Before the 1950s, when the first tourist charter flights arrived on the island, Mallorca was an exclusive destination for artists, writers, and more adventurous travellers. They all found Mallorca the ideal retreat for an escape from Northern European winters, inspiration and relaxation. Anyone visiting Mallorca today will understand why. Roman, Moorish and Byzantine occupation have all left an impression on Mallorca, presenting a colourful mix of architecture and history in the towns and villages. Adventure is one way of describing the island today still, especially if you are prepared to go out and about. The narrow cobbled streets of the cities and towns are all too easy to become lost in, and every corner reveals trendy shopping opportunities, great places to eat out and traditional markets and fairs.

But Mallorca is much more than just sandy beaches and interesting rural villages. The landscape too beckons a feeling of discovery and anticipation of the unexpected on finding a pretty Mallorcan scene. There are mountains, rugged cliffs, vast nature reserves in the interior and some remote but stunning areas that only a few visitors manage to locate. Getting around the island is easy, with good roads, low cost and regular bus services and some good rail services between the major towns. (more…)

Many people like to fly off over Christmas and the New Year, preferring to spend the break relaxing in a holiday resort rather than enjoying the usual festive traditions at home. Some people just don’t like the chilly temperatures and like to go to warmer regions where there’s a good chance of sunny weather. Others prefer to go to places that are fortunate to have some real winter weather and where snow makes the Christmas celebrations extra special.

In 2009 there seemed to be lots of places around the globe expecting a white Christmas and not just the typical mountain resorts in countries like Austria, Southern Germany or Italy. Places like New York and Chicago are reporting with almost certainty that they will have snow this year and in the UK and Ireland almost everywhere is reporting a better than 50 per cent chance of snow this Christmas. Even Madrid in Spain predicts a 25 per cent chance, which is very unusual in this city.

Naturally some of the best winter Christmas resorts are the picturesque villages in the European Alps. Places like Klosters and Verbier in Switzerland are classed as exclusive, which does not mean that some people are excluded from going there, but presumably refers to the cost of taking a break there, and does not make them an option for all but the very rich. Both are small villages with permanent populations of around 5000 and 3000 people respectively, but those numbers can treble or quadruple over the festive period as the hotels and chalets fill up with holidaymakers seeking that extra special Christmas holiday. (more…)

Bali is one of the most visited vacation hotspots in the world. Situated in Indonesia, it was once named as the best island destination in the world by Travel and Leisure magazine. It attracts huge number of travelers from all over the world with its fun filled, palm fringed beaches known for having white sand. Bali has a many beaches, all of which are easily reachable from Despansar airport.

The line of beaches on the island of Bali includes Sanur beach, Jimbaran, Soka beach, Nusa Dua, Medewi beach, Lovina beach, Kuta, and Legian beach. Locals and tourists popularly go after Legian beaches, which are famous for their magnificent view of sunset. Surfing is a major activity here and the best waves are a 5 to 10 minute drive from Despansar airport.

Nusa dua beach has a chain of hotels placed on the sandy shores and these hotels provide luxurious swimming experience in protected lagoons, as well as fabulous gourmet food served on site.

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If you are looking for some real luxury adventure, then Bali is one of the most appropriate choices in the world. Bali, an icon of tourism in Indonesia has attracted almost 1.9 million foreign tourist visitors along with domestic tourist of 5 million people in year 2008, making tourism the most flourished industry of this place

Its’ numerable long stretched beaches, towering mountains, beautiful sunsets all add to memorable experience of the visitors. Highly rich in cultural diversity, Balinese dance is the most interesting dance experienced in various places of Bali, not forgetting to mention the famous Kecak dance which is highly appreciated by all tourists.

The religion mostly common in Bali is Hinduism, where you can see Balinese women practicing religious and cultural rituals every now and then, providing a peaceful & serene environment to the overall place. Gail George 55, a recent visitor comments after her Bali visit, “I love Bali because it’s an assault on the senses. It is colorful and the people resonate a feeling of calm, which carries on to you.” (more…)

Bali is located 8 degrees to the south of the equator, and hence it has a tropical climate. Bali does not have the usual four seasons, but just has just two – the wet and dry seasons. Each season lasts for about six months. Dry season is from March to August and wet season is from September to February. Though the weather does not vary that much by season, the wet season may have some downpours for an hour or so in afternoons, followed by warm sea breeze at the beaches of Kuta and Nusa Dua.

Wet season is not a bad time to visit Bali, because most of the downpours are in the mid afternoons and if you plan well, you can really enjoy the rest of the day.

Bali experiences a 6am sunrise and 6pm sunset almost year-round. The average temperature in Bali is usually around 30° C. The dry seasons are quite hot, especially in the afternoons, when the temperatures are at their highest.

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If you are suffering from stress and looking forward to a wonderful time away from work with your family, then perhaps Bali is the vacation spot that you are looking for. Recovering from the major devastations brought by the terrorist attacks in the past years, Bali vacations now offer many attractive deals that entice you to enjoy the splendor of this place.

Bali vacations have a lot to offer to vacationers. From historical places to scenic views, you can find a variety of activities and places to explore. However, there is one main reason why many visitors keep coming back to Bali, and that is Bali’s image as beach destination.

There are lots of beaches that can be found in Bali. One of the most popular is the Kuta beach, which stretches from the airport in Tuban over main Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, and Kerobokan and all the way to Canggu. Kuta is the perfect place to go sunbathing during the day and socializing at night because usually this place starts to become crowded as soon as the sun sets. However, it is very risky to swim alone in Kuta if you are an untrained swimmer. It would be better if you only swim on the Tuban part of it.

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Bali Introduction: The Geography

Bali is a small volcanic island covering around 5000 square kilometers, just south of the equator. Central Bali is dominated by the island’s major volcanic peaks, from which the land steadily descends all the way down to sea level on the northern and eastern coasts; the southern Bali peninsula is largely flat. There are four major volcanoes in Bali, the highest being Mt Agung at 3124m. Agung erupted violently in 1963 and although many people died in the eruption it has since been a blessing to the Balinese in providing some of the richest soil in Indonesia. The next four highest mountains are no longer alive but the smaller Mt Batur (1717m) is one of the most active volcanoes in the region, puffing regular clouds of ash into the air. Bali, being such a small island, has little space to create rivers of any notable size. Rather it is riddled with small creeks that are channeled into the intricate irrigation system that feeds Balinese rice paddies. Nevertheless, some major rivers do flow, namely the Sungai Pakrisan (”Kris River”), the Sungai Petanu (”Cursed River”) and the Ayung, Bali’s longest river.

Bali Introduction : The History

Many years ago Bali was divided into eight Hindu kingdoms. These small kingdoms were powerful but prone to fighting each other, which weakened their resistance to foreign invasion. As early as the sixth century, Javanese kings conquered parts of Bali although Balinese princes often continued to rule as puppets with Javanese sovereignty pulling their strings. Nevertheless power continued to bounce between various kingdoms of Bali and Java. As links with Java strengthened, Javanese script, sculpture and temples began to appear on the island. Late in the tenth century, ties between the islands were solidified with the marital union of a Balinese Prince and a Javanese Princess. The Javanese Majapahit kingdom conquered Bali in the thirteenth century by vanquishing the semi-demonic king of Bali at the time, ‘Dalem Bedulu’, and attempting to eradicate the ‘vile’ Balinese princes and their ‘barbaric’ customs. Ironically, the supreme Majapahit ruler gave a Balinese the position of ‘King of Bali’, a position that gained little respect from the majority of Balinese who continued to refuse to recognize Javanese sovereignty. The Majapahit presence in Bali turned out to be short and turbulent and during the ensuing centuries, much of the unique Balinese Hindu culture and traditions that we see in Bali today were created. This was possibly a result of a community determined to protect their individuality and not be overcome by imported Javanese culture.

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