Tuesday 29 January 2008

The Disney All Star Music Resort - Music to Your Ears, Easy on the Wallet

Can you hear it? Can you feel it?

The Disney All Star Music Resort is soothing on two fronts. First is the wonderful sights and sounds at the resort.

The other is the jingle in your pockets from all the money you've saved by booking this Disney Value resort.

Why Stay at the All Star Music Resort?

If you are a music lover and adore bargains, book your Disney World stay at the All Star Music resort, one of the extremely popular themed Value resorts located in Orlando, Florida. The budget cost rivals anything outside of Disney, but has all the special touches and conveniences that are a part of the Disney World tradition.

Located in the Animal Kingdom area, the All Star Music resort boasts 1,920 rooms. The brightly colored rooms have either 2 double beds or 1 king sized bed, with a maximum occupancy of 4 people.

For larger families there are also 53 family suites, which include sleeping areas for up to 6 people, a kitchenette and 2 full bathrooms. This feature is unique in all of the Disney resorts (not to mention extremely popular).

Hungry? Eating at the Resort

The Disney All Star Music Resort is home to the Intermission Food Court, where you can purchase a variety of foods from various food kiosks to eat in the main dining area. These are quick-service, and great for families with hungry tummies!

For other dining options, it's easy to visit one of the many Walt Disney World restaurants by taking advantage of the many forms of (free) Disney transportation available. It's always a good idea to make reservations for any of the Disney restaurants to avoid disappointment. They are all extremely busy!

Pool Time!

When it's time to cool off, or you just want a break from the theme parks, take a dip in one of the 2 pools at the All Star Music Resort. The main themed pool is a large piano shaped pool and a smaller themed pool is shaped like a guitar. The little ones can cool off in the nearby kiddie pool. There is also a playground and an arcade within the resort.

So What's Your Music Theme?

There are five buildings in the Disney All Star Music Resort, all based on different music themes: Broadway, Calypso, Country, Jazz and Rock-N-Roll. There are some designated outdoor locations where smoking is allowed, but all of the buildings within the resort are smoke-free, and this policy is strictly enforced.

For an additional fee, high-speed Internet access is available. There are also laundry facilities located within the resort, and a huge gift shop, making it easy to stock up on those souvenirs!

When to Book so You Aren't Disappointed

Because the prices are low and the value is great, all of the Value resorts in Disney World are extremely popular, so be sure to book your rooms as far in advance as possible. The family suites are especially important to reserve well in advance, as they are often booked 6 months to a year ahead of time!

Want more information on the Walt Disney All Star Music resort in Orlando? Please see:

http://www.great-disney-vacations.com/disney-all-star-music-resort.html

Gail Nettles is a Florida native who enjoys showing the Sunshine State to visitors. She also publishes http://www.great-disney-vacations.com and http://www.great-florida-vacations.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gail_Nettles

Wednesday 16 January 2008

Capitola Beach - A Wealth of Fun and Excitement

There are a number of different beach resorts in the United States that people can visit and there are a number of them just within the state of California. When an industry is as prolific as the beach tourism industry is, a new place needs to put itself head and shoulders above the competition in order to convince people that going there is better than going to the typical spots.

While Capitola Beach is certainly not a newcomer to the beach tourism game, it does not have the same name recognition that other places in California, Texas, Louisiana and Florida have. However, it does have a great list of activities for people to choose from.

Water Activities: The biggest reason that most people go to the beach is to be near beautiful water and the city provides a lot of this, along with a plethora of activities in that genre. People can simply swim in the water, or they can take advantage of the infrastructure available to rent boats or jet skis to take out to the open waters. You will find, however, that in Capitola Beach the variety of activities that are available tend to mean that water activities do not dominate a person's daily plan as they might at other beach resorts.

Concerts: Because of the great weather and the good time, many people play concerts at Capitola Beach. In fact, there are concerts available every Wednesday during the summer from six in the evening to eight in the evening local time. These will be a combination of known singers and up and coming locals with a sound quality and style that impressed the people in charge of arranging the concerts.

Ticket prices vary but are usually quite reasonable and of course the beach is nearby if you want to get in some twilight swimming after the concert ends.

Parades & Festivals: Capitola Beach is not a very big place, with the larger area only having a population of around 10,000 people. This means that it has some of that small town charm that people love and the locals are constantly organizing different things for people to take part in regardless of whether they are tourists or natives of the area.

Whether they are doing a Canine Parade and Festival one day or an Art and Wine festival the next, you can count on some very interesting festivals being available to tourists.

Cleanups: Capitola Beach relies on the environment around it for a lot of its economic growth and like most places where this is true the residents have a very strong protective streak when it comes to the environment.

Rather than being sordid and unpleasant affairs however, cleanups are social events that could quite well fit into the purview of a tourist that wants to learn about the community they visit. It would be akin to seeing a local sporting event or town hall meeting in another place.

For young and old, for sun-lovers and wine drinkers, for anyone who likes to relax and have fun - Capitola has a lot to offer. Feel free to visit, and stay as long as you like!

Seb Frey is a Capitola, California Real Estate Broker specializing in Santa Cruz Real Estate He is fluent in Spanish and enjoys helping people find their piece of the American Dream in Santa Cruz. You can find Seb's blog at SantaCruzHomeBroker.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Seb_Frey

Tuesday 15 January 2008

Have You Considered a Dubai Vacation?

A Dubai vacation, within the United Arab Emirates, is not what you think it might be. Dubai is the second largest of the Emirates after Abu Dhabi and although it was once a town used by Bedouin traders, it now offers top class cuisine, excellent night life and even a ski slope.

Sure, you will get what you expect of an Arab city - the markets, or 'souks' as they are called, and all of the traditional food and dress, but if you want to stay western with your food, then you can . . . and in style! Dubai is a place where you can rub shoulders with the very wealthy and very famous. So where do you stay while on holiday?

If you decide on a Dubai vacation, there is a wide variety of accommodation types from backpackers' hostels to five star luxury hotels. There is something to fit everybody's pocket and, despite what you may have heard, Dubai is not only for high rollers and the rich. It offers a unique experience of true Arabia that will remain in your memories all of your lives.

When you land at Dubai you are in a modern clean airport comparable with some of the best in the west. Dress is generally casual, and while Muslim women generally wear the traditional head covering, normal dress for a resort vacation is quite acceptable. There is no need for you to observe any specific dress code. As for entertainment, there is plenty to do on a Dubai vacation!

You can bet on the camel racing at the Nad el Sheba track, or wait till evening when the thoroughbred Arabs race. These beautiful horses are a sight to behold for anyone that knows about horses. You can visit high fashion stores or buy some very cheap laptops and MP3 players. With the tax free shopping, everything will be less expensive than you will pay at home, and half the fun is buying these things while on vacation in the Middle East. Because, as many people fail to remember while on vacation, Dubai is a middle eastern country.

There is frequently a misunderstanding of what a middle eastern desert country can provide to the visitor. After all, it's all sand and no water, isn't it? Well, absolutely not! If you think that you are totally mistaken! The snow park has temperatures down to -2 Celsius and it's one of the few places in the Middle East were you have to wear warm clothing and gloves. Not only does it offer skiing, but also tobogganing and has a twin bobsled course. Children love vacations, and they can enjoy themselves in the snowball gallery and snow cavern. It's marvelous for you and the kids and totally unexpected in a desert setting.

However, if you are considering a holiday in the Middle East, bear in mind that in summer Dubai can reach 102F, and it's best for a winter or early spring holiday unless you really like the heat. With average mid-day temperatures of 95F to 105F it's pretty warm, and even at night it rarely gets below 70F. In winter and early spring expect a cool 75F - 95F daytime temperature. If you like cold go to Alaska, not Dubai!

And how about the golf? There are several golf courses in Dubai, and more on the way, designed by people such as Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Colin Montgomerie, and if Arizona and Nevada can have world class golf courses, why not Dubai? You don't have to carry your bit of magic carpet around to tee off from in the sand - these courses are world class. Like the Emirates Golf Club that hosts the Dubai Desert Classic that attracts the best golfers in the world. To play and lunch there is an unbelievable experience. If the heat gets to you, you can avoid the high temperatures by playing at the Nad al Sheeba golf club, an eighteen hole course that is fully floodlit till midnight.

If you make the right decision, Dubai offers the Desert Safari, but not on camels . . . in SUVs! You can enjoy climbing and shooting down sand dunes at amazing speeds, and the water theme park is up to anything Disney can provide. The annual Dubai shopping festival is world renowned, with the gold souk, perfumes and all the exotic delights with which you associate this part of the world. The beach, with its clean white sand, is a dream and that water is so refreshing in this climate. Dubai zoo is close to Jumeirah beach and is great for the kids, or even adults who are interested in the wide range of wildlife that it has.

A Dubai vacation is a delight and I can recommend it to anybody... individual or family!

Have You Considered a Dubai Vacation? was originally published at http://www.globallifenow.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andre_Sanchez

Monday 14 January 2008

Discover Bangkok - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Anyone intending to travel to Thailand my appreciate this snapshot of life in Bangkok, Thailand. There are many different aspects to Bangkok in every possible sense and this is only providing a brief glimpse of a few of them here.

First the Good:
Number one on most peoples list after a visit to Thailand is the people. Amongst the most accomodating and friendly on the planet, usually they cannot do enough for you and when they have done all they can they'll find some one else who can do even more to help you. The tourist industry thrives partly due to the fact that Thais are so service minded and so very good at it. Several of the Worlds finest Hotels are located in Bangkok such as The Sukhothai and The Oriental both demonstrating this extraordinary level of service.

Now The Bad:
Well, I guess we have all heard of the usual scams and yes they all do exist here but by in large though if you were sensible you wouldn't get caught out. As an exception to this there are a certain amount of scams that appear so well organised that anyone could easily fall prey to them if they were unwary. Travellers report the lengths that the scammers go to even recruiting monks to aid there success! Just google bangkok scams and you'll find a host of examples and travellers warnings.

In many areas of Bangkok you will also unfortunately experience the Bangkok stench that often permeates from badly covered sewerage pipes and drains. The easiest solution is to go into any of the tremendous array of restaurants available.

Finally The Ugly:
There is a large thriving market in sex tourism based mainly around areas such as Nana Plaza, Soi Cowboy and Patpong. These places cater largely for the lone male sex tourist and the 'bar girls' there appear experts at identifying the wealthier tourists and extracting cash from their wallets with expert ease.

And well lastly the recent 'Coup' wasn't nice but fortunately within a couple of days local expats reported young children jumping and crawling over the tanks in the street and being given brief tours by some of the soldiers on duty. Whilst still the countries politics may not be in a very good state it certainly appears to not have bothered the tourism industry or expat community too much.

There really is so much to promote about Thailand the list is never ending including: Scuba-diving, Islands, world-class restaurants and stunning national parks and wildlife. All yours to discover and made even easier with the ability to transfer money overseas from your home country to Thailand boosting your travelling budget within moments.

Author Stephen Ryan has been traveling and writing about Asian travel for some years now providing up to date and relevant information for todays independent travelers. More information available at Money Transfer

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Ryan