Accommodation, Asia, China, Hong Kong, Hotels, Regions- Read 2327 times

A Chinese Valentine’s – top 5 romantic hotel getaways in China

Valentine’s can be a difficult period. When romance blossoms, clichés bloom in equal measure – Paris, London, Rome and the like are all tried and tested destinations to spend a romantic trip, but ironically, tried and tested is not in the least bit romantic. With Valentine’s Day following immediately after Chinese New Year (11th-13th February), why not head over to the Far East to celebrate the Lunar New Year in style, and spend a loving holiday with your significant other in China?

If you have already been to China, then you know of the uniquely mystic romantic nature of the country, capable of being awe-inspiring and exasperating in equal measure, but always keeping you curious to find out more. If you haven’t yet, then this mysterious nation may just be the trip to light up an old (or new) flame…

1. The Peninsula, Hong Kong
‘The grand dame of Hong Kong’, ‘The finest hotel east of the Suez’: The Peninsula has many nicknames, including the affectionate ‘The Pen’, as it is known to many residents. Opened in 1928, the hotel and the Peninsula Group have long maintained a tradition of legendary service. With a modern tower addition that blends well with its original art deco structure, the hotel has everything from classic interiors to modern day amenities to a million dollar view. With a slew of world famous restaurants, including the regal Gaddi’s (if you’re going to propose, that’s the time to do it!), your dining options are also catered for in style. But to truly charm your loved one, pick the Peninsula Suite (one of the world’s most expensive) – exceptional views come with an exceptional price.

2. Park Hyatt, Shanghai
Occupying the 79^th to 93^rd floors of the world’s fourth tallest building, the Park Hyatt, housed in the Shanghai World Financial Centre in Pudong, ensures one thing: a dizzying view to take your romance to dizzy new heights! Contemporary minimalist décor may not elicit those memories of old, but if the view can’t help take your relationship to the next level, then nothing can! If it’s too late to book the Park Hyatt, try the alternative Hyatt on the Bund, which looks out onto the Shanghai World Financial Centre and the rising Pudong skyline from across the river.

3. Aman at Summer Palace, Beijing
If it’s old memories you’re looking to rekindle, look no further than Aman at Summer Palace in Beijing. The Summer Palace was once the guest quarters of Empress Dowager Cixi, but today provides a throwback to the Ming dynasty. With acclaimed boutique resort group Aman in charge of hospitality, a romantic retreat is sure to be featured heavily on the menu. If the prices don’t impress your significant other, then the spa treatments are sure to.

4. Banyan Tree Lijiang Resort & Spa, Lijiang
Man-made wonders wow, but natural miracles astound. Set high on a plateau in Southern China, the Banyan Tree Lijiang lets you drift off to an ethereal state. With sweeping views of the deep-cut valleys of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, with its peaks covered in glaciered snow, and its base in a picturesque supple green, the resort is unique in both its altitude and its architecture, replete with pagodas and villas shrouded with a traditional Chinese roof. Take a deep breath and let the thin, crisp air make you giddy with love again.

5. Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake, Hangzhou
If your idea of romance is akin to Hollywood movies, then the Four Seasons at West Lake may be the perfect sentimental getaway. Set amid the exotic suburbs of Hangzhou, the calm lake is a sight to be hold in the morning as the sun’s rays gently warm the city and break the mist that shrouds the lake, piercing the still water. If ever there were an occasion when you wouldn’t be mad for being woken up early, witnessing this spectacle would be it!

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Read almost any travel blog, including our own and you are going to hear constant talk of the benefits of a life of travel.

Do you have what it takes to free your mind and soul for a life of travel?

But at what cost?

There is nothing you do in life that does not involve some sort of sacrifice and there are many sacrifices that come with a life of travel. A lot of these are minuscule and can evaporate without a second thought once you step into that great unknown. Some of them, however, are a little harder to make and bear and quite often can be the very thing that prevents people from travelling in the first place.

Sacrifices of a Life of Travel

Family

You grow up in a particular family environment, you get married, move a couple of blocks or maybe neighborhoods away from your family home, have kids and start the cycle again.

This is the traditional way of living, which in today’s 21st century is not becoming so traditional anymore. We have so many options available to us that assist us in breaking free of this standard way of living.

Living a life of travel means foregoing this cultural expectation. It means leaving your family behind. For some this is too hard to take and so they don’t spread their wings and fly, others have their wings clipped by those who don’t want them to leave.

Since 1995 when my brother, Stilts, left to go overseas, I have seen him about once every two years. Since I left in 97, I have seen my sisters and parents about the same frequency.

But, we are extremely close. I never fight with my siblings, and rarely with my parents.

Because we rarely see each other, when we do our moments are filled with so much love, laughter, encouragement and good times. Spending months, or possibly years apart from your family does not mean that it spells the end of your relationship. I believe it can strengthen it in many ways.

We were lucky enough to be able to spend time with Craig’s sister almost every year we were away. We would meet up somewhere in the world. We have so many great memories of that. We also have the same experiences with our parents.

Quality will always trump over quantity.

You might be at home living near your family, but are you really creating memorable experiences every day?

Friendships

So many people cling to their friendships like they would to a piece of drift wood in the middle of a stormy sea. They see their friendships as defining who they are and without them they have nothing.

When you live a life of travel, you are going to leave many friends behind. This can be really tough to take. Your friends probably understand you more than your family do. How can you ever live without them? How can the life that you know it together ever be the same without you in it?

Once you start travelling you realize that the world is so big and you are capable of loving and having friendships with many different people. You will find friends from all walks of life and you will rejoice in it. There will be some friendships that will fade away in the distance as you will lose that common bond. You will still have your best friends though, the friends whose bond youshare is so strong nothing will tear it apart.

I am so happy and content with having those friends in my life. I come and go but each time I come it is like I never left and I love them all the same.

I have some friends whose common bond I share is a travel one. I could see them and speak to them once a year and it would be like it was yesterday.

Time and distance cannot destroy true friendships it can only strengthen them in different ways.

Career

Coming back last year to Australia to teach again has taught me how much living a life of travel has really put a hamper in my “career” path.

I suddenly discovered that my qualifications were no longer considered worthy and I was going to be shut out of teaching in Australia.

The bogans didn’t even want to look at the experience I had teaching in 5 countries, which included leadership positions. I now am treated as a first year teacher but get paid on a slightly higher level- five years, wiping out 9 years experience.

A life of travel can get in the way of building up job experience and climbing that ladder. But, if truth be known, I don’t really care about a career of teaching. I now care about living my passion and having a wealth of life experiences over job experiences.

The experiences I have had teaching around the world have made me a much better teacher, even though stupid executives in suits can’t look beyond their red tape to see this.

The skills I have learned from travelling make me much more able to take on new job and business opportunities.

Finances and Material Possessions

Craig and I often think how rich we would be if we never went travelling. It looks and sounds great for about five minutes and then we think of all we have spent our money on; all the experiences, the countries, the friends, the laughter, the joy, the lessons.

There will never be any materialistic possession that will never equate to this. You will have to come to terms with this sacrifice when it comes time to travel. You will have to make cutbacks when you are saving to travel, and you will make cutbacks when you are on the road.

This can really hurt. Who doesn’t want nice things? You have to weigh the sacrifice up with what you will get in return for it. Your travels will take all your money and savings, you won’t have anything tangible to show for it at the end, except for some awesome photos. But, you will have a lot of incredible memories.

Which one gives you more meaning, which one can you take with you at the end?

Living a life of travel has taught me to give up my need for materialistic things. I can walk away from it in an instance, as I know it does not matter. I really don’t own anything any more, and I am quite happy with that.

I spoke about this in my recent post on learning lessons from not winning the Mummy blog competition which would have resulted in me getting a brand new car. I really didn’t want the car as it was going to get in the way of my travels. I understood what was the bigger reward.

Home Ownership

I think about buying property again, and then it passes by quite quickly. I know what can come with ownership, mortgage, bills, stress, limitations. I’d much rather have my life of freedom on the road.

This sacrifice does not always come with travel. You can travel while still owning a home. You can rent it out and have someone else pay the mortgage for you. Craig and I did that for five years with two properties. It worked out really well for us.

And then we returned home to a “normal” life, couldn’t handle the loss of our life on the road, made some seriously stupid mistakes which came at a bad economic time, and lost a lot of what we had built.

Sometimes I wonder whether the sacrifice of travel caught up with us in the end, but I don’t think so. I think you can do both.

It only stopped working for us when we stopped doing what we loved.

Cultural

When you leave your culture to travel the world you are in some parts leaving all this behind. You think you will always hold true to your culture and that it will always remain the best in the world, but you will change, adapt to and take on the thoughts and beliefs of other cultures.

You will be sacrificing some of your own cultural ideals.

This can be at times hard to take, especially when you return home and are left with many feelings of not being able to fit in anymore, and of being somewhat of a traitor. (yes, don’t worry people won’t be shy in dropping comments to make you feel like you are)

But, if you feel like these new beliefs are now part of who you are and it works best for you then ignore them.

Travel is so enriching, there is nothing wrong with changing your view point on things. Its called evolution. Life can’t move forward with out change and usually it is for the better.

Why wouldn’t you want to grow for the better?

It doesn’t mean you love your culture any less, you just might love others just as much. Just like a mother who has a second child, she understands she is capable of loving on infinite multi- dimensional levels.

So you see the rewards really do outweigh the sacrifices. You’ve just got to change your thinking on it.

Source.

London tourism rates plunge during Olympics

Olympic tourists head straight for the Games and avoid the capital's other attractions and shopping destinations, according to some London businesses.Photo: AFP
The London 2012 Olympics appears to be deterring tourists from the capital's centre after warnings of travel chaos and overpriced hotel rooms, according to key industry figures. Many businesses complain they are being sidelined as tourists make a beeline for the Olympic Games and avoid the capital's other attractions and shopping destinations, while non-sports fans opt to stay at home or delay their trips.
In the run-up to the Olympics, commuters and tourists alike were warned to avoid central London, with millions of athletes, support staff, media and spectators descending on the capital for the greatest show on earth.
The Games have long been heralded as a key boost to the recession-hit British economy. But tourist numbers have fallen "dramatically" since the Games began, according to industry body the European Tour Operators Association.
"London has approximately 300,000 foreign and 800,000 domestic visitors every day in August. These people have been told implicitly that they should stay away and they have done so," said ETOA chief executive Tom Jenkins.
He argued that many were simply following official travel advice from Transport for London, which runs the capital's roads and railways.
"The numbers are currently dramatically down on last year. How far down will be determined by how long Transport for London maintains the 'don't come into London' campaign," added Jenkins.
"But they have been replaced by approximately 500,000 Games ticket holders, many of whom are Londoners, all of whom are here because they've come to watch sport.
"They are not necessarily interested in London as a tourist destination. They are not here to shop, sightsee or dine out," he said.
Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, agreed that too many tourists have heeded the official warnings, leading him to compare central London streets to a "ghost town".
"Our business is down by about 20-40 percent depending on the time of day," McNamara said.
"Normally about 90 percent of our customers are Londoners but they've all left the city and haven't been replaced by tourists.
"I don't know where all these tourists are or how they're getting about, but London is like a ghost town."
Many holidaymakers are meanwhile delaying their trips to London until September, following the end of the Olympics and Paralympics.
"Compared with the same period last year, bookings for London are very substantially down, whereas bookings for all other European cities are significantly up -- as is London in September," said Angela Skelly, head of hotel room provider JacTravel.
Despite the poor anecdotal evidence, tourism chiefs remain upbeat that London can prosper from the Olympics.
"We have always recognised that the London 2012 Games would present challenges as well as opportunities," said Mark Di-Toro, spokesman for tourism body VisitBritain.
"Host cities and countries usually experience a dip in tourism in the year of the Olympics and it is our ambition to buck that trend."
He added: "Indications are that hotels in London are around 80-percent full during Games time."
The British government hopes to generate deals worth more than £1.0 billion ($1.54 billion, 1.2 billion euros) over the Olympics, with £13 billion more over the next two or three years. The Games are costing £9.3 billion to stage

Palermo vs. San Telmo: Choosing the Right Neighborhood in Buenos Aires

When I first got to Buenos Aires, I was immediately struck by the huge size of the place. Take the local bus in from the airport and you’ll see what I mean. Barrio after barrio after barrio and dense with people everywhere!

Argentina Travel - Buenos Aires Traffic

My boyfriend, Jaime, and I had arrived in the city with the idea of staying a few months before starting our backpacking trip back to Colombia. Like always, we had put about 10 minutes of planning into the whole thing and as such when we got to the city we were a little lost.

Argentina Travel

Unlike many big cities, Buenos Aires has no central “travelers” area. There are hostels spread throughout the city and “must see” sites literally spread throughout nearly every barrio of the city. Choosing where to stay becomes super important, especially when you take into account the city’s crazy traffic and the hour or more that it can take to cross the city.

Argentina Travel - Buenos Aires

We ended up in El Centro at the first budget hostel we spotted. On first thought you would think that “El Centro” must be THE place to stay. Not really… The area has a few hostels and some great clubs along with the famous Casa Rosada, Florida Street, and Tortoni Cafe. That being said, the area is actually very much a business district and at night it can get a little sketchy in areas. Florida Street is particularly risky in the early mornings after the clubs close.

Argentina Travel - Buenos Aires Barrio

We quickly learned that the best areas in town for backpackers seem to be Palermo (in the north) or San Telmo (in the south). These neighborhoods are filled with great clubs, restaurants, budget hostels, plenty of sites to see, and a youthful vibe. They are also both pretty safe and have a good mix of travelers and locals. Picking the right neighborhood for your trip is vital though and one of the most important decisions you can make if you want to have a good trip. The trip between the two is over an hour, on a good day, so you better like the neighborhood you pick.

Argentina Travel - Buenos Aires Balconies

We ended up in both neighborhoods for a while and definitely learned the pros and cons of both San Telmo and Palermo. Here is what we saw:

San Telmo

This neighborhood in the south has a real, local Argentinian feel. Tango is danced on the street, steak houses and Italian food are everywhere, and locals can be seen stumbling out of bars nearly everyday as the sun starts to rise. It is a neighborhood with a rough exterior (political graffiti, worn down buildings) but a real soul.

Argentina Travel - Buenos Aires Tango Dancing

Things here are cheaper than in other areas of the city due mainly to the fact that it’s a locals’ neighborhood and not yet overrun with tourists. That being said, it is filled with some great hostels, hotels, and our favorite – the San Telmo Lofts. It’s also walking distance to a half dozen Buenos Aires sites: the obelisk, Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada, the famous Cafe Tortoni, Avenida Florida, and the Colon Theater. San Telmo also has one of the best street fairs in the city on Sundays which is famous for its antiques.

Argentina Travel - Buenos Aires Antique Markets

Palermo

This barrio is actually huge and often broken down into distinct regions such as Palermo Hollywood and Palermo Soho. As the names might give away, Palermo is a fashionable neighborhood. The area is filled with boutique hotels, incredible dance clubs with some of the world’s best DJs, restaurants that rival those in most European cities, and a youthful but high-end vibe. Don’t worry though; there are plenty of affordable hostels in Palermo as well.

Argentina Travel - Buenos Aires Streets

While San Telmo is known for its flea market antique fair, Palermo is known for its world famous designers. It has plenty to offer other than shopping though. Palermo is where you go in the city to see the famous parks of Buenos Aires. Locals swarm here on the weekend to rollerblade, bike, and to just relax or picnic in the grass. Palermo also has the city’s Botanical Gardens, the Buenos Aires Zoo, and the polo fields.

Argentina Travel - Buenos Aires Modern Architecture

The neighborhood has some the city’s best nightlife but not many small, casual bars. The outdoor cafes and restaurants though are fabulous and you will wonder if anyone eats at home. In general, it is one of the most safe barrios of Buenos Aires and many expats who have permanently retired to the city choose Palermo as home.

Argentina Travel - Buenos Aires

Both neighborhoods are great and both are worth seeing. San Telmo is kind of like the hippy district and Palermo is the glamorous side of town. They don’t fit in these boxes perfectly though. San Telmo is a good pick if you’re only in the city a few days and want to be close to all the sites. Palermo is a great place if you are planning on staying longer and want to check out great nightlife.

Argentina Travel - Buenos Aires Metal Flower

No matter where you end up, enjoy the city! We sure did!

Best cocktails around the world

During a vacation, discovering a new cocktail can help you discover what are the traditions and flavours that distinguish cities and nations. Some cocktails are often made with ingredients found only in specific parts of the world, which makes the taste of these drinks, quite interesting. Enjoy your cocktails in countries like:

Havana

The Cuban tourism is experiencing a time of great prosperity and some research have shown that among the cheapest flights in travel portals like British Airways and Scyscanner, are the flights to Cuba which you can book easily and cheap. Havana despite being known as the birthplace of the Caribbean rum is also famous for cocktails like the Cuba Libre, Mojito and Daiquiri. The second of these is one of the most respected and popular cocktails in the world and to experience the best, we recommend going to La Bodeguita del Medio, always surrounded by local personalities.

Cuban Rum Seller

Cuba Libre

Paris

Here in the capital of France where you can try the absinthe, the best of which is available at the Bar Cantada on Rue Moret, where it is has a great selection. Finally, for those looking for an original taste and unique cocktails in the world, the Hemingway Bar is recommended, because you can try such a Lemon Charlie or the special martini with black truffles and raspberries; yammiiii!!

Bar Cantada on Rue Moret

Hemingway Bar – Martini

Venice

Italy is also known for its juicy cocktails. At Harry’s Bar was born, for example the famous Bellini, the prosecco drink with peace. This place has also historical figures such as Guglielmo Marconi, Arturo Toscanini and Georges Braque.

Pouring Bellinis at Harry’s Bar, Venice

Its Spritz Time in Venice

New York

The Big Apple is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world and therefore it is not strange that the mixing of cultures, has led to the creation of a large number of cocktails. Among the best places we can remind the Pegu Club, which is widely regarded as one of the most avant-garde experimentation of cocktail, where the old formulas made fantastic drinks.

Pegu Club Cocktail

Cocktail Mixologist New York

Manchester

Not many are aware that Manchester is a city where you can drink the best cocktails in the world. One of the best places to try is the exceptional Keko Moku, the Polynesian-style place where you can find the Mai Tai, the Zombie and the unique Seven.

Keko Moku

Bar lights in Manchester