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The Catalan town of Alghero is located on the Northwest coast of Sardinia. Known throughout the world for its stunning beaches and characteristic old town centre it is fast becoming one of Europe’s holiday hotspots.
Alghero is an old fishing town that has embraced the tourist industry with two very large arms. Sprawling out along the coast line Alghero offers the tourist both the opportunity of a beach holiday or a small city break.

If you are looking to just relax and be somewhere that you can walk out the door and be on the beach you must stay in the Lido area. The Lido is Alghero’s own beach that runs all the way form Alghero to Fertilia, a small hamlet of Alghero. There are a number of hotels located in the area with sea views and private sun beds on the beach for residents. In the summer months the Lido comes to life with a number of bars, restaurants and pizzerias either on the beach or in the area and when the sun goes down you can find live music and parties on the beach.

For those who don’t want to be on the beach and want to experience a little more of the cultural side of Alghero there is the old town. Dating back to the 12th century the old town centre is truly something that must be seen to be fully appreciated. Have lunch along the battlements looking out to sea or take a stroll through the shops in the warren of cobble stone streets. There are a number of churches and historical places of interest to visit and many guided excursions to help make sure you do not miss anything.

The area of Alghero does of course spread beyond the boundaries of the city itself. There is Porto Conte with its natural wildlife reserve that spreads along the coast line in complete natural beauty. Reachable either by land or by boat excursion there is Capo Caccia and Neptune’s Grotto which is a must for any visitor to Alghero.

Away form the coast there is also much to see and do. Why not visit an Agriturismo, a working farm that has lodging and restaurant facilities serving up only produce from the farm.

As mentioned earlier Alghero is a Catalan town and although much of the cuisine available is Italian there are a few Catalan influences to be found. Why not try Paella Algherese or Catalan lobster (served cold with fresh tomato and onion). There are of course many Sardinian specialities to be tried such as roast suckling pig or Seadas, a pastry filled with Goats cheese and then dribbled with honey.

The climate in Alghero allows for a perfect vacation all year round. The summer months get up to about 35 degrees and throughout the day in the winter the temperature never drops much below 15 degrees.

A great place for children and adults alike, Alghero is definitely worth a visit.

For more Sardinian tourist information take a look at Sardinia - tourist information

Born in London Kirk Friis moved to Sardinia where he now lives with his wife and son.

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What do grizzly bears, earthquakes and Vancouver Island golf have in common? A “duck and cover strategy”, that’s what! New technology has allowed even novice golfers to hit the ball a long way. Trouble is, when you’re just a couple degrees off course and you hit the ball far, then you’re really off course, prompting more and more piercing bellows: “Fore!”

Vancouver Island, British Columbia, is golf Mecca. Imagine, on this beautiful 500 km (300-mile) long island in the Pacific Northwest, there’s a golf course for every level. No matter what your skill, you can find a course that will best suit you.

No bears on Bear Mountain but lots of deer! The 19th hole is an optional bonus - it hangs off a cliff with a spectacular view of Greater Victoria. Bear Mountain, on the western edge of Victoria, is one of the most scenic courses you’ll find.

Golf carts, fully equipped with GPS systems, are included in the green fees. Get too close to the green, the cart shuts down and tells you on the screen to back off! Then on the 8th hole, a reminder pops up that you can order food to be ready at the end of the 9th hole! Impressive, eh! There are four sets of tees, with excellent equalization for novices and shorter hitters.

An elevated green with the backdrop of a waterfall is typical of Olympic View Golf Course, also on the western side of Victoria. The 12th hole is where nightmares are born: a precise tee shot to a narrow fairway beside a long water hazard, followed by a second precise shot to an elevated green! This is just one of many challenging holes here. A golf cart is recommended for the hills. Olympic View has the best equipped practice area on any course on Vancouver Island.

Well-groomed greens, sculpted fairways and panoramic ocean views make Cordova Bay, on the eastern shore of Victoria, one of the finest courses you’ll find on Vancouver Island. Four sets of tees allow you to choose the challenge that best suits your game.

Sometimes you find a hole where you’d like to have a serious discussion with the course architect, like at the Crown Isle Golf Course, where a fine tee shot put me 12 feet in front of the hole. I putted about 18 inches past it, then the unthinkable happened: my ball found a groove and rolled at a right angle to the line of my putt - off the green, within inches of the water hazard! My chip back onto the green was just short of the hole. Yes it rolled right back to me! My fourth shot could not be short, so I blew it 10 feet past the hole. I putted tentatively towards the hole and the gap that ‘eats’ balls. Naturally, I putted light and in great disgust, got a six.

The Crown Isle Resort has some of the best facilities of any course on the Island. It’s typical of resort courses with housing developments nearby. The club house is spectacular.

If it’s your lifelong dream to live on a golf course, Vancouver Island has lots of courses with houses bordering them: Arbutus Ridge, Morning Star, Bear Mountain, Pheasant Glen, Crown Isle and others offer exemplary housing.

Imagine a course where each fairway is lined with tall Douglas Fir, virtually isolating it fromthe others. This is Storey Creek. Every hole is different and the course offers challenges with narrow fairways, water hazards and strategic sand traps. If playing along the edge of housing developments irritates you, then try Storey Creek, just south of Campbell River.

With a backdrop of Mount Arrowsmith, well-manicured greens and fairways, an executive-length golf course awaits you: Mount Arrowsmith Golf Course is one of the Island’s best-kept secrets.

An automated telephone booking system makes for easy-access. Drive 10 minutes north of Qualicum Beach and you’ll be playing one of the finest executive courses on the Island! It has one par 5 hole (the rest are par 3 and 4).

There are approximately 60 golf courses on Vancouver Island - each offering something for everyone. Read a synopsis at:
http://tourismmall.victoria.bc.ca/vancouver-island-golf.htm

Ron Kirstein is the owner of a Canadian Travel & Tourism Web
site (since 1995). Ron has traveled the length and breadth
of Vancouver Island BC Canada in search of
adventures; see http://tourismmall.victoria.bc.ca/travelmagazine

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The internet has revolutionized the way we live our lives. We can now make international phone calls across the internet for only a few pennies. We can plan, book and check in for a holiday with a few clicks of the mouse. If you’ve ever turned up at a hotel only to find out they don’t have your booking then this ‘how to’ guide is for you. Read on.

The internet has hundreds of websites that are designed to help you book a hotel. Unfortunately, some of them just seem to make the process harder. In a few short paragraphs below we’ve included some hints and tricks that will help you feel confident about booking a hotel online.

You where you’re headed but where do you go from there? Ask yourself questions like: What attractions do I want to see? Where do I want to visit? What is going to make my trip worthwhile? Take a few minutes to understand what you want. It’ll help down the road. There’s no point booking a hotel in New Jersey when you want to spend your week exploring Manhattan. By knowing what you want to see and where you want to go you can narrow down the number of hotels to choose from.

The next step is to think about how much you want to spend. What’s your price range? Will you pay more to be closer to the tourist spots? Travel websites like Expedia and Travelocity will let you organise the hotels in price order. That way you can quickly skim the list and rule out any hotels that are too expensive.

Once you know what you want you’re ready to log on and start browsing the web for hotels. There are a multitude of hotel booking websites that can be found with a quick Google search. Some of the larger hotel booking sites include: Expedia, Travel-o-city, Hotels.com and Lastminute.com. Most of these sites will give you detailed information about the listed hotels. They will tell you what attractions are nearby, the approximate room prices, availability in the hotel and any price offers that may be running. Ensure you choose a site that offers instant booking confirmation. If they don’t then move on.

Choose a few hotels that you like and then look them up on a review site like drakeandcavendish.com. Review sites will give you that little bit of extra information from past guests and independent reviewers. Information you won’t probably won’t find on the hotels website. You can judge the quality of the hotel from the reviews and work out your preferred choice.

Now you should be ready to book. Keep the email confirmation that the website sends you. The confirmation is that extra bit of insurance should any problems come up. It also pays to make sure that there is a little yellow padlock in the bottom right hand corner of your screen as you enter your credit card details. This padlock means that the site is secure and the financial information entered is safe.

Good luck and happy travelling.

Russ Pooley writes for Drake & Cavendish who provide a luxury hotel research directory featuring over 5,000 luxury hotels in over 700 resort locations around the world. As a content provider we are committed to developing entertaining and informative travel related information. You can read further articles and details at http://www.drakeandcavendish.com

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