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Dublin Europe Ireland Sligo

Ireland

“Sometimes” is the last track from the excellent BBC series “Normal People” based on the book by Sally Rooney is a reminder that we don’t always have to travel to some exotic destination. Across the Atlantic Ocean is the Emerald Isle. There are great experiences to be had both north and south of the border.

The story of two teenage lovers from Sligo has developed a huge following not just because of the terrific soundtrack, the brilliant acting of the two main stars, the gripping storyline but the captivating locations.

Benbulben Mountain, https://www.irelandscontentpool.com/media/, Gareth McCormack
Benbulben Mountain

Sligo is one of Ireland’s hidden gems. Much of the landscape has links with the poet W.B. Yeats. His poetry constantly references the landscape and so much of the area today is know as “Yeates Country”. He is burried at Drumcliffe in the shadow of Benbulben Mountain. His final poem read

“Under bare Ben Bulben’s head
In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid.”

Adventure Sligo, https://www.irelandscontentpool.com/media/ Josh McMichael
Adventure Sligo

For those of you more interested in the ocean than the land you can surf almost the entire western seaboard. But the section in County Sligo is renowned for drawing surfers from across the globe. International surfing events regularly take place here.

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Beach Caribbean St Lucia Sun

St Lucia

So this winter and spring why not head for the light and warmth of the Caribbean winter sun to the island of St Lucia, the only sovereign nation named after a woman. The average daily temperature even during the less warm months (there are no cold ones) is 26C.  The period from January to May is also the driest part of the year. There are numerous sandy beaches and all of them are public so you can take your pick.  The most popular is Reduit Beach where you will find lively beach bars, restaurants and a wide variety of water sports.  Alternatively at the opposite end of Rodney Bay you will find the quieter beaches of Pigeon Island beach, which are located with a National Park.

Rodney Beach - St Lucia
Rodney Beach – St Lucia

The attraction of St Lucia as a holiday destination is that it is not just about the beaches. Due to its size and varied landscape, it is so easy to connect with nature and the outdoors.  The island is home to the Piton mountains. They are a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, a trek up will take you around 4 hours with a local guide.  From a height over almost 800m there is surely not a comparable view in the Caribbean.

Piton Mountains - St Lucia
Piton Mountains – St Lucia

Before you departure from St Lucia, take some time to visit the “world’s only drive in volcano” located in the southwest of the island near the town of Soufriere which in French means “from which sulfur is produced”. Nearby you can also experience the sulphur springs where you can experience a mud bath. The baths are believed to have medicinal properties and helps heal sun burns, eczema, arthritis, sore joints, and more.

Sulphur Springs – St Lucia

The island offers a wide range of accommodation from guest houses, to villas to luxury resort hotels.  Contact Maggie today to bring warmth and light to your winter.  A chance to get away from it all and “Spend your winter in St Lucia, just to meditate”.

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Antigua Beach Caribbean Sun

Antigua

Do you like walking along a golden sandy beach. That is one thing that you can certainly do in Antigua, as there are 54 miles of coastline, to walk along. There are in fact 365 beaches along the coast, that’s one for every day of the year.

Of those beaches, amongst the most famous are Galley Bay Beach for surfing, Half Moon Bay for relaxing and Dickenson Bay which is the most popular, with a number of hotels and restaurants.  For example it is here that you can find the Sandals Grande Antigua Resort and the Siboney Beach Club.

Dickenson Bay - Antigua
Dickenson Bay – Antigua

Many of the hotels on the island are built along the beaches so that you can literally step out of your room straight on to the beach.  In fact you could be on the beach within 10 hours of taking off from London with flight times of around 8 and a half hours.

Should you want to tear yourself away from the beach, then head up to Shirley Heights from where you can obtain the best view on the island.  At a height of 490 feet, you get superb views of English and Falmouth Harbours and is best visited at sunset and the early evening.

View from Shirley Heights - Antigua
View from Shirley Heights – Antigua

Today, Nelson’s Dockyard provides many sites and activities for the modern day visitor to enjoy.  It was built back in the early eighteenth century, when the British realised the value of having a dockyard to harbour ships in bad weather and keeping an eye on the French. The dockyard is named after Lord Nelson, who as Captain of the HMS Boreas, was sent to Antigua to enforce British laws in the colonies.

Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua
Nelson’s Dockyard, Antigua
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Argentina Buenos Aires South America

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires has a curious blend of the European and the Latin. It is well known for its preserved colonial and neo-classical architecture as well as its rich cultural life including a tango show or a visit to a ranch. In more recent years ” meat loving” visitors will seek out traditional “asado” or a themed tour devoted to famous Argentines such as “Evita” (Eva Peron).

Buenos Aires is the most visited city in South America and the second most visited city in Latin America after Mexico City. Known as the “Paris of South America”. In a survey for Travel and Leisure Magazine, visitors voted it the second most desirable city to visit after Florence. According to the Tourism Board of Argentina nearly 6m tourists visited the country in 2018 a figure that more than doubled over a ten year period.

Cabildo of Buenos Aires - Copyright Welcome Argentina
Cabildo of Buenos Aires

The most popular tourist sites are found in the historic core of the city. Buenos Aires was conceived around the Plaza de Mayo. To the north of here is the Caefral Metroplitana and the Banco de Nacion Argentina. To the west is the Cabildo that was the seat of the town council in colonial times.

If you have the time then seek out the Café Tortoni. The café was opened in 1858 by a French immigrant who named it after a Parisian café bearing the same name. Café Tortoni was selected by UCityGuides as one of the ten most beautiful cafes in the world.

Café Tortoni - Copyright WelcomeArgentina.com
Café Tortoni- Buenos Aires – Argentina

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Asia Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Across its 263 islands not only does East meet West in terms of culture, but those islands provide mountains with their natural beauty in contrast with the man made beauty of its skyscraper skyline.

Market - Jardine's Crescent
Market – Jardine’s Crescent

Part of the fancination with Hong Kong is the opportunity to shop till you drop. As a free trade city there are bargains to be had in the numerous markets and shopping centres that the city has to offer. If shopping is not your thing, then there is the historical side of Hong Kong to discover. An excellent starting place is the Hong Kong Museum of History which is located next to the Hong Kong Science Museum. Whatever your reason for visiting Hong Kong you will not be disappointed.

Temple Street Night Market - Copyright Hong Kong Tourist Board.

Temple Street Night Market

At the end of the day however tired you might feel, a visit to a night market is a must. You just cannot travel halfway round and world and not experience the unique sight, sounds and smells of a Hong Kong night market. What are you waiting for?

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Barbados Caribbean Heritage Sun

Barbados

This small beautiful Caribbean island is an average of 4 hours from East Coast departure points and when you step off the plane at Grantley Adams International Airport you will have been transported to a different world but some elements of familiarity.

The temperature rarely drops below 25°C, with daytime temperatures in August reaching around 30°C. The sea in Barbados is warm enough to swim all year round. The driest period is from December through to April. If soaking up the sun is for you then there are few prettier places in the world to do it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but it’s generally considered that Barbados has some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean.

There is more to Barbados than just beaches and due to its size its relatively easy to travel around the island. Buses travel all over the island and are super cheap! They are a great way to experience Barbadian (aka Bajan) life. Meet some locals and see life outside your hotel or villa.

Since 2011 Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Of course there is modern Bridgetown where you can get your fix of shopping.

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Asia Singapore

Singapore Sling

Written 100 years ago, many of us will know the song “On a Little Street in Singapore” from Glenn Miller, Bob Dylan or Manhattan Transfer. Today, it’s the attraction of those “Little Streets” that draw us to this Island State. Those “Little Streets” are the result of Singapore’s multi-cultural, colonial and wartime past and make it a destination in its own right rather than just a stopover. Being uniquely placed at the tip of the Malay peninsula, at the cross roads of trade routes it has been the meeting point for Asian and European cultures.  British influence is clearly evident as many of us are familiar with the Raffles Hotel named after Sir Thomas Raffles who brought the British to the island and the Anderson Bridge named after the Governor of the Region in 1910. 

Due to its size and history there is so much to see and do, it’s all very easy to access and so much can be packed into such a short space of time.  On the one hand you have traditional Chinatown and on the other the Sands Skypark and shopping in Orchard Street.  Singapore’s nickname is “City in a Garden” and it’s possible to get away from it all at the National Orchid Garden and the Jurong Bird Park which home to 400 species of birds.

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Asia Japan

Japan 2021

Top of the list of places to visit after travel restrictions are lifted has to be Japan. For most of us visting Japan will take us as far out of our comfort zone as we can go in a society and culture that on the face of it looks very much like our own.

As the rescheduled Tokyo Olympic Games draws nearer, the government is working to put safety measures in place for overseas visitors, with a possible lifting of the current entry ban as early as April 2021. 

This would allow the Japanese authorities to fine tune the arrangements ahead of the July 23rd start date for the Olympics.

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Las Vegas Nevada USA

Viva Las Vegas

And how I wish that there were more
Than twenty-four hours in the day.
But even if there were forty more,
I wouldn’t sleep a minute away.
Oh, there’s blackjack and poker and a roulette wheel.
A fortune won and lost on every deal.
All you need’s a strong heart and a nerve of steel.

“Viva Las Vegas” was the title song of the film of the same name, sung by Elvis Presley. Although Elvis first performed in Vegas in 1956, it was his twice a day, seven days a week, 636 sold out shows, from August 1969 on, at the International where his association with the city was firmly cemented.

Tourists takes photos with the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign on the Strip Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016. CREDIT: Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau
Tourists takes photos with the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign on the Strip Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016. CREDIT: Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau

The image of countless casinos is one that many people still hold of Las Vegas, but as a holiday destination it is so much more than that. It can better be described as an entertainment destination. If you are looking to be entertained then you will find it here and you don’t have to place a bet to enjoy what it has to offer.

There is nothing to beat a walk down the Las Vegas Strip in the evening. It is the must do part of your visit. You will be transported to Venice, Paris and New York. Don’t miss out on the beautiful Bellagio Fountains as they dance to the music every 15 minutes in the evenings.

This is a view of the Strip as seen from the Eiffel Tower replica at Paris Las Vegas Saturday, August 19, 2017. Visible in the photo are Bellagio, Fountains of Bellagio, Caesars, Mirage, Bally's, Flamingo and Cromwell. CREDIT: Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau
Categories
Beach Caribbean Cuba Heritage Sun

Havana, Cuba

Cuba has to be close to the top of the list of places to visit once we can travel again.  Thanks to US sanctions it is caught in a partial time warp.  Cuba is one of the few places in the world that you still can’t buy a McDonalds, unless you are serving or detained at Guantanamo Bay!

So you need to visit before it all changes. Unlike former Communist Central and East European countries where almost all vestiges of socialist ideologies have disappeared there are plenty of reminders around.

Old Cars Cuba
Old Cars Cuba

Outside of Havana where you must visit UNESCO listed the Old town and its impressive colonial buildings, you can access some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, with crystal clear waters and fine sandy beaches that are not overrun with tourists. 

And if you need any more reasons to visit, did we mention the old cars, the cheap beer and rum and world renowned cigars.