Travel Holiday Offers

Brighton may not be the holiday hot spot of the world but for Londoners and UK residents it’s a well known summer retreat. Here are 10 unusual facts you may not know about the Brighton:

• Eight million tourists a year visit Brighton
• Brighton’s beach, which is a sand-free shingle beach, although it is sand when going into the sea, has been awarded a blue flag
• The inaugural Brighton Marathon will take place on 18 April 2010
• There is also an annual beach soccer competition in a temporary stadium on imported sand on the beach. The inaugural contest in June 2002 featured football stars such as Eric Cantona and Matt Le Tissier.
• Brighton hosts what is commonly held to be the world’s oldest motor race, the Brighton Speed Trials which has been running since 1905 on Madeira Drive (the road being originally constructed for this purpose)
• Brighton’s citizens have developed a reputation in recent years for their readiness to challenge the views of the council’s planning department
• Brighton is well-known for having a substantial LGBT community, served by shops, bars and night-clubs in addition to support organisations
• Theatres include the Brighton Dome, the expanded Komedia (also used as a music venue) and the Theatre Royal which celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2007
• One of the most prominent musical events has been the irregularly recurring “Big Beach Boutique”, for which a substantial portion of the beach is controversially closed off for a concert by Fatboy Slim
• Part of the eastern side of the beach has been redeveloped into a sports complex, which has courts for anything from beach volleyball to ultimate Frisbee, and opened to the public in March 2007.

Superbreak, short break specialist, increases its range of theatre packages following the eagerly awaited premiere of Love Never Dies.

The most eagerly awaited new musical of the last twenty years held its World Premiere at London’s Adelphi Theatre in front a dazzling star-studded audience. Dubbed as his biggest challenge yet, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Love Never Dies’ continues the stories of the principal characters of The Phantom of the Opera - The Phantom, Christine Daae and Raoul ten years after The Phantom’s mysterious disappearance from the Paris Opera House.

The show tells the story of Christine Daaé, who accepts an offer to come to America and perform at New York’s fabulous new playground of the world - Coney Island. After Christine arrives in New York with her husband Raoul and their son Gustave, she soon discovers the identity of the anonymous impresario who has lured her from France to sing. She also realises the identity of the Love Never Dies is a rollercoaster ride of obsession and intrigue… in which music and memory can play cruel tricks… and The Phantom sets out to prove that, indeed, love never dies.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Phantom of the Opera is the most successful musical in history and has been enjoyed by over 100,000,000 theatre-lovers worldwide since its opening at London’s Majesty’s Theatre in October 1986. Superbreak has sold over 25,000 theatre break packages to Phantom of The Opera and expects Love Never Dies to be as popular. Initial sales are already very brisk.

Superbreak’s Head of Theatre, David Thomas, said after the World Premier: “Thank the Lord for bringing Romance back to the West End Stage. Andrew LLoyd Webber’s gorgeously haunting, soaring and totally hypnotic score held the audience in its spell from the first spine-tingling bars to the final, final curtain call -and then out into the night. You could see it in their eyes, in their step, the hugs - Love Never Dies, Romance Never Dies, and this music of the night is more potent than ever. (Still can’t work out how the couple next to us managed to hold hands and applaud at the same time)”.

Last minute holiday in Kavos, Corfu

With the credit crunch still influencing much of the world’s regular travellers, price is, unfortunately a deciding factor. The beautiful island of Corfu is one of the few destinations where holidaymakers in the UK can travel abroad for just over £100.

Kavos is renowned for attracting British holidaymakers under the age of thirty due to the sunny beaches and wild night life.

I found this deal on www.cheaphoolidaydeals.co.uk where for £120.00 per person holidaymakers can spend seven nights on the Greek island flying from Gatwick airport. The accommodation is only a two star hotel but for a group of young travellers this is an excellent opportunity to catch some summer rays.

Check out the deal here

Over at First Choice holidays they are running a promotion giving you the chance to win back the cost of your holiday.

You must choose to book your holiday in either Algarve or Madeira which are, let’s face it, great affordable holiday destinations.

Some more details taken from the website can be found below:

There are 50 prizes to be won. Offer applies to new bookings only made between 1st-31st March 2009 and is only available on selected First Choice or Skytours Portugal or Madeira Summer 2009 holidays. Excludes accommodation only, flight only and tailor made flight+hotel bookings. Valid on bookings made via Firstchoice.co.uk or through a First Choice shop. The refund will be payable to the lead booking name.

Winners will be randomly selected at the end of the competition period (31st March 2009) and will be notified by post within 28 days of the draw. Details of the prize winners can be obtained by sending a stamped addressed envelope to TUI Travel PLC, Campaigns Team, Columbus House 2, Westwood Way, Westwood Business Park, Coventry, CV4 8TT. There is no alternative to the specified prize.

Located on the Route De Bagnols, heading north out of Fréjus, La Baume Palmeraie is a 5-tent Michelin holiday camping site that caters for tents and caravans. It is divided into two main areas, La Baume and La Palmeraie, each with their own pool area and facilities. They are a short walk, approximately 10 minutes, apart so it is easy to enjoy the benefits of both.

In addition to the two pool complexes the site boasts 2 bars, a restaurant, takeaway outlets, and sporting facilities. There are children’s clubs and entertainment provided free of charge 6 days per week.

La Baume also boasts a small gift shop, a swimwear shop and a supermarket. Great for breakfast baguettes and croissants the supermarket also offers most of the goods you would expect from a local convenience store. For greater choice, Leader Price, a well stocked and well priced supermarket is only a few minutes drive away. Both La Baume and La Palmeraie areas have laundry facilities.

While available for independent travellers, the majority of the caravan plots are owned and managed by individual holiday companies such as Canvas, Eurocamp, Keycamp, and Siblu.

Each have their own reception area within the complex and staff are at hand to take holiday makers to their caravan and help with any queries that arise. They can offer maps of the local area and have a plethora of informational leaflets on nearby attractions. However, while the staff are friendly and willing to help, many of them have less experience of nearby destinations or attractions than may be hoped for. Visitors to the site may find it useful to check out the nearby towns and attractions online before they go.

It is the location, rather than the camping site itself, that is the real attraction at La Baume. Fréjus is only a few miles away with much to offer from expansive Mediterranean beaches to roman ruins. Within easy travelling distance are many towns and cities that have become household names, Cannes, St Tropez, Monaco, and Monte Carlo.

Whatever the final destination, La Baume Palmeraie is an ideal starting point.

All you Formula 1 fan out there, I have found a great offer for the British Grand Prix 2009. This fantastic offer gives you the opportunity to witness a complete Formula 1 race, which is quite frankly nothing like watching it on television. Experience the sound, smell and buzz around the track for the ultimate thrill.
The offer is provided by The Sun newspaper.

Price: £299

Date: June 2009

Whats Included:

• Two nights’ bed and continental breakfast accommodation at the three-star Jury’s Inn, Milton Keynes (or similar)

• Admission to the Grand Prix at Silverstone

• Return coach transfers between Silvestone and your hotel on two days

• The services of a Newmarket Tour Manager

• Government taxes and service charges

To book or for more information check out the official offer page

Ibiza is one of the busiest party islands in the world; you may well know it’s famous for its music but what else is there to know? Well here are some other Ibiza facts:

• Ibiza  is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea about 80 km off the coast of Spain.
• Its largest cities are Ibiza Town (Catalan:Vila d’Eivissa or simply Vila), Santa Eulària des Riu and Sant Antoni de Portmany.
• Ibiza is a part of a group of the western Balearic archipelago called the Pitiusas or “Pine Islands” composed of itself and Formentera.
• The climate of Ibiza is Mediterranean and has milder winters but slightly cooler summers than Majorca.
• Ibiza is considered a popular tourist destination, especially due to its legendary and at times riotous nightlife centered around two areas: Ibiza Town, the island’s capital on the southern shore and Sant Antoni to the West
• The island’s government is trying to encourage a more cultured and quieter tourism scene, passing rules including the closing of all nightclubs by 6am at the latest, and requiring all new hotels to be 5-star.

You don’t need to scale Mount Everest or K2 to feel like you’re on top of the world. Ever since the Tower of Babel, it seems man has been trying to build a structure that reaches up the heavens. For breathtaking views from heights that are sure to leave you a bit dizzy, check out the world’s three tallest attractions.

Burj Dubai (818 m / 2,684 feet)

Home of dazzling gold markets and snow skiing in the middle of the desert, it is Dubai that boasts the world’s tallest man-made structure. At over 800 meters, the Burj Dubai soars over the city’s skyline. Before it was even finished, it had already beat the previous record of the KLVY-TV Mast in Blanchard, North Dakota.

CN Tower (553 m / 1,815 feet)

Since the KLVY-TV Mast is basically a tall wire structure, and it isn’t anything exciting to look at, the second tallest attraction is the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada. The CN Tower, which held the height record for 31 years, was built in the mid-1970s. Its observation deck has made it a popular tourist attraction, and if you feel like splurging you can wine and dine in the revolving restaurant.

Sears Tower (527 m / 1,730 feet)

Once you’ve enjoying looking down on the traffic of Toronto, hop on a plane and head to Chicago. You’ll find not only great blues clubs and jazz bars, but the world’s third tallest attraction: Sears Tower. Ride an elevator up to the observation deck and try to pull a Ferris Bueller by leaning your forehead on the glass when the guards aren’t looking. On a clear day, you can see out over Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.

The History of the Euro begins well before it actually came into existence. Back in 1957, European countries joined together with a single purpose in mind- improving the prosperity of their economies. A common European market developed from this concept. Protected in the “Treaty of Rome,” the newly established common market unified European people as they strove to prosper on a higher level.

About thirty years later in 1986, the concept of a unified market continued with the Single European Act of 1986 as it began to lay a basis for the Euro by introducing the Economic and Monetary Union or EMU as it is commonly known as. Several years later, the Treaty on European Union of 1992 further stressed the importance of the Economic and Monetary Union or EMU.

However, despite this initial ground work, it wasn’t until 1999 that the plan went into its final stages of preparation for a single currency. The idea was to do away with individual currencies while creating a single currency that would become known as the Euro. Eleven different European countries worked together to create a conversion rate among all of the different currencies to create the Euro, which eventually came into its official existence on January 1, 2002.

The phasing out of the old currencies came about gradually over the next two months. Old currencies were no longer used as legal tender now that the Euro had taken over. Originally, the Euro was designed as seven individual bank notes of varying denominations. The values of these notes included 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 Euros.

Euro coins came out at the same time. The original coins included a national symbol on one side of the coin. Am identical European design was placed on the second side of all Euro coins at this time. Specific guidelines for future designs of the coins were developed in 2005.

According to the Cruise Lines International Association the demand for cruise weddings has dramatically increased.  However, wedding services are not always allowed or available on cruise lines.  If you’ve been considering getting married on a cruise, you need to first check with your travel agent or cruise line and ensure that services are available.  There may be limitations or restrictions regarding cruise weddings depending on the cruise line you choose. Most of the major lines such as Disney, Carnival, and Regal all offer special wedding packages.  Some ships have onboard Chapels, and some offer special wedding packages where the ceremony takes place at a port of call.

You will need to acquire your marriage license ahead of time.  If you choose a cruise wedding to be performed shipboard, of course the guest list will need to be notified in plenty of time to make their travel arrangements as well.  If you plan the ceremony at a port of call, some lines offer packages that host the wedding ceremony and reception landside.  This is a great option for couples who have guests who are unable to take the cruise themselves.

The cost of a cruise wedding can be as little as a few hundred dollars for a simple ceremony to thousands for an adventurous or elaborate ceremony, and it all depends on the desire and whim of the happy couple.  Price shop, and don’t be afraid to ask about special pricing packages.  It’s also a good idea to ask about special amenities for handicapped or disabled guests, to ensure their comfort and safety.  Last minute cruises are always more expensive, and can make travel arrangements difficult or even impossible for your guests, so try to book your wedding cruise as far ahead of time as possible.