Three Reasons Why You Should Stay in a Riad

There are plenty of luxury hotels in Morocco, yet many people are opting to stay in a more traditional riad when they visit Marrakech on their Moroccan holidays. Here are three of the main benefits:

A Riad is More Traditional Than a Hotel

Whilst there are a number of luxury hotels in Morocco that are perfect for a weekend away, staying in a riad in Marrakech offers you a far more traditional experience on your Moroccan holiday. The term ‘riad’ is used to describe a Moroccan house, or Palace, arranged over a central courtyard, with a fountain or water feature located in the centre. It’s believed that Moroccan riads were first adapted from the designs of traditional Roman villas and were first built in the Idrisid Dynasty of 780 AD. You will discover on your Moroccan holiday that all of the riads in Marrakech arrange their guestrooms around the courtyard, which has been well adapted to suit the hot Saharan sun. In keeping with tradition, each garden also features four orange or lemon trees and the walls are often adorned with tadelakt plaster and zellige tiles. Some of the larger riads in Marrakech even contain their own traditional hamman spa and you can guarantee that the experience you receive will be far more authentic than any similar experience offered at a luxury hotel in Morocco.

Riads in Marrakech Serve Alcohol

As Morocco is a Muslim country it has strict laws governing the sale of alcohol, and nowhere are these rules as strict as in the religious walled city. Outside of the walled city most of the hotels and restaurants frequented by tourists are licensed to serve alcohol to tourists only, but alcohol is not sold to anyone in the confined area. However, there is a solution for visitors that wish to stay in the area of the walled city, but who can’t imagine not touching a drop of alcohol on their luxury holidays in Morocco; a Marrakech riad. The riads within the walled city are permitted to sell alcohol to their guests and if you simply must sample the local produce, then the Guerrouane wine grown in the Meknes region is particularly note-worthy. However, as is always the case in a foreign country it is important to respect the local customs. Asking for alcohol during the month of Ramadan is likely to cause offence, and as a result some riads will stop selling it completely during the holy month.

You’re Closer to the Attractions

If you want to stay in the centre of the action on your luxury holiday in Morocco then a riad is definitely the answer. Whilst most of the larger luxury hotels in Morocco are located on the outskirts of the city, the riads are the only form of visitor accommodation that you will see within the area of the walled city. Therefore, by staying in a riad you will be significantly closer to the souks, historical monuments and, most importantly, the Jemaa El Fna Square, which comes to life at night with exotic food stalls and traditional dancers. With snake-charmers and belly-dancers located on your very door-stop you’re sure to have a completely different Moroccan holiday experience, and definitely one which is a lot more traditional then staying in a standard luxury Morocco hotel.

Lonavala Excursions: A Visit at the 5 Historic Caves

Lonavala is a dwelling place to many cave attractions such as the Elephant Caves, Karla Caves, Bhaja Caves, Ajanta & Ajanta and Ellora Caves. These great caves made Lonavala an exciting place to visit.

Lonavala is known as the Jewel of the Sahyadri in Maharashtra. It is located in the western slope of Sahyadris Hills at an altitude of 625 meters. Its name was derived from the word Lonavali. It is a Sanskrit word which refers to its surrounding caves. Lonavala has a very pleasant climate which made it the most popular weekend destination.

Lonavala houses the five popular caves namely the Elephant Caves, Karla Caves, Bhaja Caves, Ajanta & Ajanta and Ellora Caves. These are part of the eco-tours that attract many adventure tourists the whole year round.

Elephant Caves
Elephant caves are situated close to the metropolitan city of Mumbai. It is known as Puri and later became Ghapuri. It is the capital of the coastal kingdom and the cave shrine of Lord Shiva. The cave can be reached 10 km away from the Gateway of India.

History says that the Portuguese are the first who took possession of Elephant Island. They named it after the statue of an elephant to which they first landed. The 60,000 square feet area cave was excavated during the sixth century. There are “rock cut” temples found here as old as 5th century. Internal spaces, images and columns are also found inside the temples.

The entire place is a monument where rock surfaces are finely finished and unfinished. The cave also consists of courtyards, a main chamber, shrines and a natural rock mass above the temple.

The eastern and western entrances are one of the three gates that mark the axis of the temple. There are 20 pillared halls and a preserve Shivalingam. Tourists can reach the caves by a 15 minutes boat ride.

Karla Caves
Karla Caves is an ancient Buddhist cave since 160 BC. It is believed to be the biggest among the Chaitya Caves. It is a 600 feet stiff high to the top with 15 meters wide. These caves show evidences about the Buddhist ideologies. This is through stupas and inscriptions.

As you enter the cave, there are sightings of lion pillars, huge elephant forms that represent Gautan Buddha as well as a small temple of Ekvira Devi. The Chaitya hall has 37 octagonal pillars with a feature of a façade screen made of teak wood. It has a base structure similar to a water jar and the entrance is adorned with a horse shoe arch.

Visiting Karla Cave would take a 12 km drive towards Pune and a left turn passing to MTDC’s Holiday Home. Another 3 km drive down the narrow road is the route to get into Karla.

Bhaja Caves
Bhaja Caves are located at the center of Lohagad Fort and Visapur Fort. These caves are mush smaller with a Chaitya style. Tourists should take a 250 feet climb to get into the caves. There are 18 rock cut caves as old as since the 2nd century. The first cave is the place of the master architect and ten were reserved for the viharas for priests. The other seven caves have an inscription concerning its donors. A beautiful waterfall is seen at the end.

The cave houses many sculptures like a prince seated on an elephant, a prince of chariot, three-armed warriors and dancing couples. There are also carved figures of Gods and Goddesses.

Tourists who want to visit Bhaja caves should reach Malavali station via a further drive of about 3 km to Bhaja village. A local train to Malavali station is also available.

Ajanta & Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Ajanta and Ellora Caves are located near the Aurangabad city. It is the early repository of Indian architectural custom, having 34 caves at Ellora and 29 caves at Ajanta. The caves became a world-heritage site with a preserved artistic legacy for the next generations. Adjanta is 99 kms away, while Ellora is 30 kms from Aurangabad respectively.

Adjanta caves were discovered during the 19th century at the semi-arid Sahayadri hills. The 29 Adjanta caves have a rich collection of stories about Buddha reincarnations. It was built as a private retreat for Buddhist monks and it houses some of the divine sculptures of Buddha preachings. There are also wall paintings of Boddhisattvas, Avalokiteshvara and Padmapani.

However, the 34 Ellora Caves are dedicated to Jain, Buddhist and Hindu faiths. It is carved during 350 AD to 700 AD at the basaltic hill side with facades and artistic interiors.

Intriguing Malta

The Island of Malta has had an interesting past and is still an interesting place to visit, with more and more people choosing it over the traditional Mediterranean resorts.

Eclectic is a word you will find in most descriptions of this small Mediterranean island, with it usually referring to the mix of cultures that gives this island its unusual identity. Malta is situated around 200 miles from Tunisia and slightly further away from Libya but its closest European neighbour is Sicily, which lies a short 50 miles away across the Strait of Sicily.

The history of the island would be enough for anyone interested to merit a visit there. The island claims to have the oldest free-standing man-made structures found anywhere in the world. The Megalithic Temples, identified in 6 locations on the island, are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are believed to date back to between 3000 and 3600BC. That is around the same time that Stonehenge was thought to be constructed in Britain. In more modern times the island has been inhabited and ruled by various civilizations including the Ancient Greeks, the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, various Arabian and Sicilian rulers before the Knights of St John were given control of the island in 1530 after they had been forced to leave Rhodes by the Ottoman Empire. It is from this period that many of the islands best preserved monuments still remain. These included harbours, watchtowers and other fortifications. Next Napoleon took control of Malta, before British rule eventually started in 1814. The strategic position of Malta became an important factor during the Second World War when the island was vigorously defended but suffered heavy damage, especially during the siege of Valletta.

The Republic of Malta is now an independent state and a member of the EU and uses the Euro as its currency. Its current status, currency, location and weather make it a perfect place for a holiday, with only is lack of sandy beaches being a disadvantage. There are a few sandy beaches and more are being made artificially but they do tend to become crowded quite quickly. Favoured spots include Golden Bay and Ghajn Tuffieha which are close together in the West of the island but both are quite small in comparison to signature beaches of other European resorts.

Flights to Malta arrive at Malta International Airport near Luqa which is 5 miles south of Valletta and there is also the option of travelling to the island by Ferry from various Italian ports.

Valletta is the hub of everything that happens on Malta and provides a good base for a stay on the island. Most places of interest are within a short journey by taxi or bus and there is a wide choice of hotels. Another popular place to the west of Valletta is Sliema which is also a coastal town with more in the way of tourist facilities. There is a long promenade with plenty of café and restaurants to choose from. The younger set tend to prefer districts such as Paceville, which lies to the north of St Julian’s and provides plenty of bars and nightclubs. The small harbour at Portomaso is home to luxury yachts and cruisers, with highly quality apartments.

Visitor attractions on the island include Fort Rinella, built by the British in the late nineteenth century, the Baroque Gateway at Mdina and the buildings on St John Street in Valletta. Sporting activities centre on the National Sports Centre at Ta’Qali, which was originally an airport base for the British Royal Air Force in addition to the other site at Luqa. It is now a leisure area, concert venue, picnic area.

New Golf Holiday Destinations

The idea of golfing holidays is not a new one and in fact many destinations have built a healthy tourist trade providing for the needs of the golfer on vacation. Typically it was the resorts of southern Spain and Portugal that held all the cards when it came to attracting golfers but that may be changing with alternative destinations working hard to catch up.

Although still technically part of Spain, the island of Majorca has been slow to provide facilities for the golfer. Perhaps it was the original lack of golf courses on the island, the lack of the timeshare investment revenue that built many of the original Spanish resorts or the perceived lack of transport links to bring in the visitors. Whatever the real reason for Majorca’s barren past as a golfing destination that is all changing rapidly.

The island now has several top quality golf courses with more being built all the time. It even has a multi-course complex with is something golfers on holiday appreciate. Having the opportunity to conveniently play more than one course during a stay is a huge advantage, as is the provision of top quality hotel accommodation and accompanying leisure facilities like swimming pools or spas. One of the biggest golf complexes on Mallorca is the Santa Ponsa Golf Club which has three courses, two 18 hole courses and one 9 hole course. Only one of the 18 hole courses is open to the public. It is accepted that the courses here are the best maintained in Mallorca. Another growing golf club is the complex at Sa Vida on the outskirts of Palma, with three courses here owned by Arabella Golf. There are now 20 courses on Mallorca, all within an hour’s drive of each other, making the island a perfect destination for a golfing holiday.

Another country working hard to attract the holiday golfer is Egypt. The resorts in Sharm el Sheikh are already well known for their luxury hotels and their mild weather which makes them an ideal year-round holiday destination. Travellers from the UK have been visiting this part of Egypt for a winter sun break for many years and, despite the desert conditions inland from the coast, developers are now starting to add golf as an option to the other attractions already provided for visitors. The Jolie Ville Golf Club and Resort has been the only 18 hole course in Sharm el Sheikh for many years. Lying just south of Hurghada is the holiday resort of Soma Bay which also has an interesting 18 hole golf course at The Cascades Golf Resort to add to the sailing and diving that visitors also enjoy there.

As far as tourism is concerned the resorts on the East Mediterranean coast of Southern Turkey are certainly on the fast track. The assets of the region as far as holidaymakers are concerned are obviously the weather, the attractive coastline and the abundance of history and culture. As the local authorities have slowly got themselves organised and now recognise the potential of tourism for the area, controlled developments are now planned all along the coast and golf resorts are part of those plans.

There are already some courses in the area and there are new hotel complexes that have courses in construction. The area of Belek to the east of Antalya has been recognised as a location for specific development in terms of tourism and new infrastructure, hotels, golf courses and other projects are planned. Other sports like diving, sailing, windsurfing, mountain biking and horse riding are already popular. There are already at least 10 golf courses in the Belek area including the 27 hole championship course at the Cornelia Golf Club which was designed by Nick Faldo. Another British golfer, Colin Montgomerie, was involved in the design of the course at the Papillon Golf Club. Currently the only links course is at the Lykia Links Golf Club. Here there is a 18 hole Championship course and a 9 hole Academy course. Currently more than half of Turkey’s gold courses are in the Belek area, but the Turkish Golf Federation has announced that a further 100 courses are planned across the country.

Travel Tips For Pet Travel

Putting a pet on a plane for travel can be a stressful time for owners and their pet. Before you travel with your pet, it is important to make sure you have implemented the following tips to ensure your pet’s safety as well as its health and well-being.

Pet Risk Destination Assessment: Check health risks in the destination area such as Lyme disease, Rabies, Heartworm, and other parasites and viruses. Treat your pet to prevent affliction. As well, check for breed restrictions at the destination before traveling. Some types of breeds and animal species are banned.

Assess Your Pet’s Health: Travel can be a stressful time for any pet. Make sure that your pet is healthy. Sick, injured, too young or too old, and pregnant pets should not fly. Make sure all of the vaccinations are up-to-date. Vaccinations must be administered at least 30 days before departure. Rabies certificates should be obtained and signed no more than 10 days before departure. Make sure that your pet's nails have been clipped to protect against them hooking on the carrier's door, holes, and other small spaces. Do not feed your pet for four to six hours prior to air travel. Vomiting in the carrier is messy.

Pet Identification: Provide your pet with two identification tags. Make sure the tag contains your name, all of your contact numbers, home address, and phone number and address of your destination location. A microchip is a permanent way to identify your pet. Another option is to acquire a pet passport. A pet passport can be purchased at most local pet stores or on the internet. The passport will keep all of your pet’s health information and emergency contacts readily available. Attach a photograph of your pet to the top of the carrier. This will help with identification if it gets out of the carrier. You should keep a picture in your purse or wallet. You should also place the words, "Live Animal" on the top and the sides of the carrier.

Appropriate Pet Carrier: Make sure you have a durable carrier with handles and proper locking. It should also have good ventilation and the pet should be able stand up, turn around and lie down. Write your home and destination contact information on the carrier. On the inside, lay comfortable bedding such as linen. As well, place ice cubes in the pet’s dish in the carrier. It will melt during the trip and provide the pet with water without making a mess.

Know Your Airline’s Pet Policies: Pet policies differ among the various airlines. Some airlines have such restrictions as cabin weight limitations, a certain breed prohibited, no pets when there is bad weather, and certain pet carrier guidelines. Make sure you call ahead of time to obtain the essential information for flying with your pet.

Traveling with a pet requires much planning and preparation. When you pack for your pet, make sure to include leashes, collar, food, medication and its favorite toy. Following the above tips will help ensure a safe and less stressful trip on the airplane making your trip much more relaxing and enjoyable.

Exploring the Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta is the name given to the area of south western Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and enters the sea. The Vietnamese refer to this area as the Nine Dragon River Delta and this region is the perfect place to explore and get a feel for the local culture whilst on your Vietnam tour.

The best way to experience the culture of the local people on your Vietnam holiday is by arranging a visit to a local market. In Saigon, Ben Thanh is the place that the locals visit to buy their food and catch up with all the weekly gossip. The market is also the perfect place to do a spot of historic sightseeing on your Vietnam holidays, as the Old Saigon Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral and Reunification Palace are all located a short walk away. The Reunification Palace was historically said to be the place that the Vietnam War ended on 30 April, 1973, as it was here that tank number 843 rammed through its gates after Saigon surrended.

Another well known district worth visiting on your Vietnam holiday is the area of the Chu Chi tunnels. This immense network of underground tunnels was the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War and also an underground base for the Viet Cong. It is possible to arrange a tour by a Vietnam War Veteran and listen to some of their incredible experiences during your Vietnam holiday. You are certain to leave the tunnels feeling incredibly humbled over some of the experiences that you have heard.

If you enjoyed visiting Ben Thanh then take a Vietnam tour, on a traditional flat-bottomed Sampan boat, up the Mekong to the famous fish market. Whilst here you can experience the local culture and visit a traditional Vietnamese village, where the friendly locals are bound to make you feel more than welcome.

The Cai Rang Floating Markets are amongst the third biggest in the country, and when you take a Vietnam tour in this area you’re sure to attract the attention of many hawkers. Fresh papaya, coconut candy, beer and even smuggled cigarettes are amongst the items that you will find for sale in the region. From the Cai Rang Floating Market you can also arrange excursions to visit bee farms, orchards and coconut candy factories, all of which will give you ample opportunity to try the local produce.

Before leaving your Vietnam tour and sailing up the Mekong River to Cambodia you may want to stop over in the Khmer town of Chau Doc. Chau Doc is famous for its range of fish sauces and trade in catfish, and as such the floating fish houses are one of the most visited attractions in the area. These houses are lived in by the local population but feature giant floating fish cages underneath the living area.

Sunset at the Sam Mountain is sure to be one of the highlights of your Vietnam holiday. As you extend up the mountain, there are plenty of attractions that can be visited en-route from the Tay An Pagoda, to the Temple of Lady Xu and the Tomb of Thoai Ngoc Hau. However, with the sunsetting over the green paddy fields and views of Cambodia in the distance, here is the perfect place to end your Vietnam tour.

California Bed and Breakfast

California is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the United States and it’s no wonder considering the spectacular scenery that the state boasts as well as year-round mild temperatures perfect for nature trips, farming, and the beach. From Eureka to San Diego, California has so much for visitors to enjoy which is why vacationers often come back year after year but the scenery and the mild temperatures are not all that there is to enjoy here. The state is home to four of the nation’s twenty largest cities, home of some of the finest wines produced in the United States, and boasts some of the best cuisine in the country. With so much to offer the question is not when to go to California but how long to stay. And once you make that first trip you will definitely understand why so many come back every year.

There is no doubt that the California scenery is the biggest reason for so many visitors to the state each and every year. California is home to a total of 8,000 individual lakes where visitors can enjoy such activities as fishing, boating, whitewater rafting, swimming, or multiple other exciting water activities that the whole family can enjoy, or even friends or couples who come to the state for an adventurous and relaxing getaway. The state of California is also home to the highest waterfall in North America, the highest point in the United States, and the tallest tree in the world at 368 magnificent feet. Ribbon Falls in the Yosemite National Park reaches an amazing 1,612 feet tall, and Mount Whitney and Death Valley are a mere sixty miles apart. And don’t forget the unbelievable 840 miles of beautiful coastline where visitors can soak up the sun and enjoy some of the nation’s top beaches, in fact, Los Angeles alone manages a total of 18 public beaches for vacationers and residents alike to enjoy. For the nature lover there is plenty to see and do outdoors throughout the spectacular state of California.

The history of California is also a highly popular reason for the many visitors each year. As far back as 1579 explorers of English and Spanish decent began to explore the beautiful California Coast and twenty-one missions were built along that coast by Spanish priests in 1769. It wasn’t until 1821, though, that California became part of Mexico and it wasn’t until 1848 that United States won the state of California in a war with Mexico which is also the year that began the Gold Rush when the precious metal was discovered. Finally, in 1850 California earned its statehood as the 31st state in America. Since that time the state of California’s population has steadily increased as individuals from all walks of life flock to the coast to enjoy the pleasant weather, the many days of sunshine, and fantastic scenery. Those who don’t relocate to the state find themselves visiting often which is why you should make your next vacation destination the fabulous state of California.