Monday 26 May 2008

Sweden's Ice Hotel

All over the world, it is evident that architecture has a lot to do with not only designing for the sake of esthetics but also for standing up to time and nature's elements. Buildings, homes, and other structures are built to last, at least that was true until the early 90's. Sweden became home to the world's first ice hotel.

Between December and April Ice Hotel can be found near the village of JukkasjÀrvi in Kiruna, Sweden. The idea behind the hotel came in 1990 when Jannot Derid, a French artist, held an exhibition in a cylinder shaped igloo. One night some of the visitors requested permission to stay the night in the exhibition hall. This sparked the beginning of Ice Hotel. Each year the hotel is rebuilt from scratch, using ice from the Torne River, and each year a new design is created.

The process of building the Ice Hotel is a long and strenuous one. The building process starts in mid-November when large clouds of snow start to drift along the Torne River. Snow is sprayed on large steel forms and allowed to freeze. After a couple of days, the forms are removed, leaving a maze of free-standing corridors of snow. In the corridors, dividing walls are built in order to create rooms and suites. Ice blocks are transported into the hotel, from the Torne River, where artists from all over the world start creating the art and design of the perishable material.

The Ice Hotel Sweden uses more than 4,000 tons of ice to create the igloo-like structure, and usually features roughly 60 guest rooms. Also featured in the hotel is a full bar which includes glasses made completely from ice, a sauna, a reception hall, a multimedia theatre, and a chapel.

Although the price for staying in this winter wonderland is a little heavy, most people while find 300 to 500 dollars a night is not a problem for the experience they have when staying in the Ice Hotel. The Ice Hotel is a unique architectural feat and amazes people each and every year.


Indonesia Hotels - Heaven Of Privacy And Comfort

For travelers, Indonesia is a paradise. This archipelago has so many things on offer- natural landscapes, beautiful temples and a rich culture and heritage. Staying in the hotels in Indonesia will leave you spellbound. The facilities and services that these Indonesia hotels provide are simply great! The friendly gesture of the staff, coupled with an array of facilities and services will make tours to this country worthwhile and a memorable experience.

Majority of Indonesia accommodation options are located at various focal points of the cities. They provide easy access to all the major tourist attractions and transportation. In all the important cities like Jakarta, Bali, Lombok or Batam, travelers will find a hotel of their choice and budget. Indonesia offers all kinds of hotels and resorts for both leisure and business travelers.

The Novotel Mangga Dua Square is situated in Jakarta, the capital and largest city of Indonesia. The hotel is located close to major shopping and entertainment venues of Jakarta. With a fresh contemporary Asian design coupled with friendly staff and top-notch amenities, this Novotel Mangga Dua Square is a favorite among both business travelers and vacationers.

One of the peaceful friendly hotels in Jakarta is the Ibis Kemayoran. The best value for money, this property is known for its friendly services and warm hospitality. This budget hotel is situated in the Kemayoran district and is a perfect retreat for both leisure and business travelers. The hotel's location is strategic, just minutes from the business districts and train station.

Among the finest Bali hotels, mention can be made of Sofitel Seminyak. This property is has professional staff to successfully cater to the varied needs of guests. Standing directly on the Seminyak Beach, the hotel is ideal for beach lovers. Shopping from the hotel is quite easy, as Sofitel Seminyak is just a few minutes from Bali's main shopping and dining outlets and nightclubs. The luxurious suites and villas are favorites for families or honeymooners looking for privacy and comfort.

All Seasons Resort Legian ranks high among the Indonesia accommodation options. The superb location of the resort, with privacy, tranquility and convenience makes for an unforgettable stay in the Bali city.

One of the top-class Lombok hotels is Novotel Lombok. Surrounded by beautiful natural landscapes and white sandy beaches, this property features world-class amenities and services. For travelers who want peace and privacy, the hotel comes as the perfect retreat. Hotel Jayakarta is another friendly place to reside while in Lombok, Indonesia. Hotel Jayakarta offers friendly attentive services to all its guests in a nice and relaxing setting.

Among the resorts in Batam, tourists can choose the Batam View Beach Resort to stay in luxury and comfort. The resort is just ideal for holidaymakers or business travelers on a trip to Batam. With scenic land and sea views, the Batam View Beach Resort offers an ideal venue to laze around or do business.

Log on to AsiaRooms. Our extensive database will help you to locate the best hotels in Indonesia.

Holidays - Apartments Or Hotels?

When we book our holidays chances are the first thing you consider is the destination, maybe that idyllic beach holiday in the sun or perhaps a city break with plenty to see and experience. After you've chosen your destination you'll want to decide on your accommodation. For some people this won't matter as much, as you'll be out of the room for most of the day and simply need somewhere to rest your head at the end of the day.

The thing is that sometimes a simple hotel room is not going to do much to help you relax on your holidays, renting an apartment can provide the comfort and luxury that you'll appreciate more. Apartment holidays have risen in popularity because people want to feel more like they are at home rather than a clinical, cramped white hotel room.

Aside from the increased space, apartments have more facilities than hotel rooms such as full kitchens so that if you don't feel like going out for dinner on a night you have the choice of cooking for yourself. Apartments can truly give you the feeling that you are at home in another country and not just on holiday for a week or two.

For family groups apartments are preferable as they tend to have communal living areas such as sitting rooms or dining rooms, this way you can have family members round to your apartment as opposed to having to go out somewhere. Much like villas apartments can normally house more people than hotel rooms typically with more than just one bedroom so the kids don't have to put up with dad's snoring or having two hotel rooms at opposite ends of the building to each other!

Apartment holidays have been popular in a wide range of usual holiday occasions such as golf holidays; your bulky set of golf clubs would certainly reduce the amount of space in a hotel room, the same goes for skiing holidays. Other holidays such as Disney theme park breaks where you may be taking a full family with many young children are helped by staying in larger accommodation such as apartments as opposed to hotel rooms.

People who have been on apartment holidays have said how they feel more like locals as they have more self-reliance and not having to go to the hotel's restaurant every day to eat. Couple that with the ability to wake up and leave the room whenever you are ready, not when the maid comes a knocking and it makes for a much more relaxing holiday indeed.

The price for this increased space and comfort is not as high as you'd expect either, many rental accommodation agents offer significant discounts for early bookers as well as last minute bookings for larger numbers. People who book their own holidays online can expect further discounts as they can take advantage of cheap flights by booking themselves as well as hand picking their accommodation.

So for your next holiday, whatever and wherever you go maybe you could improve it by considering renting apartment accommodation instead of a simple hotel room.

If you are looking for apartment holidays and planning a holiday soon then check out holiday-connexions.com and you could choose from one of the 25,000 ABTA bonded properties that holiday-connexions.com can offer for your next holiday.

Hotel In Singapore

An island nation, Singapore is located at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia. In the beginning, Singapore was a British trading colony but since its independence the country has gained immense popularity as not just an excellent tourist destination but also as a one of the world's most flourishing countries. The country also has a world's busiest port. As a holiday spot, Singapore is absolutely fantastic. Myriads of attractions, plethora of entertainment options and many other activities to try out... Singapore offers it all. The culture in Singapore is mixed. Heavily influenced by Indian, Chinese, Malay and other Asian countries this nation is a melting pot of many traditions and ethnicity. Accommodation in Singapore is easy to find. Singapore Hotels offer excellent lodging experience and are internationally acclaimed to be one of the finest places to stay in the city. Singapore is a great place to enjoy spa treatment. Here you will find many health clubs that offer amazing therapies to sooth your senses.

Religious places

There are many religious places in Singapore that are visited by tourist and visitors all through the year. When you plan to visit these places, make sure that you are dressed decently and do not the religious sentiment of these people.

• The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum is located in the center of Chinatown. In this famous temple you will find the Sacred Buddha Tooth Relic in a magnificent Relic Stupa that has 420kg of gold presented by followers. Each day, religiously, the inner chamber is uncovered at regular timings and ceremonies are conducted by the in resident monks. During this ceremony the public can view the Relic Stupa.

• The Armenian Church located in Hill Street is known to be the oldest church in Singapore. It was built in the year1835 and designed by architect- George Coleman during colonial times. The church is considered to be Coleman's masterpiece and is built in the name of St Gregory the Illuminator.

• Constructed in the year 1846, the Hajjah Fatimah Mosque is one of the many beautiful mosques in Singapore. The architectural style and influences that can be seen in this mosque is a combination of many but it is mainly a British architectural style.

Museums

There are many museums in Singapore based on various themes. Some of them include
Chinatown Heritage Center, Royal Selangor Pewter Museum, Singapore Mint Coin Gallery and Peranakan Museum among many others.

Along the Singapore River, do not miss the life-sized bronze sculptures that seem to be jumping into the river. The sculptures are known as the "People of the River" and portray the lifestyles of early people along the river.

Singapore hotels leave no stone unturned to make the best of your holidays. Well equipped with the best of facilities and rendering commendable service, you will love the hospitality of the city hotels of Singapore. Hotel Singapore are available in various price brackets and categories... whether you are looking for a luxurious hotel, a mid ranging hotel to a low cost budget hotel in the cities of Singapore you will find it all.

The website offers exclusive information of online reservation of Singapore Hotels . We also provide information about reservation of Hotels in Singapore

Hotels In Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is formally known as the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. It an island-country located 31 kilometers to the southern coast of India. The major tourist attractions in Sri Lanka are the islands and beaches located in the southern and eastern parts of the country, primeval heritage sites located in the interior of the country and verdant green resorts located in the mountainous areas of the country. Since tourism is one of the main industries in the country, Hotels in Sri Lanka leave no stone unturned to make the best of their lodgers stay. The city hotels and resorts offer excellent ambience, service and facilities to their guest's delight.

Some of the well regions in Sri Lanka include Galle, Colombo- capital city, Kandy among many others. Kandy is listed in the world heritage site and also one of the best tourist sites in Sri Lanka. Sited 116 km from Colombo, the region is home to the Temple of Tooth which has the tooth relic of Lord Buddha. A10-day parade called the Esala Perahera is a great attraction of the city. Koggala is located in southern region of the country, at a distance of 130km from Colombo. The region boasts of one of the most excellent beach and the historical Madol Duwa. Arugam Bay is place that is high on places of interest and is famous for balmy beaches.

Sri Lanka is known for its rich historical and cultural heritage. The temple of Ridi Vihara is a beautiful structure. The world Ridi Vihara means Silver Temple and it is called so because in the 2nd century BC, silver ore was discovered here. It is believed that a king set up the complex as a sign of gratefulness for the discovery of silver which helped him complete his other construction projects. Within the cave sits a gold-plated statue of the Buddha. You must not miss the nearby Upper Temple when you visit Ridi Vihara. Panduwasnuwara is a fine tourist attraction that is overlooked most of the times. The ruin of this 12th century capital of Parakramabahu is worth a visit. A quiet and a serene place to unwind... no many visit this place. The site covers an area of about 50 acres and makes a good place for archaeological exploration. Aukana Buddha stands 12m tall and folklore has it that the sculpture was built during the reign of Dhatusena in the 5th century - however some source date it to the 12th -13th century. The best time to savor the beauty of the statue is during the dawn when the rays of the sun fall on makes it look heavenly.

An accommodation in Sri Lanka is easy to find and is available in various price brackets and categories. Sri Lanka Hotels are well equipped with the best of facilities and render world class service. Whether you are looking for a five star luxurious hotel, a mid range hotel or a low cost budget hotel... you will find it all here. Hotel Sri Lanka is well known for their hospitality and trusted for their opulent service all across the world.

The website offers exclusive information of online reservation of Hotels in Sri Lanka. We also provide information about reservation of Sri Lanka Hotels

Cheap Orlando Hotels - The Truth About Discount Hotels In Orlando, FL

Are you looking for cheap Orlando hotels? Orlando Florida is a popular vacation destination. There are many different activities and tourist destinations in the area. Many families spend weeks or months planning the activities they will be taking part in while visiting Orlando. Have you spent weeks searching out the best deals on airfare and tickets for your vacation activities but you forget about where you are going to stay. This article will give you the facts about cheap discount hotels in Orlando.

Finding a cheap Orlando discount hotels does not mean you should take risks with your safety or your family's vacation. To have a great vacation in Orlando you are going to need a lot of energy, so a good nights rest is vital. Most of the activities in Orlando require a lot of walking and with a little pre-planning and determination you can find a great deal at your favorite hotels.

Start your Orlando discount hotel search on the Internet. Search for discount hotel rooms on the major travel planning websites. Many of these websites purchase excess rooms from the hotels and resell them to the customer at a great discount. If you find a great deal on a travel planning website make sure you read all the rules and requirements for the deal. You should also be aware that sometimes a pre-payment will be required to purchase the room, this pre-payment can work for your advantage. You can pay for a portion of your vacation prior to leaving home and not have to worry about the amount of money you spend while out and about.

Another great way to find cheap discount Orlando hotels, is to make a list of all the hotel locations you are interested in renting and calling the locations directly. This method usually works best when you have about one or two weeks before you planned vacation. Ask the location if they have any special discount rates available. You may need to call several times because hotel rates change quite often and you do not want to miss out on a discount room because you called once and were told no. Many times hotels will hold rooms for groups that cancel at the last minute; the hotel will offer the rooms at a great discount at the last minute because they need to make up the lost revenue.

If you are more of a do-it-yourself type person forget about cheap Orlando hotels, you may be interested in staying at a camping area or rental home. The prices for these locations will vary greatly but you can find some great discount prices on the Internet. Wherever you decide to stay during your vacation in Orlando, make sure that you have through information about the location and also that you feel safe while staying there. Get a good nights rest each evening and your plans for fun in Orlando will be more memorable than you may expect.

Learn more about cheap Orlando hotels and discount hotels in Orlando quickly and easily by visiting http://www.lakemarybusinessdirectory.com a very popular website that provides resources , articles, and consumer information and business reviews.