Posts Tagged ‘Costa’

Costa Blanca is One of the Healthiest Areas of the World in Which to Live

The World Health Organisation has confirmed what many people had believed for years, namely that the Costa Blanca is one of the healthiest areas of the world in which to live. This isn’t surprising to those people who know the region. The Costa Blanca has an excellent year-round climate. The humidity is relatively low, and therefore ideal for sufferers of arthritis and other climatically influenced health problems.

The Costa Blanca area of Spain is one of the wealthiest in the country. Tourism earns considerable returns for the locals and property prices reflect the number of British and other northern Europeans who buy a second home in this tempting area, in particular around Torrevieja. The weather has a lot to do with this. The sun is said to shine 320 days a year. The area is famous for its beaches and golf courses (the Villamartin golf course hosted the 1994 Mediterranean Open) but the region has much more to offer.

The landscape of the Northern Costa Blanca, contrasts significantly with the tourist areas to the South of Alicante, with high peaks and breathtaking mountain views. The deep valley’s lined with almond trees, rich soil, green vegetation, orange and lemon groves, olive trees and vineyards. The Jalon valley is a truly beautiful sight particularly in January and February when the almond blossom is in bloom. There are few places in the world where the northern part of a small coastline contrasts more with the south.

Water sports of every kind can be found in most resorts in the Costa Blanca. There are modern Marina’s making it a perfect base for yachtsmen and it’s only fifty miles or so due East to the magical cruising area of the Balearic Islands.

Of course for some people the Costa Blanca beaches are big attractions, the majority of which are kept wonderfully clean. For example, the Torrevieja area has seven European Union blue flag beaches. These vary from the very active beaches with a full range of water sports, activities & services to secluded rocky and sandy coves. All of the major beaches have first aid posts and most have refreshment areas. Worth a visit are the beaches at Guardamar, Playa la Zenia, Playa Flamenca and Cobo Roig.

For other people the attraction is the beautiful golf courses such as Villamartin, manicured to perfection and situated amongst orange groves and palm trees. The new La Finca course is within a 10 minute drive of Villamartin. There are also another nine courses within 30 minutes including, La Manga, Mosa Trajectum, Alicante, Alenda, Haciena De Alamo, La Marquesa, El Plantio, Bonalba, & Altorreal.

Torrevieja, situated next to the sea in the south of the Costa Blanca region is surrounded by two beautiful and large natural saltwater lagoons which form the well-known “Salterns of Torrevieja” considered the biggest in Europe and second in the world. Torrevieja is famous in Spain for it’s many festivals – the biggest festival being the Habaneras festival in August. For forty years, every August, Torrevieja has held its traditional Competition of Habaneras and Polyphony, which now has an international character, since it is one of the greatest cultural celebrations in Europe. Voices from all over the world come together in Torrevieja, and the Habanera sings its way out of the competition precincts, and becomes the folklore of the locals. For a whole week, Torrevieja sways to the rhythm of the Habanera, with its tropical flavour from Cuba. The competition awakes the interest of thousands of people throughout Spain, who experience it each year in Torrevieja. The festival attracts a live and television audience of hundreds of thousands of people.

More Britons than ever are looking to move abroad and Spain is one of the most popular destinations, according to a recent survey undertaken by the Leeds Building Society. Over half of people taking part in the survey said that they had considered emigrating and thirteen per cent said they were looking to make the move in the near future. Many people have chosen to move to the Costa Blanca area of Spain.

Scuba Diving in Costa Rica: Why an Amazing Quest?

Scuba diving in Costa Rica is distinct from any other scuba diving location. It presents two different, widely diverse locations for diving. There are many different things to see and experience. Somehow, like any scuba diving adventure, it is best to have a guide that is familiar with the area. In this way, you will be assured with great fun and safe dive.

If you are not familiar with scuba diving and would like to get a sight with the amazing underwater world that Costa Rica has to offer, many of of the motels, as well as the travel companies, offer scuba diving lessons. Near perfect conditions such as excellent water temperatures to amazing marine life makes scuba diving in Costa Rica among the best. There are many admirable destinations to dive on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The area called Bahia Drake has amazing dive spots, especially around the Isla del Cano, as well as the Isla del Coco. Off the coasts of the two islands is an amazing display of marine wildlife. Around these islands are rich of sharks, sea turtles, and several different species of fish, making them the perfect underwater paradise for divers.

Around the Isla del Cano, over eighteen different species of coral, several species of dolphin, and many more species of crustaceans are also found. Also on the Pacific coast, you can encounter many different species of shark, including the dangerous hammerhead and the enormous Whale Shark. On the other hand, while the Pacific coast is copious with beautiful fish and interesting sea life, it pales in comparison to the wildness of the Caribbean coast. There are very few scuba diving centers on the Eastern coast of Costa Rica, however, the diving is still premier.

Failure to explore the amazing shipwrecks, scuba diving in Costa Rica would not be complete. The Caribbean Coast offers three. The first is the Fenix, which was a cargo ship that sank off the coast of Isla Uvita in Costa Rica many years ago. Further south you will find Cahuita National Park and a reef stretches for nearly seventeen hundred feet long and covers a total of 63,828,741 square feet.

It is on this reef where the second and third shipwrecks can be seen; two galleons of either Spanish or French origins, believed to be pirate ships, sunk in only twenty-three feet of water. Their surroundings could not have been more apt for a shipwreck, surrounded by the beauty of an incredible coral reef and thousands of fish of different species. Knowing the outstanding underwater worlds that blossom on either side of Costa Rica will bring much excitement to visit and experience scuba diving in Costa Rica.

Want to find out more about Scuba diving in Costa Rica, then visit MyDiveBuddies site and start planning your scuba dive today.

The Best Costa Rican Tourist Attractions

For its small size, Costa Rica packs a wallop in the number of tourist attractions it has for its visitors. There are Costa Rican tourist attractions in every region of the country with sights that you wonâ??t be able to see anywhere else. Take a trip to the Arenal Volcano Observatory Park where you can stand on the observation deck to have magnificent views of an active volcano. The park also offers hiking opportunities to cascading waterfalls, towers and monuments. You can even choose to stay in the park because there is a lodge within its boundaries.

The church of Our Lady of Los Angeles is the most famous church in the country. It is located in Cartago in the Central Valley. The story behind this church is that a statue was discovered on this site in 1635 and miraculously reappeared after it was removed. A church was then built on the site and the location became the site of shrine to which thousands of pilgrims journey on August 2 of each year. Many healings have been attributed to this church and the site of the gifts and offerings left by those healed is an impressive sight.

On the Central Pacific Coast you have to see and walk the Rainmaker. This is a series of suspension bridges that run through the canopy of the rainforest, the first aerial walkway in Central America. From the walkway you can see a trail through the rainforest as well as many waterfalls. At its highest point the bridges are 25 stories tall. In this same area, you can also take the Rainforest Aerial Tram that moves along the rainforest canopy. There is a naturalist guide on every trip to point our sights of interest and to alert you to the sight of animals you otherwise may miss.

In Monteverde, two of the must see attractions are the Cloud Forest and the Butterfly Garden. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve where you can see thousands of species of birds and animals in their natural habitat. The hike through the forest is very scenic with tall trees, rapids and waterfalls. At the Butterfly Garden, you will see hundreds of species of butterflies in the screened garden. There are many photo opportunities to see butterflies in virtually every color of the rainbow.

Visit the oldest park in the country, Santa Rosa Park, when you visit the Northwest. It is here you will see the nesting sea turtles on the beach. There are attractive beaches here that are open to the public and there is a vast network of hiking trails that lets you see the wildlife and plant life of the area. This World Heritage Site is the last remaining dry rainforest in Central America.

San Jose is a treasure trove of tourist attractions, chief of which is the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum.  Here you will see one of the largest collections of gold from before the discovery of the country by Christopher Columbus. In addition to the gold artifacts, this museum also house paintings and a postal stamp museum. The Jade Museum houses one of the largest collections of Jade, but it also offers the most breathtaking views of the city from the windows of the 11th floor.

Costa Sur Hotel at Cuba’s Trinidad

Recently, an international familiarization group related to the tourism sector and organized by the Cuban-Spanish Cubanacán travel agency arrived at the ancient Trinidad villa, in the Cuban central-south region where interesting details related to history, culture and leisure emerged, such as the reopening of a new hotel, the Costa Sur.

Tour operators, travel agents and specialized journalists visited varied sites such as the Pio Cua Restaurant in the Ciénaga de Zapata, and other interesting spots such as the Iberostar Trinidad hotel, as well as Brisas Trinidad, Ancón, Las Cuevas and the amusement centre Má Dolores, in addition to a city tour.

Nevertheless, the core of the visit dealt with the reopening of the Costasur Hotel, the fundamental aim of the trip.

The appealing Cuban hotel Club Amigo Costasur reopened to meet the increasing needs in relation to European tourists.

This facility counts currently with 132 rooms and it is located 300 kilometers to the east of the capital, in the south-central area.

Precisely, it is located in the city of Trinidad, in the province of Sancti Spíritus, famous due to the preservation of the colonial architecture and founded by Spanish colonizers on the 30th of November, 1514.

The Costasur reopened officially on the 30th of November, 2007, in the villa declared World Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO).

Nevertheless, it restarted operations on last November 6th fully booked, at 100 percent, with European travelers mainly.

Among the new offers of this lodging, it is worth to highlight the buffet of the La Santísima Trinidad restaurant, made after the ship of the same name built in 1769 at the Cuban docks.

The hotel was inaugurated the 25th of July, 1975; and in 2001 gained popularity among the Canadian travelers, and after a hurricane it was completely renewed.

Cuba counts on more than 40 thousand rooms in around 200 hotels spread all over the country and it promotes the strategy of a sustainable and maintainable tourism.

Operations of this nationâ??s tourist group Cubanacán grow in order to celebrate the 20 years of its creation, stated the management.

Cuba receives more than two million travelers from all over the world each year, and they claim for more destinations related to nature, history and culture.

Nevertheless, the Cuban authorities anticipated on December 5, 2007, more recent data, an increase of 7,5 percent for this Islandâ??s tourist industry during the winter season.

A report of the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR), received by the tour operators that visited the Costa Sur, shows that they expect only for that â??high tourist seasonâ? period, on December 2007 to April 2008, to receive 1,3 million foreign travelers.

That is why, with all this data in their hands and the marvels they found in Trinidad, they realized that Cuba features many sites worth to be visited.

Precisely, Hotel Costasur is located in a site that it is ideal to enjoy the marine view, as well as hiring diverse seafaris.

Costa Smeralda: The Luxury Tourist Destination

Costa Smeralda, also known as the Emerald Coast, is located on the northern part of the island of Sardinia. Considered one of the premier vacation tourist destinations, Costa Smeralda is over 55 kilometers long and actually covers more than 30 square kilometers. If you have Costa Smeralda in your sights as your next vacation destination, here are some fascinating facts that you are sure to find interesting about this beautiful area of Sardinia.

Some of the towns in Costa Smeralda have quaint sounding names like Olbia, Porto Cervo, Arzachena and Liscia di Vacca. Wealthy Europeans, Russians, Americans and Arabs arrive in at the Costa Smeralda in style via private jet, which is accessible in Olbia or by helicopter service. The Perveo, which is a renowned golf club, caters to some of the most affluent people in the world.

Living in the Lap of Luxury in Costa Smeralda

There are many luxury hotels, such as the Hotel Romazzino, Hotel Pitrizza, the Cervo Hotel, and the Cala Di Volpe, are the five star choices found here. You can expect to spend two to three thousand US dollars during the prime tourist season. Complete privacy is guaranteed here. Many celebrities are here each season and often explore the ocean through the use of chartered boats. The hotels have private marina access, but the parties are normally held in Porto Cervo. The least crowded times are during September and October, when the temperatures are about 72-84 degrees. June is also very pleasant and not very crowded.

Timing Your Vacation to Costa Smeralda

If you are planning a vacation to Costa Smeralda you should coincide it with one of the many exciting events that place here.

Each September, these towns are inundated by tourists who eagerly await the start of the Sardinia Cup, a sailing regatta that is held right off the coast. With several famous boats in this competition the annual sailing regatta is a huge attraction.

But boats are not the only thing that draws people here. There are polo matches that are held from April to October near Arzachena. The popular Italian Film Festival, which is held in Tavolrar every year and the annual vintage car rally are other events that attract tourists from all over the world.

Getting a Taste of the Past in Costa Smeralda

You’ll also find the Tomba dei Giganti, or the Giants’ Grave here. Built during the Bronze Age, the Giants’ Grave is a Sardinian megalithic grave named by the locals. There are over 320 of these sites throughout Sardinia. A stone cairn covers the burial chamber. Some have an entrances similarly shaped to the cairn tombs found in Ireland.
There are two different types of the Giants’ Tombs. There are slab types, in which large slabs are buried on their end into the ground. They are usually arranged next to each other. There is a stele, which is normally the largest slab and there will usually be a doorway cut all the way through it. The sepulchers are usually rectangular and the burial chambers are between 5 to 15 meters long. They are around a meter to two meters high. These structures were covered with a mound that resembled a ship that had overturned. Close to the entrances, there is usually an obelisk, which was used to symbolize the ancestors or gods what watch over the graves.

There are more primitive giant’s tombs. On these, that central slab’s doorway is cut at the base. There are often three slabs used to make the entranceway. These are found throughout Sardinia as well.

Costa Smeralda offers something for everyone. From the beautiful beaches to the wonderful history of the area, you’re sure to find something that peaks your interest. You may even sight a celebrity or two. While there are five star luxury hotels, you can also find cheaper accommodations the farther inland you go.

Costa Smeralda is simply one of the best locations to spend your next vacation. You’re sure to enjoy the weather and the people are very affable. When planning your next vacation, consider this beautiful area of the world.

Cruise South America With Costa Cruises

An adventurous cruise through South America will take in a huge array of wildlife, you could see many natural wonders and some spectacular scenery, and even lost cities along the way. Rich with beauty and atmosphere, a South American cruise truly is a unique experience.

For travellers who are in search of breath taking mountain views, vast tropical rainforests and natural, rugged beauty a South American cruise really is it. The west coast of Chile with deep fjords and icy glaciers is something to behold. In contrast you could experience the tropical atmosphere of a mangrove river in Costa Rica or explore a tranquil fishing village in Mexico. This huge continent covers many thousands of miles and has equatorial tropics and sub Antarctic regions. There are fourteen countries and territories that make up the continent and that means some wonderfully diverse cultures as well as many interesting animals to be seen, from Whales to Penguins and Sea Lions as well as many tropical birds.

This is adventure cruising, and as well as the main cruise itself, you will probably want to take excursions away from your ship in order to truly experience this region. Boat up the Amazon to see the jungle surround you and a wonderful array of wildlife and birds that just can’t be seen anywhere else. Take an excursion to see OIinda, a wonderful Portuguese hilltop town which is now a UNESCO world heritage site. Or sightsee in the exotic and cosmopolitan Rio de Janeiro. You might even take in Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands on your route and experience a little slice of Britain out in the South Atlantic.

Travel round the Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of the southernmost continent, and visit Patagonia, a vast landscape of deserts and mountains that stretch between Chile and Argentina which in it’s gentlest parts looks something like the wildest areas of Scotland, here you can go penguin spotting and visit the national glacier parks, and possibly even see a killer whale. There are so many places to visit in this area that no cruise can take them all in, but whichever route you choose you are bound to experience some wonderful sights, and if visiting Antarctica appeals to you, it is possible to take a day cruise out there from some main cruises, but these can be expensive at around £1,500 per person for this day event. It is however a once in a lifetime experience.

In between visits to exotic places, there is of course the wonder of the South Atlantic ocean to see. From your ship at night you will be able to view the stars over the water in this vast unspoilt area, and there are many aquatic creatures to look out for along the way in the daytime such as the South American sea lion which can be found on the Peruvian, Uruguayan, Argentine and Chilean coasts. So, with fine dining aboard ship and adventurous trips inland to be taken, as well as incredible wildlife and astounding landscapes and seascapes to be seen, most people enjoy cruising this area which is like no other anywhere on the globe.

Golfing and Golf Courses of Costa Del Sol Spain

This region has been nicknamed Costa del Golf with a good reason, as it is a paradise for the golfers with about 70 golf courses in Andalucía, and the Costa del Sol boasts of almost 50 of them. There are four golf courses in the region which are among the top ten in Europe.

The first thought which comes to our mind when we hear Costa del Sol, Spain would be sea, sand and the sun. This part of Spain has been endowed with an abundance of natural seaside, beaches and coves. The coastline is about hundred kilometers long with a number of shimmering beaches all the way along.

Spain is fast becoming the golfing Mecca of Europe. It has a winning recipe with world class courses designed in spectacular settings and weather which offers golf all the year round for all golfers to enjoy.

The Spanish mainland as well as the islands are home to an amazing assortment of golf courses and golfing, for golfers with all skill level, taste as well as budgets. You can enjoy golf from the Costa del Golf in Andalucía to the stunning courses in Catalonia situated in the foothills of the Pyrenees.

This is no wonder that the country is one of the most sought after golf holiday destinations in the world. Costa del Sol or better known as Costa del Golf has a number of golf courses which can fulfill the requirements of all golfers. As new courses are being designed even the most frequent golfer will have new challenges every time he visits this region of Spain.

Every year thousands of north European golfers make it their winter destination. With its concentration of varied courses along the coastline and foothills of the mountain ranges. This region offers the golfer ideal weather with its warm and sunny climate. In fact if you love playing golf then a visit to Costa del Sol in Spain is a must.

The region of Costa del Sol offers numerous world class clubs such as Valderrama, which is the most celebrated golf course in Spain and was home to the Ryder Cup in 1997 and the World Golf American Express Championships in 1999 and 2000. This club has also become the sacred venue for the esteemed Volvo Masters tournament.

There are some other well known clubs including Torrequebrada the impressive and challenging Monte Mayor, which is a golf course designed on the mountainside and has the unmatched panorama of the Gibraltar, Mediterranean and North Africa. San Roque is another famous club which has a golf academy started by Seve Ballesteros and an equestrian centre managed by Captain Mark Phillips.

With the huge success of the Ryder Cup, golf has been taken to new heights at Costa del Sol in Spain and it has also gained worldwide appreciation. This has seen the designing of top quality courses in this region to cater to the ever growing demand with Finca Cortesin Golf Course the most recent championship course to play in Costa del Sol, Spain.

The reasons are many and over the years Costa del Sol has demonstrated that the numero uno destination for golfers looking for interesting, challenging as well as a relaxing golf vacation is here.