Search results for 'clearwater beach'

Situated facing the pristine white sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, sits one of my favorite hotels stateside, the Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort and Spa. I try to get there every chance I get and sadly, that's just not often enough!

For many years, I took groups of people on charter flights to Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. Oh, those were the days - unfortunately, the charter flights stopped, economies took a hit, 2 hurricanes came through, and the number of tourists dropped. The good news is that things are looking up and people are returning to visit this friendly and fun island. There are some changes from my trips from the past and now most of the activity centers around Lucaya where the magnificent Grand Lucayan Hotel sits overlooking the turquoise waters of the ocean. You have a choice of 3 types of views – the Marina, The Island and the Ocean – obviously, the price goes up for an ocean view, but it is so breathtaking, you may want to spend the extra cash.

Pensacola Beach has been a destination for our family many times. We have spent Christmas there as well as summer vacations. We visited our niece who worked in the city. Pensacola Beach is on Santa Rosa Island, one of the longest barrier islands in the world. Pensacola Beach pier is a great spot for fishing and one of the longest on the Gulf of Mexico at 1471 feet. 

The sun tan from my fortnight’s visit to the Bahamas had barely started to fade when I took my wife to the cinema to see the 2006 re-make of Casino Royale featuring, for the first time, Daniel Craig as British secret service agent, James Bond.

Quite early in the storyline 007 jets into Nassau, from where I had just returned, and then, much to my surprise, Bond set off in his car toward the exclusive Ocean Club resort on Paradise Island where I’d recently stayed and played golf during my familiarisation trip to the island.

As Bond made for the bar and then the beach, the film afforded me a rare moment in my life when, with great pride, I leant over and whispered to my wife: “I stayed there!”   

Eilat on the northern tip of the Red Sea, is home to luxury resorts and breathtaking panoramic views. Israelis will tell you, Eilat is the land of domestic vacationers and international tourist. So come relax, rejuvenate and indulge in the city’s remarkable resorts and spas and experience royalty in the Middle East. 

If you're up for adventure with a hint of relaxation, Costa Rica is the place for you. This is the country in Central America whose catch phrase is “Pura Vida”, which translates to mean pure or good life, and that is what you will experience in this country of “Ticos”, the term they use to refer to themselves. They are outgoing and friendly and most people speak English.

America's East Coast Riviera, that's how locals feel about the Hamptons.Then again, there are locals, and locals.  The real locals are the people of Long Island who live in the Hamptons year around.  The other "locals" are rich owners and renters who inhabit from May till September.  New Yorkers, for some strange reason, have come to regard summer as that time between Memorial Day (third Monday in May), and Labor Day, first Monday in September.  So, every piece of action is crammed into three oh so short, super-revved up months of summer.

Originally from Argentina, the Cea family came to Miami in 1985. They opened this fabulous restaurant in 1993. You feel the moment you walk through the doors, you are in Italy. The father, Arturo and the mother, Carla are always cooking. The three sons Fabian, Gerardo and Marcela are taking care of the rest of the business.

Nestled in the woods of southern Indiana, Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial and Lincoln State Park are a surprising combination of great camping with a fascinating history lesson. These parks commemorate the area where Abraham Lincoln grew from boy to manhood, and where he earned his moniker as a Frontier Statesman.

If you believe in fairy tale locales, then you won't be disappointed in Bermuda. Everything here is so pristine and lovely, it will take your breath away. I stayed at the Grotto Bay Beach Resort, which is close to the airport and St. George – I really loved the location. Because the entire island is only 21 square miles, you are never really far from anything.

An hour’s drive north of the wonderfully historic city of Barcelona you begin to climb into the foothills of the fiercely independent and stunningly beautiful region of Catalunya. Its northernmost coastal area, called the Costa Brava, boasts a rugged 40-mile stretch of sandy beaches that sweep from the Spanish capital up to the border with France. But, if you aren’t interested in the beaches, fear not, as here you will discover the world’s top-rated restaurant and the best golf course Spain has to offer.

When it comes to top holiday destinations, size really doesn’t matter...and Barbados clearly proves the point. One of the smaller islands that form the archipelago chain of the Lesser Antilles, Barbados is barely 34 kilometres in length and only 23 kilometres wide. Yet its 431 square kilometres is home to over 80 billionaires....yes, you read that correctly, not common or garden millionaires, but billionaires...and they can’t all be wrong, can they?. With stunning beaches, top restaurants and happening night spots that rest hand-in-hand with excellent golf courses, a world-famous international cricket ground, quaint horse racing track at Garrison Savannah, and elite polo facilities all go to make Barbados one of the best, most sought after and yet friendliest tourist destinations in the entire Caribbean.

Few have ever heard of this magnificent and magical city which has been a city/lake retreat for over two thousand years! Two thousand four hundred to be exact!

Bangalore has that sort of inimitable notion of laid-back, luxurious living that is unique to the city. Opulence abounds, yet pretension is thankfully absent amongst the warm, cosmopolitan population of India’s IT hub. From the expansive Cubbon Park, which sits in the center of the city (a mini-central park if you will) to the expatriate filled suburb of Whitefield, the city is a charming destination. 

Few destinations are as charming and poetic as Salzburg, Austria.  This cherished city, protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site, has no end of enchanting qualities.  Flowing rivers, snow-capped Alps, baroque architecture, castles, cathedrals, and a preserved “Old Town” transport you back in time.  It is home to one of the world’s most beloved composers, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  Every summer, the city hosts the Salzburg Music Festival, a renowned celebration of music and drama, to honor their favorite son.  The Von Trapp family, from the beloved film The Sound of Music, also calls this city home.  Throughout Salzburg, you will recognize churches, gardens, and castles featured in the picture.  You may even hear Julie Andrews’ voice echoing from the hills themselves.  

When you live in a seaside holiday location it’s all too easy to take the views, facilities and ambiance of your own town for granted. I guess it's a minor case of familiarity breeding contempt.

Take my home town of Whitstable for instance; it’s a small, pretty seaside town with a working fishing harbour and a population of 30,000 that nestles into a small, pebbly cove on the Northeast coast of Kent.

Barely five miles north of the historic cathedral city of Canterbury, 20-odd miles from the ports of Dover and Folkestone and a 60-mile commute to London, it is the place I call home.

Our compact former railway workers’ cottage lies just 300 yards from the beach, yet I’ll admit, I’d become a little blasé about the place until a recent readers’ poll in The Times newspaper voted our little town into the top 20 places to live in the United Kingdom.

It stunned me that people all over Britain aspired to live here! So why is it that Londoners buy weekender homes here and holidaymakers flock here, snubbing seemingly more exotic destinations all over the world, to take in the sights of Whitstable?

Allow me, a relative newcomer to the town, to tell you.

The beautiful thing about traveling in an RV is that you’re always at home. Sleeping in your own comfy bed, a pantry full of favorite foods, clothes hanging neatly in a closet instead of crammed into a suitcase. And when you move from place to place, you never have to unpack.

Long Branch, New Jersey exudes sophistication and opulence in an elite group of New Jersey’s finest shore towns. Situated along the Atlantic coast, Long Branch delivers the trifecta: shopping, dinning, and luxury lifestyle. Whether spending the day or indulging in a weekend getaway, your Mimosa is waiting in your oceanfront suite.

Sometimes first impressions are misleading. Such was the case with our visit to First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. This is a huge campground with direct beach access, and lots of amenities to please everyone. However, the check-in process was so confounding that we nearly gave up.

If you like visiting the Mediterranean, you will LOVE coming to Catalina Island. Only 26 miles from the Long Beach pier, you arrive within one hour in the magical town of Avalon. If you have never been here, you must do yourself a favor and put it on your Bucket List. I'm always surprised to find that many people are unfamiliar with this destination. I attended a Film Festival there last year and had the opportunity to spend some time with Stan Lee (yes, THAT Stan Lee!) and learned that this was his first visit to the Island. He said he was coming back with his wife because he was so enamored with this place. He lives in L.A. and never took the time to come the 26 miles.

Okay, I don’t mind admitting that, before visiting the place, the only thing I knew about Slovenia was that it once formed part of the former communist block of Yugoslavia. Not a very positive note to start a visitor review maybe, but do your research and delve deeper into the history of the region and you will be pleasantly surprised by all that a country measuring up at only half the size of neighbouring Switzerland, has to offer.

Susie and her daddy are preparing for their first big trip together, and would like to share some of the forethought gone into the preparations for the journey. When the dynamic duo returns, they will also share not only tales(or “ tails”) of their experiences, but also any travel tips that they picked up on the road – or as Susie prefers to call it “the Pawed Pathway.” Susie’s daddy remembers traveling with his brother, parents and pet Beagle, Peggy, with great fondness and looks forward to sharing the same experience with Susie.

SBM rules and reigns supreme in Monaco.  In addition to the grande hotels of bygone years, they own the two major Beach Hotels.  The famed Monte Carlo Beach Club, with its world famous concert facility the Sporting Club.  And the new SBM shuttle buses take you between these destinations during your stay at the SBM hotels.

Ah yes, it says Motel, not Hotel – remember those? This is one of the reasons I love visiting Cape Cod. I feel like that little girl in the back of the car with my pillow while Mom and Dad drove someplace wonderful for vacation. That's the feel throughout the Cape – be prepared to be transported back to the 60's – in a good way!