Travel blog by web-hotels.com

With its sand-sculptured islands,underwater hotels, pearl diving and indoor skiing, Dubai is still the ultimate encounter-it-all short break. And with new hotels continuing to appear (the Burj Armani Hotel Dubai opens its doors on 18th of March), the destination buzz is set to continue.

The Burj will be the height of luxury. Some of the space will be used for offices but the lower 37 floors will house the world’s first Armani Hotel.This £2 billion marvel, designed by American architect Adrian Smith, is packed with technological innovations, including double-decker lifts that can carry 42 people at a record-breaking 40mph to the observation platforms, robotic window-cleaning platforms and a system of pipes to collect condensation from the windows.

There are also 700 private apartments, and residents will be able to swim in an outdoor pool on the side roof of the 78th floor. The Y-shape plan of the tower, copied from Islamic designs on mosque roofs, maximises views of the Persian Gulf.

Tempratures are at a steady 31C in March, so now is the perfect time to go. So where to head? The entirely man-made Palm Jumeirah island in ihe Persian Gulf is the Manhattan of Dubai. Perched on the edge of the beach is the majestic Atlantis, The Farm Hotel, which caters to every self-indulgent whim.

It has two towers with a combined 41 floors. Suites overlook the beach, with a bath separating the bedroom and bathroom so you could soak in your tub while watching a gigantic flat-screen. But the really spectacular rooms are at the Atlantis Hotel – The Lost Chamber Suites – with both bedroom and bathroom views into the Ambassador Lagoon.

Lost Chamber Suites - Atlantis Hotel Dubai

The hotel also has a wonderfull spa with waterfall-walls, pebbled floors and candlelit corridors- Just seven hours from the UK Dubai offers sun, sea and serious designer shopping. Food lovers shouid head to the Taste Of Dubai festival, 17th to the 20th of March, where 20 of Dubai’s top chefs will cook up a storm (tasteofdubai festival.com/zoto).

There are lots of amazing places. Atiantis. The Palm’s Nasimi is a beachside bistro with a fantastic pumpkin gnocchi with goats’cheese and plum salad. Back at the hotel, sink into a sofa on the terrace at Levantine with an Amaretto Ours (Amaretto and cherry brandy) or puff on a pineapple Shisha (better known as a hubble- bubble pipe). Also try Nobu Dubai and learn sush-rolling from the chefs.

For a dose of culture, head to the Bastakiya district. Filled wiih narrow, cobbled lanes, it’s a chance to experience untuched Dubai.

A free daily shuttle takes you from The K Porte lnn to the shopping centres and beaches. Double rooms start from 50 UK Sterling Per night (Approx 90 USD)per night (kporte.com).

Rooms at the€ Atlantis, The Falm start from 315UKP per night for two adults sharing(atlantisthepalm,com).

Acapulco is a major sea port in Mexico on the Pacific coast, situated about 300 km southwest of the capital, Mexico City. Acapulco is one of the world-famous beach resorts, visited by all types of people that include normal tourists, adventure sports lovers, weekend holiday seekers, millionaires, Hollywood starts, and other celebrities. The deep, semi-circular bay of Acapulco had converted it into a major port from the colonial period of the country’s history. Even today, it is an important port of call for ships and cruise liners that operate between San Francisco and Panama. Acapulco is an ideal place for weekend breaks, offering a wide variety of tourist entertainment diversions. Some of the major weekend break leisure activities are presented here.

Beach Entertainments in Acapulco

The long stretch of the Pacific coast offers several enchanting beaches. In the main bay, the beaches of La Angosta, Dominguillo, Homos, Honda, Caleta, Condesa, Icacos, Playuela, Tamarindo, etc. offer lot of opportunities for the weekend travelers and regular tourists to relax in a variety of ways. The other various beaches and bays around Acapulco and the islands surrounding it also provide a variety of weekend break activities.

The visitors indulge in sunbathing, horseback riding, boat tours, yacht hire, scuba diving, snorkeling, deep sea fishing, surfboarding, sailing and other water sports. The calm waters of the bay area of Acapulco allow scuba divers to inspect and enjoy sea mountains, sunken ships, cave rock formations, coral formations, and a wide variety of marine species such as whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, etc. Several scuba equipment providers in Acapulco tender excellent support to scuba divers with high quality equipment to reduce risk in deep sea diving. Cliff diving and bungee jumping are the other popular but slightly risky sports activities in Acapulco.

San Diego Fort

The historic building in Acapulco is the San Diego Fort, built originally in 1616 and situated near the main square. It was destroyed in the middle of the seventeenth century by the Dutch and was brought down again by an earthquake after it was rebuilt. The fort was built back in 1783 and the moats, the 5 bulwarks and the battlements still remain. At present, the San Diego Fort houses the Acapulco Historical Museum that displays the history of the port from the pre-Hispanic period up to its independence, apart from several temporary exhibits.

Great Bars, Restaurants and Night Life

Acapulco is renowned for its night life for the last several decades. The high-rise hotels have dance clubs, poolside cocktail bars, traditional bars and informal lobby bars. Many of these bars provide free live entertainment. The beach bar zone along the Costera Road facing the ocean attracts the younger crowds, mainly due to its alternate rock. Most of the bars in the zone are located between the Continental Plaza Hotels and the Fiesta Americana. The dress code is informal and they open in early evening. However, many of the night clubs open only after 11 pm and continue until early morning hours. This exceptional night life enjoyment attracts thousands of weekend break tourists to Acapulco.

When you plan to spend a weekend in Paris, it is not an easy task, not because of lack of facilities, but due to the too many tourist attractions and travel related activities that abound in this charming cultural capital of the world. Very few people are unaware of the famous landmarks of Paris, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, the Musee d’Orsay, the Champs-Elysees, the Place de la Bastille, the Louvre, and the Arc de Triomphe. However, the attractions of Paris do not end with these major tourist spots. Some of the famous fashion, haute couture or high dressmaking and luxury brands of the world had originated from Paris.

Charles Frederick Worth in the nineteenth century is considered the father of haute couture. Born as an Englishman, he established himself as a leader in the French Fashion Industry. This led to the development of several designer dress houses in Paris. Yves Saint Laurent is termed as the first person to popularize the culture of haute couture to the world. Other reputed names like Pierre Cardin, Louis Vitton or LVMH, Frank Sorbier, Jean Paul Gaultier, Chanel, Christian Lacroix and Christian Dior followed suit. The fashion shows conducted in Paris on a regular basis display the creations of these designers, as well as the haute couture collection of dress designers from other parts of the world. Hence, shopping for fashionable dress is one of the topmost priorities in any weekend break in Paris.

Paris is also famous for the various large opera houses such as Opera Garnier and Opera Bastille. Opera Garnier organises classic operas and ballets, while Opera Bastille conducts programmes that are a mix of classic and modern opera performances. Concerts, indie music and rock music are provided by the Elysees-Montmartre, the New Morning, La Villette and the Le Zenith hall. French cinema had given birth to some top-notch film directors like Jean-Luc Goddard, Francois Truffaut, Claude Lelouch, Luc Besson, and Claude Chabrol.

The main attractions of Paris draw millions of people from all over the world. The Louvre is the most visited museum in the world with an average of more than 8 million visitors every year. The Louvre houses the world-famous Mona Lisa and the statue of Venus de Milo. It is estimated that the Notre Dame de Paris is seen by about 12 million people a year. The Basilique du Sacre-Coeur and the Eiffel Tower receive about 8 million and 6 million visitors respectively every year. Excelling all these attractions is the Disneyland Paris, recording 14.5 millions tourists from France and other foreign countries visiting it in 2007.

People interested in nightlife throng the Moulin Rouge cabaret dancehall for its staged dance display dinner theatre spectacle. The Parisian cuisine had its origins in the ancient French culture but had become highly diversified today due to the immigration of people not only from different regions of France but also from other distance countries like Spain, the United States, China, Japan, Thailand, India, Mexico, etc. The various roadside bistros, the restaurants and bars of Paris are a treat to gourmets and connoisseurs of food and beverages. In Paris, you are most likely to find out that your weekend break is over even before you had really started. This will force you to visit Paris frequently.

Rome is among the most favourite tourist destinations in the world. Several cultural, tourist and music events continuously take place in this ancient city that had embraced the modern changes without hassles. Some of the most popular events are listed below as guidance to people visiting Rome, so that they can have diversified entertainment during their stay in Rome.

An evening of opera at Sala Baldini in Piazza Campetelli has been organised on March 13, 2010 between 8-00 and 10-00 pm. The event is Rome Festival Opera as well as Chorus Beloved Opera Arias, with duets by Mozart, Puccini and Verdini Suite from ‘L’Elisir d’Amore’ presented by Donizetti. Tickets are priced at €15.

Juggernaut is slated to occur in Teatro dell’Applauso in Via dei Canneti on March 13, 2010 at 8-00 pm. This 5-member band produces a gloomy and grave sounding music, synthesizing metal, hardcore, and gothic. Price of the tickets for the programme had not been mentioned but people of all ages had been invited.

A live music concert by Pat Metheny has been organised at the Parco Della Musica in Viale Pietro de Coubertin on March 17 at 9-00 pm. Pat Metheny is a guitarist and his group provides unique music, which is termed as folk-jazz or mood music by lovers of music. Tickets for the concert have been priced at €119 and €145.

Andypop music event is planned at Brancaleone in via Levanna on March 13, 2010 at 10-30 pm. Ticket prices and other details are not available. Another musical brand from the United Kingdom, Architects (UK) has been arranged at Blackout on April 5, 2010. Architects are a metal band, hailing from Brighton, England. Their music is classified as progressive and experimental rock. At the same venue of Blackout and on the same day, another musical event has also been organised. The performers are Underoath, producing mind-blowing hardcore music with effects pedals, delays, E-bows and reel bows. Their music is described as introspective and cathartic by them. Prices have not been indicated for both events.

Dark Funeral from Sweden is a highly reputed black metal genre music band. Their performance in Rome, named as ‘A Declaration of Hate’ has been planned at Alpheus in Via del Commercio on March 30, 2010 at 7-00 pm. Zonaria, Carach Angren, and Nefarium will also perform at the same venue after Dark Funeral. Prices have not been indicated.

Death thrash metal genre music will be provided by a music band, Atmosfera Cadaver, at Telonero de Neurosis in Santa Marta in Rome on March 27, 2010. Another musical performance at Nebula in Cecchina, Rome is on March 25, 2010 at 9-30 pm. The band is Gianni Gerretti & the Fero’s friends Band. Alesana music band from Raleigh, New Connecticut, USA, consists of 5 talented musicians and their main music genre is pop. Their performance has been arranged at Circolo Degi Artistii in Rome on May 4, 2010 at 8-00 pm. People of all ages have been invited for all the above three programmes but there is no mention of ticket prices.