Category Archives: vacation

Island Getaways for Families

Say “Fiji family fun” five times very fast.  It’s just as easy to set up a fun family trip to Fiji!  Holidays to Fiji are eye-opening for kids and adults experiencing a tropical setting for the first time.  The glorious sunsets and clear blue water surrounding the palm tree-covered islands make family memories even more special and beautiful.

Kids love to live outside, and they can come as close as possible to doing so in this paradise.  Eco camps, hiking and beach BBQs are a few ways to stay outdoors in this warm, inviting climate.  Diving and snorkeling are all-consuming daytime activities, and evening cruises get everyone settled down for a refreshing sleep so they can do it all over again the next day.

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Jet-skiing, swimming and hot-air balloon rides are also part of Fiji vacation life, and helicopter rides are available for a bird’s-eye view of the islands.  Dolphin-watch tours are also very popular, and many resorts and hotels have excellent children’s programs so that parents can get a massage and have a bubbly drink.

The fresh seafood and tropical fruits and vegetables native to Fiji keep families healthy while they enjoy captivating new tastes and island dishes.  Watermelons, mangos, pineapples and avocados grow here, and broccoli and snow peas have done well since they started planting them.

Most restaurants and resorts will serve food from Fijan, Chinese and Indian cultures that include fish, coconut milk and lime juice.  Cassava, which is like potato, yams, taro root and breadfruit are common staples that are made into side dishes.  There is no problem finding chicken, beef and pork here, either.  A ceviche-like raw fish dish is called kokoda, but pronounced “kokonda,” and is marinated in lime juice and coconut milk.

Imagine the taste of the specialty drinks here with the high-quality fresh fruit that grows in the Fiji islands.  Tea is a staple here since Fiji was a British Colony until 1970.  Fiji exports sugar from beets and cane, so it is also a staple.  Tourism is a large part of the economy aside from sugar, so Fiji is an excellent place to explore.

The average temperature in the cooler part of the year is 72 degrees Fahrenheit, so the warmer part of the year is sure to please visitors.  November through April is the warmer time since Fiji is south of the equator.  Fiji celebrates Christmas, New Year’s Day and Easter like westerners do, so holidays to Fiji could include traditional celebrations from home but with new decorations.

Fijan culture, costumes, arts and crafts and folk dance are often presented to visitors in resort and hotel venues and these events are usually good family activities.  Seeing and touching cultural items and actually experiencing local customs facilitate the understanding of a different ethnic group and faraway land better than just reading about them.

Visitors soak up culture while enjoying their vacations and establishing meaningful family bonds.  Fiji is a vacation environment filled with good things that families will remember forever.

Most Luxurious Honeymoon Destinations in the World

Planning your wedding should be one of the most exciting times in your life, yet it’s often the honeymoon that newlyweds like myself look forward to! Whether you’re searching for a tropical island paradise, a hidden getaway or the glistening lights of a big city, your honeymoon should be nothing but luxury. Spending endless days relaxing in bed, you’ll want to be sure that your accommodation offers the most lavish features in the world. To discover some great ideas, on where to go for your honeymoon, check out these luxurious destinations from around the world that I’ve dreaming of.

Ubud, Bali

Located in the lush Balinese jungle, Ubud provides newlyweds with a chance to escape from the hustle and bustle of the big city. While planning your wedding is sure to be exciting, it can also become very stressful and quite overwhelming. For the perfect way to relax, after your big day, book into a private villa in the rainforests of Ubud. Having your own butler, maid and driver, you’ll need to worry about nothing other than relaxing with the one you love. Ubud is also the heart of music and the arts in Bali, with a stroll through the market scene providing the perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon.

Paris, France

Labelled as ‘the city of love’, it is easy to see why Paris has remained to be a popular honeymoon destination over the years. While its popularity may be due to the historical sites or the undeniable culture, the luxury hotels within the city and its surrounds are a talking point for this honeymoon destination. Imagine falling asleep in the arms of the one you love, gazing through your hotel window to undisturbed views of the glistening Eiffel Tower. If this isn’t enough of romance and luxury for you, take a trip out of the city to the French countryside and be left in awe of the historical chateaus and picturesque landscapes that await you.

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Maldives

If you’re searching for a secluded getaway, offering only the finest things in life look no further than the spectacular archipelago that is the Maldives. Surrounded by the glistening waters of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is a luxurious honeymoon destination for the rich and famous. Offering exclusivity and the upmost in privacy, couples should expect nothing but five star treatments. Maldives resorts offer various types of accommodation, from private villas to suites and even beachside bungalows. Relax on the beach or indulge your senses in the finest island cuisines during this lavish getaway.

Your honeymoon will be something that you reminisce about for years to come, so it’s a good idea to make it something memorable. Take a trip to indulge yourselves and escape the world, with a romantic getaway to one of these truly luxurious destinations.

Spending their Holiday in the Philippines

I’m so glad when my mom told me that she and her boyfriend Markus will spend their holiday here in the Philippines next year. Woohoo! My family and I are so excited to see them both. Our family travel to Switzerland will be postponed once again since they will be the one who will visit us here. They are planning to spend their holiday on March 1 to 31, 2013.

My mom’s plan is to visit our hometown province in Bukidnon to see and witness the Kaamulan Festival. This is also the first time that her boyfriend Markus will visit the Philippines. We will let him see the different tourist spots and nice scenery here in our city and other places as well. I’m pretty sure he will enjoy the beautiful places, the people and the food that our country has to offer. It’s more fun in the Philippines, right? :)

On Holiday

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My mom is still enjoying her two weeks holiday. Her holidays started last June 1 and it will end on June 18. After that, she will be back on her work at the Zurich airport so while she’s still on holiday mode, she really reminisce the day and time to relax and pamper herself. Aside from having some time to relax, my mom and her boyfriend loves to travel a lot. They both love to tour around in many places in Switzerland and Germany. They love taking pictures of nice view and scenery of different places that they are visiting with.

I am so thankful to them because of the wonderful photos that they captured, it gives me an idea what I should blog about. Since I am just a virtual traveler this time, their travel photos is a big help so I could share with you my dear readers the different attractions and travel destinations in Europe. :)

How to Lease Vacation Properties in Atlanta

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Image via Flickr

A family vacation can be a great way to bring everyone together, but it can also be a huge disaster. Teenagers and kids think that it’s terminally uncool to spend time with their parents, and unless you’re offering up an exciting European trip, they might balk at being dragged away from their video games and friends. While parents love escaping from their day-to-day lives, the kids absolutely hate it.

Create a fun, fresh, and exciting family vacation by turning to vacation properties that will give everyone exactly what they want from the trip.

Why Choose Vacation Properties

Why choose a vacation rental instead of going to a standard hotel? Because the hotel thing has been done before, and it’s going to be hard to impress the kids with basic hotel amenities like room service, laundry services, and nearby restaurants. A vacation rental, on the other hand, provides all the comforts of home they might otherwise be missing.

With a vacation rental, everyone in the family can have their own space and maybe even their own rooms, so your family won’t be piled on top of each other during the whole time of your trip. The rental property may also offer all those things, like Wi-Fi connections and multiple televisions that allow them to watch their favorite programs whenever they want.

How to Find Vacation Rentals

Leasing vacation properties is probably easier than you think. Many people rent out their homes during popular vacation seasons, and some may even put their properties up for rent during the off season. Atlanta apartments make fantastic vacation rentals because the options are practically unlimited. You’ll find apartments available for rent in a variety of locations.

  • Choose a rental in the heart of the city to get close to the nightlife, or look for something in a more private area to enjoy stunning surrounding scenery.
  • Get close to the attractions you want to visit, or choose rental apartments based on size and amenities (like a swimming pool for the kids).
  • Finding that property is where things can get a little tricky. Turn to local classified ads, which you can find online, to locate apartments that are available as vacation rentals. Local Atlanta papers have their own websites and integrated searches to make it easy for Internet surfers to find exactly what they want.
  • Look into national sites that offer classified ads which also provide Atlanta-specific information for those seeking vacation rentals for their fun family trip. Once you’ve found viable properties that look perfect for your family vacation, contact the person who placed the ad directly to learn more about the rates, various amenities, and other particulars.

Always choose several different possibilities for your vacation rental, instead of just one, to maximize your chances of getting a must-have place to stay for the duration of a fun and exciting family vacation.