Tropical Destinations

Big Island (Hawaii) travel guide

Laurentiu — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 21:31:44 +0000

The island of Hawaii comprises over half of the area of the state of Hawaii in the United States of America. It is almost universally called the Big Island partly to avoid confusion. It is home to the most active volcano in the world, located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, as well as the largest mountain in the world in volume (Mauna Loa) and the tallest mountain in the world as measured from its base on the sea floor to its peak (Mauna Kea).
There are two major airports if you are flying into the Big Island, Kona International Airport and Hilo International Airport. There are some direct flights from the mainland, mostly from California, but it is more common to arrive via Honolulu or Kahului. You should try to get a flight direct from the mainland to Kona to save time waiting (and walking) around the Honolulu airport.
Although several cruise ship lines operate in Hawaii, there is currently no dedicated inter-island boat service. Hawaii Superferry, a private company supported by the Hawaii state government, proposes to implement high-capacity catamaran ferry services.
Renting a car is really the only way to see the island. Getting around by local bus, bikes, or on foot work well if you’re staying in one area. Many budget travelers are unpleasantly surprised by the lack of public transport on the Big Island. Although there are limited bus services from Hilo to destinations like Volcano or the Kona side, they require reservations, and travel on a minimal set schedule.

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Boracay Island, Philippines

Laurentiu — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 21:32:43 +0000

Boracay is a fantastic tropical island about an hour’s flight from Manila in the Philippines. Its long white sand beaches rivals any of the best beaches in the more popular beach destinations such as the Caribbean, the South Pacific as well as neighbouring Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Boracay can only be reached by ferry from Caticlan. SEAir serves up to 28 flights a day, each flight takes as short as 35 minutes, from Manila to Caticlan Airport. The other way is via Kalibo Airport on the other side of Aklan Island. From Kalibo, visitors have to take a two-hour (2-hour) ride to Caticlan. Mini-vans, buses and other rental vehicles take tourists from Kalibo to Caticlan.

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Hinchinbrook Island guide

Laurentiu — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 18:36:38 +0000

Hinchinbrook Island is in northern Queensland, Australia, just north of the town of Ingham, approximately 150km south of the city of Cairns.
Separated from the mainland by the narrow Hinchinbrook Channel, the entire island is zoned as a National Park. Access to the park is strictly limited and, when much of Queensland teems with tourists, here you can truly experience untouched nature.

The only regular means of access to the island is Hinchinbrook Island Ferries from Cardwell on mainland, 2 hours south of Cairns. Boats leave at 9 AM and return at 5 PM, daily in the high season (May-Oct), three times weekly in the low season (Nov-Apr). A day cruise is $90, one-way transfers to the northern start of the Thorsborne Trail are $66. Pickups from the southern end point can also be arranged.

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Things to see and do in Aruba

Laurentiu — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 23:53:01 +0000

Aruba is a Caribbean island 15 miles north of the coast of Venezuela. With an area of approximately 70 sq. miles (184 sq. km) this flat, riverless island is renowned for its white sand beaches.
Because of its location south in the Caribbean there is very strong sun, but a light breeze keeps the temperature pleasant and almost constant at about 27Â°C (81Â°F).

From the tourist point of view, Aruba can be considered to be divided into the southeast and northwest coasts. The southeast has the white sand beaches, turquoise seas, and warm waters. The northwest coast, exposed to the Atlantic, has a few white sand beaches, rough seas with treacherous currents and rocky coastline.

With beautiful weather all year round and turquoise Caribbean waters the best thing to do in Aruba is to enjoy the sunshine on one of the many beaches:
â€¢ Baby Beach - Southern Tip of the island. It’s called Baby Beach because it is no more than five feet deep at any point - like a giant wading pool. This beach also has some of the best snorkeling on the island.
â€¢ Eagle Beach - Often called “1 of the 10 best beaches in the world”
â€¢ Hadikurari Beach (a.k.a Fisherman’s Huts) - This is where the High Winds Pro AM windsurfing world championship is held every June.
â€¢ Palm Beach - White sand and excellent swimming conditions in calm water. Nearby hotels allow you to use public areas for changing. Accessible by bus, car or taxi.
â€¢ Malmok Beach - Shallow water and lots of fish make this another good choice for snorkeling. There are no nearby facilities. The place is accessible by car or public bus.

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Fine sand beaches and mountains on Rai Leh, Thailand

Laurentiu — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 16:46:02 +0000

Rai Leh, also commonly known as Railay, is a tourist area located on the Andaman Coast of Thailand, in Krabi Province. Rai Leh is primarily known as a rock climbing hot spot, attracting climbers from all over the world to its superb towering limestone.

As Rai Leh is a peninsula surrounded by ocean and mountains, final access can only be by boat. Long-tails depart from Ao Nang (10 minutes, 60 baht/person) and Krabi (30 minutes) on demand, making those towns the gateways to Rai Leh. It’s also possible to access Rai Leh via regular ferries that run between Ko Lanta, Ko Phi Phi, and Phuket (more frequent in the November-May dry season.
From Bangkok there are flights to Krabi and Phuket, direct bus services, and trains to Surat Thani with onward connections by bus.

Rai Leh is considered to be all of the peninsula, which has four primary areas:
â€¢ Phra Nang: a fine white sand beach, on the southern tip of the peninsula
â€¢ Rai Leh East: the mangrove side of the peninsula, used by long-tails to/from Krabi
â€¢ Rai Leh West: a fine beach of white sand and shallow water, where most long-tails arrive from Ao Nang
â€¢ Ton Sai: a cove around the corner from Rai Ley West where rockclimbers and backpackers hang out in cheap accomodation and practice climbing
It’s a 5-10 minute walk between any of these landmarks. The village itself is a pedestrian’s dream, as there are no cars, and the uneven bumpy walkways make even bicycles impractical.

On the east side of the peninsula, to the north of Rai Leh East, Diamond Cave is an interesting place to explore and one of the few strictly sight-seeing destinations at Rai Leh. A nominal entrance fee pays for a short walk along the lit boardwalk through formations that glitter as if they were full of diamonds. Though not breathtakingly large (and thus easily viewed in about fifteen minutes) it is quite beautiful.
Phra Nang Shrine, north end of Phra Nang Beach. Dedicated to the spirit of the drowned princess (phra nang) who gave the beach her name, this small shrine in a small cave is notable primarily for the dozens of carved red-tipped phalluses donated by fishermen seeking her favour.

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Perhentian Islands, Malaysia

Laurentiu — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 15:12:05 +0000

The Perhentian Islands are a small group of beautiful, coral-fringed islands off the coast of northeastern Malaysia in the state of Terengganu, not far from the Thai border.
The two main islands are Perhentian Besar (”Big Perhentian”) and Perhentian Kecil (”Small Perhentian”). Kecil, the more popular of the two, has cheap accommodation and is a bit of a backpacker party scene, while Besar is slightly more expensive and caters more to families. The relative difficulty of access and the higher prices compared to Thailand mean that both are still relatively unexplored.
The small, uninhabited islands of Susu Dara, Seringgi and Rawa lie off Kecil. The Perhentians belong to Pulau Redang National Marine Park, which means that fishing, collecting coral and littering are strictly prohibited.
The name “perhentian” means “point to stop” in Malay, referring to their longstanding role as a waypoint for traders between Bangkok and Malaysia. The islands were sparsely inhabited by fishermen for centuries, although tourism now accounts for most economic activity.

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Bermuda travel tips

Laurentiu — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 16:48:01 +0000

Bermuda is a self-governing British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean, around 640 miles (975 km) off the coast of the United States. It consists of about 138 islands and islets, with all the major islands aligned on a hook-shaped but roughly east-west axis and connected together by road bridges.

Hamilton, in Pembroke Parish, is Bermuda’s administrative center and largest city. It boasts a large quantity of museums, some fine buildings and architecture. It boasts a fine Anglican cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity. There are numerous forts, fortifications and bits of Royal Naval heritage. There are cinemas, a variety of shops, bars, hotels and restaurants. The city is also blessed with markets, gardens, stalls, beaches, squares and plazas with wide streets, boulevards and walkways.

Saint George is the second town and former capital of Bermuda. St. George is described as the oldest, continually inhabited English settlement in the new world. It was founded in 1612 and served as the capital of Bermuda until eclipsed by Hamilton in 1815. Because of a shift of business and government to Hamilton, St. George did not have its streets and buildings demolished and rebuilt as in Hamilton and therefore looks very much like it did 250 years ago. In fact, because of its many heritage buildings, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site during the 1990s.

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Costa Rica travel guide

Laurentiu — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:51:22 +0000

Costa Rica is a country in Central America. In the north it borders to Nicaragua and in the south to PanamÃ¡. To the west there is the Pacific Ocean and to the east the Caribbean Sea.

Costa Rica protects over 25% of its national territory within national parks. Eco tourism is a central focus of development and it shows. The country is stunning and unspoiled and the will is there to keep it that way. However one would have to exempt San Jose itself from this assessment.
San Jose, the capital, is on a plateau in the Central Valley at 1500 meters elevation. It is ringed by lush green mountains and valleys. The population of this city is probably half of the whole country. It contains the primary airport, the University of Costa Rica, the US’ and other embassies and many museums, cultural venues, hotels, markets, etc. It is the hub of the country.
Taxis are generally cheap. A ride inside the city center will normally cost 500-1000 colones. Basically a couple dollars, which they will accept, will get you anywhere in the city. There are many museums worth seeing here.

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Bali, the pearl of Indonesia

Laurentiu — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 13:44:33 +0000

Bali is an Indonesian island located at the east end of Java. The word “paradise” is used a lot in Bali, and not without reason. The combination of friendly, hospitable people, a magnificently visual culture infused with spirituality and (not least) spectacular beaches with great surfing and diving have made Bali Indonesia’s unparalleled number one tourist attraction.
The popularity is not without its flip sides â€” once paradisical Kuta has degenerated into a congested warren of concrete, touts and scammers live on overcharging tourists, and the island’s visibility has even drawn the unwanted attention of terrorists in 2002 and 2005 â€” but Bali has managed to retain its magic.

Bali’s best-known attractions are its countless Hindu temples. There are an estimated 20,000 temples (pura) on the island. Even the smallest villages usually have at least three, but the nine directional temples (kayangan jagat) are the largest and most important. Uluwatu, at the southern tip of Bali, is easily accessed and hence the most popular, with Tanah Lot a close second. However, for the Balinese themselves, the “mother temple” of Besakih on the slopes of Mount Agung is the most important of all.
There are several hot springs to be discovered in Bali. One of them, along the northern coast of the island, near Lovina, is Air Panjar where stone mouth carvings allow hot water to pass between pools which are set among a lush garden. Bali is paradise for spa lovers and all sorts of treatments are widely available, but the Balinese lulur body scrub with herbs and spices â€” traditionally performed before a wedding ceremony â€” is particularly popular. Balinese massage is usually done with oil and involves long, Swedish-style strokes. A day at any spas in Sanur, a small town on the east side of the island, is exactly what you would expect during your stay in Bali: full service treatment steeped in Balinese tradition. Take advantage of any opportunity to enjoy a spa during your stay, the cost here is at least half what you would pay in North America or Europe.
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Top 10 Caribbean island destinations

Laurentiu — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 13:38:43 +0000

According to The Orbitz Insider Index, a monthly, in-depth look at travel trends from an industry insider’s perspective, the most popular Caribbean island destinations are:

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