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Chicago is famed for a number of things, but many people don’t associate the city with its amazing park district. This is a shame because with more than 7300 acres of parkland, encompassing 552 parks, 16 lagoons, 33 beaches and housing one of the world’s largest fountains, it is truly a great place to visit.

One of the most impressive and popular landmarks is definitely the Buckingham Fountain. The fountain is a great draw for tourists when it is turned on in April to signal the onset of summer. Constructed of Georgia pink marble, the attraction was first opened in May 1927 and still puts on spectacular 20 minute displays every day from mid April through to early fall, on the hour every hour between 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. The displays consist of all the fountain’s 134 jets shooting approximately 14,100 gallons of water per minute, with the center jet shooting 150 feet into the air accompanied by a tremendous light and music presentation.

The fountain was originally designed by Edward H. Bennett, influenced by the Latona Basin in Louis XIV’s gardens at Versailles, to represent Lake Michigan with four sea horses, created by Marcel Loyau, to symbolize the four states that touch the lake.

The fountain was dedicated to the people of Chicago in 1927 in memory of Clarence Buckingham, the late brother of Kate Buckingham who commissioned the creation of the structure. Kate Buckingham had a vision to construct a fountain which created the effect of “soft moonlight”, and she worked tirelessly with the fountain’s many technicians to test out a variety of colors for the glass filters and different water currents in order to produce a mystical, ethereal feel to the whole piece.

The pond life around the area is often teeming with frogs, herons, and dragonflies, and the shrubs are frequently filled with resting migratory birds; the lush prairie region is also embedded with native grasses and wildflowers, making the Park District of Chicago a beautiful and serene place to go to while staying in the city. It is within easy distance of the Sears tower, one of the tallest buildings in the world, with its new Skydeck, the up market Merchandise Mart Mall, which will make even the most enthusiastic of power shoppers happy, and luxury hotels like the fabulous Conrad Hotel - so you can get a taste of nature but enjoy all the luxury and amenities that a big city can provide.

Andrew Regan is an online journalist who enjoys socialising at his local Edinburgh rugby club.

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Famous for its endless sandy beaches, scenic mountains and rich coral reefs, the Red Sea Riviera provides an exquisite destination for an unforgettable holiday.

Located on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, Africa, the Red Sea Riviera consists of a number of resort cities lying on the western shore of the Gulf of Aqaba and along the eastern shore of mainland Egypt, south of the Gulf of Suez. Choose from any of the listed popular destinations and enjoy your vacation with Pel Tours this season!

Sharm El-Sheikh
Nestled between the calm shores of the Red Sea and the national park of Ras Mohammed, Sharm el-Sheikh is the jewel of the Sinai Peninsula. For many visitors, the most striking scenery of this region is underwater in the colourful reefs encircling the peninsula. At this most extraordinary diving destination, you can snorkel or dive into an underwater playground of shipwrecks, coral gardens and azure-blue waters.

A multiplicity of hotels, restaurants, shops and bars lend Sharm El-Sheikh a cosmopolitan character. Naama Bay, with its hotels and diving centres, is the main tourist spot, while the resorts of Ras Um Sid, Ras Nasrani, Sharks Bay and Nabq Bay are also popular. Local excursions include diving courses and trips, desert safaris, and trips to Mount Sinai and the St Catherine’s Monastery.

Sharm El-Sheikh also offers great diving trips at the Ras Mohammed National Marine Park, which offers spectacular views of marine life and corals as well as shipwrecks for divers of all standards.

Dahab
Dahab, the Arabic word for gold, truly describes its sun-bathed beaches, which are a combination of soft sand, gorgeous blue water, and a luxuriant strip of palm trees spread all over. Almost 5 miles from town is the famous diving centre - Blue Hole. Towards the Israeli border is the Island of Coral, where the crusaders built a fort and the remains of which can still be seen.

Dahab has grown from a bustling village to an ideal retreat for holidaymakers and divers, wanting to escape from the chaos of everyday life. A 90-minute drive north of Sharm El-Sheikh, this holiday destination is an ideal resort for beginners and advanced divers, providing both shores and boat diving.

Assalah, the most developed part of Dahab, is an assortment of palm trees, campgrounds, shops, hotels, bars, and restaurants that lie along the shore of Ghazala Bay. This Bedouin village has a distinctly bohemian feel, and has some of the most spectacular, unspoiled and pristine dive sites off the Sinai peninsula.
Hurghada

One of Egypt’s foremost resorts, Hurghada has some of the finest underwater corals in the world surrounding the shoreline, making the area a haven for divers and holidaymakers alike. Diving in Hurghada is an excellent experience, and it is an ideal location for advanced divers and those wishing to further their technical diving skills.

From tiny nudibranchs to giant whale sharks, this area has it all for a perfect Red Sea diving holiday: hard and soft coral, turtles and dolphins, mantas and moray eels, napoleons and tuna, and much more, including the wreck graveyard at Sha’ab Abu Nuhas. Other activities include para-sailing, viewing the multi-coloured sea life from glass bottom boats, and deep-sea fishing.

Hurghada offers a wide variety of international cuisine and is famous for its excellent fish restaurants. During the night, this city comes alive with bustling bars, restaurants and clubs, and attracts a younger clientele, although revelers of all ages certainly won’t feel out of place.

El Gouna
Built on small islands and surrounded by lagoons and the Red Sea, El Gouna is a complete holiday destination offering all the amenities required for a relaxing holiday. This resort city offers great shopping, health treatments, and an excellent selection of restaurants, bars, clubs, beautiful beaches and uninhabited islands all within a 30-minute drive north of Hurghada.

In El Gouna, you can enjoy an unparalleled underwater paradise, travel through the desert, or take a hot-air balloon to experience some of the most beautiful scenery Egypt has to offer. It also has beautiful reefs with a good combination of hard and soft corals.

The city has three beautiful Red Sea beaches: Mangroovy, Zeytoona and Marina Beach. Although they do not have much underwater vegetation, these beaches are very beautiful, and swimming in them is a great experience.

El Quseir
To the south of Hurghada lies El Quesir a remote, un-commercialised coastal resort. Treasured for its peaceful location, it has become popular among holiday makers keen to experience the historical charm of Egypt yet relish in its slow pace. Inhabited since ancient times, this resort was an important commercial port in Roman times and later again as part of the spice route from India to Britain. It was also an important stopover in the pilgrimage from Egypt to Mecca. The ancient port still remains north of the town, and an Ottoman fort has also been recently restored.

Nuweiba
Nuweiba is a perfect destination for people looking for a quiet resort away from the main tourist areas. It is a small, peaceful area, situated on the shores of the Red Sea, giving easy access to the whole length of the Sinai coastline. This resort offers wonderful golden sandy secluded beaches and coves, stunning mountain scenery and a relaxed way of life.
Nuweiba is an ideal place to learn to dive - with beautiful coral reefs and gardens teeming with life. The area is a haven for photographers as the cerulean waters allow them to focus on the smaller species such as multi-coloured nudibranches. If you are lucky, you may encounter one of the several types of seahorse varieties when diving.
Taba and Taba Heights

Overlooking Jordan, Israel and Saudi Arabia, Taba is a paradise for active holidaymakers and outdoor types who enjoy the diving, surfing, sailing and catamarans, as well as walking or motorbike tours in the mountains. Recently, this city has experienced a growth spurt on its coastline and is now home to a number of leading hotel chains that have built luxurious resort hotels around a new luxurious resort called Taba Heights, which is 15km south of the border. Once completed, Taba Heights is expected to have 20 hotels, an 18-hole US Championship level golf course, a casino, a marina, as well as a full range of activities and water sports.

Darren Panto sales & marketing Peltours - the UK’s leading tour operator to Egypt and the Red Sea. For more information on Taba Heights and the major resorts of the area visit http://www.peltours.com/tabaheights/information.html Alternatively, for a full and comprehensive Egypt holiday search visit http://www.peltours.com

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If you have been given the job of finding a conference hotel, you’ll know that this can seem to be a daunting task. Whether it’s for a sales conference, a seminar you are holding or any other reason, you need to be sure that the your chosen conference hotel is up to the job.

Whenever possible, you should make arranIf you have been given the job of finding a conference hotel, you’ll know that this can seem to be a daunting task. Whether it’s for a sales conference, a seminar you are holding or any other reason, you need to be sure that the your chosen conference hotel is up to the job.

Whenever possible, you should make arrangements to visit the hotel before choosing it for your conference. Try to schedule several visits in the same day so that you don’t spend too much time away from your main job. And don’t be afraid to just call in to a hotel if it looks promising - you may have to wait a while to be seen, but it is highly unlikely that a hotel will turn you away if you are looking to run a conference there.

What to Look For in a Conference Hotel

Firstly, make sure that the conference room you are looking at is big enough for the conference you are holding. Your chosen hotel will tell you how many people the conference room will seat. There are several different ways of measuring the number of seats. The most common are:

Theatre style

Dining

Board room

Classroom

Reception

These names should be self explanatory, but if you are not sure then you should double check with your conference hotel before finalizing your booking.

If you need other facilities at your conference, you should check whether your hotel can supply them or if you need to bring your own.

Some of the things you need to check for when you are organizing a conference at a hotel include:

Flip charts and marker pens

Overhead projector

Slide projector

Sound system

Your chosen conference hotel will make a charge for using their conference room. If the conference is only to be held during the day, then there is no need for an overnight stay for your delegates. In this case, you will be charged a ‘day rate’. Usually, the day rate will include tea and coffee for breaks and possibly a buffet style lunch. As with everything else, you need to be certain about what is included in the price you are quoted.

If your conference lasts longer than a day, you should negotiate a special deal with your hotel so that delegates can stay overnight, probably at a special reduced conference rate. After all, you will be booking a number of delegates for your conference in the hotel, so you should expect a discount on their normal rates.

Copyright 2005 Smooth Hound

S Wander http://www.s-h-systems.co.uk offers affordable hotel and guest house accommodation throughout the world.

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