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February 23, 2009

Eastern Europe: a Surprisingly Romantic Honeymoon Destination

Filed under: Honeymoon — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — myroadtotravel @ 12:27 pm
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Croatian Coastline - Book your Honeymoon at myroadtotravel

Until the 1989 fall of the Berlin wall, Eastern Europe was one of the last places in the world where Westerners would have considered spending their honeymoons. It was a place of foreboding gray and Communist red architecture, where the once vibrant cultures of the independent Eastern European nations had been subdued into ideology.

The Eastern Europe of today, however, is a honeymooners’ delight, with welcoming locals, affordable accommodations, mesmerizing history, and unforgettable scenery. From the bustle of the market squares in the major cities to the quiet, almost surreal surroundings of Lake Bled, your Eastern European honeymoon will have something you will not find anywhere else.

 Honeymooning in Eastern Europe will let you experience cultures as varied as the geography of their nations. You can spend one day basking on golden beaches or biking through the vineyards of Crete, and another strolling along Vienna’s Kohlmarket, where you can relax with cake and coffee at Demel, perhaps the premier chocolatier in all of Europe.

If the romance of ancient ruins captivates you, head for the village of Pula on the southwestern Croatian coast. As long ago as 177 BC, Pula was an outpost of the Roman Empire at its amphitheater dates back to the first century. The amphitheater, which measures 435′ x 345′ is one of the best preserved of all those built by the Romans. You will be able to visit its lower levels, where both gladiators and wild animals were housed until they were ready to do battle.

You will find other historical treasures in every major city of Eastern Europe, from Warsaw and Kraków in Poland to Budapest in Hungary. A marvelous way to spend your Eastern European honeymoon would be to focus on the sites along the Danube Bend, which flows past the Hungarian towns of Szentendre, Visegrad, and Esztergom. If you are honeymooning between April and the end of October, you can book passage on a boat excursion in Budapest, and enjoy the marvelous scenery and hilltop castles as you glide along the Danube to the town of your choice.

Your honeymoon in Eastern Europe will give you and your new spouse both a romantic getaway, and an adventure in one of the world’s most newly revitalized areas!

Remember to explore Eastern Europe with myroadtotravel.com

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February 11, 2009

Frommers.com

Filed under: Link Site — Tags: , , , , , — myroadtotravel @ 6:37 am

frommers

We at Frommer’s want to help you explore your travel destinations the way locals do. Whether you’re venturing close to home or across the globe, whether your budget is limited or limitless, we strive to live up to your discerning approach to travel by delivering the most candid and reliable information on this Web site and in our guidebooks and products.

Since the 1957 publication of Arthur Frommer’s revolutionary Europe on $5 a Day, the Frommer’s collection of travel products has expanded to include over 300 guidebooks as well as this popular Frommers.com Web site, reaffirming Frommer’s as the most trusted name in travel today.

Frommers.com is an essential online destination for those planning the perfect travel excursion. Not only can Frommers.com visitors easily find candid, timely articles written by Frommers.com experts, they also can read excerpts from and purchase Frommer’s Guidebooks, while gaining additional insights from our lively message boards and purchasing travel products and services from our high-quality booking partners.

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February 10, 2009

The Island of Maui – Hawaii at Its Best

Book your Maui Vacation at myroadtotravel.com

Book your Maui Vacation at myroadtotravel.com

Vacationing on the Hawaiian island of Maui is actually vacationing in two distinct biospheres.  The western part of Maui contains a mountainous area including 5788-foot high Pu’u Kuku, deep canyons where rainbows seem to grow like wild vines, and the highly developed leeward beaches skirting the town of Lahaina.

Maui’s much larger eastern area, known as Haleakala, contains a 10,023-foot high active volcano, desert areas that border an enormous rain forest, and Maui’s famous South Shore, one of the most beautiful beach resort areas on Earth.  Maui’s two landmasses are divided by central Maui, the location of Kahului Airport.  The depression which is central Maui is responsible for the island’s nickname, the Valley Isle.

Maui’s remarkably diverse landscape is what makes it an all-in-one vacation paradise.  Visitors to Maui can indulge themselves in pastimes ranging from hikes along tortured volcanic landscapes and snorkeling in calm waters as brilliant tropical fish dart about beneath them.  Maui also offers world-class shopping and dining, Hawaii’s first sugar plantation and old resort, and villages in which the ancient Hawaiian culture mingles easily with the 21st century.

Driving along Maui’s busy roads will take you past ancient “heaiu,” stone platforms once used in ceremonies of worship.  You will see the smoke stacks of abandoned sugar mills, and broadcast networks housed in the same brick structures which once sheltered missionaries.  A visit to the town of Lahaina will introduce you to Hawaii’s whaling past at the Whaling Museum, but it will also offer you the opportunity to attend a surf school and try your luck at hanging ten.  If you want to leave Hawaii having experienced an authentic luau, and not the touristy versions offered at most wired resorts, the Old  Lahaina Luau is the place to do it.

One of the most famous roads in the Hawaiian islands is Maui’s Road to Hana.  Its one lane bridges and frightening turns are legendary, but no more so than its waterfalls and thickly forested gullies plummeting down to the coastlines.  Driving the 55 miles of the Road to Hana will let you experience Maui at its pristine best, and the nerve-wracking part of the journey will be broken up with your frequent stops for photo opportunities.  You will pass countless roadside stands selling fresh fruit and flowers, available at bargain basement prices.  To patronize these stands is to contribute significantly to the local economy.

If you decide to travel the road to Hana, consider renting a 4-wheel drive vehicle because of the options it will give you.  When you arrive in Hana, having 4-wheel drive will let you keep going until you reach the Ohe’o Gulch.  Known for its seven mountain stream-fed pools, Ohe’o Gulch is a great place to park and enjoy a refreshing swim.  In a secluded area off the road about a mile past the Ohe’o Gulch is the final resting place of Charles A. Lindbergh.

Even without four-wheel-drive, however, you can cool off in the waters off Hamoa Beach, just two miles outside of Hana. 

The waters off Maui are the winter home of more than half of the Pacific Ocean’s humpback whale population.  After spending their summer in the rich feeding grounds of  the Arctic, the whales migrate south to the warmth of Hawaiian waters to breed and give birth.  Between the months of November and April, whale watching opportunities abound on Maui.  Whale watching cruises are allowed to come within 100 yards of these remarkable creatures.  You can also view the magnificent humpbacks atop MacGregor Point Lookout or while perched on the sands at the northern end of Keawakapu beach.

Maui is not an island which will reveal all its treasures in a single visit.  It’s rain forests and volcanoes merit separate visits of their own, so when you plan your first trip to Maui, do not try squeeze in more than you can properly enjoy!

Book your trip to Maui at myroadtotravel.com

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February 9, 2009

Hawaii- Big Island, Big Attractions

Filed under: Hawaii Travel — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — myroadtotravel @ 7:04 pm
Book your next Hawaii vacation at myroadtotravel

Book your next Hawaii vacation at myroadtotravel

What are the features which draw people to return to Hawaii’s Big Island year after year? Is it the call of the mountain’s, the rain forest, and the waterfalls? Is it the charm of the small villages, or the open spaces of the upland ranches and coffee plantations? Maybe it is just the magnificent beaches, and the world-class restaurants and hotels. Perhaps it is the magical secret garden known as the Valley of the Kings.

It could be the fascinating Kilauea Volcano, the lava flows of which are still shaping the island. The truth is that there is many reasons to return to the Big Island as there are visitors who return to it.

If you are about to embark on your first visit to Hawaii’s Big Island, however, you are in for the most magical vacation of your life. The Big Island is a study in contrasts where vast areas of pristine land border dynamic cities like Kona. If you are like most tourists, in fact, you will begin your stay on the island in Kona. Doing so will give you a chance to get your bearings, to soak up some sun on the Big Island’s beaches, and enjoy some of Hawaii’s underwater marvels by snorkeling through the coral reef in Kealakekuea Bay.  If you prefer to enjoy the water from above, you can rent a kayak and paddle through the paths of spinner dolphins on your way to Captain Cook’s monument.

You cannot leave the big Island without having visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The Kilauea Volcano has been spewing lava for the past quarter century and is only one of the Big Island’s five live volcanoes. The Mauna Loa volcano last erupted in 1984, but geologists expect that it will erupt again at any time.  Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has more than 140 miles of trails, and you really need to camp there if you are going to take advantage of your opportunities for exploration. Even if your time is limited, however, you should make a point of driving through the entire park.

The enormous amounts of rainfall which cascade on the city of Hilo each year have earned it the title of America’s rainiest city. Do not let that prevent you from visiting, however, because this historic and charming little town will offer perfect picture taking opportunities with its 20 acre Nani Mau Gardens, and the legendary Naha and Pinao Stones. The Pinao Stone is said to have once been an entrance pillar to an ancient temple on the Wailuku River.

The town of Puako, just outside the Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area, is known for its enormous tide pools, which shelter numerous sea creatures including live corals.  Puako, however, is not on the major tourist routes, so there are few facilities there.

If you think any scenery looks better when viewed from the back of a horse, head for King’s Trail Rides O’Kona.  Their two-hour excursion will take you to the Captain Cook monument at Kalakekua Bay, where you can enjoy a bit of snorkeling before remounting and returning to the stable. For a full day in the saddle, try the five-hour hidden waterfall adventure offered at the Waipi’o Ridge Stables.  You will circle the rim of the Waipi’o Valley and be given time to refresh yourself with a dip in the waterfall.

A rugged trail winds through the lush green spaces of the Pololu Valley, descending to Polulo Beach and a jagged coastline complete with a number of waterfalls. If you find the trail to challenging on foot, you can hire a sure-footed mule. The valleys beyond the Pololu Valley are the source of water for the big Island’s Kohala Ditch, once used to transport water to the local sugar plantations. Kayak cruises are available through the ditch, if you are interested in learning more about the history of the sugar plantations.

No matter where you go on the Big Island, you will see more than you can fully appreciate in a single visit. So why not take it for granted that your first visit to the Big Island will be only one of many, many more!

Remember to book your next Hawaii vacation at www.myroadtotravel.com



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February 7, 2009

Kid Friendly Cruise Ship Vacations

Enjoy booking your next cruise at www.myroadtotravel.com

Enjoy booking your next cruise at www.myroadtotravel.com

There’s no vacation quite like a vacation taken on board a cruise ship.  More than ten million Americans now enjoy the luxury of a cruise each year, and the majority of them travel with their families.  Because the demand for family cruises has grown so much, in fact, all the major cruise lines have revamped their ships with improved facilities to appeal to their customers regardless of age. 

A few of the cruise lines have decided to target families with children. Their efforts to provide affordable cruises which offer plenty of kid’s activities and clubs, and on-board areas reserves strictly for the under-12 set, along with all the amenities to keep Mom and Dad comfortable and occupied, have earned them plenty of repeat business.  Disney, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival Cruise Lines are three cruise operators known for providing maximum kid value for your vacation dollars.

While the activities aimed at kids under twelve will vary from cruise line to cruise line, here are some of the more popular ones:

Carnival Cruise’s Camp Carnival is divided in to four age categories, with programs supervised by trained counselors running throughout the day from 9:00 AM to 10:00PM.  Toddler activities (ages 2-5) include finger and face painting, storytelling, sand and Play-Doh art, and Sony Playstation 2 activities.

Junior level six-to-eight year olds can do what the toddlers do but can also enjoy a pirate hunt, or compete in an ice-cream eating contest and a junior Olympics.  Intermediate level nine-to eleven year olds can try jewelry making or scavenger hunts.  They also have nighttime swim parties and ping-pong tournaments, and can show off their vocal talents at karaoke.  For rainy day kid fun, Carnival has youth spa treatments and the H2Ocean science program which teaches kids how to make ice cream.

Like Carnival Cruises, Disney Cruise Lines divides their under-12 activities according to age groups, beginning with the infant and toddler nursery, the Flounder’s Reef, staffed by child-care specialists.  Older kids can learn to draw cartoon characters, or make their own pirate flags to be judged by, of course, Captain Hook!  They can also practice their investigative skills as members of Goofy’s Gumshoe Investigators, or watch a homemade volcanic eruption!   Disney removes all the worry about traveling with your youngsters by supplying you with pagers when you drop them off for their day’s activities.

Royal Caribbean offers three age groups under 12 in their Adventure Ocean program, with activities scheduled for varying hours depending on whether your ship is at sea or in port.  They also include parent/kid activities like talent shows and scavenger hunts.  One feature which sets the Adventure Ocean Club apart is that your kids will be kept busy onshore as well as on the ship, with supervised beach parties, crab hunts, and sand castle building contests.

If your reservation about taking a cruise vacation has been that the kids would be bored out of their minds, nothing could be further from the truth.  While the three cruise lines discussed here have excellent activity programs for kids under 12, they are by no means the only ones which do.  So put away those reservations, and book the cruise ship reservations which will give you and your kids the vacation of a lifetime today!

Remember to book your next cruise at www.myroadtotravel.com



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