Skiing Holidays in Oberau...

A ski holiday is a great idea, whether you’re going as a couple or as a family. The excitement of being with crowds of other people on the slopes, experienced skiers and beginners alike, makes for a great buzz and also a change from the sunny beaches you might be more used to.

Bavaria is a very popular skiing destination, with its reliable snowfalls, first-rate slopes and hospitable atmosphere, and Oberau is a good place to start if you’re unfamiliar with the sport. The resort has special nursery slopes and expert tuition for beginners. A selection of open runs is ideal for intermediate skiers, whilst off-piste facilities make it suitable for more advanced types.

All of the Bavarian resorts are friendly and welcoming, but Oberau has a quieter atmosphere than most and is especially popular with families who prefer peaceful evenings after a day on the slopes. There is a selection of small shops, restaurants and bars, plus a few discos, and apart from skiing there are facilities for sports such as bowling and tobogganing. There is also cross-country skiing, and if you simply want to drink in the stunning views there are organised winter walks to enjoy.

The resort has a quaint, old-fashioned feel to it, and a friendly Tyrolean welcome awaits all visitors. The food is Austrian-based, and fresh and heartening to keep your energy levels up.

The Oberau resort is only an hour away from the international airports at Innsbruck and Munich, and just a little further from Stuttgart and Salzburg. 

Searching for cheap flights to Manchester...

Being a highly sought after destination for weekend breaks and also one of the most important cities in the northwest of England, Manchester is served by a wide range of airlines. Cheap flights to the city’s international airport are almost always available and you will have a wide range of airlines to choose from.

Manchester’s airport is the biggest UK airport outside of London and is among the 50 largest airports in the world. Flights to Manchester are provided from a wide range of worldwide destinations – as far apart as Tel Aviv, Las Vegas, Helsinki and Singapore. Getting to the city centre from Manchester airport couldn’t be easier as there is a reliable train and coach service.

If you are looking for cheap flights within the UK, flights from Manchester to Edinburgh and flights to London operate several times a day, while Dublin and Waterford are two services provided for those travelling to Ireland.

However, Liverpool’s John Lennon International Airport is also only a short distance from Manchester city centre and is another option well worth considering if you are tracking down cheap flights. Some of the locations covered by John Lennon International Airport include cities in the US, Canada, Ireland, Spain, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

As well as a dependable coach service to Manchester city centre, there is also a train service to Oxford Road, which is near the city’s university. This airport is served well by budget airlines and fares can prove to be significantly cheaper depending on what time you travel.

Discovering Edinburgh Old Town...

Edinburgh has a lot to offer anyone who is interested in architecture, and the old town is quite unique. A wander down the narrow alleyways and lanes of the medieval town will reveal specialist shops, also cosy, intimate pubs that originate from another era. In the middle of the 1700’s more than 25,000 people lived and worked in this small area. Everyone, both rich and poor lived along what is called “The Golden Mile” but then the new city of Edinburgh was built and the wealthy moved there, leaving the poor to the old town.

Overcrowding prompted the construction of the very first multi-storey buildings so that there was room for everyone. The shops were on the ground floor and above them were offices, but the poorest people of all would live right at the top. Today, Edinburgh Old Town is designated as a World Heritage Site and many dilapidated buildings have been brought back to their former glory. There are still stories and legends about the ghosts that wander the closes and wynds (very narrow streets) around the town.

Things to see here include “The Royal Mile” which runs between Hollyrood Palace and Edinburgh Castle, and St. Giles’ Cathedral, with its unusual architecture and its historical connections to John Knox.

Greyfriars Kirkyard, which is a peaceful place, is said to be haunted by a poltergeist called Bloody Mackenzie. It is also linked to Greyfriars Bobby, the little Skye terrier that waited beside his master’s grave for fourteen years, and tales of Burke and Hare, the body snatchers seem all too real in the silence of the place.

This is just a tiny part of what Edinburgh Old Town has to offer; there is such a lot to discover.

Searching for the right holiday villa in Turkey...

Turkey has been something of a latecomer on the summer holiday scene, but has now become firmly entrenched as a popular holiday destination, not least because of the favourable exchange rate against the Turkish Lire. But also in terms of its natural beauties, rich heritage and friendliness of the Turks themselves, Turkey is difficult to beat. It seems that there’s something for everyone, from unrivalled beaches, stupendous mountains and turquoise seas to all the glamour and exoticism of the Orient, with bustling bazaars and elegant mosques a feature of even the most tourist-oriented small town.

Renting holiday villas in Turkey is the natural choice when it comes to choosing a base to explore all the attractions on offer. Flexibility to come and go as you please, at your own pace, is the greatest advantage. This is increasingly the case now, as hotels use tactics such as closely-bunched mealtimes, restricted access to the beach and wall-to-wall entertainment to keep their customers from straying beyond the periphery and spending their spare cash elsewhere. Local businesses suffer, so if you’re renting a self-catering villa you might find yourself more appreciated than you expect. Doing your own shopping at a Turkish market is not to be missed, with a bewildering choice of cheap, fresh food on offer.

From sprawling holiday villas to family-based bed and breakfast pensions, you’ll certainly find what you’re looking for, and the kids especially will appreciate the freedom of a villa and the excitement of exploring the local sights. 

Getting the best out of your stay in Nice...

Nice is a French Riviera metropolis, with big wide avenues, a busy seafront and endless museums, art galleries and shops. The prettiest area is the old town, Vieux Nice, where the narrow alleyways twist and turn.  It is full of ancient stone houses and charming little squares. Looking down on the modern city and the bay, it is an ideal place to rent a holiday apartment if you want to be in the centre of things. This is where you’ll find a concentration of atmospheric restaurants and bars, and old fashioned boutiques. The public beaches are mostly pebbly and there are many highly manicured private beach clubs.

For more peaceful surroundings, there are a variety of beautiful luxury villas to rent in the hills behind the city. Within a few miles of the city are numerous golf courses, olive and lemon groves and picturesque villages such as Colomars and St Roman de Bellet. The mountains are popular among walkers and cyclists looking for scenic routes with challenging gradients.

Flanked by Cannes to its west and Monaco to its east, Nice is well placed for a wide range of activities and sightseeing trips. Famous Riviera resorts such as Cannes, Juan les Pins and St Tropez are worth a visit, as is Monaco with its celebrated casino and race track. The town of Eze, perched on a rocky pinnacle is also worth seeing and the area is well known for its local artists, and for its wines, particularly rose.

Visiting the Mediterranean island of Sardinia...

The ideal combination of beaches, culture, and history can be found on the island of Sardinia, the Mediterranean Sea’s second largest island.  The landscape features literally thousands of stone structures, proving that the island is steeped in history.  Whether you visit Cagliari, the island’s capital city, or you explore the medieval Spanish gothic town of Alghero, you won’t be disappointed when visiting the island.

The Sardinian beaches are some of the most picturesque in Europe and the towns are nothing short of pristine.  Where international travel is concerned, Sardinia is a popular holiday destination.  The numerous tourist attractions, entertainment venues, local events, and shopping opportunities are second to none.  Naturally, other than booking your trip to Spain or Sardinia, your lodging will be the primary concern and you will need to decide whether you want an apartment, flat, house, or villa.

Considering the miles of Mediterranean shoreline that exists on Sardinia, the choices for lodging are literally endless.  TripAdvisor.com lists numerous hotels and other lodging facilities, all of which come with excellent reviews of the facilities.  If you also want to include a cruise to the island, Mediterranean Cruise Holidays is an excellent choice for finding the best values.

A cruise on the Mediterranean is a wise choice for those of you who desire a little something extra added to your holiday itinerary.  The island is renowned for the numerous caves situated along the Sardinian coastline, and the majority of the cruises take those in.  A cruise tour will avail the visitor of some of the lesser known sights along the Sardinian coastline and tantalise the eyes.

Skiing holidays in France...

Whatever you are looking for when you take a ski holiday it is certain that you will find it in the massive range of ski resorts in France, you can, after all, choose from around 200! Naturally many of these are small resorts and do not normally feature in the brochures of the skiing holiday specialists, but nothing is impossible when you are looking for a ski deal.

The Top French Ski Resorts can be rated for Beginners, Experts and Snowboarders; there is something in France for everyone. Naturally most traditional French ski resorts can cater for all tastes so if you and your friends or family are of different abilities, you can find a ski resort that will suit all.

The Three Valleys Ski Area has a combined area with a total of 600km of downhill skiing, with 502 individual pistes, served by 200 ski lifts. When you buy a Three Valleys Lift Pass you have access to ski or board the great ski resorts of Courcheval, La Tania, Les Menuires, Meribel, St Martin de Belleville and the highest Val Thorens.  You will find that there is no problem with skiing or boarding throughout the season with pistes above 2,500 metres in height. All levels of skier ability, from Beginner to Expert, are well-catered for in The Three Valleys and it is very highly rated by Snowboarders as there are a total of 9 Snow and Terrain Parks.

Paradiski is yet another favourite area where you can ski the French resorts of La Plagne, Les Arcs, Montchevan- Les Coches, and Peisey- Vallendrey if you have the Paradiski Lift Pass. Here you will be treated to a combined total of 425km of downhill skiing, with 475 individual pistes, served by 141 ski lifts. All levels of skier ability, from Beginner to Expert, are well-catered for in Paradiski and there is no problem with snow cover during the season with pistes above 2500 metres, skiing and snowboarding is assured for Easter and beyond.

Espace Killy is the smaller of the these three fabulous ski resorts but it still has a massive combined total of 300km of downhill skiing, with 308 individual pistes, served by 90 ski lifts and is greatly favoured by the younger skier with its fab après ski. It is a fantastic area for expert skiers, intermediates, beginners and boarders at its resorts of Val d’Isere and Tignes.

Seasonal Cruises...

Combining a cruise holiday with a special time of year is sure to be a memorable experience. There are wide range of cruise deals on offer around Christmas, Valentines Day and other festive times of the year, but if you are looking to get away at these peak times, you will have to book well in advance to be sure of securing the holiday you are looking for. When we say that, we are talking at least 9 to 12 months.

Of course, anyone looking for last minute cruise deals will know that reserving your place so early will more than likely come at a cost. Having said that, you can also take the risk and see if people drop out closer to the departure date. Another expense that should be considered is the price of airline tickets, as these are far more costly around holiday time, especially Christmas.

Also worth taking into consideration is what type of ship you are going to choose. Naturally, the larger ships will provide more entertainment and activities and will be ideal for families and kids, but should you wish to have more restrained passengers for company, a smaller vessel might be the better option. Destination wise, Caribbean cruises are among the more popular for Christmas time, whereas anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere will be more costly around Valentine’s Day.

There is no doubt that a seasonal cruise will be a welcome change to regular holidays on land, but you will need to shop around if you are to find a reasonable deal.

Be prepared to spend a little time surfing the web, because all the major cruise lines have a range of seasonal offers available, you just have to find them.

Manchester – the 24 hour city...

Manchester is a city that never sleeps. You can find somewhere open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, no matter what it is that you want. If you fancy a cappuccino, or need a loaf of bread, a packet of crisps, or something to entertain you, you are sure to find it. If you need a chemist’s shop, Cameolord on Oxford Road M1 is open from 8am to midnight every day.

A night at Paradise Factory or any of other clubs doesn’t need to end at 2am at the weekend. Manto offers 24 hour partying some nights and the Manto Breakfast Club is the perfect place for clubbers who don’t want to go home, or you might want to go and get yourself something hot to eat.  If you fancy a hot snack, or a coffee there’s The Ibis Hotel in Charles Street M1, or Easy Everything on Exchange Street M2.

If you haven’t had enough excitement for one night, then there’s no need to stop because there are a number of casinos open from 2pm through to 6am, and 6pm to 6am to keep the buzz going. Five of these casinos are in the centre of Manchester.

You can also go and dine Chinese style until 4.30am, every night, at Canton City, or try the Kwokman Cantonese Restaurant that is open until 3.30am every day including Sundays.

The Spar shop on Oxford Road is open 24 hours; so it is the place to go for takeaway snacks, carry out drinks, chocolate bars, or a whole range of other items. The Monsoon Cafe is open until 2am every day, and 5am on Fridays.

Whatever you want, no matter what time of the day, or night, Manchester, the city that never sleeps can provide it.

Amman – closer than you think!...

With Jordan’s exotic White City of Amman less than six hours from London, take advantage of the incredible cheap flights on offer to visit this, one of the oldest cities in the world.

Amman’s known history dates back 5,500 years, making it one of the oldest continuously occupied cities on earth. Spread over 19 hills, it is famous for its multitude of square, flat-roofed, light-coloured stone dwellings, which make it shimmer in the sun, the reason for its nickname. Amman is the perfect introduction to the mystic East, and is like something out of an Indiana Jones movie with its chaotic streets, faded minarets, bustling souks with loud haggling taking place, and the crumbling remnants of ancient civilisations. But, like Istanbul, it is the unique juxtaposition of the old with the new that lends the city its charm. Modern buildings, fashionable boutiques and cafes, and international restaurants mean that the ancient and the modern are within touching distance of one another, with the famous Roman amphitheatre being flanked by McDonalds and internet cafes.

Amman plays host to numerous events, such as the Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts, which it has hosted since 1980, the Dead Sea Ultra Marathon and the Jordan International Rally.

There are plenty of great one-day tours from Amman, and you can visit sights including Petra, Wadi Rum, The Dead Sea, Mount Nebo and many other famous and fascinating places.

Snap up one of the cheap flights to Amman and experience a world of Arabian delights!