posted by Charles H. Russo on Jul 11
Koh Phi Phi is one of the nicest places I came across traveling, I arrived a few weeks after the tsunami and to be honest the people of Koh Phi Phi had done a fantastic job of clearing up the debris. It was quite heart breaking as people were still diving around the shores looking for bodies and cleaning up the debris which was scattered out to sea.
Even though the island was now clean and safe there was very few tourists here, I would have said that there was about 50 of us. Which for an island which has around 2000 rooms was of great concerns for the locals. It was heartbreaking to be watching CNN and BBC news on the island which was reasonably immaculate considering what had recently happened, yet rather than the news channels broadcast how well the locals and tourists had cleaned up and got pretty much all of the coastal towns, villages and islands up and running again. The news channels were still telling people to stay away and were showing video clips from weeks previous. No wonder people didn’t want to go! I suppose do you show bad footage to get people to donate and help get relief work undertaken quicker or do you say that Koh Phi Phi etc is back up and running fine and people then don’t donate? Well personally I would have done the second and at least allow the locals to get their pride back and line their pockets themselves.
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Jul 1
London offers a dazzling range of hotels for every taste and temperament. There are shiny mega hotels, mini boutique hotels, and swanky business hotels, all catering to the fussiest of travelers. Hundreds of hotels promise something special — perhaps the best location, acclaimed restaurants, a superb spa, or maybe some whiz-bang technology in the rooms. But when you???re jetlagged, lost, and dragging luggage through the rain at 7:30AM after a red-eye, there???s nothing more important than prompt and intuitive service in a peacful place designed to be as much like a home as like a hotel.
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Jun 24
I can’t deny I like reading, especially travelogues. Below are some of my favourite reads.
A Fortune-teller Told Meby Tiziano Terzani - Warned by a Hong Kong fortune-teller, the Asian correspondent Tiziano Terzani decides not to
posted by Charles H. Russo on Jun 18
When planning a family vacation getaway, the choices can be overwhelming. What should you do? Where should you go? To make life easier, these questions should be answered before you start planning. Let’s take a few minutes and help you answer these questions before you get started with the planning.
What Should You Do?
How does skiing fresh powder of Vail’s Blue Sky Basin, or relaxing in the white sand of Hawaii’s beaches and hitting a hole in one at one of Myrtle Beach’s many golf courses sound to you? Ski, beach and golf vacations are great choices for families. Keep in mind, no matter what type of vacation you choose - there are many Vail Resort Lodging and Myrtle Beach Golf Vacation packages to choose from.
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Jun 17
I have been waiting for the day when one of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration employees goes postal. How the deal with so many idiotic travelers is beyond me. Granted some of them have transformed there minuscule amount of power into some God like reign, but still, how can one handle the mess of holiday travel?
Until recently my thoughts of disgruntle TSA staff were nothing more than a Nostradamus like prediction, but upon reading the Vagabondish Blog I became a little concerned. Am I the only one that thinks this much contraband around TSA staff is scary?
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Jun 15
If you passed by WRI’s stand at the last ITB in Berlin, you certainly saw it! The Dublin firm Web Reservations International (WRI) is about to launch a new online travel website that claims to “revolutionise the travel industry and pit it against internet giants such as Google.”
WebReservations International is a well know actor of the online travel industry. They bought the famous Worldres in 2005 and is now at the head of the following major online brands: hostelworld.com, worldres.com, hostels.com and trav.com. Hostelworld provides the hostels product of RyanAir’s website (whereas Expedia provides the hotel product).
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posted by Charles H. Russo on Jun 12
posted by Charles H. Russo on Jun 8
Anyone who reads this blog knows that here at iTravel iShop, we are big fans of cupcakes. Why? Just like dumplings, cupcakes are small packages of goodness and warmth. Our latest delicious cupcake find was the Hummingbird Bakery inSouth Kensington, but if you???re looking for some DIY cupcakes with anAlicein Wonderland theme, check out this giant cupcake pan from Sur La Table. The pan allows you to make one monster cupcake and pile on as much frosting as you???d like. Its also a mere $27.95 and would make an idealChristmas present.
posted by Charles H. Russo on Jun 5
Beach, Corsica
posted by Charles H. Russo on May 29
Beach Vacations
Beach resorts can be perfect for your next family vacation getaway. Some of the best resorts are in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Hawaii.
Mexico
Los Cabos is one of Mexico’s most popular vacation destinations. It is located at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. Los Cabos features luxury hotels, championship golf courses and some of the best sport fishing in the world. Other activities include snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing, kayaking and much more.
The Caribbean
The Cayman Islands offer many things for many people. 99% of the travelers visit Grand Cayman Island. It is easy to see why people go here. Of the islands this island offers the most when it comes to resorts and hotels. The fabulous snorkeling and scuba diving is not to be missed. When diving, you will think you are in a pet shop aquarium. The fish are abundant and the stingrays are gentle and fun to watch. If time permits, rent a Jeep and cruise around the Island.
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