What Tourists Like To See in the Dominican Republic

When you go on vacation to Cuba or Puerto Rico, you must make time to visit the Dominican Republic. Many people rent holiday villas and self catering apartments when they go on holiday there.

It shares boundaries with the neighbouring island of Haiti. The beaches on this island are among some of the best beaches in the world. They have clean white sand and beautiful blue clear water.

The Dominican Republic is famous all over the world for its culture, art and crafts and warm friendly local people. As a result tourists staying in holiday rental homes are made to feel very welcome and many come back to visit year after year.

When visiting the Dominican Republic many tourists make time to visit the National Pantheon.It was originally built to be a Jesuit church, but has today become a national landmark building. It was even a tobacco house for a brief period, and today is a national museum.

When visiting this wonderful building you will find a rich and detailed account of the history that has contributed towards Dominican Republic's history. With the rich neo renaissance frontage, the National Shield of Dominican Republic stands tall at the entrance, welcoming tourists and making them able to visualize the past history of this wonderful place.

The Espanish Square is also a popular tourist attraction. Here the huge park like area is situated on the eastern side with a statue of Nicolas de Ovando standing tall in the center.

There are plenty of colonial houses, restaurants and quaint stores around this square that tourists can eat and shop in. As the breeze sweeps in from the sea in the evenings, the Espanish square lights up and is buzzing with people, looking to spend some time away from their holiday rental homes.

The Sundial is located opposite the Casas Reales. This Sundial was built by Francisco Rubio, the late governor of the Dominican Republic. It was placed in this position so that people from all across town and the Royal houses could see the time just by looking out their windows.

Holiday makers now visit this historic site and are able to imagine how the locals used to view this place in years gone by.

Jarabacoa is also well worth visiting during your stay in this beautiful island. If you drive for about 45 minutes from Santiago you will reach Jarabacoa. This used to be the playground for the wealthy, with many drawn here by the luxury holiday villas and abundance of adventure sports.

Today, it is a place that offers nature related activities within the forest region, such as river rafting, rappelling, trekking, paragliding, and even horse back riding. The town has a few fine dining restaurants, promenades to stroll in and baseball games in their local fields.

Finally no trip to the Dominican Republic is complete without a visit to Puerto Plata. With the rich deposit of crystal clear amber, it is referred to as the Amber coast. Amongst the largest cities in Dominican Republic, Puerto Plata is a must see.

Pirates, Spanish conquerors and many more have visited this place, making it their home. It has buildings which are filled with Victorian architecture and hidden treasures, making it a popular tourist destination.

There is even a beautiful garden atop the Mount Isabel de Torres. It is the ideal place for visitors to look around, sight see, do a bit of shopping and enjoy the local cuisine, to take back some lovely memories with them.

Andrew Gibson is MD of http://www.Directholidaybookings.co.uk.They are one of the largest holiday home websites with a selection of holiday villas and self catering holiday apartments to rent all over the world.

What To Do On Holiday In East Timor

A country in South East Asia, East Timor is one of the islands in the Pacific Ocean and owns part of the Timor islands in Indonesia.

It is located very close to Darwin, in Australia and the population is made up of predominantly Indonesians. It is famous worldwide for the sandalwood rich forest regions and the turquoise blue beaches brimming with sea life.

It also has a great selection of holiday villas and apartments that can be rented as self catering holiday rentals. When going to East Timor on holiday there are many great places to visit and things to do.

Com is one such place to visit. It is a small fishing village, Com is a good weekend getaway from East Timor and Dilli. There are venues for fishing and snorkelling at Com, along with a long beach, hidden within the Com beach resort.

This being the only beachside resort, the rooms get filled quite fast, and the island witnesses people from all over the world coming to celebrate their holidays and vacations in this paradise.

Cape Fatucama is a coastal region that has many quaint restaurants and shopping areas for visitors to sample the local food and culture. The Areia Branca beach is famous for its amazing statue of Jesus that looks down on us, much like the one in Rio.

Here the turquoise beaches and the green lush mountains make this a very popular holiday destination with holiday makers staying in holiday apartments and self catering holiday rentals.

Atauro is another popular tourist destination, consisting of not more than 8000 people. It is an island very close to Dilli. Most people living in Dilli, come here for their weekend breaks staying in self catering holiday apartments.

It is very popular with lovers of water sports, with some of the best snorkeling and water related sports in the area. You can literally roll off your bed, onto the sea and have a swim before beginning your day.

Maubisse is an old hill town situated that takes about a day to reach from Dilli. This area is famous as it is here that the world famous coffee beans are grown in East Timor.

If you go between June and September, you will be lucky enough to see the locals harvesting the coffee beans. The government house has today been renovated into a hotel, called Pousada and it is situated at the top of the hill giving a superb view of the island beneath.

Mount Ramelau is a beautiful mountain peak that can be explored on foot from Maubisse. Many tourists drive down to Hatobuilico, and then begin their walk through the forest which can take nearly 3 hours to reach the top. This is an ideal location for camping and spending a night under the stars.

Oecussi is another must see location. This coastal enclave is also referred to as Ambeno. This is where the true culture of East Timor can be experienced. Back in 1999, Oecussi was almost destroyed, but today it has been rebuilt and back on its feet.

A predominantly Portuguese settlement, this place is situated between the ocean and the tall hills. It is an ideal location for snorkeling and many people take a boat out to the reef which is a few kilometers away from the shore.

There is even an old hilltop fort called Fatusuba which is a famous tourist destination. It takes no more than 12 hours to get there from Dilli, and there are weekly barges that go to and back from Oecussi.

With such a variety of things to do and great self catering holiday rentals to stay in, it is no wonder that East Timor is growing into such a popular tourist destination.

Andrew Gibson is MD of http://www.Directholidaybookings.co.uk.They are one of the largest holiday home websites with a selection of holiday villas and self catering holiday apartments to rent all over the world.

Take Time Out On Zante

The island of Zakynthos, or Zante, is the third largest of the Ionian Islands and is a popular destination with budget holiday-makers. Renowned for its beauty and tourist-friendly locals, Zakynthos is blessed with a sunny climate for most of the year, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius in the summer months.

The months of May, June and September are probably the most comfortable months to go, as the temperature is hot but not extreme, and flight operators are recognising this by offering a host of cheap holidays.

This beautiful island has a host of beaches for holiday-makers who just want to soak up the sun and laze in the calm, crystal-clear waters. Resorts such as Kalamaki, Argassi and Keri are popular with tourists while the bay of Laganas provides a range of facilities during the summer months.

Zakynthos is also a good holiday location in terms of both service and accommodation and offers higher standards of food than the majority of budget destinations. The local cheeses and cold meats in the mountain villages are not to be missed and visitors routinely take home as many bottles of the region's medium dry wines as they can.

Zante town, the capital, is home to the vast majority of the island's 35,000 inhabitants and is in fact the only place on the island where there are more locals than tourists! The town offers a variety of shops, tavernas and bars as well as a good selection of hotels close to the harbour.

The majority of the island was devastated in 1953 by an earthquake and much of the capital was destroyed. Since then, buildings have largely been built in traditional Venetian style, a reminder that the island was ruled by Venice for 400 years. It was also the Venetians that introduced olive trees to the Ionian Islands.

The Greek Islands are renowned for their much-celebrated festivals, and the main one on Zakynthos is St Dionysios' Day, when the patron saint of the island is commemorated by parading his body around the streets in a glass coffin.

Religion is never far away on Zakynthos and the island's monasteries should definitely be on your list of places to visit during your stay. Getting around the island is easy as taxis are easy to find and cheaper than here in the UK. However, as with all foreign destinations, it is advisable to ask how much the journey will cost before setting out.

For those holiday-makers who prefer to come out to play at night, Laganas provides a range of entertainment that continues well into the following day, although it's a good idea to catch happy hour before 11:00pm as the drinks can sometimes be quite pricy. The clubs do not charge for entry however, so nights out will still be well within your budget.

Zakynthos is an ideal destination for some pre-summer sun and, with several cheap flights, hotel deals and package holidays to be snapped up, there's no excuse for not checking your diary and booking yourself a get-away break on this Greek holiday island.

For those holiday-makers who prefer to come out to play at night, Laganas provides a range of entertainment that continues well into the following day, although it's a good idea to catch happy hour before 11:00pm as the drinks can sometimes be quite pricy. The clubs do not charge for entry however, so nights out will still be well within your budget.

David Brice was writing on behalf Discover the Greek islands, the cheap holidays specialist. Their website is http://www.discovergreekislands.co.uk

The Eastern Cape Of South Africa-A Hidden Gem Of The Rainbow Nation

The Eastern Cape in South Africa is now better known as the birth place of Nelson Mandela, hence the name change of Algoa Bay to Mandela Bay.

Born near Umtata in the Transkei and educated at the University of Fort Hare, Nelson Mandela brought the spotlight to a gem of an area, where people are still down to earth and most parts of nature still unspoilt!

Port Elizabeth is the main city and its airport is the choice of entrance to this natural beauty.The airport has connecting flights from Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.This region of South Africa is quite impoverish and more known for it's motor manufacturing and associated industries.

From Nature's point of view it is a hidden gem, waiting to be found.The diversity can be seen at the dense indigenous forest along the Tsitsikamma National Coastal Park, with a high rainfall and the Big Tree with a cicumference of nearly 9 metres, adjacent to a barren area that can experience droughts for up to eight years. Flights from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth are very popular amongst businessmen and tourist to visit this region.

If you travel west from Port Elizabeth, then you will find some of the best camping sites in South Africa at Beachview. Every site has it's own seaview and there is an excellent tidal pool. A few kilometres further you'll find high sand dunes at Willows and Maitlands beach, a never ending stretch of white beach and excellent white mussels. From this coastline you may even experience the sights of dolphins hunting or whales blowing.

Seventy kilometres from Port Elizabeth you reach the the town of "white gold" and "the ultimate wave", Jeffreys Bay.You will only hear the words "JBay" from professional surfers as they try to keep it secret. Jeffreys Bay is known as the mecca for squid fishing, hence the white gold, and the "supertubes" where winter time is the best for the ultimate wave, when the wind direction comes from inland. Here property is still way undervalued and many times a surfer has
decided to stay and hence the cosmopolitan nature of this town!

Further west you find Cape St. Frances, with its whitewashed houses and thatched roofs, before you drive into the Tsitsikamma Forest.

The warm Indian Ocean causes mild temperatures along the coast line, though during peak summer times 40 degrees Celsius is not out of the question. Winter times an average 10 degrees is the norm.

The Tsitskamma Nature Reserve has excellent walking routes,stretching some 80 kilometres, though some can be dangerous for the inexperienced and a local guide is advisable.The deep river gorges and rapids is the playground for white water rafting and kayaking for adrenalin junkies.

Fishing is still excellent along this coast and in Nelson Mandela Bay, so is snorkelling and spearfishing that bags most of the national records from this area.

Unpolished gems are Nature's Valley and the Langkloof.Nature's Valley lies in a hidden enclave
along the sea, with only a few houses and little development.The locals will not encourage further development along this unspoilt white beach.In the Langkloof time has stood still.

If you travel east from Port Elizabeth, you will see long stretches of white beaches,drive through dense bushy areas and reach the Coega area, a multibillion rand industrial development complex and deepwater port.If you turn inland, towards the Sundays River Valley, the best quality export citrus can be found, so too some of the best hunting farms in South Africa and getting a Kudu trophy, the pride of the big buck in this region, is the ultimate! Visiting game farms, without the risk of malaria, is a big positive for this region. It is only a two hour flight from Johannesburg and it's hustle and bustle, to experience the real deal.

It is here the culture of the people to provide you with a meal when you visit them.It is all hospitality with no hidden agenda.

Enjoy it !

Andre Niemand is a dentist,with a love for travel.Find out how you can easily book your own dream holiday at at http://www.johannesburg-flight.com and at http://www.travelpud.com

Fun Things To Do When Holidaying in Dominica

Many families go on a self catering holiday to Dominica and rent holiday villas and holiday apartments as holiday homes. A small island nation in the Caribbean islands, Dominica is a favorite spot for tourists from around the world. They come here, to soak in the sun, and take in all the beautiful sights around the island.

Even though it is not a big island, people from across the globe throng here to enjoy the lakes, and mountains, relax and rejuvenate. When you go on holiday to Dominica you are assured of a fun relaxing holiday. Sun lovers flock to Dominica from all over the world to enjoy its great climate.

Many holiday makers like to visit the Boiling Lake when staying in a holiday villa in Dominica. It is situated in the world heritage site of Morne Trois Pitons National Park. The Boiling Lake is a key attraction for all visitors with many coming back year after year to visit this wonderful sight.

However, it could take you a whole day to get to the lake, going along the trails of forests, highlands, the Titou Gorge, and valley of desolation. You are able to watch the steam rise high from the lake, and see the hot boiling water flowing from various openings.

It is more fun to go as a group, and it is advisable to wear comfortable gear to complete the trail. The highlight of the trip is the Titou Gorge is where the hot and cold streams come together.

Scuba diving and whale watching are also popular tourist pastimes. You can take a boat ride on the crystal blue waters and then go scuba diving or whale watching.

Set in the middle of nowhere, the Islands of Windward and Leeward are the ideal place for you to spot the whales. You will marvel at the beauty of these magnificent animals as they play around in this natural environment.

Sperm whales are the most common here, and you have a good chance of seeing one of these magnificent creatures. For those of you who do not like boat rides, it is possible to do whale watching from the neighboring island of St Lucia.

For those of you who like swimming and want to get up close to the natural sea life you can take a trip scuba diving. Put on your scuba gear, get a few lessons from the guide and dive into the deep blue sea. Watch the sea come alive with colours and myriad of animals moving around. If you are very lucky you may see the dolphins and whales swim right past you.

After a day spent scuba diving you can then further unwind by visiting the Cabrits National Park. It is located to the north of Portsmouth and Cabrits National park is also home to Fort Shirley.

When here, you can walk around the fort trails, weaving through the war ruins and canons, enjoying this beautiful nature reserve. Apart from this one fort, there are several other trails going to Douglas Bay Battery, and East Cabrits, which are in the park.

Since Dominica has nearly 300 lakes, and water bodies, it is not a surprise to find one more at Soufriere. Tiny bubbles of hot water spring from the ocean near the church on the sea front, making way for the beautiful hot springs hidden under the forest canopy a couple of yards away. These bubbles are what gave them the "Champagne" title and made them so popular amidst visitors.

Finally no trip is complete without visiting the Gallion Viewpoint. It is set high above the mountains and this is the perfect place to sit and watch the sunset. It has a 360 view of the Caribbean islands and the bay surrounding it. The sun sets right into the ocean, making it an unforgettable moment for all those who witness this amazing sight.

With all of these exciting things to see and do it is no wonder that families return to Dominica year after year and rent holiday villas or self catering apartments. In the last few years holiday rentals have grown greatly in choice and price and many families choose to stay in self catering holiday accommodation.

Andrew Gibson is MD of http://www.Directholidaybookings.co.uk.They are one of the largest holiday home websites with a selection of holiday villas and self catering holiday apartments to rent all over the world.

The New Seven Wonders of the World

If you have ever taken a history class, you have probably learned a few things about the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. In the last few years there has been a tremendous amount of debate regarding the naming of seven new Wonders of the World. Certainly, everyone has their opinion of which sites in the world should top the list, but popular opinion does seem to concur that the following sites are among some of the most wondrous:

The Great Wall of China
The Colosseum in Rome
The Taj Mahal
Petra in Jordan
The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Brazil
Chichen Itza pyramin in Mexico
Machu Picchu in Peru

Each of these sites has something to recommend it, whether it is the sheer size of it, as is the case with the Great Wall and the statue of Christ the Redeemer, or it is the grandeur, such as with the Taj Mahal. Other sites are revered for their historical significance while others are astounding for a combination of factors.

Machu Picchu, in Peru, is one of those sites. Situated in the Andes, Machu Picchu is believed to have served as a religious retreat and royal estate. Historians have estimated that it was constructed sometime between 1460 and 1470 by an Incan ruler. This ancient city contains about 200 buildings, most of which are residences, although there are also some public buildings, including temples. The majority of the buildings in Machu Picchu were constructed using granite blocks that were fit together without using any mortar. This is quite surprising, given the tight fit of the blocks, even today. Perhaps one of the most fascinating things about this ancient city; however, is the way in which the landscape and existing stone formations were carefully integrated into the formation of the city. Temples sit carefully perched on precipices while sculptures were painstakingly carved into rock formations.

Machu Picchu remained hidden and forgotten by the outside world following the influx of the Spanish conquistadors. It was not until 1911 that the ancient city was rediscovered by a professor from Yale.

Today Machu Picchu has been carefully preserved so that modern generations can learn more about the ancient culture that took so much care to construct such an expansive and fascinating city. Although Machu Picchu remains a difficult site to access, one of the reasons that it was able to survive in such good condition throughout the last several centuries, no visit to Peru would be complete without experiencing the beauty and majesty of Machu Picchu.

Visitors who plan to travel to Machu Picchu will need to access it from nearby Cusco. From there, visitors have four options for reaching the ancient city; by train, by foot, by bus or by helicopter. Most visitors opt to take the train to the ruins in the morning, allowing them plenty of opportunity for exploration, before returning to Cusco by train in the afternoon. If you are feeling adventurous, hiking the Inca Trail is another option that allows you to reach the city via the Sun Gate. Visitors who choose this option sleep in tents and can opt for either a two day or a four day hike. There are also frequent bus runs as well as direct helicopter flights that will take visitors into Machu Picchu.

Elaine Rojas is a writer, entrepreneur and inveterate traveler and is partner in an e-commerce site, http://www.tikanchay.com that sells Peruvian silver jewelry handcrafted by master artisans who produce only the highest quality silver jewelry.

Maldives Islands Holiday Is A Diving Dream

If you have been thinking about taking a Maldives Islands holiday then you are in for a real treat. This destination is very popular for tourists that visit it from areas all around the world. It is a destination that many go to due to the great water sports that are available there, and the seemingly endless shorelines that are absolutely beautiful.

You can go for a Maldives Islands holiday as a family adventure, or for a quiet romantic retreat. A Maldives Islands holiday can be taken by anyone for any reason and you are sure to have a fantastic time.

One of the best places to visit when you are in the Maldives Islands is the capital city of Male. It boasts a beautiful museum and is a great place if you are looking to purchase handicrafts from the local area. It is very close to the airport and easy to get to. You can also make a point of getting to the Grand Friday Mosque that can hold up to five thousand people and is known for its great architecture, having been built in 1656.

You might also want to check out the Esjehi Art Gallery and the Maldives Fish Market. These are all fantastic things to do, but you really need to head to the beach and view the Indian Ocean for your Maldives Islands holiday to be truly complete.

The sand and water are stunning in the Maldives Islands, and when you take a Maldives Islands holiday you really need to head to the beaches. They are breathtaking, spectacular and offer any kind of water activity you would like. You can go fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and windsurfing, but the best part is the fantastic diving opportunities that are available there.

When you go diving on your Maldives Islands holiday, you will be able to view the spectacular coral reefs and tropical fish that await you. If you stay at a resort you can probably go diving from there, but you also have the option of going on a diving safari as well. You can do this for a few days and you can even choose where you would like to go diving.

It is much more affordable if you get a group together to do this to keep the costs down. Diving is something you do not want to miss when you go for a Maldives Islands holiday.

David Brice was writing on behalf of the Maldives holiday specialist http://www.discovermaldives.co.uk