All you need to know before you go! (on your holidays)
23rd July 2012
All you need to know about London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Part 6. Beach Volleyball
Horse Guards Parade, situated next to Buckingham Palace and Whitehall, provides an iconic background for the Beach Volleyball competition. Since the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, soldiers have protected the monarch and this is from where the parade ground takes its name. Horse Guards Parade is well known for ‘Trooping of the Colour’, which takes place each year on the
17th July 2012
All you need to know about London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games - Part 5
Lee Valley White Water Centre – Canoe Slalom The canoe slalom events of the Summer Olympics 2012 will be hosted by Lee Valley White Water Centre. The Centre has also been selected to host the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in 2015. This project cost £31 million, was designed by architects Faulkner Brown and was the first new venue to be completed, eighteen months before the
24th June 2012
All You Need To Know About The Caribbean - Saint Lucia
A small tropical paradise, Saint Lucia is a sovereign island country. This breathtakingly beautiful, tropical island is still relatively unknown. It is to be found midway down the Eastern Caribbean chain, set in between Martinique and St. Vincent – just north of Barbados. The official language here is English although 95% of the population speaks patois which is the
13th June 2012
Mark on the Map Part 6 - The bells, the bells... where are the bells?
Oops, now I know that when the graphic flashes that much, you really need to save what you're doing, and switch off. Yes, I could have finished the last post off afterwards, but I'm leaving it there as a solemn reminder that flashing graphics shouldn't be ignored.Anyway, when we last left, erm, me, I was discovering that distances on a computer generated map are not always representative of
3rd June 2012
All you need to know about London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games - Part 4
Hampton Court Palace Road Cycling Time Trial - 28-29th July & 1st AugustIf you want to experience a real piece of English history, while at the same time enjoying the Olympic Games, then this is definitely the venue for you. Fittingly for the former home of a renowned royal sportsman, Henry VIII, Hampton Court Palace has been chosen as an official Olympic Games venue and
3rd June 2012
All you need to know about the Caribbean - Cancún
Cancún is a coastal city in the tourist destination called The Mexican Caribbean on Mexico's Peninsula; it is a popular vacation spot on the Caribbean coast bringing in as many as 4 million tourists each year. Resting on the northeast corner of the Mexican Caribbean, Cancun itself was built on a site selected as the ideal spot for a new tourist development. It is comprised of fourteen miles
30th May 2012
All you need to know about London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Part 3
Located on the south coast of England, the sea off Dorset’s coast and specifically around Weymouth Bay is a world class sailing destination with the sailing waters being credited by the Royal Yachting Association as the best in Northern Europe with facilities on land to match. Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour was the first London 2012 Games venue to be finished and will host the Olympic and
28th May 2012
All You Need To Know About Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence and is world famous for its history. Florence was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, politically, economically, and culturally it was the most important city in Europe for around 250 years. It was at the centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time.
24th May 2012
Mark on the Map Part 5 - Hitting the Road, or Rails, for Paris
As mentioned in the last post (on the blog, rather than the military serenade) it was time to head off to the bright lights of Paris. A place famed for its artistic communities, wonderful old buildings, 1889 scaffolding (often called the Eiffel Tower), outdoor cafes, happy-go-lucky locals, and, of course, a certain sense of romance... ah, to have been travelling with someone else... and that
22nd May 2012
All you need to know about London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Part 2.
Eton Dorney Rowing Centre - 28th July / 4th AugustDorney Lake is a modern world-class rowing and flat-water canoeing centre set in a spectacular 450-acre parkland within a nature conservation area near Windsor around 25 miles west of London. It is the venue for the Rowing and Kayak events in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. The centre is owned by Eton College, who spent £17million
21st May 2012
Bali - Volcanoes in the clouds
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands lying between Java to the west and Lombok (home of the Komodo dragon) to the east. The island is home to most of Indonesia’s small Hindu minority. The Balinese people are proud of having preserved their unique Hindu culture with over 90% of Bali's population adhering to Balinese Hinduism while most of the
15th May 2012
All you need to know about London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games - Part 1.
The team at Search4ahotel.com would like to take this opportunity to wish all competitors at the forthcoming London 2012 games the best of luck and hope all their dreams and hard work can be rewarded. This week we thought we would take a close look at what the Olympic Venues in Inner London have to offer. On the run up to the games we will be reviewing venues outside of London and giving you
14th May 2012
Mark on the Map Part four - Still in London, but Close to Leaving...
London, a place worth coming back to.The rest of the day was fun, if a little busy. Much of the time was spent on the tube, but we were fortunate enough to be travelling outside of the rush hours - so we managed to get seats, occasionally.Tower Bridge really is stunning. If you catch it just right you can see them raising the bridge to let some of the bigger boats go through. Of course, that's
13th May 2012
Prague - all you need to know before you go!
Prague is regarded by many as the historical pearl of Europe; it has become the most popular travel destination in Central Europe and is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava River, the city is home to about 1.3 million people and is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. During the 9th century a settlement
2nd May 2012
Mark on the Map Part three - While in London...
Warning: this article may contain nuts!...Ah, Nice. Now, where were we? Oh, right, back to London.As I mentioned, I was staying in the London Eye Hostel so that I didn't spend too much at the very start of my journey (and it's pretty much smack bang in the centre of things for the budget sightseer, and not too far from the train station), and it turned out to be an interesting experience.Having
30th April 2012
Barcelona - all you need to know before you go!
BarcelonaWith a history among the oldest in Europe, Barcelona was founded on the Mediterranean coast between two rivers more than two thousand years ago. It is located in the North East of the Iberian Peninsula, set on a plain rising gently from the sea to a range of wooded hills. Romans, Arabs and Christians have all influenced Barcelona throughout the centuries. Traces of this diverse history
23rd April 2012
The Dominican Republic - all you need to know, before you go!
The Dominican RepublicOnce ruled by Spain, The Dominican Republic covers the eastern two-thirds of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola which it shares with Haiti, a former French colony. Spanish is the official language of The Dominican Republic. The capital city is Santo Domingo which is located on the south coast of the island. The largely mountainous country includes Pico Duarte -
18th April 2012
Mark on the Map Part Two - First Stop London
I bet that surprised you? Kinda shocked me, too; here's why...In real time (between the last post and this) a few weeks had gone by, and one or two more unexpected events took place. Luckily I take copious (a lot of) notes, so I can say with a fair amount of certainty that these things happened - probably. First, and foremost, my 'Golden Ticket' arrived i.e. my rail ticket; so everything started
16th April 2012
Ski Austria in Bad Kleinkirchheim....... 10 Ski Hotels Available
Resort Altitude 1100 Mtrs - The old spa town of Bad Kleinkirchheim is spread along a narrow valley in southern Austria offering over 100kms of slopes and the longest runs of Carinthia. Downhill legend Franz Klammer was born nearby and still plays an active role in the resort. This outstanding location and home to World cup skiing has over 700 snow machines that cover over 97% of
13th April 2012
