Hotel Bela Figueira in Figueira da Foz, Portugal delights travelers with its close proximity to the beach, the town center, the casino, the tourist information center and great eats in the area. The hotel is run by its owners Anil and Rozy, one of the warmest and friendliest couples you will ever meet. Bela Figueira is a bed and breakfast or as the Portuguese say, a Pensao, located steps from the sandy beaches of...
Portugal was one of the five super powers of the colonial era, along with Great Britain, Spain, Netherlands and France. It embodies the heart and soul of ancient Europe, with castles, forts, bridges and historic city centers. Cobble-stone streets, red-tile roofs and great seafood exemplifies the ancient and modern fusion that is Portugal. A visit to Portugal deserves at least 10-12 days and renting a car is highly recommended. Not that public transportation is...
Winter is upon us, and ski operators and resorts are gearing up for some busy months ahead when ski and snowboard enthusiasts frequent the slopes in search for fresh, soft powder. The ski destinations below, are my top picks for North America (in no particular order): Aspen, Colorado Aspen, featured in the Jim Carey comedy classic “Dumb and Dumber”, is the place to be if you want to ski with the rich and famous....
Priority Club, the loyalty points program from IHG Hotels (Intercontinental, Holiday Inn, Crown Plaza etc.) has released this simple, yet fun and slightly addictive game called Suitcase Skittles. The object of the game is to knock down baggage handlers at the airport using suitcases. It is an easy way to kill some time and have a go at the chance to win free nights at IHG Hotels worldwide. Play Suitcase Skittles here.
Darn Good Digs launched its 2nd Nominate-a-thon this weekend, and are giving away either a Rough Guide of your choice or the Rough Guide’s new Earth Bound photography book to two lucky winners. The entire concept behind the site is that budget-minded travelers nominate their all-time favorite places to stay, and their editors select the best of the best to post on darngoodidgs.com. Nominate your favorite digs or simply sign up for the quarterly...
Venice (also known as Venezzia) is one of those cities that seem out of this world. The city is built on and around water and the only real means of transport is via water ways and canals. I bet more people here own boats than cars. In fact, apart from taxis, cars are a rare sight in Venice. The public bus is called the Vaporetto and takes people heading to work or tourists to major...
If you have never been to Santorini, you don’t know what you are missing. This Greek Island of the Cyclades, also known as Thira, is a picture perfect setting for its awe-inspiring beauty, white stone-wall buildings and shiny blue domes. The fishhook shaped Santorini, consists of the main area of Fira in the center, with the popular Oia on the north-western tip of the island. The only way to get to Santorini is by...
In the world of travel names like Rick Steves and the good people at the Travel Channel have great influence on travelers. And while I appreciate Rick Steve’s work and the information diseminated by Samantha Brown, I have come to realize that they are not your average travelers and as such the information they provide needs to be taken with a grain of salt. First, even though they give you budget travel tips, their...
My current trip to Europe started off vasty different than my previous trip. You see this time, I am flying to Lisbon first, then I will travel through the rest of my itinerary in Europe. As you may or may not know, getting a direct flight from Los Angeles to Lisbon is not possible. In fact, most European destinations are not accessible via a direct flight from Los Angeles. In any case, last year,...
Airlines are an unpopular foe of the flying public and are constantly the object of frequent flyer criticism. The list of complaints against airlines often include flight delays, cramped seating and charging the customer for food and now even luggage. But while most of these frustrations apply to domestic travel, international travel is still somewhat better, at least for now. This is where the international airlines, specially those from Europe and Asia pull away...
