Rhodes - The island of the Knights

Rhodes - The island of the Knights

One of the most popular destination in Greece is Rhodes. Rhodes is the largest island of Dodecanese islands. It is ideal for people who want to relax but also for those who are looking for an action-packed holiday. The principal town of the island is  Rhodes. At the northern tip of the island is located the city of Rhodes.

Rhodes is truly blessed place with its rich green valleys,  bright green hills and golden beaches. It has excellent facilities for tourism, luxurious hotels, taverns, bars and watersport centers. Rhodes island is mostly famous for the romantic Old town. The Old town is one of the best preserved Medieval Towns of Europe. His strong walls, an impressive castle , elegant stone mansions and paved paths will realy impress you. The main spots of the Old Town are The Street of the Knights, The Palace and Hippocrates square.

The Palace

The Hippocrates square

All beaches in Rhodes are unique in natural beauty, they have crystal waters. The best beaches are Tsambika, Saint Paul’s bay, Kalithea, Ladiko and others. Faliraki beach is more than 5 kilometers wide, and it is the most popular and the most organized beach on Rhodes. At Faliraki you can enjoy day and night, nightlife is famously vibrant, lot of young people enjoy at clubs, bars and pubs around. Ideal for windsurfing and kitesurfing is the southernmost coast of Rhodes. like Prassonisi or Kremasti.

Ladiko beach

Prassonisi beach

On the east side of Rhodes is pretty village Lindos. His whitewashed houses siting on the hillside, donkeys, a beautifull small white sand beach make it one of the most beautiful place on island.

Lindos

Saint Paul’s bay

Inland of Rhodes you can found a unique natural reserve ‘’Butterfly Valley’’. This in an excellent place for families with children to enjoy in peaceful walk through the shaded, green valley with its small river and beautiful waterfalls. In ‘’Butterfly Valley’’ every year thousands of butterflies, at the end of wet season, cover the entire landscape, they are migrate here to reproduce.  

Almost to everyone is familiar The Colossus of Rhodes. He was depicting the city’s patron god Helios - the god of the sun. Over 12 years were needed to complete it, it was completed in 280 BC. The Colossus stood for little more than 50 years. It was 33 meters high, positioned at the entrance to Rhodes harbour, at Mandraki Harbour. At 224 Bc Rhodes suffered earthquake and Colossus broke at the knees. The statue lay broken in rims for almost a thousand years.  When the Arabs invaded Rhodes the remains were broken down and transported to Syria and sold piece by piece.

Mandraki Harbour

Antalya - Tukish Riviera

Antalya - Tukish Riviera

The city of Antalya is situated by the Gulf of Antalya, it is the largest Turkish city on the Western Mediterranean coast. Today, it is the Turkish capital of international tourism. Antalya is characterized by a Mediterranean climate with dry and hot summers and rainy and fairly warm winters. The legend has it , early in the 1st century BC, king Attalos II, upon discovering this land, told that ‘’this must be Heaven’’.

The ancient city of Antalya was protected by two walls, one was running along the shoreline, and the other inlan, they has a shape of horseshoe. Some of remains of these walls can still be seen today, the streets and buildings bear the marks of history. . At Antalya’s core is the wonderfully preserved old city district of Khalessi. In the old town streets are narrow and slope upwards from the harbour. The main square-Kale Kapisi has a fortress gate and The Clock Tower. Very interesting is the mosque with the truncated minaret. The old town is perfectly restored, whitewashed, the cobblestone streets are now home for souvenir shops, restaurants, art galleries and boutique hotels.

Antalya’s old harbour is nestled into a recess in the cliff. It is a picturesque huddle of pretty cafes, boutiques and bazaars. The yaht harbour, with its yachts over a shimmering Mediteranean, offer awe-inspiring views both day and night. You can find there lot of local and foreign painter, writer and poet.

On Antalya’s defansive walls were several gates that could be closed in case of attack of pirates or invaders. The only one surviving and the grandest of these is Hadrian’s gate. It is monumental triple-arched portal with decorative marble colums on both side on Ataturk Caddesi. It was constructed to commemorate Emeror Hadrian in 130 AD. The deep grooves in the stone pavement beneath the central arch tell us a story about the thousands of carts who were passing in and out the city.

Analya is also known as Turkish riviera. The sparkling clear sea, under the pine-clad Taurus make it great for your vacation. There are lot of luxury hotels, they offers an extreme good value for money and high standards of service and accomodation, also there is an exhaustive range of leisure activities.

WOW Topkapi Palace Hotel

The Konyaalti beach on the western edge of Antalya below of the Taurus mountain range is a gravel sand beach. The sea deepens suddenly but it is calm. You can find lot of public beach facilities and the biggest of them is Beach Park. In Beach Park you can enjoy in ones of Antalya’s wet and wild parks or go to the Dolphin Land.

The Royal Wing Hotel

The Lara beach is matchless a slices of paradise with transparent turquoise water. It stretches out about 11 kilometres on the south-east of Analya. This beach is shallow and has fine golden sand. The Lara beach is known as Turkey’s Las Vegas, because you’ve got a strip lined with hotels modelled on world famous landmarks, and lot of casinos.  

Titanic Beach & Resort Hotel

Delphin Palace Hotel

 In Antalya’s region are more than 20 waterfalls. The Duden Waterfalls are the most beautifull. They are located in Antalya near the Lara beach. The waters of the Duden River surging down 30 meters high above the ground in a foamy embrance with a Mediterraneaen waters.

The Magnavat waterfalls are located along the Magnavat River 3 km from the village of Magnavat. The falls are low, but wide and the current is very powerful, and make an impressive sound as the water crashed over the rocks. The streams are full of trout. Near the falls you can relax in one of the shady gardens, restaurants, cafeteria, also there are souvenir shops.

The Pearl of the Pacific - Bora Bora

The Pearl of the Pacific - Bora Bora

The Bora Bora island is named ‘’The Pearl of the Pacific’’ thanks to its paradise beaches and extreme beauty. It’s Tahitian name is Pora Pora what mean ‘’First born’’. It is located in the Pacific Ocean in the French Polynesia. The island is surrounded by coral reefs and it is of volcanic origin. The people on Bora Bora are very friendly, you will enjoy in their national dances.

Bora Bora is the most beautiful island in the world. His perfect white-sand beaches, emerald water with colored fishes in coral garden, lush tropical slopes and valleys blossom with hibiscus will make you feel as you found the paradise, and it’s beauty will always call you back. One of the best beaches in the world is The Matira beach with his long stretch of white sand and calm turquoise water.

The Matira beach

You can snorkeling from your bungalow or off the beaches all around the island because the water is so clear and shallow that you will won’t ever leave the water. A beautiful coral gardens make the waters of a lagoon a snorkeler’s paradise. On the glass bottom boat you can also see vivid coral and schools of tropical fish.

On the ‘’must do ‘’ list is diving, because of abundance of large marine life. While you dive it is common to be joined by legions of gigantic manta rays gliding gracefully within arm’s reach. One of the most popular excursions is feeding sharks, it may sound somewhat dangerous, but it is great. You will watch your guide, just few meter from you, how feed from his hand docile sharks.

Another breathtaking excursion is exploration of the panoramic overlooks by 4x4 or hike accompanied by entertaining local guides. Even thought Bora Bora is small, there are huge adventures along the interior overgrown forest roads.

The area known as ‘’Valley of the Kings’’ is historic zone in jungle. There are discovered seven temples,10 tombs and 25 village sites. A stone wall lead you to the remains of a fare to papau ,a ’’Ghost House’’, in which the bodies of notables and kings were mummified for a year prior to burial. Outside the walls is an altar stone, once filled with the bones of warriors.

Bora Bora is perfect for romantic weddings or honeymoon vacation. Also ot is very popular for sailing, parasailing, or dramatic sunset cruises aboard a catamaran sailboat.

Inside a fragile black-lipped oyster the Tahitian pearl is born. When the foreign substance introduction into the flesh of the oyster, the pearl creation process begins. The warm lagoon waters is good for the cultivation of Tahitian Cultured Pearl, so here is the best place in the world for shopping pearls. Commonly known as ‘’Black Pearls’’ , they range widely in size, shape, colors and pricing. They can be from the darkest black to shimmering shades of green, bronze, blue, aubergine or even pink.

Mauritius - the best beaches

Mauritius - the best beaches

North Coast Beaches of Mauritius

The North Coast is famous because it is offering lot of watersports, like waterskiing, windsurfing, parasailing, sailing and deep sea fishing. You will enjoy, in the evening in amazing view on the sunset.

One of the best beaches in Mauritius is Trou aux Biches. It is 2 km long with white-powder sand and very clear shallow  water. This beach is protected with coral reef which is realy close so snorkeling is easy accessible.

Lying between Grand Bay and Cap Malheureux is The Pereybere beach . It is very popular with tourists and locals. The water is crystal clear and calm, but deeper that at many other beaches on island, that makes it excellent for snorkeling. Lying on the white sand you can watch these turquoise sea and catamarans which pass by.

The Mont Choisy is public beach and it is one of the longest beach in Mauritius, almost 3 kilometers long. The white sand bands around the coast creating a bay of beautiful shallow turquoise water and backdrop of casuarina trees which provide shade from the Mauritian sun. This beach is perfect for jogging, aerobic and waterskiing.  

East Coast Beaches on Mauritius

The East Coast is less developed and wilder than other parts of Mauritius. It is offering spectacular view of wild nature. You can find there the mix of the softest powder-white sand, an emerald lagoons and lush green vegetation place. Lagoons are edged by shady green  casuarina trees.

All around the world The Blue Bay beach lures peoples with his deep pale aquamarine water. The colors of the sea water is incredibly powerful and consist many shade of blue. The beach is perfectly suited for relaxing and swiming, also you can enjoy a very nice stroll along the beach. The first and the biggest marine park in Mauritus is The Blue Bay Marine Park, this is an ideal destination for snorkeling trips. You can see many different species of flora and fauna, especially the corals, which are in incredibly good condition. There are about 72 different corals and 32 different species of fishes.  

The Belle Mare beach starts at Belle Mare village till the next small village Trou dEau Douce. It has a miles long  white pristine sandy beach. One of peculiarity of this beach is its unique combination of colors. Where the  turquoise deep blue lagoon ends begin the turquoise crystal clear water in the beach area, then it changes to a white clean beach which is bordered to lush green grassland covered by many casuarina trees and plants. The sea has a quite strong north current, so you had to be careful when you go to swimning, but it is great for windsurfing.

The paradise island of Ile aux Cerfs is located inside the large east coast lagoon. It is famous for its sandy beaches, beautiful lagoon, calm water with crystal clear colors. On this tropical island whole family will enjoy in almost any water-based activities you can think of. Ile aux Cerfs is great destination for snorkeling, because the coral reef is so beautiful and full of marine life with the large black rocks that protrude into the water. Also the island has 18 holes golf course, so you can enjoy golfing in this paradise.

Mauritius - a slice of paradise

Mauritius - a slice of paradise

Mauritius, his name conjures up an image of tropical luxury. His is a sparkling crystal in turquoise water of the Indian Ocean, and you will be fascinate. This island is so charming because of the contrast of colours, tastes and cultures. Mauritius is loaded with historic sights and almost limitless activities, but perhaps the relaxed charm of its warm and welcoming people is its single biggest asset.

Port Louis is the administrative and business capital of Mauritus. It is the busiest port in Indian Ocean. Port Louis is surrounded by a mountain range, called the Port Louis Moka Range. In Port Louis you can feel like an kaledioskope of countries and cultures. Where ever you go you see flashes of India, Europa, Africa, China and the Middle East. You can see The Chinese Pagoda, Jummah Mosque, the Indian Tamil Temple and the stately English Saint James Cathedreal. The market is the most famous part of the city, a blend of Arab suk and Parisien ‘’halles’’.

Mauritus is a slice of paradise, formed for its saphire clean seawaters, powder-white sands and the turquoise blue lagoons.. It is also rich with lush forest, wild waterfalls, rocky mountains and unique wildlife. The coastline of  Mauritius is approximately 330km long. Big advantage of Mauritus is that the entire island is surrounded by coral reefs. This coral reefs have created big lagoons all around, and provide calm water conditions for swimming, snorkeling and bathing.

One of the most visited atractions in Mauritius is The Botanic Garden. It was opened as a private garden nearly 300 years ago, later to become the National botanic garden. It is located in the proximity of Port Louis and stretches over endless acres of land. The botanic garden is populated with more than 650 varietes of plants. One of the main atractions are 85 different varietes of palm trees, they are come in astonishing variety of shapes and forms. The centrepiece of the botanic garden is pond with wonderful giant Amazon Lilies. It is interesting that young leaves emerge as wrinkle balls and in a matter of hours unfold into the classic tea-tray shape up to 2m across. The abundant bird life is another highlight of botanic garden.

You can take an unforgettable walk through the Crocodile & Giant Tortoises Park. This is home to various species of animals, plants and reptiles sets in a amazing rain forested valley with natural freshwater springs, full of fish and prawns. You can get a rare chance to feed, play and pet with them.

Mauritius is island of volcanic origin. In Curipipe is extinct volcano Trou aux cerfs, it is 605 m high, 300m in diameter and 85 m deep.A small lake is in the centre of the crater. From the crater you will have an amazing view of the town of Curipipe and the coastal plains.

A geological curiosity and a major tourist atraction in Mauritius is Chamarel park & Chamarel falls. The Chamarel park is called 7 colored earth, the lanscape is truly unique, you can find 7 colors of clay earth at one place. The colors of these unique dines are: brown, violet, yellow, blue, purple, green and red, red and purple predominant. Also there is a great view of the neightboring falls, and of the lush vegetation all around. The Waterfall of Chamarel is truly beautiful, three distinct stream plunging down nearly 100 meters into the gorge.

Best of Malta

Malta

Malta, Comino, Gozo and 18 uninhabited islands forming The Maltese Islands, they are like nowhere else. On the Maltese Islands you will find great prehistoric temples, glittering hidden coves and thrilling diving opportunities. People on these islands are very warm and welcoming.

Valletta is the capital, it is the city built by the Knights of St John. Valletta is one of the most concentrated historic area in the world. Around every corner you will come across an intriguing historical site. Narrow side streets are full of tiny quaint shops. Valletta is standing proud on a short peninsula . When you walk around, especially along the waterfront, you will get a clear picture how sturdy a stronghold the city must have when it was founded.

Mdina is a former capital of Malta. It is fascinating to visit for its timeless atmosphere as well as its religious and cultural treasures. Mdina has had different names, but its medieval name describe it best ‘’Citta Notabile’’ - the noble city. It was home then, as now, to Malta’ s noble families. You will see impressive palaces.

The coastline of Malta, Gozo and Comino is primary rocky. On the North side of island you can find sandy beaches, such as Mellieha Bay and Golden Bay in Malta, and Ramla Bay in Gozo. The south side of island makes remarkably high cliffs drop straight down to the sea. Three large bays divide the eastern side of islands, and in the West side are concetration of natural harbours.

The Blue Groto

You are never far away from Mediterranean Sea, because they are small islands, in Gozo you can see sea almost everywhere you go. Beaches are small but perfectly formed . This is one of the world’s best places to go diving. When you are diving you can see dramatic undersea caves, or maybe sunken World War II bombers. The sea is warm and with excellent visibility.

Golden Bay is a very popular sandy beach, within a cliff face in North West Malta. It has a large beach, beautiful blue water and facilities. It is also a favourite spot for beach parties and barbeques. You will enjoy in a spectacular sunset.

St. Peter’s Pool beach is one of the most beautiful and stunning natural swimming pools in Malta. The sea is crystal clear with an amazing light green and azure colors. It offers an excellent snorkeling opportunities. St.Peter’s Pool is popular for those who are looking for a quieter place to spend their day.

The Blue Lagoon is the Comino biggest atraction, this is sheltered cove. It is incredibly inviting and beautiful, with his white sand seabed and clear water. Water is so intense blue. It is a little bit  noise, because of lot of tourist, but be carefull there is no shade, and most sunbathing is done on the exposed rocky ledges surrounding the cove.

The Azure Window is in Gozo, this is a huge natural arch in the sea cliff. It stands very close to two other famous natural landmarks the Inland Sea and  Dwejra Bay. This area was created thousands of years ago when two caves collapsed. In front of it is another geological freak called the Blue Hole, it is a verticaly chimney in the limestone that connects with the open sea through an underwater arch. It is very popular diving and snorkeling site.

Tiny harbor Wied iz-Zurrieq at the end of a rugged valley, set in a narrow inlet in the cliffs and guarded by watchtower. You can go on boat trip and visit about seven caves. Town Zurrieq and surrounding area are rich in historic and archaeological sites.

In Xaghara , Gozo, is Ninu’s cave, it is an underground cave. Lot of tourist visits this cave because of the abundant natural stalactite and stalagmite. The cave is well illuminated by electric light. The entrance is via 4 meters staircase. It is realy beautiful.

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