Get Complete List Of 2010 Bank Holidays In Usa, Canada, India And Uk

London is the capital of England and The UK, one of the major tourist destinations in Europe. Each year millions of tourists visit the spectacular locations of London to feast on the various features ranging from the historical sites to the cultural locations and even the most fashionable areas of the city. Holidays in London is a dream for each globetrotter. With an extensive list of places of tourist interest, London is topmost in the itinerary of each traveler. In this article of 123newyears.com we shall speak about the most fascinating characteristics one can explore while on London vacations. To start with, let us list for you the most significant locations you could visit while on bank holidays in London: British Museum Visitors who would like to treat themselves to ancient art, history and antique reserves, can do so in the British Museum. This place is a treasure trove of antiquity and its distinct flavor attracts tourists and visitors to its midst. Houses of Parliament A holiday in London can never be complete without visiting the Houses of Parliament. More popularly referred to as the palace of Westminster, this palace is a magnificent structure cozily situated next to the Thames River. The Home of Commons and the Home of Lords have met in this particular location since the 1550s. Huge Ben, the large clock and a favourite landmark of the city is located in the north end of the Palace. Hyde Park People on London vacations especially love to visit the Hyde Park with its extensive list of recreational amenities. Picnics and boating facilities make for a wonderful outdoor day for all visitors coming here. Buckingham Palace – Built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1705, bank holidays in uk the Buckingham Palace in London is the residence of the royal family. It has on several occasions, hosted official events and receptions held by the queen. Visitors are granted visit the palace on a regular basis. While here, do not miss to be a spectator to the Changing of the Guards. Regents Park and Primrose Hill – This is one of the most impressive parks housed in London that both the natives as well as the visitors enjoying making a trip to. It was built in 1812 under the patronage of George IV. Windsor Castle Built around 900 years ago, the Windsor Castle is a magnificent piece of structure inactivity to awe inspire the onlookers. It has been a royal palace and enjoys a royal location near the Thames River! Visitors especially love the grand French porcelain and English furniture collection housed here. There are numerous hotels to cater to the guests on Holidays in London. Belonging to the various budget types, these hotels and resorts are located in excellent locations and offer world- class services to the guests. There are several options also acquirable to make people enjoy spectacular cheap holidays in London. Cheap hotels and transportation modes plying in the city, make these tours inexpensive and yet interesting.

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Visit the top beach and sun destinations with Jet2

You might come crossways Travelers´ Choice awards 2010 organized by the travel guide and research website TripAdvisor. There are many categories, such as Culture and Sightseeing, Nightlife or Romance. Each category is divided according to the continent or area (world, Europe, Asia and so on).

Visitors to this website can vote which is the saint destination in apiece category. We would like to present you the category Top 10 Beach and Sun Destinations in Europe. Not only are these beatiful destinations saint for relaxation, adventure or party, they are also easily accessible. Just select your prefered means of transport and hit the road. The most convenient way is by an airplane. Exactly half of the top 10 beach and sun destinations is served the airline Jet2. Airfare deals that Jet2 offers are really low but only if you are swift enough to secure a ticket because the cheapest seats are very limited. The more you save on your airline ticket, the more you can spend during your vacation. We know how to travel but we don´t know where. Let´s introduce the winners and the top beach and sun destinations in Europe.

Turkey was very successful in this category. The Oludeniz beach called The Blue Lagoon won and the Dalyan beach was on place four. Both of these destinations are served by Dalaman Airport and you can easily fly to Dalaman from Jet2´s main hubs at Leeds Bradford Aiport, Manchester, East Midland and Newcastle. The lowest air fares begin at £59.99.

Also Cyprus has its representatives in this category – Ayia Napa and Protaras. Ayia Napa has great beaches and also a pretty wild nightlife. If diversion in a bikini is not your thing, visit Protaras with its family-friendly and tranquil atmosphere. The current airfare deals to Cyprus with Jet2 begin at £59.99.

Low cost airline Jet2 can take you also to another great destinations which were among the top 10 beach and sun destinations according to the TripAdvisor. Formentera – a quiet, peaceful tiny island with natural beauty was number five. The small city with huge celebrations – that´s Sitges on number seven and as number eight was sunny Fuerteventura. Whether you follow our suggestion or select different destinations in Spain, that´s up to you. But don´t forget that now is the saint time to book for the lowest fares.

maps.google.com Tripadvisor, the world’s largest online travel community, uses the Google Maps API to plot real-time hotel availability and to create favourite social network applications like Cities I’ve visited and Local Picks.
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Not Going Out

Plot

Main article: List of Not Going Out episodes

Series one (2006)

Lee, unambitious and unmotivated, goes from one job to another, living off the good graces of his Californian landlady Kate, with whom he shares a flat in London. It is not long before they find that their friendship is changing into something more. The situation is somewhat complicated by the fact that Lee’s ideal friend Tim, an accountant from Henley, is Kate’s ex-boyfriend – and he wants to repair his relationship with Kate. Lee is torn between pursuing his growing feelings for Kate and remaining loyal to his increasingly paranoid friend.

Series two (2007)

Kate has gone back to USA leaving Lee with a flat neither Tim nor he can afford to keep. Tim’s sister Lucy, a head hunter recently back from ten years abroad, purchases the flat and becomes the new landlady and flatmate to Lee. Tim also hires a cleaner, Barbara, to clean the flat. In “Gay”, the series’ second episode, 51-year-old Guy first appears and he soon becomes Lucy’s boyfriend. Lee, now an ice-cream seller, later appears to start for Lucy. In the last episode Tim and Lee are convinced Guy is a gangster and has been smuggling diamonds but it turns out that he was having a diamond engagement ring made for Lucy planning to propose on a romantic holiday. Lee leaves the airfield thinking Lucy has stated yes to Guy but she returns saying that she was too young to get married and that she had split up with Guy. There was also a Christmas Special in 2007 which introduced Tim and Lucy’s parents for the first time.

Series three (2009)

The third series sees Lee trying to oppose Lucy, usually egged on by Barbara he invariably ends up making things worse for himself. We also witness Lucy questioning her sexuality, which shocks Lee. Tim’s girlfriend Daisy also becomes more of a fixture in series three. In the last episode Lucy is about to marry Pavlov the mechanic so he can stay in the country however she realises that she’s made a mistake and Lee gets Barbara to marry Pavlov instead, the last scene is of them driving off together for their honeymoon in India. Barbara is seen back in the flat, wanting to go off with Lee’s dad, Frank, who is seen in the last episode, which was broadcast as a Christmas Special on the 23rd December 2009. Lucy and Lee kiss under the mistletoe.

Series four (2010)

A fourth series is due to be filmed October to primeval November 2010 and Lee Mack has stated it will go out in late November 2010 .

Main/recurring cast

Actor/Actress

Character

Occupation

Notes

Duration

Lee Mack

Lee

Ice Cream Man

Lucy’s lodger

Series 1 – present

Tim Vine

Tim Adams

Corporate Accountant

Lee’s ideal friend

Miranda Hart

Barbara

Self-employed cleaner

Cleaner

Series 2 – present

Sally Bretton

Lucy Adams

Headhunter

Tim’s sister

Katy Wix

Daisy

Hair dresser

Tim’s girlfriend

Simon Dutton

Guy

Businessman

Lucy’s boyfriend

Series 2 (recurring)

Timothy West

Geoffrey Adams

Retired

Tim & Lucy’s parents

Series 2 – present (recurring)

Deborah Grant

Wendy Adams

Unknown

Megan Dodds

Kate

Book publisher

Tim’s ex-girlfriend

Series 1 (star role)

Guest cast

Aleksander Mikic

Alexandra Gilbreath

Angela McHale

Lorelei King

Richard Freeman

Cordelia Bugeja

Julia Morris

Jamie Borthwick

Rupert Simonian

Paul Jaques

Sarah de Freitas

Adrian Hood

Duncan Duff

Jennifer McEvoy

Kim Wall

Stewart Francis

Thaila Zucchi

Sheila Collings

Oriane Messina

Cressida Whyte

Kika Mirylees

Kerry Shale

Jonathan Coote

Justin Edwards

Clare Thomson

Damian Kell

Edward Halsted

Sarah Weldon

Rebecca Gethings

Kelly Preston

Melanie Gutteridge

Ed Weeks

Adam Longworth

Andy Linden

Julia Watson

Chandrika Chevli

Main Crew

Series Producers:

Charlie Hanson

Alex Hardcastle

Nick Wood

Richard Allen-Turne

Lee Mack

Jon Thoday

Chris Iliffe

Jamie Rix

Series Writers:

Paul Kerensa

Lee Mack

Simon Evans

Andrew Collins

Dave Cohen

Simon Griffiths

David Isaac

Liam Woodman

Milton Jones

Peter Tilbury

Tim Vine

Sound Department:

Glenn Calder

Matt Stronge

Tom Turner

Mario Mooney

Arliss Howard

Keith Nixon

Leigh Crisp

Production

The majority of an episode is shot on set in front of a live audience at Teddington Studios. There are two main sets, one being the flat and the other being the bar that Lee and Tim frequent. Outdoor shots and real indoor location shots have also been used on occasion.

The show is filmed in HDTV even though unlike other BBC HD sitcoms it is not simulcast on BBC HD, but shown on BBC HD 30 Minutes after the BBC One airing.

A lot of the humour is based on wordplay and double entendres delivered in a deadpan manner. This is the comedy style Lee Mack and Tim Vine have used both in stand-up and in The Sketch Show, to the extent that an occasional one-liner from their solo performances is slipped in. This is mostly one sided with Kate typically being the victim of the joke. Sight gags are also frequently used.

In the first series, episodes would be written by Mack and Andrew Collins, with members of the cast credited for additional material. Series 2 saw Simon Evans and Paul Kerensa join the writing team. It was Mack and Collins’s job to write most of the episode’s material with Evans and Kerensa ‘gagging’ them up. Series 3 saw the writing team expand considerably with writers such as Darin Henry, justice Peak and Simon Dean contributing to the main episodes (all co-written with Mack) and the “gag writing” team was expanded from two members to nearly as much as eight members (excluding main writers) on a single episode.

In the original pilot of the series, which has not been aired, the part of Kate was played by Catherine Tate.

Lee Mack announced during one his current stand up gigs that Not Going Out would indeed be back for a fourth series, to the delight of many fans.
Title sequence

The first series featured Tim, Lee and Kate doing an uncommon diversion in a haze of blue lights holding lighted signs reading “NOT”, “GOING”, and “OUT”. At the end of the sequence, Lee and Tim stood holding their signs and Kate sat down on hers. The lights on Lee’s sign then went out.

The second series was quite similar, even though with the departure of Kate, her place was taken by new character Lucy. The title sequence ended with Lucy standing next to Lee and Tim holding her sign up. An addition to the title sequence was that when Lee’s sign went out, you could actually hear the electricity going. Barbara then comes in holding a plug and says, “Sorry.” This title sequence stayed the same for Series 3.

The title sequence for the Christmas specials were similar to the one for Series 2 and 3, the only differences being that Lee, Tim, Lucy and Barbara are all in Christmas hats at the end, and Barbara says, “Happy Christmas,” and bursts out laughing instead of her usual, “Sorry.”

The theme music, written by Alex Walsh-Taylor and arranged by Steve Brown, features vocals from a Frank Sinatra impersonator. The lyrics are:

We’re not going out

Not staying in

Just hanging around with my head in a spin

But there is no need to scream and shout

We’re not going out

We are not going out

DVD releases

Series

Discs

Year

Ep #

Release Dates

Region 2

Region 4

Complete Series 1

1

2006

6

22 October 2007

13 Might 2009

Complete Series 2

2

2007

8

2 February 2009

9 December 2009

Complete Series 3

2

2009

8

TBA

TBA

Complete Series 1 & 2

3

2006 & 2007

14

2 February 2009

TBA

References

^ “News – Not Going Out will be back for another series”. British Sitcom =26 February 2007. http://Guide. Retrieved 2007-03-03. 

^ “Andrew Collins’ Blog- No longer going out”. Andrew Collins 30 March 2009. http://www.wherediditallgoright.com/BLOG/2009/03/no-longer-going-out.html. Retrieved 2009-10-28. 

^ “Not Going Out is back from the dead”. The British Comedy Guide. 2009-12-15. http://www.comedy.org.uk/news/story/00000218/not_going_out_is_back_from_the_dead/. Retrieved 2009-12-15. 

^ “You Ask Us”. Radio Times. 4 August 2007. 

^ a b Maxwell, Dominic (14 December 2009). “Lee Mack at the Gulbenkian, Canterbury”. The Times online. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/comedy/article6955071.ece. Retrieved 24 December 2009. 

External links

Not Going Out at BBC Online

Not Going Out at the World wide web Motion picture Database

Not Going Out at TV.com

Not Going Out at the British Comedy Guide

Categories: 2006 in British TV | 2006 TV series debuts | 2000s British TV series | BBC TV sitcoms | TV shows set in London

Read this excellent resource on travelbites.co.uk This year, 2010 is a great year for a Thomson vacation. Select the holiday you want, either a ski holiday, an excursion of a resting cruise. Book your holiday with Thomson now and get the ideal prices for any holiday package. You can have an adventurous holiday or a leisure holiday all you have to do is tell Thomson and they will hold it for you. Thomson has access to twenty United Kingdom airports and goes to eighty plus destinations. As you can see, wherever you want to go, Thomson goes there.
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Tourism goes fictitious in India

Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan… a new breed of tourists are trailing their favourite authors to discover locales set in novels or film adaptations of books, or simply turning into literary junketeers hopping from one festival to another.
The annual Jaipur literature festival is already a must-visit on the itinerary of book-lovers and with Kerala set to host the first edition of the international Hay festival in November this year, India is gearing up for a place on the map of enthusiasts who are combining their love for literature with wanderlust.
“There are far too less literary events in India. Around 20,000 people, including foreign visitors turn up at the Jaipur literature festival each year. Another major event in India is the Kolkata Book Fair which attracts about 2 million people on an average,” states Nikhil Ganju, Director, Marketing, Tripadvisor, India.
In Himachal Pradesh there is a proposal to think about developing sites along the Hindustan-Tibet road, where author Rudyard Kipling had stayed noted and penned novels such as the classic “Kim.”
“We had proposed to call it the Kipling trail after the famous author who is stated to have stayed at various places along the Shimla-Kinnaur route,” states Avay Shukla who was additional chief secretary, forest department of Himachal Pradesh when he forwarded the proposal in 2008.
Also Shimla and surrounding places like Dharamshala and Mussoorie attract a lot of foreigner’s especially British tourists who come to trace their roots. “What attracts them is that their forefathers, great grandfathers etc lived here and died here,” states Shukla.
Historian Raja Bhasin who has conducted guided tours for tourists in Himachal Pradesh says,”I handle a clean amount of groups from overseas. Some groups have specific interest is Rudyard Kipling and we did readings from his book at places where we thought the author would have stayed or passed through.”
“There are places that captured his imagination. The cave where the lama stayed in stated to exist even this day in the spiti mountains. Similarly within Shimla Kipling had set many stories and stated to have stayed at various forest guest houses some of them which are present today,” states Bhasin.
The Mumbai-born author had spent a lot of time in the United Says and is of also of literary importance to travellers from there, states the historian.
A veteran Canada based tourism professional Stephen Burnett says, “Often we discover that literature tourism is one of the supporting branches of cultural tourism and depending on how robust the program is it can also be the dominant motivating bourgeois in the consumer’s travel decision.”
Burnett points out traditionally the UK attract a lot of tourists with a taste for literature.
“Emily Bronte’s writing turned Haworth, a grimly north Yorkshire village into a literati Mecca for followers of “Wuthering Heights”. The homes of Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth have attracted legions of loyal followers of Peter Rabbit and Britain’s Poet Laureate,” states Burnett.
A survey released by travel portal Tripadvisor has listed London, the inspiration for Charles Dickens, on top of ten literary destinations worldwide.
In Canada’s little Prince Edward Island the writing of Lucy Maud Montgomery continues to capture the imagination of millions of schoolgirls the world over, with her story “Ann of Green Gables.” Visitors from Nihon are perhaps the most loyal followers of the marvellous heart warming tale. In Kenya the writing of baroness Karenic Blixen regenerated an entire African Safari business with her novel “Out of Africa.”
Meanwhile, Lyndy Cooke, executive director, Hay Festival says,”We are very excited to celebrate the Hay Festival in India and Kerala became the obvious choice for its high literacy rate and favourite tourist destinations. The Festival will also create a platform to present Indian writing to an international audience.”
“Literature can be linked to tourism. At Hay on Wye, we sell nearly 200,000 tickets each year and 80 per cent of the crowd are visitors who come to Wales. They live in hotels, bed and breakfast lodges, in a 100-km length of the lush hamlet,” states Cooke.
According to official estimates foreign tourist arrivals in India jumped by over 15 per cent in Might against the same period as the figure touched 3.45 lakh. In Might last year, 2.99 lakh foreign tourists visited India which was lower than 3.04 lakh in the same month in 2008.
“Touristy places also help to attract people to literary festivals,” states Binno K John who organises the Kovalam Literature Festival in Kerala which in its third edition this October will host celebrated Pakistani authors Fatima Bhutto, Mohammed Hanif and H M Naqvi among other international literary giants.
Concurs Sanjoy K Roy, Team works which has worked to bring Hay to Kerala. “It is easier to sell Kerala as a destination because it is well known.”
“With the Hay festival we hope to create a literary event in south India that we hope becomes a magnet for people to come into India,” he says.
Earlier this year Indian writers like Gulzar, Chetan Bhagat, Bulbul Sharma and Omair Ahmad were joined by international obloquy like British author Patrick French as well as local writers and poets from Bhutan for a three-day festival “Mountain Echoes” in Thimphu.
“Obliquely the festival which has a separate segment on travel writing has focused on literary tourism which has become a new genre of tourism,” states Mita Kapur, Siyahi, which organised the event in May.
Author and co-founder director of Jaipur Literary festival Namita Gokhale says, “Jaipur has been a large inspiration for other models. If you are open to the literary expression it helps you comprehend the people and culture of a place in a deeper way. Otherwise it is just a virtual holiday.”

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Catalina Island Jewel Of Southern California and Trip Advisor

Catalina Island is the jewel of Southern California and can be as adventure-packed or resting as you want it to be, no matter what time of year you decide to visit. Catalina Island has a year round Mediterranean climate so this makes it an saint destination to enjoy many outdoor activities. For example, the scuba diving on Catalina Island is some of the ideal in the world and can be enjoyed year round.
TripAdvisor has announced that out of the many hotels on beautiful Catalina Island, El Terado Terrace was voted number two in overall ranking. TripAdvisor provides suggestions for hotels, resorts, inns, vacations, travel packages, pass packages, travel guides and lots more to literally millions of users online.
The owner of El Terado Terrace, Bruce Ellison says, “The Trip Advisor online community is the largest in the world and to be a top ranked hotel is an honor for any hotel. We are very excited about our ranking and can’t move to be number 1!”
There are many Hotels to select from on Catalina Island and newly announced TripAdvisor ranked number two El Terado Terrace is the perfect choice for couples or families. Bruce Ellison says, “El Terado is half the price and double the size and value of all the other hotels.”
Catalina Island is an island off the coast of Southern California just 26 miles southwest of Los Angeles and can be reached easily by Private Boat or the Catalina Express in less than an hour. If an hour is too long, how about 15 minutes by helicopter or private aircraft (El Terado offers a discount to pilots). For more information on planning a trip to Catalina Island or to learn more about its history please visit elterado.com or call 1(800) 540-0139.

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The Talbott Hotel Named #3 Hotel In The United States

The Talbott Hotel, an Epoque Classic Luxury Hotel, was chosen as the third top hotel by TripAdvisor® in its 2010 Travelers’ Choice® awards category of: Top 25 Hotels in The United States.  The Talbott is the only hotel in Illinois to make the Top 25 list and is currently ranked as the number 1 hotel in Chicago.  Now in its eighth year, the annual TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards honor the world’s ideal hotels, earning their distinction from those who know them ideal – actual travelers.

Differently from other hotel awards programs in the world, TripAdvisor® Travelers’ Choice® winners are established on the millions of real and unbiased reviews and views about hotels on tripadvisor.com™ and content from crossways the web.

“I’m so chesty of our employees, they really deserve the credit for all of the accolades,” stated Troy Strand, General Manager of The Talbott Hotel.  “We’ve spent millions of dollars creating a great hotel, but it’s our employees who engage with our property and bring it to life creating an unrivaled experience for our guests.”

Epoque Hotels wishes to congratulate the Talbot Hotel for this great achievement.

Built in 1927, The Talbott Hotel is a full service, luxury boutique property offering the charm of a gracious, bygone era coupled with all of the conveniences of today. Having just finished a multi-million dollar refurbishment of the hotel interiors, The Talbott, a member of Epoque Hotels, is one of the first five Green Certified hotels in Chicago – a fact attributable in massive part to management’s dedication to “sustainability without compromise.” The Talbott Hotel is 100% carbon neutral and employs many strategies to reduce their carbon footprint without sacrificing the calibre and comfort guests expect.

Hotel Web Sites Counting on Traffic From Third-Party Links

The popularity of feature-rich travel web sites is continually growing as they provide current information on hotel properties and often offer a review portal where prospective quests can check-out what others are saying about the hotel, before they check-in.

With websites like TripAdvisor®, boasting 31 million visitors a month, the importance of good placement on the major hospitality industry web sites is clear.

“I believe travel blogging sites such as TripAdvisor.com can be invaluable to pass travelers by offering genuine, non bias views about resorts and destinations”, stated Drew Frahm, Vice President of Millennium Management LLC, who manages Vista Cay Resort in Orlando Florida. “From the hotels stand-point, we believe it is a great tool for communicating a better-quality product such as ours without spending massive capital and efforts on marketing. There really is no more honest or superior form of advertising than word of mouth.”

Millenium Management’s Vista Cay Resort is #2 on TripAdvisor’s list of specialty hotels in Orlando and has benefitted from the increased traffic that comes with the high listing.

The top rated travel sites like TripAdvisor grant visitors to do more than check hotel rates in their destination city, and this is a huge reason for their success. From the TripAdvisor home page you can find hotels, view flights and cruises, read and write reviews, view area restaurants, and even discuss your pass plans with others in an online forum. Your entire pass can be planned, flights booked, hotels reserved and automobiles rented from a single web site.

With so much competition for vacationers in favourite tourist destinations like Orlando Florida, a one-stop pass destination resource is the ideal insurance that travelers are spending their money wisely and getting true value during their hard-earned vacation.

Interview at Phocuswright Conference with Stephen Kaufer, Founder/President/CEO of TripAdvisor.com
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Rhodes the jewel of the Greek Islands, lidos and getting there

 

Rhodes was voted 5th in the Trip Advisor Travellers’ Choice Most Popular Destination awards in 2008, and it is simple to see why. The island is the 3rd largest of the Dodecanese, part of the South Aegean Greek islands flanking the East coast of Turkey, and is locally known as ‘Island of the Sun’ as it boasts at least 300 days sunshine a year. Rhodes retains a strong Greek influence, whilst openly encouraging visitors, particularly in the South and interior of the island. The pace of life is slow and relaxing, a perfect getaway from the stresses and strains of normal working life. Crime rates on the island are extremely low.

Greek culture is centered on family life, and kids are warmly welcomed in bars and restaurants. There are many historical influences, including the remnants of the Colossus of Rhodes in Rhodes town, the capital of the island, and many archaeological sites from different eras found at many locations on the island No matter what kind of holiday you prefer, Rhodes caters for all tastes, from resting on the beach, shopping, exploring historical sights, watersports and vibrant nightlife.

The North of the island, including Rhodes town, Faliraki, Ixia, Trianda and surrounding areas, is well populated by locals and tourists, and offers a wide choice of activities and attractions for couples and families. The lower end of the East coast, South and West coast are considerably more rural, and offer a wealth of quiet coves alongside more traditional Greek villages. Because of the small size of the island, all aspects are within simple reach by car. Bus and taxi services are also easily accessible and, on the whole, reliable – even though the notorious ‘Greek time’ occasionally applies to the local bus services!

Lindos

Lindos Rhodes is a very favourite destination and only five minutes from Olive Grove Villa, and many visitors find themselves returning year after year. From the dear known ‘ooh-ah corner’ on your approach to Lindos, arguably one of the most breathtaking views in Greece can be seen.Under the imposing 2nd century BC acropolis lies a maze of narrow, vibrant streets surrounded by whitewashed, sugar cube houses with elegant doorways and intricately pebbled courtyards. The 4 beaches, all within easywalking distance of Lindos centre, are also diverse. A large, sandy, family friendly beach with Blue Flag position shelves gently into the crystal clear waters. Several beachside tavernas and WCs are found here, and pedaloes, motorboats and other watersports for the more adventurous are offered during summer. An excellent glass bottom boat trip departs from here, and is a must-do during your stay! Pallas beach is more intimate, and is the home of several excellent tavernas, some of whom will serve you from your sunbed, such as Skala on Pallas beach.    For complete tranquility, head to St Pauls bay, a quaint unspoilt cove, usually peaceful enough to rest while listening to the soothing sounds of the sea. This area is also mythologic for snorkelling amongst the surrounding rocks. The shelved sandy beach close to St Pauls chapel offers spectacular views of the acropolis and St Pauls bay, and a small taverna offers drinks and snacks – and champagne for celebratory drinks after wedding ceremonies, which favourite at this location.   All Rhodes beaches are kept very clean, and because of the sheer number available, none is usually overcrowded. One of the uncommon features of Lindos is that even though during the day the village thrives with visitors, the streets are completely pedestrianised, the only transport being the occasional moped or the traditional Lindos donkeys.   Shops selling a wide range of cosmopolitan goods and gifts line the streets, along with a diverse range of tavernas and bars to suit each taste. One of the ideal ways to spend a lazy afternoon is with a cold frappe in Yiannis bar on the main street while people watching or listening to local chatter. The climb to the acropolis is arduous but worth it, for the views of Lindos, St Pauls bay and the neverending blue sea from the ancient castle walls are nothing short of spectacular. On the path towards the acropolis, Lindean ladies sell traditional, hand-embroidered tableware. If the achievement is too strenuous, take a donkey (Lindos taxi) to the castle walls.   Within the ancient acropolis site is a relief of a ship, carved in 170 BC by the Lindeans. Walk through the Doric columns, up the “stairs to heaven” to the top level of the acropolis, where the part-renovated Temple of Athena stands, constructed during the 4th century AD. Directly below the acropolis, adjacent to the newly built town square, lies the ancient theatre. A good proportion of the seating area carved into the rock remains today.   Also within the village are many chuches in different styles, often with intricate frescoes lining the walls. There are many ‘Captain’s houses’, built the 16th to 18th century, whose exquisite structure is one-of-a-kind to Greece. Many of these have been recently restored under the supervision of the Greek Archaeological Service, and several are now open to the public. Nightlife in Lindos is vibrant and friendly. The majority of visitors experiencing evening culture in Lindos are couples and families, and increasingly favourite wedding parties.Choose from romantic evenings dining on one of the many rooftop tavernas, or resting in one of the many welcoming. All bars are English speaking, and make you feel like a local on your first visit. Local kids often play in the streets in an evening, and kids are welcomed in restaurants and bars until late at night.   There are several nightclubs in Lindos, playing Greek, European and British favourite diversion music. By law, no loud music can be played after 12pm, so the nightclubs are soundproofed. Nightclubs are simple to find in the evening, yet unimposing on the traditional streets of the village. At the top of the village, at ’ooh-ah corner’, an outdoor all-night diversion club, the Ampitheatre, can be found, with great views of the morning sunrise. Free taxis to this venue are acquirable from the town square. Getting to Rhodes could not be easier, the flight time is just three and a half to four hours from most UK regional airports.

The main airlines offering flights to Rhodes Diagoras Airport are Simple Jet, Monarch, Thomson Fly, Thomas Cook Airlines, Viking, Aegean and Olympic Aiways, Jet2 also fly to Rhodes but only from the North of England.

Most services offered are direct flights with the exception of Aegean Airlines and Olympic Airlines who only offer a direct service from London Heathrow to Athens and then aconnecting flight is required from Athens. The flight time to Athens is approximately three hours with the flight time between Athens and Rhodes being one hour.

During the season late May to end of October most airlines offer a direct service. Out of season you are restricted to the slightly longer journey between the two destinations.

The most favourite day for flights is a Wednesday even though flights are availble on a Saturday but more limited.

Easy Jet offer two flights on a Wednesday  then a service on a Thursday Saturday and Sunday from London Gatwick. They have just added a sheduled service from Liverpool starting Might 2010.

Jet 2 only offer a service on a Wednesday from Newcastle Manchester and Leeds Bradford Airports.

Thomas Cook, Thomson Fly, Monarch, Viking all offer a service on a Wednesday and Saturday from most UK London and regional airports.

Aegean and Olympic offer a regular service to Athens and there is a regular service between Rhodes and Athens.

Those travelling from mainland Europe can travel by road or rail. To Pireus just outside Athens where a ferry can be caught directly to Rhodes. The approximate ferry journey is 14 hours from athens to Rhodes.

How To Get Cheaper Holidays In 2010

Many of us have struggled to afford a holiday during 2009 what with the worry about the recession, considering how innocuous our jobs are and constant rise in holiday prices. So we have reached the winter months and find ourselves longing for some sunshine. The BBQ summer for the UK that the Met Office predicted surprisingly never managed to penetrate our rain soaked brollies and with the prospect of long dark nights and cold winter days our thoughts inevitably turn to holidays.

With no serious end to the recession in sight though and the government constantly reminding us of hard times ahead, how can we be sure we can afford a holiday? How do we make sure we get the ideal doable deal we can? How do we really get cheaper holidays in 2010? Well as the home interior specialists are always telling us, it’s time to minimise…

No-one stated we had to have a two week holiday each year, so why not save yourself a fortune and go for a week or ten days instead, you’ll be astonished at how much money this can actually save you, and you won’t be missing out on your well attained break.

Normally do that anyway? Then try a city break, a few days away in a lovely hotel, beautiful scenery, shopping and a show can work wonders for your self esteem and re-charge those batteries without breaking the bank. Or simply rest in the sunshine on a long weekend away.

Over the summer of 2009, many thrifty holidaymakers booked ten and eleven night breaks over the internet, but many tour operators are now starting to offer ‘in-between’ trips in a bid to keep their share of the market.

Britain’s biggest holiday firm, TUI has reported a 64% rise in bookings for shorter breaks. Their biggest operators, Thomson and First Choice have increased the number of ten and eleven night breaks in their 2010 brochures by 21%. Co-operative travel has also noticed a 35% increase in ten night holidays booked.

Many people find a week is just too short and a fortnight a tiny long, so ten and eleven night holidays make perfect sense all round. A shorter break could save a family of four between £50 and £200 per person, and with less money needed for spending and excursions; the saving can be quite considerable.

Choosing destinations still outside the euro regularize is another way to make sure you keep holiday spending down. Holidays in Turkey, Croatia, Bulgaria and Egypt are particularly great value for your holiday money. So by shortening the length of your holiday and choosing your destination carefully, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy cheap holidays this winter and into the summer of 2010.

Find More Thomson Holidays 2010 Articles

Independent Hoteliers Must Profit From the Internet

For everyone involved in providing hospitality, the World wide web is set to dominate our lives. A current Merrill Lynch study predicts that by 2010 up to 45% of all hotel bookings will be made online. Of course 1this varies between countries and between types of hotel, with branded budget hotels getting up to 90% online.

But despite all this, I have found that there is a 1 demand of real understanding by some accommodation operators about how they can capture their share of this booming distribution channel. This demand of understanding is all the more astonishing when you think about these 3 factors:

1 It is now relatively simple for independent hotels to get distribution. 2 The extreme power of peer reviews. 3 How you can be exploited if you don’t comprehend World wide web terminology.

1 Distribution. The World wide web has revolutionised the potential for independent accommodation providers to distribute their rooms. In the past, when you had to rely on traditional media advertising, it was only the massive hotel groups, the franchises and the consortia that could afford to cost-effectively reach their prospects.

There was no way that a small independent hotel with only a few rooms could afford to advertise nationally. It is not quite all plain afloat now either. Some of the major search terms have been ‘appropriated’, so it is sometimes quite difficult to compete for organic search on the search engines. However if you are clever with your differentiation and market segmentation you can compete on even terms.

Independent hotels do not now need to seek endorsement from a consortium or a franchise, which no longer necessarily always wage more reservations than you can yourself.

2 Peer reviews. From a standing start, up to 75% of all travellers now research their visits on the Internet. This is not to state that they then actually make an online booking but they get their information this way. And this information includes not only what you state about yourself on your website but also what other people state about your product and their experiences of it. Always check out TripAdvisor and don’t forget the reviews on the third celebration intermediaries such as LateRooms.com or Booking.com that send you reservations.

The other day I was reading about a study that had concluded that 24% of those that actually booked hotels and restaurants read online reviews before making a choice. They are also so trusting of these reviews that they are prepared to pay anywhere between 20% and 90% more if the service was rated ‘excellent’ rather than just ‘good’. In fact it transpired that 80% of those searching for hotels stated reviews played a huge part in their choice.

This is a really awe-inspiring statistic and could be really frightening if you are not up to date with what guests are saying about you.

3 Understanding World wide web terminology. A few years ago, when the potential of the World wide web were not that clear, it was probably acceptable for business owners to claim ignorance of how the World wide web worked. You could claim a personal phobia and let your kids work it out for you!

But in my view this is no longer an acceptable way to run your business. How can you profess not to really comprehend a distribution channel used by around 33% of your guests to actually make a reservation, and 75% to explore the possibilities?

Any ignorance of some of the technical issues will leave you wide open to being exploited by suppliers who will trade on this ignorance. You need to comprehend how websites work and how they can be constructed to really deliver reservations. You need to know about e-mails, how to gather them in and how to send them out so that they are opened and read.

The truth is that the World wide web in principle is not that complicated, even though a lot of technical people do their ideal to make it appear much more so than it really is.

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