - Morocco rocks Surprisingly close yet a world away, Morocco offers a traditional beach holiday tinged with more than a hint of the exotic. Not too hot â winter temperatures are typically in the mid to high teens â but warm enough to give your face a rest from all the winter clenching that goes on back home. The best known of its resorts is Agadir, set on 10km of sandy beach and with a new three-kilometre promenade perfect for an evening stroll. Thereâs also the ancient fortified port town of Essaouira, whose ramparted medina has been attracting artists from around the world for generations. No trip to the country would be complete without at least one trip to Marrakesh to see the most famous square in Morocco, Djemaa el Fna, come alive at dusk with fortune tellers, musicians and food vendors. A week at Residence Intouriste Aparthotel, a three-star property 900m from the beach in Agadir, costs â¬464pps with Sunway, departing January 9th. sunway.ie 7 - Designer Dubai It isnât just the sun that brings people to Dubai: itâs also the shopping, from designer labels to gold jewellery. Itâs by no means a cheap destination, but if you donât have the spends to hit the malls you can still take in the Disneyesque quality of a gleaming city built â okay, half built â in the desert, with indoor ski slopes lined with real snow. Then just watch the rest of them cavort their way through water sports, water parks, sand surfing and golf and just soak it all up quietly at hotels that know the meaning of service, happy in the knowledge that youâre under blue skies enjoying temperatures that sit comfortably in the low 20s. Five days' BB at the five-star Jebel Ali Hotel, in 50 hectares of gardens 35km from the city, costs â¬1,256, including flights, between January and March next year. sunway.ie 8 - Inimitable India This month and next are the best time to visit the balmy backwaters of Kerala, at the southwestern tip of India, as the rains have finished, the breezes are refreshing and temperatures average 25 degrees. Despite the fact that every teenager you know will have backpacked it, probably alone, the best way to explore is by guided tour. Sunway has one that takes in the region's main city, Cochin, before moving out into tea plantations, spice gardens, tiger reserves and houseboat sailing trips. Fuelling your journey is all that coconut-based Keralan cuisine. Sunwayâs 14-day tour costs from â¬1,689, including Etihad flights via Abu Dhabi. sunway.ie 9 - Terrific Thailand Sun-kissed resorts from Phuket to Koh Samui have their best weather during our winter, with almost no rain and temperatures in the low 30s. It isnât just the climate thatâs sunny: Thais are renowned for their warmth and friendliness. Established resorts are expensive, but up-and-coming ones such as Trang, the Phi Phi islands and Khao Lak â still trying to get their tourism industry back on its feet after the tsunami of 2004 â offer good value and beautiful scenery. Twohigs has an offer of three nights at the five-star Amari Watergate hotel, in Bangkok, followed by seven nights at the five-star Sarojin resort, in Khao Lak, for â¬1,579pps, a saving of â¬734 per couple on the brochure price. Book by January 31st for travel completed before March 31st. twohigs.com 10 - Sunshine state For fun in the sun, nothing beats Florida, theme-park capital of the world. From Walt Disney World and Universal Studios to Kennedy Space Center, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, itâs as if the entire state were given over to your entertainment. Winter temperatures dip to a toasty 20 degrees. The exchange rate is tempting, too, with â¬1 bagging you $1.50 and both hotels and airlines offering cracking deals to boost flagging sales. Seven nightsâ bed and breakfast at Days Inn Suites, beside Universal Studios, starts at â¬409, based on two adults and two children sharing, departing on January 14th. american holidays.ie http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/travel/2009/1205/1224260 077962.html Sach aur saahas hai jiske mann mein - anth mein jeeth usee ki rahe .. | ||
| Kamal Side Hero Username: Kamal Post Number: 6546 Registered: 08-2009 Posted From: 71.239.184.202 Rating: N/A |
From the Caribbean to the Pacific and the Middle East to southeast Asia, SANDRA O'CONNELL has ideas for escaping the cold and damp â including, right, over Christmas ANY DAY NOW the Government will see the light and make winter-sun holidays tax deductible. It makes sense. Just think of the physical-health benefits of a burst of golden sunshine in the darkest days of the year, not to mention the mental-health benefits of avoiding the economic doom and gloom, even briefly. Itâs surely going to be in Brian Lenihanâs Budget on Wednesday. After all, thereâs a strong argument for saying weâd be back on the road to recovery more quickly with the kind of morale boost that only beaches and balmy breezes can give you. Hereâs hoping. In the meantime weâve drawn up 10 of the best winter-sun options around. 1 - Canny Caribbean Caribbean holidays donât have to cost an arm and a leg if you choose the right destination. Until recently travellers largely overlooked the Dominican Republic in favour of its more celebrity-friendly neighbours. Yet it has everything the rest of us would want from an island paradise â powder-soft sands, turquoise waters and winter temperatures tipping 30 degrees â for a fraction of what youâd pay elsewhere. When it comes to all-inclusive packages the value is particularly good. Thereâs plenty to see outside your gated resort, too, including Altos de Chavón, a re-created 16th-century village, or, for the real thing, the lively colonial capital, Santo Domingo. Or just fly and flop somewhere along the 30km of palm-fringed white-sand beaches of Punta Cana, the islandâs Coconut Coast. A seven-day all-inclusive stay in a superior room at the four-star Allegro Playa Dorada hotel, departing December 8th-17th, costs â¬999 per person sharing with Tropical Sky. tropicalsky.ie 2 - Egyptian wonder While the folks back home wade through puddles you could be swimming through shoals of multicoloured fish in one of the worldâs greatest dive spots (not to mention winter-sun destinations). Red Sea riviera resorts such as Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada combine luxury hotels, decent nightlife and great golf courses with spectacular marine and desert national parks. If you have the energy to get off your sunbed, the water sports are fabulous, with windsurfers vying for space with waterskiers and sea-kayakers. You donât even need to dive to appreciate it here. The reefs are so shallow and the currents so mild that you can explore the marine life wearing only a mask. Well, not only a mask. Youâll need your cossie, too. Daytime temperatures average 20 to 25 degrees, and nights are cool enough to remind you what youâve escaped back home. Two weeksâ bed and breakfast at the Tropicana Tivoli hotel in Sharm el Sheikh costs from â¬632pps in January with Falcon Travel. Half board is an extra â¬150pps. falconholidays.ie 3 - Tropical Hawaii Temperatures on this Pacific Ocean hot spot hover at a balmy 25 degrees all winter (and 29 in summer), so thereâs no such thing as out of season. Famous for its surfing â and for local boy made good Barack Obama â it also has spectacular interiors that will wow Irish visitors. Actually an archipelago of volcanic islands, including Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Big Island, Hawaii is a paradise of mountains, waterfalls and lush forests. Back at the coast the surftastic beaches offer a good chance of spotting a humpback whale: Hawaii is the winter home to 4,000 of the gentle giants. Five nights at the three-star Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel, on Oahu, followed by five nights at the three-star Kaâanapali Beach Hotel, on Maui, costs from â¬1,999pps with Aloha Holidays. Book by next Wednesday. aloha holidays.ie 4 - Celtic Canaries The Canary Islands are a home from home for many an Irish holidaymaker, offering the twin attractions of value and sunshine. Those who love Gran Canaria wouldnât go anywhere else. Those who havenât tried it might like to think again. Far from being just one long beach, the island is a continent in miniature, with surprising contrasts in landscape that range from deep ravines to mountain peaks. And while most of us associate Gran Canaria only with dunes, the northern part of the island is carpeted in green pines and lush sugar-cane and banana plantations. Seven nightsâ self-catering at the Corona Blanca Apartments in Playa del Inglés costs from â¬289pps, departing on January 16th. sunholidays.ie 5 - Tunisian tonic The north African sun spot frequently nets you five-star service at prices youâd expect to pay for a three-star property on the other side of the Med. Then thereâs 1,000km of coastline to choose from, with sandy beaches and sparkling sea. Stay by the coast with a book or a board, hit the golf courses or venture inland to the towns and villages that fringe the Sahara Desert. Hammamet, the countryâs most- established tourist resort, is presided over by a 15th-century fortress whose inner walls contain a hive of medina activity. The rest of the town is a maze of narrow streets crammed with shops gradually thinning to sympathetically developed low-rise hotel developments, with many of the best surrounded by gorgeous gardens. Two weeksâ half-board at the Sol Azur Beach Congress Hotel, in Hammamet, departing January 2nd, costs â¬689 per person, based on two sharing, with Panorama Holidays. panorama holidays.ie Sach aur saahas hai jiske mann mein - anth mein jeeth usee ki rahe .. |
