#Igloo Beach Lodge

[igloobeachlodgecr]

Discover Igloo Beach Lodge: The Top Hotel in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Igloo Beach Lodge is a standout Hotel in Manuel Antonio Costa Rica, offering unique igloo-shaped rooms, eco-friendly practices, and a prime beachfront location. Just steps from Playa Espadilla, it’s perfect for travelers seeking comfort, convenience, and natural beauty. Book now for an unforgettable tropical getaway!

[vendetta-ari]

Newsies hc’s??

(I'm sorry this took so long oml 😭🙏)

word count: 535

[Warnings: mentions of alchohol/getting drunk?]

Newsies General Headcanons!

♤ It's no shock that every Christmas eve the newsies of Manhattan and Brooklyn have a big ol' snowball fight. Winter while being a newsie is hard, but they manage to find fun moments in it, minus the huddling for warmth and setting fires that accidentally do more harm then good (lookin at you, Albert.)

♧ what is a shock is that they take it a tad bit too seriously.

◇ Race has betrayed Manhattan's team to partner with Brooklyn, he aims to win. despite there being no prize.

♡ Davey has made an igloo of safety. it was supposed to he for him and Les but Les left him to go battle.

♤ so far, Brooklyn has won every snowball fight. Jack aims to change that though, he is a very sore loser when it comes to petty games.

♧ but enough about winter, what about summer!? summer with the newsies is...well, hell.

◇all boys in the lodging house wander around in their boxers and nothing more. (what a shocker.)

♡ there have been many occasions where Race, Jack, Finch, Albert, Spot, and hell- sometimes even Davey! have broken into a random person's pool while the owners were out on vacation.

♤ pray theese guys dont find a public pool, all hell will be broke loose and they will be kicked out and banned for life.

♧ Spot and his gang are chillin in the summer because they can easily access a bunch of boardwalks, lakes, beaches, and docks.

◇ Race always comes to visit, ot pisses the hell out of Spot (it doesn't.)

♡ during the more bearable seasons, they often storm Davey's house and watch movies, play games, or raid his pantry.

♤ one time, they all went to an arcade. it was a magical experience.

♧ They were kicked out for hogging machines and wrecking havoc, but it was still magical. and they left with lots of prizes.

◇ they enjoy their fair share of board games, there's two game nights every week, usually randomly and spontaneously.

♡ they also go to the horse tracks a lot, usually forced by Race. but they enjoy it anyway and Race rants about his hyper fixation of horses for hours. no one really stops him, that'd be mean :(

♤ one time while one too many newsies were drunk, they tried to run into the tracks and pet one of the horses. they have a bounty on their heads, but they always escape it.

♧ they 100% give eachother haircuts, make clothes and plushies for one another, and cook together. it's always chaotic, but it's fun.

◇ whenever a newsie has a crush, the others wont shut up about it and constantly make fun of whoever it is, while also trying to wingman at the same time. tens of newsboys wingmaning isnt the best plan, though.

♡ lastly, davey reads all the new bedtime stories every time he stays over at the lodging house with Les- its started off as him reading for Les, but everyone else just kinda tuned in. he also brings them snacks and money he steals from his parents, and takes care of sick or younger newsies.

♤♧◇♡

Hope gou enjoyed! sorry I took forever, meah mwah love you!

~Xoxo, Ari

[igloobeachlodge]

Vacation at Igloo Beach Lodge and Experience Excellent Fitness Facilities

Your life can get busy when you have home and work schedules that take up most of your time. But this doesn’t mean you can’t go on a vacation! If you plan carefully, you can have a wonderful time along with being up to date at your work. Now, finding the right vacation spot can be difficult. But if you love to spend quality time at the beaches, you will love Costa Rica. It is the most refreshing and sought-after tourist destination that is loved by people who want to have an exciting yet relaxing holiday. When you are in Costa Rica, staying at the finest Manuel Antonio beach hotels, you might also want to keep up with your fitness. As much important it is to enjoy, you must also maintain your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. This will ensure that you return from your holiday fully charged and with a fresh perspective. Hence when you are choosing accommodation, make sure that they provide fitness facilities and activities too. Now, not every resort or hotel would provide excellent fitness facilities. So, you have to be careful before making a final choice. But if you are stuck, you can directly contact Igloo Beach Lodge for excellent accommodation facilities along with fitness activities. Igloo Beach Lodge is amongst the leading resorts in Costa Rica that are known to provide the finest accommodation facilities to its guests. They provide lodgings in the form of igloos that provide an exciting and luxurious holiday experience. Apart from accommodation, the resort also provides excellent fitness facilities such as surf lessons Manuel Antonio, yoga camp, and boot camp. These fitness facilities are fun, exciting, and give you complete exposure to the beauty of Costa Rica. Whether you want to work and maintain physical, mental, or spiritual fitness, Igloo Beach Lodge has got you covered. So, when you are vacationing in Costa Rica, you will never fall behind your fitness goals. And that’s not it! Igloo Beach Lodge also provides the finest vegan restaurant that offers healthy food made with quality ingredients. You can also enjoy a great beach party with excellent facilities at this resort. Igloo Beach Lodge offers a complete luxury vacation package that is filled with fun and excitement along with providing you services to maintain your health and fitness. So, stay at Igloo Beach Lodge, and don’t forget to check out yoga Manuel Antonio and other fitness facilities. Contact them now to know more. For more information, visit https://www.igloobeachlodge.com/

Original Reference: https://bit.ly/3pQUvod

[sarahmaybank]

What do you think their first snow in paradise is like? (feel free to pretend Newt and Teresa are still around bc I know I do)

I hope you’re tucked in real nice and cozy!!!! this is more than four pages of notes!!!!! Lol.  Enjoy!!!!! I DID

This kind of went from first now in safe haven to skii lodge/winter cabin/Christmas AU lolllll anyways, [strums guitar] here’s snowy safe haven

When he first lays his eyes on the falling snow, Newt’s stomach swirls uncomfortably. An inexplicable dread washes over him. Thomas notices his sudden furrowed brows, taking Newt’s hand in his. “hey, you okay?” “…yeah.”

With his hand in Thomas’, Newt’s eyes would travel across the grounds, gravitating towards Sonya, who was sitting next to Harriet with the same confusion plastered on her face. Only to find, that she was already looking at him.

They both felt their chests tightening, fingers closing around their hearts like a vice. Sonya looked away. Newt…couldn’t. He didn’t know why, but when he looked at Sonya, he felt an urge to protectively wrap his arms around her and never let go.

Newt could see blurred faces. He could see white snowflakes floating, sinking, in the air through a small window. He could hear muffled voices, but no words could be distinguished.

Teresa would start a snowball fight, pelting Newt in the face and bringing him out of his daze.

She hit Thomas next while the two were trying to locate her, and soon a full on snowball fight was initiated.

Sonya and Harriet were using each other’s bodies for cover, giggling as they tried to throw their bodies in front of each other

Minho would THROW himself in front of Brenda with a dramatic “I’ll protect you!!” and she’d grab a handful of snow and shove it down the back of his shirt. 

They’d end up chasing each other across the beach that was now covered in a white blanket, throwing handfuls of snow at each other and not bothering to roll it into balls

 Chuck would make snow angels with Thomas and Teresa while Newt just stands beside them watching with a smile on his face.

Gally, Beth and Ben would help Chuck make igloos and snow forts with other kids

Minho would tease him about it and call him the safe haven Dad

Gally would shove him into a big pile of snow and walk away, but he’d be hiding a tiny smile because he secretly likes that title 

Frypan would make everyone hot chocolate

Thomas would spill his cup everywhere and Chuck would make a joke about how it looks like he klunked

Newt and Minho would l a u g h at the face Thomas made when he fell face first into the snow as he ran away from Teresa who was chasing him with a bunch of snowballs gathered in her arms

 “Looks like nothing’s changed, eh, Tommy?”

Alby would make snow people with the safe haven kids, stealing carrots from fry’s kitchen 

Fry doesn’t mind, he loves seeing how happy everyone is in this moment

Zart decorates his cactus with tinsel and one single bauble 

Zart pelts EVERYONE with snowballs, especially Gally. Zart has no fears. He is the last man standing. 

Newt wants no part in the snowball fight so he hides in one of the igloos Alby made (with Chuck’s help) until Thomas, Minho and Brenda find him and flush him out by throwing snowballs at him. Thomas and Minho let out a weird war cry.

 Thomas and Rachel sneak attack Aris, dumping heaps of snow on his head

Aris and Rachel find mistletoe

Aris reaches up to touch it and Rachel smacks his hand away – “NO touching the mistletoe. Leave it there.” “But I wanna.” She distracts him by kissing him under it instead.

Minho tricks Brenda into standing beneath the mistletoe. He tries to kiss her but she dodges it and he ends up kissing Gally.

Beth just bursts out laughing

That kiss was Gally’s Bi Awakening (because NO ONE IN TMR IS STRAIGHT DO NOT FIGHT ME ON THIS)

Gally sees the finished product of the igloo Beth was building with some kids: “that’s a…strong igloo.” “…it’s solid water that can melt from heat.”

Frypan watches them a few feet away like “hell no. i’m not dealing with you too.”

The ocean has frozen over because of the cold

Ice skating!!!

Sonya and Harriet are the best skaters, doing figure eights and other fancy moves while wearing matching mittens

Newt is SO UNCOORDINATED and Thomas tried to be a Good Boyfriend but forgets how clumsy he is and the two are falling all over the place

Thomas is crap at skating, but good enough to support Newt on the ice, who can’t be on his own because his leg doesn’t allow him. They just muddle around together closer to shore, laughing and in their own little world while Brenda laps them at speed

Brenda and Teresa hold hands and spin together

Frypan secretly teaches Newt to stake in the middle of the night. One morning at sunrise, Newt surprises Thomas.

Newt still isn’t great, but Thomas is so Proud of him and just kisses him when they’re a little further out from shore. They both fall and Thomas just sits there gazing at Newt lovingly and tearing up like wow

Jeff furiously curses the weather because he has to keep patching people up after they repeatedly get hammered by teresa’s snowballs, and because Newt and Thomas keep falling on the ice.

“How did you even get out there? Your leg–” “Just see if you can reach me without falling over, Tommy.” “Even with a gimp leg your boyfriend is better than you, Thomas!” “Minho, I will cut you with my skates.”

Brenda normalizes Newt’s leg injury on the ice and in any other activity because she knows how frustrating constant pity and concern is: “Come on, slow poke. Hustle a little!”

Zart brings his cactus on the ice and surprises everyone with how skilled he is at skating

Aris decided to eat a berry from the mistletoe plant he had found with Rachel earlier and now Jeff and Clint have to deal with that too

Jorge is Brenda’s personal cheerleader on the ice “esa es mi chica!” (’that’s my girl!” and calls her his hija (”daughter”) and mi corazón ALLLL the time [wow Jorge is the only dad i will ever accept as a Dad – AND VINCE. jfc]

After a day in the snow, everyone heads inside for the evening and cuddles up by the open fire that Gally and Alby built. They sit/sleep on whatever they have at their disposal from the times Jorge and Vince went scavenging for materials; their hammocks, rugs, maybe a few sleeping bags and worn mattresses

Frypan made hot chocolate for everyone

Thomas’ sleeping bag catches fire

Thominewt run outside and throw it in the snow. 

Newt makes Thomas sleep with him in his sleeping bag despite the very tight fit. “Newt there’s not enough room” ”Don’t be a twat about it, Tommy. Come on.” Newt gives him that same knowing innocent smile (LIKE THAT DAMN SMILE IN TDC WHEN HE WAS LIKE “lol you have no choice twat, we’re coming with you.”) while he sits in his sleeping bag in his pyjamas. Thomas slips in beside him and rests his head on Newt’s chest and they cuddle and aH

Gally spikes the hot chocolate

Newt drunkenly flirts with Thomas “guess we gotta share now, Tommy,”

Gally threw Minho’s right skate into the bonfire earlier

Minho calculated his moves carefully while trying to find it, growing annoyed at Gally and his stupid pranks

Ben saw Gally do it but didn’t say anything and just watched Minho slowly lose his mind over one missing skate

Minho started chasing Gally around with his left skate until Teresa pulled the safe haven Mom card and put them both in separate corners

Later that same evening when they went to light the bonfire, Frypan noticed something in it and tried to hide a laugh. “Min– are you still missing something?” “Gally – where is that shuckfaced Shank– I’m going to kill him.” “Minho no, wait! Someone stop him!”

Newtmas cuddling to stay warm

Snowflakes in Newt’s fluffy hair

Newt catches snowflakes on his tongue and Thomas just smiles at him

Rachel and Minho roll their eyes at everyone’s shenanigans and go get extra blankets

 Brenda and Jorge are both impartial to the cold

But Brenda tries to hide how much she is freezing

Rachel is used to the cold, but Aris isn’t. He gets cold easily.

Newt wears mittens

Thomas makes fun of him all the time, but when Chuckie (safe haven dog) accidentally bites a finger off of his glove, Newt give him his mitten and Thomas tries to hide how much he loves it but Newt stays silent and just gives him a knowing smirk

Sonya and Harriet don’t have gloves so they put their hands in each other’s pockets

Minho and Teresa hanging up mistletoe ALL OVER THE PLACE just to get everyone to kiss

Thomas and Newt give Chuckie one of Minho’s boots and tell him to hide it

Newt kisses Thomas under every single mistletoe

Newt drags Thomas under every single one, just so he can kiss Thomas repeatedly 

“Newt, come on i’m hungry” “There are only 7 more, Tommy, come on" 

Frypan is cracking up in the background. he keeps moving them so they LOOK like they’re new

Thomas is just rolling his eyes but he highkey loves it

Newt on skiis is WORSE than skates oh my GOD

Thomas on skiis is a recipe for disaster. He cannot control himself and in one go he takes out Minho, Brenda and Teresa 

Brenda and Harriet race down the slopes on their boards

Vince joins in after little persuasion from the two girls and Jorge

Jorge stands by, cheering his girls on and does not hide the impressed look on his face when he sees how skilled Vince is at snowboarding

Sonya and Minho are waiting at the bottom with hot chocolate and proud kisses

Minho totally snowboards like a pro. Someone gets whacked over the head with a ski. Someone mistakenly ends up on the DEATH LEVEL slope and four people end up wrapped around a tree

Gally sneaks off to the bunny slopes when no one is looking

Alby’s already there like “YOU TOO???”

Thomas and Newt share a ski lift

Thomas drops his hat. It smacks Gally in the face on a run down the slope 

Thomas kisses Newt and Minho from behind is all like “GET A ROOM!” Newt flips him off and doesn’t stop kissing him

Sonya and Harriet share a sled 

Being snowed in with a dwindling supply of food 

Game room in the lodge where Minho owns everyone at the dance games

Frypan finds two tennis rackets and says he’ll brave the wilderness to find rations

Christmas pyjamas

Sonya and Harriet wear matching onesies 

Brenda wears flannel. 

Sonya, Harriet, Aris and Rachel wear matching onesies with Aris’ fluffy boots

Christmas Morning - they can’t get Brenda to wake up. She sleeps like the dead. After 5 phone calls, 3 people knocking and 2 screaming her name, Gally climbs through her window from the outside ledge between their rooms. He shakes her awake. She punches him in the face.

She didn’t mean to - she’s saying that all morning. It was reflex. 

Gally’s black eye doesn’t believe her

Minho following Gally in through the window: “well consider me both scared and aroused.”

Sonya offers to add eyeshadow to the other eye to make it match. Harriet spits her drink out laughing

Gally threatens to lock them both out on the balcony

Sonya and Harriet share a look and shrug. They’re not mad about it. They go out there anyway

Newt and Thomas keep sneaking to the kitchen to steal gingerbread cookies. “NOT BEFORE DINNER!“ But Frypan sneaks Newt two of them that he made that are holding hands

Teresa helps Chuck rip his presents open and they throw the shreds of  wrapping paper at each other

Jorge takes a LOT of photos of everyone together

Jorge and Vince help Frypan prepare food – the two learn from him. 

Frypan has a soft spot for Brenda so he lets her have as many cookies as she wants, which she then splits in half and gives to Teresa

Teresa often supervises to make sure nothing chaotic goes on in the kitchen – Jorge and Vince try to tell her she doesn’t need to but she always counters with the time Gally almost cut Jorge’s finger off while subbing for Vince. Everyone vowed never to let Gally make food again after that.

Newt teases Thomas into wearing a matching christmas sweater with him: “You love ugly christmas sweaters, don’t you babe?” Thomas just grumbles. “Alright, fine, i look better than you would in it anyway.”

Later when Thomas comes down for Christmas dinner, he is wearing the sweater to match Newt’s, and Newt just melts. “So I do look better in it.” “Shut up,” Thomas tugs Newt over by his shirt collar and kisses him.

ALRIGHTTT that’s all I got so far, I may add more if I think of any! 

Huge thanks to my tmr fam for helping with this. 

Sorry it took so long (almost 3 months wow)!!! I hope you like these. 

Tagging: @glader-of-wicked @your-local-geek @newthomally @thomasnewts @comebacknow @seaselkie @demented-russian-empress-of-hell @harveylovesmike @museelo @abyssith

[luckyprince1]

“𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓫𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓶𝓮 𝓳𝓸𝔂” you changed me in so many ways babygirl, before any one was being called #girldad I ran with that everyday of your life so I don’t need to stunt for social media you know your dad really got you. My air forever 😘 (at Igloo Beach Lodge) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSgEAk3AddF/?utm_medium=tumblr

[adsahara]

Top 10 Most Bizarre Hotels in the World

Wherever your travels take you, whatever you have in mind: For almost every desire, no matter how extraordinary it may be, there is a right hotel. We take you on a journey through the world’s 10 most bizarre hotels.

10. Sand Hotel on Weymouth Beach

A dream of sand.

The world’s 10 most bizarre hotels. Let’s start our list with the most ephemeral hotels around the world – the sand hotel on Weymouth Beach in England. The place is considered a stronghold for sandcastle builder: The sand sculptures on Weymouth Beach are loud. In addition to the impressive oversized sculptures, a hotel built by a whole team consisting of the best sand castle farmers of the world, within a week entirely of sand. 1,000 tons of sand was used in this case and a wall was formed along with high castle archway, ornaments and towers. The interior consisted of sand beds and a complete lounge area, also formed of sand. The hotel offers a night under the stars, including sea view for £ 10 onwards. The only downer was probably that the castle builders had built no toilets.

9. Salt Hotel in Bolivia Luna Salada

But after getting a taste?

The world’s 10 most bizarre hotels. Our second hotel lives up to its name. All the walls are made ​​of salt blocks, even the floor is sprinkled with salt crystals. Out of about a million salt blocks were built in the hotel, even for the furniture and ceilings, salt is used. Located on a hill in the village of Colchani, from where one has a fantastic view of the famous salt lake. The Salt Hotel Luna Salada is unique in the world and offers one thing: Calm and relaxation amid salt you can feel your own body circulation and can let you go completely. For further relaxation there is a large saltwater pool and a sauna. An overnight stay costs around $150, but only the experience that this hotel is worth the price.

8. Waldseilgarten Höllschlucht in Bavaria

One of the most extraordinary places to stay in Germany.

The world’s most bizarre hotels. Would you like to spend the night outside in the great outdoors? Then you’ve come to the right place. But beware if you are afraid of heights, “Sleeping in the tree” is the style of hotel Waldseilgarten Höllschlucht. Here you can sleep in so-called “Portal Edges” which are suspended from the thick branches of free standing trees. The ascent and descent is only possible with the help of rope and a previous climbing course. From up here you have the breathtaking mountain scenery Pfronten. For $300 per night this is one of the sportiest whereabouts that you have ever seen.

7. Magic Mountain Hotel in Chile

The mysterious mountain in the forest.

The most bizarre hotels. The Hotel Montana Magica Lodge in Chile is probably better known as Magic Mountain Hotel. It is located in Huilo Huilo Reserve in Patagonia Here life is like in the Shire of JRR Tolkien “The Lord of the Rings”: In a grassy hill in the woods. The hotel is built like a mountain and accessible only via a suspension bridge. Surrounded by a dense forest area in Chile looks like the Montana Magica Lodge, as when they had grown themselves out of the ground. A waterfall makes its way from the top to the foot of the mountain. The construction consists exclusively of sustainable and high-quality materials and is in harmony with nature and the magic of the forest. A single room costs the equivalent of 215 U.S. dollars. This unique hotel is not only aimed at eco-tourists, but also to adventurous travelers looking for something special.

6. Tree Hotel in Sweden

A night at designer tree house.

most bizarre hotels. Do you have the dream since your childhood to have a private tree house? This dream can be fulfilled in northern Sweden now. In the quiet village of Harada’s, hotel room hanging up to six meters height from the trees. The various rooms in the Tree Hotel are designed respectively by different architects. One room is called “Mirror Cube ��and is particularly spectacular because its outer sides are completely mirrored and the rooms are completely arranged by the reflections in the landscape. To make this intervention natural as much as possible, a special ultraviolet foil was used to protect birds about to fly. However, this is also reflected in the price, which is around $550 per night.

5. Ice Hotel in Sweden

The most bizarre hotels. We stay in Sweden and take you to where it is really cold. The Ice Hotel includes a whopping 6,000 square meters of snow and ice. Bundled up in a thermal sleeping bag you stay here on icy beds. The ice hotel is about 13 km from Kiruna in Jukkasjärvi. Every year in November the ice hotel is newly built by artists. The ice is polished, sanded and carved up as the hotel rooms for the guests arise. Just because of this effort the hotel counts among the most exclusive in the world. With its interior decoration made ​​of snow and ice sculptures also it is one of the most beautiful places to stay. A very special highlight is the own ice church of the hotel where even weddings take place. Because of the cold temperature, hotel for children under the age of 12 is not suitable. A weekend costs around $1000, about 50,000 visitors each year take an ice room.

4. Giraffe hotel in Kenya

Hotel on Safari.

The world’s most bizarre hotels. A hotel with tame wild animals in their natural environment is available only in Kenya. Nowhere else in the world can you see giraffes up close? As early as the morning, the giraffes are frolicking in the vicinity of the hotel, because they know that there will be food. On every breakfast table of guests, food for the animals is also available; the feeding is equipped at all the windows and doors of the hotel. This provides great interaction with the animals: you can pet them and take pictures and maybe you even can have one of the famous giraffe kisses. The prices for an overnight stay vary according to season, however, lies in the higher price ranges, since it also supported by a foundation for the protection of the graceful creatures.

3. Kakslauttanen hotel in Lapland

An igloo made of glass.

The most bizarre hotels. The Kakslauttanen Hotel with his igloo village in Finland, where you can visit the best of deepest Finnish winter. You can experience warm igloo made ​​of glass in the winter wonderland. Some rooms are equipped with an outdoor swimming pool. With a little luck you can admire the northern lights even at night. But even without the northern lights the view of the starry sky above northern Finland is clear from your bed. Locally, exciting snow tours, from husky dog rides to snowmobile are available. Prices start around from $200 per night .

2. Sala Silvermine in Sweden

Sleeping in the mine.

Top most bizarre hotels. A suite in a silver mine or sleep in the underground: The Silvermine Underground Lounge in Sweden Sala, some 120 kilometers north-west of Stockholm, is probably the lowest-hotel in the world. What was silver mine earlier, is now a hotel about 155 meters depth. It is advised by the management to take warm clothes, because outside the hotel rooms in the tunnel temperature is about three degrees. Your cell phone will have no reception down there, but do not worry, thanks to wireless devices; you are in constant contact with the surface. The silver work of Sala is open all year round for groups and accommodation bookings. Prices range, depending on accommodation, at around 4,290 Swedish crowns.

1. Manta Underwater Room in Zanzibar

Under the sea.

The world’s most bizarre hotels. The last hotel of our list exceeds all hotels mentioned so far on uniqueness and exclusivity. Off the coast of Tanzania you can have a bedroom underwater. The hotel is in Manta Resort in Zanzibar a raft off the coast. The raft is divided over three floors. However, no matter if you are on the roof terrace for sunbathing or in the bedroom, you stay under water. Read the full article

[defineifndef-blog]

Hakuna Matataland

I was never particularly tempted by Africa, thinking it’s just a desert with little food and little to see. Nothing of that turned true – variety of landscapes, comfortable temperature, numerous animals, friendly locals and clean public spaces can satisfy even the most critical tourist.

Honza tricked me into a holiday in Tanzania by showing the pictures of Zanzibar’s sandy beaches:

Can one say no? :) As a compromise, we decided to spend a week on the continental part for a safari, and then chill in Zanzibar for another week – which I would say is the perfect mix for a comprehensive holiday.

After few hard months at work, we both just slept through the 14 hours of flight with a quick lunch in Istanbul, and woke up in Dar es Salaam - the former capital and largest city in Tanzania. Over the last century, Dar es Salaam has grown from a sleepy fishing village into a metropolis of over four million people. Straddling some of the most important sea routes in the world, it is East Africa’s second-busiest port and Tanzania’s commercial hub. Despite this, and its notorious traffic jams, the city has managed to maintain a low-key down-to-earth feel.

We stayed at the local Backpacker’s hostel owned by a distant acquaintance of ours, who did  a city tour for us. It was pretty much just about walking around in a crowded slum-like city center, sweating at every step. The highlight was a metro trip (metro meaning bus run on tracks) and a visit to the local fish market. Boiling hot and rich in smells, it is divided into two main sections, with fresh and less-fresh fried fish sold to the local shoppers and restaurants.

Luckily, we escaped from Dar just after a day, and flew to Arusha, the gateway to the popular Northern Safari Circuit. Nested at the foot of Mount Meru (the view on which we enjoyed from the terrace of our guesthouse with a glass of wine), it is a lush green town as opposed to the dirty Dar. From some points of the area, you could even (theoretically) see Kilimanjaro - but it was always hiding in the clouds.

Here, we had a local buddy called Colman, who helped us book the safari, took us to the dinner with his friends and organized a trip to the Hot Springs (also with five of his friends). This is a fantastic oasis in the middle of nowhere. The term "Hot" in hot spring is used quite  loosely though - the water was warm at best, but very clean. The fishes munch at the feet all over, just like at the Thai massage places. There is a swinging rope to either embarrass yourself (me) or show off your monkey skills (Honza), and a little stall with suspicious yet nutritious French fries omelet.  

Next day, we took off for the adventure! The first destination was Tarangire National Park in northern Tanzania. Hump-backed wildebeest, kongoni with long ears and short horns reminiscent of a samurai headdress, hulking buffalo, buxom zebra, delicate gazelles, watchful eland, ostrich outriders, fringe-eared oryx and an array of predators move in and out of the park in different directions at different times. Starting with happy shouting when we see one lonely animal here and there, we were soon used to the herds of zebras and the whole elephant families gathering in central riverbeds. One more amazing sight were the giant baobab trees, medusa-headed monoliths often thousands of years old, making the scenery picturesque.

The first night out was in an African igloo at Panorama lodge. It has a stunning view on the savanna, and a storm was coming around in the evening. We enjoyed a dinner cooked by the group’s chef, scaring the lizards away from our plates.

We were in a group of five: two of us, a hot 40-y.o. American, and two German-Italian guys, in an indestructible Land Rover Defender, led by an amazingly calm guide Abdul, who’s been doing this for over 15 years. His personal lifetime safary experience was when a family of lions were passing through the camp and a baby got stuck in his tent, crying for mommy’s help. Abdul also helped me get my own personal lifetime experience of getting out of the jeep to pee in the middle of the savanna (strictly prohibited and deadly) few kms away from the lions.

The next park was THE Serengeti. With nature ranging from apparently limitless grass plains in the south, fertilized by volcanic ash, to wooded highlands in the east, crossed by rivers, it is a home to hundreds of inhabitants.

Among them, the principal actors are blue wildebeest and their spectacular annual Great Migration, “The Greatest Show Of The Natural World”, during which they trek in circumambulation for 3200 kilometers from northern Tanzania to south-western Kenya and back again. In turn, their trips affects other creatures: lions, jackals, hyenas, leopards and cheetahs prey on the migrating and resident herds. Vultures subsist on the predators’ leavings.

The herds of zebras were mainly turning their butts on us, but still were magical. Over the course of the safari, the amount of zebras around us was growing exponentially, until on the last night in Ngorongoro camp our tents were surrounded by them, walking between the tents. This was quite nice, as opposed to SImba camp in Ngorongoro, with hyenas swinging around and laughing right in your ear at night.

Ngorongoro is a park located in a volcano crater, with the diameter of over 20 km. This is a whole magical world, with own ecosystem, salty lakes, humid jungle forests and green swamps. The camp was based on the top of it, and at dawn we were descending for about 2 kms down on a dusty narrow road, speechless from the views unfolding ahead of us.

We’ve seen graceful flamingos, supposedly pink because of the shrimps they eat. 

The swamps were full of grey dirty rocks that turned out to be sleepy hippos, nocturnal thus not giving a damn about the birds jumping all over them.

As for me, if you just have one day, Ngorongoro is the most magical place to see on the mainland.

Tired and dusty, we returned to Arusha to fly to Zanzibar on the next morning. Local airlines are truly a miracle, where ‘hakuna matata’ principle rules over any regulations. The boarding passes are issued in handwriting, and our surnames were (understandably) way too difficult for the check-in guy – so we ended up with two pieces of paper stating ‘Jan’ and ‘Daria’, and a delay of just two hours.

The plane had about 10 seats, so it’s almost as if you had a luxury private jet. By the way, there’re at least three different airlines, with ticket price varying from roughly 70 to 370$ for the same route – we dared to go with the cheapest and it was absolutely fine.

Zanzibar lies on the east coast of Africa, and the name officially refers to the archipelago that includes Unguja and Pemba, surrounded by about 50 smaller ones. As we were explained, when mere silly Europeans say ‘Zanzibar’, they usually refer to the Island of Unguja, separated from mainland Tanzania by a shallow channel 37 km across at its narrowest point.

Zanzibaris have a long history of religious tolerance and although the islands are 95% Muslim, alcohol and tobacco are available (if you search for it: not in every hotel, but pretty much in every bar). The tourists are many, and they are requested to show consideration for the Zanzibari culture by wearing long skirts/pants and covering the shoulders.  

For many centuries there was intense seaborne trading activity between Asia and Africa, and Zanzibar was a key African port, hosting and blending the culture of Germans, Indians and Omanis. It used to be a colony of Oman for quite a while, and has become an official part of Tanzania quite recently, in 20th century. The name of the country itself is actually made up from two words: ‘Tanganyika’, the name of the continental part, and ‘Zanzibar’.

Zanzibar has great symbolic importance in the suppression of slavery, since it was one of the main slave-trading ports in East Africa. Interestingly, the majority of slaves were female concubines, whose children had full inheritance rights, same as the marital children of the master family. After a concubine gave master a child, it was impossible to sell either – which I can imagine resulted in an interesting blend of relationships and a blurred perception of social stratification.

The last but not the least important historical fact is that their beloved Princess Salme, who published an extensive memoir on her life in Zanzibar, looked like Putin. So we bonded with the locals immediately.

The capital and the main port is Stone Town, home of Freddy Mercury (Muslim locals do not seem especially proud of it, though). 

The historic center is essentially a labyrinth of narrow winding streets, all leading to the sea cost, where local children play and swim right between the boats. 

The city has a very calm vibe, and for the first time in Tanzania I felt truly comfortable and relaxed strolling around. One drawback is that obviously the prices are rather European – but fresh juices and local foods are worth it.

Zanzibar is sometimes called ‘the Spice Island’, as the agriculture is focused on growing spices. We decided to explore on of the local spice farms. Turns out, pretty much everything we know - cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, cardamom – grows on trees and bushes. Africans do not really use much spices for food, which is rather flat in terms of taste – but their traditional medicine is all about spices. Eating cumin powder helps with ‘running stomach’ (tested, proven personally), nutmeg gives women ‘romantic eyes’ and enhances men’s power (according to an alternative source, it can keep you high for up to 24 hours), and eating henna roots that cause internal bleeding has been an abortion solution for the most conservative Muslim communities for centuries.

After the farm tour, we did a local cooking class – fish curry, spinach mash and coconut milk dumplings with cardamom, all cooked right on the floor and eaten mostly by the local village kids attracted by the smell. If we did not see that fish on the local market, I suspect we might’ve enjoyed it more. But the dumplings were dope, and burnt cane sugar with cardamom is something you should all try!

After Stone Town, we headed to the north-east of the island for beaches and dives. Our first stop for few days was Kiwengwa, which, funnily enough, turned out to be an Italian enclave. Somehow the first tourists that started coming to Zanzibar about 10 years ago were Italians, and all the locals started learning the language. More than a half of the beach cafes were serving pizza, pasta and Prosecco (not that I mind!), and local kids were chasing us on the beach shouting ‘Ciao bella’.  The beach souvenir stalls with coconut carvings and textile bags had the proud names like ‘Dolce & Gabanna” and “Fendi”.

The sea life was absolutely stunning. We skipped the crowded dolphin-chasing tours and went diving and snorkeling to the tiny neighboring islands. My personal favorite was a trumpet fish:

And apart from that, there was absolutely nothing to do in the north-east, as there was no wind and no waves. I was counting with sunbathing all day long, however, the tan plan was usually fulfilled in the first 15 minutes at the beach, even with SPF 50: African sun is truly severe. Chilling in the shadow of hotel terrace was complicated by the hardworking waiters, who came every 10 minutes with a call-center dialogue script: “-Hello! -…. ‘How are you?’ ‘… ‘How is your day?’ … ‘Is everything okay?’… ‘Would you like something else?’ ‘… and a killer follow-up ‘Why not?’. When once I dared not to order a drink, one of the waiters literally chuckled, loudly expressing her contempt for my refusal to support the local economy. 

After three days, we ran away to Paje, a more democratic party village on the east coast. There was a tiny bit of wind, still not enough for surfing but sufficient for trying out a kite. This kept Honza busy for another two days, while I was swallowing Agatha Christie’s novel in batches. A sport that needs independent coordination of legs and hands did not look very promising for me. And the beaches were just amazing 24/7.

When it was time to go home, we took a ferry from Stone Town to Dar – and despite many negative reviews, I would recommend it to everyone. Reasonably priced (35$), big, clean and air conditioned, it reaches Dar in just about 2 hours – and then you can uber to the airport. Just be aware that local drivers aren‘t big believers in driving after they accept the order – they usually just stay where they are, apparently waiting for you to come to them. It took us just half an hour with 2 phones to actually get a car – but it was about 30 times cheaper than a taxi for an hour’s drive.

A lonely plastic pine tree in the departure hall reminded us that we’re flying back for snow and Christmas. This is nothing personal for Africa, but it was amazing to be back, with the reliable electricity supply, drinkable tap water and no need to bargain over everything.

 Some of the practical tips:

·         Essential vaccinations are just two – typhus ans yellow fever, but you must have a vaccination certificate for border crossing.

·         If customs officers go away for half an hour with all your documents – hakuna matata. Sooner or later they’ll come back, and even if you end up with few local loans on your name, the notifications are not likely to arrive overseas.

·         Mosquito net was available everywhere we stayed, but we still took one with us just in case. You’ll be bitten anyway, even with the net and repellent – but the levels of malaria are very high on the continental part.

·         If you take Malarone in the evenings together with red wine, your dreams will be vivid and complex.

·         If going in the low season as we did, you should definitely book a safari right on the spot in Arusha. This is more than twice cheaper than booking online in advance, and options are plenty. I’ll be happy to refer our local buddy to you :)

·         Make sure you go to the bathroom before sleep when you stay in safari camps to avoid unpleasant meeting with hyenas. Same stands for game drives, when you are technically not allowed to leave the car. Skipping on this results in the scariest two minutes of your life, especially if someone in the crew decided to fool you shouting „Look, lion is coming!“ while you’re out.

·         By law visitors have to settle bills in US dollars rather than shillings, but no one really cares. It;s best to bring USD and withdraw some local currency just in case. When paying in USD, you can (should) bargain over the exhange rate!

·         As usual – avoid raw foods, veggies and fruit that you do not peel yourself, and make sure your water bottles are sealed. Valid even for the five-star hotels. If anything, chew cumin.

·         Chat with the locals, smile and hakuna matata! Once you let it all go, Africa is amazing!

[bigyack-com]

Turn Valentine’s Day 2020 into a romantic weekend at one of these lovely hotel properties - travel

If you haven’t yet lifted a finger for your significant other this Valentine’s Day, there’s still time. The holiday falls on a Friday this year, which means it’s perfect for booking a long weekend away.To help you, here are the most romantic new hotels and resorts for a quick escape—places where weeks of stress can melt away in minutes, or destinations that are easy to explore in just a few days.And please, hold the flowers and chocolates. For each of these 14 getaways, we’ve found sweet, easy-to-schedule excursions or amenities that are much more original. No matter where in the world you’re starting out from, at least one will be close by; their romantic appeal, on the other hand, is universal. If You’re on the East CoastShou Sugi Ban House, HamptonsA midwinter trip to the Hamptons may seem backward. But there’s no more romantic way to stroll a beach than in total quiet, wrapped in a blanket with your loved one. Afterward, retreat to the Japanese oasis that is Shou Sugi Ban House, where you can grab a cup of matcha from an onyx-colored bar and sit around an outdoor fireplace set in a Zen garden. There are wooden soaking tubs in the rooms and flax linen robes for lounging. What else could you need?The romantic gesture: The hotel’s expansive spa has hot and cold hydrotherapy plunge pools, a solarium and roof deck, chromatherapy showers, and apt wintertime treatments, like the “Deep Within” hot stone massage, to soften chapped skin and relieve tight joints. (It’s paired with pre- and post-treatment soaks and tonics to extend the “me time” magic.)Maison de la Luz, New OrleansIt’s not yet a year old, but this whimsical hideaway in the Big Easy’s Warehouse District feels like it’s been there forever. Its rooms have a historic, palatial feel reminiscent of Paris’s hôtels particuliers, and the bordello-like Bar Marilou has quickly become a local fixture.The romantic gesture: Do dinner at one of the city’s so-hot-right-now restaurants like Gautreau’s or Coquette, both of which have sexy dining rooms and elegant menus that aren’t overly fussy. Then have the hotel staff draw up a bath and set a bottle of Champagne on ice in your room while you mix your own after-dinner drinks in the living room.Royalton AntiguaThere aren’t many places to get overwater bungalows without flying to the Maldives or Tahiti. But one exception is just a quick hop from most East Coast hubs: the Royalton Antigua. Its thatched-roof pavilions set a new standard for oceanside luxury in the Caribbean when they opened last summer. The setup means you never need to leave your room: Butlers can deliver your meals, and your room includes snorkeling gear and direct access to the water, making it perfectly reasonable to indulge in total privacy.The romantic gesture: As long as you book a day ahead, a personal bartender can set up shop on your terrace and stir you endless G&T’s as the sun dips into the horizon.If You’re on the West CoastFour Seasons Lanai at Koele, a Sensei RetreatThe new prince of Hawaiian pampering is this wellness-oriented offshoot of Larry Ellison’s island estate. Of course you can dive around tropical reefs and zip line across Kaiholena Gulch, but that’s not why you’re here. All-inclusive stays (minimum three nights) cover art and mindfulness workshops, Nobu-created meals with ingredients from the property’s farm, tons of fitness classes, and high-tech spa treatments such as massages that use thermal mapping to pinpoint your tight spots.The romantic gesture: Most people associate Hawaii’s lush interior landscapes with beautiful hiking trails, but in Lanai, you can explore the state’s old ranching country and wooded valleys on horseback.Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Los Cabos, MexicoThe butlers at this exceptional new resort are called Tosoanis, or dream keepers—and it’s a fitting description. They’ll pick up on your interests and leave you thoughtful, customized surprises in your room, whether a rose petal-strewn bath or fresh-baked Mexican pastries. That’s the level of service needed to pull your attention away from the Sea of Cortez views, which are hard to ignore when an entire corner’s worth of walls in your room opens onto a private deck and plunge pool hugging the water’s edge.The romantic gesture: What’s written in the stars for your relationship? That’s a good question for the property’s naturalists, who can help you navigate the night sky with a powerful telescope that offers up-close views of Venus and Polaris. Shooting stars aren’t an uncommon sight, either.If You’re in EuropeSão Lourenço do Barrocal, PortugalTwo hours from Lisbon in the Alentejo countryside is this off-the-grid estate, once the nucleus of a small farming village. It’s been in the same family for 200 years but operational as a hotel for much less time. Holdovers from its agricultural heyday include 220 cows, 600,000 square meters of olive groves, and a 2.5-acre vegetable garden to supply the restaurant; more recent additions include barn cottages and a winery.The romantic gesture: Head out on a hot air balloon ride. The skies in this region are famously clear and sunny, and the staff will pack you a picnic with one of the estate’s sparkling wines.Niehku Mountain Villa, SwedenMaybe you want to heli-ski and never see another soul. Maybe you want to hole up in the luxury equivalent of an igloo. Or maybe you want to spot polar bears north of the Arctic Circle. All those boxes can be checked at Niehku, the fabulous 14-room bolt-hole that straddles Norway and Sweden—even if you’re around for only a three-day stint (the property’s minimum stay).The romantic gesture: Pray to the weather gods for a showing of midnight lights, go dog sledding in untouched terrain occupied primarily by reindeer, or hunker down in the wine cellar, where only top-notch bottles are allowed. There’s no wrong choice.InterContinental Lyon Hotel Dieu, FranceThe building that houses this hotel—a maternity hospital until 2013—is supposedly where one-third of the Lyonnaise population was born. Now it’s heralding a five-star rebirth for a city that’s long been set in its humbler ways. The jaw-dropper is the first-floor bar, set under a 236-foot-high dome, with immaculately restored detailing that glows in the floodlight that pours in from its many monumental windows.The romantic gesture: Lyon will never abandon its zest for traditional, butter-laden meals—the city is often considered the epicenter of classic French cuisine, and it’s worth leaning into the calorie splurge for a night or two. Burn it off the next morning with an urban hike up the many stairs that lead to Croix-Rousse, the bohemian-feeling neighborhood in the north. Along the way you can take in city views from above, wind your way through the old silk merchant storehouses known as traboules, pit stop at Sebastien Bouillet’s phenomenal namesake bakery for a praline croissant (the local specialty), and buy pretty bouquets of flowers (fresh or dried) at the city’s best farmers market.Fife Arms, ScotlandPrince Charles and Camilla personally cut the ribbon at the reopening of this lavish inn in the Highlands a year ago, along with the property’s new stewards, Iwan and Manuela Wirth—owners of the Hauser & Wirth art gallery. The royal status is warranted not just because it’s at the center of Braemar, the town Queen Victoria chose for her vacation home (Balmoral Palace) and where the current monarch goes annually for the Scottish Highland Games, but for its contemporary cultural relevance, too. In its new life, the property is home to 16,000 artworks—bearing signatures as wide-ranging as Picasso to Bharti Kher to Queen Victoria herself.The romantic gesture: You can go for a big wow moment here on a personal tour of Braemar Castle (perhaps make your partner feel like the king or queen they are), or get your hands dirty together on a foraging tour through the estate grounds.If You’re in AsiaAman KyotoFew cities can mimic Kyoto’s blend of quiet contemplation and cutting-edge dining. And within Kyoto, few hotels capture both sides of that coin like the just-opened Aman. Its latticed-wood rooms resemble the carefully crafted boxes locals use for precious gifts; inside they have tatami sitting areas and Hinoki soaking tubs. And since each of them is scattered around an ancient-feeling forest, it’s perhaps no surprise that the property’s chefs can source most of their ingredients within a 10-minute walk from their kitchen.The romantic gesture: The moss-covered grounds make Aman Kyoto’s gardens feel like a lush, movielike setting for a picnic. But if it’s too cold for that, book a personalized tour to Kamishichiken, the oldest of the “flower towns” that have long served the city’s geishas. Getting guided access to these districts is the best way to understand the training and culture behind Japan’s most romanticized profession, whether you visit an ancient ochaya (tea house) or watch an actual performance.Lelewatu Sumba, IndonesiaA puddle hop away from Bali is this comparatively undiscovered and underdeveloped gem of an island, where it’s easy to feel like you’re simply at the end of the Earth. And if the Earth were to end here, under the white canopy beds of Lelewatu’s soaring thatched-roof pavilions, with the sounds of the Indian Ocean lapping just outside, that might be a totally fine way to go.The romantic gesture: Drink coconut water out of a coconut. Sit on your patio and listen for chirping birds in the nearby jungle. Here, the move is simply to let time sit still.Gibbston Valley Lodge & Spa, New ZealandWith the fires still raging in Australia, it’s comforting to know that a slice of Eden is thriving just across the Tasman Sea. Take it in from Gibbston Valley Lodge & Spa: The property is a cluster of villas within a pinot noir vineyard, all with access to the legendary biking trails of Kawarau Gorge and a “vinotherapy” spa.The romantic gesture: The local pours are elegant and nuanced, so take that as your cue and book a private, candlelit dinner in the property’s wine caves.If You’re in South AmericaCannúa, ColombiaAn hour and a half from Medellín is Cannúa, the first resort ambitious enough to put Colombia’s full biodiversity on display—from the double-height windows in the rooms to the guided birdwatching hikes and the culinary focus on the country’s kaleidoscopic bounty.The romantic gesture: The area around the resort lays claim to Colombia’s two most famous (legal) exports: coffee and flowers. Visit local farmers and sample their very best; this is the stuff that the best dates are made of.If You’re in Africa or the Middle EastOberoi MarrakechMarrakech already lays claim to some of the world’s most over-the-top resorts—nearly one from every luxury brand—and yet the city’s newcomer manages to stand apart. The Oberoi’s architecture, inspired by the 14th century Medersa Ben Youssef, is a showcase for Moroccan craft traditions, ranging from zellige tiles and ornamental plasterwork to magnificent courtyards with petal-strewn fountains. But it differs from the historic theological monument in its unwavering embrace of opulence; here, the central water feature isn’t a shallow reflecting pond but a veritable “grand canal,” which runs the entire length of the resort. And the sleeping chambers aren’t humble student quarters, they’re palatial apartments with their own gardens and pools.The romantic gesture: If you’ve already shopped your way through the city’s epic souks, let the resort take you on a next-level exploration: an aerial survey of the Sahara via private helicopter, culminating in a butler-serviced lunch at a nomadic desert camp.(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Read the full article

[igloobeachlodgecr]

Discover the Perfect Stay at Igloo Beach Lodge: Your Ideal Beachfront Escape in Manuel Antonio

If you're planning a trip to Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio offers some of the most breathtaking views, lush landscapes, and pristine beaches. For an unforgettable beachfront experience, look no further than Igloo Beach Lodge. This beachfront hotel in Manuel Antonio provides an exceptional combination of comfort, stunning views, and eco-conscious living. Let’s explore why Igloo Beach Lodge stands out among the Manuel Antonio beachfront hotels and why it’s the perfect choice for your next getaway.

Why Choose Igloo Beach Lodge?

🏖️ Unbeatable Beachfront Location

When you stay at Igloo Beach Lodge, you're just steps away from the soft, golden sands of Manuel Antonio Beach. No need to worry about long walks – your beachfront hotel in Manuel Antonio offers direct beach access, making it easy to enjoy the ocean anytime.

🌊 Stunning Views from Every Room

Every room at the Igloo hotel Manuel Antonio provides spectacular ocean views. Start your day with a cup of coffee while gazing at the Pacific, and unwind at night with beautiful sunsets painting the sky. This unique experience is something every traveler dreams of.

🌍 Eco-Conscious Living

The Igloo Beach Lodge prioritizes sustainability. By choosing this beachfront hotel, you’re supporting eco-friendly initiatives that preserve Costa Rica’s natural beauty. From sustainable architecture to eco-conscious practices, it’s a stay that aligns with environmental values.

Explore Your Perfect Vacation at Igloo Beach Lodge

🐒 Adventure and Wildlife in Manuel Antonio National Park

A short distance from Igloo Beach Lodge, Manuel Antonio National Park offers a chance to witness Costa Rica’s incredible biodiversity. You’ll find monkeys, sloths, and toucans, alongside lush landscapes and scenic trails.

🌴 Beach Activities Right at Your Doorstep

With a prime beachfront location, the possibilities are endless:

Swimming: Dive into the crystal-clear Pacific waters

Sunbathing: Relax on the sand and soak up the Costa Rican sun

Photography: Capture stunning sunsets and scenic beach landscapes

💆‍♀️ Relaxation and Comfort

The tranquil atmosphere at Igloo Beach Lodge allows you to relax fully. Whether you lounge on your private balcony or take a peaceful walk along the shore, every moment here is about unwinding and enjoying life’s simple pleasures.

Why Igloo Beach Lodge is Your Perfect Beachfront Hotel in Manuel Antonio

✅ Authentic Costa Rican Experience – Embrace the local culture and stunning landscapes. ✅ Sustainable & Eco-Friendly Stay – Contribute to Costa Rica’s commitment to preserving its natural beauty. ✅ Comfortable & Scenic Accommodations – Wake up to breathtaking ocean views. ✅ Convenient Location – A perfect balance of beach access, scenic beauty, and nearby attractions.

Book Your Stay at Igloo Beach Lodge Today

If you're searching for a memorable stay in a beachfront hotel in Manuel Antonio, Igloo Beach Lodge offers the perfect blend of comfort, sustainability, and stunning natural beauty. Whether you're planning a solo trip, a romantic getaway, or a family vacation, Igloo Beach Lodge provides the ideal setting to enjoy everything Costa Rica has to offer.

Don’t wait – book your trip now and experience the magic of Igloo Beach Lodge, where the ocean, luxury, and eco-conscious living come together for the ultimate Manuel Antonio getaway! 🌴☀️🏖️

[parasholidays]

The 25 Most Unique Honeymoon Spots Around the World

From large tree houses in the depths of South Africa to private isolated islands in the clear blue waters of the Maldives, there are ultimate honeymoon delights where you can fall in love all over again. If you love traveling and exploring new things and searching for an out-of-this-world experience, here are top destinations for the extraordinary honeymoon tour packages around the world!

1. Singita, South Africa

At camps in Tanzania witness the great migration and no event in your life would ever come close to this experience! The collection of safari camps is truly regarded as one of the most luxurious and lavish options, so make sure to start saving your money for the honeymoon of a lifetime! The most famous camp in South Africa is Singita Sweni, and for outdoors camp it will definitely be Tanzania, glamping in tents under the twinkling stars.

2. Nihiwatu, Indonesia

The top three hotel experiences worldwide would always include Nihiwatu, a tree-house, yoga-loving health retreat in Indonesia. Leaving Bali behind, you can escape the madness and find yourself on Sumba Island, with a short duration flight from the busy streets of Bali and reach in the middle of local, rural life. The resort highlights are yoga, all-inclusive meals, horseback riding and a spa retreat separate to the resort.

3. Hotel La Montana, Chile

If you have wild imagination and a sense of wonder, then you must check out Chile as your top honeymoon places! One of the ideal countries to go on a date, Chile is so varied that you can experience hiking in the world’s driest desert one day and stepping inside the thick layers of snow in Patagonia the next. A fantasy honeymoon destinations in Chile is Hotel La Montana complete with a rope bridge in the forest!

4. Chalkley Treehouse, Sabi Sand

Safaris are always considered the most incredible experiences of your lifetime and for those people dream honeymoon destination is to venture back to the continent of Africa and experience more of this majestic land. Can you find anything better than being adventurous and romantic than sleeping under the stars, with the sound of lions and zebras trailing off in the background!?

5. Norfolk Island

If you want a surprising element in your honeymoon destination in the world then in Pacific you have to head to Norfolk Island, you will find yourself on a budget trip, this is a great destination close by 2 hour duration flight from Sydney and affordable to get yourself entertained. Most of the features on the island are natural swimming pools, beaches, or simply wandering and cruising around the island in a make beach buggy. Bliss!

6. Royal Davui, Fiji

Fiji is recognised as one of the happiest and most humble places that you can witness. The people here are warm, friendly, welcoming and will serve out of their way to help you enjoy your time in their country. Royal Davui is one of the most luxurious resorts to check in to, set on a isolated island with just a handful of rooms that each face the ocean with breathtaking views. You can reach by boat or enjoy chartered helicopter flight.

7. Aruba

Imagine beaches filled with flamingos – how could you say no to such a delight? Aruba is quickly gaining lot of popularity as a prime destination in the Caribbean and with capturing insta worthy photos. Surely you will have a great time here with your beloved.

8. Giraffe Manor

You might have come across the pictures of this place and the best part about them is they aren’t photoshopped - Giraffe Manor in Kenya is totally really! The charming estate has become a prime place for honeymooners in previous years, as travelers are seeking special, one-of-a-kind honeymoons off the beaten path. With huge giraffes at your window sharing exotic breakfast would just be serving your senses!

9. Taj Exotica, Maldives

Most of the resorts in the Maldives including Taj Exotica are set on their own gorgeous private islands, seemingly placed in the middle of the ocean. The water is crystal clear, you will find the world over, making it ideal conditions for snorkeling, experience paddle boarding, and kayaking. This would be an incredible experience.

10. Le Sirenuse, Positano

Positano would be great place in all of Europe and truly the most romantic place to be travelled with your love. With amazing sunrises and sunsets in all shades of purples and reds oranges, this was one of the most mesmerizing views to wake up to. As always in Italy, the food was worth trying and the surrounding region is best explored by vespa.

11. Pangkor Laut, Malaysia

Malaysia is never expected to be one of the most romantic destinations but as soon as you reach at Pangkor Laut Resort, you can see why it is added to this list! Just like a romantic movie set, the overwater bungalows are the perfect setting for an peaceful island escape.

12. Zermatt, Switzerland

If you love adventure and a risk taker and don’t want to go to the typical “beach, cocktail, sun” honeymoon, then reverse the psychology and head to the snowcapped slopes! A winter destination is totally romantic in its own right, especially if it includes skiing, hot cocoa, and incredible Swiss food! Zermatt would have to be the best pick for the slopes as you will discover so much in the mountains and numerous things to keep you busy back in the town.

13. Colmar, France

Witness the most magical tiny town you can explore in France. Colmar is filled with romance in the air justifying every sense of the word – the royal architecture, the hearty food, the blooms in Spring and the nearby vineyards to explore by bike makes this destination a must visit.

14. Matakauri Lodge, New Zealand

Over recent years New Zealand has gained the epitome of adventure travel. But the scenery is just the starting! The South Island without a doubt gives adventure down to a fine art - with the likes of bungy jumps, ski slopes and scenic flights being a staple on most itineraries.

15. Explora, Patagonia, Chile

If you want the entire Chilean experience in the lavish setting of an all-inclusive lodge, then you must step inside the Explora. There are three base camps offered in the collection including one in Patagonia, one in Atacama Dessert, and one on Easter Island. Each camp features your meals, daily guided tours, and nice accommodation. Nothing can beat it.

16. Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, Australia

Kangaroo Island is remarkable one of the most romantic places in all of Australia and Southern Ocean Lodge is at the pinnacle of luxury lodge escapes. The lodge major highlights include mini bar, accommodation, meals, daily complete guided tours, and an open bar.

17. Lake Bled, Slovenia

Europe is ideal pick of romantic regions the world over by most tourists. If you do decide to plan Europe your honeymoon choice, you definitely can’t miss the opportunity to explore Slovenia! Not only does this country known as the Europe’s most underrated capital, but it is also home to one of the most romantic experiences all across the globe.

18. Scottish Highlands

Mythical and full of secrets, the Scottish Highlands might not gain the prime destination on your list of potential honeymoons, but if you are looking for something a little different and invariably cooler than other beach destinations, then you will fall in love with an escape in the North of Scotland!

19. Budapest, Hungary

As one of the most entertaining capital cities in all of Europe, Budapest is as romantic as big cities come. With an unforgettable history, one can’t expect to search the same level of architectural beauty as you can find in Paris, but believe us Budapest will be a budget travel compared to Western European capitals. This is the best honeymoon destinations for party animals.

20. Lord Howe Island, Australia

For anyone who wanted to visit on this majestic island a 2-hour flight off the coast of New South Wales, this is one of the best Australia’s hidden gems! Travelers are capped at 400 people at any one time, making this entirely a perfect getaway if you’re looking for entire seclusion and some private time.

21. Mo’orea, Tahiti

When you plan Tahiti as a honeymoon destination, it would be better to think straight to the iconic Bora Bora, one of the most amazing honeymoon destinations across the world. However still the best honeymoon is to be found in Mo’orea! This island is know for more cultural and authentic and offers calm beaches, many of jungle to discover and hearty French cuisine.

22. Freycinet, Tasmania

Tasmania has some of the most blissful natural scenery in the complete world. Undeniably one of the top priorities should be Freycinet, situated on the East Coast but feeling a fantasy world away from reality.

23. Lapland, Finland

If you are planning for a winter honeymoon destination reminiscent of Narnia, Lapland should surely win your list. With reindeers, igloos and everything in between, a trip to the north of Finland will be talked about for decades to come and cherished.

24. The Cotswolds, England

If Road tripping is your thing then you must try around the English countryside known as one of the most romantic drives including the ideal Cotswolds. The region is embraced with rich history, all time charm, and some of the most elegant thatched houses you ever did see!

25. The Norwegian Fjords

Last but not least, the ultimate honeymoon destination would be Norway! Considered as the most expensive destinations in Europe, the perfect way to see the fjords is to book a cruise and hop-on-hop-off as you discover various beautiful villages and fancy towns throughout the coast of Norway.

Source- https://www.parasholidays.in/blog/25-unique-honeymoon-spots-in-world/

[heydaytravelcompany]

Disney’s Blizzard Beach Reopens Nov. 6 With More Ways to Warm Up Your Winter!

Everyone’s favorite winter-themed warm water wonderland is ready for another season of magical fun! Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park will reopen on Nov. 6 – just in time for another festive holiday season! Here are some of the most frost-tastic things we're looking forward to when Blizzard Beach swings open its gates once again: - Snagging the New Disney Water Park Seasonal Pass We just launched the NEW Disney Water Park Seasonal Pass! This new pass allows guests to visit Disney Water Parks again and again now through May 24, 2024 for just $79 plus tax. So, make sure to stock up on sunscreen during your holiday shopping. The seasonal pass has no block out dates and no reservations are required. Plus, free parking awaits all those embarking on an arctic journey to Blizzard Beach!  - Indulging in New and Returning Food and Beverage Get ready to savor new food and beverage options! Specialty churros have made their way to the menu at Arctic Expeditions and there’s no way I’m missing out on these: - S’mores Churros – Churro bites topped with graham cracker crumbs, marshmallow whipped cream, chocolate sauce and toasted mini marshmallows - Banana Split Churros – Churro bites topped with banana slices, sliced strawberries, pineapple chunks, cookie and brownie pieces, chocolate and caramel sauce, whipped cream and a cherry. Savor the new Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings and Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings at Warming Hut. Of course, guests can enjoy all of their returning favorite treats and drinks at Lottawatta Lodge, Polar Pub, Frostbite Freddy’s and more. - Letting the kids splash around on Tike’s Peak Send photos to friends and relatives up north while enjoying the heated water flowing through Tike’s Peak. The Frozen-themed hangout features Anna and Elsa in their igloo castle and a wading pool where kids can splash around with Olaf and his Snowgie pals. - Twist and Turn down Teamboat Springs Take the whole family on an epic whitewater journey! Up to six riders can float down a mountain on one of the world’s longest raft adventures. - Ski-daddle to the Toboggan Racers Compete with other guests in a race on mats down an eight-lane slalom-style, 250-foot-long  “toboggan” waterslide race that features three exhilarating dips and hills. - Take a Chill-axing ride on Cross Country Creek Float on a scenic lazy river passing through mysterious caves and illuminated grottos while dipping toes into Mount Gushmore’s refreshing (and heated) spring water. - Enjoy the Holidays with a Tropical Twist Snow boots are not required to walk through the little white flurries greeting guests at the entrance. Just make sure to schedule time to hang out with Santa relaxing in his tropical best at his favorite vacation destination. Looking for holiday flavors? Blizzard Beach has those too! Peppermint shakes and cookie decorating are among the limited-time treats adding to the festivities. There’s nothing better than spending a winter day in the Florida sun with friends and family! So, pick up a Disney Water Parks Seasonal Pass now and head to the top of Mount Gushmore. Read the full article

[igloobeachlodge]

Plan Out Your Summers in Costa Rica with Igloo Beach Lodge

Summers are the time of year when your mind thinks about a beach-cation. For Central America, summer is a season for Costa Rica adventures. Thousands of tourists and residents find Costa Rica a perfect place to spend summers. If you are going to Costa Rica for a group tour in the summer, all you need to do is contact Igloo Beach Lodge. Igloo Beach Lodge is the number one choice of people who visit Costa Rica. The location of Igloo Beach Lodge makes it the most desirable place for visitors and it gives the sustainable essence of Costa Rica. If you have Costa Rica small group tours, do visit Igloo Beach Lodge. The hotel has been built with several igloo cabins. These igloo cabins are built by air form method and are robust and energy-efficient. The green surrounding around these structures makes it even more pleasant. Once you reach there, here is the list of things that you can do: • Bonfires: If you are on your honeymoon, then Igloo Beach Lodge is one of the best Costa Rica honeymoon resorts. You can find beautiful romantic picnics organized by the staff of Igloo Beach Lodge. The bonfires on beaches, just a few minutes away from the hotel, can be such a beautiful experience. The beach club at Igloo Beach Lodge also offers beach activities to make your holiday even more exciting. You can enjoy beach volleyball, a fresco movie, or their weekly Paella Sunday. • Get Fit: If you are worried about holiday weight, you will be elated to know that Igloo Beach Lodge is also health-conscious. Their fitness club offers you many activities to get in shape while on holiday. After lodging, you can burn off that extra calorie at their surf camp or boot camp. Their yoga retreat gives you a more composed way to get your spiritual or physical shape.

• Spa: Holidays are meant to take time off from a stressed lifestyle, and the spa can help to release your stress and give you a relaxed, strain-free time. After a fun-packed day, a massage from the expert practitioners of Ignoo Beach Lodge can be the perfect way to end your day in Costa Rica. If you are planning Costa Rica group tours, it would be incomplete without Ignoo Beach Lodge. Contact them now for bookings. For more information, visit https://www.igloobeachlodge.com/ Original Source: https://bityl.co/D76T

[ianfaulkner1-blog]

By Roxanne Reid If you’re a safari lover (or even dying to embark on your first safari adventure) there’s no better time than your honeymoon. And there’s no need to rough it. Imagine candlelit dinners, romantic bath tubs, spectacular sunsets, amazing wildlife and fresh air. Here are some destinations to enjoy a safari honeymoon in Africa and find romantic breaks for nature lovers.

Maasai Mara, Kenya Inspired by the romance of Karen Blixen’s Out of Africa, Kenya is one of the best honeymoon destinations in Africa, offering romantic breaks for couples. Stay at Mara Plains Camp in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy bordering the Maasai Mara Reserve and feel the heartbeat of Africa. Soak in the freestanding copper bath, listen to the sound of wildebeest on the plains and hippo in the river, go for a picnic on the open plains, horse riding or game viewing with a guide. Come back to dinner set up on your private deck with paraffin lamps to provide old-fashioned romantic lighting. We met a honeymoon couple from Mexico when we stayed here and they loved their African safari honeymoon. 

Mara Plains Camp

Or travel back in time for your Kenya honeymoon to enjoy a colonial style safari at Cottar’s 1920s Camp on a private reserve bordering the Maasai Mara. There’s even a special honeymoon tent that will make you feel you’re on a Hollywood film set. Soak up the elegance of a romantic canvas bubble bath set up with a view over the surrounding bush, take a dip in the pool or enjoy a relaxing spa massage. A slightly more affordable African safari honeymoon – still with comfy accommodation, good food and twice-daily game drives – can be found at Governors’ Camp or Little Governors’ Camp. You might even get a wake-up call from elephants wandering nearby.

Things to do in the Maasai Mara include game drives, guided bush walks and cultural visits to a Maasai village. The pick of the bunch is a hot air balloon ride over the Maasai Mara. You’ll float silently over twisting rivers, grasslands and acacia trees, low enough to spot game like Thompson’s gazelle, zebra, wildebeest and maybe even lion or elephant. After landing, enjoy a slap-up bush breakfast with sparkling wine. A great add-on to a Maasai Mara safari is a few days on the Kenyan coast.

​Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania ​For your Tanzania honeymoon stay at Ngorogoro Crater Lodge, which has a superb outlook over the wildlife-filled caldera (crater) of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although it’s inspired by the traditional Maasai home, touches like brocade sofas, Persian rugs, silver and crystal hint at something more like Versailles. Enjoy the view even when soaking in the tub, with a butler on hand to provide chilled sparkling wine, or enjoy a massage in your room. Of course, this level of sophistication doesn’t come cheap.

The Highlands

Or try the unique igloo-style suites of The Highlands, set on the edge of mountain forest on the Olmoti volcano to the north of the Ngorongoro Crater. Given that it’s often cold in the highlands, each suite has its own fireplace – perfect for romantic evenings with a glass of red wine. In warmer weather, sip gin in the spa bath on the deck and enjoy the view. Get your dinner brought to the deck if you don’t want to join the rest of the guests. Note that The Highlands is so remote that it’s about a three-hour drive from the closest airstrip, and a visit to see wildlife in the crater will take the whole day.

Things to do at Ngorongoro include game drives into the crater, a trip to Olduvai Gorge, walking safaris on a crater, or a cultural visit to a Maasai homestead. Extend your trip to include the Serengeti, home of big cats and the Great Wildebeest Migration, or to Zanzibar for some relaxation on the beaches and turquoise waters of Tanzania’s islands (see below).

Zanzibar, Tanzania If the idea of white beaches and aquamarine waters gives you a buzz, Zanzibar is the place to find them. Matemwe Lodge overlooks a coral-fringed lagoon where you can go snorkelling or diving. Or simply chill out in a hammock on your private veranda with a cocktail in hand as you gaze out to sea. The lodge has a pool and two of the chalets have a private plunge pool as well, making it a perfect choice for a Zanzibar honeymoon.​

Matemwe Lodge

Warere Beach Hotel is a  much more affordable option with a natural rock outcrop that creates a secluded beach, yet close to Nungwi village when you’re in the mood for some local vibe. ​Also, I know a couple who spent their honeymoon at Hideaway of Nungwi Resort and Spa and loved it. Relax by the pool, step from the hotel right onto a public beach, sip wine on your balcony with a view or enjoy a spa massage. An all-in package including flights can be surprisingly affordable.

Things to do in Zanzibar include lazing on the beach, snorkelling, diving on the reefs, kayaking, traditional sailing on a dhow and fishing. Combine your island break with a night or two at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Stone Town to appreciate historic old buildings and soak up the sights, sounds and aromas. You might also include a couple of days in Ngorongoro or Serengeti for the ideal beach-and-bush break (see above).

​ Sossusvlei, Namibia Sossusvlei’s sweeping red sand dunes and dry pans make it an unusual destination perfect for a Namibia honeymoon. Little Kulala Camp is as romantic a place as you could find, with its private plunge pool on your cabin’s deck, its sweeping views of the red sands and surrounding lilac mountains, its wonderful star bed on the roof of your unit (see the photo in the intro to this post). ​

Little Kulala Camp

With its pink theme, the Desert Grace is a more affordable but equally stylish stay near Sossusvlei. Sip a pink gin as you gaze at the endless desert scenery or take a dip in the private plunge pool on your deck. ​For something adventurous and even more affordable there’s Dune Star Camp where you can wheel your bed out onto the deck to spend the night under a canopy of stars. How romantic is that?

Things to do at Sossusvlei include climbing a sand dune, photographing the iconic Deadvlei with its dead camel thorn trees, enjoying a sunset drive among the dunes, and exploring the Sesriem Canyon. Pick of the activities is definitely a dreamy hot air balloon ride at dawn for some of the best views of this unique area; you may even see wildlife like springbok, oryx and ostrich. Finish off with a champagne brunch in the dunes.

​ Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Victoria Falls makes a fabulous Zimbabwe honeymoon destination because there’s so much to do. Stay at Old Drift Lodge inside the Zambezi National Park, where your tented suite looks out over the Zambezi River. There’s a plunge pool on your deck and a freestanding outdoor bath that must be one of the most romantic in Africa. It’s a perfect setting for your Victoria Falls honeymoon. Indulge in a massage at the spa, enjoy a sunset river cruise or go on an early morning game drive for a chance to spot elephant, lion, buffalo and more.

Old Drift Lodge

If you prefer to stay in Victoria Falls town and want a touch of early 20th century elegance, try the colonial-style Victoria Falls Hotel. Enjoy high tea or gin and tonic on the terrace as you watch the plume of spray from the Falls. ​A good-value stay in town is Ilala Lodge, just an eight-minute walk from the Falls. Set in lush green gardens with courtyards, palm trees and burbling fountains as well as a pool, it’s a relaxing space away from the busyness of all the activities in town. Enjoy a spa massage and a romantic candlelight dinner under the stars

Things to do in Victoria Falls include feeling the spray from the Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River, bungy jumping from the bridge above the Falls and white-water rafting (only from August to January). Or take a spectacular helicopter ride over the Falls, which is an expensive but exhilarating experience you’ll never forget.

​​ Okavango Delta, Botswana Thinking of a Botswana honeymoon? The UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Okavango Delta is not a cheap destination, especially given that you usually have to fly into the camps on private concessions by small charter plane. But it offers a spectacular safari – one of the best in Africa. ​Find a superb Okavango Delta honeymoon at Vumbura Plains Camp. Revel in the understated elegance, a plunge pool on your deck, indoor and outdoor showers for that special connection with nature and each other. Sit in your private ‘sala’ overlooking the waterway to watch passing wildlife, enjoy a massage to work out any kinks from your early morning game drive or bush walk, or a have a private dinner on your deck under a star-filled sky. A romantic cherry on top is to float gently over this spectacular ecosystem in a hot air balloon.

Vumbura Plains

A bit lower in price (though it still helps if you’re paying in dollars or Euros in this high-value, low-impact destination) is Gunn’s Camp overlooking Chief’s Island. Take a dip in the pool, watch one of Botswana’s arresting sunsets, enjoy a private dinner on your balcony overlooking the Delta’s pristine waterways, step into the freestanding bath or take a romantic shower together in the great outdoors.

Things to do in the Okavango Delta include game drives, bush walks and lounging by the pool. Some camps will organise a romantic bush breakfast or Out-of-Africa lunch on an island. Two of the most magnificent activities here are to see the Delta from air as you fly in to camp and to drift silently along the waterways in a mokoro (traditional dugout canoe) to get close to water lilies and small creatures like birds and frogs, maybe even watch some elephants.

​ Kruger National Park, South Africa Kruger is South Africa’s flagship park, a place to see the Big Five as well as hippo, croc, cheetah, wild dog and sable antelope. There are scores of places to choose from for your Kruger National Park honeymoon. One of the most romantic has to be a Lion Sands Treehouse. Lion Sands Game Reserve is part of the greater Kruger conservation area, and you enjoy a one-night sleepover in the treehouse from your normal accommodation in the reserve. The best-priced of these options is River Lodge, though it’s still expensive – but this is your honeymoon, right? Your guide will take you to the treehouse for a sunset picnic and is always just a radio-call away. Sip a drink as you watch the sun set and the stars come out, listen to the sounds of the night and fall asleep under a canopy of stars.

Lion Sands Treehouse

A more affordable stay is at Hoyo Hoyo Safari Lodge on the Imbali Concession in the heart of Kruger. You’ll stay in a Tsonga-style thatched beehive hut among giant leadwood trees and can ask for a champagne breakfast or picnic, enjoy a massage in your suite, a candlelight soak in a huge oval bath or take a cooling dip in the pool after your bush walk or game drive. Kruger budget safari honeymoon tip If you’re looking for a do-it-yourself African honeymoon on a budget, Kruger offers a number of camps where you can self-drive and self-cater. Book a riverfront chalet at Olifants to enjoy some of the best views in the park; sneak to the restaurant if you don’t want to self-cater. The food isn't a patch on what you get at the other places I've mentioned, but it comes at a much lower price. Smaller and more private than Olifants are the bushveld camps. My favourite is Talamati in central Kruger, which has a hide at a waterhole just beyond the fence where I once spotted the Big Five and sable in one three-day stay. The self-drive game routes around the Talamati/Satara area are superb. (Note that there are no shops, restaurants or pools at the bushveld camps and so you need to be an adventurous type who gets a kick out of having to be self-sufficient.)

Things to do at Kruger include early morning and sunset game drives, guided bush walks, and the chance to cool off in a pool or take a snooze (or whatever!) in the middle of the day. A guided night drive is a great way to see a whole cast of different characters.

Obviously, the destinations and camps I’ve mentioned here aren’t the only places where you can find romantic getaways that are perfect for an African honeymoon. But they give an idea of the range and quality you can find on this wonderful continent. ​Cheers and congratulations! Like it? Pin this image! 

You may also enjoy Maliba Lodge, Lesotho - a romantic and honeymoon getaway Mpala Jena: superb addition to Zimbabwe safari lodges for a Victoria Falls safari Best African safari holidays: 7 parks everyone should visit Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za

[rachelisnotatwork]

Conferencing North of the Wall

Deeply irritatingly, after a winter completely free of sniffles, coughs and fevers, whilst everyone wilted around me and I felt increasingly smug, the first day of spring saw my run of good luck come to an end and a stinking cold develop. So whilst we’d planned a few nice days of holiday before our conference in Belfast, I pretty much had to be peeled, hacking, wheezing and shivering, off the sofa to head over to there.

Naturally we’d booked to fly from Stanstead, which at the time seems like a good (financial) deal, and then the reality kicks in and we have to get two tubes and a train and leave hours of time. The plus side was the exhausting struggle of that plus the cough and cold remedies I was chugging down like there was no tomorrow pretty much meant I got onto the plane, passed out and woke up in Belfast. Unfortunately not the good Belfast airport, because there turn out to be two (who knew? The whole place is tiny. Why on earth do they need two airports?) but the rubbish one which is way outside of town and has posters on the wall about Belfast’s favourite coleslaw (I like to think they had a brutal and hard-fought referendum on that one).

We went to pick up our car, which was the first car we’ve ever got that has “lane assist”. This is probably a helpful function if you find yourself falling asleep on a US highway at 3am, as if you go anywhere near the lines in the centre of the road or at the sides, it starts an irritating beeping sound. This is not a helpful feature if you are in rural Northern Ireland, where the roads are so narrow you are constantly in it’s rage zone and the peeping pretty much never ends. No more nap time for me.

Because I’d been fast asleep on the flight, we hadn’t eaten the lunch we bought in the Stanstead Pret. I decided as we meandered slowly across the countryside towards our cottage outside Derry, to find a tourist attraction to stop at. The nearest appeared to be something called the Tirkane Sweat house. Clicking on it revealed something that looked like a cross between a grass igloo and an ice house. I was intrigued. I failed to mention to Marcel that the review also mentioned cave spiders. I wasn’t sure if they meant it as a joke.

It was beautifully sunny out, and the sweat lodge (built in the 18th century) was located by a tiny stream. The entrance however appears to have been designed for badgers. Beplagued with cold, I was not in the mood for crawling into an abandoned sweat lodge full of spiders, so I decided to let Marcel explore that one alone. Apparently they weren’t joking about the cave spiders. Sorry Marcel.

We drove on to our cottage, through blazing sunshine, verdantly green fields, herds of sheep and a weirdly high number of donkeys. I think I saw more donkeys in a week in Northern Ireland than I’ve seen in my entire life to date. If anyone knows why they love donkeys so much in these parts, please let me know. It looked lovely. It didn’t smell so great though, as apparently the trick to all those glowing green fields is spraying manure on them.

Our cottage was in the middle of nowhere, and the views looked amazing in the sun. 

We’d vaguely discussed going into Derry for dinners, but since I was feeling like shit, I decided we’d self-cater (aka Marcel would make dinner) and so we went to Tesco’s, stocked up on all the supplies and bought a board game as the wifi was broken there. Then we wiled away a pleasant evening in front of the fire, bitterly competing to win the most games.

The next day was forecast to have the better weather, so we decided to do all the “big” local sites. This started with Dunlace Castle. Only you had to pay £5.50 each and up close it didn’t look that impressive and was having some restoration works done, so we decided to stick with the (free) views from the surrounds of Dunlace castle.

The next stop off was the Giant’s Causeway. This is so beloved of UK school textbooks, that I felt like I was on a geography field trip 20 years too late. This was probably helped by being surrounded by herds of windswept teenagers in pac-a-macs. It was National Trust so we got in for free and it is pretty interesting geologically, but I think the main pleasure of the site would have been the hikes you can do around it where you can see some of the similar rock formations without groups of surly teenagers huddled on them (and large numbers of American tourists, revisiting their very, very distant Irish roots). However, alas I was still wheezing like a dying accordion and it took forever and all my breath to get up and down to the Causeway (I refused to take the bus with all the lazy people) so no hikes for us.

After that we headed on to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, which is also owned by the National Trust (another free entry! Win!). This was my suggestion and Marcel was surprised by it because I’m notoriously not great with heights (understatement) and this is a swinging rope bridge that sways 30m over the rocks below. I reassured him though that I was totally up for it. We walked the mile there, along a cliff top path, watching gulls swoop below us whilst bored-looking sheep watched us. We descended the steps down to it. I took one look at it and decided that was a hard nope from me, and refused to go any further. No idea what temporary delusion made me ever think I might. Marcel did head across there though. I bravely photographed him.

All that exercise (a mile is a long way to walk if you are wheezing away with a cough and asthma) and fear-by-proxy had left me hungry. We luckily found a lovely cafe nearby for rhubarb tart, which was located in a village (Ballintoy) that served as a harbour for a scene in Game of Thrones. It was quite windy and the sea rather pleasantly kept breaking over the rocks and the sea wall, which was nice to watch in a “thank god I’m on dry land” way.

On our way back, we decided to swing past The Dark Hedges, which is a photogenic avenue of beech trees that features in pretty much all of Northern Ireland’s tourism materials and a few movies and TV shows. Local and visiting idiots had carved their names into the fairly ancient beech trees, which meant I was seething with pure rage throughout. I like to think of myself as a fairly liberal person…apart from when it comes to people who write their names on historical sites and sites of natural beauty, where I feel the only reasonable punishment is removal of both hands with a fairly blunt axe.

The next morning we were slightly delayed as our airbnb owners had arranged for the BT wifi repair man to come and we had to let him in. I was slightly of the mind that I didn’t really care if we didn’t have internet for the <24 hours of the rest of our stay and I wasn’t really up for hanging around so the next guests could have wifi, but Marcel is a nicer person/a pushover so we did. Our repair man was extremely chatty and did give us some tourist tips, so I guess that was something

We started off having a wander around Derry. It has city walls and from there you can look over most of the town and see bits like Bogside (famous for the Bloody Sunday massacre), the cathedral and the guild hall. It was a relatively pleasant wander, but that was really all I felt I needed to see or do in Derry.

The weather however had just turned sunny as we left Derry to drive up for a fort called Grianan of Aileach. Luckily the whole Brexit debacle had been suspended, because it was just over the border in Donegal. It was my favourite sort of hill fort, in that you could drive right up to it and then get incredible views of the surrounding countryside with very minimal effort.

After a quick lunch (which we could thankfully pay for on card as we had no euros) we headed off to a beach Marcel had picked called Five Fingers Strand at the very north of the Inishowen peninsula. It was my favourite sort of beach- sandy, dramatic scenery behind it and windswept enough that it was pleasantly empty and you didn’t get too hot going for a walk along it, looking at the incredibly rough sea (definitely not a good swimming spot). It was a lovely end to the day out.

The next morning we had to say a sad goodbye to our cottage. We had to be in Belfast in the evening, but we decided to take a very scenic route there. First off, we stopped and wandered down the beach and around the very scenic village of Cushendun. It is apparently the closest point in Northern Ireland to the mainland UK as the Mull of Kintyre is just 16 miles across the water and due to the fact it was a beautifully clear day, very visible. Having been to Iona and it’s abbey on our round the UK road trip, it did make you realise why the Irish monks started out over there since they must have pretty much been able to see the heathens on the horizon.

Our next stop was to look around the walled gardens at Glenarm Castle. They are pretty nicely done and made a nice stop off and wander around, although our plan to visit their tea room for lunch was somewhat thwarted by apparently everyone else in a 50 mile radius having the same plan. 

Starving, we ended up driving into Larne. Not a great looking town but they were having an arts festival that involved having lots of umbrellas hanging in the streets, which cheered things up a bit.

We had to drive the car back to the shitty airport and then get a bus into town to our airbnb so by the time we arrived we weren’t much for exploring the joys of Belfast in the rain but instead hunkered down with takeout for an early evening.

The next day I had designated our “explore Belfast” day. Unfortunately a bunch of attractions aren’t open on a Monday, which this was, so that was a bit of a planning fail on my part. The Titanic museum, which is probably Belfast’s biggest attraction was though so we walked on over there (via a big fish and some very random sculptures made of recycling). 

The museum is huge and is slightly misnamed as a good proportion of it is just on life in Belfast at that time. Which was pretty interesting, as I know the story of the Titanic, but to be honest I don’t know much of Northern Ireland apart from the Troubles. Anyway, now I know all about it’s linen industry, rapid growth and rope factories. So you learn something new everyday. Also I do like giant engineering projects, so a museum that dedicated a lot of time to that whilst surrounded by cargo ships offloading and giant cranes made me happy. I wanted to see it’s dry dock, which is down the road because I read you could go down into it and really get a sense of the scale, so we wandered on down there….to find the only access was through a cafe, which had unexpectedly closed a fortnight previously. So that was a wee bit annoying, but hey, got some exercise.

By the evening, we were pretty tired from all our wanderings and since our whole point of being in Northern Ireland, the conference, started the next day, we decided to stay in and get an early night.

The next morning we walked the extremely agreeable 3 minutes from our Airbnb to the Europa hotel, which is apparently the most bombed hotel in the world. Dunno quite what made everyone hate it so much they bombed it 36 times, since it seemed pretty nice. The result of this is that there are pretty much no bins anywhere in the place. This normally wouldn’t be a problem but they fed us about every 10 minutes at the conference and you’d end up wandering around with a disposable cup or plate for ages, ruing the absence of bins. However the combination of 20 minute lectures for our short attention spans and being fed nice food at extremely regular intervals meant I had rather an enjoyable time.

That evening we had a booking at a restaurant Marcel had seen reviewed in the guardian a few months previously called Six by Nico, that serves a different six course tasting menu every 6 weeks. When we were there it was based on a fish and chips theme, which luckily they interpreted very liberally for vegetarians. We also got free snacks so by the end I pretty much had to be rolled home.

Perhaps as a result of the indigestion I couldn’t really sleep that night. I got up to go to the loo at about 2am and as I got back into bed I saw the orange lights from the street flickering on the ceiling and thought “man, street lights flicker more than I realised”. Then Marcel, woken by the shouting I was oblivious to thanks to my ear plugs got out of bed and pointed out the apartment block on the other side of the car park was on fire.

Now we have a Northern Irish friend who has quite the loud speaking voice. I always thought it was just one of his characteristics, but then on arriving in Northern Ireland I realised actually EVERYONE there has somewhat of a foghorn for a voice. And now all the foghorns in our block of flats were directed at bellowing the people in the flats opposite out of their flats. Whilst we could obviously see the flames much more clearly than they could, it was amazing how slow and reluctant people were to evacuate when there was very clearly a lot of smoke billowing out. It was pretty horrifying how quickly it spread from the original flat to the flat above- in under 2 minutes it had set fire to their balcony, set fire to the uPVC windows, exploded the glass and spread into the flat above. Even though the fire brigade came pretty rapidly and poured what seemed like thousands of litres of water onto it, it took ages to control. It was was a very sombre reminder to check our smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarm etc on our return.

It also meant we were somewhat shattered at the conference the next day. I’m terrible for falling asleep in lectures at the best of times, so expended all my energy on staying awake (luckily the seating was pretty uncomfortable). That meant by the evening neither of us were interested in doing much so we stayed home and I re-read A Country Doctor’s Notebook, which I first read as a medical student. Still love how whilst medicine has changed so much, the emotions of those providing it really haven’t. When I read it the first time around it was a huge comfort to remember at least I wouldn’t be left to amputate a leg single-handedly on my first day. It is still a comfort that I haven’t had to do that after practising for 7 years.

The next day was the last day of the conference, which meant dragging our suitcase to the hotel and persuading them to let us leave it in their left luggage room. Which they were surprisingly okay with, despite the history of bombs and the total absence of bins. I shan’t question the logic of that because it was hugely in our favour. The conference finished early on the last day, and so we had time to visit one of the attractions that first drew me to Northern Ireland. The Game of Thrones tapestry. Now I do like Game of Thrones, but what I really love is eccentric projects, the bigger the better, and a 66m tapestry commemorating the gore, orgies and weirdness of a TV show was right up my street. Reader, it was JUST AS GOOD as I thought it would be. I loved it. I also like to think of all the confused 90 year old grandma’s hand-stitching the details of orgies and brutal murders, wondering what the hell this was all about.

The museum it was in (The Ulster Museum) was pretty good too so I was very pleased with it for the grand entry price of free. It is right next to some gardens with a victorian glasshouse and fernery (apparently that was all the rage in Victorian Britain) so that was a nice end to our time in Belfast, before heading off back to the airport.

Whilst the weather had held until we were on the bus, by the time was reached the airport it was 4c with freezing horizontal rain and high winds. Normally not a problem but our plane naturally was on the other side of the tarmac and we had to walk about 5 minutes over to it and then queue, trying to angle our bodies like penguins in a huddle, to be out of the worst wind to board. By the time people got on the plane they were streaming water onto the floors and seats. Not the best goodbye to a fun week in Northern Ireland.

In other goodbyes, my suitcase, which has been fraying around the corners for a while and has a wonky wheel, finally developed a huge crack in the handle that meant it is finally time to say goodbye. This suitcase has been with me I think on every trip on this blog and held up amazingly well as that’s probably 18 months of being sat on every day whilst I try and wrench the zips closed over it’s overstuffed contents. I will miss it and suitcase, I’m sorry that whilst you got to see all of the lower 48 and Hawaii, you never saw Alaska. I hope Greenland compensated.