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.

Hotel Bela Figueira

Bela Figueira is a bed and breakfast or as the Portuguese say, a Pensao, located steps from the sandy beaches of Figueira da Foz in central Portugal. Figueira is a must-see destination on your way from Lisbon to Porto and is an hour from other famous places like Coimbra, Batalha and Fatima. With Porto just two hours north, and Lisbon approximately two hours south, Figueira is a great place to spend an afternoon. And for a good night’s sleep, there is Bela Figueira.

Bela Figueira has fourteen large, clean rooms, including two suites. The decor is simplistic, yet tasteful. When you are in Figueira, you will not spend too much time indoors, but if you decide to relax indoors, perhaps work on your blog or read a book, the large windows throw lots of light in the rooms to give you the beachy, sunny feeling that makes your stay special.

Taj Figueira Restaurant

There is an on-site restaurant at the hotel, called Taj Figueira. The food here is a delicious blend of Portuguese and Indian, so definitely try it out. Be warned though that the restaurant is seasonal.

Prices are quite cheap considering the location and other comparable bed and breakfasts in the area and are based on seasonality. So for your next trip to Portugal and Figueira da Foz, I recommend Bela Figueira. Click here to book your stay.

For those who are unfamiliar with the vast array of hotel offerings in the Southern California area, it is often a daunting task to pick the right one. How does one get the best comfort and cool? Well look no further, because The Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica, California is the perfect hotel for the trendy and single.

A single person’s dream, this hotel stands tall, a block away from the warm sandy beach of Santa Monica. The view from this high-rise is nothing short of breath-taking and the crowd here is young professionals including lawyers, actors and entrepreneurs.

A few years ago, The Huntley Hotel was simply the Radisson Huntley. Aside from its great location and its height, the hotel was an embarrassment to the area. Its musty corridors and stale carpeting, along with lack-luster food and service made it a sloppy choice for a place like Santa Monica. In fact, the only reason I ever went to this hotel as a local was to listen to a ZZ-top look-alike perform rock and roll at its roof-top restaurant called Toppers.

When Preferred Hotels bought this property from Radisson (in 2005-06), the $15-million renovation under the direction of designer Thomas Schoos completely changed the look and feel of the hotel.

Now the hotel is a happening place. With its dark wood and white contrast furniture, it boasts a succinct Los Angeles feel. Toppers is now the Penthouse and it is a hot spot for straight and gay singles. The view of Malibu’s beaches as they welcome the gentle waves of the Southern California coastline under a sliding-top open-air restaurant/bar with white furniture and dark trims, a huge fireplace and expensive drinks make the Penthouse an ideal place to meet new people after a hard-day’s work. Of the many celebs that frequent the Penthouse, I have run into Luke Wilson and Dean Cain myself.

I won’t bore you with the amenities and room sizes. You can get that off any decent website. However, I will admit that rooms are pricey, but then it is Santa Monica. Also, the food isn’t the best, but that is not a problem. The hotel is minutes away from the Promenade in Santa Monica and the Santa Monica pier, so there are plenty of alternatives for the hungry traveler.

Book a room at the Huntley Hotel for your next visit to Los Angeles.