Modern day life can be extremely stressful and in this current economic climate it is even more so. People need to get away to unwind and recharge their batteries.
The problem, of course, is can they still afford the type of holidays they are used to? It doesn’t matter what that was, it still costs a lot of money.
Of course, travel can be lower in cost than it was a year ago. This is partly due to the exchange rates for different countries. By the same token, if you live in an area where the currency has weakened your costs for an overseas holiday will have increased.
The UK now gives greater value for your money than previously. UK travel agents report bookings up significantly for this current year, both for visitors and for the Brits taking holidays at home rather than travelling abroad.
It means the UK is a more attractive destination for many people but will they get the sort of holiday they are looking for and used to?
The thing the Brits talk about the most is probably the weather. It is so changeable there is always something to say about it. For a very few weeks of the year you may get really lovely weather. The problem is trying to decide in advance when that will be. One summer August may have a heatwave, the following it could be cold enough for greatcoats.
Generally, when you go on holiday, you want the weather to be good enough to be able to relax in but not energy draining. For example, you could expect plenty of sun and sand in the Sahara but it is not recommended as a holiday resort. You could want snow and ice for skiing but neither of the poles are likely to provide the sort of holiday you want.
Can one still have a memorable holiday, in luxury surroundings, with all the amenities possible from golf to spas, water sports to shopping, sand, sea and cool drinks available, without it costing a fortune?
Fortunately, the answer is YES.
One travel group has been providing luxury holidays at greatly reduced prices for over 20 years. You needed to join their network in order to participate but the savings made will cover that cost after just two or three weeks of holiday.
Originally, you could only join this group by invitation but recently this has been opened up to anybody. It is still not generally advertised and relies on word of mouth but you no longer have to go to a presentation with high pressure techniques similar to Time Share presentations.
The cost of joining is far less than buying a Time Share and you have a choice of over 5000 locations around the world instead of just one. With no annual fees required or maintenance costs, the savings can be spectacular.
Most of the resorts offer a full range of activities, especially for golf. Many are close to or associated with a championship course, including some of the best in the world.
Some resorts are all inclusive so that you pay a set amount each day for all drinks, food, amenities and activities, usually excepting motor water sports. This is excellent for controlling spending. All others are self catering so you can plan your own holiday.
The accommodation comprises villas or apartments from one to three bedroomed. All will have kitchen, lounge, often balcony and a dining area. Some are with Marriotts, Sheratons and other top class hotels, as you would expect.
Prices will, of course, vary but they have a pricing policy that ensures you never pay more than $799 for a full week and many are around $298 per week. That is, of course, per villa or apartment, not per person. This is usually much below half the normal costs and generally below a third.
With reduced cost air travel and even cruises available, they can guarantee the whole package will ensure anybody wanting a high quality holiday anywhere around the world can now afford to have one.
Membership is for life and can be used also by family and friends to obtain the same benefits. It can even be bequeathed to your heirs.
For some details please visit www.holidayscostless.com.
Archive for January, 2010
How to forget the recession and still have a fantastic holiday in exotic locations around the world
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010Exotic Location in Kodaikanal
Thursday, January 14th, 2010Kodaikanal LakeKodaikanal Lake is an artificial lake that takes the shape of a star and is spread over 60 acres with greenery all around it. This lake was created in 1863 by Sir Vere Hendry Levinge, who was the collector of Madurai. By spending his own money he converted the marshy land with several streams into a lake by constructing a strong bund. He brought boats from Tuticorin and arranged boat rides in the lake and stocked the lake with fish. He introduced several foreign trees and fruits such as Pine forms and Pears; and planned and executed several approach roads to Kodaikanal. This lake is surrounded by fine tarred road of 5 km length which takes about 45min to walk. Tourists can not find a boat club which offers pedaling and rowing boats with different seating capacities at nominal charges. Apart from boating, cycles and horses are available for rental in the lake area.
Bear Shola FallsThe Bear Shola falls is a favorite tourist point in Kodaikanal. It is named so because in earlier days bears used to come and drink water from this fall. Bear Shola Falls is located about 1.6 Kms from the lake, and 2 kms from the bus stand. Bear Shola Falls can be reached through a scenic rough hill path. Hence for your safety suitable means of transportation is necessary to reach the falls.
Berijam LakeBerijam Lake is an artificial lake in the upper regions of palani hills. It is a fine picnic spot offering beautiful scenery. This lake is situated about 23 km from the local bus stand. It was first discovered and reclaimed in 1864 by Colonel Hamilton of the British Army. Berijam Lake is a must see place as sighting of bison, leopard and other chirping birds are very common. One cannot see this beautiful lake without the permission of District Forest Officer.
Bryant ParkBryant Park is a famous and an important botanical park located just 0.3km away from the bus stand. This Park is named after a British forest officer named H. D. Bryant, who landscaped this park in 1980. The beautifully maintained park extends over an area of 20.5 acres and is noted for flowers, hybrids and grafts. There are around 325 species of trees and shrubs along with a glass house which shelters over fine varieties of flowers. A big section is allotted for nearly 740 varieties of roses. A Flower show is conducted every year during May, as a part of Summer Festival. A must see in this park is the 150 years old Eucalyptus tree along with the ‘Bodhi’ tree.
Coaker’s WalkCoaker’s walk is a one and half km stretch that runs parallel to the Lake. This walk offers a magnificent view of the valley. Coaker’s walk is named after Lt. Coaker, who prepared the map of Kodaikanal. The ideal time to visit this place is before 2:30 pm in the afternoon as mist will start to set in over the valleys by late afternoons. A phenomenon called `Brachem Spectre’ in the Coakers walk occurs very rarely where one can see his shadow on the clouds with a rainbow halo, when sun is behind him with cloud & mist in front. To enable the visitors to have a Panoramic view of the valley and nearby towns, one telescope house is also found at Coakers walk.
Devil’s KitchenDevil’s Kitchen is a very dangerous deep hidden narrow valley that looks like small dark gutters but are actually a deep fall. Devil’s Kitchen is found between Green Valley View and Pillar Rocks. We recommend you to seek help of the locals while visiting the Devil’s Kitchen as they are fully aware of the place.
Dolmen CircleKodaikanal has the presence of pre-historic remains dating back to 5000 BC. These are known as Dolmens and Kistavens which are nothing but the dwelling and burial places of people of Stone Age and Iron Age. A visit to the Dolmen Circle will help you understand the Stone and Iron Age culture.
Flora & Fauna MuseumThe Flora & Fauna museum is an educative tourist location in Kodaikanal and is maintained by Sacred Heart College which is a Theological Seminary that was formed in the year 1895. This museum is also known as Shenbaganur Museum. This museum preserves fossils as well as wide varieties of the flora and fauna of this hilly region and has an orchidorium that has a collection of about 300 species of indigenous as well as exotic orchids. A Spanish Father Ugarthe, contributed his major collections to the Museum. This museum is located about a distance of 5.6 km from the lake.
Green Valley ViewGreen Valley View and it provides a picturesque and panoramic view of the plains, valleys, hills and the Vaigai dam. The deep, dense and dangerous valley below this point is more than 5000 feet drop. In order to get a good view from this point, it is better to visit the place between 10 am and 3 pm as early mornings and evenings have mist covering the valleys. As the valley is very deep, dense and dangerous it is always recommended to see this valley with precautionary measures.
Kurinji Andavar TempleKurinji Andavar Temple is dedicated to Lord Muruga. Lord Muruga is also known as Lord Karthik – Son of Shiva and Parvathy, brother of Lord Ganesha. Kurinji Andavar Temple is named after the abundant Kurinji flowers that bloom once in twelve years. Kurinji Andavar Temple was constructed in the year 1936. This temple is located at about 5 km from the bus station. Summer festival is the most anticipated event by the locals and is celebrated in the month of May every year. Thousands of devotees visit this temple during the summer festival to seek the blessings of Lord Muruga. From this temple one can see a view of Palani and Vaigai Dam.PalaniPalani is located 64 kms away from Kodaikanal and is one of the key tourist attractions in Kodaikanal. Palani is a famous pilgrim center of the South and one of the six abodes of Lord Dhandayuthapani. Direct frequent buses are available from Kodaikanal.
Pambar FallsPambar Falls is situated on the Pambar River which is a zip zapping stream that crusaded over a serious of rock formations. Pambar Falls are also known as Grand Cascade. It can be reached by a steep, abrupt path behind the Pambar house. Hence for your safety suitable means of transportation is necessary to reach the falls.
Pillar RocksThe Pillar rocks are three granite boulders which are seen standing vertically shoulder to shoulder. These rocks are measuring a height of about 400 feet from the ground and the chambers that are seen between the two pillars are known as Devil’s Kitchen. The Pillar rock is full of caves and chasms which prove to be a delight for all adventure seekers. This is the best place to view sunset and the glittering Kodaikanal at night.
Silver CascadeSilver Cascade waterfall is located just about 8 kms from Kodaikanal. The overflow of Kodaikanal Lake comes down here as 180 feet high falls. The crystal clear water contains various minerals and taking a bath in this fall is very refreshing. Any nature lover can sit and enjoy the beauty of this falls for hours provided he is strong enough to take the force of the water.
Solar Physical ObservatoryBuilt in the year 1889, the Solar Physical Observatory stands on the highest point of the city of Kodaikanal. Positioned at an elevation of 850 feet above the lake, the Observatory is mostly utilized for research purpose in the areas of meteorology and solar physics. It also houses a small museum that has models explaining the complex scientific phenomenon in simple ways.
Thalaiyar FallsThalaiyar Falls is the widest falls on the Ghat road to Kodaikanal. It is one of the highest falls in India with a 975 feet drop. Thalaiyar Falls is also known as Rat tail falls.
You must visit here http://www.travelhot.in/travelhot/TravelExperience/Kodaikanal/Places_To_Visit_In_Kodaikanal.html
Colorful Weddings Are In Style!
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010By: Charish A. Hoover – http://www.FresnoWeddings.Net/
White weddings no more? – This year will be the “Year Of Color” when it comes to weddings.
The trends appears to be that more couples planning weddings are adding pizzazz to the look of their wedding, and reception
with bold, daring colors, patterns, floral arrangements, exotic cakes, and more!
It appears that the desire to wow guests is a major goal of many bride’s and grooms. With wedding budgets being tossed out the window, these new high end weddings are quickly becoming a wedding fashion statement.
Weddings don’t have to cost a fortune to be beautiful and fashionable. With careful budgeting, prioritizing, and perhaps the help of a consultant, you can have one of these new high fashion weddings. The celebrity wedding is really what these every day couples are striving to compete with. The media bombards us with so and sos wedding, and all the details of how expensive, and elaborate the wedding was, it’s no wonder couples feel the need to “keep up with the Jones” so to speak. Don’t feel bad if this is you, be proud that you have the opportunity to display your own sense of unique style.
Ways To Create Color!
1. Use a colorful table runner to jazz up your guest tables (perhaps covered with rented white table cloths).
If you cannot afford a table runner for every guest table, try every other guest table in a pattern fashion.
This will make sense if done in pattern.
Make the most of money saving greenery filled centerpieces, by adding a dash of bold color with a few brightly colored daisies here and there. A few will go along way. If you cannot afford flowers for every guest table, then consider the every other guest table approach, while still using some greenery alone on the guest tables without flowers.
If flowers are not a huge part of your budget, consider the every other table approach mentioned above, or consider purchasing plain clay flower pots at a local store. Next, purchase some brightly colored spray paints (perhaps 2 or 3 different colors) and spray paint the flower pots individually with one of the colors. Perhaps some of them for example with yellow paint, some of them with the bright green paint, and some with orange. When the paint is dry, play with the pots by filling them with different colorful materials to see what you can come up with that will add some pizzazz to your guest tables with the pots as your centerpiece. Things to consider filling these pots with are: unpeeled oranges, lemons, grapefruits, even bananas. This will also turn out to be centerpieces that your guests can reach out, grab, peal and eat!
Use wallpaper to add color and pattern. Perhaps you can look at your local wallpaper store, or home decor store, and ask if they have wallpaper borders on clearance. If not, look anyway.
Ways to use wallpaper to add pizzazz! Instead of using a table runner, use a long strip of colorful, patterned wall paper, or a wall paper border to drape across guest tables.
What about the isle runner for the wedding ceremony? Who needs white? Use a 3 to 4 ft. wide strip of your favorite wall paper measured to reach the full length of the ceremony isle. Your guests will not forget this one!
Chair covers always add a touch of class, and often come in many colors.
Check with your local wedding consultant about what is available.
Wrap things in colorful cloth ribbon. Ribbon can not only add a lot of color, but it can hide ugly. If there’s something you don’t want guests to see, or you just want to jazz it up, then wrap it up!
These are just a few of the many ways to add wonderful, happy color to your special wedding day. The trend this year, is color. So, don’t be afraid of bold colors, and patterns. Choose a list of complimentary colors, and stick with them for your theme.