Posts Tagged ‘vacation’

The United States Virgin Islands

Uncategorized | Posted by Owen Jones
Sep 03 2010

The US Virgin Islands came into America’s possession in 1917 after Denmark sold the Danish West Indies to it for $25m in gold. At the time, the USA was worried that the Germans would gain control of the islands and use them as a base from which to launch attacks on America.

The status of the US Virgin Islands is one of an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. This means the residents of the US Virgin Islands are US citizens, but cannot vote in US presidential elections. Therefore, US citizens do not need a passport to visit the US Virgin Islands.

The US Virgin Islands are part virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward islands of the Lesser Antilles along with the British Virgin Islands. The three main islands of this American territory are called Saint Croix, Saint John and Saint Thomas. There is also a much smaller island called Water Island. All together, there are about 60 islands with a total surface area of 133.73 square miles, although most of the islands are uninhabited.

The four main islands of the US Virgin Islands are known to their residents by nicknames. These are ‘Twin City’ (St. Croix); ‘Rock City’ (St. Thomas); ‘Love City’ (St. John) and ‘Small City’ (Water Island) and their total population was 108,612 in the 2000 census.

Since the 1960’s, the islands turned their focus from agriculture to heavy industry and tourism and the US Virgin Islands are a very popular destination for American tourists and honeymooners. It is very easy for Americans to get there because a passport is not required, the islands are only 1,730 miles east south-east of Miami, the currency is the US dollar and everybody speaks English.

The islands enjoy an arid, pleasant climate. The average temperature in the capital, Charlotte Amelie, is 33c in the summer and 30c in the winter. September to November are the wettest months and February and March are the driest. The USVI are subject to hurricanes. Hurricane Hugo in 1989 was particularly devastating, but the islands were also hit in 1998, 1999 and 2008.

Tourism is the industry that most of the islanders are engaged in and about 2,000,000 people visit every year, many of them on cruise liners. St Thomas and St Croix are the best equipped to deal with tourists offering hotels and resorts along with lovely beaches and fine restaurants. Water sports are the main activity, although tourists can also hire horses or jeeps to discover the interior of the US Virgin Islands.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with St Croix Virgin Islands. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

What Are All Inclusive Packages?

Uncategorized | Posted by Owen Jones
Aug 24 2010

Are you thinking of going on a vacation in the near future? How do you normally go? Do you fly there and then sort yourself out or do you take vacation packages? It is clear that vacation packages are simpler and often cheaper too.

If you go DIY, you will have to book reservations on an aircraft or a train and a hotel and taxis and a car hire company. If you would prefer to preclude all this, you could book either a vacation package of one of the all inclusive vacation packages.

Although many vacation packages are extremely good, some people decline to use them. This can be for several reasons, but the most common are out of a of feelings of adventure, independence and snobbishness. In fact, most of the people who do not take vacation packages are younger, single people.

Married people with children are the main users of vacation packages and especially all inclusive vacation packages. There is a difference between the two kinds. All inclusive vacation packages are great for families with hungry children. You know, the normal variety, who are always saying: ‘Give me a dollar for an ice cream, Dad’ or ‘I’m hungry, Mum!’.

On an all inclusive vacation package, all of these snacks and three main meals a day and all drinks are included in the cost of the holiday – hence, the name, all inclusive vacation package.

However, there is more to it than that. All inclusives also incorporate on site games and amusements and some others as well. For example, a Caribbean all inclusive vacation package might include the use of snorkels and goggles, but it would seldom stretch to the use of scuba gear or wet suits.

Another advantage of the all inclusive holiday resort is that they often cater for families with young children. They might provide child alarms in the chalets and free entertainment for adult holiday makers in the evening and night too. The resort might also provide baby sitters and a free taxi into town.

All inclusive vacation packages are a very different deal from standard vacation or rental packages. All inclusives are more geared towards families with young children between, say five and fifteen, because children of this age eat a lot, although it is usually junk food, which typically costs a lot on holiday, but is in fact, cheap to make. The evenings’ entertainment is also on site so that parents can be easily reached if there is a problem.

On the other hand a standard vacation package will usually provide breakfast only, so that you can go out for the day and do what you like.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with St Croix all inclusive vacations. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Honeymoon On St Croix, USVI

Uncategorized | Posted by Owen Jones
Jul 31 2010

After your wedding day, your honeymoon is one of the most memorable times of your life and so must certainly count as one of best vacations you will ever take. It is the beginning of a new life with the person you love. As such it is a good reason to visit somewhere you have always wanted to go, somewhere really special.

One of the most popular places for people to go to on a honeymoon is St Croix, The US Virgin Islands, in the Caribbean.

The Caribbean is the first choice for many newly weds for several reasons: the romance, the people are happy and welcoming, the sand, sea and sunshine, the food and the music. St Croix in the US Virgin Islands is one of the most well-liked destinations in the Caribbean islands.

St Croix has beautiful beaches and that perfect tropical climate that is so appropriate for a wonderful honeymoon. The hotels and the island’s inhabitants love to take care of newly weds and go out of their way to make sure that the honeymooners have the time of their lives – a holiday that they will remember fondly for ever.

Expense is always a factor when one is planning a honeymoon in the Caribbean, but you need not be too worried on that front. A honeymoon on St Croix need not be costly and as it is only 1,300 miles from the USA, so travel costs and travel time are low.

You will not have trouble finding somewhere on the island to suit your desires. However, St Croix is a popular honeymoon destination, especially for Americans, so it is worth booking your honeymoon holiday as early as possible in order to obtain the reservation that you want.

There are three main kinds of places to stay: a hotel, a vacation rental or a holiday home. The difference between a vacation rental and a holiday home is that the former is a condo or villa purpose built for holiday makers, while the holiday home is actually somebody’s house who has let it out for a short time.

When planning your honeymoon, you should think about when you will leave. It was traditional to leave for the honeymoon after a short reception on the day of the wedding, but many couples delay their departure date nowadays. Over the last few decades, it has become the standard to hold an extensive reception hours after the wedding, often at night. This will usually go on until midnight or later, which makes leaving for foreign climes rather difficult. A hangover is not a good travelling companion either.

Therefore, you may want to put your going away date off until two days after the wedding, although I think that flying out on the wedding day is still the best idea. If you choose a holiday home or a vacation rental on St Croix, you will need to make all your own arrangements for getting to the airport, flying to St Croix and getting a taxi from the airport to your place of stay, so I recommend that for this, your first visit to this beautiful island, you take a package holiday, which will take care of you from your local airport to your hotel on St Croix and back again.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with St Croix Hotels. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

The Wonders Of A Caribbean Cruise

Uncategorized | Posted by Owen Jones
Jul 13 2010

People work harder these days than ever before. If not physically harder then longer hours and we are entitled to a break from that once in a while. The majority of us go on holiday and we look forward to it months in advance and we plan for it even further ahead. Where do you like to go or what do you like to do? I personally like to go on a cruise and a Caribbean cruise is a good choice.

People believe a cruise, specially a Caribbean cruise as being expensive, and cruise operators want to maintain that elite image, but I see the cruise as being an up-market all inclusive holiday. In all probability, it is the original all inclusive holiday, because once you walk up and off that gang plank, everything aside from drinks is free. Everything and everything is first class hotel style too! We are not talking pizza and chips here, but five or six course meals and five or six times a day.

It is common knowledge, that if you go on a cruise you can expect to gain a pound or two a week (I put on five pounds on my last cruise), unless you do some exercise. What exercise? Cruise liners have swimming pools and gymnasiums! Not only one but several. Some even set aside a deck for running at certain times of the day. There really is no excuse for not exercising on a Caribbean cruise.

Caribbean cruise liners provide more sports facilities than just gymnastics too. In fact, except for horse riding, I think that most sports are catered for. Basketball, volleyball, swimming, clay pigeon shooting, fishing, bird watching … You name it. Caribbean cruise liners also have Internet connections, games machines and full office amenities. During the evenings there are first class shows, often two a night, films in a cinema and a casino.

If you have never been on a Caribbean cruise, it is difficult to explain the amount of luxury that is provided. It is more than a first class hotel. In a first class hotel, you pay first class prices for everything too, but on a Caribbean cruise liner, everything but drinks is free and even drinks are cheap because they are duty-free. The cruise liner will have a shop too where everything it sells is duty free!

Some Caribbean cruises are themed and it is worth remembering this fact. Also some times of the year, especially early February are foreseeable. I once naively went on a Caribbean cruise for a fortnight which spanned St Valentine’s day. I was a single man then and the other 1200 were amorous couples. There was only one single woman on the cruise and there was no rapport between us. I did not not enjoy that Caribbean cruise, because people took we under their wing, but it made me think about the time of year when I next booked up.

Caribbean cruises, especially the better ones, will fill up quickly, so this is one holiday that you really ought to book well in advance. A year in advance is not too early. I like to book my Caribbean cruise a year in advance, but put my name down for any last minute cancellations, in case I can pick up a bargain.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with St Croix Hotels. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Luxury Caribbean Cruises

Uncategorized | Posted by Owen Jones
Jul 09 2010

Vacationing on a cruise liner is rightly considered to be elite and luxurious. It is certainly the best kind of vacation that I have ever had. The luxury far surpasses staying in a five star hotel. On the other hand, it is like an elite all inclusive holiday, because once on board, all the entertainment and all your meals are free. Alcoholic drinks must be paid for, but then they are duty free.

If you have never been on a cruise before you really must try it. I would not recommend it as a family vacation, but I have seen families on cruises. Cruising might suit a family with older children or you might find a cruise which is planned with children in mind. However, in my experience, your average cruiser is over 50 and married.

I know that they do 18-30 cruises and all kinds of themed cruises, but if you just go on a normal cruise, most of your fellow passengers will be older. Many of them are celebrating something too – retirement, Golden Wedding Anniversary, 70th birthday, that sort of thing. These people want a relaxing time and do not really want children running around and jumping in and out of the pool. Dinner can be late and the evening’s entertainment is not child orientated either. If you want to take children, look for a specialty cruise.

A cruise is tranquil and all about pampering. Luxury and pampering and world class food. I put on five pounds on a two week cruise and friends said that was abnormally little! I will tell you about the food on my last cruise.

Breakfast lasted from 7 AM to 10 AM and there was a buffet with food from all around the world: fruit, porridge, toast, bacon and eggs, ham, cornflakes and all the variations, sausages, rice, Chinese food, prawns, fish and more. Elevenses started at 11 AM and had tea, coffee, cakes and biscuits, help yourself.

Lunch was a two hour event commencing at 1PM consisting of four courses. There was a choice of set plans, but if you wanted to mix and match you could – I think the plans were only to make it easier for the elderly to make up their minds. With 1,200 people to give food to in two sittings, the waiters try to speed selection up in very subtle ways, but never outwardly. High tea was from 4 to 4:30PM: tea, coffee, cakes, biscuits and sandwiches.

Dinner was at 6:30PM and was a five course meal in the same vein as lunch and at midnight there was a barbecue on deck until 2AM. Everything that was served was first class and there was no restriction at all on how much you could eat.

Entertainment was after dinner and there were two shows to match the two dinner sittings, but you could sit there for both shows if you liked. There was a different show every night ranging from solo artistes to bands. There were theater plays and musical shows, it was very grand. There was also a piano bar playing jazz and a disco every night

I would recommend a cruise to anyone, but it is a good idea to check what sort of cruise you are booking as some are themed and if you do not like the cruise’s theme, you may not get the full benefit out of it.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with St Croix Hotels. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Taking Your Dog To St Croix

Uncategorized | Posted by Owen Jones
Jun 11 2010

Whether you would rather clear mountain air or the ozone-rich, salty air of the sea, you can find places to take your dog for a walk that are very pleasant, even when you are on holiday. If you are a nature lover and a dog lover, you could choose a vacation destination with nature and your dog in mind.

City-bound hotel holidays or long, driving holidays are not very pleasurable for your dog. If a dog is going to be at home all day, he would rather be in his own home all day. Likewise, with driving. He might plead to go the mall with you in the car, but doing a coast to coast run in a scorching fortnight in June, is not really what he is all about.

Therefore, if you are planning a vacation that you think your pet would not really enjoy, why not do him and yourself a favour and leave him behind? Leave him with a dog-loving family member or friend or board him in a kennels that you have researched well yourself.

There are literally hundreds of boarding kennels in operation in every state and often there are thousands. Most of them are fine, some are excellent and the owners of some could do with a stiff talking to. I put my dog in one once that I had not checked out well enough and went away for two weeks. When I got back four hours early, they were not ready me and my dog was dirty and forlorn.

I felt awfully guilty and my dog would not ’speak’ to me for a week. Really! No eye contact, no tail wagging, would not always come when called, no happy running about, just a hang dog expression for seven days. She must have felt that I let her down badly, which of course I had, by not researching the kennels.

A fantastic place to take your dog is St Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. The US Virgin Islands are factually part of the United States of America and you can go there without a passport, with your US dollars and with your dog.

Not every hotel allows animals just as in continental USA, but there are loads that do. There are also package holidays that will take you and your dog from the airport to the island hotel and back again all for one price.

Of the four main islands in the US Virgin Islands, St. Croix is most likely the best option for going to with a pet dog, because it is less heavily populated than the other islands and is by far the largest.

The hotel or resort will probably not provide feeding dishes, bedding and toys but they will certainly have a shop where you can purchase such things. It is probably not worth bringing your own either unless you have a large suitcase and a generous weight allowance. Food for your dog will also be extensively available on the island, of course.

St Croix offers a variety of sorts of terrain and plenty of activities to take full advantage of them. There are gorgeous tropical beaches perfect for swimming or playing in the shallows; there are the undulating plains of the old plantations, which are perfect for long walks and there are hills, mountains and rain forest to explore with your dog too.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with St Croix Virgin Islands. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Adults Only All Inclusive Resorts

Uncategorized | Posted by Owen Jones
Jun 09 2010

There are a few possibilities when talking about going to an adults only all-inclusive resort. Most all-inclusive resorts were designed for families with young children, however there are an growing quantity of adult only all-inclusive resorts.

However, there are also adult only and family nude all-inclusive resorts, particularly in Europe and Australia. If you are searching for a nude adult only all-inclusive resort for your vacation, you will probably have to go abroad to places like Greece, Italy, the old Yugoslavia area or Australia.

Most people in the USA, the UK and northern Europe would find sharing a nudist beach with children awkward in these ultra-PC days, but nudist beaches for adults only can be excellent fun. It is best not to be inhibited, however some people find it helps to go to a nudist beach alone while others feel more comfortable in the company of adult friends. Couples often find adult only nudist beaches exotic, erotic and romantic.

Finding adults only all-inclusive resorts is not difficult with the power of a search engine and the Internet on hand. However, if you want to try nudist adults only all inclusive resorts in the USA, it could be tricky. This is because nudity is a controversial topic in the USA.

If, however ‘by adult only’, you simply mean to imply over twenty-one year olds only, then you will have a lot more luck. There are hundreds of non-nudist adults only all-inclusive resorts, hotels and cruises around the United States, Hawaii, the US Virgin Islands and everywhere else in the Caribbean.

Adult only all-inclusive cruises are very popular. Cruising is not especially suited to children. There is not enough room and they can get into severe danger or even drop overboard unnoticed until it is too late. Adult only all-inclusive resorts are excellent, if you like staying in a chalet or cabin.

In between these two limits of luxury on the all-inclusive vacations front are the all-inclusive hotels. Lots of hotels, but far fewer resorts, do put age restrictions on who can stay there. The Club style holidays are good examples; ‘Club 18-30′ is well-known, but not all of its resorts are all-inclusive.

If you are still thinking about nude adult only all-inclusive resorts, you might find it simpler to unearth a collection of topless beaches. These are two a penny in Europe and elsewhere, but in the united States and the some of the Caribbean, you may be able to join a private beach that permits this style of clothing.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with St Croix Virgin Islands. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Unforgettable Stay At Cheap Hotel

Uncategorized | Posted by Bojak Cruz
Jun 09 2010

Lately we find that the requirement for economic hotels has increased. This has led to sudden increase in the number of back packers hotels and independent hotels in nations like Australia. Not like the times before, the package holidays used to be the most important during summer vacations but this has become obsolete now. People no longer seem to reply that these package tours are consistent enough. Be it anyone travelers, vacation makers, tourists or explorers, everybody is more inclined towards removing the middle man and make reservations through internet.

This modification has resulted in people seeking the best deals in terms of hotels prices especially in areas like Sydney, Melbourne or others in Australia. The market of cheap hotels which used to be satisfied before and used to rely more on living up to its name and position and being on top in terms on prices has now adopted more bold ways to meet the market requirements. They are open to prove that they are the best in this competition

These days the owners have come up with an idea to leave some area of their rooms keeping special consideration for the budget holiday lovers. They definitely are aware of the fact as soon as these rooms placed up for being occupied, they will be occupied in no time. Not only this, but they also understand that they provide more space in the rooms; it can serve as the best bet for attraction for their hotel and turn the show towards them.

The holiday makers from all around the world seek something unique these days. This desire of people who are looking for budget holidays that has resulted in the increased numbers of budget hotels which are economic as well as provide a satisfactory stay. Not only this but, we hear another name these days which is boutique hotels, which have been willfully accepted in the budget hotel market. There is no doubt there everybody be it traveling who are devoted learners or backpack travelers, seek amenities like hot water, clean and pressed sheets in order to spend a cozy night stay. These small hotels do understand these requirements and work towards delivering these to the clients.

Other than these budget hotels another name which has made a sudden popularity in terms of reputation is Guest houses with bed and breakfast. They have marketed themselves by highlighted their key facility which is nothing but providing a very comfortable homely stay. They can easily market themselves as this is one facility which attracts most of the backpack travelers. Therefore these guesthouses together with the boutique hotels have done a great job in meeting the expectations of people who want to make a budget holiday, which has greatly helped them in widely expanding their business just like budget hotels

If you are looking for the cheapest hotels then simply go over to Chris’ website. They have the lowest prices on hotels guaranteed.

Saint Croix: One Of The US Virgin Islands

Uncategorized | Posted by Owen Jones
Jun 07 2010

Saint Croix is the biggest of the US Virgin Islands although the capital city, Charlotte Amelie, is located on St Thomas. Saint Croix itself has two towns Frederiksted (pop. 830) and Christiansted (pop. 3,000). The name of the island comes from the original Spanish name given by Christopher Columbus in 1493 – Santa Cruz or ‘Holy Cross’. As Santa Cruz, Saint Croix gets a great deal of mention in swashbuckling stories of pirates and buccaneers sailing on the Spanish Main.

The populace before the Europeans arrived was Arawak and Carib and they had probably been there since about 5000 BC. After 1493 the population of the Caribbean became embroiled in a 100 years war with the Spanish and the kind of people living on the island changed forever.

Saint Croix has been owned and therefore predominantly occupied by the Spanish, The British, the French, the Dutch, the Maltese and the Danish all of whom had slaves and plantations

The slaves were freed in 1848, but many chose to remain on Saint Croix. Descendants of slaves still live on the island. The total population of the island is now roughly 60,000.

English is the official language and is the most commonly spoken, although there is also some Spanish, French Creole and Virgin islands Creole, also known as Crucian, which is spoken by most inhabitants in informal situations.

This Hispanic segment of the Crucian populace is mostly of Puerto Rican lineage. The US bought Vieques from Puerto Rico during the Second World War and evicted its inhabitants. Many moved to St Croix because of its similarity to Vieques. These people have integrated well, but also kept a few of their old customs. They usually speak a mixture of Spanish and Crucian English in a distinctive form of Spanglish.

Continental Americans make up about 13% of the population and mostly live on the eastern side of St Croix. Arab Palestinians are also a sizeable minority owning most of the petrol stations and supermarkets on St Croix. Other modern immigrants have come from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and the Philippines.

There has been some tension between immigrants and those calling themselves ‘real Crucians’, but it has largely evaporated because of to intermarriage. There have been attempts to define a ‘real Crucian’.

The matter seems to have been sorted out when in 2009, the recommended U.S. Virgin Islands Constitution voted by the Fifth Constitutional Convention proposed three definitions of U.S. Virgin Islanders: “Ancestral Native Virgin Islander”, who have ancestral ties (and their descendants); “Native Virgin Islander”, who were born on the island (and their descendants); and “Virgin Islander”, who are any United States citizen who has lived in the territory for five years.

Christianity, in the form of Protestantism is the main religion, although the Hispanic community is Roman Catholic. There are also small groups of Jews and followers of Rastafari, Islam.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with St Croix Virgin Islands. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Cheap Deals On Las Vegas Hotel

Uncategorized | Posted by Leign Cruz
Jun 06 2010

If you’re one of the more than 38 million souls who visit the glittering desert city of Las Vegas every year, odds are you’re trying to get the best possible hotel deal imaginable. This is more than understandable, for you can often find some very good hotel bargains in this gambler’s paradise. But keep this fact in mind when you’re shopping around for that perfect motel or hotel bargain: Just because you see an ad for the cheapest rooms in Las Vegas is no sign you’re necessarily going to get what you’ve bargained for.

So, now that you’re planning a Las Vegas excursion, you’re looking around for the most reasonably priced hotel or motel room you can get. You’ve just seen an ad for a room that goes for $19.95 a night. Sounds really good, doesn’t it? Trouble is you don’t have the complete picture. For one thing, the state of Nevada places a 7.75 percent sales tax on everything you buy there, and Las Vegas alone charges a 9 percent tax on all hotel and motel rooms. And it’s not over yet! If you’re lucky enough to get a room near the Fremont Street Experience, you’re likely to get charged an additional 2 percent on your room tax.

Despite all the hidden charges, there is still a lot you can do to save a few extra pennies when you take that much-anticipated Las Vegas trip. First of all, try not to book a room on Fridays or Saturdays because rooms are less expensive during the normal work week – i.e., Monday through Thursday. Also, people love to spend holidays in Las Vegas, so remember to book your hotel room well in advance of Christmas, Easter or some other major holiday, or you could find yourself without accommodations when you land in Las Vegas. Finally, if you go to Las Vegas for the holidays, you’re going to pay more for a room than you would in ordinary times. Budget-conscious consumers take this fact into account when they plan a Vegas trip, which is why you won’t see them visiting this glittering entertainment capital during the holidays.

But hotel accommodations are not the only monetary concern you’ll have if you plan a Vegas trip. First, you’re obviously going to need transportation in and/or around the city. Once you land at one of Vegas airports, there are several different modes of transport at your disposal. For example, you could take a taxi to wherever you want to go, but airport shuttles are a cheaper alternative. Plus, shuttle buses run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from McCarran Airport to the Strip or downtown Las Vegas, and they usually cost well below $10.00 a person.

For those who want a little more independence, it is possible to rent a car in Las Vegas for about $25 or $30 a day. Just make sure you’re doing this on a week day because the price goes up on weekends. Also, remember that large conventions or some other special events could tilt the balance away from supply and toward demand, so you may not be able to rent a car all that easily if at all on such occasions. And as mentioned earlier, you can take taxis, but you should know that the base rate for doing so is about $3.20, with an additional $2.20 thrown in for each mile. And while parking may be generally free in Las Vegas, if you opt for valet parking, you will be expected to tip a minimum of $2.00 for having the valet park your car and bring it to you when needed.

Is saving 40% a condition of Cheap Hotel Rates? I think so, if you agree visit Chris’ site and book today for your next trip.